A Winter Warmer From Chiswick

Rugby Result: Old Merchant Taylors 3 Chiswick 31

A good forward battle was inclined to leave the backs rubbing their hands as a chilly damp gloom settled over Durrants. The home team applied some good early pressure, but then came a cropper running a hopeful kick back, when a player slipped and the loose ball was pounced on by the predatory Marc Jones, who sent speedy Ben Cheston sprinting away for a fortuitous try, converted by Keith Luckman.

The Chiswick lineout soon looked professional, with a well-worked move involving Dave McConnell, Stuart Parmeter and Graham Robbings, with McConnell storming away into the home 22. Jones nearly got in at the posts, as did Parmeter, before the home pack disrupted the opposing eight on Chiswick’s put-in. Chiswick stepped the pace up, and Parmeter linked well with scrum half Will Ulstein and Luckman in some exciting open play. A turnover in open play led to the next try, with Aram Delaney and Robbings involved before Luckman made a break through the first line. Full back Lewis Hammond was in the right place to send Jub Hurren in near the left corner. The conversion was a cracker.

A rampant Chiswick followed up with Jones making the initial break, and Hammond and Cheston combining well before the latter had a choice of Hammond or Adie Lewis to pass to as he drew the last defender. He chose the former, who circled behind the defence before touching down. 21-0, and a high score likely. However, OMT began to show more determination, as Chiswick relaxed a bit, and an interception attempt by Jones in his 22 was instantly followed by a shrill blast for offside. The kick was successful.

The second half was anti-climactic, with handling becoming more difficult, and few sustained moves. Ulstein was doing well to disrupt the feed from the home scrum, but equally Chiswick could not get quick ball from their own scrums. Delaney made another good pick-up of a loose ball, as the Chiswick midfield hammered the home threes. Chiswick took the ball almost to the home line before being thwarted by an adroit interception. Luckily for Chiswick the OMT inside centre was not lightning fast. A rare home attack looked dangerous when their wing tried to chip over Jones’s head into a large gap, but Jones is tall and made a good save, touching the ball back and sideways, and then grabbing it, making it all look simple.
With Alistair Pickering on for Adams and Alex Matulick for Shane Donaldson, the Chiswick forwards were running everything at the defence, but it was another set lineout move that produced the clincher, McConnell’s catch reaching the scorer, Delaney, via Parmeter. Luckman, having missed an earlier penalty, slotted the kick for the final points.

Chiswick team :- Donaldson (Matulick), Joubert, Parmeter, Delaney, McConnell, Adams (Pickering), Robbings, Bezuidenhout, Ulstein, Luckman, Lewis (Rossi), Hurren, Cheston, Jones, Hammond

December 1, 2008