Victory dedicated to Davies
Chester Road skipper Dave Rogers believes his players have "found form at the right time" after they beat Wem USC 217-188 to snatch the Glynn Hill County Cup. Chester Road skipper Dave Rogers believes his players have "found form at the right time" after they beat Wem USC 217-188 to snatch the Glynn Hill County Cup. The Shrewsbury-based outfit took home the silverware after final flourishes from Richie Griffiths, Paul Latham and Mark Holland in the decisive final games at Reman Services. The match was dedicated to the memory of Shropshire's deputy president, Chris Davies - who passed away suddenly last week - and was played out in front of a crowd in excess of 200, on a warm evening on the improved surface at Reman. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
The match was dedicated to the memory of Shropshire's deputy president, Chris Davies - who passed away suddenly last week - and was played out in front of a crowd in excess of 200, on a warm evening on the improved surface at Reman.
The result means Chester Road have won the crown three times in the last five years - and Rogers is proud to see his side's efforts bear fruit after a disappointing season so far.
He said: "It is a very proud moment and it is our third in the last five years, so I am really pleased.
"It has been a hard season up to now, and our players seem to have found form at the right time."
The match was initially shaping up to be a close-run affair with the first four shared - a 21-8 victory for Andy Moss over Bailey cancelled out by a convincing victory for Wem skipper Derek Wright over Tim Halliwell.
Wins for Ian Dowley and Graham Dulson kept Wem just about in touch in the middle four, while a 21-13 for late call-up Rod Manley maintained a slender lead for the favourites.
But it was Chester Road who pulled away in the final quartet, with Griffiths and Holland both shining.
Rogers added: "A couple of players stood out and Rod Manley came in at the last minute and put in a fine performance. From 7-0 down, he came back to win 21-13 and was my man of the match.
"Mark Holland and Richie Griffiths won the game for us - if it wasn't for those then it would have much a lot closer. Wem played very well."
By James Shaw
