Chester RUFC kicked off the 2015-16 season with a deserved, if narrow, 19-15 win over Preston Grasshoppers in National League Two North.

On a bright and sunny afternoon at Hare Lane, accuracy was at a premium with both sides still coming fully to grips with the demands of competitive rugby.

Although not the most fluid performance, Chester outscored the Hoppers three tries to two to give new head coach Jon Aby a win in his first game in charge.

Aby said afterwards: "I'm delighted to get the win. Momentum is critical in sport, although there is plenty to work on moving forward."

Chester began well with the forward pack putting pressure on Preston's set piece and that dominance up front became a theme of the afternoon, denying the visitors a secure platform from which to play.

Having gone close in the right corner, the home team took an early lead from an attacking lineout as Ross White took the ball in the middle and the pack drove the resulting maul over for an unstoppable try with Rhys Hayes converting.

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Three minutes later an overthrown lineout on halfway created a second try as Mike Craven latched onto the ball and made progress before two quick rucks and some neat handling saw winger John Ketland squeeze in at the corner for an unconverted score and a 12-0 lead.

The remainder of the half was frustrating for Chester, who continued to dominate possession but were unable to score. Hoppers punished them with two excellent long distance tries, both involving fullback Sean Taylor and finished by wing Scott Jordan to make the half-time score 12-12.

Following the restart, the hosts remained the team in control but could not convert possession into points but the balance of the match changed in the 65th minute.

A patient build up with the backs and forwards going through the phases moved the Hoppers defence around until Hayes saw a gap, showed the ball and broke to his left to score under the posts. His conversion moved Chester 19-12 ahead.

Almost at once Preston mounted a well structured attack of their own, winning a penalty in front of the posts which Taylor kicked to bring them back into striking distance at 19-15.

Chester then blew a chance to put the game to bed and Hoppers continued to attack from long range, but were unable to find the score required as the hosts held on.

Next up for Aby and his team is a trip to Coventry-based Broadstreet, who were thrashed 51-18 at Sedgley Park, on Saturday.