2nd XV Match Reports
Amersham and Chiltern 2XV Match Reports Season 2007/08.
League Match 20 - Gosford All Blacks (Home)
19-April-2008
Won
Match Report:
Home walk over. Gosford All Blacks could not raise a side.
League Match 19 - Buckingham 3XV (Home)
29-March-2008
Won 12-11
Match Report:
Two weeks off and the penultimate league match of the season to play, Amersham were ready for the challenge of Buckingham who despite being low in the league proved to be possibly the hardest win of the season.
Kick off was moved back fifteen minutes which didn’t help preparation, the match went ahead and with the conditions turning from bad to worse; the rain falling heavily and a strong wind, Amersham took in the first half but to be fair did not use the advantage well and struggled to get any continuity going.
Amersham put pressure on themselves by getting stuck in their own half for long periods and Buckingham played smart rugby and defended well frustrating the home team.
It was difficult to get many phases going due to the weather but slowly Amersham eased into the game and gaps started to appear with some good breaks from Matt Wall and Luke Donnebaum but still unable to make possession count into points
Amersham were in the habit of giving away penalites for the same offences such as diving over and in at the side which allowed Buckingham a penalty under the posts making it 3-0 to them.
As the first half went on Amersham began to play better and with a mistake from one of the Buckingham players, allowed Dave Neale to chip through, pick up and score in the corner, making it 5-3, the conversion was missed.
Half time score 5-3 to Amersham.
The second half started with Amersham just ahead but knowing Buckingham had the conditions in their favour with a strong wind, allowing them to kick to the corners and put Amersham under heavy pressure.
The pressure eventually paid off for Buckingham with good phase play and spreading the ball out to the blind side to score in the corner, making it 8-5 to Buckingham, the conversion was missed.
With the conditions against them and chasing a lead Amersham had to dig deep, and with the ball now coming out and moving to the backs, it was Lewis Culverhouse who took the ball on the halfway line and broke through to score for Amersham, beating off a number of players, making the score 10-8 to Amersham, and the conversion was successful by Paul Sitzy; making the score 12-8 to Amersham.
There was still fifteen minutes left on the clock and enough time for Buckingham to use the advantage of the conditions. Amersham did not help themselves by continually conceding penalties against them, and allowed Buckingham to convert another penalty making the score 12-11 to Amersham.
Another penalty a few minutes later for Buckingham, which would have won the game, hit the post and Amersham still had a point gap, making for a tense finish.
Chiltern had to defend out of their 22 for the last ten minutes and like so many times this season held out for the win with some great defence.
The final whistle went keeping Amersham second place in the table and was a very hard fought match, pushing Chiltern right to the end, full credit to Buckingham.
Man of the match goes to a very good performance in attack and defence, and for a great try, Lewis Culverhouse, but it has to be said well done to the whole team for a good performance under very tough conditions.
Amersham have another two weeks off before the last game of the season at home to Gosford All Blacks.
Line Up:
1)Matt Wall
2)Cathal McHugh
3)Felix Stankard
4)Chris Sitzy
5)Alex Shaw
6)Dan Kelleher
7)Tristan Harper
8)Luke Donnebuam (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy (vc)
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clark
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Ant Page
14)Michael Buckler
15)Richard Tulloch
16)Pete Johnston
Tries:
Dave Neale
Lewis Culverhouse
Conversions:
Paul Sitzy x1
Man Of The Match:
Lewis Culverhouse
League Match 18 - Aylesbury 2XV (Home)
09-March-2008
Won 29-7
Match Report:
Another rivalry in store for Amersham versus Aylesbury with the 1XV away to them aswell it was a big day for both 1XV and 2XV.
With a good preperation before the match Amersham were prepared for 4th in the table Aylesbury and expected a tough game.
Always on the front foot Amersham exposed Aylesbury’s defence early and the gaps started to appear with some good breaks, and 10 minutes into the match once the ball was spun wide with great passing in the centres from Lewis Culverhouse and Tristan Harper, to set up Fraser Clarke in the corner making the score 5-0 to Chiltern, the conversion was missed.
The momentum now with Amersham it was a case of adding a second try before Aylesbury had a chance to get back into the match. The second try was coming and it was Ryan Lee for his 8th try of the season to score for Chiltern making the score 10-0, the conversion was missed.
Amersham were in full control of the match and it was a matter of when they were next going to score, which came from the Aylesbury backs coming up very fast allowing Dave Neale to break through and set up Lewis Culverhouse for his first of the afternoon, Paul Sitzy converted making the score 17-0 at half time.
Aylesbury came out in the second half and really took it to Amersham early on and with a good break from their strong inside centre he went over under the posts to make the score 17-7.
Amersham still had a lot left and were not going to throw their lead away, and it was Sam Rigby who had played well all game who scored the fourth try, making it 22-7.
There was still time for one more score to seal the win, and with some great support play throughout the whole team it was Lewis Culverhouse to score his second of the day, and converted making it 29-7 the full time score.
Well done to Tristan who played at inside centre and did a fine job considering he was out of position, and also to the whole team who put in a great performance against fourth in the table. Man of the match goes to Felix Stankard for a great performance at front row, being everywhere all afternoon.
It was a good day for the 1XV aswell getting the away victory, completing the double over Aylesbury.
Amersham have two friendlies lined up before their next league match at home to Buckingham.
