CHARD RUGBY REPORTS FOR 18/19 NOVEMBER 2006 from Glyn Hughes
SOMERSET PREMIER LEAGUE
CHARD 1ST XV 19PTS. STOTHERT AND PITT 1ST XV 15PTS
This was a very hard and tough contest between two very well matched sides and at the end the Chard players were jubilant to have pulled off a narrow but deserved victory.
Chard could not have had a better start to the game and took the lead straight from the kick off with a try from number 8 Mark Parsons who made the most of hesitancy in the visitors defence as they failed to deal with Chards starting kick. Josh Finlay converted but this immediate lead was reduced  after only 3 minutes when Stothert won good lineout ball and Ben Withey went over for an unconverted try in the corner. Chard had an opportunity to increase their lead from a penalty kick after 9 mins. but Finlay pulled his effort wide. Chard were beginning to make a number of basic handling errors and were also getting a lot of ball turned over in the ruck and maul situation. Stothert were too good aside to let such generosity go unpunished and they began to get on top. Another dropped pass gave them the opportunity to win  the ball and they moved it quickly to the right and scored their second try of the game which was converted to give them a 5 point advantage. Chard having got themselves back into a promising field position then lost this advantage with a series of wild passes and were made to pay when  Sam Cox kicked  a penalty  goal to put Stothert 15-7 ahead after 26mins. play. The penalty however  had been awarded in quite bizarre circumstances in that the referee had yellow carded a visiting player for foul play only to then  re-start play with a penalty for Stothert when surely it should have been for Chard.!! Chard gradually got back into game and shortly before half time when scrum half Richard Jones did well to charge down a defensive kick from Stothert and flanker John Porter was on hand to gather the loose ball and go over for an unconverted try.
Half-Time Chard 12pts Stothert 15pts.
Chard dominated the opening quarter of the second half and fully deserved the try that skipper Jim Wagstaff scored after 10mins. It successfully concluded a lovely spell of rugby by the home side and with Finlay adding the conversion Chard now led by 4pts.Physically the match was very demanding and both sides were giving everything in their attempts to get a positive result for their side. Twigg had a try disallowed for a double movement and both sides spurned kickable penalties which in the case of Stothert would cost them the game. The visitors failure to take the points on offer would haunt them in the final stages of the game when they had Chard pinned back on their own line . They had another penalty but were now forced to run the ball in an attempt to get at least 5 pts. Some resolute defending by Chard however was eventually rewarded when the referee blew the final whistle after what appeared to be a lot of added time. A great win for Chard to take them up to 4th in the premier league but such a physical encounter was not what the home players needed knowing that those still standing would have to play again the following day in the Somerset cup.
CHARD TEAM:- DERMAN, HENDY, BOND, HENLEY, MACKIE, PARSONS, PORTER, SUMMERS, JONES, TWIGG, WAGSTAFF(CAPT) HELLIAR, KING, HERBERT, FINLAY. REPLACEMENTS.Francis, King, Harrison, not used.

North Petherton 2nd xv 12pts Chard 2nd xv 15pts.
Finn O’Brien at scrum half and  David Baker at fullback two of last years under 17 side both had very good matches and Chard were a comfortable 15pts ahead by the interval with three unconverted tries coming from Stuart Gold, Richard Larcombe and new prop forward Morgan. Petherton came back well in the second half and managed to reduce the arrears by 12 pts . Unfortunately a good game was spoilt in the final stages when  an unsavoury  and dangerous spear tackle on Baker who thankfully was not injured  resulted in the referee deciding to call a halt to proceedings with a few minutes still to go.

Crewkerne 2nd xv 0pts Chard 3rdxv  41pts
Chard were good value for their win and again the combination of youthful speed and ageless experience that skipper Mike Berry gets together in his team proved to be a winning formula. Ian Longman, Chris White, Brian Male, Paul Daveyx2 and man of the match Craig (swifty) Elsworth 2 were the try scorers and Paul Rideout and Clive Adams 2 got the three successful conversions.

SOMERSET CUP
 
CHARD 44PTS   CREWKERNE 23PTS.

The scoreline would suggest a comfortable victory for Chard in this local derby but nothing could be further from the truth. Crewkerne who are struggling in the bottom half of the league below Chard gave a great account of themselves and at one stage looked on course for a surprise victory.
Chard had gone into this match expecting to win comfortably but sport is not like that and following their bruising encounter the day before Chard found themselves up against  a determined  side. An injury to Chards outstanding player Mark Parsons in the early minutes did not help and some splendid play from Adam Spendlow who scored two tries  and conversions and penalties from Singleton and Holley put Crewkerne into a strong position. Eventually Chard got their act together after a wretched first half performance and they really pulled away in the final 20minutes of the match to outscore Crewkerne by six tries to two. The Chard tries were scored by Hendy 2, Lee Brun, Robin Singleton, Jim Wagstaff, and James Twigg . Scum half Paul Nicholls on his first start for the first xv kicked three conversions and two penalties and Finlay added another conversion.
It is not clear what the alternative could be but having to play two highly charged games in two days is not what players need and is something that has to be looked at. Too many sides are already pulling out of cup games because they are unable to raise a side on a Sunday having played a tough match in the league the day before.

Next Saturday  Chard 1st xv are away to Bristol side St Bernadettes in a Somerset Premier League Match . The 2nd xv return to league action at home to Wheatsheaf Cabin crew in the Dorset and Wilts league 2 south and the
3rd xv are also at home to Winscombe.
All games commence at 2.30pm