Category: Sports News

BRITISH Lions and Scotland player Craig Chalmers will be joining Chinnor RFC with effect from March, 2013 as the club’s First Team Coach.

Jason Bowers has resigned following a promotion within the RFU as Area Facilities and Funding Manager. He will however, be maintaining a close link with the Club both in a professional and in a personal capacity.

Jason arrived at Chinnor RFC from Tring RFC half way through the 2006/7 season when Chinnor were finding it tough at National 2 level. After the team was relegated he was responsible for promotion at the end of the following season. There then followed a period of consolidation and rebuilding that Jason oversaw, with the emphasis on developing local and home grown players. This culminated in Chinnor RFC’s most successful season at this level, gaining promotion currently sitting seventh in National league 2 South.

Jason Bowers himself commented: “My time at Chinnor RFC have been my most rewarding years at a rugby club. I have been blessed with getting together a bunch of players who have excelled and shown the utmost commitment. Because of this combined with the desire to improve, we have entered a fantastic period for the club and one I believe in which we can continue to grow. This, allied with the fantastic support from all of the people behind the scenes, the other coaches and the Executive behind the senior squad, has meant that we have exceeded our expectations.

“Chinnor RFC is a true community club and I am sure they will continue to go from strength to strength.”

New man, Craig Chalmers, gained 60 caps for Scotland between 1989-1999 and played for both the British and Irish Lions. He finished his playing career with Melrose RFC one of the oldest clubs in the world
where he remained as Coach, winning the Scottish Premier Division title in 2011 and 2012.

President of Chinnor RFC, Simon Vickers, said: “We cannot praise Jason highly enough for the energy and
attention he has put in over the years for Chinnor RFC. He is leaving us on a high and he should be proud of
his achievements. To enter our 50th year with our best ever showing at National 2 level is outstanding. We
hope that Jason will always hold the club close to his heart and will be a regular visitor in the future. It is perhaps a mark of our on-going success and enthusiasm that we have been able to secure the services of the top flight former international and Coach Craig Chalmers.

“Albeit Melrose play at a higher level than Chinnor, it is clear that they operate with similar principles of whole club Rugby and we are sure that Craig will be
instrumental in securing our current position and enabling the players to continue to develop.?

Craig Chalmers commented: “I have been impressed with the set up at Chinnor RFC and it is clear to me that
there is a sound platform to continue building on past successes. Whilst it will be sad to leave a club with whom I have spent very many happy years as player and coach, I look forward to my new challenge down South.”

Craig will join the club on March 19, as 1st XV Director of Rugby, a role he will relinquish at the end of this season and become First team Coach when Jason departs.

SOURCE; Press release
PHOTO: Courtesy of BordersRugby.net

National Division Two, South: Saturday, February 2, 2013 – Chinnor 29 Vs Lydney 17. MATCH REPORT: In workmanlike fashion, Chinnor achieved a bonus point win against Lydney by 29-17, on Saturday.

With Waddingham failing a fitness test, Jordan Wood was brought into the back row and David Hughes started for the unavailable Andrew Smith.

Chinnor began brightly, attacking right from the kick-off and Stoop was hauled down just short of the line after a mazy run. Chinnor continued to press and, from an attacking scrum, Jones nipped over Chinnor’s first try and a 5-0 lead on the fifth minute.

Chinnor kept up the pressure and Gray was bundled into touch just short of the line. On the 11th minute, Chinnor overturned ball at a Lydney scrum and a long-looped pass found Fielding alone in acres of space to dot down for Chinnor’s second try of the game. Colver?s conversion increased the home side?s lead to 12-0 with 12 minutes played.

Lydney got stuck in and were rewarded in the 14th minute when Taylor went over for their first try of the day. Trigg?s conversion reduced the deficit to 12-7.
The next score occurred in the 25th minute when Chinnor’s Hughes exploded off the back of a lineout some 20m out to crash over for Chinnor’s third try. Goode?s conversion made the score 19-7 to the Kingsey Road boys. A further penalty goal from Colver on the 32nd minute increased Chinnor’s lead at half-time to 22-7.

