We find ourselves at the top end of the league table, a position we have become accustomed to in recent years, which is especially pleasing as the team regularly fields 60% homegrown players.

After 13 games we have 9 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses. 579 points for v 210 against. The two teams closest to us on points, Blackburn and Sedgley Park, are due to play the reverse fixtures at Hare Lane. We’ll be very keen to correct the narrow 31-26 loss at Blackburn and continue our winning record versus Sedge, having beaten them 7-33 earlier in the season.

Games of the season this far have to be the away win versus Sedgley Park, the Cheshire Vase/League double versus Caldy and the game played recently at home to Fylde.

This team did well away against Sedge at Whitefield, playing a very direct and accurate game and taking the full points on offer. The first half saw the visitors with a 0-12 lead, with tries from Luke Ryder and Raef Watts. Oscar Malik converted the second. Raef scored a second after the break, converted by Oscar. Then young second row Wilf Smith found his way over the whitewash, also converted by Oscar. Leading 0-26 and 15mins to play, the game was all but done when Sedgley Park replied with their only points of the day. Not to be out done the young men from Chester quickly replied with a try and conversion from Oscar. Final score 7-33. It’s especially pleasing to deliver a result like this against a club with a first team at the top end of National 2 North.

The Caldy game showed us display our true potential. Down 0-20 at half time without doing much wrong, we then fell 0-34 behind soon after the break. We had to work our way back into the game. A try by Henry Kershaw, converted by Oscar Malik, gave us some hope, but Caldy replied soon after, to lead 7-41. It should have been all done there and a lesser team would have given up. However, Chester upped their work rate and showed belief in their abilities to score two more tries in the last 15mins, taking the final score to 21-41 with all scores on the day converted by Oscar. With a first team in the Championship, Caldy is always going to be a tough side to beat. We pushed them really close last year, losing by a single try twice and this game has shown us it is possible. We will certainly be targeting the league fixture in February.

The Fylde game ended in a draw 29-29, after both teams delivered a fast and expansive game. Chester opened the scoring with a try from Arran Brearey, converted by Oscar Malik, 7-0. Fylde answered by scoring 4 tries before half time, to lead 7-22 with their accurate offloading in the tackle proving very difficult to handle. Chester starting the 2nd half as we started the first, with a try from Carwyn Owen. However, Fylde hit straight back, taking a huge lead 12-29 that should have been unassailable. The young men from Hare Lane were not down, showing a patience at set piece and gaining territory. Young scrum half Llwellyn Jones scored next, followed by Archie Roebuck, converted by Oscar Malik, and then Morgan Whale also touched down. A final score of 29-29 was a fair reflection on both teams, who delivered a fantastic display of rugby and enjoyed by all who attended.

We start our 2023 campaign with a win on the road away to Stockport and are expecting a few players back from injury to help build real momentum for the second half of the season.