Chichester make Portsmouth work hard for final-day win
Chichester lost at Portsmouth in their final Hampshire 1 game of the season – but the win was not enough for Portsmouth to pip Bognor to the title.
Chi made five changes to the team that narrowly lost to Bognor, with Hayden Scott and Rupert Jameson coming in to the forwards, Ollie Evans joining the backs and Cameron McKenzie and James Scrivin Wood on the bench.
On a sunny afternoon, Chichester kicked off knowing that should Bognor lose, the result of the match against Portsmouth would decide who would be promoted.
After only three minutes, Blues found themselves behind after conceding a penalty on the 22m line. Portsmouth kicked to the corner and, from the lineout, mauled across the try line to score.
Chichester went on the attack and got the ball over the whitewash but it was signalled as held up by the referee. For the next 20 minutes play moved up and down the field until pressure from Portsmouth in the red zone saw Blues fumble the ball close to the try line attempting to play out of danger.
From the scrum, the hosts dotted down under the posts, converted for 12-0.
Chichester recovered a knock on and moved the ball at speed through a gap in the Portsmouth defence where Dan Heriot was on hand to receive the offload and cross the line to score, converted by Rory Dowding, 12-7.
On 35 minutes Portsmouth scored their third try close to the posts after another well worked lineout in the red zone – so it was 19-7 at the break.
Portsmouth were immediately under pressure. From a lineout on halfway Harry Clark made 20m jinking and weaving through the opposition defence. From the breakdown, ball was moved across the pitch to Rhys Thompson whose pass found Huw Binfield in space for a run in under the posts, converted by Minton.
Portsmouth responded 10 minutes later when their winger received the ball on the 10m line and evaded four Chichester tackles to score under the posts.
Blues responded, after a Thompson grubber kick was grounded by the opposition for a goalline dropout. Great work from Gareth Davies saw the ball advanced back into the red zone and a pass out to the hard charging Heriot saw the young lock score under the posts, converted by Minton – 26-21.
Portsmouth upped the tempo, pinning Blues back in their own half and increasing the lead with a penalty kick and unconverted try.
Once again Chichester responded with MoM Harry Clark in the thick of things before passing to Minton for a try under the posts, converted – 34-28.
In the dying minutes Chichester had a player sin binned and Portsmouth sealed victory with a converted try to make it 41-28.
Chichester gained a try bonus point and with Bognor beating Millbrook at Hampshire Avenue it is Bognor who win promotion.
Chichester: G. Knight, Brown, Glass , Scott, Heriot, Jameson, Clark, Binfield (capt.), Minton, Davies, Etherington, Norris, Dowding, Evans, Thompson, Cameron, McKenzie, Scrivin-Wood,