Category: Sports News

THAME UNITED versus Binfield – Saturday, December 15th -Match report: SCORE: Thame United 2, Binfield 2

UNITED returned to action after a three week break and showed that they had lost none of their fitness and drive, hauling themselves back from 2-0 down after 80 minutes to gain a creditable draw against a strong Binfield side.

The opening exchanges were all one-way as Thame played some neat passing football and forced a succession of corners. Unfortunately, however, they were unable to convert the possession into goals and fell a goal down in the thirteenth minute. An innocuous looking ball into the box bounced up in front of right back Sam Cowan, catching his arm as he looked to clear the ball from danger. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, with Callum Whitty beating Paul Searl to his right, despite Searl getting a hand to the ball.

Despite the set back, Thame continued to push forward with first team debutant Nick Skiller looking dangerous up front and Luke Ricketts causing the home defence problems down the Thame left. However, the best chance of the half fell to top scorer Nathan Jack who, in a run from his own half, left the home defence standing only to see his shot sail narrowly over the bar.

The opening exchanges of the second half were a more even affair with much of the play contained in the middle third of the pitch. Nevertheless, it was Binfield who extended their lead with nineteen minutes to play with a somewhat fortuitous goal from James Partridge. Partridge, standing in an off-side position when the initial cross field ball was played in to the Thame area, received the ball from a deflection off a Thame defender and placed the ball beyond Searl.

This forced manager Mark West in to a double substitution with another debutant, Richard Jewell replacing Graeme Catlin and West himself replacing Skiller. 10 minutes later Thame pulled a goal back when, following a shot that came back off the post, Jack crossed for West only for his header to be parried by the Binfield goalkeeper in to the path of the on-rushing Adam Rhodes who slammed the ball in to the roof of the net. With a minute of normal time to go, Thame were level, when skipper Dave Hocking turned and volleyed the ball beyond the keeper from 12 yards. With the Thame supporters jubilant, there was still time for Jack to send a cross along the six yard line with Luke Ricketts inches away from connecting with the goal gaping. In the end, however, Thame had to settle for a draw.

Thame United: Searl, Cowan, Watkins (Ansell), Thompson, Hocking, Catlin (R.Jewell), Rhodes, Connelly, Skiller (West), Jack, Ricketts.

THAME UNITED RESERVES exacted revenge over Chinnor Reserves with a comfortable 4-1 victory, with goals coming from Alex Jewell, William Wallace, Matthew Leach and James Bloomfield. The win moves the Reserves up to second, only two points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

On Saturday (22nd December) Thame face a trip to Bisley Sports, before a busy Christmas period in which they travel to Penn and Tylers Green on Boxing Day, with a home fixture against league leaders Chalfont Wasps on 29th December.

CHINNOR 2nds, 9 Pts vs. Blackheath Development 0 Pts
Home Game – November 24 – League Game; Match Report from Walter McGuicken.
THIS was a tough game played by two good sides, a game that Chinnor 2nds will be both pleased and proud to have won. Blackheath?s 1st team are a national 2 side and Chinnor 2nds played this game with 8 players that were new to the side this season.
Chinnor as a club is coping with many players being unable to play as a result of injuries and all teams have been affected from the 1st to the 4ths.

Chinnor started the game with one sub on the bench, and had to call on Joe Pickett who was the benching for the 3rd s to come over and play when they lost Phil Scott-Priestly to a dislocated shoulder, and Darren Oxley (having just come back from a leg injury) to a broken rib.

The defending by both sides was top draw as can be seen from the score, with no tries scored throughout the game. It took until the 30th minute for Chinnor to get the first points on the board with a penalty by Leon Westerman and then another one with the last kick before half time.
The Chinnor line out was outstanding – the best it has been this season, with them winning all their throw-ins as well as Blackheath?s.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first with both teams defending well and both forwards and backs working well together. Once again it took until the 30th minute for Chinnor to add to their score with another successful penalty by Westerman making it 9 pts to nil in Chinnor’s favour.
The last 10 minutes Blackheath put Chinnor under a lot of pressure and they were awarded penalty after penalty. Deciding not to kick for points, they kept going for tries to get them 7 points. However, Chinnor?s defence held out leaving the final score at 9 points to 0.

