October 10, 2026
Today saw the visit of Richmond to Kingsey Road in the fourth round of fixtures in the Champ this season.
Since these diaries covered Chinnor’s opening day defeat at home to Ealing Trailfinders, they had played two matches away from home and registered two wins. First, they travelled to fortress Goldington Road and handed Bedford Blues an unexpected 52-33 beating, and then last weekend they held off a stirring fight-back by Caldy to emerge victorious 38-35 after holding a 38-14 lead with a little over 20 minutes remaining.
Previous Meetings
The last time these two clubs met was on the last day of last season. Richmond were already confirmed to be facing a relegation play-off against London Scottish, and with an eye firmly focused on that game they made 15 changes to their starting XV, but put-up as sterling effort until finally losing 14-29. Richmond went on to comprehensively beat London Scottish 34-11 to retain their Champ status.
Chinnor had travelled to the Richmond Athletic Ground for Richmond’s first game back in the Champ last season, and slipped to a 13-18 defeat to the newcomers.
Prior to last season, the two sides had last previously met in 2023/24, when Chinnor won both encounters on their way to winning National League One. Fatbear covered both games, with Chinnor winning 55-26 at home and 41-16 at the RAG.
However, these were the only occasions when Chinnor had tasted victory over Richmond, having lost in the four earlier meetings. In Chinnor’s first ever season at the 4th level of English rugby in 2008/09, they lost 21-35 at home and 21-23 at the Athletic Ground, then in the aborted 2019/20 season, Richmond won 26-14 at home, and in a game featured in these diaries, they were victorious 21-5 at Kingsey Road.
Richmond This Season
Richmond came into today’s game having lost all three of their opening matches but the fixture computer hadn’t been particularly kind to ‘Mond.
Richmond conceded a try in the last minute to lose 40-42 at home to Ampthill having led 40-21 with 20 minutes to play, but then performed creditably at both Ealing Trailfinders and at home to Worcester Warriors. before ultimately going down 19-35 and 26-45 respectively, running out of steam in the final 20 minutes of all three defeats.
Consequently, Richmond came into today’s game second from bottom with one point, above Bedford Blues on points difference.
Richmond Squad
Richmond lost four key players in the summer, with hooker Seb Brownhill and centre Ronnie du Randt joining Blackheath, lock George Nugent signed for Ampthill and centre Tololima Savaiinaea went to Doncaster Knights.
Replacements joining ‘Mond included lock Charlie Bell from Exeter Chiefs, centre Tom Riman from Loughborough Students, prop Austin Hay from London Scottish, flanker Fergus Dick from Oxford University and Rams, and centre Rowan Grundy from Rams.
Full-back Callum Greive was the top points scorer so far on 18 points, whilst back-row forward Xavier Hastings had scored two tries. Eleven other Richmond players had touched down once.
Matchday Information
The journey from Richmond to Thame is 46 miles and should normally take around an hour via the M4, M25 and M40.
Online tickets for the game were £20 for adults, £18 for concessions, £10 for full-time students, whilst under 16s were allowed in free. Tickets at the gate were £22 for adults. The usual food vendors for burgers, pizzas, crepes, Greek food and coffee were in place, and a pint of XT4 was £5.17 with the member’s 10% discount.
A few spots of rain were falling around 15 minutes before the start but at the 15.00 kick-off it was cloudy with patches of blue sky, with a solitary red kite on patrol in the skies above. The temperature was 14 degrees and the infamous Chinnor breeze was in attendance.
Richmond made two changes to the side that lost at home to Worcester Warriors last weekend with winger Josh Addams and prop Chris Freeman replacing Archie Brosch and Theo Bevacqua.
Chinnor made seven changes to the side that won at Caldy, with first starts of the season for centre Sam Hanks, South African back-row forward Josh Du Toit, lock Scott Hall, hooker Luke Thompson and prop Kai Owen. Luke Carter swopped with Callum Pascoe at scrum-half and Izzy Wharton replaced Harry Dugmore in the back row.
Richmond were playing in their traditional yellow, red and black hoops with black shorts whilst Chinnor were in their usual home kit of black and white.
Match Report
Richmond kicked off towards the ring road end but into the breeze. Carter cleared for a line-out on the Chinnor 10 metre line, which was won for the visitors by Bell, but after a loose pass went to ground Richmond were awarded a scrum on the Chinnor 10 metre line.
The scrum was solid and fly-half Lewis Dennett chipped ahead, but Carter was able to make the catch, and although he was tackled by the Richmond attackers, Chinnor were able to clear the danger.
