Chinnor came, saw and conquered at Grantchester Road on their Championship debut, with Cambridge well off the desired pace in a lacklustre first half for the hosts.
The visitors endeavour, epitomised by skipper Willie Ryan on his 100th appearance, blew the Blood & Sand away inside the first 8 minutes with two scores from nothing.
DOR Nick Easter was very happy with his side – and his captain: “It’s nowhere near where we want to be to be perfectly honest – but the guys executed the key messages very well. It’s going to be tough – it’s a level up. Willie played in the row today – not where he wanted to be on his 100th cap – but I thought he was inspirational, especially the way he finished for his try.”
The opener started in Chinnor’s 22 as Cambridge over-threw their line out and was finished under the sticks. The second saw number eight Isaiah Wharton barrel over and the tone was set for a torrid afternoon for the home defence. Connor Slevin converted both.
Eli Caven reduced the deficit just inside the first quarter with a typically swift, evasive run. Louis Grimoldby was wide from the tee. And a yellow card for Kayde Sylvester left further gaps for the visitors to exploit before the break. Alun Walker benefitted from a driving maul – then Chinnor went coast to coast from their own 22 with Slevin sprinting in from distance for the bonus point try after a succession of missed tackles.
Sylvester redeemed himself for the yellow card early in the second half, crashing over for a try on debut. Grimoldby added the extras. Chinnor, though, added three more scores in quick succession – started by Ryan, who charged down Ruaridh Dawson’s attempted clearance for a celebratory five points. Luke Carter ran in for another unopposed from deep. And Slevin outpaced more desperate defence for number seven of the afternoon.
Morgan Veness got the final touch on a driving maul from Cambridge – Grimoldby peerless from out wide with his conversion – but Kieran Goss grabbed another for Chinnor, striding in at the corner.
Caven added a bonus point for the Blood & Sand with another super finish, made by Grimody and Sam Hanks. But the visitors burgled the ball direct from the kick off and Goss was in again for number nine. Slevin missed his final three conversions.
Richie Williams was not pleased with side’s showing. “To concede 57 points at home, especially after the number of additions we’ve made to the squad, is unacceptable. And we’ve just told that to the boys. We didn’t do what we did in training this week. We have to be much, much better for next week’s trip to Caldy.
Teams
Cambridge
Lennon 7, Skelcey 6 (Green 47 6), Hema 6, Betteridge 6 (Hanks 61 7) , Caven 7, Grimoldby 7, Dawson 6 (Jones 61 7); Ellwood 6 (Nearchou 7), Brownlie 6 (Veness 6), Walker 6 (Bridges 60 6), Sylvester, 7, Bretag Norris 6 (Baxter 56 7) Rees 7, Cardew 8, Bartlett 7 (Adams 56 7)
Chinnor
Feeney 7, Hughes 7, Passman 7, Bourton 7(Rokodrava 61 7), Goss 8, Slevin 8, James-Carter 8 (Pascoe 53 7); Lines 7, Walker 8 (Cave 70 6), Hardwick 7 (Porter 70 6), Ryan 9 (North 61 7), Shaw 8, Dugmore 7, Stokes 7(Brockschmidt 48 7), Wharton 8 (Clementson 53 7)
Scorers
Cambridge
Tries – Caven 17, 77 Sylvester 48, Veness 67
Conversions – Grimoldby 49, 68
Chinnor
Tries – Feeney 4, Wharton 6, Walker 35, Slevin 37, 63 Ryan 50, James-Carter 53, Goss 71, 79
Conversions – Slevin 5,7, 36, 38, 51, 54,