Spartans 13 (Try: Norton. Con: Fowkes. Pen: Teague. DG: Teague.).
Chinnor 68 (Tries: Hiscock 4, Tolich 2, Oxley 2, J Hewitt, Burns. Cons: Hewitt 9.).
This top versus bottom clash eventually went the way that the form book would recognise, with Chinnor running out 68-13 winners to finish the season as league champions.
The first twenty minutes saw Chinnor on the back foot in their own half. The first points of the match went to Spartans’ Teague with a penalty goal as a result of a Chinnor indiscretion. Spartans continued to press and a smart drop goal by Teague saw Spartans increase their lead to 6-0. Chinnor, managing to curb their habit of dropping the ball in promising positions, started to score regularly. Their first and second tries went to Jamie Hiscock after slick passing by the Chinnor backs. Tolich added a further and then Ed Devine, one of several Chinnor players brought in from their equally successful second team, stormed Andy Ripley style through the Spartans defence to lay on another try for Hiscock. At half time it was Spartans 6, Chinnor 26.
Chinnor brought on Ben Hewitt to join his brother James whose near faultless place kicking contributed much to Chinnor’s score. Hewitt Senior was next to score before the two brothers combined unselflessly to allow Oxley in for Chinnor. A near length of the pitch break out by Tolich was Chinnor’s next try to make the score 45-5. Burns pounced on a Spartan’s mistake for another Chinnor try. Chinnor brought on their forward replacements who immediately caused problems for the Spartans’ scrum. Spartan’s stuck in and, pinching the ball as Chinnor pressed their line, fed Daniel Norton, fresh back from England u18 duty. Norton’s pace saw an easy score under the posts converted by Aaron Fowke to bring the score to 13 -54. Chinnor scored next with a delightful dummy by Oxley and the day’s final score went to Hiscock – his fourth of the match.
Final score: Spartans 13 Chinnor 68.
After a sticky start, Chinnor managed to show the difference between top and bottom in this league. With several players brought up from the seconds, Chinnor showed promising squad depth for their new challenges in National 3 South next season.
Cheltenham 29 (Tries: Parker, Bryan, Edwards, McMahon. Cons: Parker 3. Pen: Parker.).
Chippenham 24 (Tries: Crockett, Kirby, Squires, King. Cons: Brant, Hunt.).
Cheltenham finished the season with a win over Chippenham at the Prince of Wales Stadium.
The home side took an early lead through a David Parker penalty goal but the visitors responded and prop Pete Kirby went over for a try which Chris Hunt converted to give them a 7-3 lead.
Cheltenham were in front in the 17th minute when centre Jon Edwards touched down and Parker converted. Tries form Parker and No 8 James McMahon, both converted by Parker, saw the home side go in at the break 24-7 ahead.
11 minutes into the second half and it seemed all over as right wing Alan Bryan touched down and the home side were 29-7 up.
Chippenham had other ideas and tries either side of the hour mark by No 8 Stuart King and centre Rupert Crockett saw them back to within 10 points at 29-19.
They were back to within a score on 76 minutes when flanker Gary Squires went over but that was the end of the scoring and Cheltenham took the points.
Penryn 23 (Tries: Webb, Forest, Pascoe. Con: Pascoe. Pens: Pascoe 2.).
Clifton 22 (Tries: Frost 2, Lambert. Cons: S Kent 2. DG: S Kent.).
Penryn won this match narrowly with both sides scoring three tries each.
The home side went ahead when scrum half, Dave Pascoe put over a 3rd minute penalty goal. The lead last just 10 minutes before Clifton went over for the games opening try through flanker Tom Lambert. They held the lead till the 27th minute when the home side opened their try account with full back Lewis ebb going over for an 8-5 lead. Before half time Sam Kent leveled with a penalty goal.
In the second half Pascoe went over two minutes into the half and added the conversion to make it 15-8. They went further ahead when centre Mike Slater touched down and it was 20-8.
