Chesterfield Panthers Fail to Find an Easy Prey in a Resurgent Castle Donington Side

Castle Donington took to the field for their fourth league game of the new season looking for their second win of the season against Chesterfield. The first 10 minutes of the game saw most of the ball in Chesterfield hands, inside Donington’s half, but the home teams defence was strong and Chesterfield made little ground, being pegged back by the boot of Ollie Clarke clearing Donington’s lines. Eventually, however, Donington centre Rick Bentley failed to roll away from one of his numerous tackles that kept the Chesterfield attack at bay and from 15 metres, in front of the posts, Chesterfield took the lead with a well struck penalty. Donington looked to chalk off the early score and good pressure forced mistakes from the visiting side. This led to Donington securing a line out deep in their opposition’s 22 where Shane Harris plucked Lee Harrison’s throw from the air and Donington set for a fierce drive to the line. A Chesterfield infringement, trying to stop the Donington pack from crashing over, resulted in the home side being awarded a penalty but on the angle, the kick struck the post before being cleared into touch. This spurred Donington on however, and they tried to capitalise from more ill discipline from the visiting side. Centre Bentley was tackled after he had kicked the ball downfield and from the line out resulting from the penalty, Donington drove for the line once again and were threatening the Chesterfield try line before the ball was turned over and the Donington defence quickly retreated.

The home side were then punished for their errors as the Chesterfield kicker kept nudging his side towards the Donington line before a missed placed kick was parried back in field by blindside flanker, Darren Summers, Donington were slow to react to the bouncing ball and Chesterfield took the lead as their scrum half found a gap at the side of the resulting ruck and ran in the first try of day under the posts from 15 metres out, the resulting conversion adding 2 points to the Chesterfield total who now had a 10-0 lead. Donington again came back strongly but high kicks into Donington territory were proving difficult for full-back Chris Holt. Pressure from these kicks proved too much for Donington however, and late on in the first half the home side infringed in a Chesterfield ruck and from straight in front of the posts the Chesterfield kicker put an extra three points to his side’s total, taking Chesterfield into the break with a 13-0 lead.

Donington started the stronger team after the break and a poor Chesterfield kick was collected by full-back Holt, who made a break from inside his own half, making hard earned ground, before some good handling work saw Donington unlucky not to go over in the corner. With the resulting Chesterfield line out stolen, Donington saw themselves 5 metres from the Chesterfield line and after yet another good drive from the Donington pack, captain Alan White crashed down over the line. The resulting conversion from the 22 metre line on the angle was superbly stuck by fly-half Clarke to make the score 13-7 still in Chesterfield’s favour.

Donington were then looking for another score and conversion to take them into the lead and were trying their hardest to make something, playing free flowing rugby but to no avail. Eventually, with time running out, another surging run by full-back Holt put pressure on a tiring Chesterfield defence; the home side took advantage of this and drove the Chesterfield pack backwards on continuous phases of play. Frantic, tired, defence led to a series of Donington penalties, who continued dominating the Chesterfield pack but it was all in vain as, with time up, a Donington infringement 5 metres from the Chesterfield line resulted in a Chesterfield penalty. The kick was gratefully put into touch leaving the Donington team disappointed not to have taken something out of such a hard-fought game.
Next weekend sees the eagerly anticipated away game at Cleethorpes where Donington will still be looking for their second win of the season. The club will be running a coach to the game so if anyone is interested in coming along please could they contact Lee Harrison asap via; leeaharrison@hotmail.com.

Castle Donington 1st XV V’s Chesterfield Panthers 1st XV;
Holt, Whittaker, Cook, Bentley, Lewis, Clarke O, Boddy, Bradley, Harrison, Whitehead, Harris, Robinson, Summers, Michaud, White (Capt).
Replacements; Keeling D, Lee