Line Up:
1)Lloyd Powell
2)Cathal McHugh
3)Felix Stankard
4)Mike Sanford
5)Alex Shaw
6)Ryan Lee
7)Sam Rigby
8)Luke Donnebuam (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy
10)Dave Neale ( c )
11)Fraser Clark
12)Tristan Harper
13)Lewis Culverhouse
14)Michael Buckler
15)Scott Jarrold (vc)
16)Chris Fletcher
17)Taran Lee
Tries:
Fraser Clark
Ryan Lee
Lewis Culverhouse x2
Sam Rigby
Conversions:
Paul Sitzy x2
Man Of The Match:
Felix Stankard
League Match 17 - Beaconsfield 2XV (Away)
01-March-2008
Won 6-0
Match Report:
One of Chilterns great rivals over the years was away to Beaconsfield and a tough match it proved to be.
Both teams clearly up for the game, Amersham started well with good pressure, getting into Beaconsfield’s 22. Penalties began to be conceded by the home team, which allowed Jack Portland to step up for a penalty and make the score 3-0 to Amersham.
With great defence shown by both teams it was a tough first half with Amersham having the edge in attack but not being able to turn pressure into points.
Half time was 3-0.
The second half proved just as difficult with both teams unable to break through, and matters were not helped for Chiltern with the referee seeming to be giving penalties away for only reasons he knew.
Chiltern defended superbly to hold out Beaconsfield and started to show some great attacking play with many good breaks from Ryan Lee, Andy Sitzy and Scott Jarrold all making ground on a number of occasions. The lineouts and scrums were dominant, Chris Sitzy being as solid as ever in the air.
There were opportunities for Beaconsfield to snatch victory with a 5 metre scrum on Chiltern’s line but Amersham held them out and countered up the field for a try which was disallowed, but being back in Beaconsfields half was where Amersham stayed.
With minutes left Beaconsfield gave away a penalty in their 22 for Jack Portland to step up and make the score 6-0 to complete the win.
A difficult game as expected but Amersham battled through and deserved the victory.
Special mention has to go out to all three Sitzberger brothers who played and all made a great contribution to the win. Its hard to single out one player as the team put in a great performance but for some great runs and in defence man of the match goes to Ryan Lee.
Next week see’s Amersham take on 4th place Aylesbury at home.
Line Up:
1)Lloyd Powell
2)Cathal McHugh
3)Felix Stankard
4)Chris Sitzy
5)Matt Wall
6)Ryan Lee
7)Andy Sitzy
8)Luke Donnebuam (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy
10)Jack Portland
11)Dave Neale (c)
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Dom Daley
14)Michael Buckler
15)Scott Jarrold (vc)
16)Dan Kelleher
17)Alex Shaw
Penalties:
Jack Portland x2
Man Of The Match:
Ryan Lee
League Match 16 - Aylesbury Athletic 1XV (Away)
23-February-2008
Won 12-5
Match Report:
Amersham had the tough task of Aylesbury Athletic ahead of them having previously beaten them earlier in the season and looking to complete the double.
Its never an easy match and matters weren’t helped with a very short warm up and then straight into the match.
Aylesbury came out straight away as predicted with strong running and good phase play. Amersham were able to settle into the match and as the match went on they began to take control.
The lineout and scrums were excellent all day and that is where Chiltern dominated and were able to get good ball out for the backs to find holes in the defence.
Amersham had an early penalty given but unfortunately missed keeping a tense game at 0-0. The pressure did pay off when a good move resulted in Lewis Culverouse going over for his fifth try of the season, the conversion was missed.
A very closely contested match ended with 5-0 at half time.
The second half saw Aylesbury with a new momentum and through good rucking and mauling they were able to work there way up the pitch and score in the corner, the conversion was missed making the score 5-5.
With enough time left Amersham then stepped up a gear and took control of the match finding holes in the Aylesbury defence, a good break by Ryan Lee resulted in a good finish for Tom Manton under the posts, John Naylor converted making the score 12-5.
A tense finish to the game, but Chiltern held out to earn a victory against a difficult Aylesbury team.
Man of the match goes to Tom Manton at full back for some great cover tackling and running from the back.
Amersham travel to rivals Beaconsfield next week expecting a tough encouter.
Line Up:
1)Jean Jaques Ellis
2)Cathal McHugh (pl)
3)George Shanks
4)Chris Sitzy
5)Gareth Bourne
6)Mike Sanford
7)Tristan Harper
8)Ryan Lee
9)Brian Wilson
10)John Naylor (vc)
11)Martin Kov
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Scott Jarrold (c)
14)Michael Buckler
15)Tom Manton
16)Scott Fineman
17)Luke Donnebaum
18)Tyrone Porter
Tries:
Lewis Culverhouse
Tom Manton
Conversions:
John Naylor
Man Of The Match:
Tom Manton
League Match 15 - Chesham 1XV (Home)
16-February-2008
Won 35-16
Match Report:
After defeat the previous week Amersham were burning to get back to winning ways and a perfect chance was against local rivals Chesham at home.
Chiltern captained by Matt Wall started very well with pressure right from the kick off, with a scrum deep into Chesham’s half, John Naylor picking up from the base of the scrum to go blind and set up Jack Portland for an early try, making the score 5-0, the conversion was successful, 7-0.
With confidence flowing and back at home Chiltern produced another break resulting in another early try to set Chiltern on their way, scored by Tristan Harper, the conversion was missed, score 12-0.
The away team then settled into the match and with pressure on Chiltern they gained 2 penalties in quick succession pulling back six points to narrow Amersham’s lead.
