After one of their best team performances of the season, last time out, Chichester returned to Oaklands Park and welcomed Dartfordians. Blues made 7 changes to the side that lost to Medway. Ben Deavall, Martin O’Callaghan and Zac Conoly came in to the forwards, Rhys Thompson and Tom Blewitt returned in the backs with Nick Blount and Alex Lock on the bench.

Chichester kicked off down the slope and immediately had the visitors under pressure. An attempted kick into touch stopped short and Ben Robson was on hand to kick the ball through the Darts’ defence and pick up to score with 66 seconds on the clock. Tom Blewitt converted from out wide. 7 - 0. Play moved up and down the pitch with Chichester’s backs, directed by Gareth Davies, running at every opportunity and exciting the crowds on the balcony and side lines. Dartfordians were making good use of their pack and using the rolling maul at every opportunity, declining the opportunity to kick 3 relatively simple penalties in lieu of kicks to the corner and lineouts. Blues’ defence held rock solid for 25 minutes until the Darts’ prop peeled off of the maul, 5 metres out, and drove across the line to score. Converted. 7 - 7. From the restart Chris Johnson turned over the ball, Harry Seaman fed Davies whose pass found Rhys Thompson on a diagonal run through the opposition defence for an offload to Sam Trodd and Chichester’s second try. Conversion missed. 12 v 7. From the restart Trodd went on a mazy run through the visitors’ defence putting a grubber kick through for Robson to chase and nearly dot down. Within seconds the ball was back in the Chichester 22 and a wicked bounce wrong footed the 2 defenders for a simple Darts’ try. Conversion missed 12 - 12 and 5 minutes left in the half. Blues spent this time defending their try line as the opposition launched attack after attack. The penalty count started to rise and finally the referee produced a yellow card and Chichester were reduced to 14 players. Darts kicked the penalty to end the half.

12 - 15 and half time.

5 minutes into the second half and Darts increased their score from another penalty in front of the posts. 12 - 18. Shortly after the restart Davies’s looping pass found Thompson who burst through the visitors’ defence making nearly 30 metres. After a series of pick and goes Darts were penalised and Blewitt kicked the penalty. 15 - 18. As Chichester returned to a full compliment the visitors were penalised and the referee produced a yellow card. Blues kicked for the corner and after several phases of hard graft from the forwards it was Joe Woods who carried the ball over the line. Conversion missed but Chichester in front. 20 - 18. The response from Darts was almost immediate with a penalty kick 30 metres out, after a Blues’ infringement at the breakdown. 20 - 21. From the restart Chris Johnson recovered the ball on the Blues’ 22 metre line and set off up the touchline before being stopped by the visitors’ full back just 5 metres from the try line. The ball was inched forward by Ben Polhill and then Martin O’Callaghan before being passed back to Blewitt whose lofted cross field kick found Rhys Thompson waiting in the in-goal area for Chichester’s 4th try and a bonus point. Converted by Blewitt. 27 - 20 with 19 minutes left. Dartfordians, sensing that a first win of the season was on the cards threw the kitchen sink at Blues. The referee produced a second yellow card on 67 minutes, reducing Chichester to 14 men, and the visitors dotted down shortly after from a driving maul. Conversion missed. 27 - 26 and still 12 minutes left. In a nervy end to the game neither team could add to their score. Blues thought they had scored a try when Trodd touched down but the referee deemed it to have been grounded by a Darts’ player first. The visitors had 2 lineouts on the Blues’ 5 metre line but couldn’t get their rolling maul to work after a fine defensive effort from the Chichester pack. Dartfordians had a chance for glory with the final play of the game but the drop kick drifted a few inches wide of the post.

Full time and 27 - 26.

An extremely entertaining game of rugby and Dartfordians will be disappointed they didn’t leave West Sussex having secured their first win of the season.

Vice President’s man of the match was Rhys Thompson.

Chichester squad: Deavall, Drayson, Woods, O’Callaghan, Conoly, Spriggs, B. Polhill, (Capt.), Johnson, Seaman, Davies, McLagan, Thompson, Blewitt, Robson, Trodd, Blount, Rowland and Lock.

Next week (Saturday, 23rd of November) Chichester travel to Essex to play Thurrock. Kick-off is at 15:00