The teams were very fortunate to have a very good and fair referee, which made it a very enjoyable rugby match.
All Chinnor?s players had very good games but young Sam Blewitt and Sam Black were outstanding playing second row and in the line outs.

ON Saturday (24/11), Mark West saw his side record their biggest victory since September 2003, on which occassion he also led them to an 8-1 score line away, at Egham Town in that year’s FA Cup.
Having already beaten Prestwood 4-0 this season, this result was in no doubt after just five minutes, with Thame already 2-0 to the good. First on the score sheet was Nigel Swafford who met a well flighted free kick from Adam Rhodes with a powerful header on the edge of the six yard box that gave the keeper no chance.
Two minutes later Luke Ricketts was fouled inside the penalty area and Nathan Jack stepped up to comfortably beat the keeper. The one-way traffic continued, and Thame extended their lead in the 21st minute when Jack whipped in a low dangerous cross from the right, that Swafford was able to sweep beyond the keeper. It was 4-0 seven minutes later when a Jack lob was cleared off the line, only for Swafford to pick up the ball and calmly play it back to Adam Rhodes on the edge of the penalty area who side-footed the ball beyond the keeper.
Prestwood then pushed forward gaining a number of chances to get a goal back, including one shot that came back off the bar. However, with five minutes of the first half remaining, Jack made it 5-0 with a thumping 20-yard drive.

Thame came out for the second half hungry for more goals and nearly extended their lead two minutes in to the half when Ben Connelly raced on to a through ball only to see his effort come back off the bar. The lead was extended three minutes later though when Swafford completed his hat trick by turning and volleying the ball home from five yards, following good work by Jack.

Prestwood then experienced their best spell of the game and were rewarded in the 58th minute when Gray beat Searl at the far post. However, Thame went straight down the other end and made it 7-1 with Jack racing on to a through ball from Connelly to slot the ball beyond the keeper for his hat trick.
The scoring was completed in the 79th minute when Jack hit a powerful shot from the left-hand edge of the penalty box to beat the Prestwood keeper at his near post.

The result, Thame 8, Prestwood 1, moves Thame up to seventh in the league.

Thame United: Searl, Thompson, Graves (Watkins), Higgs, Ansell, Connelly, Boult

CHINNOR travelled to the Prince of Wales Stadium for the Second round of the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup on Saturday. Thirteen changes from last week’s starting line-up giving the coaches an opportunity to look at the talent waiting in the wings.
This was a bold decision as Cheltenham are lying third in South West Two. The early exchanges vindicated this move with Chinnor starting in a most positive manner. They were certainly a match up front, with Bob Harris and Andy Millburn taking the game to the opposition. However it was Cheltenham who opened the scoring when they created overlap to allow prop Shaun Gilder to crash over in the 12th minute. This was quickly followed by another Cheltenham score some four minutes later, when winger Rich Morris scored from a blind side move.
Ten points down and completely undaunted, Chinnor bounced back laying siege to the Cheltenham line. They should have scored during this period but were kept at bay by a combination of some stout defending and a lack of patience. On a number of occasions they were guilty of trying to force the pass where the simplest option would have been to set up the next phase. So at the half-way mark, Cheltenham led by 10 points with Chinnor having nothing to show for their 20 minutes of pressure.

The second half opened with Chinnor starting where they left off. Just four minutes into the half they reduced the deficit with an Adam White try and when Danny Burns took an inside pass from Richard Williams to level the score, Chinnor were back in business.
Chinnor looked the more likely winners at this stage but once again a touch of naivety entered their play with their insistence in forcing the final pass. This was to cost them dear as with extra time looming, Cheltenham arrived in Chinnor territory, and were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and James Butler made no mistake with the kick.
Chinnor could have made the game safe well before this as they failed to capitalise on the mountain of possession they enjoyed for most of the second half.