Amersham managed two penalties of their own with two good kicks from Jack Portland who kicked well all game. Chesham had some momentum and with a forward drive just before half time they managed a score, the conversion successful, making it 18-13.
Half time.
The second half was about keeping the pressure on and making sure Chiltern did not let Chesham back into the match. The pressure was kept, and with support and the ball being spread about the third try was made by Lewis Culverhouse to set up Richard Tullock with a good finish, score 25 - 13, conversion successful.
With Chesham hanging on to try and get a score Chiltern finished the game off, being camped in the opposition 22 and the ball coming out to Jack Portland to set up Lewis Culverhouse for a try under the posts, the conversion was missed, score 30 - 13.
There was time for one more score, with a penalty in Chesham’s 22, a quick tap from the impressive John Naylor who jinked through a number of players to score in the corner sealing the win for Chiltern, making the final score 35-16 to Amersham.
It was great to see Charlie Griffiths back in senior rugby after 5 months out with injury and a very good performance to mark his comeback at fullback. Mentions have to go to Tristan Harper for his all round game, and to Michael Buckler with a solid performance on the wing.
Man of the match goes to Chris Sitzy for a great performance in attack and especially in defence.
Next week is a tough match against Aylesbury Athletic.
Line Up:
1)Lloyd Powell
2)George Shanks (pl)
3)Felix Stankard
4)Alex Shaw
5)Matt Wall (c)
6)Chris Sitzy
7)Tristan Harper
8)Scott Fineman
9)John Naylor (vc)
10)Jack Portland
11)Richard Tullock
12)Gez Rowlands
13)Lewis Culverhouse
14)Michael Buckler
15)Charlie Griffiths
16)Chris Fletcher
17)Luke Donnebaum
18)Dave Neale
Tries:
Tristan Harper
Jack Portland
Richard Tullock
Lewis Culverhouse
John Naylor
Conversions:
Jack Portland x2
Penalties:
Jack Portland x2
Man Of The Match:
Chris Sitzy
League Match 14 - High Wycombe 2XV (Away)
09-February-2008
Lost 17-7
Match Report:
Chiltern 2XV travelled to High Wycombe with another win expected from good recent form. Amersham on paper produced one of the best teams all season but proved that on the pitch is where it matters.
With youth and talent individually Amersham had a great team out and early on showed some flashes of good play but could not break through the strong Wycombe defence. As Wycombe settled into the match they began to put phases together and found gaps in the Amersham defence, aswell as dominating the lineout and taking full advantage.
Pressure paid off for Wycombe with their forwards securing good ball and them using their backs to score making it 5-0, the conversion was missed.
As close as Amersham came to the Wycombe line they could not finish off their moves, and just were not clicking as a team as they have been in previous games.
Half time score was 5-0 to High Wycombe.
With Amersham trying to get back into the match matters were not helped when 3 backs had to go off due to injury completely disjointing the backline and forwards.
This was not helped when five minutes into the second half a Chiltern player was sin binned for 10 minutes.
It was in this period when Wycombe capitalised and Amersham lost all focus with a man down and players out of position, making the score 12-0 with them using a forward drive and converted.
High Wycombe with confidence growing and exploiting Chilterns weaknesses added to their score by finding space to score once more and converting making it 17-0 to High Wycombe.
Amersham were back to 15 men and even though the game was seemingly lost started to play some good rugby finding spaces and using phases of play to create gaps in the defence.
Amersham had a try dissalowed by Ant Page in the corner from a good tackle by the Wycombe defender but managed to score in the same corner minutes later with a good break from Tristan Harper to score and converted by Paul Sitzy to make the score 17-7.
With minutes left Chiltern had left it too late for a comeback but credit to every player who kept going till the final whistle. Man of the match goes to Danny Samuels for a good performance in a tough match, for some great running and tackling.
Wycombe held out for a victory over Chiltern and credit to them for a solid performance. Amersham will put this behind them and look to bounce back to winning ways next week with a home derby fixture versus Chesham.
Line Up:
1)Lloyd Powell
2)Dan Kelleher
3)Matt Wall
4)Chris Sitzy
5)Alex Shaw
6)Ryan Lee
7)Danny Samuels
8)Tristan Harper (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy (vc)
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clarke
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Ally Bruce
14)Ant Page
15)Rob Smalley
16)Cathal McHugh
17)Felix Stankard
18)Dan Sendell
Tries:
Tristan Harper
Conversions:
Paul Sitzy
Man Of The Match:
Danny Samuels
Match Pictures:
Amersham vs High Wycombe (Away)
League Match 13 - Milton Keynes 2XV (Home)
26-January-2008
Won 10-5
Match Report:
Amersham 2XV hosted Milton Keynes who sat top of the BB Oxon 1 North table with a 6 point gap between the teams, which proved to be the hardest game of the season so far.
With both teams clearly up for the game and an 17 match unbeaten run at stake for Milton Keynes, the match started with Amersham taking early possession but could not use it effectively.
Milton Keynes then settled into the match with good phase play, managed to spread the ball wide and score in the corner to make the score 5-0 to Milton Keynes. The conversion was missed.
Being so early in the game there was still enough time for Chiltern to reply, and as the first half continued, they began to settle into the match and start playing the rugby that has seen them win their last five matches. Some very good breaks from Tristan Harper, Ryan Lee and Chris Morris, as well as a good defensive display to hold Milton Keynes to only 1 try. With forwards and backs combining, the ball was moving well but simple errors stopped Amersham from converting possession count into points.
