Chiswick's Bubble Bursts

Rugby result- Beaconsfield 47 Chiswick 17

Ex-London 1 Beaconsfield proved too strong for a Chiswick team missing their injured fly half and play-maker Simon Hallett. The re-organised back division never really settled down on the huge Beaconsfield pitch, and the Chiswick’s scrum advantage was dissipated by the excellent work of the home No.8.

Chiswick recovered from another poor start with a promising attack involving new full back Tom Steer and Adie Lewis, only for the referee to produce the first of many offside decisions against the visitors, after five minutes. The ball was kicked into touch, and at the ensuing lineout a long throw found the No.7, whose burst for the line was stopped just short, only for their No.8 to plunge over the line for a good try. The Beaconsfield kicker was in form, and had no problem with this, and several subsequent kicks.

Reggie Regan’s kick-off was good, but not quite good enough, the well-drilled home defence swallowing the ball up before re-cycling for the inevitable long kick. Chiswick’s mauling was good, but ultimate ball retention poor. A failure to release the ball then gifted Beaconsfield three points, as Chiswick strove to develop a meaningful attack. 17 minutes gone. Chiswick wasted a lineout in the home 22 when the throw was adjudged not straight. Chiswick kept the pressure up, however, and after several aborted thrusts for the line, captain Luca Vannini touched the ball down, to the disbelief of the home crowd, given the height it bounced up to. Steer converted.

Beaconsfield’s kicker then had an attempt at a long range penalty goal, given by one touch judge, but not the other, and ruled out by the referee. Beaconsfield, not daunted, ran the drop-out straight back to score a try, which their kicker did convert. Ray Brooks, who had been trying to run off an earlier knee injury, had to go off, and Tom Adams and James Dibble had to receive attention. Chiswick were suddenly in some disarray and almost immediately Beaconsfield forced home their advantage with an unconverted try in the left corner. Chiswick’s case was not helped by atypical handling, with the ball being spilled too often in the tackle. Ex-Chiswick player Chris Hallewell was defending stoutly in mid-field for the home team, but it was Chiswick who got the last score of the first half with a simple penalty kick.

Beaconsfield’s began to dominate in the second half, their well-organised defence giving little away, and their scrum just about holding up. The introduction of Jon Joyce added a bit of thrust to the Chiswick attack, but it was not long before Beaconsfield rounded off a good move down the right wing with the scorer rounding Steer to make the kick easier. 29-10.

A strange offside decision led to another three home points, but Chiswick came back with runs by Steer and Regan, the latter being converted into a maul, and nearly a try. Henry Streatfield almost jinked his way through, and Jon Gibson got close, but the home tackling remained very strong. A couple of five-metre scrums produced nothing for Chiswick, and then Beaconsfield’s scrum half nicked the ball at the back of the third such Chiswick scrum, after one of the home props had been yellow-carded!

It was obviously not Chiswick’s day, as the usually excellent and hard-working Sam Leslie-Miller, in an attacking line which started with a two man overlap, made the final passed out when Streatfield was in a one-on-two situation. He did well to retain the ball! Beaconsfield converted another penalty kick, and then a period of Chiswick revival was snuffed out when Beaconsfield produced another scintillating attack down their right wing to score in the corner. Streatfield had to retire with a leg problem, but as he hobbled off, Joyce spiralled through the home defence, and Rikki Darroch scored under the posts, to make it 40-17. The conversion of the final home try, also in the right corner was followed by the final whistle.

October 7, 2013