Cheltenham 13 pts Chinnor 10 pts.

Notwithstanding the result, Chinnor came out of the game with many positives. It showed that Chinnor Two’s are a vibrant side, have an abundance of ability and are well led by Rob Fenwick. Newcomer, Tim Gorman at scrum- half, showed up well as did Danny Burns in his new role in the centre.

Chinnor next play Away, on November 24, at Oxford Harlequins.

LEAGUE MATCH: 17/11/07 – Thame United 0, Kintbury Rovers 1. Match Report:
Saturday?s game against second in the league, Kintbury Rovers was a close affair with a penalty deciding the outcome. Thame were without several regular first team players through injury and non availability. It was pleasing however to see their places filled by reserve team players all of whom played well.
Thame started brightly and hit the woodwork after five minutes when Matt Graves deflected a Nathan Jack free kick across the goalmouth to hit the far post. After about 15 minutes, the visitorss began to get the upper hand and for the remainder of the first half, Thame?s goalkeeper, Paul Searl, was the busier of the two keepers as Thame struggled to threaten the Kintbury goal.

Thame played better in the second half and on 65 minutes, Nathan Jack was unlucky to see his powerful shot fly just over the visitor?s crossbar. At the other end Thame?s captain, Dave Hocking, did well to head a goal bound off header off the line.

Kintbury?s penalty was awarded in the 74th minute during a goalmouth scramble and I confess that I did not see an infringement, but it seems that the penalty was awarded because referee Turnbull saw a foul. It must be said however, that the Thame players did not protest too loudly. Visiting striker Shaun Thorp hit a good spot kick, giving Searl no chance. Thame created more chances in the remaining 16 minutes than they had all game with Ben Connelly and Jack forcing good saves from the visiting keeper. It was however Kintbury who took the points.

Thame United: Searl, Cowan (Watkins), Graves, Ansell, Hocking, Catlin (West), Connelly, Boult, Swafford, Marshall (Jewell), Jack.

Thame play away next Saturday at Prestwood.

CHINNOR 2nd – 15 Pts vs. Cheltenham 10 Pts – Date:November 10, Friendly Away game: Tries – Guy Hackshaw and Max Williams, Conversions – Tim Sutton (2 penalties)

THIS was a tough game played by two good sides, but still a game that Chinnor seconds will be very disappointed to have only won 15 points to 10.
Due to a high amount of injuries in the first and second team, Chinnor fielded a changed pack.

Chinnor had 90 percent of position and territory in the first 20 minutes but rushed things. on any other day this would have been converted to points.
In the 20th minute Cheltenham hacked the ball down field and due to a terrible bounce for young full back, Chris Forsyth, saw the chasing Cheltenham wing scoop up the ball and score against the run of play. Five minutes later with Chinnor going for a push over try, they were once again thwarted by an interception and a run away try that found Chinnor 10 pts to nil behind and chasing the game.
With nothing going Chinnor?s way, Cheltenham had their tails up and kept Chinnor from scoring, leaving them down 10 points to Nil at the end of the first half.

The second half belonged to Chinnor. Five minutes in and a successful penalty by Tim Sutton put their first points on the board, followed 10 minutes later with a try by Guy Hackshaw. For the next 20 minutes Chinnor played great rugby with good runs by Chris Price, Arno Bredenhann, Max Williams and good inter play between the backs and forwards. It was then the turn of Max Williams to break the Cheltenham line and out pace them all for a 40 metre run to score under the posts which was converted by Tim Sutton and Chinnor took a well deserved lead of 15 points to 10.
Cheltenham then played some of their best rugby in the last 10 minutes and put Chinnor under a lot of pressure but the Chinnor defence held up well.

Walter McGuicken

OXFORDSHIRE Senior Cup; Thame United 0, Kidlington 2 -Tuesday, November 13.