Just before half time with both teams showing great fire for the game, two incidents resulted in yellow cards for both teams, with 10 minutes off for each player.
Half time finished at 5-0, with Amersham feeling frustrated having not converted any of their chances.
The second half was an improvement with 2 substitutions, Ross Bugden and Brian Richardson bringing some experience into the backline. The defence was superb with some great tackling from Tristan Harper, Ryan Lee and Lewis Culverhouse, not allowing Milton Keynes to add to their lead.
With Milton Keynes down to 14 men with a man still in the bin, Chiltern made the extra man count with some great interplay from the forwards with pick and drives, allowing Ryan Lee to go over in the corner for his 7th try of the season. The conversion was missed making the score 5-5.
With both teams back to 15 men each, and half an hour left the match was going to be close, but with Amersham having the momentum of just scoring this resulted in them being camped in Milton Keynes’ 22 for the majority of the second half, just being unable to finish off their breaks.
Credit has to go to Milton Keynes for some good tackling and holding Chiltern out for so long, but pressure paid off with Amersam spreading the ball wide, some great hands from Russell Bolton in the centre and a try in the corner for Ross Bugden. The conversion was missed making the score 10-5 to Amersham.
There was still 5 minutes left on the clock allowing one more attack from Milton Keynes and they had a chance to win, with a scrum deep into Amersham’s 22 but could not finish, with some great defence shown by Chiltern.
Amersham held out till the final whistle ending what was a great match from two good teams, and won 10-5 cutting the gap to 4 points in the league.
Its is hard to single out one player when the whole team played so well but Man of the Match has to be given to Ryan Lee for some great defence and running, with a try as well.
Amersham have a friendly next week against Oxford Harlequins and then return to league action the following week with a tough match away to High Wycombe.
Line Up:
1)Lloyd Powell
2)Chris Morris
3)Felix Stankard
4)Chris Sitzy
5)Matt Wall
6)Ryan Lee
7)Dan Kelleher
8)Tristan Harper (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy (vc)
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Tom Manton
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Russell Bolton
14)Michael Buckler
15)Jack Portland
16)Dave Wickens
17)Ross Bugden
18)Brian Richardson
Tries:
Ryan Lee
Ross Bugden
Man Of The Match:
Ryan Lee
League Match 12 - Banbury 2XV (Home)
05-January-2008
Won 46-0
Match Report:
The start of a new year and a chance to put right what had gone wrong in 2007 starting with a home match against Banbury 2XV.
With Banbury lying second in the table and Amersham in third it was building up to be a big match which Amersham were more than ready for.
The conditions were fine with rain the night before making for a muddy pitch but still able to play expansive rugby, it was a close encounter for the first 10 minutes, until Amersham passing the ball out wide with good play in the backs allowing for Rich Tullock to touch down in the corner, unfortunately the conversion missed. This allowed the breakthrough for more tries to come and within the space of 20 minutes Amersham added another three tries coming from a great run by Ally Bruce, a try for Chik set up by Lewis Culverhouse and a well finished try by Dave Fineman from some great play in the build up.
The half time score was 22-0, but Amersham still needing to keep focus on the game.
The second half followed with some of the best rugby the team has played all season with all players making breaks, passing well and support was superb all game. Forwards and backs combined all game to create the holes and break through the Banbury defence, allowing the next score to come in the second half for Tom Manton, which Rich Tullock converted.
Having scored well it was important not to loose focus and not to concede any points, so with a strong defence put up this allowed Amersham to attack once again and tries followed for Luke Donnebaum, Lewis Culverhouse and Ryan Lee, two converted by Rich Tullock.
Its hard to single out any one player as the whole team put in a great performance defensively and attacking, forwards and backs but Man of the Match goes to Luke Antos for a superb performance in the second row.
The final score was 46-0 to Amersham and it was a good way to start the New Year off knowing there are tougher tests ahead.
Amersham have a one-week league break, and then travel to Aylesbury Athletic for a tough match.
Line Up:
1)Matt Wall
2)Tom Manton
3)Nick West
4)Luke Antos
5)Alex Shaw
6)Dave Fineman
7)Tristan Harper (vc)
8)Luke Donnebuam (pl)
9)Brian
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Chik
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Ally Bruce
14)Michael Buckler
15)Rich Tullock
16)Scott Jarrold
17)Ryan Lee
18)Jack Portland
Tries:
Rich Tullock
Ally Bruce
Chik
Dave Fineman
Tom Manton
Lewis Culverhouse
Luke Donnebaum
Ryan Lee
Conversions:
Rich Tullock x3
Man Of The Match:
Luke Antos
Match Pictures:
Amersham vs Banbury (Home)
League Match 11 - Witney 3XV (Away)
15-December-2007
Won 38-0
Match Report:
Amersham 2XV travelled one of the longest journeys of the season to Witney, and couldn’t wait to play having had and another two week break from the league.
With a lot of young university student’s back and people looking to impress it was going to be an exciting game to look forward to.
Amersham started well with the forwards taking control and an early score in the corner from a powerful run by Ally Bruce to put Chiltern 5-0 up.
Looking to spread the ball wide when possible Amersham played some good rugby and the next score was always coming soon. The ball once again came wide for Lewis Culverhouse to pass off for Dave Neale to score, with Rob Smalley converting making it 12-0 at half time.
Amersham making 3 subs at half time to bring on some fresh faces and liven the game up had a positive effect, resulting in two well-worked tries from Tom Manton who finished well and Rob Smalley to convert both.
