Below par Chinnor RFC fail to shake Havant

MATCH REPORT – Chinnor 13 pts Havant 24 pts, November 29.
ALTHOUGH Chinnor were way off their best they were still very much in the game up to the 68th minute. Trailing by just 4 points and with the Havant No.8 Heasman in the sin-bin, the situation was decidedly on the up from a Chinnor perspective. They were progressing down the field and moving the ball from a series of rucks, when, calamity. A loose pass gave winger Thompson the easiest of interceptions, which he gratefully accepted, to run in a try from some 65 metres out. With Molyneux adding the conversion, it was a blow of immense proportions to an already below par Chinnor performance.

That this was the second intercept try they had served up, along with another gifted try, just added to the grief.

Chinnor were unable to pick second rowers, Duncan Williams and Sam Black, due to injury which meant Harry Jackman moving from No.8 into the second row, and Ed Rixon taking his place. Angus Neilson came back to No.7 after his enforced lay-off and Pip Seymour returned from his ankle injury.

Chinnor started in a fairly lack-lustre manner which they had difficulty in shrugging off for the whole game. It was certainly not down to a lack of commitment which was there in abundance; it was a succession of basic errors which let them down. The main culprit was their inability to secure the loose ball. They were also prone to forcing the final pass when the ideal was almost always retaining the possession they had. They also allowed themselves to be bullied around both the base of the scrummage and the ruck which showed, in some ways, that Havant were more streetwise.

An interception set Havant on the way which they capitalised on with Heasman going over from an almost non-existent defence, due to Chinnor being up in attack on their ball. A penalty from Ben Hewitt reduced the deficit but within seconds Havant were over the line again. A sloppy pass, to no-one in particular allowed Sullivan to pick up the ball and flop over the line. With Molyneux converting, Chinnor were two tries adrift. Another Ben Hewitt penalty gave a half-time scoreline of 12 pts to 6 in Havant’s favour.

A well worked try by Morris followed an astute box kick from scrum half, Liam Davenport, who played well throughout, putting Havant further ahead. Chinnor then came back, and from easily their best passage of the game, Richard Williams was given an overlap to touch down near the posts. With Ben Hewitt converting it was very much game on. However the intercept try put paid to Chinnor’s hopes. Their cause was not helped when Ben Hewitt took a high tackle and had to leave the field.

The game then see-sawed and although Angus Neilson went over the line only to be called back for a forward pass, the game that Chinnor put down as a banker came unstuck.