Chinnor Colts beat Buckingham on the road

Two mixed teams set out to play a good game of rugby and no-one watching was disappointed.

Buckingham kicked off and quickly won possession only to kick the ball out. Chinnor had to clear their lines before it was their turn to win possession and go forward. They did this with a clever kick through, followed by carries from Max M (#8) and Louis A (#1). It looked like scrum half Sam T was nobbled at the back of a ruck, but he managed to pass the ball out for others and Ollie S to get close to the tryline with Dan M in support. The hosts defended well and regained possession but had to clear their lines. In the ensuing run by Chinnor, Buckingham tackled high and Toby C (at inside centre) took it quickly. Before the opposition could react, he was over for a try that was converted. 0-7.

Then Chinnor had possession, lost it and regained it. Kicks were traded and a second high tackle led to a penalty which Chinnor chose to scrum. All was looking good, but Buckingham turned over the ball and exited their 22 with a kick. All Chinnor again until two injuries put them down to 14 players. Then it was all Buckingham who, after a period of pressure from their strong forward pack, went over the line to score. 5-7.

From the restart, possession was traded again, before the home winger looked threatening. Fortunately he was stopped and pressure applied to their fly half who held on to the ball in the tackle. Now Chinnor were back in the hosts' half with another good run from Ollie S. Again Buckingham's defence was solid with big tackles being made by big players and Chinnor not always winning the race to the breakdown. Another trade of kicks and Buckingham were back on the attack. A series of try saving tackles from Tom F, Max M and Dan M slowed them down, but eventually the second try for the home team came from their forwards going out wide from a maul. 10-7.

Shortly after the restart a Buckingham injury followed by them being off their feet in a breakdown. A run from Gus B got to within 15m of the try line. Ball stolen by a very capable #25, but later the penalty came to Chinnor at another breakdown. A well-timed pass from Sam T to Max M saw him over the line, which was duly converted. 10-14 going in to half time.

The second half started with knock-ons from both teams, before the ball was won on the floor by Chinnor. This released Gus B for another run, with support from Sam G (#4) and Shaun B (#2). This wasn't quite enough and Buckingham were defending well, regaining possession. When Chinnor won it back, Harry R (#3) went for a trundle making good yards. Next Toby C kicked over the Buckingham back line for the ball to be chased down by Gus B and Max M. The pressure told and the hosts carried the ball back over their try line and grounded it. From the ensuing scrum every forward was involved in a battle of attrition as they tried breaking through the defensive line. They couldn't, but had created a gap for Dan M (now at #9) to send Toby C over for an uncoverted try. 10-19.

Buckingham were straight back and having gained possession, bullied their way over in a series of traditional 'up yer jumper' phases from 30m out. 15-19.

Jude H (on the wing) then intercepted a pass and all the play was on Buckingham's 22 yard line. It was a bit scrappy, but possession was retained. Shaun B had a good carry and secured a penalty. Unfortunately Chinnor then conceded their own penalty before they could capitalise on the first. A poor line out gave Chinnor back possession and things were looking good until a loose ball was kicked through and Buckingham were back on Chinnor's 22 yard line with all their pack lined up. A good carry, a great offload and they were over for their fourth try. 20-19.

Chinnor were now wise to the home team's strength and started to put the ball in corner every chance they got. This paid off when a scrum penalty (that Chinnor were very fortunate to have been awarded) 15m out from Buckingham's try line set the platform for the ball to go through the hands of every back for Jude to dot down in the opposite corner. 19-24.

From the restart, the ball went through two sets of hands before Gus B went marauding through the defence to run 50m and evade three players to score. 19-31.

Buckingham were not finished by any means and came back with an excellent effort working up the pitch. It started when they were very fortunate not to be penalised at the maul and they were hard to stop. Multiple tackles were made but the power and drive of the hosts told and they went over for try number five. 25-31.

Now within a score and only minutes to the final whistle, the tension was palpable. A penalty to Chinnor saw them camped in hosts 22 for a while, but good defence from Buckingham meant no-one was getting through. Then Chinnor were off their feet but Buckingham failed to effectively clear their lines and it was all Chinnor again. A knock on with only thirty seconds to play was all Buckingham needed and before long they were on Chinnor's 22 and looking menacing. A scramble defence from the Chinnor pack fortunately turned the ball over before the hosts could score. A hurried kick to touch and the full time whistle blew. Final score 25-31.

Both teams played well but missed out on some of their opportunities. Buckingham were stronger up front. Chinnor were more clinical in attack and in the end, the difference came down to kicking. Chris B converted three out of five tries and he, Toby C and Sam T all kicked well during the match. A good, solid team effort from all of the Chinnor players and we wish Ed M a speedy recovery.