The last time I watched us play Chew Valley was away in the play-offs offs which we won.
Just a little way on from Bristol airport, they were, and I am sure still are, a very welcoming and friendly bunch.

When I got to the club today, I paused to watch them warming up, “We are going to have trouble here”, I thought, because they looked large and were warming up enthusiastically in a structured way.

So on a sunny afternoon without much breeze we got off to a ripping start inside a minute and a half when Harrison Coonick, freshly back in the firsts after three warm up games with the twos following a near season long injury break, weaved his way from halfway around the defenders with ease as if he had never been away, touching down under the crossbar giving Sam Brown a simple conversion, 7~0 before the crowd had really settled in to their seats.
Chew Valley came back with a penalty and a lineout in our twenty-two; they mauled for our line, but were disrupted, and the move produced nothing.
Harrison Coonick then had a second run at their line, this time going in at the entrance corner, but unfortunately lost the ball forward going for the touchdown.

We then scored again, this time from a strong break down the middle by Matt Gregory, who got through a couple of tackles, but halfway across the twenty-two was finally stopped. Fortunately, Tom Davies was on hand to end the move to touch down on the turnstile side of the posts and with the Sam Brown conversion, a fourteen-point lead.
On about eleven minutes, the high restart kick was taken by us but their player, Joseph Brickell, mistimed his tackle and took the player out in the air and suffered a yellow card as a result.
From the restart, we attacked again, the ball went out wide and Sam Brown took it on their twenty-two and curved smoothly in through the defenders to touch down under the crossbar and convert it. 21~0 after fifteen minutes.
The Chew players must have been wondering what to do to stop the try rush.
They did stop it, however, with a try of their own on seventeen minutes, from a penalty and a lineout they mauled towards our line, stopped No 8 Archie Pewett broke away from his mates and went diagonally for the posts, he was tackled sort by the ankles, he went down full length, bounced slightly and forward a foot and was able to stretch for the line to score under the crossbar, that gave an easy conversion and a 21~7 scoreline.

The next score was to Chew Valley, who had clearly been woken up by their first try
A box kick by Richard Goldsby-West was taken by their full back, who called “mark”.
They kicked for a lineout, we stole the ball, tapped it down, but it fell to the floor, their No 7, Alfie Lott, was very quick to take it and put it to the backs and it was scrum half Will Knight who ran in and scored near the posts and a simple conversion was added, so, as they said, ‘it was somehow 21~14.’
Suddenly, our fast start and good lead had been slowly pulled in by Chew Valley.
Twenty-five minutes and the bonus point try. We went for a close in lineout on the stand side, took it and mauled, slightly raggedly but unstopped with Aiden Taylor with the ball in hand of the edge of it, as the maul closed in on the line, he must have slipped it to Mike Rickard for it was his try as they went over. The conversion was missed. 26~14.

From the restart, the ball was taken to them, and in a repeat of his earlier effort, Matt Gregory broke free down the middle, tackled before he could reach the try line, and he gave it to Bertie Fordham who touched down. That conversion missed as well. 31~14.

The last score of the half went to us, another catch and drive, this time it was Aiden Taylor who was the scorer. With the missed conversion, it was 36~14.
The last play of the half came during a Chew Valley attack on our line, a slightly long pass was intercepted on our twenty-two by Sam Brown who ran as far as halfway across their twenty-two before he was tackled. He needed a little attention from physio Chloé Leach, but as the clock ticked over for half-time, the referee blew. 36~14.
So far, the scums were just in our favour, but only by a nudge backwards or being held.
Our lineouts were going well.
The Chew Valley players gathered in a huddle for a talk, suddenly, the voice of the coach got louder and, with a colourful word or two, told them to ‘start playing’ or something similar. You could feel his frustration. “That was a strong halftime talk”, I said to one of their unhappy supporters.

News came through that the Colts had beaten Brixham Colts by 64~10. “That’ll learn ‘em” for treating our firsts so badly last weekend.
The thirds are beating OPM Jesters by 0~40 at halftime away, and the seconds look to be beating OPM in their league on the Creek. So all is looking good.

The second half kicked off with us playing towards the school end.
Chew Valley had their bench on.
On twenty minutes, the team talk at half time had clearly pricked them in to greater effort, and for the first time, they really pushed us back seriously, they did get to our line from it and under the crossbar, but the referee said “Held up”.
Then on twenty-six minutes they did score, they were on and about our line for quite a few attacks that we held off, eventually the referee had a word with us for something the forwards were doing and they took a tap penalty, the first lunge from the tapper was stopped but a second go went to No5 Jack Monk, tackled by two of our defenders he was able to slip their hold and went six feet and over in the clear for Chew Valley’s third try. The conversion went over, 36~21.
Time was getting short for Chew, who needed one more try for a bonus point.
We then got to their line by the scoreboard but were stopped. The ball went down the line to the left wing, who looked like a forward from a distance. He made good ground and was close to scoring at the stand side corner, but I think a defender got to him, and the ball looked like it was lost forward.
Toby Knowles had a decent run towards the scoreboard.
On thirty-two minutes from a lineout on the stand side, was overthrown but it was taken at the back and given to the backs and it was Charlie Groves who scored near the scoreboard.
The Richard Goldsby-West kick from out wide missed. 41~21.
The last points came after a scrum outside our twenty-two to them, the ball came out into open space, Harrison Coonick fly hacked on twice towards their posts, had a bit of a run with it, gave it to Tom Davies, who scored his second. The conversion missed, and that was it. The full-time whistle went shortly afterwards,46~21.
Thanks to the referee for a good game.

An enjoyable afternoon’s rugby, for us at least, and a welcome bounce back from last weekend.
The opinion of a crowd member was that the tackling today was really good, and the play kept to simple, sensible passing and running. We have the speedy runners, and today showed how to use them.
Harrison Coonick was presented with the Nigel Chivell Memorial Man of the Match award by Shane Cameron, the Chew Valley Chairman.

Thanks to Sam Samuel’s U13s for being ball boys.

First team v Chew Valley.Home.
1. Oli Symons. Greenlight Safety and Training
2. Aiden Taylor. Market Media.
3. Tyer Busfield. P.I.M. Financial Services.
4. Kyle Felton. Plym Pat Testing
5. Mike Rickard. Pon Nic properties.
6. Bertie Fordham. Accurocare, lifestyle choices.
7. James Hocking. Redmoor snacks.
8. Matt Gregory (c). HSK Building Services.
9. Richard Goldsby-West. (cc). Smashland Burgers.
10. Sam Brown. Eden Clinic.
11. Harrison Coonick. Ashwood Trees Ltd.
12. Dan Lilley. We remember submariners.
13. Tom Richards. Buddha Utilities.
14. Toby Knowles. AMH Building and renovations
15. Tom Davies.Pantheon Gym.
16. Yianni Costas. SA Safety.
17. Andy Pond (c). Steak and Omelette restaurant.
18. Charlie Groves. Journeaux accountancy
The Management.
Ben Russell
Aiden Taylor