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Friday Feeling – 11th February 2022

After a rest week the Ravers are back on the road tomorrow with an early start as they make the 200-mile journey to the spiritual home of Jimmy Hill and Vincent Gigante to take on Chinnor RFC. 

Matches between the sides are always close. Earlier in the season the sides fought out a 27 – 27 draw at Paton Field after Caldy were initially blown away by the power of the Chinnor pack. At 19-3 down within 15 minutes it would have been easy for the Ravers to panic or crumble or both, but they trusted in each other. After Mike Barlow and Nick Royle got Caldy back into the game it was left to the league’s leading point scorer Ben Jones to kick a monster last minute penalty to clinch the draw.

Tomorrow Caldy will need to deal with a number of other monsters if they are to keep their winning streak going. Chinnor possess some of the biggest and most experienced forwards in National 1 rugby. The giants Soane Tonga’uiha and Frederick Tuilagi were wrecking balls in the first encounter at Paton Field, and they have recently been joined by the even bigger up and coming tighthead prop Tim Hoyt on loan from Leicester Tigers. 

Ben Jones may wish to include a multiple – choice question in tomorrow’s coach quiz on whether this giant trio’s combined size is closer to the weight of a) a grizzly bear b) 5 Nick Royles or c) the total weight of all the beer consumed by the Ravers on away trips so far this season

Although Chinnor presently sit in mid table they have 2 games in hand on most of the league and will be looking to pick up maximum points from this game to propel them towards the top of the table. It is sure to be one of the toughest games of the season for the Ravers. 

Head Coach Matt Cairns has selected the following squad for the away fixture against Chinnor RFC which kicks off at 3.00 p.m. at the Rectory Pavilion in Thame

1.Aigbokhae 2. Hearn 3. Rushton 4. Dickinson S 5. Gerrard 6. Crowe 7. Ridgway 8. Dickinson JJ 9. Murray 10. Hinchcliffe 11. Royle 12. Barlow 13. Titherington 14. Jones B 15. Gourlay 16. Clarke 17. Higginson 18. Jones D 19. Thomas 20. Cartmill

The organisation and intensity of Caldy’s 2nd xv has prepared a larger squad of players to be able to make the step up into National 1 rugby and has been pivotal to the club’s senior success so far this campaign. The form and ability of the players and the team success of the 2nd xv each week has continued to provide Director of Rugby Gareth Davies and his coaching staff with the most difficult of selection decisions.

Tomorrow Caldy’s 2nd xv are also on their travels with a Cotton Traders Premier League fixture away at Lymm. Although in their last two matches they have racked up more than 150 points tomorrow’s fixture against Lymm will be a significantly more difficult encounter. 

Lymm are one of the best sides in the league and are particularly strong on home turf. Caldy will need to be at their absolute best to keep their winning run going. The match kicks off at Crouchley Lane Lymm at 2.15 pm. If you are not going to Chinnor do make the much shorter journey to support the squad at Lymm

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