With the game won it was important not to concede and credit to the team for not letting Witney over the line, with some great defence.
This allowed Chiltern to press forward and keep moving the ball wide allowing Ryan Lee to beat off a number of players to score for Chiltern.
There was time for on more try, and for possibly the best try of the game with Fraser Clarke picking the ball up in his own half and beating of a number of Witney players to score under the posts for Rob Smalley to convert making the final score 38-0.
There were a number of very good performances from Paul Sitzy, Danny Samuels for some awesome tackling, Ally Bruce, Rob Smalley at full back, and man of the match Tristan Harper for a great all round performance.
Credit to the whole squad that played as it was a great team effort and Amersham now look forward to hosting Banbury at home on 5th January.
Line Up:
1)Chris Morris
2)Nick Ripper
3)Lloyd Powell
4)Matt Wall
5)Mike Sandford
6)Ryan Lee
7)Tristan Harper
8)Luke Donnebuam (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy (vc)
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clarke
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Ally Bruce
14)Michael Buckler
15)Rob Smalley
16)Andy Spikings
17)Danny Samuels
18)Tom Manton
19)Richard Tullock
Tries:
Ally Bruce
Dave Neale
Tom Manton x2
Ryan Lee
Fraser Clarke
Conversions:
Rob Smalley x4
Man Of The Match:
Tristan Harper
League Match 10 - Gosford All Blacks 2XV (Away)
24-November-2007
Won 68-0
Match Report:
Having had a 2-week break since our last match Amersham & Chiltern 2XV were itching to play and build on the previous win against Witney.
This fixture took us to Gosford All Blacks, bottom of the table and a professional performance was needed to ensure against complacency.
Amersham started the game well scoring early in the first 5 minutes and setting the tone for the rest of the match. With space to run all over the pitch it was a chance for a running game and using everyone in the play. This highlighted our strengths as well as our weaknesses with the simple skills sometimes the hardest to execute, such as passing and straight running. Saying that Chiltern played very well and used the ball by spreading it wide with a numerous amount of scorers’ forwards and backs with 12 tries in total.
It was hard to highlight one individual in this game as the whole team gelled together and put on a great performance, but for a player who scored a hat-trick of tries the man of the match goes to Ant Page who ran well all game and put in a good performance.
Amersham did well in keeping focus, not conceding and not becoming arrogant in the win and this will help for team spirit in the weeks to come with tougher opposition lying ahead.
Amersham now have a two-week break, until they play Witney III away before the Christmas break.
Line Up:
1)Matt Wall
2)Cathal McHugh
3)Dan Kelleher
4)Gareth Bourne
5)Mike Sandford
6)Ryan Lee
7)Dave Fineman
8)Luke Donnebuam (pl)
9)Paul Sitzy (vc)
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clarke
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Anthony Page
14)Michael Buckler
15)Richard Tullock
16)Chris Sitzy
17)Chris Fletcher
Tries:
Ant Page x3
Ryan Lee x2
Matt Wall
Cathal McHugh
Luke Donnebaum
Paul Sitzy
Michael Buckler
Fraser Clarke
Richard Tullock
Conversions:
Lewis Culverhouse x1
Paul Sitzy x3 (drop goals)
Man Of The Match:
Anthony Page
League Match 9 - Witney 3XV (Home)
10-November-2007
Won 28-3
Match Report:
At home finally after three weeks on the road Amersham II hosted Witney III.
Having been torn apart the week before by Banbury it was a chance to put things right at home with a full squad of 18, and a great team spirit among the players.
Amersham started well dominating the scrums and finding themselves in the Witney 22 for most of the first half, and the pressure paid off with a charge down on their No.10 for Chris Sitzy pick up and score Amersham’s first try, well converted by Lewis Culverhouse.
Amersham probably should have scored more in the first half due to constant pressure but still managed one try at least before half time scored again by Chris Sitzy, converted by Lewis Culverhouse.
It has to be mentioned the defence and spirit of Chiltern to keep Witney out and not conceed a try was an incredible team effort by everyone leaving the score 14-0 at half time.
The second half Amersham knew they had to keep up the pressure and finish the game, which was helped by a good break from Dave Jennison for an offload to Michael Buckler to run from his own half and score a great try under the posts, converted by Lewis Culverhouse.
With the game won, Chiltern lost some discipline and focus and gave away a number of penalties in the last 20 minutes gifting Witney 6 penalties in succession, and them kicking for goal making the score 21 – 3.
With the last minutes of the game Chitlern found themselves in Witney’s 22 again and with forward pressure, a good pick up from Ryan Lee who drove over and scored a try to seal the win, with Lewis Culverhouse kicking the conversion to complete the win 28-3.
Some very good performances go to Gareth Bourne man of the match at prop for some great runs and efforts all game, Chris Sitzy for 2 tries, Lewis Culverhouse for great kicking and tackling all game converting 4 out of 4 conversions, Michael Buckler for a great solo try and Chik at full back who’s running was excellent all game.
The 2XV have a break next week, and the following week we travel away to Gosford All Blacks II XV.
