Chippenham 34-22 Trowbridge ( att : 350 est ) – 2025/26 South West Regional 2 Severn

March 28, 2026

Today saw Fatbear make his first visit of the season to Chippenham Rugby Club, which was also their last home game of the regular season. Today’s visitors were Trowbridge who ironically, were the opponents for the last game seen by Fatbear at Allington Fields, in March last year.

2025/26 Season

Trowbridge came into this game having clinched the division title last Saturday. A 68-24 home win over Witney coupled with Chippenham’s 17-19 defeat at Thornbury left Trowbridge 11 points clear of second placed Chippenham with only two rounds of fixtures remaining to be played.

Trowbridge had impressively won all but one of their 20 games played so far this season, with the only set-back being a 28-31 defeat at Longlevens in February.

Chippenham had a 16-1-3 record to be four points ahead of third placed Cleve, and were 100% at home. In addition to last week’s loss at Thornbury, their other defeats had been 26-27 at Trowbridge and 40-56 at Cleve. A 22-22 draw had been played at Old Centralians.

The RFU have introduced promotion and relegation play-off at all levels for this season although no-one seems to be too sure as to exactly how they will work. Fatbear’s understanding is that for this league it will be 2^nd vs 5^th and 3^rd vs 4^th in a one-off tie, with the two winners then playing for the right to play at either 9^th or 10^th place in the higher level Regional 1 South-West in a single match.

Based on the positions prior today, the play-off games would be Chippenham vs Newbury and Cleve vs Keynsham, although Old Cents, Thornbury and Longlevens could still sneak into 5^th place. The surviving side would then play at either Sidmouth or Chew Valley. It is thought this would based on the closest match geographically, so in this scenario that would be Chew Valley, who are based just outside of Bristol. Of course, the league placings could change between now and the end of the season, and the RFU could make some other decisions !

Previous Meetings

Games between these two local rivals are invariably close. As mentioned above the first meeting this season saw Trowbridge victorious by one point.

In the corresponding fixture last season, Chippenham were leading 27-16 with time 79 minutes on the clock, but then conceded three tries in the closing moments to give Trowbridge a get out of jail 35-27 win. Chippenham had won the reverse fixture 22-17.

This was the third time Fatbear had seen these two sides play, in September 2021 Trowbridge were again the victors with a 33-22 win.

Chippenham Squad Update

New recruits to the Chippenham squad for this season include full-back John Rumsey from Chobham, prop Leo Palmer from Old Sulians, lock Kieran Edgar from Trafford MV, and scrum-half Thomas Fogarty had returned to the club from Old Redcliffians. Number 8 Iestyn Asher was a current Dorset and Wiltshire Under 20 player.

Trowbridge Squad Update

Of the newcomers to the Trowbridge squad this season were ex-Clifton full-back Alex Kilbane, ex-Old Redcliffians number 8 Kacey Pike, and lock Olly Bilton was previously with Dings Crusaders.

Matchday Information

According to AA route planner, the journey from Trowbridge to Chippenham is 13 miles and should take 24 minutes.

The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was sunny with blue skies but a stiff breeze, and with temperatures at 9 degrees.

Admission was free as were the programmes. The clubhouse was packed on our arrival with 100+ diners enjoying pre-match hospitality, and quite a few may not have seen the match !

One new innovation since Fatbear’s previous visit was a stall with a local butcher selling burgers and chips outside the clubhouse and looked to be doing good business. Fatbear was tempted to sample but resisted !

 

Trowbridge made four changes to the side that won the league last weekend, selecting prop Jack Davies, lock Gareth Davies, flanker Rory Murchison and centre Sam Harrison, with Jaden Ephgrave, Max Day, Ben Mallett and Alex Murchison missing out. Seven of the side played in last season’s game at Chippenham.

Chippenham made three changes to the side that narrowly lost at Thornbury. Chris Cook replaced the injured John Rumsey at full-back and current Dorset and Wiltshire Under 20 Callum Angel was in at centre instead of the injured Archie Healey. Salah also was selected at number 8, Alex not Mo, and Jamie Webb was dropped to the 2nds. 10 of the matchday squad of 18 players were home-grown.

Trowbridge were playing in a kit of dark blue shirts with thin yellow and light blue hoops, and dark blue shorts. Chippenham were playing in their usual black and white hoops with red trimmings, with black shorts and black and white socks, which was a bit of a colour clash.

Match Report

Chippenham kicked off with the breeze, and Trowbridge cleared back for a line-out on their 10-metre line. Chippenham threw low to the front of the line-out, and centre Will Hendy made a break to the Trowbridge 22 but was stopped by a good tackle. Trowbridge won a penalty at the subsequent ruck and kicked to halfway.

Trowbridge won their line-out but Chippenham won turnover ball and lock Edgar made a break into the Trowbridge 22, and just when it looked like Chippenham must score, the ball was knocked on to give Trowbridge the put in to a scrum 5 metres from their line. A good shove by the Chippenham pack saw them awarded a scrum, but then Trowbridge were awarded a penalty at the next scrum.

Trowbridge won their line-out ball through lock Gareth Davis and number 8 Pike made a break to the Chippenham 10 metre line, but a box-kick from scrum-half Ali Lane sailed directly into touch.

Asher won the line-out for Chippenham on their 10-metre line but the referee deemed the throw to be not straight.

In the 8^th minute Kyle Oakley won a line-out for Trowbridge and Pike made another break up to the Chippenham 10 metre line but Chippenham force a turnover at the ruck, and had the put in at resulting scrum. Fly-half Jack Smith chipped ahead from the Chippenham scrum but Will Hendy was unable to gather cleanly and Trowbridge full-back Kilbane picked up and ran back to the Chippenham 10 metre line.

Smith knocked on from a Chippenham scrum to give Trowbridge a scrum, from which Pike picked up and ran to the Chippenham 22 until being stopped. Trowbridge fly-half Tom Weaver chipped to the far corner where Chippenham winger George Brooks made the catch but was bundled into touch. However, Chippenham had been caught offside, and despite the penalty being in front of the posts, Trowbridge kicked to have a 5-metre line-out.

