Potential Close Contest Turns Into Rout For Chiswick

Rugby Result: Chiswick 58 Hemel Hempstead 3

What should have been a close contest, on the previous results, turned into a rout, as the home team’s confidence increased exponentially throughout the match. Hemel started confidently and were three points up within a couple of minutes, Chiswick having failed to cope adequately with the opening kick.

At the next scrum, however, the home pack drove through the opposition scrum, and Chiswick began to turn the screw, looking very dangerous whenever the ball went loose. Ben Cheston nearly got over after a good build-up.

Tom Duffy kept the pressure up by half-charging down an attempted clearance kick, and Adie Lewis ran the ball back. Hansie Bezuidenhout ( Bez ) cleared the opposition off the ball, and Lewis Hammond got the ball out to Marc Jones, who rounded the defenders to score under the posts, Duffy converting.

Hemel’s kicker missed a kickable penalty, and then Duffy reciprocated, Al Pickering having brought a gasp from the visiting supporters with a typical bone-shuddering tackle leading to the home kick. Soon Duffy had another chance, which he accepted gratefully, after a good break by hooker Stuart Parmeter, and the gap was seven points.

Hemel nearly got over in the left corner after a break down the line by their wing, but the home cover defence was solid. A turnover in the home 22 led to another missed kick by Hemel. The game got quite frantic, with Chiswick running everything, encouraged by a good crowd and the sunshine. Duffy soon had another chance from left of the posts, and put the kick straight through the middle.

The last few minutes of the first half proved interesting. First Hemel kicked the ball dead from a penalty, and secondly Parmeter achieved an important turnover in mid-field. The third Hemel mistake proved costly, Adie Lewis snapping up a rolling ball after a dreadful pass, cruising down the wing, and giving his skipper, John Gibson, returning after a spell out injured, but well up in support, a clear run to the line. The conversion was a formality. Whilst we all waited for the half-time whistle, Hemel did it again, a quick throw-in on their 22 being well anticipated by Lewis, who needed no support this time. Duffy obliged again.

Duffy collected three more points at the beginning of the second half, and then Chiswick put together a string of moves, involving most of the team. The Hemel defence was stretched to breaking point and Al Pickering, in space outside Duffy, did his tank imitation before touching down near the posts. Chiswick occasionally wheeled the Hemel scrum, but outside they were rampant, and even a sin-binning did not alter the pattern of play, Bez doing magnificently behind the retreating seven-man home pack.

Parmeter and Bez kept on running at the opposition at every opportunity, and, immediately after returning to the field, Pickering joined in to take advantage of good work by his team-mates, and particularly Duffy, who was within inches of touching down himself, and score a second try. Duffy converted comfortably.

Further tries were claimed by Lewis and Pickering, both converted, as the irresistible onslaught continued, the final whistle alone bringing an end to the carnage, although Hemel always looked as if they thought they could score, and never turned to defence.

Chiswick team :- Donaldson ( Matulick ), Parmeter, Davies ( Joubert ), McConnell, Delaney, Adams ( Robbings ), Pickering, Bezuidenhout, Luckman, Duffy, Lewis, Gibson, Cheston, Jones, Hammond.

December 8, 2008