Thame United have a good record in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup. They reached the semi final in 2005 and won the trophy in both 2001 and 2002. In those days they joined the competition in the later rounds. As a result of the events following the loss of Windmill Stadium however, Thame now play in the qualifying round and they faced Kidlington in that round last night.
Kidlington, of course, play in the Premier division of the Hellenic League, a higher league than Thame, so Kidlington were favourites to win. They won; but Thame put up such a gutsy performance that the game was goalless after 90 minutes. The deadlock was not broken until the 107th minute.

The first 15 minutes were fairly even but then Thame started to control the game and created several good chances. Towards the end of the first half however Kidlington came back and put Thame under pressure. This continued into the second half with Thame ?on the Back foot? until around the 70th minute when Thame again had more of the play. During normal time both sides had good chances which they failed to convert into goals. Both goalkeepers were busy with Thame?s keeper, Paul Searl in particularly good form.

The first period of extra time was fairly even but legs were tiring and mistakes were more numerous. Kidlington scored two minutes into the second period. A good through ball found Jimmy Deabill in space and he hit a strong shot from 15 yards, giving Searl no chance. Manager Mark West came on as Thame?s final substitute as his determined team searched for an equaliser. This inevitably left gaps at the back and in the final minute Kidlington broke out of defence scored their second through Lee Bolton.

Thame United: Searl, Ansell (Cowan), Graves, Boult, Hocking, Catlin (West), Connelly, Rhodes (Jewell), Jack, Marshall, Ricketts.

ANOTHER great win for Chinnor playing at home against Maidenhead on Saturday. MATCH REPORT
Score: Chinnor 53, Maidenhead 6.
Chinnor 53 pts Maidenhead 6 pts

A chinnor/Maidenhead fixture always has an edge. In their promotion year, Chinnor lost just two games. One of these was at Maidenhead where they allowed a 25 pt. lead to fritter away and hand the spoils that day to Maidenhead. So, two years later and on a similar unbeaten run, this game could well have been a case of deja vu. A potential banana skin in other words.

It turned out not to be so. Playing with the wind is also a potential hazard in that a realistic lead is required to take into the second half and defend. Chinnor had no qualms here. They used the wind to good effect to patiently put space between them and their opponents. With Matthew Hutchins failing a late fitness check, Andy Millburn continued to debutise. Martyn O’Mahoney came in for the injured Jaike Carter and Joe Winpenny started in place of Joe Iosofo. James Cathcart got the scoreboard ticking for Chinnor with a well judged penalty eight minutes into the half. This was quickly neutralised with a Warren Abrahams penalty for Maidenhead some three minutes later.
Tries by Craig Burrows via a rolling maul, Martyn O.Mahoney where he outpaced the cover defence top go over in the corner and Andy MIllburn from a forward drive put Chinnor in control especially with James Cathcart converting the last two with well judged kicks from wide-out. Another Cathcart penalty on the stroke of half- time , from a deliberate knock-on by Richie Craig, who was yellow cared in the process, gave Chinnor a 25 point cushion at the interval.

An exchange of penalties between Abrahams and Cathcart got the second half underway. It was then all Chinnor with the pick-up and drive into the wind the order of the day. Owen Gustasfon in particular was calling the shots at this time where Chinnor probably played their best 20 minutes of rugby of the season to date. A fine break by Gustafson saw him feed the supporting Zane Winsade who outstripped the covering defence to score under the posts to give Cathcart an easy conversion. Another break by Gustafson put Cathcart in, and with further tries from Winslade and O’Mahoney, it was all over.

For Chinnor the half- backs controlled the game in the second period, with the back row all over the place. Tom Whelan and Joe Winpenny were prominent with some driving runs in the loose. A mention also for Andy Millburn. He managed to make his presence felt with some driving runs as well as putting in a solid performance in the lineout as did his partner , acting skipper Craig Burrows.Huge game at Oxford in two weeks. Now there’s a local derby if ever there was one.

SATURDAY, October 10: LEAGUE MATCH REPORT – Chalfont Wasps 1, Thame United 0.
LAST Saturday?s match was always going to be a difficult fixture for Thame. The ?Stingers? are top of the league, and are undefeated this season. Thame, were in sixth place when the game kicked off and, as a result of this defeat, have now dropped to ninth.

