Maidenhead Maids let Chinnor off the hook
In a proverbial game of two halves, the Braywick side scored all their points before the break when they had a helping wind at the backs.
In was a different story in a stop-start second half which saw the balance shift gradually in the opposite direction.
The Maidenhead Maids pack coped well in the first session against Chinnor's usually dominant forwards who, on this occasion, were slow to take control.
But Maidenhead were guilty of not making all their opportunities count when they had the advantage, while Chinnor finished strongly after levelling the game at 13-13 with eight minutes to go.
Coach Simon Edwards said: "Our injury problems made the difference towards the end and they were able to capitalise.
"We had two or three injuries before the game and then lost Stuart Douglas with a ham-string with a quarter of an hour to go.
"Johnny Hammond, who was also suffering hamstring problems, had to be called off the bench. It was too hard in the last quarter and they scored two tries through our weakened middle.
"Chinnor had more to play for, and once they got their heads in front they saw their opportunity."
Maidenhead opened the scoring after 12 minutes through Danny Walton who, having taken over the place kicking duties from skipper Mark Ruddick, nailed an early penalty.
He added another four minutes later to boost Maidenhead Maids' confidence and they went on to score a try through man-of-the-match Simon Cripps after 27 minutes which Walton converted.
Chinnor had a chance to reduce the deficit with a penalty of their own, but missed and then had a player sin-binned just before the half-time whistle.
The second half was slow to ignite, but Chinnor got their first points of the game from the boot of kicker James Hewitt with 16 minutes of the session gone.
They added a try through winger Rewi Tolich in the 63rd minute, converted by Hewitt, who then slotted a penalty nine minutes later to bring the two sides level.
The defining moment came with four minutes left when Chinnor centre Rich Williams appeared to have knocked on when the ball was being fed along the line.
But the referee allowed play to continue and the flying Chinnor man went over to put his side ahead for the first time in the game.
Hewitt added the extra points, then kicked a penalty on the stroke of time.
With eight minutes of time added on, Chinnor put extra gloss on their victory when wingman Eric Brown crossed for another try.
Edwards gave credit to both sides for a good game of rugby.
He said: "Without doubt we gave them a hell of shake, and I think the better side lost.
"We played far better rugby in the first half than they did in the second. Although we are normally strong at the end, we tired in the wind with our injury problems. But we certainly gave them a real fright."
SOUTH WEST ONE Chinnor 30 Maidenhead 13
Maidenhead Maids: Plamus, Mackay, Douglas, Cripps, Walton, Ruddick, Edwards; Riley,Craig, Johnston, Gallina, Mueller,Lynch, Parkhouse, Jones. Subs: Hammond, Thomas, Cox.
ic Berkshire ~ Maidenhead
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