CHOSEN HILL FP 19 NEWENT 35

On a cold but bright afternoon Chosen had first use of the Brookfield Road slope but it was the visitors who made all the early running and two penalty goals in the opening ten minutes gave them a lead that they extended on fifteen minutes when a Chosen Hill dropped high ball on the halfway line was snatched up by the Newent winger who raced away to score under the posts with the conversion giving them a thirteen point lead.
Chosen had not even been into the visitors twenty-two but already found themselves playing catch up rugby and to their credit they gradually came into the match and finally opened their scoring on the half hour when they won a penalty lineout five metres out and drove skipper Tom Gyde over for the first of his two tries with outside half Andy King adding the conversion to narrow the gap to six points.
Newent responded when they capitalised on some loose Chosen play to secure the ball and take play deep into the Chosen twenty-two and after Chosen were adjudged to have wheeled the scrum on two consecutive occasions the referee awarded a penalty try with the conversion extending their lead back to thirteen points.
Worst was to follow for Chosen as with only minutes left until the break they were turned over as they drove play forward near the half way line with the resulting Newent counter attack ending in another converted try that gave them a twenty point interval lead.
Having already introduced replacement Marc Riddel at centre for the injured Ed Higgs Chosen sent on brother Ian for the second half and both soon made their presence felt with powerful contributions but it was Newent who opened the second half scoring with another penalty goal.
Chosen then enjoyed a purple patch as they scored two quick tries, the first after fifty minutes when a powerful driving maul was finished off by skipper Gyde but King was unable to convert, however he made amends five minutes later when he dummied his way over from ten metres out and then added the conversion to bring the gap down to eleven points.
On sixty five minutes Newent scored their bonus point try from a well worked lineout move but the conversion was missed.
Chosen were reduced to thirteen men for ten of the remaining fifteen minutes as first second row Dean Barnard, for entering a ruck from the side, and then scrum half Rory Lamden for talk-back, were sent to the bin but the visitors were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage and there was no further score.
The loss meant that Chosen dropped to fifth place in the league and with no match next week, they resume league action on Sat 31st January when they travel to North Bristol