Cheshunt 5, Winchester 13

THE journey from clubhouse to pitch at Cheshunt turned out to be a good indicator of what was to follow.

Namely, an uphill struggle through the energy sapping mud, which left you breathless, but somehow satisfied to have got there. Winchester's third successive win places them firmly in the middle of the league table, relishing the prospect of meeting Cheshunt again in the last match of the season at Nuns Road. The loss of Richard Fraser and Kerry Clow to injury last weekend saw Simon Jenvey back for his first league game this year, while the back row was augmented by debutant flanker Jamie Kirkaldy. Perhaps it was the reshuffle that gave Winchester problems in winning the set pieces, putting pressure on themselves; Cheshunt used this to their advantage. Stout defending by the visitors reduced the Hertfordshire team to one penalty attempt, which was missed. Winchester's poor lineout ball frustrated their backs, who showed very early on that they easily had the measure of their opponents. Ironically, it was from a lost Cheshunt throw that Andy Ashwin was able to launch a quick handling move which spread across the pitch. This gave full back Dan Waddington a chance to run in at the corner, only to be held up just short of the line. After 25 minutes Winchester were starting to sort out their first phase possession and the backs, through Iain Banks and Rob West, were finding holes in the home defence. A sustained period of good support play stretched Cheshunt to the extent where two huge passes across the pitch, the latter from the unlikely hands of Adie Mort, gave West an easy run in for a try. An excellent conversion by Ashwin gave a 7-nil lead, which might have been 14 if the referee had not called back a Banks interception for a previous infringement. Statistically, Cheshunt's third quarter is their best and, for once, Winchester were prepared. Turning the pressure back onto their hosts by judicious kicking and chasing meant another penalty attempt for Ashwin, who stretched the lead to ten points. The Ryan brothers, Luke and Simon, were at the forefront of the chasing game, harrying their opposite numbers and the hapless full back, forcing the errors that kept Cheshunt pinned in their own half. Their only two excursions into the Winchester half resulted in missed penalty attempts. Statistics being notoriously unreliable, it transpired that the fourth quarter was the home side's strongest and, as they sensed another defeat looming, they girded themselves for one last effort. Each new referee's interpretation of the tackle laws often bemuses spectators and players alike. Winchester failed to learn this week's laws quickly enough and gave away numerous penalties, allowing Cheshunt to work steadily up the pitch to a five-yard scrum. With the threat of yellow cards for the next penalty infringement, a cautious Winchester conceded the scrum and Cheshunt scored a crucially unconverted pushover try. With the score now at 10-5 with ten minutes remaining, coaches Mike Marchant and Barry Bridgman implored the Winchester team to believe and to back themselves to win. The result was a renewed team effort, which took Winchester back into the Cheshunt half, pressurising them into infringing and once again giving Ashwin the chance to convert into points. He gratefully grabbed it to make the score 13-5 with three minutes to go. An ever increasing number of Cheshunt players being replaced meant that the few travelling Winchester supporters could relax safe in the knowledge that the journey back to the clubhouse for a celebratory beer was thankfully downhill. This weekend sees a home game against league leaders Southend (2.30 pm) which will be the strongest test yet for the resurgent Winchester.