Thame Win Local Derby (Contributed)

Chinnor 1 Thame United 3 !! Match Report
THIS eagerly awaited local derby, in the preliminary round of the League Challenge Cup saw the game watched by the largest crowd of the day – 127, with a close encounter anticipated given that Thame United lie 19th in the Hellenic Premier League and Chinnor are in fourth place in the league below.

It was Thame United who started the brightest with a Jordan Weaver shot deflected for a corner on five minutes, and Ben Clarke in the Chinnor goal saving well from Adrian Smith two minutes later. However, it was Chinnor who took the lead on 10 minutes, when leading scorer Gary Marshall collected the ball on the wide right and hit a powerful shot that caught Goalkeeper Paul Searl out of position. Although Searl got a hand to the ball, the shot crept in at the near post.

Thame equalised 10 minutes later when the ever dangerous Nathan Jack hit an unstoppable shot from wide right to beat Clarke low to his left. It was 2-1 to Thame in the 33rd minute when, following good passing between Weaver and Jack, Jack calmly placed the ball beyond the approaching Clarke for his ninth goal of the season. By now Thame were beginning to get the upper hand and following a shot just wide from Nick Gibson in the 35th minute, Thame extended their lead a minute later with young centre back Marc Bell powerfully meeting a Joe Da Silva corner to give Clarke in the Chinnor goal no chance.

With the score 3-1 to Thame at half time, the crowd were looking forward to an entertaining game in the second half. Indeed, it was Chinnor who came out the stronger of the two sides, with Searl doing well to parry a powerful shot in the 50th minute. Five minutes later the Thame centre back Matt Graves was lucky to receive only a yellow card for a heavy challenge. However, in the ensuing fracas former Thame United player and Chinnor chairman, Richard Carr, was sent from the field. He was followed five minutes later by Gary Marshall for a second bookable offence.

This effectively finished the game as a spectacle, with the Thame side content to play possession football and see out the remaining half an hour. Nevertheless, Jack, Weaver, Da Silva and Sion Kitson all went close to extending the lead, with Weaver also having a good claim for a penalty turned down in the 83rd minute.

Team:
Searl, Smith, Watkins, Bell, Graves, Kitson, Connelly, Gibson, Da Silva, Jack, Weaver
Sub (not used): Hocking.

The result sees Thame travel to Rayners Lane in the next round of the Cup on 25th November, before which they have important league games away at Harrow Hill this Saturday and at home to Abingdon Town on 18th November.

The victory against Chinnor was followed by news that Thame United Reserves, who play in Reserve Division 2 of the Hellenic League, had beaten their first division opponents, Didcot Town, 5-2 in the first round of the Chairmans? Challenge Cup, rounding off a winning weekend for Thame United.
4th November 2006