Oxford City 1-0 AFC Fylde ( att : 624 ) – 2025/26 National League North

 January 24, 2026

Today’s National League North match at Court Place Farm saw a meeting of 20^th vs 2^nd as Oxford City entertained AFC Fylde.

Oxford City Update

These diaries last reported on Oxford City two weeks ago when a header from centre-back Darnell Johnson in added on time gave The Hoops a 2-1 victory over Buxton and saw them move out of the bottom four. Their one game since was at FA Cup giant-killers Macclesfield, and a depleted squad through illness conceded three times in the second half to lose 0-3. The loss saw The Hoops slip down to 20^th in the table, and all the sides below them had games in hand.

Oxford City had been active in the loan transfer market since the Buxton game, with ex-Forest Green Rovers, Exeter City and Accrington Stanley keeper Jonny Maxted joining from Brackley Town for the rest of the season, and young left-back Evan Humphries joined from West Bromwich Albion on a one month deal.

AFC Fylde

The Borough of Fylde includes the towns of St Annes, Lytham, Kirkham and Wesham located on part of the coastal Fylde plain from which it takes its name. It is bordered by Blackpool to the north, Preston to the east, the Irish Sea to the west and the Ribble estuary to the south. The population of the Borough is around 85,000.

The Open Championship has been held at Lytham and St Annes on 11 occasions, the last time in 2012 when Ernie Els was triumphant. It was also famously the scene of Seve Ballesteros’ recovery shot from the car park on his way to winning the 1979 Open. Fylde Rugby Club play in Lytham and St Annes, and Preston born Andrew Flintoff started as a junior at St Annes cricket club.

AFC Fylde play in Wesham at the 6,000 capacity Mill Farm and their nickname is The Coasters.

The club were founded in 1988 following the merger of Kirkham Town and Wesham and adopted the current name in 2008 after winning the FA Vase, where as Kirkham and Wesham they beat Lowestoft Town 2-1 at Wembley.

Between 2006 and 2017, the club won five promotions to rise from the West Lancashire League to the National League. AFC Fylde reached the promotion play-offs in their first two seasons at step 1, losing to Borehamwood in the quarter-finals then missing out on promotion to the Football League with a 0-3 defeat to Salford City. However, they returned to Wembley two weeks later and beat Leyton Orient 1-0 in the FA Trophy Final in front of a crowd of nearly 43,000. In doing so they became the first, and so far only, side to win both the FA Trophy and FA Vase.

However, Fylde were relegated after the covid interrupted 2019/20 season and spent three seasons back in National League North before returning to the National League.  An 18^th place finish was achieved in 2023/24 after spending most of the season in the relegation zone, but last season Fylde finished 23^rd to return to National League North for this season.

AFC Fylde This Season

Buxton came into today’s match in 2^th position with a 18-3-5 record and were 5 points behind leaders South Shields but with a game in hand. Away from home they were 10-1-2 with the away defeats coming at Scarborough Athletic ( 1-2 ) and Kidderminster Harriers ( 0-1 ), with the draw being at Radcliffe ( 3-3 ). Home defeats had been suffered at the hands of Worksop Town ( 2-3 ), South Shields ( 2-4 ) and Buxton ( 1-2 ).

Since the defeat at Kidderminster, Fylde were on an unbeaten run of four games, with three wins and a draw.

In the FA Cup Fylde progressed past step 3 Bamber Bridge with a 4-1 home win, but exited the competition in a replay at Darlington, losing 1-3 after a 2-2 home draw.

Fylde were enjoying a good run in the FA Trophy and will host Southport in the last 16. A 3-2 win at Spennymoor was followed by two penalty shoot- out successes away from home, overcoming National League Solihull Moors 9-8 after a 2-2 draw in the Midlands, and 4-3 over Hereford United after another 2-2 draw.

Fylde’s average attendance so far this season was 1,072, the 14^th best in the division, compared to Oxford City’s 650. Their highest attendance for a league match was 2,273 for the visit of Chorley on Boxing Day.

AFC Fylde Squad

Home grown 19 year old striker Danny Omerod was Fylde’s the top scorer and third in the Division with 18 goals, followed by winger Luca Thomas on 12 goals. Thomas joined Fylde in the summer after being released by Leeds United, having played in the National League on loan for Halifax Town and York City.

Winger Jonathan Ustabasi was the only survivor from the side that played at Court Place Farm two seasons ago and had scored 8 times this season, and midfielder Danny Mayor, who had played 499 in the Football League in a career spanning Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle, Bury and Fleetwood Town, had found the net 5 times.

Midfielder Chris Merrie was ex-Wigan Athletic and Tranmere Rovers whilst defender and captain Corey Whelan was a former Ireland under 21 international and had played for Yeovil, Crewe Alexandra, Wigan Athletic, Carlisle United as well as Phoenix Rising in the second tier USL Championship in the USA.

Keeper Zac Jones was from New Zealand and featured in these diaries playing for Haverfordwest Town in the Europa Conference against Shkendija in July 2023, Irish full-back Alex Healy-Byrne joined from Burnley Under 21s, and midfielder Tom Whelan, no relation to Corey, had twice appeared in these diaries as a Borehamwood player, and had also played for Chesterfield, Eastleigh, Weymouth and Solihull Moors amongst others.

Centre-back Max Taylor had played in the Football League for Rochdale and Morecambe, midfielder Ethan Mitchell had played for Plymouth Argyle, and midfielder George Wilson was previously with Altrincham as was left-back Liam Brockbank.

Fylde’s manager was Craig Mahon, who had a long career playing mostly for Vauxhall Motors, Chester and Curzon Ashton, and was in his first season in charge at Fylde.

Previous Meetings

The two sides met for the first time in National League North in 2014/15. Fylde won both encounters, with an incredible 8-1 victory at Marsh Lane, but the return was much closer, with Fylde edging to a 2-1 home win.

The next meetings were in the 2023/24 National League and Fatbear was present to report on a 3-0 victory for The Hoops. However, Fylde got revenge with a 2-1 victory in the return.

