Poor conditions contributed to a dreary contest as Chester RUFC slipped to a 6-3 defeat to Harrogate.
It was a disappointing result for Chester against the side bottom of the National League 2 North.
Played on a wet Yorkshire pitch on a chilly Saturday, neither side was able to breach the try line as Harrogate led from the eighth minute.
A strong home forward pack were able to force a penalty from a scrum against the head which allowed them to take the early 3-0 lead.
As the visitors responded, they may now regret their decision not to kick for goal on three occasions and instead going for the corner.
Chester put together strong drives by Andy Bastin and Mike Craven, but were unable to break through a resolute home defence.
Both teams had their opportunities during prolonged periods of pressure, but were unable to master the tricky conditions.
As the first half drew to a close Harrogate clinched an opportunity to double their lead and make the score 6-0 at the break.
Following the restart the Yorkshire club spurned an opportunity to extend their advantage before Chester’s forwards secured a penalty 40 metres out in the 50th minute.
Callum Bennett slotted over for the away side as attempted to seize the initiative.
Chester pressed on in attack and went through the phases but were again stopped by a defence which belied its position in the standings.
Harrogate saw Keane Naylor’s break hauled back for a forward pass as they escaped the pressure.
Chester may have thought the game was up when Kyle Joseph was yellow carded, but Bennett was given one more shot at goal from the tee.
The fly half saw his effort drift agonisingly wide of the posts for what proved to be their last opportunity to level.
The Firsts now sit fifth in the table ahead of a meeting with second-placed Sale FC on Saturday.
Chester’s Second XV had a more successful weekend with a 28-26 victory over Preston Grasshoppers.
This was despite some players from the Lancashire side mistakenly celebrating at the final whistle.
A quick check with the referee confirmed the points were in fact Chester’s.
Ed Morris and Luke Huxley were picked out for their performances as the club extended its unbeaten run to five games.
The Hare Lane outfit made a hot start on a cold afternoon as they forced two tries inside the first 20 minutes.
Preston fought back with two converted scores of their own to leave the match finely balanced heading into the second half.
The away side briefly took a slender lead after the break after capitalising on a handling error by the hosts.
But Chester responded with the decisive try and a penalty despite suffering a pair of early injuries which led to players playing out of their normal position.
The Seconds stay seventh in the table and face Firwood Waterloo 2 this coming weekend.
What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments below.
