Parkonians 8 - 26 Holmes Chapel

Holmes Chapel 1st XV returned to winning ways with a hard fought victory away at Parkonians last Saturday in the Cheshire Plate. Following a disappointing defeat against Ramsey in the Isle of Man the previous week, Chapel were determined to put things right against a team they have sometimes struggled against in recent years. Parkonians always present a tough challenge, with a big pack, a very effective lineout, and strong runners in the backs so Chapel were not expecting an easy afternoon. Several changes to the visitors' pack had been made from the side who faced Ramsey, with Ian Lightfoot and Mark Concar packing down at prop, a new second row combination of youngsters Dan Martin and Jack Baskerville, and Jim Bowbeer and Mike Cottam slotting into the back row.

Parkonians started the stronger side as they looked to use their kicking game to set up position in the Chapel half. The visitors were only managing to win scrappy ball from the lineout and for a long period were unable to clear their lines. Some adventurous play in their own twenty-two could have created the first try but a pass went forward and the play was brought back. Despite the stuttering start it was Chapel who took the lead when Ed Meyrick pounced on a mistake at the back of the Parkonians scrum and ran from deep inside his own half to score, and give Chapel a 5-0 lead. Lee Cagna then made this 7-0 as he kicked the conversion. Parkonians immediately hit back and were soon on the scoresheet themselves after Chapel were penalised in front of their posts trying to run the ball back out of their own half. The home side then went into the lead after Chapel again failed to properly clear their lines and the ball was passed through the backs for their full back to score in the corner. An unsuccessful conversion attempt followed but the score was 8-7 to Parkonians and Chapel desperately needed something to kick-start their afternoon. This was provided straight from the restart courtesy of a fantastic tackle by Cottam, driving his man right back into the danger zone. Aggressive rucking from the supporting forwards led to quick ball, which was picked up by Baskerville to continue the attack. Showing good awareness, he popped the ball to Meyrick to run in under the posts for Chapel's second try. Although Cagna missed the simple conversion, the visitors had regained the lead and managed to hold onto their 12-8 advantage until half time.

In the second half, Parkonians continued to dominate possession, with their lineout functioning extremely well. Chapel were forced to give up competing for the home side's ball, however the tight forwards stopped any attempted drive in its tracks, freeing up Bowbeer and Cottam to wreak havoc if Parkonians tried to spread the ball wide. Chapel were tackling well and the home side's attacks were unable to breach the defensive line, as the game remained a close contest. The vital breakthrough came when the home side made another error at the scrum and Meyrick was again on hand to sprint past the cover and complete his hat-trick. Cagna added the conversion and Chapel were now in control of the game at 19-8 with twenty minutes to go. The visitors' lead was extended further when a speculative kick up-field was gathered by 1st XV debutant Kristian Clowes who broke the last-ditch attempted tackle and touched down beneath the sticks. Cagna added the extras and the lead now stood at 26-8. The final 15 minutes were dominated by Parkonians as they looked to stage a late comeback. Despite intense pressure, they were unable to find a way through as the Chapel defence held firm. When the visitors were penalised at a ruck the Parkonians scrum half took a quick penalty and looked likely to score but was tackled by Concar who had not retreated 10 metres. Concar was sin-binned but the chance had been lost and the makeshift 7-man Chapel scrum showed great resilience to hold out until the final whistle.

This was by no means a perfect performance from Chapel; they did not produce enough clean quick ball to unleash the backs effectively and much of the game was played in their own half. However, the discipline was much improved from recent weeks, and the tackling was aggressive enough to create turnovers and deny their opponents many clear cut chances. A Club spokesman commented after the game "it's never easy travelling to the Wirral and to come away with a 26-8 win is a real gutsy performance". Captain Meyrick added "a win is a win, however we were not at our best and the score-line doesn't give Parkonians credit for the amount of ball they had. It was great to see local lad Jack Baskerville playing a full game and continuing to show real promise for the future, as well as Kristian scoring on his 1st XV debut".

18 year old Baskerville was named as man of the match after the game for his performance in the second row against a tough and experienced set of opposition forwards.

The 1st XV season continues this Saturday when Prenton will be the visitors to Station Road for a 3pm kick-off, all spectators welcome.

Holmes Chapel RUFC would like to thank Wymans Ltd and Hopeweiser Ltd for their continued support.