The throw was to the front of the line-out for Davis to catch, and a short pass went to fellow lock Olly Bilton, who crashed through a weak tackle and over the line for the opening score of the game. The touchline conversion from Weaver was held-up in the wind, so the score was 0-5 with 14 minutes played.

Shortly after the restart, Smith went on a jinking run, only to eventually run into a dead-end. When Chippenham recycled possession, Smith made another break and fed Salah, and received a return pass, then moved the ball onto Hendy, who dropped the ball 5 metres from the tryline. However, a penalty advantage had been played, which Chippenham kicked to 5 metres.

Lock Ed Hendy won the line-out for Chippenham but the rolling maul was halted. Scrum-half Fogarty took the ball off his forwards and snipped through a gap to score. Cook missed with the conversion so it was 5-5 after 19 minutes.

Chippenham made another break in the middle of the park through Angell but the attempted pass to Salah went to ground. Salah was able to gather, but his pass intended for his winger went directly into touch for a scrum to Trowbridge.

Trowbridge attempted to run out of their 22 but centre Sam Harrison was flattened by a strong tackle from Chippenham back-row forward Louis Healy. Lane attempted a clearing kick but Asher was able to charge down, collect the bouncing ball, then side-stepped past a covering defender for a solo score. Cook’s conversion drifted wide leaving the score 10-5 after 22 minutes.

The Trowbridge restart didn’t go 10 metres but Chippenham caught the ball and ran back into the Trowbridge half but were pinged at the subsequent ruck, enabling Trowbridge to kick into the Chippenham 22. At this point a few drops of hail started to fall.

Trowbridge won their lineout and Pike stormed towards the Chippenham line but was stopped just short. However, another forward was in support and burrowed over close to the uprights. Weaver added the easy conversion to bring the score to 10-12 with 26 minutes on the clock.

Another Chippenham line-out was not straight and after a Trowbridge scrum, Weaver kicked into the Chippenham 22, but Brooks was back covering and the home side won a scrum inside their 22. Chippenham then won a penalty at a ruck, and kicked to just outside the Trowbridge 22. Asher won the line-out but the attempted chip ahead was overhit and the ball went dead for a 22 metre drop-out for Trowbridge and a good chase from the kick saw Chippenham wing Danny Sugg tackled into touch.

Trowbridge spread the ball from their lineout and ex-Chippenham winger Alex Christopher scorched down the touchline and into the Chippenham 22 but the referee brought play back, judging that the pass from Kilbane had been forward.

Smith and Angell combined in midfield for Chippenham but an offload was intercepted. The referee appeared to award a penalty to the home side only to reverse it after some back chat, and Trowbridge were able to take play up to the Chippenham 10 metre line. This time it was Trowbridge who were guilty of a not straight throw.

Smith sent a kick bouncing deep into the Trowbridge 22 with the ball stopping just by the corner flag. Kilbane was forced to play the ball and was clattered into for his troubles. Desperate defending by Trowbridge resulted in a penalty being awarded, and Chippenham took a quick tap and drove for the line. Several drives were defended, and when they tried to run Smith dropped the ball with Brooks in acres of space out wide.

Trowbridge had the scrum put-in but they were driven a few yards backwards following a good shove by the Chippenham pack, and Chippenham were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. Rather than take the points with half-time fast approaching, Chippenham opt to take a tap and drive for the line. Again, several drives failed to find a way through the Trowbridge defence before the backs finally were presented with the ball, and passes from Smith and Cook enable Sugg to score in the corner. The conversion from Cook was again missed and the half-time whistle blew to leave the score at 15-12 at the interval.

Not much happened at the beginning of the second period until a Chippenham kick bounced into touch inside the Trowbridge half. Kilbane took a quick throw to himself, and although the ball bounced awkwardly, the Trowbridge full-back was able to gather and ran past 4 would-be tacklers and Trowbridge forced a penalty just inside the Chippenham half. After the replacement Chippenham hooker kicked the ball away, the referee marched Chippenham back 10 metres, and the kick took Trowbridge to 10 metres from the line.

Bilton won the line-out and Chippenham infringed at the rolling maul. Trowbridge kicked to 5 metres. Oakley won the line-out and the Trowbridge pack rumbled over the line. It wasn’t clear who had scored, possibly hooker Rhys Redman, but the touchline conversion narrowly missed at the near post. Trowbridge now led 17-15 with 45 minutes played.

Chippenham lock Ed Hendy made a bullocking run but after being brought to the ground, Trowbridge won a penalty. A bit of kick-tennis ensued until Oakley ran back up to the Chippenham 22 but the scrum was awarded to Chippenham.

Trowbridge were awarded a free-kick at the scrum and took a quick tap but the home side were given a penalty at the following ruck. Will Hendy made a break and Smith sent a bouncing kick into touch midway inside the Trowbridge half. However, the referee took play back for a penalty to Chippenham, which was kicked to virtually the same distance from the Trowbridge line, but on the other side of the pitch, and now with the line-out throw to Chippenham.

However, the line-out was messy and the tap from Healy went forward. Trowbridge cleared their lines and Sugg caught the high ball, but then dropped it as he started running. Trowbridge won a penalty at the scrum for the knock-on and they were back inside the Chippenham 22.

Chippenham stole the line-out and Smith made a break from inside his own 22, and Suggs redeemed himself by taking the pass and fending off Christopher to cross in the corner, and then ran around to touchdown under the posts for his second try of the day. Cross added the extras so Chippenham now led 22-17 after 53 minutes.

Trowbridge looked to hit back and Weaver chipped ahead deep into the Chippenham 22 but Hendy was covering and Fogarty was able make a clearing kick. Weaver was able to keep the ball in play and Trowbridge looked to run the ball. The referee awarded a scrum to the visitors on the Chippenham 22, at which they went down the narrow side. Lane fed Kilbane, who released Christopher to run for the corner but the wing was tackled just short of the line. However, Trowbridge were awarded a penalty, and so had a 5-metre line-out.