Lydney came out powerfully at the start of the second half and, when an attacking movement broke down with Goode?s fumbled interception, the referee Mr Leahey awarded a penalty to the visitors from the Forest of Dean. Forgoing the kick at goal, Lydney elected for a lineout and ended up losing the ball. Lydney, however, continued to take the game to Chinnor. An attacking move from the visitors was halted on the touchline but the referee took exception to Millett?s involvement in the tackle and yellow carded him on the 48th minute.
Four minutes later, a kick downfield from Chinnor was fielded by Lydney and simply passed across the field for Lydney?s Alex Hall to ghost through a missing defence for an easy try and a score of 22-12.

On the 60th minute, Chinnor turned over Lydney ball in midfield and set the backs racing. Slick handling involving Gray and Hales allowed Stoop to go under the posts for Chinnor?s bonus point try. Colver?s conversion put Chinnor 29-12 ahead.

Three minutes from time, Lydney’s Charlie Daniel went over for a try to make a more respectacle final score of 29-17 to the home side.

Lydney were never out of this match and with perhaps more ball might have run Chinnor much closer. The gusting winds didn’t help any of the kickers.

Chinnor did just enough to win this match but never seem to quite get into top gear. Goode had a strong game in the centre and the pack were defensively strong.

Scorers:
Chinnor: Jones T; Fielding T; Hughes T, Stoop T; Colver 2C, PG; Goode C
Lydney: Taylor T; Hall T; Daniel T; Trigg C

Chinnor team:
Colver, Fielding (Hales 50), Goode, Stoop, Gray, Millett, Jones (Hopwood 73), Winpenny, Holyland (Tattersall 67), Berry (Pickett 50), Mowbray, Hughes, Wood (Harrison 67), Sawyer, Gilbert
Replacements: Pickett, Tattersall, Harrison, Hales, Hopwood

SOURCE; Contributed by Bill O’Donnell

The Chinnor Colts’ involvement in the National Plate ended on Sunday (27) with defeat to Chippenham. The score line clearly reflected Chippenham’s superiority, in the back division in particular.

Chinnor RFC’s Carol Bradbrook-Taylor reflected on the match: “The score was hard on our lads and did not reflect the effort they had put in for which they richly deserved some consolation, at least on the scoreboard. However, we suffered from the season-long problem of lack of numbers at the Under 18s, meaning that once again we had players out of position, with injuries sustained during the game limiting our options still further.

“But we can be pleased that we competed well in the forwards and our tackle count was phenomenal. Grosse, Evans, O?Connor, Barker, Carter and others put their bodies on the line, and Carter took one for the team with a gritty performance in the front-row, but our attacking opportunities were limited and ultimately came to nothing.

“On this occasion our heads didn’t drop and we kept going manfully to the end but on the day lost to a better team.”

LAST Saturday?s Snow Rugby Day which replaced the planned Youth Day because of the weather, was a surprising success.

Carol Bradbrook-Taylor, Chinnor RFC’s Honorary Secretary, said: “Some 200 kids and 60 ‘grown up children’ spent a great time either playing in the snow or snuggled up in the lounge for Jackie?s famous steak pie, and lots of humour from the Club?s President, Chairman and Junior Chairman; Simon Vickers, Paul Fincken and Carl Buckland.”

Support the Colts in the next round this Sunday!

FOLLOWING a hard fought win against High Wycombe last weekend, the Colts have been rewarded with a home tie against Chippenham in round four of the National Colts (U18s) Plate. Kick off is 14:00 on Sunday, January 27.

PITCH inspection tomorrow, Friday, 4pm, plus a review of the weather forecast before the organisers of Saturday’s Chinnor RFC Youth Day make their decision as to whether the event goes ahead. (See item below)

Further up-dates will follow.

FOLLOWING a match inspection at Chinnor RFC in Thame, the matches scheduled for tomorrow’s Youth Fun Dat have been postponed.

The Youth Day is to be scaled down to family fun in the snow and lunch for those who can get to the Clubhouse.

AS Chinnor RFC enters its 50th anniversary year, the club is looking forward to a great inaugural Chinnor RFC Youth Day on Saturday, January 19, – weather permitting as snow is forecast for Thame from tomorrow, Friday, 18.

