CHOSEN HILL FP 14 TORQUAY ATHLETIC 7

Injuries and unavailabilities forced Chosen to field a new look back division with second row Marc Riddel turning out on the wing and coach Martin Roberts making a rare appearance in the centre but it was the Chosen forwards who laid the foundation for victory with a particularly impressive performance against a bigger and heavier Torquay eight.

Having won the toss, Chosen elected to play up the slope and although Torquay held an early territorial advantage, the home side’s defence held firm and play soon shifted into the visitors twenty two from where Chosen skipper Andy King opened the scoring with a penalty goal after ten minutes.

Determined to make use of the slope, Torquay responded with a series of all out attacking moves and once they got close to the Chosen line they used their big forwards to try and force their way over, but despite a sustained fifteen minute period in which they camped deep inside the Chosen twenty two, they were constantly denied by a solid Chosen defensive wall in which all the forwards played a vital part.

A penalty after thirty minutes, awarded against Chosen for standing up in the scum, saw Torquay opt for their first shot at goal but winger Alistair Murray’s kick went wide and Chosen’s King finally relieved the pressure with a long range touch finder that took play to near the half-way line and half time arrived with Chosen clinging on to their hard earned three point lead.

Straight from the second half kick-off Chosen were awarded a penalty and King landed the goal from near the touch line to increase the lead to six points. The lead was short lived as five minutes later a mix up in the Chosen back division defence allowed Torquay winger Tony McCarthy to weave his way over for a try under the posts and outside-half Luke Bettsworth added the conversion to give his side a single point lead.

With their confidence raised, Torquay’s back division began to look dangerous and on one occasion only a desperate last ditch tackle by outstanding flanker Tom Gyde denied them another score.

Chosen edged their way back into the lead on sixty minutes with a third King penalty goal, awarded after Torquay second row Chris Rawlings was yellow carded for lying on the ball at a ruck. Ten minutes later Chosen sealed victory when they launched an attack down the right hand flank and when the ball was quickly recycled from a ruck twenty metres out, King produced an inch perfect kick over to the left wing where Pete Sykes was on hand to scoop up the ball and cross for a try. King’s conversion attempt hit the upright but Chosen had done enough to secure victory and they closed out the match to move up to tenth place in the league.

Next week sees Chosen make the short trip down the M5 for their away fixture against Avonmouth Old Boys, their last match before the Christmas and New year break.