Chinnor 80-10 Bishop’s Stortford ( att : 1,089 ) – 2023/24 National League One

March 16, 2024

National League One took a one week break after Round 20, with Chinnor and Rams level at the top of the table. Last week Round 21 produced another twist as Chinnor ground out a notable 26-5 victory in dreadful weather at Plymouth Albion, a side who with some impressive scrummaging being the decisive factor had inflicted Chinnor’s only home loss of the season, but this time it was the Chinnor pack who dominated, despite at one point being down to 13 players.

However, Rams succumbed to a surprise 19-36 home defeat to lowly Sale, who seem to be a bit of a bogey side for the Reading based side, as Sale have completed the double over Rams this season. Consequently, Chinnor started today with a 5 point lead over their local rivals, with just 5 games remaining, but as both sides still had tough fixtures still to come, nothing could be taken for granted.  

 

Bishop’s Stortford

Today’s visitors to Kingsey Road were Bishop’s Stortford. The sides are long-standing rivals, both from their days in National Two South, and after promotions to National League One. Stortford had a pretty decent record over Chinnor with four wins from eight matches in Thame, and had won 6 out of 8 in Hertfordshire. Chinnor’s home wins had all been by 4 or less point margins, and the 1,580 who turned up for the 27-25 victory in April 2017 in a National Two South promotion battle was Chinnor’s highest ever home attendance until the floodlight epic with Rams in December was watched by a crowd of 2,437.

When the two sides met in November, Chinnor finished 26-7 winners at Silver Leys, only pulling away with two converted tries inside the final 10 minutes to give the score line a more flattering look. After 6 consecutive losses at Bishop’s Stortford, Chinnor had now won two on the trot there.

These diaries covered this fixture last season, when Chinnor held on in a tense finale to secure a 33-29 victory. Current Scotland International prop Eliot Millar-Mills turned out for Chinnor that day !

Stortford started today in eleventh place with seven wins from 21 matches but 13 bonus points meant they were one point ahead of Leicester Lions and two ahead of Cinderford, both of whom Stortford still had to play in their last 5 games. Last time out Stortford achieved a much needed 45-26 success at bottom of the table Taunton to move out of the relegation zone.

Unusually, Bishop’s Stortford had a better record away from home. Prior to beating Taunton they had upset Sedgley Park ( 22-14 ), and also returned home with maximum points from Leicester Lions ( 36-29 ) and Blackheath ( 31-27 ). Their three home wins had been over Birmingham Moseley, Taunton and Darlington Mowden Park.

Wing Chris Smith was Stortford’s top try scorer with 13, followed by hooker Alexander Rayment with 7

Stortford had established a reputation for their creative and expansive play, with a talented back line and a mobile back row, so an entertaining contest was expected today.

Matchday Information

On a dry day the temperature was around 12 degrees but it felt colder than that with a moderate Chinnor breeze in attendance.

Stortford were in their usual blue shirts with a broad white hoop, with white shorts. Chinnor as per normal were in black and white.

Both the Stortford and Chinnor squads contained 6 players who played in the corresponding fixture last season.

Match Report

Chinnor kicked off towards the Showground end with the breeze at their backs, and took barely a minute to open the scoring. After Stortford kicked the ball back into the Chinnor half, full-back Will Feeney made a great break through the centre of the visitors’ defence, and flanker Max Clementson in support made a smart catch from the inside pass to score. Surprisingly, the relatively straightforward conversion from Worboys was missed, but it was 5-0 after 2 minutes.

Chinnor continued to press but Stortford were able to clear to their 10 metre line. Chinnor knocked on at their line-out but a good shove at the Stortford scrum put-in won a penalty, which Chinnor kicked to 5 metres. However, the home side were guilty of crossing and Stortford were able to clear their lines.

The visitors won their line-out and had a penalty advantage which ended when Feeney intercepted a loose pass, but the referee took play back to the penalty for Stortford, which they kicked to the 10 metre line.

After securing possession, Stortford fly-half Tom Walker chipped ahead, but Chinnor wing Jason Worrall was alert to it and made the catch, but was pinged for not releasing. Interestingly for a side known for their attacking play, Stortford opted to go for the posts, and Walker was successful from around 25 metres. 5-3 after 11 minutes.

The visitors’ joy at getting on the scoreboard was very short-lived though as Chinnor regained possession from the restart, and after Ryan and Goss had both made yards, Clementson again showed good hands to cling onto a pass from Worboys and go over under the posts. Worboys added the extras to take the score to 12-3 after 12 minutes.

At the restart, Chinnor had a penalty advantage after a high tackle on Ryan, but centre Hughes made a good break through the middle, found Feeney, who released Goss to go over in the corner. The conversion from Worboys from out wide was just wide, so it was now 17-3 after 15 minutes.

Stortford then won a penalty close to the half-way line but were only able to kick to the Chinnor 10 metre line. Although line-out ball was secured, the visitors couldn’t make any inroads on the Chinnor defence and conceded a penalty, which took Chinnor back inside the Stortford 22.

Chinnor won their line-out and Hughes made another break in mid-field and fed Feeney, who in turned put hooker Alun Walker clear, who ignored the two man overlap to crash over the try-line for the bonus point. The conversion was again good, as the score moved to 24-3 with 21 minutes played.