Line Up:
1)Dave Jennison
2)Dan Kelleher
3)Gareth Bourne
4)Matt Wall
5)Alex Shaw
6)Jack Claridge
7)Chris Sizty
8)Luke Donnebaum (pl)
9)Rob Mowatt
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clarke
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Dave Fineman
14)Michael Buckler
15)Chik
16)Ryan Lee
17)Adam Bray
18)Pete Collins
Tries:
Chris Sizty x2
Michael Buckler
Ryan Lee
Conversions:
Lewis Culverhouse x4
Man Of The Match:
Gareth Bourne
League Match 8 - Banbury 2XV (Away)
03-November-2007
Lost 10-54
Match Report:
Amersham 2XV travelled to Banbury for a hard away match to second in the table, and were not helped by a depleted squad only arriving with 14 players. The match had to be played and so the match started with Banbury realising the advantage and exploiting the extra man in the scrum and in the backs kicking over a lot with no full back to cover.
The first half was very tough with Banbury piling on the pressure in all areas; scoring seven tries against Chiltern making the half time score 39-0.
With the game realistically lost Chiltern played on for pride and we had a good spirited second half performance matching Banbury at times and playing some excellent rugby.
At half time with Chiltern down to 13 men, due to an injury to Luke Donnebaum who had played well as No.8. Suddenly two players from the opposition appeared, willing to play for us to even up the numbers to 15 each, now that the game had been won, but before kick off there was no interest in playing for Chiltern.
So now with the numbers even on both sides Chiltern could finally match Banbury and managed 2 tries through some great work in the forwards and good passing and running in the backs. The second try was made through a great forward drive and some quick passing in the backs for Lewis Culverhouse to score in the corner who had played well all game.
Special mention has to go to Paul Sitzy for playing so well at 9 without a No.8 in front of him for part of the match and for good distribution, also to the front row who all had exceptional games, Matt Wall, Dan Kelleher and Man of the Match Dave Jennison.
Even though the match was lost heavily it was a chance to test players under pressure and show the spirit kept in the team even though the match had been lost.
Also well done to two younger players for their first season in the seconds, who both played well Jack Claridge and Tom Pie.
The final score was 54-10 to Banbury and we look forward to playing them in early January when the sides will be even and a fair game can be played.
Chiltern 2s next game is Witney at home.
Line Up:
1)Matt Wall
2)Dan Kelleher
3)Dave Jennison
4)Chris Sitzy
5)Ben
6)Jack Claridge
7)Dave Fineman
8)Luke Donnebaum(pl)
9)Paul Sitzy
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Cole Yates
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Michael Buckler
14)Tom Pie
Tries:
Lewis Culverhouse
Dave Jennison
Conversions:
Man Of The Match:
Dave Jennison
League Match 7 - Aylesbury Athletic (Away)
27-October-2007
Won 14-0
Match Report:
Amersham & Chiltern 2XV visited Aylesbury Athletic knowing a tough match lay ahead as always against Aylesbury.
With a good squad of players and looking for a chance to forget last week, Chiltern started strong spreading the ball wide, finding the gaps and the forwards taking control of the scrums and breakdowns. With ball being won by the forwards this gave the backs a chance to play with the ball.
It was a tight game in the first half with Chiltern defending extremely well keeping Aylesbury out all half, and it wasn’t until their scrum half threw a long miss pass in our 22 for Ant Page to intercept, run the length of the pitch and score under the posts with Ross Bugden converting. Half time was 7-0 to Chiltern.
The second half was just as tight as the first with our defence playing well and some fine tackling from Lewis Culverhouse and Ant Page in the centres. Twice Chiltern spread the ball wide breaking the Aylesbury line, about to score when the referee pulled them back for a forward pass, this would have allowed Chiltern to seal the game. With the pack having dominated all game and standing up to their pack eventually another score was waiting and it was some great passing between Ross Bugden and Lewis Culverhouse with a 1-2 allowing Ross to score under the posts and convert his own try.
Chiltern defended till the end and won 14-0, a well deserved victory.
There were some very good performances in the forwards, Dan Kelleher at hooker, Mike Sandford at flanker and Luke Donnebaum, pack leader at No.8. Also in the backs some great tackling from Lewis Culverhouse, running and kicking from Ross Bugden, controlling the game and passing from Paul Sitzy at No.9, and some fine running and tackling from man of the match Ant Page.
Credit has to go to the whole team for not allowing Aylesbury to score and keeping the pressure on till the final whistle, showing great team spirit also.
Chiltern’s next game is a tough match away to second in the table Banbury.
Line Up:
1)Chris Fletcher
2)Dan Kelleher
3)George Shanks
4)Adam Bray
5)Ben
6)Ryan Lee
7)Mike Sandford
8)Luke Donnebaum(pl)
9)Paul Sitzy
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Jack Portland
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Ant Page
14)Dave Fineman
15)Ross Bugden
16)Cole Yates
17)Graham Reeves
Tries:
Ant Page
Ross Bugden
Conversions:
Ross Bugden x2
Man Of The Match:
Ant Page
League Match 6 - Milton Keynes 2XV (Away)
20-October-2007
Lost 10-38
Match Report:
Amersham 2XV travelled the long journey to Milton Keynes who sat 4th in the table before this match. With only thirteen players due to a tough week with injuries and people away Chiltern borrowed three players from Milton Keynes to even up the numbers.
With players out of position and a number of senior rugby debuts it was going to be a tough game and it was a bad start within the first minute with Milton Keynes dominating in the forwards and driving over to score their first try.
Chiltern suffered heavily in the first half conceding five tries but kept their spirit and didn’t let their heads go down, and with some good passing in the backs, a fine run by Ant Page resulted in Chiltern scoring their first try to make it 31-5 at half time.