The two teams met on the opening day of this season, when Oxford City took a 2-0 through goals from Tom Scott and Zac McEachran but Fylde fought back to win the match 3-2, thanks to two goals from Ustabasi and one from Mayor, both of whom were substitutes.

Matchday Information

According to AA Route Planner, Buxton’s journey to Oxford was 200 miles via the M6 and M40, which would normally take around two hours 20 minutes. Around 30 noisy Fylde fans gathered behind the goal their side was attacking in the second half, and there were a few more dotted around the ground.

Tickets for today’s game were £13 for adults online and £16 at the turnstile. There were a whole range of reductions depending on ages, from seniors to children.

An online programme was available and a cup of tea cost £2.50.

The weather at the 15.00 kick-off time was dry and overcast with the temperature at 8 degrees

Bet365 made Fylde 3/5 favourites, with Oxford City at 7/2 and the draw at 29/10.

Fylde were unchanged from the side that beat Scarborough Athletic but Oxford City made 5 changes to the side that lost at Macclesfield, including three debutants, Maxted, Humphries and Aaron Harper-Bailey, whilst Zac McEachran and DJ Campton-Sturridge returned after illness  

Fylde were playing in yellow shirts with black shorts and socks whilst Oxford City were in their usual blue and white hoops.

Match Report

The game started quietly until a long ball out of the Fylde defence sailed over the head of Harper-Bailey forcing Maxted, aka The Pink Panther, to come out of his area and put the ball out for a throw before Ormerod could get to it. From the throw some neat passing enabled Thomas to run ran and shoot left-footed from the edge of the Oxford City area, forcing Maxted into a fine diving save, moving to his right to push the shot away for a corner. Tom Whelan’s delivery was missed by everyone and went out of play for a goal-kick.

With 6 minutes played, the visitors won a free-kick wide on the left, which was taken by Tom Whelan, and McEachran’s wild swing to clear only sent the ball off for a throw-in by the corner flag.

A minute later, Ormerod dispossessed Humphries near the opposite corner but Harper-Bailey won it back for The Hoops with a good tackle. Shortly after, Harper-Bailey took a very heavy touch, enabling Tom Whelan to block an attempted clearance but fortunately for the centre-back the ball rebounded away for an Oxford City throw-in.

Fylde were on top in the early stages and were passing the ball around nicely, with Oxford City barely in the game. After good hold-up play by Ormerod, Merrie shot left-footed from just outside the Oxford City area but Maxted made an easy save. After more good skill from Ormerod, Wilson saw his effort from just inside the area bravely blocked by Darnell Johnson.

Out of the blue Oxford City had their first attack in the 17^th minute. George Burroughs won a header ahead of Brockbank inside the Fylde half and put Alfie Potter clear with just keeper Jones to beat. However, the veteran midfielder never looked like scoring, and tamely put his shot across goal and well wide of the post.

The Hoops had got a toehold back into the game and O’Shea Ellis got to the byline, but his pull-back struck a Fylde defender and rolled to the keeper before Campton-Sturridge could get to it. A minute later McEachran won the ball in midfield and found Campton-Sturridge, who ran into the Fylde area but he seemed to dive. Half-hearted penalty appeals were ignored.

At the other end, Ormerod dived to try and head Tom Whelan’s first time ball into the Oxford City, but the contact was slight and the ball went harmlessly wide. Ellis then fouled Merrie near the half-way line and although Fylde complained, the referee only spoke to Ellis and kept his cards in his pocket.

Oxford City captain Josh Ashby went on a surging run and twice exchanged passes with Campton-Sturridge, but the low ball from the byline by the Hoops forward was blocked. A minute later Ellis won possession in the centre-circle and passed to McEachran, who played a ball down the right-hand channel for Potter to chase but Potter could only get to the ball by pulling Brockbank to the floor, and the referee gave the obvious foul.

With 26 minutes on the clock, Tom Whelan went for goal with a 30-yard free-kick but Maxted made a comfortable save. Neat passing by Fylde led to Mitchell setting up Thomas, but the left-footed shot from the edge of the area flew a few feet wide.

Fylde continued to have more of the play but the final ball was lacking. An Oxford City break involving McEachran and Ashby saw Campton-Sturridge run into the Fylde area only to be crowded out, and the ball went through to keeper Jones.

Wilson then passed to Thomas to run into the Oxford City area, but again the winger’s shot was weak and Maxted went to ground to make a regulation save. Three minutes before the break Thomas did well to control a raking cross-field ball, but then undid the good work by crossing towards the burger bar behind the goal.

The first yellow card of the match was shown in the 43^rd minute after Ashby slid into Ormerod in middle of the Oxford City half.  

McEachran won possession and passed to Ellis, who made a strong run towards the Fylde goal, but his dipping 25 yarder went just over the bar.

In the third minute of first half added time, play was scrappy from an Oxford City throw-in before McEachran played in Campton-Sturridge, but the fierce shot from a narrow angle was pushed away by Jones at his near post for a corner. Ashby sent the ball across the goalmouth and Harper-Bailey made a great run to meet the ball 6 yards out, but unfortunately for the home side, his header was mistimed and went closer to the corner flag than the goal. It was a great chance that should have been buried. Instead, it was 0-0 at half-time, just like last night’s rugby match between Chinnor and Ealing Trailfinders !

Fylde made a change at half-time, bringing on Ustabasi for Wilson, and almost immediately Thomas fizzed a low drive across the goalmouth and narrowly wide. Ustabasi then got past Humphries and his cross eventually reached Merrie, whose 20 yard shot was punched away by Maxted.

Four minutes into the half, a cross from Ustabasi could have been caught at his near post by Maxted, but the keeper decided to punch and put his defence under pressure, although a throw-in near the corner was won.

Thomas executed a Cruyff turn on the edge of the Oxford City area but Ashby was back to win the ball and was then fouled by Thomas.