It was now all Chinnor, and Feeney sent a tremendous 50/20 kick towards the corner but Stortford won a penalty at the subsequent line-out. Chinnor’s forwards then showed good hands to get within 5 metres of the whitewash, but the defence was good and Stortford were able to clear to their 10 metre line.

Chinnor won their line-out and Hughes again broke through the Stortford defensive line, and after Chinnor reworked the ball, some sleight of hand from Carter enabled flanker Wharton to run clear and dive under the posts. The simple conversion from Worboys now made it 31-3 with 31 minutes played.

Stortford’s restart went straight-out of play for a Chinnor scrum on half-way. From the set-piece, substitute centre Morgan Passman made a great break and from his pass scrum-half Carter looked likely to score, but was held up by two desperate tacklers to give Stortford a drop-out from behind their own line.

The visitors won turnover ball from their drop-kick but after kicking deep into Chinnor territory, the response was a superb kick which bounced just in play for a Stortford line-out 25 metres from their line. The Stortford line-out wasn’t straight, but their pack won a scrum penalty and play was taken deep into the Chinnor half. Unfortunately for the visitors, their throw went too long and Chinnor gathered and Chinnor were soon camped again inside the Stortford 22.

Lock Curry was stopped short of the try-line but prop Hardwick was on hand to barge over for another try for the home side which was converted. 38-3 after 39 minutes.

Bishop’s Stortford responded by kicking into the Chinnor 22, but the home side won the line-out and were back on the attack. Another penalty was won for a high tackle, and kicked to close to 5 metres from the Stortford try-line, from which the Chinnor pack rumbled over and Walker was credited with his second try. An excellent touch-line conversion from Worboys ended the half with the score 45-3.

Trailing by a huge margin, Stortford initially started the second half brightly as wing Chris Smith made a penetrative run down the wing, but after good Chinnor defence, the visitors attempted to move across the field but made no impression and ultimately conceded a penalty for holding on, which Chinnor kicked to the Stortford 10 metre line.

From the line-out Feeney made an incisive break and his pass enabled Stokes to go over under the posts. With the conversion it became 52-3 after 43 minutes

It was now exhibition stuff from Chinnor as hooker Walker chipped to Goss on the wing after a break from Worboys had been halted. When play was reworked Feeney and Curry made ground to release Worrall close to the opposite touch-line but good defensive forced a knock-on and a scrum to the visitors. Despite intense pressure at the scrum, Stortford manage to clear to their 10 metre line.

Chinnor won their line-out though and after Passman’s crash-ball was stopped, Carter was able to find number 8 Willie Ryan to score from 10 metres. Worboys was again successful from the tee as Chinnor extended their lead to 59-3 after 49 minutes.

Stortford continued to try and run when they had the ball, but again were unable to get past the resolute Chinnor defence. After Chinnor forced a turnover, Worboys made a break and looked to have set-up Carter to run to the line. However, as some covering defenders appeared, Carter attempted a long pass to Worrall, but the execution was poor, enabling Smith to gather and kick up to half-way.

Chinnor won their line-out and after Hughes again sliced through the centre of the Stortford defensive line, Feeney still looked to have a lot of work to do, but he glided through another gap to score and give Worboys another simple conversion. 66-3 with 59 minutes played.

Matters didn’t get any better for the visitors as Passman made a strong run after a Chinnor scrum and despite a Stortford defending clinging onto him, he was able to go over under the posts, and Worboys again added the extras, 73-3 after 64 minutes.

After a Chinnor line-out was not straight, Stortford opted to take a line-out rather than a scrum for the restart. They then won a penalty in midfield and took play into the Chinnor half.

Chinnor regained possession and a flowing moving involving Feeney and Goss ended with a kick ahead, but the visitors gathered and kicked high and long where Carter was stationed to receive the returned kick. However, the Chinnor scrum-half was engulfed by Stortford players and conceded a penalty, which enabled the visitors to take play to inside the Chinnor 22.

A nice move saw Hankin release Smith and the Stortford wing was illegally halted, but the penalty advantage was ended by a knock-on by hooker Rayment. Nevertheless, the penalty was sent to the 5 metre line, and after the rolling maul was brought down, Chinnor flanker Clementson was shown a yellow card.

Stortford tried again from a 5 metre line-out but this time the penalty went Chinnor’s way and they were back close to the half-way line. Chinnor won a penalty which Carter took quickly but the Stortford defence was good and won the turnover, and a long pass put Smith in space out wide. The wing cut back inside to score under the post after a run from inside his own half and with the conversion it was now 73-10 with 2 minutes remaining.

Stortford were still searching for more points but after trying to run from inside their own 22, Worboys made a tremendous tackle on his opposite number to win a penalty. With a sense of inevitability, the subsequent rolling maul from the 5 metre line-out was heading over the line when it was taken down and the referee awarded a penalty try. Behind the referee’s back a punch-up started and when order was restored, Stortford number 8 Rogers was shown a yellow card, and the referee then blew the final whistle. 80-10 at full time.

In truth, this was an excellent performance today from Chinnor in all aspects of the game, and a decent Bishop’s Stortford side were blown away with unexpected ease. 

With Rams taking maximum points with a victory at Cinderford, Chinnor remain 5 points clear at the top of the table with just 4 games left to play. As Leicester Lions beat Taunton, Stortford dropped a place to 12^th.