11/02/13….Chinnor ‘dig deep’ to combat Canterbury

MATCH REPORT: National 2 South – Chinnor Vs Canterbury; February 9, 2013; Chinnor RFC 31, Canterbury 18.

CHINNOR had to dig deep to overcome dogged Canterbury, and the team was thoroughly tested by a combative Canterbury side but eventually they ran out the winners 31-18.

With Waddingham and Sawyer unavailable, Jordan Wood was retained in the back row along with Tom Mowbray. David Hughes took the vacant second row berth. Canterbury were first on the scoreboard when Browne knocked over a penalty goal with three minutes played. Minutes later Canterbury were unlucky not to score a try when they just failed to ground a smart grubber kick into the in-goal area. Colver equalised for Chinnor with a penalty goal in the seventh minute to make the match score 3-3.

A short stab kick in midfield resulted in a penalty for Chinnor when Goode was tackled without the ball. This led to a series of rucks and mauls close to the Canterbury line. Stout resistance from the visitors was overcome eventually when Goode muscularly barged over for Chinnor?s first try of the day on the 19th minute. Colver’s conversion advanced the score to 10-3 in favour of Chinnor.

The game then switched very much in favour of Canterbury who were relentless in attack. With all the play in the Chinnor 22, Canterbury’s persistence was eventually rewarded in the 35th minute when Beaumont strolled over for a well taken try for Canterbury. With the conversion just short, half-time was reached at 10-8 to the home side.

Rested from their exertions of the first half, Chinnor came out in adventurous mode. A series of rapid attacks ended with Millett slicing through a gap for Chinnor?s second try on the 46th minute. Colver again provided the extras to give Chinnor a 17-8 lead. Canterbury however, was not deterred and just three minutes later, Marshall darted through unopposed to score Canterbury’s second try under the Chinnor posts. Browne’s conversion tightened the match at 17-15.

After a period of midfield stalemate, Chinnor began to gain territory and mount a series of attacks in the opposition 22. From a lineout and a series of rucks, the ball was worked rapidly from right to left into the hands of David Hughes standing in the left-wing position. The Chinnor lock showed surprising pace to run through his marker to score Chinnor?s third try on the 63rd minute. A difficult touchline conversion from Colver put the home side ahead 24-15.

Canterbury came back again, this time with a penalty goal from Browne on the 68th minute to close the gap to 24-18.

Chinnor finally found some daylight in the 69th minute when Millet?s gamble paid dividends. The 18-year-old fly half blitzed a Canterbury passing movement to intercept the ball and sprint on a good angle to the posts for Chinnor?s bonus point try. Goode?s conversion brought the match score to 31-18 in favour of Chinnor – which they were happy to defend until the sound of the final whistle.

Canterbury were clearly one of the better sides to play at Kingsey Road this season. They play with a high-energy relentless style which inevitably will cause gaps in defences. Their centre pairing of Devlin-Jones and Del Val were efficient and effective. Their scrum was more than solid and they defended the maul well.
Chinnor had their work cut out in murky conditions and survived a tough first half with well-organised and committed defence. Jordan Wood and David Hughes caught the eye with their tackling workrate and coverage of the pitch. Chinnor?s backs also had to defend for great parts of the match but offered just a little more in attack. Although Millett?s moments of magic which led to tries were notable in themselves, his Man of the Match award was made as much for his defensive aggression which saved Chinnor on a number of occasions.

Scorers:
Chinnor: Millett 2T; Goode T; Hughes T; Colver 3C, PG; Goode C
Canterbury: Beaumont T; Marshall T; Browne C, 2PG
Chinnor team:
Colver (Mountford 68), Fielding , Goode, Stoop, Hales (Gray 73), Millett, Jones, Winpenny (Whelan 64), Holyland, Pickett (Berry 55), Smith, Hughes, Mowbray, Wood (Hastings 70), Gilbert
Replacements: Berry, Whelan, Hastings, Gray, Mountford