DMPRFC 20 v CHESTER RFC 13

Chester RFC visited the Northern Echo Arena for the first time and produced a very creditable performance, with their fly half running the show in the backs and their forwards battering away at the home pack.

Chester were first to register when the DMPRFC defence were caught offside in the midfield, the visiting fly half easily slotting the resulting penalty (0 – 3).

Home prop Josh BAYFORD left the field within the first ten minutes of play and the home pack never seemed to recover in the scrum from then on, although they were more than a match for the visitors in the lineout, with No. 8 Guy van den DRIES and locks Glen YOUNG and Pierce PHILLIPS to the fore.

It was nearly half an hour of play before the next points came and it was the home side that interrupted a succession of penalties awarded against both sides, which in all honesty prevented a flowing game to materialise.

Speedy winger Chris McTURK provided the spark the game needed, when latching on to a scoring pass from full back Henry ROBINSON, after an incisive break by Guy van den DRIES. The winger still had a sprint to the line to evade the covering defence, but he prevailed and touched down wide out (5 – 3). Grant CONNON made a very difficult touchline conversion look easy to edge the home side in front (7 – 3).

DMPRFC made far too many errors at stages, allowing Chester the lion’s share of possession.

Again penalties appeared to be the order of the day, but Chester fought back and when the home pack collapsed a scrum near to the line, the official awarded a penalty try under the posts (7 – 8), leaving an easy conversion for the visiting fly half (7 – 10) to edge Chester in front.

Just prior to the break, Grant CONNON was successful with a penalty (10 – 10), levelling proceedings at oranges.

A healthy crowd anticipated some fireworks after the interval and although both sets of players tried to inject some fluidity, the game would continue to be a stop/start affair with yet more penalties (27 in total between the teams during the course of the game).

Winger Chris McTURK fell foul of the official and was harshly sin-binned, when after taking a high ball in centre field, was adjudged to have prevented release. The loss did not seem to affect the home side, as Chester were unable, with most of their attacks behind the scrum, not able to penetrate the home defence.

Grant CONNON was successful with another penalty (13 – 10) as DMPRFC began to exert some control over the game and this was followed after another ten minutes by the try that took the game away from Chester.

A good catch and drive lineout near the visitors line, saw a forceful drive take the home pack over the line and when the try was awarded, it was prop Ralph APPLEBY who emerged with the ball for the score (18 – 10). AgaIn Grant CONNON slotted the conversion (20 – 10) giving him a 100% success rate for the game.

DMPRFC were again hampered in numbers, when replacement centre Gavin PAINTER again harshly received ten minutes for holding on in the tackle, the Chester fly half striking a good the penalty, to take the visitors in losing bonus point territory (20 – 13) five minutes before the conclusion of the game.

DMPRFC then saw out the rest of the time to register 4 points towards the league tally and perhaps deservedly give Chester something for their valiant efforts.