Chiswick chase away the blues

Rugby Result - Old Blues 14     Chiswick 20

Little to choose between these teams from Surrey 1 and the Herts and Middx 1, competing for the Junior Vase, and an open game that could easily have gone the other way. Chiswick had the edge for most of the first half, their scrum performing efficiently, and Matt Vinden jumping well on the Chiswick throw-ins. With plenty of possession, the visitors took a while probing the home defence before Euan Smith and Mike Sampson popped up in midfield to help the threequarters, the latter putting wing Simon Slattery away for a try in the corner which Keith Luckman failed to convert.

Under pressure, luck suddenly shone on the home team, their wing getting away with a blatant knock-on whilst the referee, probably unsighted, was playing advantage to the Blues. He shot under the posts with a number of Chiswick players looking on in disbelief.

A simple conversion followed. Chiswick renewed their efforts, and after Ian Walker had landed a penalty kick, good solid mauling after a clean lineout take by Vinden presaged a pile of Chiswick players over the line, with, inevitably, Kelvin Campbell eventually emerging with the ball. Walker got a good conversion. Substitute Graham Johnson produced a storming break just before half-time, thwarted eventually by good home defence.

The second half was a different story, the Blues throwing the ball around more, and carving a few holes in the Chiswick defence. All too soon the drift defence drifted too far allowing the speedy Blues fly-half to cut through a mid-field gap and score. The conversion followed, and it was anyone’s game. Chiswick missed a couple of penalty kicks, but then the sharp-eyed Luckman anticipated and then intercepted his opponent’s pass, dummied to go inside the lone defender, and then rounded him on the outside ( just! ) to score a great individual try, which proved to be the last score of the match.

This was another good Chiswick team effort, although the threes did not really get into top gear. They did, however, back each other up well, and with more games together, this could be an exciting season.

Chiswick team :- Donaldson ( Maguire ), Pickering, Campbell, Sampson ( Johnson ), Chraplewczyk, Smith, Robbings, Vinden, Walker, Luckman, Slattery, Dick, Jones, Polanski ( Lee ), Hammond

September 20, 2005