December 5, 2025
It was Friday Night Lights again at Chinnor with the visit of Nottingham, who also came to Chinnor on a Friday night last season.
These diaries reported on Chinnor’s last home game, a narrow 22-20 victory over London Scottish on a Friday night which preserved Chinnor’s 100% home record.
Last weekend, Chinnor travelled to The Wirral to play Caldy, and came away with a 36-28 win, their fourth in a row, which took them up to 7th in the Champ table.
Previous Meetings.
The two sides meet for the first time ever last season. In December 2024, The Archers edged to a 19-15 win in front of a crowd of 1,025, but Chinnor gained revenge with a 41-22 victory in a match covered in these diaries, which include a potted history of Nottingham RFC.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2025/05/chinnor-41-22-nottingham-att-1600-est.html
Nottingham This Season
Nottingham started the day in 5th place with an 4-1-3 record, and they were 2-0-1 away from home. The two away successes had come against the current bottom two, beating London Scottish 26-7 and Cambridge 36-32. The loss came at Worcester Warriors, where they had led until the Warriors scored with the last play of the game to snatch a 24-22 win.
At home The Archers had beaten Doncaster Knights 26-8 and Richmond 29-27 but fell to defeats by Caldy 24-31 and Cornish Pirates 28-36. Last time out Nottingham drew 28-28 at home to Bedford Blues after having led 28-7 with just over 20 minutes remaining.
The average home league attendance this season was 1,421, up from 1,221 last year.
Nottingham Squad
Nottingham’s top points scorer to-date was ex-Swansea University and Ampthill Welsh fly-half Gwyn Parks with 56 points to his name. Number 8 James Cherry headed the try scoring list having touched down 7 times.
Nottingham had mostly a settled squad, and 13 of the players involved tonight had played in the game at Chinnor last season. Newcomers include ex-Newcastle prop Oscar Stott, ex-Loughborough Students Dutch prop Mink Scharink, Welsh lock Osian Thomas, who made some appearances on loan from Leicester Tigers but had now joined permanently, ex-Ampthill fly-half/full-back Evan Mitchell, ex-Cambridge Welsh centre Iestyn Rees, and hooker Arthur Allen had stepped up from Leicester Lions.
Lock Tom Manz and utility back Tom Threlfall were on loan at the end of last season from Leicester Tigers, and had returned on loan again this season.
Winger and captain David Williams was an ex-Leicester Tiger and has played over 160 times for The Archers and scored his 100th try for the club in November.
Back-row forward/hooker Jack Dickinson was ex-Ampthill, prop Aniseko Sio was a Samoa international ( 1 cap) and had played for Leicester Tigers, whilst New Zealand centre Kegan Christian-Goss was not to be confused with ex-Tottenham Hotspur Swiss manager Christian Gross, or Chinnor’s Kieran Goss !
Matchday Information
According to AA route planner, the journey from Nottingham to Thame is 112 miles and should normally take two hours 10 minutes.
It was raining heavily at the 19.45 kick-off, with 40mph gusts of wind and the temperature was 7 degrees. The poor weather resulted in a much lower crowd that what might have been expected.
The match was streamed live on Clubber TV for a fee of £12.99.
Adult tickets purchased online were £16 and £20 at the gate and an online programme had been produced in advance of today’s game.
Nottingham made four changes to the XV that drew with Bedford, with Dan Richardson coming in at tight-head prop, Jay Ecclesfield at lock, Threlfall at fly-half with Parks moving to centre to partner Christian-Goss. Scharink, Manz, and centres Levi Roper and Charlie Davies all missed out and were not even amongst the replacements.
Chinnor also made four changes to their side, with the return of Alun Walker at hooker, Scott Hall at number 8, Toby Cousins on the wing and Callum Pascoe at scrum-half.
Nottingham were in a change kit of light blue shirts with black shorts, whilst Chinnor were in their usual black and white hoops.
Match Report
The awful conditions meant it was never going to be a feast of running rugby, unlike the last meeting between the two sides at Kingsey Road
As an indication of the difficult wind, Nottingham kicked off and sent a grubber kick bouncing into touch inside the Chinnor 22. Chinnor stole the Nottingham line-out but in a pattern to be regularly repeated, scrum-half Pascoe kicked, albeit this time straight-out. The next Nottingham line-out was thrown too long and Chinnor flanker George Stokes dived onto the loose ball, and Chinnor were able to clear.
Despite playing against the gale, Chinnor were able to play most of the first half inside the Nottingham half, but were usually unable to keep hold of the bar of soap at the lineouts or in midfield. Their rolling mauls twice made 15 metres until the ball was spilled.
Chinnor were twice camped on the Nottingham line but on both occasion the ball was deemed to have been held up by the resolute Nottingham defence.
Chinnor continued to press but a knock-on at a line-out and then a free-kick at a scrum enabled Nottingham to kick to the Chinnor 22, where full-back Joe Brock dropped the catch to give Nottingham a scrum just outside the Chinnor 22.
