Chinnor defeated by resurgent Canterbury

THE trip to Canterbury was not expected to be easy as the Canterbury team had recovered from a patchy start to the season and were playing and winning against some good opposition.

In a game of high drama, the boot of fly half Tom Best with his two second half penalties and a dropped goal proved too much for Chinnor on the day. It was a competitive contest and Canterbury tackled and defended well as one unit. Playing down the slope and with the wind Chinnor pressured the set scrums but only managed a first half lead of 5 points. This was to prove crucial.

Chinnor scored two well worked tries to lead by 12 points as the half time whistle approached. The scores were both set up by forward power that forced penalties. Driving hard at Canterbury in the right-hand corner a catch and drive sucked in the defenders before a blind side overlap was worked for fly half Bertie Hopkin to score but failed to convert. The second try, after half an hour, was created as Chinnor drove the Canterbury set piece into retreat and No 8 Tom Burns scored off the back, with Bertie Hopkin adding the conversion. Canterbury, after a period of sustained Chinnor pressure, took their chance a minute before half time to go into the break at only 5 points behind. Chinnor lost possession at their lineout and Cameron Townley took the ball on, his forward colleagues piled into to retain possession and it was whipped wide for Martyn Beaumont to score. Tom Best kicked a solid conversion into the wind. This left Chinnor much to do in the second half as the slope and wind were a distinct advantage to Canterbury.

The second half was a hard-fought contest with little give or take on both sides. The decisive period came early in the final quarter as pressure built and Chinnor’s Tom Burns was yellow carded for a technical offence. Tom Best kicked the penalty. A minute later the fly half gave his side the lead as he hit a long, low drop goal which crept over the bar by inches. After a long consultation, the referee said yes. Referee Manley was accidentally knocked out but recovered and Chinnor put in a furious late assault which they hoped would prove decisive. However, in the 78th minute Tom Best was handed the penalty chance which he duly converted to give Canterbury a 16 point to 12 victory.

Although Chinnor dominated the scrums, Canterbury became adept at depriving Chinnor of possession by stealing their lineouts. This became a contributory factor for Chinnor’s first defeat of the season. It hurt and hopefully Chinnor have learned a few lessons that they can take back to fortress Chinnor and get back to winning ways. It was not Chinnor’s day in many ways but Canterbury deserved the win and Tom Best deservedly was man of the match.

Chinnor play Clifton at home next week and hope to get back to their winning ways.