Crucial Win For Chapel

It was a great setting for a game of rugby at Station Road last Saturday. After months of steady rain the sun was finally out meaning better handling conditions and a firmer pitch. In addition, Mike and Ally Lightfoot had rolled the surface (big thanks to both of them) so the pitch was in its best condition for a long time. Crewe & Nantwich 3rd XV were the visitors for a vital game in the promotion race. Even though Crewe were a number of points behind Chapel, their games in hand meant they could still overtake the home side with a strong late-season run so both sides knew they had to go all out for a victory.

Chapel kicked off and from the opening exchanges it was clear that the visitors were up for it. The home side struggled to gain any quality possession in the first 10 minutes and much of the game was spent in the Chapel half. There were some bright moments of play but Chapel were guilty of being too eager to offload the ball in the tackle, coughing up possession again and putting themselves back under pressure. It was Crewe who opened the scoring after Chapel were unable to deal with a chip over the top. The ball was regathered by a Crewe player and they crossed the whitewash for the first try of the afternoon. Although the conversion was missed, the home side knew they needed to wake up and quickly if they wanted to get back in the match. Fortunately they did just that. Jack Cottam crossed the line after some good handling in the backs to level the scores and Andy Davies added the conversion to put Chapel ahead 7-5. Shortly afterwards, Captain Dom Moss went on a strong run up the middle and the ball was recycled then fed out wide. This time it was Dave Steer who touched down, Davies again nailing the conversion. Although Chapel were now in the ascendancy, they were unable to score any more points before the break so the first period finished 14-5.

Crewe again started well in the second half with some dangerous attacks and strong defence halting Chapel's momentum. The game remained fairly even until a great kick from Mike Lightfoot was caught on the run by Cottam who danced round the last defender to bag his second of the day. Davies again added the conversion and at 21-5 things were looking good for the home team. With Will Mitchell making an impact off the bench in the scrum, Chapel were winning more and more good ball and it was only a matter of time before the next score came. After an overthrown lineout, the ball ended up with Callum Grant-Smith who beat two defenders and just about dotted the ball down on the line. The conversion was missed to leave the scores at 26-5. There was still time for the icing on the cake as Chapel went over for one final score. Grant-Smith was again involved, making a darting break down the left hand side before popping the ball to fellow young buck Joe Foulkes to storm through and touch the ball down under the posts. Somehow Davies managed to miss his easiest kick of the day but at 31-5 the match was all but over. Crewe rallied again towards the end, putting a sustained period of pressure on the home side and nearly scoring on a couple of occasions. The visitors were still on the offensive when eventually the final whistle was blown.

Holmes Chapel would like to thank Crewe & Nantwich for an excellent game played in a fine spirit throughout and look forward to the return match on the last day of the season. The club also thank all of our sponsors for their continued support.