Oxfordshire cup final for Chinnor RFC

Chinnor 1st XV 66 vs. Wallingford 1st XV 7 – Oxfordshire Cup semi-final – Saturday, February 23 – MATCH REPORT
AFTER going close on two occasions, Chinnor opened their account with a try from Pip Seymour in the 18th minute. An excellent conversion from the touchline by Ben Hewitt turned the try into a goal. Hewitt orchestrated the Chinnor three-quarter attack with panache all afternoon. He took the ball at pace and changed the angles of attack to release the speedy wingers outside him. He was ably abetted by Tim Sutton, his half-back partner, who made a most impressive home debut.

Both centres also played no small part in ensuring that the game was spread wide at every available opportunity. Tries then came at regular intervals for the home side although Wallingford responded with a lot of guts and determination. The dancing feet of Alan Cawston, in at hooker, took him over the line for the next Chinnor score. With skipper Matt Hutchings going over from a rolling maul, and then Seymour and Phil Huxford rounding off three-quarter moves at pace, and Hewitt converting all three tries. Chinnor had a 33 point cushion at the interval.

With Chinnor now playing into the breeze, Wallingford would have hoped to have fared better in the second half. A Jaike Carter try after just two minutes into the second period dented these aspirations. Huxford then got his second try and with Hewitt converting, Wallingford was looking down the barrel. That they scored the next try from a tap penalty exemplified their ‘never say die’ spirit – although it has to be said that they were aided and abetted by a series of successive penalty awards leading up to the try from a referee who was a law unto himself!

The try by Johnny Collett, converted by Ralph Smith, was however just reward for their efforts. Martyn O’Mahoney then got in on the act with a well deserved try and with Seymour and Huxford both notching up their hat-tricks with Hewitt converting all three, Chinnor were in the final.

A quick summary would indicate that Wallingford, who played with considerable spirit throughout, was unable to come to terms with the pace of the game.