Chiltern push Berkhamsted close in top of the table clash

Match Report by Jonny Keen

Berkhamsted's reaction at the final whistle said it all - they were celebrating like they'd won the league, not squeezing past a scratch 3s side that only had 14 men and very limited preparation time. The closeness of the match is a testament to the 14 Chiltern legends (old and new) who turned out to represent the club after some late night selectorial challenges.

The first half started badly with Berkhamsted running in 3 tries before Luke Donnebaum had even had a chance to injure himself. The tries weren't anything special - just one off missed tackles and some off-piste guard defence, but it made Berkhamsted think they were New Zealand! This played into Chiltern's hands as the 3s put together some great forward phases and the first real territory of the game, which led to our debutant scrum-half Vas (Sorin) going over close to the posts after a lovely run and dummy which Dr Dan duly converted. This was followed by an unmemorable period of reset scrums and some tight exchanges with no side gaining any real advantage. Then Chiltern finally played some actual rugby and Dan Kinsey finished a lovely break to make it 17-12 at half time. Game on.

The start to the second-half was deja vu, with Berkhamsted scoring a well worked try in the corner but missing the conversion. 22-12. Then there were some more scrums, Chiltern winning some and losing others before a Berkhamsted player was yellow carded for stamping on Jonny Keen's leg (I may or may not have been preventing the ball from being released at the ruck, but the gamble paid off and the penalty was reversed). This led to a frustrating 10 minutes in Berkhamsted's 22 with Chiltern struggling to make the final pass for the critical score. Eventually however, a strong pick and run from Luke Donnebaum led to a penalty try following great carrying by Ali Keen and Porter Snr. 22-19. Unfortunately Chiltern hadn't left enough time to edge the win, being unable to get the field position required to threaten Berkhamsted in the last 5 minutes.

Huge credit to all who played for the 3XV though - great team spirit and commitment shown from everyone and it was a pleasure to be back playing after a 3 year break. Please remember Berkhamsted's celebrations when we take them on at their place at the end of the season. There will be a reckoning!