Victorious Chiswick in sparkling form

Rugby Result - Chiswick 37 Old Millhillians 10

From the start, a strangely out-of-sorts Millhillians got on the wrong side of the referee, and the home team, although facing a strong wind, played with increasing confidence.

A couple of good training sessions had worked wonders, the scrummaging and lineout work being exemplary, whilst the backs inter-linked smoothly, providing great opportunities for the destructive running of Mark Jones, Simon Slattery and Lewis Hammond.

The first Chiswick try was a cracker. Penalty kick to touch, lineout possession, maul, fly-half Keith Luckman feeds winger Dan Coffey on the burst, then ball goes via full-back Hammond, flanker Ben Maguire and Jones to Slattery to score in the corner.

The second started exactly the same way, but this time Jones was fed on the burst, and although tackled short of the line, his momentum carried him over close to the posts. Luckman got the conversion.

It was that man Jones again for the next, picking the loose ball up cleanly after a heavy tackle in mid-field had destroyed a rare Millhillians movement. His searing pace took him clear of the opposition, and the conversion was a formality. A miffed Millhillians team came back at Chiswick, and scored a good try between the posts after succeeding with a penalty kick.

The visitors improved in the second half, but another burst through the line by Hammond got him over untouched, for another seven points. Subs came on for both sides, but a hungry Slattery declined an invitation to leave the pitch. Two penalty kicks by Luckman put the result beyond doubt, and then, almost inevitably, Jones made another break with two hefty hand-offs, and put Slattery in at the corner. Icing on the cake.

Chiswick team :- Donaldson, Nichols, Campbell, Hood, Williams, Chraplewczyk ( Vinden ), Maguire ( Robbings ), Pickering, Walker, Luckman, Slattery, Hinze ( Lovell ), Jones, Coffey, Hammond.

February 24, 2005