REPORT BY: NICK DOYLE

FOR the second away game in a row, Otley charged down a conversion attempt to ensure two consecutive away wins.

They also changed down to two clearance kicks deep in Chester’s 22 and were also able to profit from those as well.

With rain falling on a blustery day Otley kicked long, the ball landing just inside for a Chester line-out. The home side cleared, Otley knocking-on on the half way line after which the visitors found themselves penned in their own half. Chester’s first real foray into Otley’s 22 was pushed into touch 5 metres out. Their next attack came after scrum-half Iwan Phillips broke through Otley’s line, but it broke down when their fly-half mistimed his pass five metres out.

Clarke Wells was given the ball from the scrum and he managed to break through at speed kicking the ball on as he went into Chester’s half. The ball made it to their 5 metre line where Chester regained possession, and once their defence was realigned they tried a clearance kick. However, Adam Malthouse’s long reach put paid to that, charging down the kick and then diving on the ball as it bounced in the dead ball area.

Chester came close to scoring when Harry Wilkinson made his way to the right hand corner flag, but was held up once over the line. They then went for the opposite corner after Otley conceded a penalty, and returned back again where No8 Luke Cox charged through from a five-metre scrum just before the end of the first quarter.

The home side extended their lead after a 50:22 gave them a line-out on the left hand side. Although they didn’t manage to gather the ball cleanly, flanker Sam Brearey picked it up and only released it when he had scored under the posts. Gethin Long made the score 14-5 with his second conversion. In response Otley mounted two concerted attacks, the second crushing Chester’s scrum after Otley knocked on. A second penalty took them to Chester’s five metre line, but they fluffed it in the line-out to bring the half to an end.

With a low sun now on their backs and the wind abating slightly, Otley began to slowly take control of the game with the majority of the play in the opposition half. They were rewarded when, from a scrum in the middle of their half, they moved the ball right, Elliot Morgan and Callum Irvine setting up Blake Morgan to score in the corner on 52 minutes. The conversion attempt hit the right hand upright. Six minutes later, Otley took the lead with an almost identical try, Charles Morgan and Irvine setting up Morgan to score his second with Eddie Crossland’s kick this time slicing the uprights.

In a flurry of points for both sides, Otley conceded a penalty in front of the posts shortly after the restart, Long adding three points to Chester’s tally. Otley’s response was immediate, Brandon Staples charging down a kick outside Chester’s 22 before being tackled just before the try line. Rory Gaffney’s quick hands got the ball to Crossland who sold a dummy before he went under the posts to score, adding the conversion moments later. The flurry ended when, having kicked the ball into Chester’s half, Otley gave free passage to Harrison Vare and then Gethin Long who scored to the right of the posts. From some ten metres out Long tried to level the scores, but Charles Morgan was quick out of the traps and charged the conversion down.

In the remainder of the game, Otley’s long range penalty attempt didn’t trouble the scorers but they were able to make it difficult for Chester to get out of their half and they held on for a well-earned victory, 24-22.