The Trowbridge throw was long but flanker Rory Murchison was able to catch and the Trowbridge forwards drove for the try. It appeared that the ball had been dropped over the tryline and the 5-metre scrum went to Chippenham. Salah picked up at the base of the scrum and went off on a run, and Hendy then made a length of the field break only to tackled a couple of yards short of the line.

Chippenham were awarded a penalty, and a quick tap from Fogarty saw the scrum-half force his way past Christopher and Pike to score. Cross made an excellent conversion from close to the touchline, as Chippenham extended their lead to 29-17 with 62 minutes played.

Chippenham were now full of confidence and moved the ball wide from the restart and won a penalty, which was kicked up to the Trowbridge 10 metre line. Chippenham ran from the line-out and won a penalty for a high tackle which took them to 5 metres. The line-out was secured through Asher, and substitute prop Jordan Brew scored from the rolling maul. The conversion drifted wide, with the score 34-17 after 68 minutes.

Play after the restart was messy, with a Chippenham dambuster pass, then a poor tap-back at a Chippenham line-out was bounced upon by a Trowbridge forward but the visitors squandered a promising position with a knock-on.

Salah won a Trowbridge line-out on the Chippenham 10 metre line and Smith’s kick bounced into touch outside the Trowbridge 22. Bilton won the line-out for Trowbridge and the ball was kicked back into the Chippenham half for Will Hendy to make an impressive break through the centre of the Trowbridge defence, only to be brought down by a tap tackle. Smith kicked a grubber for his backs to chase, but they were offside and Trowbridge had a penalty, which took them back to mid-way inside the Chippenham half.

The Trowbridge throw went long, and Chippenham fly-hacked the ball in to touch inside the Trowbridge 22. Play at a Trowbridge throw was again scrappy, and a scrum was awarded to the visitors. Kilbane set off on a run into the Chippenham half but Will Hendy made a great tackle. Trowbridge were awarded a penalty at the ruck, and a punch-up involving most of the players on both sides started. When everything had calmed down, Chippenham’s Cook was shown a yellow card with a couple of minutes of play remaining.

Trowbridge had a line-out inside the Chinnor 22, and an attacking move featuring Oakley, Harrison and Redman ended with an offload by Christopher going forward. However, the referee had been playing an advantage. More pressure yielded another penalty, and Trowbridge were now 5 metres from the line. The line-out was won and the rolling maul made its way over the whitewash, and Redman emerged with the ball. Weaver missed with the conversion and the game ended with the final score 34-22.

Trowbridge fell to their second defeat of the season whilst Chippenham maintained their 100% home record. The projected play-offs remained unchanged after today’s results, although Old Cents, Thornbury and Longlevens were now out of the equation. Also, Fatbear had finally seen Chippenham beat Trowbridge !

 

 

 

Thame United 2-0 Hadley ( att : 77 ) – 2025/26 Southern League Division One Central

March 24, 2026

Tonight saw the third attempt to play this fixture, with attempts to play in late November and early February both thwarted by waterlogged pitches. This was now a match between 6^th and 11^th.

Since these diaries covered Thame’s 4-2 victory over Hertford Town they had taken 7 points from three away matches. A remarkable 6-0 win was recorded at mid-table MK Irish, followed by a hard fought 2-1 success at Stotfold. The run was completed with a 3-3 draw in the derby with lowly Aylesbury United, although this could be seen as a point gained as Thame were 0-2 behind in the first-half and needed a late equaliser to grab a draw.

On Saturday Thame hosted second from bottom Rayners Lane and struggled to a 2-1 victory, with the decisive goal only being scored in the 88^th minute.

Hadley FC

Hadley play in Arkley, which is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet. Home is the 2,000 capacity Brickhill Lane, from which the nickname The Bricks is derived, and the club has no association with Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley !

The football club were founded in 1882 and played in local leagues until joining the Hertfordshire Senior County League in 1977, and progressed to the Spartan South Midlands League for the 2008/09 season. Hadley were promoted from Spartan South Midlands Premier League at the end of the 2021/22 season after finishing in third place and runners-up Princes Risborough were controversially denied promotion after failing a ground criteria inspection.

In their first season at step 4 Hadley finished a respectable 9^th, improved to 8^th the following season and then 5^th last year, pipping Thame to the final promotion play-off spot. However, The Bricks were soundly beaten 0-5 at Berkhamsted in the play-off semi-final.

Hadley This Season

Hadley arrived at the ASM Stadium in 11^th place in the table a 14-9-12 league record, and were an impressive 7-7-3 away from home.

On Saturday, Hadley drew 2-2 at Welwyn Garden City. Before this The Bricks had taken just one point from 5 games, drawing 2-2 at Flackwell Heath but had lost to top 5 sides Leighton Town ( A 1-2 ) and Biggleswade Town ( H 2-4 ), but also at home to struggling Marlow and Rayners Lane, both 1-2.

Prior to this Hadley had won three in a row, defeating Enfield ( A 4-0 ), Flackwell Heath ( H 2-1 ) and Hertford Town ( H 2-0 ). These wins had come after being thumped 1-4 at Beaconsfield Town and slipping to an unexpected 0-1 home loss to lowly Leverstock Green.

The Bricks other away wins in the league this season had been at Ware ( 3-2 ), Barton Rovers ( 4-1 ) and Stofold ( 1-0 ), Hertford ( 3-1 ) Marlow ( 3-2 ) and Northwood ( 2-0 )

Hadley exited the FA Cup at the hurdle with a 1-2 home loss to step 4 Maldon and Tiptree but they enjoyed a good run in the FA Trophy. A 5-1 win was achieved at Ware, then Hadley got past Ascot United on penalties after 2-2 draw. A shock 2-1 win over step 3 Dartford came next, but the cup run ended in disappointing fashion with a 0-1 defeat at step 4 Tilbury.