Richmond had started strongly, and after another scrum near the Chinnor 10 metre line, Addams was just unable to keep Dennett’s cross-field kick in play with a clear run to the try line beckoning. Du Toit claimed the Chinnor throw and Morgan Passman made some yards but after a period of some scrappy play Chinnor were awarded a scrum near the half-way line.
The Chinnor scrum was put under pressure but the home side were able to get the ball away through Passman. Following a ruck, lock Jamie Campbell made a break and when Chinnor reworked possession, Carter made a half-break, chipped ahead and wing Ben Currie did amazingly well to gather the ball and keep control to crash over the try line. Fly-half Liam Richman added the extras from close to the posts so Chinnor led 7-0 after 9 minutes.
Two minutes after the restart, Richmond were obviously caught offside at a ruck, enabling Chinnor to take play to mid-way inside the Richmond half. Du Toit again won the lineout for Chinnor, after which Hall picked up at the base of the ruck and burst into the Richmond 22, but he failed to see Carter alongside him in support on the outside with a clear run to the line, and went infield and was tackled. Prop Robin Hardwick drove for the line but Chinnor were pinged at the next ruck 8 yards from the Richmond line.
Campbell stole the Richmond lineout and Wharton made progress through the centre of the Mond defence, then a chip towards the corner bounced into touch inside the Richmond 22. However, the referee had been playing an advantage, and Chinnor kicked the penalty to 5 metres. Campbell won the lineout for the home side but the rolling maul was penalised as it headed for the try-line.
With 17 minutes played, Richmond back-row forward Iwan Coyle picked up at the base of ruck near his 10-metre line and set off on a mazy run to within 5 metres from the Chinnor line. The desperate Chinnor defence conceded a penalty, but the tap from the visitors was held-up to give Chinnor a defensive 5 metre scrum, from which they were awarded a free-kick.
Chinnor kicked long but Greive was able to gather and run back to the half-way line before being tackled, after which Dennett kicked out on the full to give Chinnor a line-out on the half-way line. Campbell won the line-out but the attacking move was halted after a forward pass by Currie.
Richmond tried to run from their scrum on halfway, but Dennett’s flat pass was well read by Richman who intercepted and had to legs to run from the Chinnor 10 metre line to under the posts to score, although Addams and Grieve came very close to catching him. Richman added the extras to take the score to 14-0 after 25 minutes.
Richmond conceded a penalty which Chinnor kicked to midway inside the Mond half. Du Toit made the catch, and with a penalty advantage Wharton made a break but after being tackled, the referee took play back for the penalty, which the home kicked to 15 metres from the tryline. Hall secured line-out possession and after good hands involving Metcalf and James Bourton, Wharton was given a short run to score close to the posts. Richman slotted the easy conversion, giving Chinnor a 21-0 lead with 29 minutes on the clock.
Some kick tennis followed with Metcalf beating Addams in the air, before Grieve beat Currie to the returned kick, then Jack Metcalf made the next catch. Out of the blue Richmond spread the ball wide and Addams scorched down the touchline to score in the corner for a fabulous try. The tannoy announced that Greg Kitson had scored. The error was understandable as the players were wearing different numbers to those published on social media, although the two players are hardly look-alikes ! Grieve’s difficult conversion drifted wide so the score became 21-5 after 34 minutes.
Chinnor responded by pressurising the Mond defence but Owen knocked on inside the 22. However, a penalty advantage had been played, which Chinnor kicked to just outside the Richmond 22. Richmond stole the Chinnor throw and kicked into the Chinnor half, where Richman set off on a blistering run and after two passes were interchanged, Richmond were able to make a vital interception and they cleared to their 10-metre line.
Hall won the lineout for Chinnor and the rolling maul progressed 10 metres but Chinnor knocked on 10 metres from the tryline. Richmond won a free-kick at the scrum but Hall won the subsequent lineout for Chinnor. Simpson chipped ahead but with the ball about to enter the Richmond in-goal zone, Kitson attempted to kick dead but badly miscued. Fortunately for the Richmond winger Du Toit couldn’t catch the sliced high ball and touch down, and the referee blew for half-time following the knock on.
Chinnor’s restart for the second half was caught in the wind and bounced into touch for a Richmond lineout which Jake Monson won for the visitors, and after a high kick Currie did well to make a catch in the swirling wing and then evade two would be tacklers.
Chinnor started the second period brightly with Metcalfe, Simpson, Bourton and Campbell prominent in the attacking moves. After a penalty advantage came to nothing, Chinnor kicked for a lineout 15 metres from the tryline. Hall won the lineout ball, Bourton made a strong burst but when Owen drove for the line the referee blew for a penalty to the visitors, from which they were awarded a free-kick at the subsequent scrum.
