Chinnor take another step towards safety

From the archive, first published Tuesday 18th Mar 2003.

Powergen South West 1: Chinnor had to pull out all the stops to defeat bottom club Marlow 34-23 at Kingsey Road, improving their chances of beating the drop in the process.

It was never going to be an easy fixture for the home side as Marlow were hoping to complete the double, having beaten Chinnor earlier in the season.

Things looked ominous for the home side when, despite playing with the wind, they fell 13-3 behind to a try and two penalty goals. Conor Begley, back from injury, replied with a penalty.

Chinnor got back into the game when prop Mark Weeks-Pearson went over from a rolling maul. Begley converted, before leaving the field with a back injury.

The home side stepped up a gear at the start of the second half, taking the lead with a breathtaking try from 65 metres by Dave Seymour, following a quickly-taken mark by Tom Johnson.

Johnson then got into the scoring act by speeding over in the corner.

A try by Simon Matthews, converted by Troy Hunter, meant that Chinnor had scored 17 points without reply.

Dollery then scored for Marlow, before Andy Milburn replied after another surge from the home pack.

A conversion by Hunter completed the Chinnor scoring, but Marlow had the last word with a try from Hill.

With just two games left, Chinnor still need at least one win to ensure they stave off relegation.