After a period of scrums, line-outs and kick-tennis, Williams made 30 yards, in what turned out to be the only decent break in the entire match, and a Nottingham forward then fly-hack ahead only for the ball to go dead. However, the referee had been playing an advantage, and Parks stepped up to send the penalty from a central position 30 metres out through the uprights. 0-3 after 19 minutes
Chinnor spent most of the rest of the first half in the Nottingham half, but poor handling regularly let them down, and on one occasion Williams looked to be able to launch a devasting counter-attack only to kick the ball straight out rather than keeping ball in hand.
Chinnor’s enthusiasm twice saw then pinged for offside at rucks when it looked like the ball might have been out, but the referee thought otherwise.
Nottingham had another rare foray into the Chinnor 22 when scrum-half Will Yarnell kicked ahead and Brock slipped whilst fielding the kick and was forced to give away a penalty close to the Chinnor line. Although the kick went to 5 metres, strong defensive work by Chinnor forced Nottingham back to outside the Chinnor 22 and forced a knock-on.
After more errors and kicking from both sides, Chinnor fly-half George Worboys launched a free-kick into the heavens. Nottingham gathered the loose ball and kicked into the Chinnor half where Scott Hall made the catch and Pascoe’s kick was dropped by a Nottingham defender. Chinnor were awarded a penalty at the scrum, which they kicked deep into the Nottingham 22, but again they were unable to hold onto their lineout ball, with the ball slipping through the hands, and the referee blew to end the half.
It wasn’t a first half that would live in the memory, and despite being 0-3 behind, Chinnor would have had the wind in their favour so would have fancied their chances in turning the scoreboard around.
Shortly after the restart, Pascoe’s chip ahead bounced off the foot of Mitchell to give Chinnor a lineout 10 metres from the Nottingham line. The line-out was secured and the rolling maul went across the field and the referee awarded a penalty in front of the post. Chinnor opted to take the three points, which Worboys knocked over from the tee to make it 3-3 after 43 minutes.
Chinnor then made an unforced error which was perhaps ultimately decisive to the outcome of the match, as the restart was taken back into their 22 and then kicked straight into touch. Nottingham had a line-out inside the Chinnor 22 and won a penalty. As perhaps as an indication of how strong the wind was Nottingham opted against going for the three points and instead kicked to 5 metres. The Nottingham rolling maul was initially adjudged by the referee to have been held up but after advice from the touch judge the try was awarded. Hooker Jack Dickinson was credited with the try, but Parks’ attempted conversion was caught in the wind and sailed well wide of the far upright. It was now 3-8 with 48 minutes played.
Shortly after the restart, Pascoe was fortunate when his chip ahead stopped in the in-goal area, forcing Nottingham to drop-out from behind their line.
An attacking Nottingham kick then bounced into touch midway inside the Chinnor half, and after Chinnor knocked on at the line-out they were again pinged for offside at the ruck after thinking the ball was out. By now the 40 mph winds had lessened, and Parks opted to go for the posts from 35 metres. However, his kick was caught in the wind and struck the post below the horizontal bar and Chinnor knocked on in their effort to gather the rebound. Nottingham now had a 5-metre scrum, and after winning a scrum penalty, Parks knocked over from in front of the posts to extend Nottingham’s lead. It was now 3-11 with 54 minutes on the clock.
Chinnor’s errors continued as the restart was kicked straight off to give The Archers a scrum on half-way, after which a box-kick was knocked on by Chinnor.
Yarnell’s high kick was well claimed by Hall enabling substitute scrum-half Luke Carter to kick deep, where Nottingham gathered 5 metres from their line. The attempted clearing kick was charged down but went dead.
Chinnor back-row forward Harry Dugmore went on a strong run after catching the 22 metre drop out, after which Carter kicked into the Nottingham 22. Chinnor had a penalty advantage but after the move came to nothing, the referee incredibly gave a penalty to Nottingham !
Whilst Chinnor fumed at that decision, their humour was not improved a couple of minutes later when Keiran Goss was blatantly obstructed when trying to make a tackle as Nottingham attempt to play inside their 22. However, a few minutes later, Nottingham were pinged in front of their posts after Carter may have knocked on, and Worboys added the simple three points to reduce the deficit. It was now 6-11 after 71 minutes.
Chinnor’s bad luck continued when a long kick from Brock looked like being a super 50:20 but took an unfortunate bounced and went dead. Instead of an attacking line-out 10 metres from the Nottingham line, Chinnor now had to defend a line-out inside their 22, such are the fine margins in this game…..
Chinnor’s defence was able to force Nottingham back to the Chinnor 10 metre line but again they knocked on.
With time running out, Carter kicked long and Williams knocked on to give Chinnor a final platform to try and save the game. After several drives Chinnor won a penalty, which they kicked to 10 metres from the Nottingham line. Unfortunately for the home side, Nottingham got a hand to the line-out, gathered the loose ball, and kicked out of play to end the game.
Ultimately Nottingham’s game management in the dreadful conditions and less unforced errors in the dreadful conditions meant they deserved their narrow victory. Chinnor will regret the number of costly unforced errors which cost them several good field positions.
Nottingham's victory temporarily took them up to third in the table, and with their losing point Chinnor went to 6th.