The programme for the day is as follows:

12:30 – 13:45: Coach Class run by London Welsh for age groups U9-U10, U11-U12 and U13-14. ( Free hot dog lunch for participants)

12.30 – 2.15pm Lunch – 2 courses lunch inc. port and cheese – waiter service by Junior Boys

2.15 – 2.30pm Tag demonstration match by Mini section

2.30pm ? 1st XV league game Chinnor RFC v Canterbury RFC

5.00pm – Man of the Match awards & post match drinks in the bar

Senior Matches 19th January

1st XV Chinnor vs Canterbury
KO: 14:30 | SSE National League 2 South

Chinnor III vs Maidenhead II
KO: 14:15 | Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1

Amersham & Chiltern III vs Chinnor IV
KO: 14:30 | Berks/Bucks & Oxon 3 North

Chinnor Oxen (Vets) vs Aylesbury III’s
KO: 14:30 | League

Sunday 20th January 2013

Colts Redingensians Colts vs Chinnor Colts
KO: 13:00 | OBB Colts league

Under 16 Chinnor vs Grove RFC
KO: 10:00 | League

Under 15 Chinnor vs Witney
KO: 11:00 | League

Under 14 Training
KO: 10:00

Under 13 Abingdon vs Chinnor
KO: 10:00 | Friendly

Mini section Training
KO: 10:00

MATCH REPORT – National Plate – Monday, January 14, 2013; This was a thrilling, end to end game of rugby between two well matched teams. Both sides scored two tries and had the lead before being pegged back, and for a time it looked as if it could go either way, but Chinnor finished the stronger and the difference in the score line was ultimately down to a conversion and two superbly struck long range penalties from George Grosse.

But this was a real team performance, with everyone giving 110% and playing for each other. Despite having a bunch of lads playing out of position the intensity was maintained throughout and exemplified by a rampaging performance from Connor Green, now returned from exile, and a gutsy second half showing from Rob Gascoyne, his heart throbbing powerfully on his sleeve, as ever.

The weather has been pretty kind to us this season, but this was cold. The forwards soon got warmed up though as they repelled some early Wycombe pressure and although Wycombe drew first blood with an early penalty from that point on Chinnor enjoyed the lion’s share of territory for much of the first half and moved into the lead through a Ross Bunsell try after the ball was fed all the way across the pitch for him to angle his run into the corner. Grosse’s conversion missed by a whisker. Our scrummaging was fantastic all afternoon, and the lads who stepped up to play in the front row with Rory O?Connor (Tomm Evans, Guy Carter and then Rob Gascoyne) deserve great credit for their efforts, and that first try came following a typically powerful scrum on the Wycombe twenty-two. Despite facing a bigger pack I don’t think we lost our own scrum once.

Wycombe went back into the lead following a quick tap penalty that caught us on our heels and things didn’t look good when Guy was forced off with a bang on the head, but Toby came on a did a great job on the back row and George had us back on level terms with the first of his howitzers to take us to 8 ? 8 at the break. More of the same in the second half. George slotted a second penalty to move us back into the lead but Wycombe retook the lead when they finally shoved over after a long spell of pressure virtually on our line. Our heads might have dropped, but we kept playing our rugby, forcing a succession of penalties, and got back into the lead when somehow Lewis burrowed like a mole underneath the Wycombe defence to give George a simple kick for the conversion.

A second long range penalty moved us eight points ahead and although Wycombe gave us a few attacks to repel we closed out the last ten minutes relatively comfortably and indeed looked the more likely to add to our score. There was still time for a moment of farce when a Wycombe player infringed outrageously at the breakdown only for our penalty to be reversed when the referee took a dim view of the cheeky pat on the head the offender got for his troubles. It mattered not though.

SOURCE: Contributed by By Mark Carter

National 2 South – Saturday, January 12, 2013 – Chinnor RFC away to Barking. Score: Barking 36, Chinnor 24.

CHINNOR had an unhappy visit to basement boys Barking, on Saturday losing 36-24. Chinnor rang the changes for the trip to Essex with Gray replacing Colver and Millett once again covered for the injured Cathcart. Hopwood came in for Jones and in the pack, Vickers came in for Waddingham, Tattersall for Holyland and Mountford made the bench.

The first score of the game came from Barking’s Oliver Forrest with a penalty goal in the fourth minute after a poor clearance from Chinnor. Chinnor began to attack and Gilbert touched down for Chinnor in the 11th minute and Millett?s conversion gave the visitors a 7-3 lead. Millet himself then scored Chinnor?s second try five minutes later direct from line out ball. His conversion gave Chinnor a 14-3 lead.

Chinnor continued to press but seemed to increasingly lose the ball in contact or through poor passing. They also continued to displease the referee Mr Manley who continued to award penalties at regular intervals against the visitors.

