3XV win 55-10 away at Hackney

It was a long ride to Hackney and to ensure the kit got there safely, Stu Rogers was entrusted with the job. It arrived safely, but just 20 minutes before kick off. The first thought among the waiting players when the kit did arrive was whether Donnebaum was going to get all his tape on in time ? As he expertly deconstructed the medi-bag there was a quick reminisce about the time we all got lost between the changing rooms and the pitch at Old Ashmolians, turning up 5 minutes before kick off, and it was time for kick off!
-
The league ref had dropped out at the last minute as he was ill so the Hackney coach was stepping in as ref , we were late, the pitch was a ploughed field and so it could have been a lacklustre affair. It was anything but. 
-
The backs were being led by Fly Half Jack Davidson who kicked things off for a fairly even first 20 minutes. Hackney had some good players and Chiltern had to keep a solid defensive line. As the game progressed the backs began to run more freely. Paul Sitzberger's service at 9 was excellent and Jack Davidson was shipping the ball nicely out wide , opening Hackney up to some great runs from Scott Kilbey and Jamie Gordon. With Bryn Roberts and Es Brown attacking from deep there were lots of options as Hackney were increasingly kicking the ball away under pressure. 
-
In the scrums Hackney initially put up some good resistance but they tired quickly and Chiltern started to drive back every scrum. Hackney's front row swapped around a few times as the scrums became more physical and with a scrum 10 yards out , Chiltern put on a big shove and Luke Donnebaum touched down in a relatively civilised manner. In the lineouts things went equally well, Jason Kilbey was fetching some stunning ball and after a stolen lineout Chiltern took the ball in and drove it. It was clear at this moment that Hackney were not great at defending rolling mauls, and so the forwards gave the backs a rest for the next few lineouts to play with their new toy. Following another clean take in the lineout, Stu Rogers received the ball at the back of a perfectly formed maul which began to move. As the pace picked up to a jog and with Chiltern players ejecting Hackney players from the maul as they went , Stu Rogers emerged with the ball at the front with his war face on, fended the last Hackney forward to the ground before going on a 20 yard run, accompanied by a 17 stone Jack Freeman also with war face. At this stage in the game we were running riot ! With the forwards linking with the backs seamlessly, Chiltern were attacking from almost anywhere on the pitch. 
-
There were some new caps too. Alex Bear making his debut at Seniors Rugby and making a few runs and tackles , Sam Rogers switching from American Football and scoring a try on debut and Anthony Smith putting in a try saving tackle among other good work. 
-
Special mentions also go to Lewis Culverhouse , Rob Baxter and Graeme Coles who were putting in hard work turning over ball, holding players up , tackling hard and setting up the perfect platform for a win. There was a 10 minute period in our 22 where Chiltern resisted phase after phase of Hackney forward play with hard tackling and big hits. This eventually forced Hackney to take 3 points from a penalty rather than face any more punishment. This was a high quality win by a team showing more and more confidence and now focussed on winning the league.
-
Tries:
Lewis Culverhouse x2
Scott Kilbey x2
Jason Kilbey
Stu Rogers
Jack Davidson, 
Sam Rogers
Luke Donnebaum
-
Conversions 
Jack Davidson (5)
-
Man of the Match : Jason Kilbey