Chichester: 30

Tunbridge Wells: 7

WELLS travelled to Chichester looking to for a double in this fixture, having taken the home game in London 1 South in November.

For the first time in many weeks, conditions were firm underfoot, and warmer, and to stand a chance Wells needed to produce more ball than the week before against Wimbledon. A lively start saw Ollie Rogers just wide with a snap drop-goal almost from the kick-off.

Pete Binham, skippering the side, had one chance to take line-out ball before he was cynically tackled well off the ball by Chichester number seven Polhill and played no further part in the match.

This left Wells to re-arrange around Paul Miles and without any alternatives in the line-out. Miles had joined the game only 30 seconds before he was shown a yellow card for a team warning he had not been on the pitch to hear, and Wells were really struggling as they went down 5-0 after 12 minutes.

Chichester fly-half Adams made it 8-0 on 14 minutes, while Wells were a man down still, and finished off the first quarter, as Miles returned, with a try close to the posts, unconverted, to make the score 13-0 after 21 minutes.

With Miles back on the pitch, and the Wells back row of Hurley, Daly and Doherty gaining more turnover ball, despite Polhill's repeated handling on the floor not being dealt with, Wells launched some good counter-attacking moves with full-back James Warren having an outstanding period of play.

The second 20 minutes remained scoreless and Wells provided far more stability in the scrimmage with Nigel Follows starting at tight head and Lewis Russell remaining in his more favoured loose-head position.

Half-time saw no addition to the score at 13-0 to the home side, but Wells' ambition to be more dominant was thwarted by disruption in the line-out and last-ditch Chichester defence.

The second half saw the Wells backs and back row with more ball secured in the loose and Wells made inroads up the middle through Sitiveni Turagaiviu and Dane Hurley and up the flanks from a countering James Warren.

Twelve minutes of the second half had gone when Wells made another incursion up the left touchline, only for the loose ball at the breakdown to be kicked unerringly into the hands of Chichester right-wing Seviua, who went in from halfway between the posts after a period of Wells attack: 20-0.

Chichester then entered into a phase of play, which tested how many penalties they could incur before earning their own yellow card and the answer was 14 before the home loose-head prop was dispatched.

Wells exacted punishment on 60 minutes as David Coombes picked up loose ball on halfway and made the break to set Sitiveni Turagaiviu away for his 10th league try of the season between the posts for James Warren to convert: 20-7.

Try as Wells might, they could not quite get over the home line, despite thundering runs from Lewis Russell and Tom Pithouse, and Mark Wilson failing to reach the try line by inches.

By the 70th minute, with Russell and debutant Jo Wood-Lowe being taken out head-high, the Wells push for more points was dented by a rolling maul on the right, which they could not stop, on 71 minutes.

Despite holding out and launching several further attacks on the flank in the 86th minute, Chichester were awarded a try in the corner, even though home fans and the Wells players were convinced the ball had been held up in goal.

This, despite the final score line, was a very spirited and sometimes effective game from Wells and augurs much better for their chances of avoiding relegation than their game the week before.

Squad: Lewis Russell, Mark Higgins, Nigel Follows, Richard Sparks, Paul Miles, Peter Binham, Tom Pithouse, Nick Doherty, Dane Hurley, Steve Daly, Mark Wilson, Ollie Rogers, Steve Jones, David Coombes, Sitiveni Turagaiviu, Jo Wood-Lowe.

Tomorrow (Saturday), following the club's annual sponsors' lunch, supported by Virgin Atlantic, Wells will turn their attention to Chobham at St Mark's (3pm).