1st match

It was action from the starting whistle when Chinnor met Maidenhead on Sunday. Solid pressure, cracking tackles (from Cameron, Tom B, Conor and Rory) and skillful recycling from Adam C were on display, prompting some guardedly positive comments from spectators and coaches alike. My pitchside assistant commentators were so busy thinking up nicknames that they almost missed Charlie P’s deft chip and chase followed by a lovely try from Jack G which was ably converted by Adam P. Score 7 – 0. The game then entered a stumbling, scrappy phase in which Maidenhead capitalized on a moment of inattention. They may have scored a try but they couldn’t convert it despite two attempts. Score 7 – 5. The game re-started with some strong rucking but again Chinnor seemed to lose focus at the crucial moment, allowing Maidenhead to take the play right up to Chinnor’s try line. Fighting hard, Chinnor managed to push the opposition back and Charlie P helping the ball into touch brought play back to the “right” end. James B kept his head, effecting a lovely recovery and taking the ball into a maul, from out of which Jack “In The Box” Ellis sprang, sprinted for the line and brought the score to 12 – 5. Crunching tackles by Tom B and Rory couldn’t stop Maidenhead from slipping past with another try and the first half ended at 12 – 10.

The second half started with a couple of lovely ground-recovering kicks from Adam P, some solid line-out work from Tom P and great tackles from Andrew and Tom B. Scrappy play saw Maidenhead push Chinnor slowly but surely back, and despite the best efforts of the solid forward pack Maidenhead kept slipping through chinks in the armour to gain ground. Alistair and Conor teamed up to bring one pitch-long run to an abrupt end and James B’s attempted breakaway showed a flash of brilliance, but support was slow to arrive and Maidenhead scored again (15 – 12). Alistair’s tackling and Rory’s ripping didn’t prevent Chinnor heads from going down and Maidenhead steamed past a static defense for one last try. Final score 20 – 12.

2nd match

This was a quick game from the off and this reporter was caught off guard, juggling coffee, pen and paper as Chinnor seized the advantage and, as seems to be becoming a pattern, the Jack Ellis roadshow charged over the Maidenhead line twice. Much of the following passage of play was punctuated by some really great rugby: Chinnor rucked & scrummaged well and passed the ball down the line fluently, running onto the ball at pace and providing support for good multi-phase play.

Some of the highlights of the game included an apparently bizarre ref's decision that Tom S had not touched the ball down behind his own line despite him landing on the ball. Now, I've seen The Matrix and a jolly good film it is too but I have no doubt that we can't really suspend animation as that decision would have needed were it to have been correct. Anyway, Maidenhead were awarded a try subsequent to this. Thereafter, Tom S took the bull by the horns and quite possibly various other parts of its anatomy; his blistering (a much over-used word but in this case wholly justifiable) run to cover two thirds of the pitch, ball in hand and then touch it down, very deliberately, between the Maidenhead posts sealed the fate of the rest of the game.

Chinnor scored two more tries from set piece penalty starts. There was nothing fancy about these, no double dummy scissors, no cross cutting fly half, no props running amidst the centres to throw confusion into the proceedings; it was simple, good, straightforward running rugby, the ball flowing from hand to hand. A simple delight to watch and rewarding to get even more points on the board.

Maidenhead came back at Chinnor with a couple of tries, one of which was scored as Chinnor players decided it was too much effort to tackle. The highlights of this match all stemmed from teamwork but there were some blindingly good individual performances in addition to those mentioned above. Iestyn always seemed to come out of the ruck with the ball in his hands like a dog with a bone. He also teamed up well with Matthew S to bring down the Maidenhead behemoth, all stubble and blubber, who ran straight at the Chinnor pair for an attempt at a running penalty. I dare say it’s a move he won’t be trying again in a hurry. Finn Tapping provided the totally reliable ultimate line of resistance as ever and Harry Lowe converted four tries to add points with his boot.

Final score: Chinnor 43 – 10 Maidenhead