Match report from Paul Mitchell : League match at home vs Chipstead on February 8th
It was a glorious day in Chobham, the players were great and the crowd were the extra player.
Chobham started the game with conviction, dominating play and winning early penalties and free kicks. It was not a surprise when that pressure led to the first try of the day from Sam Riley who drove over the try line with typical aggression. Despite a difficult kick with the sun in his eyes the ball sailed over the line from the boot of Alfie.
7-0 (2:53 mins)
Whilst Chobham was in the ascendency and gaining momentum the referee was having troubles with his whistle. Apparently he had some mud on his pea (that’s gotta hurt!) which stopped him from calling play back after an infringement. Chobham were using the full width of the pitch with great handling in the backs and super play by the forwards at the breakdown. Following a period of sustained pressure Sam Riley found himself with the ball out of the right and through a combination of neat steps and bulldozing power got himself and Chobham’ s second try. 12-0 (8:50 mins)
The pressure continued and our backs were now starting to tackle with real ferociousness. Dan and Jacob were tackling as though their lived depended on it and at this stage of the game confidence was as high as it has been all season. This new found confidence was to lead to another try as Sam Riley looped the ball out to Ryan on the left wing he raced toward the try line for his first try of the match. 17-0 (18:50 mins)
Chipstead seemed to come to life after our third try. Their full back was alluding tackles and running from one side of the pitch to the other. Our tackling was mixed. There was some excellent tackling by the forwards particularly the back line. George did a fantastic tip tackle which unceremoniously landed his opponent on his back. However, much of our tackling was too high and ineffective, leading to a try in the corner for Chipstead which should never have happened. 17-5 (26:23 mins) Halftime
After the break Chobham were camped in their own half and were under real pressure for long periods. Thanks to some great defence on our try line and really impressive counter rucking from Joe Maybey we were able to prevent them from gaining any momentum and get what would have been a vital second try. The scrum was working well and Heath was playing like a seasoned professional in getting quick ball to his backs. Sam Davies was moving into the line to create options and the ball was spinning one way then the next. It was over ten minutes before we got into Chipstead’s half of the pitch but when we did it was decisive. Following a series of passes between the backs James Somper popped up to score our bonus try. 22-5 (41:21 mins)
Chipstead responded again by piling on the pressure but when Ryan picked up the ball from his own 22 yard line he only had one thing on his mind. Despite being chased down by his opponent for 70 yards he managed to evade the tap tackle and our second venture into their territory in the second half resulted in a fifth try. 27-5 (52:39)
Final Score Chobham 27 Chipstead 5. To win any match is a good feeling but to beat the league leaders says a lot about the boys and the coaches who were collectively up for this. Chipstead have won all of their away games this season and on average concede less than 10 points per match. Chobham beat them with 5 tries and that has to bode well for the rest of the season!!
The difference was solid defence when under pressure and blistering attack when we had the ball. I could have mentioned all 19 players as you all did great. Well done boys. Enjoy your evening and COYC.