Rarely has a win ever typified the culture of a rugby club more than Saturday’s top of the table victory against Reading Rams.

The legendary Jerry Green filling in as team physio with the much-loved Paddy Esson away on his honeymoon, Tom Fletcher kindly stepping in as coach leading the side brilliantly, Tom Clilverd running the line & supporting the warm-up despite his fractured finger & last but by no means least, Oli Hall & Stef Trefalor. Two very late drop-outs meant we were suddenly two short an hour before kick-off & both answered the call to help us to a memorable win. The former predicting this eventually, booked an earlier return flight from Amsterdam & drove straight to the club from the airport!

On a cold & windy Novembers day at Weedon Lane, Chiltern were always going to be challenged against a frankly huge Reading Ram’s team…to a man, perhaps with the exception of Ollie Cato, there was a considerable difference, but as the old adage goes, size doesn’t matter….Chiltern began the match on the front foot. Ferocious in defence & dangerous in attack, Chiltern were eventually rewarded when Arjan Gill scored his first try in 3 years (from what I’m told) crashing over, with Ben Pothecary nailing a difficult conversion. 7-0 Chiltern.

Chilterns physical dominance continued with some sustained forwards play & following a lineout kick to the corner & multiple phases, Joe Batt crashed over sparking wild touchline celebrations. Conversion missed & Chiltern led 12-0 & were good value for this. Now in typical Chiltern 2’s fashion, we decided a simple exit from our 22 would be boring & instead adopted the “Joue, Joue, Joue” approach which backfired spectacularly. Reading exploiting this error well with a clever kick in behind on a greasy surface touched down first to close the gap to 12-7 on the stroke of half time…..it was going to be close.

With favourable wind direction in the second half, Reading Ram’s instantly had Chiltern on the back foot. Chiltern can take immense pride from not succumbing to Reading despite being camped in our own 22 for at least 20 minutes until the turning point. Reading with an attacking Scrum 10 metres out……Chiltern counter-punched & literally had the scrum running backwards quicker than Ben Pothecary moved all game…..The ref blowing for a Chiltern penalty & Chiltern cleared their lines.

This seemed to knock the wind from the Rams sails, leading to a period of control from Chiltern. Agonisingly close to putting the game to bed, Chiltern couldn’t quite get over the whitewash to extend their lead & the game remained firmly in the balance. And wouldn’t Ewe know it…..the Rams fought back…not abandoning sheep, throwing everything at Chiltern. It was incredibly tense & this is when I can copy & paste last week’s report. 60 seconds to go & Chiltern won the ball….in typical Chiltern fashion, we would have been more comfortable had Reading retained the ball…. Ben Pothecary missing touch after last play had been called, apologising to the fans on the side-lines as he chased it down……Not to worry though as Chiltern were again awarded a penalty sparking scenes of wild celebr……no wait…….Paul Sitzberger clearly wanting more from his match fee, booted the ball off, not realising you now have to tap the ball before kicking off to end the game.

Not wanting to Ram…the point home, but game management is clearly high on this week’s training agenda…And so it was left to Chiltern’s nemesis….the dreaded lineout. Mr Dave Cole, the man for the big occasion, hit the flying salmon Johnny Rice & Sitzberger redeemed himself kicking the ball off. Chiltern had won a top of the table classic in what was a hugely enjoyable game played in great spirit. Our guests Reading Ram’s a credit to their club throughout & really adding to the occasion.

To call out a player for man of the match in a game like this would be unfair on the other 17. So let me start by saying Harry, Dave & Cameron tackled their hearts out & put on a front row scrummaging masterclass. The second row was heroic. Ollie Cato (how good to see him back) & Johnny Rice rolling back the years adding bulk in the scrum, leading the lineout & smashing anything in their way. Arjan…the perfect man to have in your team causing havoc, Alex Hart lacking any respect for his body & smashing people all day & Joe Batt….the talisman carrying pill for fun, getting a meat pie & leading the defence.

Paul Sitzberger, the timeless scrumhalf with service all day that The Ritz would have been proud off. Ben Pothecary, a late call up to 10, running the show & adding some much-needed comedy to proceedings. Louis Hughes, absolutely smashing their winger when set to score & solid defensively all game. Harry West, hasn’t missed a tackle all season & smashed Reading all game with some fine solo runs in attack. Gavin Thompson, incredible defensively all day, including the hit of the day absolutely smashing their centre when Reading looked set to exploit an overlap….Will Swerling & Gus Pollard, positionally perfect all day despite the battling windy & wet conditions & counter attacking at every possibility. And our bench….to a man heroic….Huge thanks to Jorge, Oli and Stef.

It’s days like Saturday which make you realise how special this club is & how much we missed it over the Covid period. Thanks to all of those who went above & beyond the call of duty & created a truly memorable Saturday. With this kind of collective spirit, it will be incredibly exciting to see just how far we can go this year, so please keep supporting the club & cheering us on when you can- it makes the difference!!

Team v Reading Rams: 1) Harry Pollard 2) David Cole 3) Cameron Wilson 4) Johnny Rice 5) Ollie Cato 6) Arjan Gill 7) Alex Hart 8) Joe Batt 9) Paul Sitzberger 10) Ben Pothecary 11) Louis Hughes 12) Harry West 13) Gavin Thompson 14) Will Swerling 15) Gus Pollard 16) Jorge Gomez 17) Oli Hall 18) Stef Trefalor