Chiltern 1st XV win in 10 try thriller
Chiltern 31 Slough 27
February 2nd 2008
The 2 teams fighting to avoid relegation served up a 10 try thriller with the lead changing hands on 5 occasions. It was an end to end game and Slough opened the scoring when their speedy left winger with a 40 yard run outstripped the home defence before a fine tackle by full back and captain Dan Kinsey halted him yards from the try line but the follow up by the attacking team was good and Slough scored in the corner for a 5-0 lead. The lead was short lived as a Chiltern attacked with pace and from a 5 metre lineout drove the the Slough pack over the line for Sam Rigby to touch down. Kinsey converted to give Chiltern a 7-5 lead.
The game continued from end to end and Slough set up a maul in the Chiltern 22 and though the home team defended it well they left the blind side exposed allowing a Slough forward to peel off from the maul and score in the corner to retake the lead at 10-7. It was then Chiltern’s turn to put Slough under pressure and when they attempted to relieve this pressure by running the ball out of their 22 a dropped pass was taken advantage of by Sean Jarrold who fly kicked ahead and won the race to score a try which Kinsey converted. 14-10 to Chiltern.
Just when it looked as if Chiltern were going to reach half time with a narrow lead they were put under pressure at a scrum near their own line resulting in a penalty to Slough who opted for a lineout. From this lineout Slough manage to drive straight through the home defence for their 3rd try and a half time lead of 15-14.
Chiltern dominated the 1st 30 minutes of the 2nd half and created a number of try scoring opportunities, the closest when fly half Dave Neil was clean through only to be denied by an excellent diving tap tackle by a Slough defender. However the pressure eventually paid off a following a backs move Kinsey was able to give left winger Tom Fletcher a clear run to the line for a fine try which restored the lead to Chiltern 19-15. Right winger Liam Gilhooly (making a 1st team return after a 2 years absence following the injury he suffered against Slough in February 2006) got in on the scoring act, crashing over for a try following good work by the centre pairing of Jarrold and Neil Foster. Kinsey converted to increase the lead to 26-15.
With less than 10 minutes to go the game seemed to be made safe when Dave Neil charged down a clearing kick by the Slough fly half and gathered the bouncing ball to make the score 31-15. However just as England were to learn to their cost later in the afternoon a game is never won until the final whistle and Slough came back at Chiltern who seemed to lose their concentration. This resulted in 2 tries for Slough scored from close range drives, the 2nd of which was scored on the final whistle to give a win to Chiltern by 31-27.
A better performance by Chiltern and it is good to see a number of the more experienced players returning from injury as in addition to Liam Gilhooly, the 1st team captains from the last 2 seasons are now available; Mike Griffiths at no.8 and Julian Alexander at hooker made the pack that little bit more competitive. For Alexander it is his first game for the 1st team since damaging his knee in September 2006.
Team:
Dan Kinsey
Liam Gilhooly
Sean Jarrold
Neil Foster
Tom Fletcher
Dave Neil
Paul Sitzberger
Matt Allen
Julian Alexander
Neil Buchanan
Colm Gilhooly
Dan Pettinger
Chris Morris
Sam Rigby
Mike Griffiths
Subs (not used)
Alan Simmonds
Mike Sandford
Andy Ireland