Chester completed a season double over visitors Sheffield Tigers on Saturday at a bitingly cold Hare Lane in front of a bumper crowd.
Hard work from club members allowed the game to go ahead as much lying snow was removed from the pitch prior to the game.
Injuries led to Head Coach Jan Deventer making changes to the side with Liam Reeve returning at fly-half, James Hampson slotting in at full-back, Charlie Craven selected at centre and a 1st XV debut on the wing for Luke Ryder, a reward for some impressive performances in the 2nd XV.
Tigers started much the brighter, denying the home side possession and mounting sharp attacks through their speedy back line marshalled by veteran fly-half Mark Ireland and the large physical presences of back row forwards Connor Scott and Tom Calladine. A penalty from Ireland in the 4th minute gave the visitors an early lead. Chester hit back on 17 minutes with a long-range Liam Reeve penalty, and it was to be Reeve’s accuracy from the tee that provided the crucial factor in this game.
In a game punctuated by the referee's whistle, it was Tigers who crossed the whitewash first when centre Barney Goatley exploited space out wide and scored in the corner. Ireland was unsuccessful with the conversion attempt. The lead lasted just 4 minutes as a piece of individual brilliance from wing Harrison Vare levelled the scores. Receiving the ball from a scrum on the half way line his chip and chase over the visitor’s full back saw him collect the ball on the bounce and dot down in front of a packed stand. Liam Reeve added the conversion to give Chester the lead at half-time.
Following the break Chester, with Dom Cleverley shoring up the front row, gained parity in the tight and began to take control of the game with territorial gains following strong runs from skipper Harry Wilkinson, front rower Scott Robson and the ever-busy George Baxter. Tigers did regain the lead on 43 minutes with an Ireland penalty, but this was short-lived as two further penalties from Reeve pushed Chester out to a 16-11 lead with 20 minutes to play. Loose play from the home side led to a ruck penalty for the visitors on 68 minutes landed again by Ireland, but this was just a pre-cursor to the decisive moment of the game, as Kyle Joseph spotted some distracted defence at a ruck close to the visitors' line and dived through to score (pictured). The opportunity came after some powerful incursions into the 22 from the home forwards against a visibly tiring Tigers defence. Reeve completed a 100% kicking performance by landing the conversion.
Tigers roused themselves for a big last 10 minutes but their only reward was a 78th minute Ireland penalty. Chester saw out the final couple of minutes for a satisfying win for a squad still struggling with a long injury list. The victory sees Chester up to fourth in National 2 North.
Pic credit: Jonathan Cain