Richmond kicked to touch to give Chinnor a lineout on the Richmond 10 metre line, which Campbell won, but Chinnor failed to make any impression on a stubborn Richmond defence despite multiple attacks. Richmond eventually secured possession and kicked long, where Metcalf, Simpson and Richman exchanged passes until Richmond centre Riman made an interception, but his kick ahead was too strong and went dead.
Pascoe’s kick from the resulting scrum was partially charged down, but bounced into touch for a lineout to Chinnor. After Chinnor secured their lineout ball, Pascoe kicked cross-field and Metcalf produced a spectacular volley to prevent the ball going out of the full, and with the line at his mercy, the ball bounced unkindly back over the Chinnor winger’s head, and Greive gleefully gathered and cleared to touch.
Dugmore won the lineout and Chinnor moved the ball wide for Metcalf to chip ahead, but Kitson was back covering and cleared.
After a good spell for Chinnor, Wharton knocked on near the half-way line to give Richmond the scrum. Addams made a half-break and Richmond sent a grubber kick into touch 15 metres from the Chinnor line. The tap from Dugmore was appalling, and substitute hooker Harry Hocking was alert to gather and saunter over the line virtually unopposed. Grieve’s conversion was good, taking the score to 21-12 with 56 minutes played.
The Chinnor restart went straight out of play to give Richmond a scrum on the half-way line. Addams couldn’t get on the end of Dennett’s chip ahead and Metcalf cleared back to the Richmond 22. However, Richmond returned the ball with interest and were pressing for another try but Chinnor’s defence was good. A grubber kick bounced into touch 15 metres from the Chinnor line, but this time the throw was to the failsafe Campbell and Pascoe cleared his lines.
Bell won the lineout for Richmond, and with a penalty advantage, scrum-half Matt Marsh sent the ball into orbit and Currie was taken out in the air. However, the referee went back to the first offence, and Richmond were back 15 metres from the Chinnor line. This time Monson won the lineout for Mond, and with another penalty advantage, a long-floated pass from Greive found Addams in acres of space to score out wide. The conversion by Grieve from close to the touchline was excellently struck, and it was now a two point game with the score 21-19 after 65 minutes.
Richmond smelt blood and Pascoe did well to field two high kicks into the Chinnor 22, and Chinnor gradually made their way up field and forced a penalty near the half-way line, which was kicked to 10 metres from the Richmond line. Campbell ruled the air, the Chinnor rolling maul rumbled over and substitute hooker Alun Walker was credited with the score. Richman sent a superb touchline conversion through the uprights as Chinnor extended their lead to 28-19 with 71 minutes played.
Richmond were not finished though, and somehow Chinnor lost possession from the restart. Richmond moved the ball wide and centre Paddy Case sent Addams running to score in the corner for his hat-trick. Grieve’s effort from the tee sailed narrowly wide of the uprights, making the score 28-24 after 74 minutes.
There was an air of tension amongst the Chinnor supporters with Richmond one try from taking the lead. The Chinnor pack produced a good shove at a Richmond scrum, but the visitors made to get the ball away and kicked deep to Simpson who kicked back to the Richmond 22. Play was scrappy until Richmond won a scrum on the half-way line. However, Chinnor were awarded a scrum penalty which was kicked to the Richmond 22. Campbell won the lineout and Pascoe chipped over the advancing defenders, substitute Will Cave made the catch and offloaded to Campbell to stride over from 10 yards. Richman failed from the tee for the first time in the afternoon, but Chinnor had some breathing space with the score 33-24 and 80 minutes on the clock.
Richmond pressed again looking to get within losing bonus point range but Chinnor forced a penalty, and took play to the Richmond 10 metre line. Campbell won the lineout and with a penalty advantage, Currie ran down the touchline, chipped ahead but slipped before he could gather his kick.
Chinnor kicked the penalty to 10 metres, and in a carbon copy of an earlier try, Campbell won the line-out, the rolling maul trundled over the line and Walker touched down. Another splendid conversion from Richman finished the match as the final whistle blew with the score 40-24.
Last season today’s match would have been a 5-1 result, but this season it was 4-0 and Richmond went home with nothing to show for their spirited performance.
With today’s win Chinnor moved up to third in the table, and with a win for Bedford, Richmond slipped to bottom place. It doesn’t get any easier for Richmond as they host in-form Rotherham next week-end, whilst Chinnor travel to Cornwall for face Cornish Pirates.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObHfqu8NGrw
