CHARD RUGBY REPORTS FOR SATURDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2007
BY   GLYN HUGHES
SOMERSET PREMIER LEAGUE              MIDSOMER NORTON 19PTS  CHARD 45PTS
Maybe not the performance of the season but Chard will be happy with this result against a side and at a venue where they have had  little success over the years.
Chard coach Steve Broome was forced to come out of retirement when one of the props failed to turn up but his  experience would make up for a possible lack of fitness!
Following their fine performance last week Chard went into this match full of confidence and stormed into a seven point lead in the opening minute. They controlled the ball well from a five metre scrum and drove the home side back over their line and Paul Nicholls having been credited with the touchdown then converted his own try. Midsomer Norton must have been alarmed at how easily Chard pushed them back bearing in mind that Chard were playing up the slight slope and against a strong wind. Chard continued to dominate the early exchanges but within ten minutes the home side were level when they made the most of some slack play by Chard and quickly moved the ball out wide and Tom Snelling scored a good try converted by Ben Moon. Chard regained their lead with a terrific try from a lineout.  Wagstaff won clean possession and found hooker Hendy with a pass off the top who in turn linked with flanker Johnny Porter who having taken the ball at pace was unstoppable and burst through to score under the posts for a try again converted by Nicholls. The Chard eight were in dominant form and from  another five metre scrum no8 Mark Parsons picked up and went over for Chards third but this time unconverted  try. Chard were now leading by twelve points and the home side looked to be in for a very difficult afternoon but they were a resilient outfit  and began to compete well and made the most of some very casual and careless play by Chard in the final ten minutes of the first half. Having withstood a period of pressure on their own line  Chard were awarded a penalty kick which should have relieved the situation but  failure to find touch gave the ball back to Norton and a swift counter attack ended with Snelling going over for another converted try so Chard only lead 14 19 at the break.
With the wind and slope now  in their favour a victory for Chard seemed a formality but they were rocked back on their heels in the opening minutes of the second half when the determined home side levelled things up when flanker Tom Hellier crashed over following good work from his forwards. The conversion which would have put his side ahead was fortunately from Chards point of view missed. Norton obviously had a plan as to how to play up their slope and put together several very useful handling movements and gave Chard one or two scares. Chard were therefore relieved when some individual magic from Ben Stead resulted in him scoring their fourth try with Nicholls again adding the extras. The home side now began to play a really expansive game and were running the ball from everywhere but they were caught out when they failed to clear properly and the alert Matt Ousley dived on the loose ball to score  Chards 5th try.  In the final ten minutes Chard ran away with things thanks to the skill and pace of their skipper Jim Wagstaff. He was linking well with Nichols and was virtually unstoppable when taking the ball at speed. He set up Ousley for his second try of the afternoon and in the final minute scored a fine try himself to complete a man of the match display. Nicholls converted two of the last three tries and Chard had recorded a big win against difficult and enterprising opponents. Chard will rightly be pleased with the final scoreline but will know that they still have a lot to work on and that in this league there are no easy games.

DORSET AND WILTS LEAGUE 2 SOUTH  CHARD 2NDS 26PTS    DORCHESTER 2NDS  31PTS
This was a very entertaining game and the watching coaches Trevor Smith and Mike Berry were pleased with the progress being made by their team. A startling turn of speed gave Mick Duffy an opening try and other try scorers for Chard were Steve Baker, Matthew Tinley and Simon Bidgood with Baker adding two penalties. The mixture of youth and experience in the side worked well  and there was no better illustration of this  than in the front row where Kevin Templeman and youngster Tom Frecknall were outstanding. A narrow defeat yes but progress most definitely.

SOMERSET LEAGUE 3 SOUTH     MIDSOMER NORTON 4THS 10PTS CHARD  3RDS 10PTS
Billy Vernon and Ben Partridge scored tries for Chard in a   game which was not helped by a  difficult swirling crosswind and a sloping pitch. The negative tactics of the home side did not help either and it needed the calming influence of the Summers brother to keep things in control. Norton brought on eight replacements during the game but the Chard side with just the bare 15 players because of the surprising non appearance of some and the late withdrawals of others battled gamely and thoroughly deserved the point gained.

Next Saturday the Chard club have only one game and that is a 1st xv Somerset vase match away at Bath Old Edwardians ko at 2.30pm. The second/third xv match due to be have played against Bridport has been cancelled by Bridport