Hadley’s average home league attendance to-date this season was 164, the 9^th best in the division, with the highest being 278 for the visit of Hitchin on the opening day of the season.

Hadley Squad

Former Southend Under 18 winger Lenny Asamoah was the leading scorer in the League for The Bricks with 15 goals, followed by ex-Leyton-Wingate striker Isaac Stones on 12 goals.  Long serving captain and midfielder Luke Alfano, who had played for Kings Langley and Hanwell Town, had found the net 7 times.

Centre-back Hedley Ogebor was ever present this season whilst ex-Harrow Borough keeper Charlie Taylor had missed only three league games.

Midfielder Romey Meoded was previously with Southall, defender Prince Kandolo was with Ashford Town last season, and defender Alvin Kyeremeh had played for Leverstock Green.

Midfielder Cameron Ferguson had returned to Hadley after spells at Cockfosters and Northwood Town, wing-back Callum Ismail was with Haringey Borough last season, whilst midfielder Charlie Heyford started as a youth player at Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday, but had since played for 9 non-league sides before joining Hadley this season from Biggleswade.

Previous Meetings

In April 2023, Fatbear attended a match between these two sides at the ASM when Thame were comfortable 4-1 winners in an end of season encounter with little riding on it.

https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2023/04/thame-united-4-1-hadley-att-91-202223.html 

The sides had met 7 times since Hadley joined this Division and Hadley had won all four of their home matches, winning 2-1 in 2022/23 and 3-0 in both 2023/23 and 2024/25.

Back in September, Hadley were victorious by a 4-3 margin, a result that left Thame bottom of the table at the time having lost their first 4 league games.

However, Hadley were yet to win at the ASM. After the defeat in 2022/23, they lost 1-2 the following year, and then last season played out a remarkable 4-4 draw. Hadley established a 3-0 lead midway in the first half, but Thame stormed back to take a 4-3 lead, only for Hadley to equalise late in the game.

Matchday Information

The journey from Arkley to Thame is 44 miles and should normally take an hour via the A41.

After a dry day, the weather at the 19.45 kick-off time was 10 degrees, but the forecasted light rain had just started. 40mph winds were forecast for later during the game.

Entrance to the game was £10 for adults and £5 for concessions, £3 for Under 16s, whilst under 5s went in for free. A pre-match pint of Poretti was £5.40.

An online programme had been produced for the match and free team-sheets were available at the turnstile.

Hadley made one changes to the side that started at Welwyn Garden City, with Stones returning in place of Timothy Ikechukwu, who dropped to the bench. Thame were unchanged from the side that beat Rayners Lane.

As Hadley’s usual colours are red shirts and black shorts, they were in a change kit of all blue today, whilst Thame were in their usual red and black shirts.

Matchday Report

Hadley kicked off towards the ring road end and into a strong wind which was building in strength, and already the linesman’s flag was making a hell of a racket every time he ran into the direction of the wind !

The early stages were scrappy with play twice held up for injuries to Thame players. Dan West needed to have a bandage applied around his chin when he returned to the pitch after being fouled, whilst keeper Matt Crowther needed treatment to his leg after making a clearance but was okay to continue.

Both sides were struggling to get to grips with the conditions and controlling the ball as the wind became increasingly stronger. Thame started looking to play long balls with the wind in their favour.

The first piece of action arrived in the 11^th minute. A Thame long throw deflected off a defender’s head for a corner. Jack Tutton’s in-swinging delivery caught the wind and crashed against the crossbar. The rebound hit West and was hoofed clear. Thame recycled possession and a cross to the far post was well headed off for another corner by Kandolo. This time the corner was headed away at the near post.

Asamoah gathered the loose ball and went off on a run from deep inside his own half towards the Thame area and went down under a challenge from Brayden Daniel. From my seat a long way away, it looked like a penalty, but the referee awarded a free-kick just outside the 18-yard line, and showed a yellow card to Daniel.

Ferguson took the free-kick, which Crowther needed to tip over the bar. The corner was fizzed across the 6-yard line and Kandolo leapt the highest, but his mis-directed header went well wide.

In the 17^th minute, a Thame long throw was headed away as far as Daniel, who went to ground when challenged, but the referee was unimpressed. Play moved down the other end where Curtis Brown bundled over Asamoah near the corner flag, but a goal-kick was the decision.

Three minutes later Thame full-back Brown attempted to clear a bouncing ball but only succeeded with making contact with Asamoah, who crashed to the floor in agony. The Hadley players, bench and supporters were furious, as three decisions within a few minutes had gone again them. They were clearly highly strung. Asamoah was in the wars, a case of the age of blows. In response, the four young Thame supporters behind the goal started singing, presumably it was their Chant No 1.

The first passage of passing football arose when Jack Tutton, Harry Alexander and Louis Walsh combined, but the pass intended to release Daniel was over hit.

In the 24^th minute a long ball from Brown down the right-hand channel released Walsh, who ran into the Hadley area, but his shot from a narrow was saved by the keeper’s legs for a corner to Thame. Alexander sent the corner to beyond the far post but the unmarked West could not get his header on target.

Asamoah’s bruising continued as Thame centre-back Luke Tingay brought him down near the half-way line. The free-kick was over-hit but Ferguson was able to keep the ball in play but his low cross was put out for a corner by Thame captain Mark Riddick.

With 29 minutes played Asamoah was fouled again, this time by Riddick near the half-way line and with most of the Hadley players appealing for the foul, the referee played an advantage, but Ferguson’s ball into the Thame area was gathered at the second attempt by Crowther. When the ball eventually went out of play, a yellow card was subsequently shown to Riddick for the foul.

A few minutes later Ethan Lack’s attempt to run onto a flick from Walsh was halted by what looked to be a cynical obstruction by Kandolo, but the referee allowed play to continue.

