Another top-of-the-table game, this time the return game against Chew Valley, up there we lost by a point at 12~11 and scoring the only try of the game.

On a sunny afternoon for half the game we had full control of the first half. They kicked off to us playing towards the school and we soon pushed them back into their twenty-two. However, on three minutes they broke out and got into our twenty-two, and won a penalty about halfway across it and about halfway in from the clubhouse sideline. It was kicked over by Tom Bryan for the visitors to take an early lead. 0~3.
On seven minutes we won a penalty that Richard Goldsby-West kicked for the stand side side line. We took it and started to maul for their line, halfway there I thought that they had broken it up for it paused but out of the crowd of players it appeared intact, gathered speed again and went over for the try by the turnstiles scored by Liam Jarvis. The conversion missed.5~3.
Then to make matters worse for the Chew players and spectators a moment of magic you only see three or four times in a season from any team.
We took the restart kick and quickly sent it down the line, the final pass looked a ‘wrong un’ and seemed likely to go out of the reach of the final two in the line and go in to touch, but Harrison Coonick thought otherwise and took it well inside our twenty-two and sped off down the sideline towards their try line “With some serious wheels” said the Chew tweeter, none of the defenders were able to get to him and he curved inwards to score halfway in from the sideline on the clubhouse side. It was all so quickly done that I think, that as much as anything, he took the Chew players by surprise.
Richard Goldsby-West converted. 12~3 up after twelve minutes.
Most of the rest of the half ebbed this way and that both sides having to defend well, which they did. We had more of the play and territory, but the Chew defence was up to it.
It was, I think, not until the last few minutes of the half that Chew got seriously into our twenty-two and put pressure on our line and defence. Even then we held them out with a really top defencive effort and I don’t think they got within fifteen feet of our line. They eventually lost the ball forward midfield and we fly-hacked it away for the halftime whistle to go.
Both sides were good in the lineout, in the scrums they were just on top holding us on their put in but pushing us back a couple of feet on our put in.
For each attack I thought we made more yards than they did because we were in their faces so quickly.
At only 12~3 it was by no means a relaxing scoreline.
The second half was kicked off by us playing towards the school end.
On four minutes we got a penalty and went for a catch and drive on the stand side school end and went for the line but were stopped, the ball went to the backs but a loose pass was taken by them and their player set off only to be whistled back for an earlier infringement, Mike Rickard took another catch from a throw and the pack drove and reasonably easily took it towards the line, when the leading player was about eight feet from the line Aiden Taylor with the ball went blind and touched down, jumping up with delight he kicked the ball up the stone steps. The conversion missed to the south of the post. 17~3.
The score was now a whisker more relaxing for the home spectators, but only for a short while.
They counter attacked and for some time we were under the cosh and gave away four or five penalties in a row, they were tapping and going a number of times, on fifteen minutes we collected a yellow card, and from another tap penalty the pack had a concerted effort and forced themselves over the line for Dean Brooker to score, Miles Moorhouse converted and they were now only 17~10 down.
Not long afterwards they scored again, again we gave away two or three penalties that they tapped and went, on the second the No 10 went for the line, Shaun Crawford got hold of him six feet out then Tom Davies added his grip three feet out and between them they put him down and on his back preventing him from scoring, but another penalty was tapped and this time Dean Brooker was given the chance to score, he went for it in much the same spot, first he fended off Mike Rickard off and went for it, Mike Rickard had a second dive at him but it was too late he was over for their second that score was also converted by Miles Moorhouse. With that the scores on only sixteen minutes were, for us, suddenly and unexpectedly level.

Chew collected their own yellow card so on twenty-three minutes a catch and drive for us, we had tried it just before but it came to nothing, on the second Aiden Taylor scored his second try. The conversion by Richard Goldsby-West went over, 24~7. A lead but a fragile one with twenty or so minutes to go.
Then Tom Davies scored to the cheers of the home crowd, or rather didn’t, by the scoreboard under considerable pressure from the Chew defence who very nearly forced him out by the corner flag after a good backs move, unfortunately only to be taken back and the cheers muted for a forward final pass. However, the referee took the play back to the stand side for a penalty to us, we went for another catch and drive but were held up over the line. Chew kicked out but unfortunately for them it didn’t go that far and fell into the waiting arms of Richard Goldsby-West who was just inside our twenty-two and midfield.
Then in a sort of slow motion, so it seemed to me, set himself with no haste for a drop goal under no pressure from the defenders, rather as you would in a practice effort on a training night.
He kicked it, there was a moments silence from everyone each in their own way either hoping it would go between the posts or for the visitors, that it would go wide.
It went between the posts, the stand roof lifted a little with cheers from the home supporters and I expect that the visitors, of which there were quite a few, realised that with that probably the best they could hope for was a losing bonus point as there were only a few minutes of injury time to go.
So it proved to be, a couple of scrums to us allowed the clock to tick down and shortly afterwards the referee blew for full time.
A ten-point margin prevented them from getting any bonus points and took us to the top of the table.
Thanks to the Under 12s for a great effort chasing after the balls and returning them.
The Nigel Chivell memorial man of the match went to Matt Gregory in his 300th appearance for the first team, and well deserved too. It was presented by sponsor Chris Knapman, The Mortgage guy.
It was well refereed, just as I was leaving the referee came racing out of the clubhouse, I asked him if he wanted a meal or a drink. “Thanks but no, I have to get the train to back London’ So I thanked him for a good game and off he went. That’s a long way to come to referee a game.
The team.
1. Rikki Bentham. (vc).
2. Aiden Taylor.
3. Oli Symons.
4. Mark Friend.
5. Mike Rickard.
6. Liam Jarvis.
7. James Hocking.
8. Matt Gregory.
9. Dan Goldstone.
10. Richard Goldsby-West.
11. Harrison Coonick.
12. Shaun Crawford.
13. Freddie Davies.
14. Tom Davies.
15. Matt Neyle.
16. James McFarlane.
17. Tyler Busfield.
18. Charlie Groves.
Head coach.
Ben Russell
Assistant. Rikki Bentham.