Parkonians 5 - 8 Holmes Chapel

Holmes Chapel 1st XV won an extremely hard-earned victory in South Lancashire / Cheshire 3 last Saturday when they visited in-form Parkonians. The side from the Wirral had won their last 5 league matches and were pushing hard to join the promotion chase. Had they won this match they would have been only 2 points behind Chapel so it was a huge game for both sides. Dan Martin returned to the second row, in a Chapel line-up that included several teenagers and only 3 players over the age of 30 as Captain Ed Meyrick put his faith in the promising young players that have played so well for the club this season. The Parkonians pitch is usually perfect for expansive rugby, however it hadn’t escaped the recent weather conditions and the muddy surface would make running and handling difficult for both sides in a low-scoring encounter.

Chapel started well, and were trying to be positive when in possession, with Lee Cagna and Jed Wragg taking on the defence. However, the home side were not letting anything through and used their kicking game to good effect as they tried to pin Chapel back in their own half. Fortunately for the visitors, Wayne Scott was extremely accurate with his lineout throwing, to make sure no try-scoring opportunities were presented. Kristian Clowes went close for Chapel with a penalty kick after 10 minutes but the scores stayed at 0-0.

The Chapel scrum was performing well, with the Parkonians scrum half and Number 8 – who both had excellent games – put under pressure when trying to attack from the set piece. Even more impressive was the defence against the Parkonians catch-and-drive, with Martin instrumental in preventing the home side from shoving the visitors backwards. Chapel’s tactical kicking, which has been one of their strengths this season, was letting them down as a few too many kicks went out on the full – stopping them from playing rugby in the Parkonians half of the field. However, the efforts of Martin and the rest of the forwards caused the home side to become frustrated and the visitors eventually worked their way upfield by kicking a couple of penalties for touch.

From the resulting lineout, the pack made slow but steady progress as they drove deeper into opposition territory. When the ball was given to the backs, the ball ended up in the hands of 18 year old Australian Ethan Gould, who managed to beat 3 defenders to score his first try for the 1st XV. Clowes was unable to convert from out wide but Chapel had gained a valuable lead. Another try should have followed when prop Paul Watson spotted that Chapel had a potential overlap and they ran the ball back from inside their own 22. Unfortunately, Jon Griffin failed to see the much faster Ed O’Hare outside him and the opportunity was lost. Nevertheless, Chapel won the ball back from the scrum and remained on the attack for the rest of the half. After another penalty kick to touch, the forwards again drove the home team backwards but were unable to cross the line. They were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half time and Jak Baskerville was held up inches short of the whitewash after taking a quick tap and nearly catching the Parkonians defence unawares.

Chapel’s start to the second half was not so impressive and it was Parkonians’ turn to go on the offensive. The home scrum improved considerably after the break and they were starting to grow in confidence. With Chapel unable to clear their lines, it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough came, and the Parkonians Number 8 powered over the line to level the scores. Fortunately for Chapel the conversion was missed, but the game was now hanging in the balance at 5-5.

They almost regained the lead straight from the kick-off when they forced a turnover and gained ground through the forwards. Unfortunately, Meyrick was pulled back for accidental offside and Parkonians were able to clear the danger. The visitors made a double-substitution with Gould’s fellow Australian Daniel Poignand replacing Meyrick and Clowes moving to scrum half in a reshuffle of the back-line. Rob Moore also came off the bench for Baskerville, who had put in another terrific performance for the visitors. Chapel continued to grind out the hard yards in the forwards, with Griffin and Dom Moss continuing to win good lineout ball, but too many unforced handling errors were letting Parkonians off the hook.

With 10 minutes remaining, it looked like Chapel were heading for their third draw of the season, but the match had several key moments still to come. Following a lineout on halfway, the home side tried to pick and drive through the forwards but the Chapel back row swarmed over the ball-carrier and won a crucial penalty. Having secured possession at the resulting lineout, the ball was recycled several times until they found themselves in midfield about 20 metres out. With limited options and outside half Andy Fyffe buried at the bottom of the ruck, Clowes passed the ball to Cagna who belted over a cracking drop goal to nudge the visitors ahead.

Parkonians refused to accept defeat and the closing stages were played out deep in Chapel territory. Despite being awarded a series of penalties, they admirably went for the win rather than take the points for a draw, knowing that they needed victory to force themselves into the promotion race. Chapel’s brilliant defence of the rolling maul continued, and the scrum was more solid after the Parkonians starting loosehead prop had left the field with an injury, however, the home side managed to create one last chance to win the game but the ball was knocked-on in the dying seconds. In injury time, Watson hacked the ball out into touch to seal a vital win for Chapel.

Coach Rick Clarke was delighted after the final whistle “Obviously we still have plenty to work on but for team spirit, hard work, and attitude this was one of our best performances of the season. We need as many players as possible at both training sessions this week in order to improve further”.

The games don’t get any easier for Chapel with a visit to local rivals Congleton up next on the fixture list. Chapel beat their neighbours 22-7 back in November, but the score-line that day didn’t reflect how close the match was and Congleton will no doubt be looking for revenge.

The 2nd XV will be taking on Crewe & Nantwich at Station Road, looking to bounce back after crashing out the cup in a 51-0 defeat against a very strong Whitchurch side. However, with huge numbers of players unavailable last week, including several called up to the 1st XV, the club is extremely proud to have rallied round and completed the fixture when it looked like it might have to be cancelled during the week. Kick off this Saturday is 2.15pm and all spectators are welcome.

Holmes Chapel RUFC would like to thank sponsors Pochin Construction, Electech, Auto Union Finance, Evadx, Tom Bagley Construction, and AWE Cheshire for their support. Please see the Sponsorship page of our website for more information on our sponsors.

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/holmeschapel/?primary=theclub&secondary=sponsors