First win of season for Maids

At the 16th attempt Maidenhead RFC finally won their first league match of the season when they beat Chippenham 23-21 at Braywick.

The victory came off the back of a dominant first half performance and a backs-to-the-wall effort after the break during which they only created one opportunity late on, but crucially scored from it.

Maids got off to a flyer when winger Billy Evans touched down after one minute.

Chippenham replied, but further tries from Richie Craig and man of the match Alex Cannon gave the hosts a 18-7 lead at the break.

The second 40 minutes saw Maids spend most of the time on defensive duties in their own half, and when the visitors finally made the most of their pressure to go 21-18 ahead with 10 minutes remaining, it appeared that another chance to win a match had slipped through Maids’ fingers.

But from their only foray into Chippenham’s 22, Maids eschewed a penalty in front of the posts and took a quick tap penalty which eventually saw Ryan Long stretch over the line to score.

The win gave the Maids faithful the chance to celebrate – the first time they have done this since beating Olney on April 18, 2009.