Chinnor Stay At The Top (Contributed)

Penryn 1st XV 8 vs. Chinnor 1st XV 15
SW League Division One
Saturday 29th October 2005

Chinnor 1st XV retain their position at the top of South West 1 after a narrow 15 ? 8 victory at Penryn. The Oxfordshire side have never won a league game in Cornwall but were determined to preserve their 100% league record this season.
It was never going to be an easy task made more difficult by having to play on a heavy pitch into a strong wind in the first half. Yet Chinnor dominated the early exchanges with a succession of driving mauls and incisive back running.
The Chinnor back row were controlling the game and both flankers Ed Rixon and Jon Brooks were held up only feet from the Penryn line. For all their pressure in this period Chinnor were only able to convert one penalty by Richard Williams.

Penryn equalised through a penalty by Sitck which gave the home side some momentum. They began to exert immense pressure on the Chinnor scrummage and set up their own driving mauls which generated their own dynamism. Chinnor were glad of the half time whistle and the chance to re-group.

Playing with the wind is not always as easy as it may seem and with Chinnor kicking badly from hand, it came as no surprise when Penryn scored when Chris Cole found himself at the bottom of a driving maul. Yet Chinnor have a new confidence this year and felt in control despite playing below par. They know they have the players to conjure up scores and a rock solid defence.

When Penryn moved away from their forwards and ran the ball into midfield they were hit with ferocity by Oxley and Tolich. From one double team tackle the ball fell and Williams hacked on then converted his own try.

Eric Brown then added a further score to give the away side some breathing space which brings his tally this season to 7 tries. This one was special as he broke through a maze of defenders and sped away from the posse of followers. Chinnor then hung on knowing they had recorded a good win from a bruising battle.

Scorers: Chinnor: Tries: E. Brown, R. Williams; Conversions: R. Williams (1); Penalties: R. Williams (2)
Penryn: Tries: C. Cole; Penalty: Stick (1)