Teamwork By Chinnor Under Tens (Contributed)

THE Under 10’S Chinnor A team has once again proved they are a force to be reckoned with, continuing their unbroken season record of conceding no tries when they came up against Aylesbury on Sunday. Iestyn James, Greg Alvey and Matthew Smith drove like the bulldozers they are, Thomas Strathdee, James Millett, Harry Lowe, Charlie Proctor and Liam Evans tackled like demons and Nathaniel Heather and Sam Edwards ran like the wind. For all the superb individual skill shown on the pitch, however, the most striking impression of the matches was the teamwork shown by each and every player. Gone are the ?glory boys? so desperate for a try that they?ll hang onto the ball like it?s coated with glue. Every single team member contributed in his own way to Charlie Krabbe?s superb 3 tries during the first match, and can be very proud of the 15 ? 0 result.

There was no hint of fatigue in their second match against the same opposition. In fact, the team kicked it into high gear, with even more crunching tackles, decisive scrum and lineout work and superb passing. Despite spending a lot of the first half scant metres from their own try line, Chinnor showed their mastery of ?offensive defense? and repeatedly denied Aylesbury the chance to score. Tries in this match were scored by Thomas Strathdee (2), Charlie Proctor, Harry Lowe and Liam Evans: final score 25 ? 0.

Strong pressure from the off by forwards Aaron Milburn, Matthew (Rhino) Karslake and Ben Chapman gave Luca Rampin the chance to break away to score the first try of the match. After more strong forward driving and excellent support work from Matthew Donnelly and Callum Wright, Andrew Kay scored the second. Aylesbury couldn?t respond to the challenge, and Finn Tapping?s footwork ensured him the third and Jack (Gazelle) Gibbins sprinted most of the length of the pitch for the fourth. Not content with just the one, Jack then did it again for the fifth try ? and we were still just in the first half! The second half kicked off with solid tackling and support play from Jake O?Neill and Dominic Whaler. Matthew Karslake was nigh-on unstoppable, charging through the opposition and often taking a few of them with him up the pitch, clinging desperately to him in a futile effort to slow him down. The whole team kept their positions well, repeatedly foiling Aylesbury?s attempts to break through. One chap who did wriggle his way through our line was brought down by a superb try-saving tackle from Jack Gibbins ? you see, Jack, you can tackle! Matthew scattered opposition players like ninepins for the sixth try of the match, and tight teamwork gave Ben Chapman the chance to score the seventh and final one. It?s lovely to see the boys working as a unit, and the final score of 35 ? 0 is a testament to their hard work.

Chinnor B2s kicked off their match with great initial forward play by Henry Leggett, Tomas White and Thomas Bellars. Excellent teamwork by scrum half and fly half combo Harry Stansfield and Cameron Matthews resulted in an early try by Chris Wright, setting the precedent for the remainder of the first half, with the forwards working solidly together and some excellent runs from the backs. One particularly splendid sprint from Adam Pipkin almost ended in a try, but he was stopped just short of glory. Chinnor spent the vast majority of the first half pushing towards the opposition try line. One momentary lapse of concentration gave Aylesbury the chance to surge forward and score their one and only try of the morning. Chinnor produced a magnificent second half display, with solid driving from the forwards and some super work from backs Richard Hanlon and Joseph Lynch. Harry Stansfield helped set up Chris Wright?s second try, which was followed by further tries for Cameron Matthews, Henry Leggett and finally Nathaniel Heather, who came on as replacement for the injured Harry Stansfield. Final score 25-5 ? well done boys!