Falcons
Matches
Sat 23 Jan 2016  ·  Division 2
Chinnor Rugby Club
Falcons
27
21
Dorking
Men of Thame bolstered by the old guard

Men of Thame bolstered by the old guard

Walter McGuicken25 Jan 2016 - 21:47
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https://www.chinnor-rfc.com/te

Men of Thame bolstered by the old guard

MEN OF THAME BOLSTERED BY THE OLD GUARD’

As has been the case at times this season, Chinnor 2’s were struggling to raise a full complement during the week given the impact of injuries, unavailabilities and cases of self-imposed exile; however thanks to the heroic efforts of Manager H Evans and Ian Stock, The Men of Thame took to the field with a strong side to face Dorking.

Demonstrating a level of influence unseen since the halcyon days of Richard Daley’s administration in Chicago, de-facto Mayor of Thame Ian Stock was able to entice three Chinnor Legends out from semi-retirement in Valhalla to support the team’s efforts.

Alan ‘Cosha’ Cawston, Trevor ‘The General’ Powell and Bill ‘the Dealbreaker’ Deeley stepped up manfully: Deeley’s shorts and The General’s warm-up top displaying scars of battle fought before many of the team’s younger players were twinkles in their fathers’ eyes (reports that, like some of Daley’s alleged voters, Chinnor were planning to deploy players ‘from beyond the grave’ proved unfounded). Cosha provided steel in the scrums, and faultless arrows at lineout to match his limitless energy around the park.

Bolstered by these redoubtable veterans, Chinnor started strongly with trademark aggressive defence and forwards interlinking effectively with backs in attack, leading to the rapier-like Jake Buckland’s score after just 4 minutes following a sweeping move which had commenced in the The Men of Thame’s own 22.

The welcome return of Sam Angell from injury provided leadership, experience and significant presence to the midfield – his partnership with skilful debutant Ollie Jenner delivering slick service to Chinnor’s exciting outside backs. Indeed, it was a thunderous charge from the Loafhead, scattering defenders to the four winds, which led to an expertly finished try by Robbie Martey after 8 minutes.

At this stage, the Chinnor 2’s were dominating: one fantastic passage of play after a break down the left by Joe Vandermolen, saw prop Ian Stock rampaging on a characteristic burst through midfield with lock Justin Allen in close proximity – one seasoned observer recalled that the passage brought to mind a runaway buffalo on the Serengeti; ably supported by a red-haired giraffe. Robbie Martey’s 2nd try following directly from this, and after 15 minutes the Men of Thame were firmly in control at 19-0, with Angell having impressively converted two of the three tries.

Chinnor were threatening to run away with it but Dorking showed strong resolve to hold out until half-time, in particular after The Men of Thame went for the jugular with a 5m scrum penalty just before the interval. The strength of Dorking’s character was exemplified by their 2nd half performance – Chinnor guilty of playing too much rugby in the wrong areas at times, and becoming somewhat disjointed with errors creeping into their game in contrast to their slickness in the first half. These errors created pressure on which Dorking capitalised with a try just after half-time.

Chinnor initially responded well to the setback, with Robbie Martey scorching in to complete his hat-trick after an excellent break by the Chinnor backs which appeared to make the game safe, securing the 4 try bonus point on 60 minutes (24-7). Unfortunately, this presaged Chinnor’s worst 20 mins of the game when, having been reduced to 14 men after persistent team breakdown offences (Josh Preston taking one for the team), errors led to 2 converted interception tries from Dorking, who were now very much in the game at 24-21 and well positioned to win it in the dying minutes.

Thankfully for Chinnor, inspired by a belligerent cameo display in the backrow from The General, and intelligent decision-making by Jenner and Angell, The Men of Thame regained their composure: eliciting a penalty through aggressive defensive pressure from the kick-off which Angell converted to make the game safe at 27-21.

As has often been the case this season, Chinnor 2’s delivered a mixed performance – excellent in the 1st half to the extent that lesser teams would have been blown away; but then error-strewn and lacking focus and intensity at times in the 2nd. The Men of Thame can take confidence from an improved set-piece; a welcome belligerence in the pack featuring Dean and Ryan Collins prominently on the flanks; and a backline which looked lethal when provided with quick ball. There remains more work to do however in terms of improving focus and consistency to deliver an 80 minute performance of the quality we all know is possible.

The 2’s face London Irish on Saturday at Kingsey Road and will be looking to build on this solid performance with a number of potentially season-defining matches scheduled in the next few weeks.

Lavdog

Match details

Match date

Sat 23 Jan 2016

Kickoff

14:00

Competition

Division 2
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Principal sponsor - Rectory Homes
Platinum sponsor - Farol
Platinum sponsor - GGR Group
Platinum sponsor - CPM
Platinum Sponsor - Euro-City Group
Platinum sponsor - Kubota
Platinum Sponsor - M&P Brickwork
Gold sponsor - ASM Auto Recycling
Gold Sponsor - Carlsberg Marston's
Gold Sponsor - Connect Scaffolding
Gold Sponsor - GHH Decorating
Gold Sponsor - Hamnett Hayward
Gold Sponsor - Ithaca Roofing
Gold Sponsor - Reynolds Groundwork Services
Silver sponsor - Wise Steelwork
Silver sponsor - Lightfoots
Silver Sponsor - 3B Vehicle Hire
Silver sponsor - Dymott Builders
Silver Sponsor - Jacke Resources
Silver Sponsor - OVL Group
Silver sponsor - Robin Swailes Design & Development
Silver sponsor - Sign Wizzard
Silver sponsor - Transport Planning Associates
Silver Sponsor - Wills & Trusts
Bronze sponsor - Helpful Hirings
Bronze Sponsor - Thame Cars
Bronze Sponsor - College and County
Bronze sponsor - Ashfold School
Bronze sponsor - Carmichael UK
Bronze Sponsor - Crendon Conservatories
Bronze Sponsor - MPS Workwear
Bronze sponsor - Royal Oxford Hotel
Bronze Sponsor - Succession Wealth
Bronze sponsor - Thame Crash Repair Centre
Bronze Sponsor - The Seven Stars Dinton