Barking, with some new recruits, grew in confidence and started to hassle and harry. They were rewarded in the 31st minute when a Chinnor attack broke down in midfield as a result of aggressive tackling. Barking pounced on the loose ball and a neat chip kick exposed the absence of the full back and Barking?s Baflour-Awuah won the foot race for the touchdown. Forrest converted to reduce the deficit to 10-14.

On the 38th minute, Barking’s other winger Hihetah was fed the ball from Forrest?s mazy run, again from an aggressive turnover in midfield, and scorched through for a try under the posts. Forrest converted to give Barking a half-time lead of 17-14.

Chinnor’s Millett levelled the scores at 17-17 with a penalty goal just two minutes into the half. A promising 30 metre maul to near the Barking line from Chinnor led to nothing and Barking were the next to score when Hihetah easily ran through the defence for his second try converted by Forrest to go 24-17 ahead.
Barking visibly grew in confidence and were highly committed in every tackle and breakdown, denying Chinnor the ball for long periods. Tom Mowbray was then yellow carded for coming in from the side. However, from a quick tap penalty, Vickers took the ball up strongly and from the resultant ruck, quick ball found Hales gliding in for a try to Chinnor. Millett?s conversion squared the match at 24-24.

This just seemed to galvanise Barking who continued to attack and Hihetah shrugged off three weak tackles to score his hat-trick try and earn a bonus point for the home side, whose lead was now 29-24. Barking continued to play with pace and vigour and nailed the coffin shut for Chinnor when Fouracre waltzed through for a try on 75 minutes. Forrest?s conversion made the final score 36-24 for Barking?s first victory of the season.

This was a shock result for Chinnor given perhaps their best display of the season just the previous week. But nothing should be taken away from Barking who never let the boys from Oxfordshire settle and were good value for their victory. It was clear that the Barking side were highly motivated and Chinnor were perhaps a little complacent. The best side won and Chinnor will have to reflect on why it was not them.
Scorers:
Barking: Hihetah 3T; Baflour-Awuah T; Fouracre T: Forrest 4C; PG
Chinnor: Gilbert T; Hales T; Millett T, 3C
Chinnor team:
Gray (Mountford 70), Fielding, Goode, Stoop, Hales, Millett, Hopwood (Jones 60), Winpenny (Stock 50), Tattersall (Whelan 72), Berry, Smith, Mowbray (Hughes 65), Vickers, Sawyer, Gilbert
Replacements: Whelan, Stock, Hughes, Jones, Mountford

SOURCE: Contributed by Bill O’Donnell

BLUEFIN Sports Supplementary Cup – 08/01/13 – Thame United 4, Reading Town 0 – Thame united secured a place in the next round of the League Supplementary Cup at the ASM Stadium on Tuesday evening when they defeated Reading Town 4-0. Due to traffic delays the match kicked off almost 20 minutes late, and the visitors were forced to field a weakened team for the first half, as four of their players did not arrive until half time.

United controlled the game from the start by immediately putting pressure on the visitor?s goal with Thame keeper Lee Farrow mainly a spectator. The home side went ahead in the 26th minute from their 5th corner. Mitchell Meredith met the ball and headed it down towards goal where Niall Hodgkins managed to get a touch and scramble it over the line. The second came 10 minutes later and was a beauty. During a rare Reading attack the ball was cleared and found Ben Gray near the half way line who ran at goal on the right before squaring the ball to Hodgkins who finished confidently from 15-yards.

With a strengthened Reading team the second half was closer, and they were unlucky 10 minutes after the restart when a long shot grazed the Thame goalpost. The game ebbed and flowed and United brought on all 3 substitutes including Alex Stewart who has been injured for several months. With five minutes remaining James Way came on and immediately made an impact by making a run on the right wing and crossing to Luke Ricketts who, due to a Stewart dummy, was in enough space to hit a well-placed 15-yard shot to claim United?s third goal. The final goal came with a minute of normal time remaining. Again the ball was crossed from the right, this time by Meredith, and found Stewart at the edge of the box, who celebrated his return by hitting a hard shot pass the keeper.

Thame United: Farrow, Meredith, Hall, Hercules, Rhodes, Jewell, Connelly (Barr), West, Hodgkins (Way), Gray (Stewart), Ricketts.

Both the first team and reserves are without a fixture next Saturday 12th. The next home game in on Saturday 19th January when Thame again meet Reading Town, this time in a league fixture.

SOURCE: Contributed