3rd XV Match Report
Andover 6 - Chinnor Vets 45 - Reports Ricky Ross
With the snow finally making way for some sport, Andover’s third team had what was always going to be a hard first game back. Chinnor Vets always field a strong side but Andover where not there to make up the numbers.
Chinnor made the perfect start or did Andover make the worst possible start? Within one minute the visitors had scored under the posts. The hosts responded in true Andover style, with some hard tackles coming in from all fifteen players and this stemmed the flow that the Chinnor backs wanted.
With Andover taking a breath and keeping Chinnor in their own 22 metre area, the forwards pressured the visitors into a mistake giving away a penalty. Kicking duties fell to Mike Graham, having been called up from the fourth team, which he duly put between the uprights.
The next thirty minutes had both packs going head to head, tackle after tackle, break down after break down and as for the scrummage, that was a thing of beauty. Andover’s scrummage stayed strong all game, the tight five kept the platform stable which allowed what could have been the best back row playing for the club that day of Ian Cook, Alec McNair and Dave Hull to run and break the gain line at will. Chinnor defended well and showed the cracks in Andover’s game when the ball went wide.
The Andover backs, made up of two very good scrum halves, one flanker playing more than a little out of his normal position and a couple of full backs did not have the best of days. The tackling from the two wings and full back Nick Bone, also a call up, kept the home side in the game. With a half time score of 6-10 the game was far from over.
Playing uphill for the second half, Andover made the same mistake as the in the first half and allowed Chinnor in under the posts within the first minute, then it was back to the hard hitting forward play again. Starting the second half for Andover in the pack 4th team captain Dicky Homer playing on the flank had the best half of rugby, I as his coach, have ever seen him play. Keeping his head high and supporting the play of McNair he was able to smash his way forward with intelligence and not just power, even the referee commented on his impact on the game.
With Chinnor keeping the scoreboard ticking over, the Andover backs dug deep to keep the score as low as possible, the biggest difference between the two sides on the day was Chinnor's support running from their 10, 12 and 13. The main shortfall from the Andover selection was no true 10, 12 and 13. The guys did a fantastic job to keep the score a low as they did, with winger Paul Canale leading on the tackle count for the backs.
Overall the score reflects a good strong game, but would have read very differently if the coaches have more regular players to select from in their correct positions at all levels with in the club.
Scorers
Tries:
Cons:
Pen: Graham (2)