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U16s chinned by Chinnor Chinnor U16s 19 v Maidenhead U16s 13 Sunday 18th October 2009 |
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Missing several players due to injury and County commitments, Maidenhead U16s nevertheless sent a strong side to Chinnor RFC, whose 1st XV had demolished Maids’ finest at Braywick the day before in National 3 SW. The junior game was much closer but also ended in a victory for the Oxfordshire side, who placed second to Henley in their U15 county league last season while Maidenhead swept all before them in Berkshire. The game opened in chilly sunshine with a light wind across a firm pitch. The two sides exchanged pleasantries for the first few minutes, neither being able to break down the other’s midfield defence. Curiously, Chinnor looked to be much bigger in the backs than in the forwards, their inside centre easily the tallest player on the field, but Maidenhead defended with good organisation and technique. Their own early attacks were equally well resisted. Both sides looked strong in the tackle but gradually Maidenhead began to press the home side back into their 22. Calum Hull almost charged over but was stopped just short. Maidenhead ran a couple of short range penalties, kicked one to the corner and drove the lineout, but could not breach the tryline. After seven or eight close things, Duncan Jones dropped back and slotted a precise drop goal to ensure the visitors would not retreat empty-handed. Cool, calm and effective rugby. The author believes this to be the first drop goal ever scored by this Maidenhead age group, some of whom have been playing for the club for ten seasons. Straight from the restart, Chinnor disrupted Maids’ possession and raced down the field almost to score in the right corner. That chance denied, Maidenhead had four or more opportunities to clear to touch but each time failed to get the ball safely off the park and Chinnor, almost inevitably, wriggled over for a try. Straight back came Maidenhead, Daniel Andrews-Jones catching the restart cleanly and making good ground. Now Chinnor failed to make touch in turn and Maids made several forays deep into their 22. This was Maids' best attacking period of the match but they were still struggling to recycle effectively. Too often the ball carrier would be held up and stalemate would lead to a Chinnor scrum. Maids looked better when the ball went to ground, ready to drive past the ball and clear out. Chinnor were unable to break away, and soon clean ball from a scrum set the Maids backline off to the right. Well timed passes put Tom Eckles outside the cover and he raced away to score in the corner. Trouble from the restart again and Chinnor burst through, caught another clearance kick short of touch and snatched an opportunist try on the left wing. A fine touchline conversion made it 12-8 to the home side. But for a last-ditch cover tackle by Leo Smith, Chinnor would have finished the half with another try as their huge number 12 broke through for the first time and was forced into touch only a metre short. Smith had a fine game in defence and attack, and led the side by example as well as by exhortation. The first minutes of the second half saw Maidenhead apply some more control to the game, going through phases with more precision, moving the ball well and starting to dominate the set scrum. The lineout was fruitful, with Baxter and Reid jumping well to secure Nic Jones’ throw. Two catch and drives on the left fixed the defence and then a sweeping backs move went close wide right. Sam McCarthy took a knock in that attack and retired groggily after another good performance. Maids continued to press however and Mike Winter burrowed over for the try like a hungry Labrador under an orchard fence. Could they defend a one point lead? Chinnor came back furiously with their big backs running hard at Maidenhead’s defences. Brilliant tackling from Andrews-Jones, Smith, Winter, Nic and Duncan Jones cut them down time and again. Maids did more than hold on though, one length-of-the-field attack stopped only by a desperate Chinnor covering tackle. Some afters at this point, including a moment of madness by Chinnor’s No.10, led only to a penalty. Maids kicked to the corner but, for once, their lineout let them down and no points resulted. Back swept the home side, scorching running by 10, 11 and 12 in particular. Desperately Maidenhead tackled and chased and regrouped and tackled again. As the game went into the last few minutes, scrum after scrum was awarded to Chinnor. And scrum after scrum was pushed back and disrupted by Maids. Sam Balfour was given a stern talking to, apparently for being repeatedly punched. Chinnor won penalty after penalty, ran, and were tackled and driven back. No side can hold out forever under this sort of unrelieved pressure and, for perhaps the only time in the game, Chinnor’s 12 broke through the midfield and scored. The try was converted for 19-13. In the dying moments, Chinnor elected to run down the clock by setting up to kick a penalty goal; their No.10 checked the time remaining with the referee and then booted the ball wildly over the deadball line rather than at the posts, which betrayed just how anxious he was to avoid defending any one last Maidenhead attack. Setting aside any controversy, this was a terrific game played at frenetic pace between two evenly matched sides, which could have gone either way. Maids came through a test of their defence as strong as anything they will face in Berkshire League rugby, and they showed they could execute in the set piece and in attack as well. Much to work on but also much to encourage optimism for the rest of the season. And a drop goal. Squad: |