Thame were slowly building some pressure on Hadley, but Lack’s chip over the visitors’ back four was well anticipated by keeper Taylor before Alexander could get on the end of it, and he dived on the ball at the second attempt.

The musclebound Hadley forward Jordan Edwards committed a bad foul on Tingay, long after the ball had been cleared by the Thame defender, but it was so late the referee and linesman didn’t see it as the ball was by now in the other half.

Five minutes before the scheduled break, Alexander played a ball over the top for Walsh to run on to but the Thame centre-forward was brought down by Kandolo, who was shown his side’s first yellow card. Tutton’s 20 yard free-kick sailed a couple of feet over the bar.

A minute later a Thame cross deflected off a Hadley defender and Taylor reacted and kept the bouncing ball in play. The Thame players appealed for a corner, but they were ignored by the referee. The keeper’s clearance was headed back by Tingay on the halfway line and Taylor was forced to come out of his area and clear at the expense of a throw-in. The communication from the Hadley shot-stopper to his team-mates was “set-up ******* quicker” !

Thame won a corner in the 44^th minute, but the kick from Alexander sailed in the wind and flew just over the far post.

The rain was now falling much heavier and 10 added minutes were to be played due to all the injuries in the first half. Thame continued to press and Brown played a ball behind Ismail to put Alexander in space, but the cut-back from the byline was intercepted by Ogebor. A few minutes later, Alexander’s attempted chip into the area skidded off the turf and away from the advancing Lack through to Taylor.

It was still scoreless at the interval. There had been some wind-assisted near misses but very little quality football as both sides were rarely able to string three passes together in the difficult conditions. The home supporters would be hoping that playing against the elements might force Thame to keep the ball on the floor.

The weather got dramatically worse during the break, with the gale force wind now blowing down the length of the pitch. The conditions were now horrible but thankfully the players were in the dressing rooms !

Hadley made a good start to the second period. Asamoah made a break down the left-wing and progressed into the Thame area, but his shot from a tight angle was blocked by Crowther. The loose ball ran to the advancing Alfano, but his shot hit a Thame defender and went off for a corner. It was their best chance of the match so far. Hayford’s delivery went to the far post where Ogebor could only steer the ball a few feet wide.

Thame’s passes were not going very far in the gale but following a series of throw-ins they managed to work their way downfield, and Tutton won a corner off Kandolo, which came to nothing.

The weather nearly created a problem for Thame when Crowther attempted to control Tingey’s strongly hit back-pass and the ball flew in the wind of his foot for a corner. Hayford again sent his corner towards the back post but the contact from Edwards was poor, and Thame were able to clear.

Shortly after Thame were guilty of poor communication when Hall could have left a forward ball for a goal-kick, but with no message from his fellow defenders, he headed off for a corner.  Hayford again took the set-piece, and this time it caught the wind and sailed high over the crossbar.

In the 54^th minute Tutton played an incisive ball inside Kandolo for Daniel to run into space. Thame worked the ball across the Hadley 18-yard line and set-up Brown, but his 20-yard shot went straight at Taylor, who made a decent catch.

Thame’s defence were looking increasingly comfortable dealing with the wind, and West was able to leave a Hadley free-kick, allowing it to harmlessly bounce off for a goal-kick.

Tutton then played a classy through pass to release Walsh to run on goal. The centre-forward’s side-footed shot was pushed away by Taylor diving to this left, but Alexander was following up to finish into the empty net. It was 1-0 with 60 minutes played.

Almost immediately, Walsh was again put clear but the flag was raised for off-side, much to the displeasure of the Thame bench, one of whom was show a yellow card for what was said.

Despite playing against the elements, Thame were now winning all the loose balls and were on top. Walsh showed good control to move away from his marker, but with options to both his left and right, his pass to the left was cut-out. Tutton then shot from 20 yards but straight at the Hadley keeper.

With 65 minutes on the clock, Alexander ran from half-way down the right wing and cut inside into the Hadley area but went down far too easily when challenged and the referee allowed play to continue.

The Tutton-Walsh combination was becoming increasingly influential and Walsh this time won a corner after being put clear down the left-hand channel.

Shortly after, Hadley carelessly gave away possession just inside their half and Tutton collected and ran towards the Bricks area before putting Alexander clear, but with only the keeper to beat, the Thame young forward could only shoot against the legs of Taylor as the keeper advanced from his line. It was a great chance to double Thame’s lead.

The first substitution was made in the 68^th minute as Hadley sought a reformation as Bobby Bircham replaced Ferguson, and it nearly had an instant impact when Crowther hesitated in collecting a long ball into his area, allowing Edwards to take possession, but the attempted pass across the Thame area was poor and was cleared.

Hadley were made to pay for failing to capitalise on the half-chance when Tutton played another lovely pass to put Walsh clear, and this time the Thame forward coolly finished past Taylor on his left-hand side and into the corner of the net. 2-0 with 75 minutes on the clock.

The storm was by now easing off a little as Brown intercepted a Hadley cross-field pass with his head and then ran from his own half but his attempted pass to put Daniel clear saw the off-side flag raised to halt the move.

Bircham had a go from long range, but the Hadley substitute’s effort bounced through to Crowther, who held well in the difficult conditions.

With 10 minutes remaining, Thame full-back Hall was under pressure as the ball bounced away from him with the wind towards the corner flag, but Hadley substitute Ikechukwu committed a stupid, unnecessary foul to relieve the pressure.

Thame were looking the side most likely to score the next goal. Hall, Daniel and Lack exchanged passes to force a corner of Kandolo, from which Tingey’s header looked to be goal-bound until it hit a defender and deflected wide. Substitute Greg Hackett was found in space by Walsh but his low ball into the 6-yard box was cleared before Riddick could apply a finishing touch.

Hadley were still searching for a lifeline, but Edwards was crowded out at the far post from a corner.  Thame went down the other end and after Daniel made a strong run his low cross reached Alexander, who shot narrowly wide from around 12 yards.

