Star Merrick leads way in Chinnor’s Park push

By RHYS STRATTON

Rosslyn Park … 21pts

Tries: Piper 24, Marfo 52, Jardine 74 Conversions: Wilstead 25, 53, 75

Chinnor…………. 48pts

Tries: Goss 5, Feeney 9, 32, James-Carter 19, 77, McNulty 67, Stokes 72 Conversions: Bourton 6, 20, 33, 68, 73 Penalties: Bourton 56

CHINNOR continued their impressive start to the season with a bonus-point win over Rosslyn Park.

The visitors got off to a fast start as a loose Park clearance following a period of kick-tennis was punished and Kieran Goss went over in the corner.

Then a clever kick in behind almost ran dead before being touched down by Will Feeney at the back of the dead-ball area. That was followed by a Charlie Carter try as the scrum-half got on the end of a George Merrick off-load to stretch the lead to 19 points. Man-of-the-match Merrick emphasised the importance of Chinnor's good open-play kicking that resulted in the first two scores.

He said that they did their “homework” on Park and he also highlighted the strength of the Rosslyn back-three as a catalyst for the victory, as well as accuracy with the boot.

Park answered back with a score of their own through a crash-ball for Charlie Piper.

However, the visitors wrestled back the momentum when Feeney scooped up a loose pass during a Park attack and ran it in from 50 metres out.

In the second half, the hosts narrowed the deficit through Benji Marfo when they threw 13 men into a driving maul that rumbled over the line and resulted in a score for the winger.

James Bourton once again made it a threescore game, however, as he slotted a penalty.

Then Henry Spencer saw yellow as he collapsed a maul and Chinnor punished the infringement when Will McNulty touched down from the line-out.

Match action: Left, Josh McNulty scores; right, Will Burton wins a Chinnor line out

PICTURES: Izzy Lovell

Park were further reduced to 13 when Jordan Martin was sent to the bin for dissent and Chinnor took advantage once more, this time through George Stokes.

Substitute scrum-half Sunni Jardine managed to reel in an interception with five minutes to go.

However, that proved too late to be anything other than a consolation try.

Merrick highlighted head coach Nick Easter's impact on the team's mentality in his second season with the club.

He revealed that the former England star puts a “big emphasis on improving work-rate and correcting mistakes from last season”.

That mindset was echoed when the second-row was asked how the team intended to carry their momentum into next weekend and beyond. Merrick insisted that, despite the impressive result, the performance “wasn't perfect” and that Chinnor must “look at the stuff we need to work on and carry that into next week”.

Try time: Benji Marfo scores for Park