With the match gone Chiltern were playing for pride and kept going till the end, showing glimpses of how good they have been in past weeks and there was a fine run by Chik Bronx who ran from his own 22 beating off 8 players to set up Man of the Match Lewis Culverhouse for a try in the corner.
The match ended with Milton Keynes scoring another try resulting in a 38-10 victory to them.
To take positives from the match it is great to see more youngsters coming through from the Colts getting experience such as Jack Claridge, Tom Pie and Josh Pie.
There were also some notable performances from pack leader Luke Donnebaum, Ant Page, Lewis Culverhouse, Luke Antos and Chik Bronx who all played well and kept going till the final whistle.
Credit to Milton Keynes who played well and hopefully we can give them a better game when they visit us later in the season.
Thanks goes to Steve, Rich and Eric for playing for us and to Milton Keynes for lending them.
With many players back next week hopefully it will be a different story and we can get back to winning ways against Aylesbury Athletic.
Line Up:
1)Tim Stickland
2)Matt Wall
3)Rich
4)Mark Gross
5)Luke Antos
6)Eric
7)Jack Claridge
8)Luke Donnebaum(pl)
9)Fraser Clarke
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Josh Pie
12)Lewis Culverhouse
13)Tom Pie
14)Ant Page
15)Chik Bronx
16)Steve
17)Graham Reeves
Tries:
Ant Page
Lewis Culverhouse
Conversions:
Man Of The Match:
Lewis Culverhouse
League Match 5 - High Wycombe 2XV (Home)
06-October-2007
Won 31-28
Match Report:
Amersham and Chiltern 2XV hosted 1st place in the league High Wycombe.
High Wycombe started strongly catching Chiltern on the break, scoring early and converting a penalty to put Chiltern behind 11-0 after 10 minutes.
Chiltern started to settle into the game and passing the ball wide seemed to be creating gaps in the defence with some great breaks from Fraser Clarke and Sam Portland. This pressure paid off just before half time, with Matt Wall scoring making it 11-5 at half time.
The second half was to be an end to end game of running rugby from both sides. With confidence from the score before half time and knowing Chiltern could break through by spreading the ball wide they did so with forwards and backs getting involved, this created two tries for the impressive Jon Naylor.
This put Chiltern ahead and possibly turned complacent letting Wycombe in to score another try.
Chiltern then scored again by some fine running from the whole team finnished off well by Matt Bray.
Wycombe then came back to score once more and put them 2 points ahead at 28-26.
Into the last five minutes of the match Chiltern still believed they could win with great spirit and determination, and forced themselves into Wycombes 22. The pressure paid off with a fine try to win the game by No.8 Tristan Harper, converted by Jack Portland to end a thrilling game of rugby.
The whole team put in an outstanding performance to show the great spirit of the team, and for never giving up till the final whistle.
Next game is Milton Keynes away.
Line Up:
1)Chris Fletcher
2)Charlie Wilton
3)Jean-Jaques Ellis
4)Matt Wall
5)Cookie (pl)
6)Mark Gross
7)Chris Preston
8)Dave Fineman
9)Paul Sitzy
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Sam Portland
12)Jon Naylor
13)Matt Bray
14)Fraser Clarke
15)Jack Portland
16)Tristan Harper
Tries:
Matt Wall
Jon Naylor x2
Matt Bray
Tristan Harper
Conversions:
Jack Portland x3
Man Of The Match:
Matt Bray
League Match 4 - Chesham 1XV (Away)
29-September-2007
Won 27-10
Match Report:
Amersham 2XV travelled down the road to rivals Chesham 1XV.
The conditions were the same as previous weeks with the sun out and a wide running game on the cards.
Amersham started well kicking for territory and staying in Chesham's half, finally the pressure paid off with a forward drive and blind side run for Ryan Lee to score for Chiltern.
The first half was tight with Chiltern just ahead at half time.
The second half was when Amersham broke away and started to spread the ball wide with forwards and backs getting involved in some great moves, this resulted in two fine tries from Anthony Page on the wing. With forwards and backs breaking through; the holes started to appear. Sam Rigby made a great break in their 22 from a line out and passed off to Dave Neale to score under the posts.
Jack Portland played very well all game and his kicking was effective making 2 conversions and a penalty.
It is great to see more youth coming through from the Colts and gaining more experience, such as Mat Polley on the wing, Charlie Wilton at hooker and Matt Wall at 2nd row. Some very good performances from Dave Robertson as pack leader and Tom Fletcher at full back for some great tackling.
The final score was 27-10 to Amersham and the second half showed the difference in fitness and skill from our players.
Next game is High Wycombe at home.
Line Up:
1)Felix Stankard
2)Charlie Wilton
3)Richard Hoskins
4)Matt Wall
5)Sam Rigby
6)Ryan Lee
7)Mike Sandford
8)Dave Robertson(pl)
9)Paul Sitzy
10)Jack Portland
11)Mat Polley
12)Dave Neale (c)
13)Chik Brox
14)Ant Page
15)Tom Fletcher
16)Chris Fletcher
17)Steve Everett
Tries:
Ryan Lee
Dave Neale
Ant Page x2
Conversions:
Jack Portland x2
Penalties:
Jack Portland
Man Of The Match:
Sam Rigby
League Match 3 - Beaconsfield 2XV (Home)
22-September-2007
Lost 5-17
Match Report:
Amersham 2XV hosted Beaconsfield 2XV for our first home game of the season. The conditions were hot and perfect for running rugby.