Hackett then teed up substitute Abu Khan but the threatening low cross was cleared, after which Hackett played in Alexander, who was tackled by Harry Gallagher when trying to walk the ball into the net.

The final action saw Gallagher’s 35-yard thunderbolt with the wind go inches wide of the top corner with the Thame keeper an interested spectator.

To cut a long story short, Thame were ultimately deserved winners. After a difficult first half, they adapted much better to the conditions in the second half and could have scored more than two goals playing into the gale. However, both sides deserve credit for their performances in atrocious conditions.

With the victory, Thame moved up into 4^th place in the table, Hadley remained in 11^th.

Thame United : Crowther – Brown ( Khan ), Tingey, West, Hall – Lack, Tutton ( Hackett ), Riddick, Daniel – Alexander, Walsh ( Williams )

Hadley :  Taylor – Kandolo, Gallagher, Ogebor, Ismail ( Shiham ) – Hayford ( Young ), Ferguson ( Bircham ), Alfano – Asamoah ( Lodovica ), Stones ( Ikechukwu ), Edwards

 

 

Chinnor 48-36 Caldy ( att : 1,723 ) - 2025/26 English Champ

March 21, 2026

Champ rugby resumed today after a two-week break, but Kingsey Road had continued to host competitive rugby as last weekend England Under 18s played France Under 18s, and a ground record crowd of 3,000 witnessed a comprehensive 63-33 victory for Les Bleuets.

Since these diaries had reported on Chinnor’s 19-36 home loss under lights to a resurgent Doncaster Knights, they had played one more game, losing 21-24 at London Scottish after being 0-24 behind in the first half. They appeared to be a side in need of break, so the Chinnor faithful would be hoping their side were refreshed for today’s fixture.

The defeat against London Scottish saw Chinnor drop to 8^th, whilst today’s opponents from the Wirral, Caldy, were in 10^th.

 

Previous Meetings

Matches between Chinnor and Caldy have historically been close encounters. The first meetings between these two sides came in 2018/19 in National League One with Caldy snatching a 27-24 win at Chinnor early in the season, whilst Chinnor gained revenge at Paton Field with a 20-17 victory.

The two teams next faced each other in 2021/22 when Caldy kicked a last-minute penalty to grab a 27-27 home draw, then these diaries covered the return fixture in February 2022 when Caldy produced a masterclass on how to play into a gale force wind and generally strangled the life out of Chinnor with up-the-jumper rugby on their way to a 23-12 victory on their way to winning promotion to the Championship.    

Chinnor’s promotion to the Championship saw rivalries resumed last season, and in what was Chinnor’s first ever home game in the second tier, these diaries reported on a 31-17 home win. Caldy had been pressing for an equalizing score, but Chinnor broke to score with the last move of the game to give the scoreline a rather flattering look. In the return meeting, a converted try five minutes from the end gave Chinnor a 24-23 win.

The good relationship between the two clubs saw a pre-season friendly on the Wirral as a warm-up for this season. Reports on this game were scant, apart from that Chinnor had won a bruising encounter 17-14, and both sides had a few players missing the first game of the season through injury ! Fatbear suspects a return friendly next season may not be on both coaching teams’ minds !

Chinnor maintained their unbeaten record at Paton Field with a 38-26 victory in November, where Chinnor kicked a penalty 15 minutes from the end to deprive Caldy of a losing bonus point.

Caldy This Season

Caldy came to Kingsey Road today with an 8-0-11 record and were 3-0-6 away from home.

At the start of the season, several tipsters on the Rolling Maul forum had Caldy to be one of the sides to either be directly relegated or in the relegation play-offs, but The Ravers confounded these predictions by winning their first four matches, beating London Scottish 26-10, Richmond 27-21 and Cambridge 41-24, all at home, and winning 31-24 at Nottingham.

A run of seven consecutive defeats following, but nearly all of them were close, apart from of course Ealing Trailfinders away, and Caldy led Worcester as the game entered the final minute, but the Warriors scored a try with the last play of the game to break Caldy hearts.

The rot was halted with a 34-29 home victory over Ampthill, then a 28-27 win at Doncaster Knights. Caldy lost on the road at Richmond, 12-31, but bounced back to record doubles over Nottingham ( 21-19 ) and Cambridge ( 26-24 ).

Caldy ended the second tranche of fixtures with three losses, 21-41 at home to Cornish Pirates, 33-50 at Worcester Warriors and 19-23 at home to Bedford Blues.

Caldy had a reputation for a highly effective rolling maul, and had the highest percentage of scrums won in the Champ this season, so Chinnor’s pack would need to be on their mettle today.

Caldy’s average home attendance so far this season was 1,493, with 1,945 seeing the Christmas victory over Ampthill. Last season their average was 1,302.

Caldy Squad

Ex-Sale, Leicester and Newcastle fly-half Kieran Wilkinson was the leading points scorer on 106, whilst hooker Oliver Hearn had scored 13 tries, followed by ex-Ampthill and Sedgley Park hooker Matt Gallagher on 10, and full-back Charlie Hyde on 8 tries.

Key players for Caldy included number 8 JJ Dickinson, who had made over 200 appearances for The Ravers, lock Max Loboda was a Polish international, prop Nathan Ruston and centre Connor Wilkinson had played for The Barbarians, and monster prop Joe Sproston played from Ampthill at Chinnor back in 2013/14.

Scrum-half Oliver Wynn had previously played for Worcester, Hartpury and Chester, whilst flanker Dan Owen was Welsh and had previously played for RGC, as had fellow Welshman wing Rhys Tudor.

Matchday Information

According to AA Route Planner, the journey from Caldy to Thame is 190 miles and should normally takes about three hours fifteen minutes.

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 were in attendance today and with the members’ discount a pint of XT4 was £5.18.

The weather at the 15.00 kick-off was sunny and the temperature was 14 degrees. The infamous Chinnor breeze was virtually absent so it was a pleasant afternoon !

