Chichester's unbeaten start continues!

On Saturday, Chichester welcomed Andover to Oaklands Park. Blues made 3 changes to the team that beat Trojans the week before with Fin Glass and Will French joining the forwards and Gareth Davies returning at fly half.

On a sunny autumn afternoon, with a gusting north easterly wind, it was Blues who kicked off down the slope. Chichester immediately had the visitors under pressure and had two great opportunities inside 5 minutes. Andover finally cleared their lines, but the respite was short lived as Rhys Thompson ripped the ball in the red zone, to recover possession, and pass it out wide to Luca Fleming. The young winger took off, down the touchline, and chipped the last defender to run in a try from 75 metres. Conversion missed. 5 - 0. From the restart Blues moved the ball down the pitch but were stopped out wide on the 22 metre line. The ball was recycled and 5 passes later it was in the hands of Fleming on the opposite touchline to out pace the scrambling defence and dot down in the corner. Converted by Dave Barber. 12 - 0 with 10 minutes gone. Fleming secured his hat trick 6 minutes later, with another try out wide, as Andover struggled to contain the speed of Chichester’s advance through the midfield. Conversion missed. 17 - 0. From the restart, the visitors enjoyed a sustained period of possession but Blues’ line speed and several handling errors thwarted any scoring opportunities. After 26 minutes, Ethan Etherington scored Chichester’s bonus point try after the forwards won a scrum against the head, on the 10 metre line, and the ball was moved swiftly along the backs to create the overlap. Converted by Barber. 24 - 0. Blues maintained the pressure and had 2 more scoring opportunities, before losing a player to the sin bin on 36 minutes.

Half time and 24 - 0 with Chichester seemingly in total control, in front of a large partisan crowd.

With a man advantage, it was Andover who started the second half in the ascendency finally getting on the score sheet after a penalty lineout, on the 5 metre line, and several pick and goes. Converted. 24 - 7 after 46 minutes. A buoyed Andover took the fight to Chichester as both teams fought for possession and territory. Blues crossed the whitewash but the ball was held up and the visitors had 2 try scoring opportunities where final passes went astray. On 55 minutes, Andover chipped over the top with the ball bouncing into the hands of the chasing player for their second try. Conversion missed. 24 - 12. Was a comeback on the cards? Barber had other ideas, and 3 phases later jinked through the visitor’s defence to score close to the post which he converted. 31 - 12. From the restart, Andover infringed and the penalty was kicked into touch for a lineout 20 metres out. The ball was secured and the pack mauled towards the try line and, after several pick and goes, Joe Woods crashed over the line. Conversion missed. 36 - 12 with 18 minutes left. For ten minutes, play ebbed and flowed between the 22 metre lines until an Andover infringement provided Barber with another opportunity to kick for the corner. Once again the ball was secured and the pack mauled forward, before releasing the backs. Gareth Davies’s long looping pass caught the Andover defence flat footed providing Etherington with a gap to dot down. Conversion missed. 41 - 12 with 6 minutes left. Etherington had the final say, scoring his hat trick on 80 minutes. With Blues camped in the red zone, the visitors infringed twice close to the try line. Changing tactics, Chichester opted for the tap penalty and on the second attempt the ball crossed the whitewash for try number eight. Conversion missed.

Full time and 46 - 12, with Blues securing 5 points and their fourth win on the trot in a game that saw the lineout firing on all cylinders and some great distribution from Oscar de Lacy, stepping in at scrum half. Andover also deserve a mention as they competed for the full 80 minutes and will undoubtedly be looking for revenge, when Blues travel to Foxcotte Park in January.

Next week Chichester travel to top of the table Basingstoke.

Chichester squad: Soden-Bridger, Brown, Glass, Tucker, Flood, Cox, Binfield (capt.), French, De Lacy, Davies, Etherington, Thompson, Barber, Fleming, Blewitt, Lowndes, Woods and George.