Western Counties West 
St Ives 43, Chard 1st XV 5

CHARD made the trip to Cornwall but got little joy after a first-half battering.

After a keenly-fought opening 15 minutes, Chard felt the full force of St Ives’ attacking force and, by half-time, had conceded five tries.

First to cross the line was Ben Taylor, mauled over by a big pack; increasing pressure on Chard’s rearguard then led to a penalty try following a line-out.

Ninnes went over for two tries and Pete Mabbot added the other before the break; Rhys Brownfield converted three.

To Chard’s credit, they came out for the second half in determined mood and scored a try of their own through Joe Mainwaring, but the conversion was missed.

However, Jamie Prisk and Kye Beasley finished off the scoring and a fine performance.

The victory saw St Ives moved to the top of the table, with challengers Devonport Services enduring a surprise defeat at the hands of lowly Sidmouth.

It’s a close-run thing at the top with St Austell also in the mix.

In Somerset 2 South, Chard 2nd XV came up against a strong Weston-super-Mare outfit and were defeated 39-22, to leave them in mid-table.

The 3rd XV travelled to Frome and suffered a heavy 63-10 defeat.

This coming Saturday, Chard 1st XV entertain Tiverton, the 2nd XV travel to Tor and the 3rd XV are without a fixture.

***

Crediton Ladies 5, Chard Ladies 5

CHARD RFC Ladies travelled to Crediton full of confidence after last week’s victory over Swanage and Wareham.

A match against a development team was expected to be an ideal follow-up fixture.

Chard began strongly with lots of possession, leading to drives by the Chard pack building up pressure on the Crediton line.

It was clear this was going to be a tough fixture as, from the start, the Crediton tackling and defence was very strong, with the Chard line breakers being brought down forcing further phases.

After repeated charges by Elaine Stainier, Sasha White and scrum-half Jade Watts, the Crediton line was finally breached from short range by Jo Truscott.

Chard continued to dominate in the scrum, however, Crediton won the battle in the lineout to give parity from the set-pieces.

Crediton gained more possession as the half wore on, winning many of the breakdowns, allowing the well-drilled backs to run at the Chard defence. Numerous breaks were made with the Chard defence being tested, and only try-saving tackles by Kerry Harris and Georgia Adams kept the away line intact.

Finally, with the last move of the half, an overlap was taken advantage of and Ellen Pierce went over to level the scores at half-time.

Chard’s dominance of the scrum was restricted in the second half with the implementation of under-19s rules to ensure safety, which resulted in the home side winning their own ball in both set-pieces.

The forwards continued to drive and a rearranged back line made inroads but were not able to take advantage. Sarah Kneeshaw, Sasha White and Mel Banfield once again were the main threats, but in the last quarter the Crediton backs began to dominate.

For most of the last 10 minutes, the home side threw waves of attacks at the Chard defence, and only wholehearted tackling kept the scores level.

All players put their bodies on the line but, again, last-ditch tackles by Liz George, Adams and Harris frustrated the home side.

When the final whistle went, a draw really was a fair result.

Credit must go to referee Scott, from Crediton, who managed the game excellently.

Forward of the match - Chelsea Bale; back - Liz George; player - Sarah Kneeshaw.

Chard's next match is at home to Winscombe, on December 17.