10:15am Thursday 8th January 2009
By Iain Liddle
Rugby: Chippenham manager Andy Fielding has highlighted the importance of Saturday’s game against Weston Super Mare and says there is personal pride to play for, as well as crucial league points.
Chippenham play hosts for the match, having narrowly lost the initial meeting between the sides 27-23 in early November.
Both teams will be re- energised having enjoyed two weeks off over Christmas and the New Year and Fielding feels it is the perfect opportunity to put right a long-standing wrong.
“We’ve never beaten them but I think this is a time when we can turn them over,” he said.
“Our preparations have been hurt a little by the weather and it’s been hard to train outdoors at times but we need to kick off the new year with a bang.
“I don’t want to sound like a football manager but some of the games we have got coming up against the sides around us in the table are really important and almost worth four points rather than two.
“We always knew it was going to be tough in this league but this is the sort of fixture that can help establish you if you can get a win.”
Nick Doyle and Luke Hamhan missed the last game, a 32-21 defeat to Barnstaple, but should return to the fold on Saturday.
Fielding also paid tribute to former Chippenham coach Ron Highfield, who recently passed away having been involved with the club since joining them in the sixties.
“He was a real stalwart. I’ve been here for 36 years and he pre-dated me,” he said.
“He did everything in his time from coaching to refereeing to simply being a mentor for the younger players.
“Ron hadn’t been as closely involved in recent years due to problems with his health but he was always there to help out and a real character too. He was a lovely man.”
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