In the 51^st minute Mitchell turned and shot from 20 yards but his effort was straight at Maxted who held the shot. Two minutes later Campton-Sturridge did well to hold up the ball under pressure from two Fylde defenders and laid back to McEachran, who threaded a pass for Ellis to charge at the Fylde backline, but after being tackled, the ball hit the referee, who stopped play and gave a drop-ball to the defending team.

Interplay between Ashby and Ellis led to Campton-Sturridge being given the chance to shoot but his low shot was meat and drink for Jones.

A minute later an awful back pass from Humphries forced Maxted to retrieve the ball by the corner flag, and after Fylde gained possession from his clearance, Burroughs fouled Thomas to stop any danger and was shown the second yellow card of the game. Tom Whelan took the free-kick close to the left-hand touchline and Potter headed it back to him, and Clark conceded a first corner of the match for Fylde.

A scrum of players gathered around keeper Maxted and as the keeper struggled to punch the in-swinging corner away, the referee blew for a foul on the keeper.

With 59 minutes played the home side appealed for a handball penalty after the ball appeared to hit the arm of Corey Whelan, but the referee determined the arm was in a natural position and play continued, and as Fylde moved into the Hoops half, Johnson illegally brought the move to an end and became the next player to see Yellow.

Ashby won possession in the Oxford City half and found McEachran, who played a pass that put Clark clear. The midfielder ran into the Fylde area and then calmly shot left-footed across goal and inside the far post to open the scoring. It was 1-0 with 61 minutes on the clock.

Fylde’s response was for Tom Whelan to attempt a shot from the angle of the penalty area, but his attempt went off for a throw-in to Oxford City. Fylde were soon back on the attack and Harper-Bailey produced a good header from a cross from the left-wing, and Whelan’s radar was again off course as his shot went out of the ground.

Substitute Mayor saw a shot punched away by Maxted and Ustabasi completely missed the ball with an attempted bicycle kick to the rebound.

Oxford City were still a threat and after a good long cross-field free-kick from Johnson, Clark pushed the ball past Healy-Byrne and hit the deck but the referee waved away the appeals for a penalty.

With 15 minutes remaining, Maxted’s punch under pressure was weak, but the follow-up from Thomas was bravely blocked by Clark. City went down the other end and Parker slipped a pass for McEachran to cross from the byline. Potter couldn’t get his head to the cross, which fell to Clark, whose shot was blocked for a corner.

Parker headed on Ashby’s corner at the near post, and keeper Jones punched away for another corner for The Hoops. Ashby’s second corner was cleared as far as Clark, who put the ball back into the mixer, but Fylde were again able to clear.

The home side were still searching for a second goal and a flowing move saw Parker receive the ball inside the Fylde area, but the Antiguan forward was crowded out.

Fylde were now struggling to create any chances and a good tackle by Burroughs on Ustabasi resulted in the Fylde man giving away a free-kick.

The Hoops looked to hit on the break but Jones came out of his area to get to a long pass ahead of Potter, and cleared onto the ring-road. The referee brandished two more yellow cards in quick succession but it wasn’t clear who the recipients were !

With a few drops of rain starting to fall, a Fylde cross from the left-wing bounced through for Maxted to gather. With 6 added minutes to be played, a City counter-attack saw Clark feed Parker, whose first time wall-pass was latched onto by Ellis bursting into the Coasters’ area but his goal bound effort was blocked. Bearne got to the loose ball but could only cross straight to Jones.

Fylde were reduced to hopeful crosses into the Oxford City but Maxted was up to the task, with one punch away and two catches, and Harper-Bailey made a good defensive header to concede a corner.

The home supporters celebrated the final whistle, and the much needed three points took the Hoops out of the bottom four. Fylde remained in 2^nd place in the table. 

Highlights :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TTM4-Otu30

Oxford City : Maxted – Burroughs, Johnson, Harper-Bailey, Humphries ( Roddy ) – Potter, Ellis, Ashby, McEachran ( Bearne ), Clark – Campton-Sturridge ( Parker )

AFC Fylde : Jones – Healy-Byrne, Taylor, C Whelan, Taylor, Brockbank– Wilson ( Ustabasi ), T Whelan, Merrie ( Hunter ), Mitchell ( Mayor ) – Ormerod, Thomas

 

 

Chinnor 15-21 Ealing Trailfinders ( att : 2,000 est ) – 2025/26 English Championship

January 23, 2026

Chinnor were on a scarcely believable run of 8 wins out of their last 9 matches, with victories over three of the top four in their last three games. However, today was a different kettle of fish, with the visit of league leaders Ealing Trailfinders, who had won all 13 matches played to-date, and had only once failed to gather the four try bonus point.

A huge Friday Nights’ crowd was anticipated to see if Chinnor would be able to upset the apple cart after their run of wins over 4^th placed Cornish Pirates, 3^rd placed Worcester Warriors and last week’s victory over 2^nd placed Bedford Blues.

It was heady times for the Villagers, but Ealing presented a very different proposition.

Previous Meetings

Chinnor and Ealing Trailfinders first met in National 3 South in 2008/09. Chinnor were beaten 26-46 in Ealing but relegation bound, they caused a major upset in the return, battling to a 20-13 victory. They resumed rivalries last season in the Championship, and in another Friday Nights Fixture back in January, Chinnor pushed table toppers Ealing all the way before falling to a 5-28 defeat in front of a crowd of 2,146. The reverse fixture was played in May, with Champions Ealing recording a convincing 41-5 victory.

 https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2025/01/chinnor-8-28-ealing-trailfinders-att.html

A pre-season friendly was played under the Kingsey Road floodlights in September, when a mostly 2^nd string Ealing XV ran out victorious 59-34, although Chinnor took heart by scoring 6 tries. Ealing though re-asserted their authority with a 57-7 home victory on their artificial surface in the second week of the season.

https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2025/09/chinnor-34-59-ealing-trailfinders-att.html 

Ealing Trailfinders This Season

Ealing arrived at Kingsey Road today with a played 13, won 13 record, and had recorded bonus point wins against everyone in the division, apart from at Nottingham, where they had to scrap for a 17-14 victory. Their closest encounter had been in their last outing when Worcester Warriors had run Trailfinders close before succumbing to a 33-34 defeat.

