Dreadful first half costs Weston

WESTON found themselves in deep water from the very start of this match at Thame.

They were 17 points adrift by the ninth minute, and by the 20th, Chinnor had achieved their bonus point try.

At the break, the hosts’ score had reached 45 without reply and the Seasiders were staring down the barrel of a defeat of enormous proportions, especially after Chinnor had added two further tries by the ninth minute of the second half.

But suddenly, things changed. The introduction of debutant scrum-half Sean Disney and the award of a yellow card to home lock Tom Mowbray seemed to stir the visitors into life.

Disney’s fast and flat service gave the midfield extra time and space and it became a different match.

Flanker George Wright and centre James Letherby both tested the home defence as the pack began to provide, and Weston responded at last in the 65th minute.

George Sparks’ catch at an attacking line-out provided Jamie Rudkin with his 12th try of the season, and near the end it was Sparks’ long break which gave Matthew Watkins his 13th.

Both tries went unconverted, as well as a 22 metre penalty from in front of the posts early in the first period.

Nevertheless, Weston held sway for the final 30 minutes of the match and had their defence not been so poor in the first 50 they may have been able to give their hosts more of a contest.

Weston: C Hurd, J Arnold, G Kimmins, J Letherby, M Watkins, J Reid, R Bennett (S Disney 57), D Swann (M Matthews 82), C Withers, S Donegan, H Somers, S Eaton, J Rudkin (E Barker 71), G Wright, G Sparks (c).

Weston slipped to eighth place in National 3 South West following this heavy defeat, but with the next two league matches at home, starting on Saturday against Old Patesians, they should be able to maintain a mid-table position.

But they will have to get out of their habit of giving their opposition a head start.