Chiltern had the game early on but could not convert possesion into points. Beaconsfield gained posession and used the ball to play a wide game and expose our defence, which was our gameplan but they had some good runners in their backs and finished off their moves well.
Chiltern found ourselves 17-0 down at half time. With some fresh players on for the second half and some positional changes Chiltern started to control the game with the fowards becoming more dominant and the backs running some great lines, with Jack Portland playing well at 10.
We found ourselves in their 22 for most of the second half and our efforts were rewarded with a slick back move finished off well by Fraser Clarke.
It was too late in the game for a comeback due to the first half. Eventhough we lost badly on paper there were some very good performances and talented young players coming through from the Colts, such as Tristan Harper; and the second half we showed how good we can be.
Some very good performances by Paul Sitzy who led the team well all game, Ryan Lee at pack leader, Jack Portland at 10, Chris Jackson with some great runs and tackling, Ant Page and Chik for some good running and Russel Bolton for some great play at centre.
Next game is Chesham away.
Line Up:
1)Tim Stickland
2)Nick West
3)Graeme Reeves
4)Alex Shaw
5)Ali Keen
6)Ryan Lee (pl)
7)Mark Gross
8)Scott Fineman
9)Paul Sitzy (c)
10)Dougal Nicholls
11)Rob Mowatt
12)Chik Brox
13)Chris Jackson
14)Ant Page
15)Russel Bolton
16)Tristan Harper
17)Jack Portland
18)Fraser Clarke
Tries:
Fraser Clarke
Conversions:
Man Of The Match:
Russel Bolton
League Match 2 - Aylesbury 2XV (Away)
15-September-2007
Drew 26-26
Match Report:
The second game of the league season for Amersham & Chiltern 2XV's took us away to Aylesbury who were relegated from the league above last season. We knew it would be a tough game, and only having 14 players didn't help but Aylesbury supplied us with 3 of their players to make it a contest.
With no warm up we went straight into the game and within 5 minutes Chiltern broke the defence and Chik on his first start for the 2's ran from halfway to score a great try beating off a number of players.
The game was very open and due to our own mistakes we let in some soft tries.
Luke Donnebaum followed up by scoring a try keeping Chiltern ahead and then Nick Fisher made a great break to set up Dave Neale for a try.
In the second half Chiltern got stronger and sorted our line-outs. We were losing by seven points for the last ten minutes of the game making a tense fisish, and with the last play of the game Luke Donnebaum crashed over under the points and scored to make it 26-24. Dougal slotted the conversion and a draw overall was a fair result.
It was a close game and not easy with a number of people out of position, well played to Dance on the wing, Nick Fisher at Centre and Dougal at full back and to Richard Bobbit who had played for the Vets earlier that day.
Thank you the Aylesbury players for playing in our team and we now look forward to hosting Beaconsfield at home next Saturday.
Line Up:
1)Richard Bobbit
2)Steve
3)Leachy
4)Alex Shaw
5)Adam Bray
6)Sam Rigby
7)Graham Fisher
8)Luke Donnebaum (pl)
9)Rob Mowatt
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Mark Gross
12)Nick Fisher
13)Chik Brox
14)Anthony Page
15)Dougal Nicholls
16)Ali Keen
17)Martin
Tries:
Chik Brox
Dave Neale
Luke Donnebaum x2
Conversions:
Dave Neale x1
Dougal Nicholls x2
Man Of The Match:
Luke Donnebaum
League Match 1 - Buckingham 3XV (Away)
08-September-2007
Won 33-7
Match Report:
Amersham & Chiltern 2XV's first league game of season started promising with a 33-7 victory over Buckingham. All but one player were under 22 which is good news for the future of the club and bringing through colts from last season into senior rugby.
Amersham had the edge from the start in the forwards who were dominant and the backs had the pace and skill over Buckingham. The first half was comfotable as Chiltern ran in 4 tries and should have had a couple more. The second half was not quite as smooth and early season fitness levels showed, but still managed to score 1 further try and win the match convincingly.
The forwards were led superbly by pack leader Nick Ripper who led from the front and a great performance from Sam Rigby also.
Rob Smalley playing at full back played and kicked very well all game and converted 4/5.
Man of the Match was given to Jon Naylor who tackled superbly all game, ran well and deserved the award for a great performance.
Chiltern will look to build on this win and look forward to a tough game against Aylesbury 2XV next week who were relegaed from the league above last season.
Line Up:
1)Richard Bobbit
2)Nick Ripper (pl)
3)Felix Stankard
4)Nick Fisher
5)Graham Fisher
6)Adam Bray
7)Sam Rigby
8)Scott Fineman
9)Tom Fletcher
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clarke
12)Jon Naylor
13)Pete Johnston
14)Anthony Page
15)Rob Smalley
16)Russel Boulton
Tries:
Anthony Page
Sam Rigby
Dave Neale
Conversions:
Rob Smalley x4
Man Of The Match:
Jon Naylor
Pre Season Match 1 - Hampstead 2XV (Home)
01-September-2007
Lost 8-50
Line Up:
1)Neil Buchanan
2)Cathal McHugh (pl)
3)Toby Thwaites
4)Ali Keen
5)Luke Antos
6)Dave Robertson
7)Dave Fineman
8)Felix Stankard
9)Tom Fletcher
10)Dave Neale (c)
11)Fraser Clark
12)Dom Daley
13)Chris Jackson
14)Ant Page
15)Roshan
Tries:
Ant Page
Penalties:
Roshan
Man of the Match:
Ant Page
Ends.