Apart from this, only Hartpury University ( H 27-19 ) and Doncaster Knights ( H 35-21 ) had avoided defeat by fewer than 20 points.

Ealing’s average home attendance so far this season was 1,668, driven by the 3,086 that had attended the New Year fixture against Worcester Warriors. Last season their average was 1,241.

Ealing Trailfinders Squad

Hooker Matt Cornish and Scott Buckley were the leading try scorer with 10 tries, followed by wings Diego Bailey and Tom Collins on 6, and full-back Tobi Wilson with 5 tries.

Ex-Scarlets fly-half Dan Jones was the top points scorer on 89 points

Matchday Information

The journey from Ealing to Thame is 40 miles and should normally take around 50 minutes down the A40 & M40. Trailfinders know the way by now !

Adult tickets purchased online were £16 and £20 at the gate and an online programme had been prepared in advance of today’s game.

The usual food vendors plus a fish and chips van were in attendance and a pint of Brooklyn IPA was £5.36 with the members’ discount.

After a lot of rain over the past couple of days, the weather at the 19.45 kick-off was dry and 7 degrees, but with a mild Chinnor breeze it felt quite chilly ! The pitch looked to be in surprisingly good condition.

Ealing announced four changes to their starting XV from the game against Worcester Warriors, all in the backs. Coming in were Tobi Wilson at full-back, Michael Dykes, ex-London Irish and Gloucester, was on the wing, ex-Bristol Bear Sam Edwards was in at scrum-half and Irish International Rory Scannell ( 3 caps ) was in the centre. Full-back Patrick Campbell dropped to the bench whilst Angus Kernohan, Jordan Holgate and Craig Hampson were missing. Due to injury, Hampson would not be involved against the side he is head coach of !

However, Wilson failed a fitness test before the kick-off so Holgate returned to the side, and Toby Cousins, who had played 6 matches for Chinnor at the end of 2025, was called up to the bench.

Chinnor also made four changes to the side that beat Bedford, with hooker Chris Moore, prop Robin Hardwick and scrum-half Callum Pascoe promoted from last week’s bench, and Grant Hughes returned on the wing after a spell out injured. Alun Walker, Kai Owen, Luke Carter and James Bourton all dropped to the bench, hoping to make an impact later in the game.

Ealing were in a kit of yellow shirts with black shorts and socks but the numbers on the back of their shirts were hard to distinguish so some players might not get credit for their good play ! Chinnor were in their usual black and white hoops.

Match Report

Ealing kicked off towards the ring-road end. Chinnor launched a high kick which wing Freddie Owsley was able to tap back, enabling Pascoe to kick into the Ealing half, but a good Ealing return kick bounced into touch inside the Chinnor 22.

Ealing won their lineout and spread the ball wide, and winger Francis Moore made ground deep into the Chinnor 22. Several drives were well defended before Ealing forced a penalty. A quick tap was taken but the drives were repelled and eventually the Ealing forwards were held up over the line, giving Chinnor a goal-line drop-out.

Ealing’s strong start continued as they won another penalty after running the drop-out back into the Chinnor half, and they were back inside the Chinnor 22. Another line-out was won but the rolling maul was halted, although Chinnor conceded another penalty, and Ealing had a 5 metre line-out.

Ealing secured their line-out ball but infringed at the rolling maul to give Chinnor a scrum 5 metres from their line. Scott Hall picked up at the base of the scrum, and Owsley made a few yards before being illegally stopped, and from the penalty Chinnor were able to take play to mid-way inside their half.

Chinnor had survived almost 10 minutes of constant Ealing pressure without conceding a point and the tide seemed to be turning as Harry Dugmore claimed the line-out and Chinnor spread the ball through their backs until a high tackle stopped the move, and Chinnor kicked to just outside the Ealing 22.

Hall caught the line-out but then dropped the ball when the move returned to him. Ealing were put under pressure at their scrum from the knock-on, but managed to get the ball away and kicked high, which Chinnor knocked on to give Ealing a scrum on their 10 metre line. This time their scrum was steady, and again the ball was sent into orbit but Owsley was comfortable under the high ball and kicked long. Ealing took the ball back into their 22 and then kicked straight into touch to give Chinnor a line-out on the Ealing 22.

Hall again won the Chinnor line-out but it was scrappy. However, flanker Will Cave made a break and fed Pascoe, who found full-back Nick Smith to burst down the touchline and dive over the whitewash. Unfortunately for Chinnor, the eagle-eyed touch judge had spotted that Smith’s foot had brushed the touchline so the try was ruled out, so it was still scoreless after 17 minutes.

Ealing won their lineout 15 metres from their line and forced a penalty from which they moved up to their 10 metre line. However, the throw at the line-out went long and Chinnor won possession, and as they pressed, Ealing conceded a penalty, which Chinnor kicked to within 10 metres of the Ealing line.

Jamie Campbell won the line-out for Chinnor and the home side made several drives for the line, but eventually the referee awarded Trailfinders a penalty 2 metres from their line, which they kicked to their 10 metre line.

Ealing’s throw again went long, and Chinnor again won possession, and after winning a penalty, Chinnor had a 5 metre line-out. Chinnor’s line-out was again messy but Pascoe cleaned-up, and set Chinnor up to drive for the try-line. However, Campbell was the recipient of a crunching tackle and after several probes at the Ealing defence, Hughes knocked on and Ealing kicked into the Chinnor half. Chinnor ran the ball back at Ealing and forced a penalty, and Holgate was shown a yellow card with 25 minutes on the clock.

Chinnor won their line-out just inside the Ealing 22 but their rolling maul was held up to give the scrum to Ealing, at which they won a free-kick. Ealing kicked deep into the Chinnor half but the home side ran the ball back until Hughes slipped close to the half-way line. Chinnor kept possession and Pascoe kicked high, where full-back Dykes made the catch. After some kick tennis, an impressive Ealing kick bounced into touch inside the Chinnor 22.

