Arms take Chichester

Norfolk Arms travelled to Chichester to play a much improved fourth team - a little confusing as the those in the clubhouse stated the fours were cancelled on thursday, how odd as the threes away game to Crowborough was cancelled too? - and were looking to consolidate our position in the league. As is often the way when selection is governed by injury and an irregular front row, its the Norfolk way to play one of the better games of the season...

The game got off at a canter and it was the Norfolk looking for first blood, a dogged defence from Chi kept us out for a good 5-10 minutes, this was then followed by a very well executed break away try from Chi. 5-0 having missed the conversion. Norfolk went back at them and finally our very own try factory - Mooey - burrowed over the line from a driving maul. Andrew (badly drawn boy) Whatley missed the conversion. However he made up for this few minutes later with a well taken penalty kick, 5-8 in our favour. The yo-yoing carried on for the rest of the half.

Half time and the usual call to arms...

Second half as is often the way followed the first half and consisted of 40 minutes. That 40 minutes was to prove better than its forebear!
A well secured line-out was followed by a super driving maul into the Chi 22, this in turn was taken on by Nick Miller, then the Silent Assassin (we know who you are) and finally Iain White made the last heave over the line. Whatters chipped the conversion over, 5-15. Another few minutes passed and Arms were camped in the Chi 22 again, round the corner we went and eventually Whatters crossed the line and under the posts. He made the conversion too, 5-22. Arms kept piling on the pressure and yet another series of mauls, round the corner rucks and line breaks eventually saw Andrew Whatley score another well deserved try, sadly it was a little wide of posts for him to convert his own, 5-27.
Chi then upped their game and maybe we had switched the cruise control on early, they scored two well worked tries, neither of which was converted. 15-27. With 5 minutes remaining Arms upped the ante once again and were rewared with a penalty on the 22 in front of posts, Whatters took the shot at goal and gave us a 3 score lead again, 15-30. The last few minutes were uneventful and the final whistle bought a highly entertaining game to an end.

All in all a great game and performance from all 15 men in red. An amazingly hard fought and well deserved win away against opposition that were very much tougher than the team that visited us a few months back. My man of the match was the Silent Assassin, a close run thing with our very own Badly Drawn Captain.

Easter break next week, then Bognor at ours on 11th April.