By N Lawless
Chester 23-17 Huddersfield
Huddersfield fell to a narrow 23-17 defeat to Chester in the opening game of the season after fighting bravely for most of the match.
Last season’s National 2 North high-flyers Chester had to wait until the last five minutes of the match till they conclusively got their noses in front.
The game started at a quick pace with both sides looking to attack. Chester were first on the scoreboard with a converted penalty after five minutes.
Huddersfield gradually began to get on top and got the first try of the match after a burst through the middle by Joel Hinchcliffe gave Elliot Hodgson the chance to finish off the move, with Hinchcliffe making the conversion.
Another Chester pen brought the score to 7-6 and put pressure on the Huddersfield defence towards the end of the half, resulting in a try right before half-time with the conversion making it 13-7 in Chester’s favour going into the break.
Chester converted another penalty early in the second half to increase their lead before Huddersfield got back into the game with a try down the left-hand side by Alex Battye.
Huddersfield were then penned back in their half as Chester put them under sustained pressure, looking to kill the game off.
‘Field were a man down after 60 minutes after Adam Malthouse was sin binned after the referee spotted an offence in a halfway line scramble amid confusion.
Against the run-of-play Huddersfield scored another try to take the lead. A Chester slip-up gave Michael Clarke the ball and he ran from his own half to score, with the missed conversion making the score 17-16.
Huddersfield had their backs to the wall for the last fifteen minutes, bravely locking out a dominant Chester.
Eventually Chester made the breakthrough on 74 minutes following a swift move through the middle. The conversion made it 23-17 and with so little time left Huddersfield couldn’t come back in their return to the National 2 North.
Huddersfield team v Chester
Hodgson
Clarke
Walker, Sam
Mitchell
Martin
Hinchcliffe
Jeffrey
Battye
Thornton
Sanderson
Rhodes
Malthouse
Hoyle
Sharpe
Thompson
Subs:
Brown
Purcell
Bills
Bird