Campbell won the line-out for Chinnor, Pascoe kicked high and Ealing wing Geordie Gwynn made the catch. Ealing tried to move the ball but an attempted low kick hit a Chinnor defender, forcing Dykes to retreat to his 22 to gather and clear. Owsley again caught and ran back at the Ealing defence and his subsequent kick bounced into touch just outside the Ealing 22.

Chinnor stole the Ealing line-out and when Chinnor moved the ball to their right a long pass from Nathan Chamberlain was nearly intercepted. Ealing won turnover ball but the clearing kick was charged down by Hall. However, the referee spotted an infringement, possibly off-side, and awarded a penalty to Ealing, which was kicked long by Jones to the Chinnor 22.

Ealing won their line-out and pressed, but the ball went forward in the tackle, and Chinnor had possession and kicked back into the Ealing half. Both sides repeatedly kicked the ball back to each other until Dykes caught and call for the mark, and then quickly sent a bouncing kick in to touch just outside the Chinnor 22 with 36 minutes played.

Chinnor won their line-out and Cave made an impressive break and then kicked ahead but the covering Ealing defence was able to touch down in goal for a goal-line drop-out.

Chinnor centre Sam Hanks made a half-break from the drop-kick, and Smith then made a great break deep into the Ealing 22 and passed to Owsley, who was tackled just short of the try-line. Ealing’s desperate defence touched down in-goal to give Chinnor a 5 metre scrum.

Chinnor launched many attacks for the line, with Watson, Hanks, Rukhadze and Hall all being tackled short of the try line. Eventually Chinnor were held up over the line and the referee blew for half-time.

Remarkably it was still 0-0 at half-time, which was a first for Fatbear at a game of Rugby, and must have been the first time for many a year that Ealing had failed to score in a half. After Ealing had impressively dominated for the opening 10 minutes, when it looked like Chinnor would be in for a tough evening, the home side came back to have much the better of the rest of the half, and would have considered themselves unfortunate not to have opened the scoring.

Some more kick tennis ensued at the start of the second half until Chinnor were able to tap back for Moore to catch. A good move in which Hughes made yards was thwarted with Hall being tackled short of the line. Chamberlain’s follow-up run also ended short of the whitewash. A long floated pass looked to have put Owsley in at the corner but the high pass was dropped above his head with the line at his mercy.

The referee though had been playing a penalty advantage, which Chinnor kicked to 5 metres, from which hooker Moore crashed over the line for the opening score. Chamberlain’s attempted conversion drifted wide, but it was now 5-0 with 46 minutes played.

Ealing made 4 substitutions to liven up their play. They won their line-out on Chinnor’s 10 metre line and spread play to the left, where a pass hit an Ealing player on the head, after which Ealing won a penalty, which was moved forward 10 yards after some back-chat from Chinnor. Ealing now had a line-out on the Chinnor 5 metre line-out.

Ealing won their line-out but the referee awarded a 5 metre scrum to Ealing. Number 8 Josh Taylor made a strong run to the line but was tackled just short, but flanker Kyle Hatherall was able to dive over the line close to the posts, and Jones added the easy conversion. The score was now 5-7 after 51 minutes.

It was now Chinnor’s turn to make 4 changes as they brought on their major impact players but with injuries to Smith and Chamberlain, centre James Bourton was forced to play at full-back and scrum-half Luke Carter was at fly-half.

Ealing kicked their return of the restart straight out of play to give Chinnor a line-out mid-way inside the Ealing half. A sneaky throw was sent to the front of the line-out and Chinnor burst into the Ealing 22, but the referee saw an infringement and awarded a penalty to Ealing.

The visitors won their line-out but again kicked straight out of play to give Chinnor another line-out. Campbell predictably won the line-out for Chinnor and after pressing for the line, Chinnor won a penalty, which took them to 5 metres. Campbell again won the line-out, and although the rolling maul and a few drives for the line were well defended, a long pass saw Hank cross in the corner. Bourton missed with the conversion attempt, but Chinnor had regained the lead, making it 10-7 with 57 minutes on the clock.

Chinnor were now flying and from a scrum on their 10 metre line, a flowing move saw them progress deep into the Ealing 22. When several drives featuring Hall and Carter were repelled, Carter chipped towards the corner where Hanks was somehow able to touch down with two Ealing defenders in close attendance. Bourton again missed with the touchline conversion but Chinnor now led 15-7 with 62 minutes played.

Unfortunately for Chinnor, Carter looked to have taken a late blow after making the chip for the try, and looked to be concussed as he left the field. Chinnor were now without a fly-half or someone used to regularly kicking from hand for touch or restarts.

Ealing continued to persist with their high kicking game which to-date not been successful, and another period of kick tennis followed. Eventually Owsley was impeded in taking a catch, and substitute back-row forward William Montgomery was shown a yellow card just two minutes after entering the fray.

With an 8 point lead and a player advantage, it looked like Chinnor were on course for an unexpected victory.

Hall won a line-out for Chinnor but when Chinnor moved the ball wide the Ealing defence won a penalty.

Ealing attempted a fancy mis-move in midfield that was met with some strong tackling and Chinnor won turnover ball. Pascoe’s grubber kick was touched down in goal by the Ealing defence.

Ealing’s play was getting desperate but Gwynn made a half-break down the touch-line and after kicking ahead, Hughes tackled him off the ball and deservedly was shown a yellow card with 11 minutes remaining.

Both sides were down to 14 but the momentum was now with Trailfinders, who kicked their penalty into the Chinnor 22, then won another penalty to have a 5 metre line-out. Ealing won their line-out ball and then went down the blind side, and substitute hooker Harry Thompson dived over in the corner. An excellent conversion from Jones out wide took the score to 15-14 after 72 minutes.

Ealing launched another high ball from the restart, and although Owsley made the catch, he was flattened by the following up Ealing attackers who forced a penalty. The kick for the corner didn’t find touch but bounced awkwardly, and after Owsley tried to fly-hack clear, Ealing regained possession and pressed. However, a knock-on gave Chinnor a scrum deep in their 22 and a fabulous push by their pack gave Chinnor a scrum penalty. All the forwards roared with delight, as did the home supporters, and it looked to be the decisive moment that should see Chinnor hold on for a famous victory.