The opening exchanges were fairly even but Thame could have gone ahead after 10 minutes. Nathan Jack beat his marker and hit a low cross from the left across the Chalfont goal mouth which was met at the far post by Ben Connelly, but the Chalfont keeper did well to push his volley wide.

Thame seemed to be getting the upper hand when a defensive lapse allowed Chalfont to score. A through ball eluded the Thame defence and found Chalfont midfielder, Jonny Mason, in space with only Thame keeper, Paul Searl to beat. Mason did well to dribble around the advancing Searl and tap the ball into the Thame net. The visitors countered and created some good chances, with Jack, Nigel Swafford, and Greg Boult all going close. The teams went on for half time with Thame unlucky to be a goal down.

Second half possession was fairly even but it was Chalfont who created the better chances and Thame rarely troubled the home keeper. On the other hand Searl was fairly busy. There was one frantic five second period when he made three outstanding saves as shots rained in from close range before the ball was eventually cleared off the goal line. Manager, Mark West, brought substitutes on and changed his formation to three strikers, but the home side defended well and did just enough to justify the points.

Thame United: Searl, Thompson, Ansell (Graves), Higgs (Catlin), Hocking, Boult, Connelly, Rhodes, Swafford, Jack, Ricketts (Marshall).

Next Saturday 17th, Thame entertain 2nd placed Kintbury Rovers at Hithercroft Stadium (Wallingford).

MARLOW UNITED 0, THAME UNITED 0 – Match Report
ON paper at least an away draw and clean sheet against fifth place Marlow was a good result for Thame, but after 90 minutes, United will wonder how they failed to leave Wilks Park without three points. In truth, Thame?s failure to score was a combination of some good goalkeeping, wayward finishing and curious officiating.

Thame opened brightly and what turned out to be the best chance of the game fell to Gary Marshall in the 11th minute. Nathan Jack turned well on the left hand side and delivered a low pin-point cross between the six yard box and penalty spot that Marshall, arriving at the far post, placed back beyond the keeper but narrowly wide of the post.
A similar chance fell to Marshall ten minutes later from a Luke Ricketts cross, but the result was the same. Captain Dave Hocking then went close with a header from a free kick, before Marlow had their best period of the game. However, United keeper Searl was rarely troubled as the back four combination of Thompson, Ansell, Higgs and Hocking dealt comfortably with the Marlow forward line.

The second half was more one-sided as Thame searched for the elusive first goal. Both Ricketts and Jack went close when, after 20 minutes of the half, both the referee and his assistant failed to spot an obvious handball in the Marlow penalty box. Despite this, United continued to press forward with Ricketts and Ben Connelly on the left and right respectively causing the Marlow defence problems, with Greg Boult and Adam Rhodes gaining the upper hand in midfield.

With 15 minutes to go, Marlow were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Matt Flint was sent off for an elbow to the face of Ricketts. Together with the introduction of Nigel Swafford for Gary Marshall, this galvanised Thame further and, with five minutes to go, a through ball from Ricketts was met by Swafford who was body checked by the Marlow centre back as he raced in to the box but, again, the referee failed to give a penalty. Still there was time for Marlow keeper Pollard to pull-off a point blank save whilst Rhodes saw his cross shot go agonisingly wide of the far post in the last serious action of the game.

Despite their failure to score, United will go in to their away game next Saturday (2:15pm kick off) against unbeaten League leaders Chalfont Wasps on a high.

Thame United: Searl, Thompson, Ansell, Higgs, Hocking, Boult, Connelly, Rhodes, Marshall (Swafford), Jack, Ricketts.
Subs not used: Graves, Catlin

Thame United Reserves returned to top spot in Reserve Division 2 East with a hard fought win against previously unbeaten Penn and Tylers Green Reserves. The Reserves face Henley Town Reserves in the Oxfordshire Intermediate Cup on Saturday, with a 2pm kick off at Lord Williams Upper School.