A frosty day in Thame saw Redingensians Rams pick up a single bonus point in a 16-10 loss against Chinnor RFC. The sparse score line was populated with penalties for the most-part, with each team only slipping through a single try against their opposition.

Rams looked considerably better than their previous two weeks’ performances. After their own kick-off the Reading side had chances to demonstrate their devastating driving maul and defensive prowess.

Despite this, Chinnor were more immediate in their attack. Basil Strang picked up 3 early penalty points for the hosts following a botched Rams response to a grubber down their left flank.

Another penalty put Rams at a 6-point deficit. Chinnor’s Alex Bradley was awarded the penalty after he delivered a textbook jackal on Andrew Amor, who had just emerged from a Chinnor scrum turned over by Rams’ pack. Strang successfully put the ball between the posts to cement Rams’ frosty reception to the Oxfordshire pitch.

Rams failed to pick up much offensive momentum throughout the first half but they excelled defensively. Ross Crame, playing out of position as a back-row forward, made sure to disappoint many Chinnor fans with his oppressive hold over Rams’ defensive line. Sam Guttridge put in an impressive appearance at fly-half and Andrew Amor did well taking on number-8 duties.

Rams’ defensive play certainly seemed impressive; especially at the 20-minute mark in which a Chinnor attacking phase was moved backwards by the visitor’s defensive line, winning a penalty for Sam Guttridge.

Chinnor spent the remainder of the first half with a firm control over possession, leaving the Rams looking more pressured. Strang made a quick step through Rams’ defence and found enough space for Chinnor’s only try of the game, which he then converted himself. Luke Hibberd nearly scored a second on the hosts’ left hand wing, but had the home crowd left disappointed when it was called back for a forward pass.

A penalty for Chinnor was scored just before the half-time whistle. Strang nudged it through to bring his personal point tally, and Chinnor’s total, to 16 against Rams’ 3.
However, Rams picked up some momentum in the second half. Steven Bryant and newly substituted Antony Marris hounded their opposing numbers, Phil Hoy took charge of impressive lineouts and rolling mauls and Tom Vooght put in a solid performance at skipper.

A yellow card for Jay Tyack disrupted Chinnor’s front row. During Tyack’s time in the bin, Ollie Foxley performed a chip to the right wing on which Jak Rossiter found the ball, some blistering pace and the opposing tryline, scoring under the posts. Spike Chandler picked up the conversion for a 16-10 scoreline with 20 minutes still on the clock.

An attempt at a long-distance penalty was Chinnor’s last threat of the game. While Rams continued to look threatening; Ollie Foxley nearly scoring a try of his own on the right wing, they failed to find the offensive opportunities needed to close the score line. The referee called it quits with three minutes still on the scoreboard clock and Chinnor celebrated their 16-10 home win against the Reading visitors.

Chinnor now temporarily move up to first place in National League 2 South, tying points with Bishop’s Stortford whose game against Cinderford was called off in the cold. Rams stay put in 9th, from which they’ll face Barnstaple down in Devon next week.

Report by Matt McCrory
Photo by Tim Pitfield

Redingensians Rams:
15 – Ollie Foxley
14 – Jak Rossiter
13 – Steven Bryant
12 – Dan Barnes
11 – Conor Corrigan
10 – Sam Guttridge
9 – Miles Lloyd
1 – Kieran Ball
2 – Ben Henderson
3 – Sean McDonell-Roberts
4 – Phil Hoy
5 – Ollie Taylor
6 – Ross Crame
7 – Tom Vooght (C)
8 – Andy Amor

Replacements:
16 – Jack Steadman
17 – Antony Marris
18 – Colin Thompson
19 – Craig Nightengale
20 – Spike Chandler

Chinnor:
15 – Kieran Goss
14 – Oscar Heath
13 – Danny Barnes (C)
12 – Bevon Armitage
11 – Luke Hibberd
10 – Basil Strang
9 – Greg Goodfellow
1 – Ricky Cano
2 – Jamie Townsend
3 – Jay Tyack
4 – Nathan Hannay
5 – CJ Osazuwa
6 – Ben Manning
7 – Alex Bradley
8 – Tom Burns

Replacements:
16 – Tom Price
17 – Koree Britton
18 – Richard Thorpe
19 – Henry Lamont
20 – Charlie Broughton