Unfortunately for the home side, Bourton failed to find touch with his kick and Ealing immediately attacked from left to right, and after being stopped, moved the ball to the left, from which Cousins burst through a gap and raced under the posts for a dramatic try.  Jones added the extras so Ealing now led 21-15 after 79 minutes.

Ealing dropped the restart and Chinnor won the ball. A midfield pass was dropped forcing Chinnor to kick, which Ealing returned with a high kick. Watson made a half-break for Chinnor but a knock-on in the tackle saw Chinnor’s hopes end, and the referee blew for full-time.

There were a mixture of emotions for Chinnor supporters at the end of this pulsating game. Ealing had racked up their 14^th consecutive victory from 14 games, but this was only the second time they had failed to obtain the 4 try bonus point.

Chinnor could take heart from running such illustrious opposition so close, and had they been able to find touch two minutes from time they probably won have held on to record a famous victory, despite the injuries to Smith, Chamberlain and Carter leaving them without a front-line kicker from hand.

 

  

Chinnor 27-17 Bedford Blues ( att : 1,922 ) – 2025/26 English Championship

January 17, 2026

Today saw the playing of the fixture controversially postponed during the cold snap two weeks ago. After passing an inspection at 10am on the match day, a further inspection was scheduled for 14.00. Referee Jamie Parr determined that inspection was not necessary, only to rule 15 minutes before the kick-off that the pitch was not fit for play. Despite both sides being willing to play the game and around 2,500 spectators inside the ground, it was called off in the interest of player safety.

With temperatures dropping it was probably the correct decision, but it was bizarre the referee did not make the pitch inspection at the earlier scheduled time and call the game off then. Still, Chinnor were able to sell plenty of beer, and the food vendors did a roaring trade.

At the time it was due to be a meeting of 4^th vs 2^nd, but with the results from the games that survived the weather, Chinnor had slipped to 6^th, having been overtaken by Coventry and Hartpury University, but a 5-point victory today would take them back to 4^th.

Chinnor Update

If Chinnor’s 47-10 thrashing of Cornish Pirates just before Christmas was considered by some to be the best result in their history, then they probably surpassed that just after Christmas when Chinnor became the first side to win at the reformed Worcester Warriors, with a 27-26 victory.

Chinnor had now won 7 of their last 8 matches and in consecutive weeks have beaten 4^th placed Pirates, 3^rd placed Worcester, and now faced 2^nd placed Bedford Blues, in an eagerly anticipated encounter. Next week was the small matter of playing league leaders Ealing Trailfinders !

However, the main news this week was the revelation that in an effort to attract more sponsors and spectators from the wider region, Chinnor intended to rebrand their 1^st XV as Thames Valley Falcons.

Previous Meetings

The first ever meeting between the two sides was last season when Chinnor caused a surprise with an 18-5 home victory on a quagmire of a pitch after two weeks of incessant rain, in front of a pre-Christmas crowd of 1,848. That match was covered by Fatbear and the report included a brief history of Bedford and last season’s squad.

https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2024/12/chinnor-18-5-bedford-blues-att-1848.html 

The Blues got their revenge on a firm pitch on a warm May afternoon, making hay in the sunshine on their way to a 61-26 victory, to the delight of most of the 2,814 in attendance.

Bedford Blues This Season

Bedford began the season with two defeats, predictably being beaten at home by Ealing Trailfinders ( 22-50 ), and then going down narrowly at Coventry ( 30-35 ). However, since then they had won 9 matches out of 10, only failing to beat Nottingham, when three tries in the last 15 minutes gave the Blues a 28-28 away draw.

Bedford were on a run of four consecutive wins, squeezing past wooden spoonists Cambridge 29-28 at home, then 27-26 in Penzance against Pirates, before outplaying Worcester 35-19 and Richmond 33-10, both at home.

Last seasons’ league top points scorer, ex-Coventry fly-half Will Massey, was the Blues top points scorer again this season with 96 pts, which made him the second highest points scorer in the Division behind Hartpury’s Harry Balzagette.

After being the league’s top try scorer last season with 20 tries, winger Dean Adamson was in joint second place on this season’s list so far this season with 10 touchdowns, behind Coventry wing Peter Sullivan and level with Ealing Trailfinders’ hooker Matt Cornish.  Chinnor hooker Alun Walker had 8 tries to his name.

The Blues’ average home attendance so far this season was 2,956, the second highest in the division behind Worcester Warriors, with the highest being the 5,531 attending the Christmas fixture against Richmond. Last season their average was 2,922.

Bedford Blues Squad

From the side that played at Chinnor last season, flying winger Alfie Garside was now with Worcester Warriers, lock/back-row forward Luke Frost had joined Richmond after moving for work, centre Joel Matevesi had move to France to play alongside brother Sam for Bourg-en-Bresse, and number 8 Cameron King had signed for National League One side Rosslyn Park. Full-back/wing Matt Worley had returned to Hong Kong and now had 15 caps for his country.

Of their four loanees from Northampton Saints, scrum-half Jonny Weimann and flanker Fyn Brown were back on loan at Goldington Road, prop Beltus Nonleh had been released and was now with Sedgley Park, and England Under 20 fly-half George Makepiece-Cubitt had been released and was facing a court case for alleged rape, for which he had pleaded not guilty. Bath loanee hooker John Stewart was now with Leicester Tigers and has been loaned to Cambridge.

Bedford’s newcomers included ex-Newport, Hartpury and Chinnor fly-half Tom Price from Italian side Biella, flanker Nicholas Finch from 5^th tier French side Limoges, lock Kayde Sylvester from Cambridge, Welsh lock Ilan Evans from RGC 1404, number 8 Tui Uri returned to the club after two seasons in France with Chambery, and wing Ryan Hutler rejoined from Coventry.