Caldy announced three changes to their starting XV that lost narrowly to Bedford Blues three weeks ago, all in the pack. Prop Monty Weatherby and hooker Hearns swopped with Nathan Ruston and Matt Gallagher, and 19-year old Dylan Hodkinson replaced fellow Welshman Dan Owen, who together with Jordan Jones “were involved in lambing and other seasonal farming duties and accordingly are not available for the Ravers this weekend”, according to Caldy website !

Chinnor made three changes to their side that lost at London Scottish in their last game with the return of centre Tom Watson in place of the injured Morgan Passman, hooker Chris Moore again exchanged places with Alun Walker, and with Grant Hughes missing, Richie Simpson was in at fly-half for a Chinnor debut with Nick Smith moving to full-back. Simpson was on loan from Ealing Trailfinders and had been a Scottish Under 20 international.

Caldy were in a change kit of gold shirts with a black band on the front with their sponsor’s name, with black shorts and socks. Chinnor were in their usual black and white hoops with black shorts and socks.

Match Report

Caldy kicked off towards the ring road end, and after both sides traded kicks, Caldy probed for a breakthrough around the halfway line without success. Chinnor won turnover ball at a ruck and spread the ball wide for Watson to make a break into the Caldy 22, and his pass gave Brodie Robinson the opportunity to scorch past Caldy full-back Hyde to the corner, and then around to under the posts. Simpson added the simple extras to give Chinnor a 7-0 lead after two minutes.

Chinnor scrum-half Luke Carter kicked the restart back into the Caldy half, where Hyde dropped the high kick. Chinnor fly-half Simpson kicked across the field, but winger Kieran Goss was unable to hold on to the kick, so Caldy had a scrum just inside the Chinnor half.

Shortly after, Caldy won a line-out on the Chinnor 22, but their rolling maul didn’t get very far, forcing fly-half Wilkinson to kick to the corner, but Chinnor full-back Smith was covering and touched down for a goal-line dropout.

Caldy scrum-half Wynn took a quick tap after Caldy were awarded a penalty near the half-way line and made his way into the Chinnor 22, and the visitors won a penalty in front of the posts, which was kicked to 10 metres from the Chinnor line rather than taking the points.

The line-out tap was messy but Caldy gathered possession. Several drives were repulsed, which resulted in Wilkinson embarking on a mazy run into a wall of defenders. However, Caldy had been playing with a penalty advantage, which they kicked to 5 metres. Lineout ball was secured and although the rolling maul appeared to be going sideways, Hearns was able to dive over the line for Caldy’s opening score. The conversion appeared to be relatively straightforward, but Wilkinson’s kick went wide of the nearest upright. It was now 7-5 after 12 minutes.

Caldy dropped the restart and although Chinnor gathered the ball, the visitors defence was initially good, until Simpson scythed the heart of the Caldy defence to run deep into the Caldy 22. With a 2 on 1, Simpson opted to try and run past the defender but was tackled, and his offload failed to find his supporting teammate. Caldy fly-hacked the loose ball into the Chinnor half, and Hyde won the foot race to pick up the ball and run to the corner for a dramatic turnaround score. The tough touchline conversion slid wide so the score was now 7-10 with 14 minutes played.

Caldy kicked the restart back into the Chinnor halfway but conceded a penalty for a high tackle on Goss, which was kicked into the Caldy 22. Lock Jamie Campbell won the lineout for the home side, who made several drives for the tryline. Caldy’s Wynn cynically went offside to tackle Carter at a ruck, but the only sanction from the referee was a penalty, which took Chinnor to 5 metres.

Campbell again won the lineout and the Chinnor rolling maul rumbled over the line. Flanker Will Cave was credited with the score, but Simpson’s conversion drifted wide. 12-10 after 19 minutes.

However, Chinnor’s joy was short-lived as almost immediately from the restart a lightning Caldy attack led by Wynn saw Hearn run over for his second try of the day. The touchline conversion from Wilkinson this time was successful, giving Caldy a 17-12 lead with 21 minutes on the clock.

After a Chinnor knock-on, Caldy had a scrum just outside their 22 and Wilkinson sent a bouncing kick into touch midway inside the Chinnor half. Although Campbell won the Chinnor line-out, Caldy wing Will Robinson caught the resulting high kick and Chinnor infringed, and Caldy were able to take play back to the Chinnor 22.

Caldy won their lineout and went wide, where Hyde was tackled, but the referee had seen a Chinnor infringement and Caldy kicked the penalty to 5 metres. The powerful Caldy rolling maul was unstoppable and Hearn collected his hat-trick of tries, and Caldy already had the try bonus point. The conversion was missed, so the score became 12-22 after 31 minutes.

A bit of kick-tennis ensued from the restart until Chinnor won a penalty on their 10-metre line. A quick tap was taken and Caldy were pinged, presumably for not retreating 10 metres, which took Chinnor to just outside the Caldy 22.

Chinnor won their lineout and Carter set off on a darting run only to be tripped by an outstretched leg. Play continued, and after a few drives for the line were halted, number 8 Izzy Wharton picked up and barged over the whitewash. Simpson was successful from the tee, bringing the score to 19-22 with 35 minutes played.

Chinnor kicked the restart back into the Caldy half, where Hyde dropped into touch. Conor Brockschmidt claimed the Chinnor throw, which the referee deemed to be not straight. Caldy ran the ball from the scrum, but a dangerous looking attack was halted with the referee spotting some crossing, but after Chinnor kicked back to the Caldy 22, Brockschmidt’s lineout claim was again ruled not straight, although this time it looked pretty fair to Fatbear !

The Caldy scrum looked to be under pressure, but Wilkinson was able to clear but failed to find touch. Chinnor attacked but dropped the ball in a tackle after progressing into the Caldy 22.

Caldy were able to kick to touch from their scrum, but Chinnor won their own lineout and Robinson made an impressive run down the touchline back into the Caldy 22 and was illegally stopped.

