Chiswick's Challenge Stutters

Rugby - Middlesex Bowl - Chiswick 12 Hammersmith and Fulham 21

A violent early storm provided an admirable preface to this red-blooded Middlesex Bowl match between two locally-acquainted teams.

Hammersmith, into the wind, produced a typical seven-phase move to score the first try, as the rain lashed down. Out came the sun, and Chiswick responded and moved into the visitors half. A lot of possession for the home team produced no score, lack of vision negating some good tackling and set-piece work.

Eventually Hammersmith got back into the Chiswick half, and scored in the right corner after sucking the home defence in on the left.

A back problem beset Chiswick scrum half Ali Blackman after a scintillating run early in the second half and Ian Walker came on. A back row brilliancy then saved Chiswick at a five metre scrum with the visitors putting in, and this was followed by Chiswick allowing Hammersmith to take the ball at Chiswick’s five metre lineout gained from a penalty kick. With Elliot Pickering having an outstanding game, well supported in the loose by Graham Robbings, Chiswick began at last to threaten the Hammersmith line. Eventually Walker gave the very impressive centre Mark Jones a quick pass from a tap, and he wove a precise path through a bemused defence. Walker’s kick came back off the post.

Hammersmith scored a penalty goal, but Chiswick got the pressure back on. Their moves lacked conviction and organisation, however, and Hammersmith moved further ahead with a push-over try. Shane Donaldson came on and injected some enthusiasm into the forward play, and with determination rather than skill Chiswick scored, Walker going over from five metres after earlier attempts had just failed. His kick went over via the post. A good dropped goal by the Hammersmith fly-half led to an anti-climactic ending, with the visitors deserving their win, but Chiswick realising they could have done better.

Chiswick team :- Betts ( Donaldson ), Nichols, Campbell, Hood, Chraplewczyk ( Williams ), Vinden ( Maguire ), Robbings, Pickering, Blackman ( Walker ), Luckman, Polanski ( Lovell ), Coffey, Jones, Lewis, Cranshaw

February 16, 2005