October 16, 2021
Round 7 of English rugby’s National League One saw
Darlington Mowden Park make the 240 mile trip to Thame to play Chinnor. DMP
were expected by many to have a good season and be at least in the top half of
the table, but they started badly, losing their first 5 matches, albeit three
of them earned them a losing bonus point. Defeats were suffered at Birmingham
Moseley ( 22-23 ), Blackheath ( 14-23 ) and Caldy ( 22-27 ), whilst their
colours were lowered at home by Taunton ( 32-38 ) and Rosslyn Park ( 17-28 ).
The rot was stopped though last weekend with a 33-22 victory at home to Bishop’s
Stortford, which took them out of the bottom three and up to 12th
place.
Chinnor followed up their win over Blackheath with a
27-27 draw at Caldy to remain fourth in the table. DMP last visited Chinnor in
December 2019, going down 27-37 in one of the earliest matches covered by these
diaries, when the visitors tried to play exciting, expansive rugby against the
home side’s stronger pack.
However, today’s match-day squads were very different
to those from that encounter, with only 3 of Chinnor’s side that day still with
the club, with DMP having only 5 of the same players involved.
In their only other visit to Chinnor, DMP had won
another high scoring encounter, winning 31-25 in February 2019. The form lines through
Moseley, Blackheath and Caldy would suggested a win for Chinnor by between 5-10
points, and history suggested it would be high scoring !
The temperature at kick-off was around 16 degrees on a
dry afternoon. DMP were in an all grey kit, and with Chinnor in black it would
have made a good spectacle for black and white TV, apart from some orange boots
and a red skull cap !
DMP started strongly and immediately won a penalty,
and rather than taking the three points on offer, kicked to the corner.
Unfortunately for them the line-out was stolen by Chinnor, who cleared their
lines. Play moved to the other end of the pitch and when Chinnor won a penalty
in front of the posts, new South African fly-half Bader Pretorius gave Chinnor
a 3-0 lead.
In the 8th minute Chinnor won a line-out
mid-way in the DMP half and centre Sam Yawayawa burst through midfield and
offloaded in the tackle for wing Ryan Crowley to scamper over under the posts.
With Pretorius adding the simple conversion, the home side led 10-0.
DMP responded well and after a series of drives near
the Chinnor line were blocked, a penalty was awarded, and this time South
African fly-half Warren Seals kicked the penalty to bring the score back to
10-3.
DMP then had a spell where they took control of the
game. Wing Ollie Walker went on a mazy run from inside his own 22 to the edge
of Chinnor’s 22, a two on one was squandered when flanker Lockwood should have
played in Walker and then finally after a drive by huge prop Crickmay, centre Garry
Law crossed under the post. With the conversion the scores were level at 10-10
after 18 minutes.
DMP were then awarded a scrum just outside their 22,
but back-chat from Chinnor turned it into a penalty, which Seals kicked deep
into the Chinnor half. After a series of attacks, Chinnor conceded another
penalty to enable Seals to give the visitors a 10-13 lead.
From the restart, Chinnor won a penalty, and from the
resulting line-out prop Tonga’uiha drove for the line but was pushed backwards.
In an effort to force the play, scrum-half Carter’s pass went to no-one and DMP
full-back Liam Checksfield picked-up the loose ball to run down the touch-line
from his 22 to the edge of Chinnor’s 22. Another penalty was given to DMP, but
this time Seals pushed his effort wide of the upright.
Chinnor looked to have the edge in the scrums, but the
penalties were being awarded to DMP.
Checksfield then blotted his copy book by carelessly
kicking out on the full, and after winning the line-out, Chinnor spread the
ball wide but winger Kieran Goss was tackled just short of the line. As Chinnor
pressed, DMP had to desperately defend, and just when it seemed a try was
certain, lock Fisher gave away such an obvious penalty to receive 10 minutes in
the sin-bin. It almost could have been a penalty try, but from the ensuing
line-out, Fred Tuilagi dived over the line. With the conversion missed the
score became 15-13.
Another scrum penalty after going backwards was given
in DMP’s favour, but the rolling maul from the line-out was stopped and Chinnor
were awarded a penalty. The kick to touch led to the half-time whistle.
The second half started with a series of plays in the
DMP half. From a scrum half-way into the DMP end, good runs by Tuilagi and Hardwick
gave hooker Cameron Terry the chance to run for the line, but when tackled he
was able to off-load to Carter to score. Pretorius again missed the conversion
so the score went to 20-13.
DMP were increasingly under pressure in the scrums but
intelligent play by Number 8 Joe Craggs to pick-up the ball quickly prevented
any penalties being awarded. A strong run by centre Frankland gained 50 yards
for DMP and won a penalty. From the line-out Law broke through the Chinnor
defence and an inside pass put substitute Euan McKirdy under the posts to level
the scores again with the conversion after 55 minutes.
Chinnor finally won two scrum penalties, but wasted the
promising positions by not throwing in straight at the line-outs. Chinnor were
having a spell of dominance but were unable to translate it into points. Another
pick-up at the base of the scrum enabled Craggs to make in-roads into the
Chinnor half but the dangerous position was thwarted by a turn-over. With DMP
having their turn to press, a loose long pass bounced for Crowley to run into
the DMP 22 but Chinnor conceded another penalty at the break-down.
With play back in the Chinnor half, yet another
penalty was conceded in front of the posts, and although a try from the
advantage was stopped by a tackle into touch, Seals slotted home the kick to
give DMP a 20-23 lead with two minutes left.
It looked like DMP would wind down the clock without
too much difficult but possession was squandered and Crowley was able to
advance into the DMP half. It was then Chinnor’s turn to be awarded a penalty
when their scrum appeared to be going backwards, and the kick to the corner
gave Chinnor a final chance to win the match with the last play of the game.
The line-out was won, but as Chinnor’s forwards drove
to the line they conceded yet another penalty to end the game.
Overall, DMP deserved to win the match as they made less errors and forced Chinnor into giving away far too many penalties. On this evidence, both sides will probably be top half of mid-table.
Highlights : https://www.chinnor-rfc.com/videos/trylights--chinnor-20-darlington-mowden-park-23-172258.html
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