Chelmsford travelled to Portsmouth on Saturday and put in an excellent performance in extremely wet and windy conditions. The game could have gone either way and was still in doubt up to the final minutes. Chelmsford played against the wind in the first half and were always dangerous on the break. Joel Young was having a fine game at scrum half and Anthony Butt was making tackles all over the field. After twenty minutes Portsmouth scored following a scrum close to the Chelmsford line, when they drove over to score a try brilliantly converted from the touch line. Chelmsford’s tackling throughout the game was excellent with back row players Paul Redford and Ross Toomey excelling. Portsmouth went further ahead when a last ditch tackle was deemed to be high and a penalty try was given along with ten minutes in the sin bin for the tackler. Chelmsford came very close to scoring in the last minute of the half, when centre Lloyd Ellis was held up over the line after a forty metre storming run. Half Time: Portsmouth 14 Chelmsford 0
Within ten minutes of the second half, Chelmsford had reduced the deficit after a defence splitting run by Mike Dawson – out of position on the wing - set up a ruck close to the try line, which Anthony Butt drove on for a converted try. Throughout the game, Chelmsford had the edge in the lineouts and Portsmouth in the set scrum. Given the 50mph winds, having the edge in the lineouts was not as useful as Portsmouth having the edge in the scrum, and it was from a series of scrums when Portsmouth scored again wide out which again was excellently converted. With ten minutes to go, following sustained pressure, the indomitable Nic Crouch drove forward and, using his considerable reach, plunged the ball over the line for a converted try. Chelmsford spent the last minutes on the attack but could not score to tie the game.
Next week Chelmsford play Campion in the league at home ko. 2.15