Prop Sonny Tonga’uiha was on loan from Northampton Saints and was the son of legendary ex-Northampton and Tongan prop Soane Tonga’uiha, who had a season with Chinnor in 2021/22.

The coach of Bedford was ex-Cardiff and Wales full-back Mike Rayer.

Matchday Information

The journey from Bedford to Thame is just 46 miles and according to AA Route Planner should take an hour and 20 minutes. Many Blues supporters had made the journey. but significantly fewer than for the New Year fixture.

Adult tickets purchased online were £16 and £20 at the gate, although tickets purchased for the postponed game were still valid. An updated online programme had been prepared in advance of today’s game.

In anticipation of another large crowd today, the same burger, pizza, crepes and coffee vendors were present. A pint of XT4 was £5.17 with the members’ discount.

The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was dry and sunny, and the temperature was 9 degrees. The infamous Chinnor breeze was notably absent. After the thaw of the pitch from two weeks ago and quite a bit of rain since, the pitch was in a good condition all things considered. The floodlights were already on at the kick-off.

The Blues were in a kit of all white but with one sleeve light blue and the other dark blue, whilst Chinnor were in their usual black and white hoops with black shorts and socks.

Bedford made one change to their starting XV named for the postponed clash, with prop Oisin Heffernan replacing Tonga’uiha. This meant there were 5 changes to the side which beat Richmond, with hooker James Fish, lock Alex Woolford, Brown, Northampton Saints loanee centre Billy Pasco and ex-Leicester Tigers and Melbourne Rebels wing George Worth selected. Tom Herman, Ilan Evans and Michael Le Bourgeois were amongst the replacements whilst Finch and Adamson were unavailable.

Back-row forward Fred Tuilagi, who made 26 appearances for Chinnor in 2021/22, was starting whilst Tom Price, 22 appearances for Chinnor between 2022 and 2023, was on the bench.

Chinnor made one change to the side originally announced for the fixture, with Tom Watson coming in for Ealing loanee Toby Cousins, which meant Chinnor had no dual registered/loan players in their squad. This represented three changes to the side that was victorious at Worcester, with the other changes being Freddie Owsley replacing Kieran Goss on the wing and Ramaz Rukhadze coming in for Robin Hardwick at tight-head prop. Hardwick was amongst the finishers.

Jamie Parr was again the man with the whistle.

Match Report

Chinnor kicked off towards the ring-road end and were playing with the strong sun in their eyes. Bedford cleared but Chinnor scrum-half Luke Carter kicked back into the Bedford 22. Chinnor gained possession and attacked, but The Blues won a penalty at the breakdown, and took play up to the Chinnor 10 metre line.

Bedford won their line-out ball but a loose ball when they attempted to move wide was caught by Carter, and Chinnor kicked clear. Bedford knocked on, and a counter-attack involving wing Freddie Owsley and full-back Nick Smith took Chinnor into the visitors’ 22. The move ended with a poor pass, but Chinnor were awarded a penalty in front of the posts.

Chinnor opted to go for the corner, but the line-out was surprisingly thrown to the back of the line-out rather than to their banker Jamie Campbell, and Bedford stole the line-out and cleared to mid-way inside their half.

This time the ball was thrown to Campbell but the maul was held up to give a scrum to Bedford, from which they won a penalty to take play to the Chinnor 10 metre line. Ward won the line-out for the Blues and after a couple of knock-ons, Bedford were given the input at the scrum. Bedford spread the ball from the set-piece and were awarded a penalty for a tackle off the ball, which was kicked into the Chinnor 22.

Bedford’s throw was poor and Chinnor prop Ramaz Rukhadze made the catch and gained some yards. Owsley then made a break down the touchline but Chinnor lost possession. A period of kick-tennis followed, but after Chinnor number 8 Scott Hall fielded a high ball, hooker Walker made a break through the crowded midfield and off-loaded to Carter, who sped toward the Bedford 22. Intelligent runs from both Carter and Smith saw a pass to give Smith a run for the tryline.

It looked like Bedford full-back Louis James would be able to make the tackle, but a hand-off by Smith saw him burst free and cross near the corner for the opening score. Nathan Chamberlain’s conversion from out wide struck the upright and went over the bar. Chinnor led 7-0 with 16 minutes played.

Bedford hit back almost immediately, and when they moved from left to right, a great pick-up by Worth off his toes saw him make a break, and then unselfishly play the pass for Pasco to score in the corner. The attempted conversion by Maisey from the touchline was short and wide, but it was now 7-5 with 18 minutes on the clock.

Play after the restart was scrappy as both sides dropped the ball, after which Chinnor hooker Walker kicked ahead. Uru was back covering for Bedford but two Chinnor attackers converged on him close to the try line and a knock on gave Chinnor a 5-metre scrum.

Chinnor were quickly awarded a penalty advantage at the scrum, but it didn’t matter as Rukhadze barged over the whitewash for Chinnor’s second try. Chamberlain added the extras to extend Chinnor’s lead to 14-7 after 23 minutes.

Chinnor spilled the restart, and Bedford chipped back into the Chinnor 22 where Carter made the catch. Chinnor cleared with a high kick, which Bedford ran back. Both sides dropped the ball and although Campbell hacked down field for Chinnor, play was brought back for a scrum to Bedford.

The Blues won a penalty at the scrum, and with the advantage chipped ahead forcing Chinnor wing Tom Watson to take the ball in goal and touchdown. Bedford opted for the 5-metre scrum, at which they won another penalty. At the second time of asking, Uru picked up and charged for the line, and after being stopped, Tuilagi had a go but more good defence denied him, and Chinnor won a penalty.

Campbell predictably won the line-out for Chinnor but Bedford forced Chinnor to kick, from which Bedford won a penalty on half-way, and were back inside the Chinnor 22.

Brown won the line-out for Bedford but a good tackle stopped Uru. Bedford went down the blind-side and an attempted pass went to ground in the tackle. However, Tuilagi picked up the loose ball and casually strolled over unopposed in the corner for a second try to the Blues. Maisey again failed to add the extras, so it was now 14-10 with 34 minutes played.

