Chiswick slip up in storm

Rugby Result - Old Ashmoleans 38 Chiswick 3

In unpleasant conditions both teams produced entertaining rugby, but the home team was far more effective, especially in the difficult area of tackling. Both sets of forwards gave their all, and despite a lack of height and weight the Chiswick pack did pretty well in the lineouts and scrums. For once, however, they were outplayed in the open, where their handling was particularly suspect.

The first try ( unconverted ) came from a penetrating run by the home side’s inside centre, well held up near the line by Chiswick at the expense of a penalty. One lineout and one scrum later a blindside move near the left touch-line produced the goods for Ashmoleans. Minutes later an excellent penalty kick found touch yards from the Chiswick line.

A touch-back at the front of the lineout to the tail was tidied up well by the home pack, and quick ball out saw their outside centre on an excellent line cutting back close to the inside centre and scooting past two slithering defenders to score under the posts. The conversion followed. Worse was to follow for Chiswick as Nick Pritchard was forced to come off, a simple three-quarter move led to a try in the left corner as the visitors were trying to regroup.

Another simple lineout take, flicked on to the tail, tidied up and passed out quickly then produced a try for the home fly-half which was converted. Although Chiswick pressed hard for the last ten minutes of the half Ashmoleans defence was very solid, and no welcoming chink appeared for the visitors.

Wind-assisted Chiswick started the second half brightly, but were devastated by a brilliant swerving run by the Ashmoleans’ centre. A promising Chiswick attack had broken down when a poor pass was put down by the normally sticky-fingered Chiswick full-back Lewis Hammond, and the counter-attack was deadly. Chiswick came back and Keith Luckman slotted a penalty kick after handling errors spoilt a couple of attacks in the home 22. Luckman got close to the line after a buffeting run by Simon Slattery, but it was Ashmoleans who got the final ( converted ) try.

Chiswick team - Donaldson, Nicholls, Betts (Campbell), Chraplewczyk, Vinden, Maguire, Adams, Pritchard (Smith), Walker, Luckman, Slattery, Jones, Miller, Zakrevsky, Hammond.

January 11, 2007