Chinnor kicked the penalty to 5 metres, and after Campbell again ruled supreme on the Chinnor throw, the rolling maul rumbled over with hooker Moore getting the credit this time. Simpson’s kick hit the upright and went over for a successful conversion. The referee blew for half-time, with Chinnor now leading 26-22 at the end of an enthralling opening 40 minutes.

Caldy cleared the second half restart for a lineout on the halfway line, and Chinnor attacked after winning their lineout. Simpson sent a grubber kick towards the corner but Robinson was covering back, and passed to Hyde, who was able to kick for touch.

Campbell won the Chinnor lineout, but the rolling maul was illegally taken down. Chinnor failed to take advantage after several phases so it was back for the original penalty, which was kicked to 5 metres. Campbell again won the throw and with a few of the backs joining in, the rolling maul made its way over the tryline, and Cave was identified as the try scorer. Simpson’s attempted conversion narrowly missed so Chinnor led 31-22 after 45 minutes.

Chinnor cleared the restart for a lineout on their 10-metre line, and when the Caldy throw went long, Cave attempted to catch, and as the ball fell from his grasp he kicked it forward before it could bounce, but the referee decided it was a knock-on !

Caldy kicked from their scrum and Smith made the catch to clear back to halfway. Caldy’s number 26 won their lineout and when Caldy tried to run, they were pushed into touch.

Chinnor’s lineout was messy but they were able to gather and make yards into the Caldy 22 but coughed up possession. The clearing kick from Wilkinson bounced unkindly for Simpson and Smith, and Robinson was able to pounce and run to within a few metres of the Chinnor line before being tackled. Caldy looked certain to score, and although a few drives were defended, flanker Callum Ridgway picked up a loose ball and dived over under the posts. Wilkinson added the extras so Caldy were back in contention at 31-29 with 51 minutes on the clock.

Caldy’s attempt to clear the restart was charged down, but before Chinnor could take advantage, the referee blew his whistle for a penalty to Caldy, presumably for offside, and Caldy took play up to the half-way line.

After Caldy’s number 26 won their lineout, the two sides exchanged kicks and Hyde made a catch but couldn’t stop running into touch. Brockschmidt won the lineout for Chinnor but Chinnor again lost possession after making yards into the Caldy 22.

Caldy kicked long and Carter opted to try and kick on the half volley, but on succeeded in slicing the ball across the field. Caldy looked dangerous as they gathered the loose ball, but a dropped pass enabled Chinnor to fly-hack in the Caldy 22, but the covering Caldy defender side-footed the ball into touch 10 metres from his line.

Campbell won the lineout for Chinnor and their rolling maul heading for the line was stopped at the expense of a penalty. Campbell won the 5-metre lineout but the rolling maul was again illegally stopped. Several Chinnor drives were halted until replacement scrum-half Callum Pascoe spotted a gap in the Caldy defence and dived over the line. Simpson’s easy conversion took the score to 38-29 with 58 minutes played.

Caldy appeared to have an advantage in their favour as they ran at the Chinnor defence but when they failed to release, the penalty was awarded to Chinnor, who cleared to midway inside the Caldy half. Scott Hall won the lineout for Chinnor, who moved the ball from left to right, then back again, before a pass was thrown into touch.

Caldy’s number 26 again won their lineout, and the visitors won a penalty to take play up to the halfway line. The throw went long and a Caldy prop dropped the ball. Chinnor gathered and Simpson sent a bouncing kick towards the Caldy corner ,but Robinson was again covering and cleared to touch.

Chinnor ran the ball after winning the lineout, but another knock-on gave a scrum to Caldy. At this point Chinnor fly-half Simpson left the field and was replaced by back-row forward Karl Main, resulting in flanker Cave moving to inside centre.

Chinnor won a penalty at the scrum and kicked to 5 metres. The rolling maul was held up, but a delightful delayed pass from Pascoe, enabled Cave to run on to the pass and crash over under the posts for his hat-trick. Smith knocked the ball over from the tee, so Chinnor now led 45-29 after 71 minutes.

It was Caldy’s turn to have a lineout adjudged to be not straight but after Chinnor kicked deep into the Caldy 22, Wilkinson called for the mark, took a quick tap, and set off on a length of the field move. The ball went through several pair of hands and although there was eventually a knock-on, Caldy had been playing with a penalty advantage, which they kicked to 5 metres. Chinnor’s Nick Smith was shown a yellow card for his part in stopping the Caldy attack.

Although Caldy’s rolling maul was held up, Wilkinson looked up and saw Hyde in acres of free space out wide, and his pin-perfect kicked enabled the Caldy full-back to take the catch and saunter over the line. Replacement Lewis Barker added the extras to bring the score to 45-36 with 72 minutes played.

Caldy’s hopes of another score to earn a losing bonus point took a set-back when Chinnor’s restart was allowed to bounce into touch in the mistaken belief it was going straight into touch. Caldy won their lineout, and Wilkinson chipped over the advancing Chinnor backline, but the referee awarded a penalty to Chinnor, presumably for offside. The penalty was in front of the posts, and Chinnor opted to take the points. With Smith in the sin-bin, James Bourton assumed kicking duties, and sent the ball through the uprights. Chinnor extended their lead to 48-36 with 74 minutes on the clock.

The final few minutes were hectic as both sides threw the ball around in Harlem Globetrotter fashion. A Chinnor move saw the ball move wide but Sam Hanks was unable to hold on to a potential try scoring pass close to the touchline.

Chinnor were awarded a penalty at the resultant scrum but rather than add three more points, a quick tap saw the Chinnor forwards attempt to breach the Caldy defence, but the visitors won turnover ball, but they were tackled into touch as they tried to attack.

The final move of the match saw Caldy’s Hyde make a great break and released Robinson to run down the touchline, but again the Chinnor defence was good, and the Caldy winger was tackled in to touch. The referee then blew the final whistle to bring an end to a fabulously entertaining game.

With their 5 point victory, Chinnor moved up to 6^th and back into a place of position. Caldy remained in 10^th.

Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr7BdiuEmpg