Scrum half Dan Frost got the visitors back in it with a 73rd minute try which Kent converted. But Pascoe gave the home side an eight point lead with a penalty goal.
Frost did manage a second try but it still left them a point behind after Kent converted and Penryn took the win.
Weston super Mare 33 (Tries: Madamombe 2, Hember, Simpson, Hughes. Cons: Reid 4.).
Oxford Harlequins 10 (Try: Hanley. Con: Cottenden. Pen: Cottenden.).
Weston finished on a positive after some disappointing recent results. It was only 5-0 at the break though with the home side in front thanks to a try from No 8 Gavin Simpson.
In fact 15 minutes into the second half Quins got on the scoreboard to make it 5-3 with Ben Cottenden putting over a penalty goal.
Three tries in 12 minutes changed things with centre TJ Madamombe getting a brace and replacement back Alec Hughes touching down and James Reid converted all three to make it 26-3. Scrum half Luke Hember got the fifth to make it 33-3 before the visitors finally managed to cross the home line with centre Andrew Hanley touching down.
Reading Abbey 25 (Tries: Kindon 2, Priest. Cons: Waterhouse 2. Pens: Waterhouse 2.).
Clevedon 15 (Pens: Hawkes 5.).
Report courtesy of Reading Abbey (Website).
Up front the visitors from Somerset were under the cosh throughout this Powergen South West One encounter at Rosehill last Saturday but neither side was inclined to accept referee Nigel Stevenson’s decisions. The result was a disjointed game with a plethora of penalties moved on or reversed, a player apiece in the bin, and a result that was closer than would have been expected from the abundant possession enjoyed by the home side. A further factor was the fine goal kicking of Clevedon’s stand-off Dan Hawkes, who kept his side in the lead for most of the third quarter and in contention until late in the game when his battered pack finally ran out of steam.
On the last league day of the season in warm sunshine Abbey skipper James Kindon soon put his side on the board as he stormed 45 metres straight through the visitors’ defence and touched down for a second-minute try well converted by winger Tom Waterhouse.
The Abbey line-out was as good as ever with locks Tony Potts and Dan Pawlett and flanker Ben Finnie all contributing, as was Clevedon’s but their scrum was soon in the trouble that it suffered throughout (why did they not take line-outs when given the option?). The visitors did cross the line on the quarter hour and while they were held up the defence was offside and Hawkes slotted the first of his five penalty goals. Abbey did not learn the lesson, failed to release and Hawkes repeated the dose three more times, being interrupted only by a penalty from Waterhouse so that the visitors went into the break leading by two points.
Abbey now had a player in the bin but their front seven was still able to dominate the Clevedon eight, all credit to Abbey props Matt Moorcroft and James Walsh and Abbey supporters’ player of the season hooker Fungai Mutepfa. Hawkes took another three but this turned out to be his last as his forwards were visibly tiring. Waterhouse, who may have solved his side’s recent goal-kicking problem replied with a sweet penalty and then at the end of the third quarter Kindon touched down a pushover try.
One against the head thirty metres out from the Clevedon line gave Kindon the chance to break and then pass to Gareth Priest for the scrum-half to cross for the clinching try, converted by Waterhouse. A ten-point lead with about twenty minutes left against a side containing a kicker of Hawkes’ capability was hardly comfortable but Abbey settled down, their task made easier by a visiting forward being binned and they easily rode out the remaining time for their third league double of the season.
Just before the end of normal time Jerry Shedden came on during his final game as Abbey coach. The Club owes much to him for guiding them to promotion and now to achieving a mid-table position this season. Next league season also looks very exciting with six local derby matches in prospect against Bracknell, Reading and either Basingstoke or Maidenhead
Maidenhead 22 (Tries: .).
Basingstoke 19 (Tries: Lambert, Appleby, Lucas. Cons: Rogers 2.).
|