Bedford won a penalty at the restart and kicked to half-way. The throw was sent long and centre Pasco gathered and chipped ahead for Owsley to make the catch and kick downfield. Bedford kicked back where Carter made a half-break, but a Chinnor pass went to ground to give Bedford a chance to counter, but a long pass went straight into touch.

Campbell won the Chinnor line-out and when the ball was spread wide, Owsley made ground into the Bedford 22, but a Chinnor knock-on gave The Blues a scrum inside their 22, from which they won another scrum penalty to clear to half-way. Ward secured line-out ball for Bedford, from which they again went down the blindside, but Hutler put foot in touch, at which the referee blew for half-time.

After an even and entertaining first-half, Chinnor held a narrow 14-10 advantage, but it was all to play for as the sun was setting below the horizon.

After the Bedford restart, Chinnor cleared to half-way where Brown won the Bedford line-out but Hutler was tackled and Chinnor won turnover ball. Flanker Will Cave made a half-break, following which Chinnor went wide. It looked like Bedford had made a try scoring interception, but the referee had been playing an advantage and play went back for a penalty for offside 30 yards out, which was kicked to 10 metres.

Campbell won the line-out but the rolling maul was halted. Chinnor attempted a complex mis-move in midfield, but the pass from Chamberlain went into touch. Bedford won their lineout and kicked, for Owsley to run back into the Bedford half, but a Chinnor kick was fielded by James who made yards towards the half-way line, but after both sides knocked on, Bedford had the scrum 30 metres from their line.

Bedford went to the left from the scrum and after good hands from substitute Le Bourgeois, chipped deep into the Chinnor 22 where Owsley slid to make a brave gather. Chinnor were able to clear, but Bedford took a quick line-out and Ward made a fantastic break back into the Chinnor 22 but a superb tackle prevented the try. However, Chinnor infringed at the ruck, and Bedford kicked the resulting penalty to 5 metres.

Woolford won the line-out and after the rolling maul was halted, Bedford moved the ball to the left, and a good hands from all their backs gave Hutler an overlap and an easy run for the line. This time Maisey was successful from the tee, and Bedford now led 17-14 after 50 minutes.

It was starting to look ominous for the home side as Bedford were now on top and Le Bourgeois was looking a class act in the centre, making light of some poor passes and keeping moves going. Maisey sent a probing kick towards the Chinnor corner flag, but Chamberlain was able to keep the ball in play and clear to half-way.

Bedford took another quick line-out and launched a dangerous move through their backs, but two knock-ons resulted in a scrum to Bedford.  The Blues ran again from the scrum and Chinnor were under tremendous pressure close to their corner flag, and conceded another penalty which was kicked to 5 metres. Woolford won the line-out, from which Bedford thought they had scored, but the referee disallowed it for obstruction.

It was a huge let-off for Chinnor, if the try had stood Bedford would have had an 8 to 10 point lead and probably would have gone on to win.

Chinnor cleared to their 10-metre line and Conor Brockschmidt won their line-out. With a penalty advantage Owsley was just unable to keep substitute scrum-half Callum Pascoe’s grubber in field. Chinnor kicked the penalty to 10 metres from the Bedford line.

Campbell of course won the Chinnor throw, and after the rolling maul was halted, with a penalty advantage Chamberlain’s delayed pass enabled centre Sam Hanks to crash over the tryline. Chamberlain knocked over the simple conversion, and the game had turned so that Chinnor now led 21-17 with 59 minutes played.

Chinnor were now playing with confidence, and after Pascoe kicked into the Blues’ 22, James gathered and then kicked to touch from a couple of feet outside the 22, but the touch judge wasn’t watching so Chinnor had a line-out on the Bedford 10 metre line rather than just outside the 22.

After Chinnor won their line-out Bedford were penalised for not rolling away, and play was back to mid-way inside the Bedford half. For the umpteenth time Campbell won the line-out but was illegally taken out in the air, and Chinnor opted to go for the posts with the penalty. Chamberlain impressively put the ball through the uprights from 30 yards on the left to extend Chinnor’s lead. It was now 24-17 with 65 minutes on the clock.

Needing a try to level the game, James caught a high-kick and set-off to run into the Chinnor half and fed Worth, but Hutler’s subsequent kick ahead was touched down in goal by Chinnor and play went back for a scrum to Chinnor on their 22.

After a messy period of play from both sides, Chinnor were awarded a penalty which took them back to half-way.

Despite Campbell dominating the skies, Chinnor were penalised for offside at a ruck after Tuilagi had charged towards the Chinnor half, but Bedford threw long from their line out but Cave got to the ball first for Chinnor.

Bedford’s play was increasingly becoming ill-disciplined and Chinnor kept them in their half following a string of penalties.

After Campbell won yet another Chinnor throw, Bedford transgressed again in mid-field and Chinnor were back inside the Bedford 22. Another Campbell line-out win saw Bedford off-side again, in the middle of pitch. Chinnor opted to take the game beyond Bedford’s reach, and Chamberlain kicked his second penalty, this time from 30 yards in front of the posts. Chinnor’s lead was now 27-17 with 4 minutes remaining.

Bedford now needed to score a try to get a losing point, and started throwing the ball around from everywhere, but Chinnor’s defence remained firm. Chinnor also needed a try for the bonus point but after Brockschmidt won a line-out, centre James Bourton’s run into the Bedford 22 was stopped by a good tackle and several subsequent drives were also quelled and Bedford won a penalty.

Bedford won their line-out on half-way but Uru knocked on in the tackle. From their scrum Chinnor kicked back in the Bedford 22 but James was back to cover and despite a crunching tackle, the Bedford full-back won a penalty. Bedford took a quick tap and Chinnor substitute Chris Moore cynically stopped the move, having not retreated 10 yards and saw yellow.

Bedford won their line-out on the half-way line, but their attacking move ended with another knock on and the referee blew to end the game.

It was another impressive performance by Chinnor, and the four points took them up to 5^th in the table. Bedford remained in 2^nd.

Highlights :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmQrtWpxgTk