CHIPPENHAM returned from their winter break in fine fettle as they completed a convincing 31-3 win over Witney as they look to right the wrongs of the first half of the campaign.

Director of rugby John Brown admits that his side were left red-faced in their last outing before Christmas, falling to a 43-22 defeat at Banbury to cap off a tough start to life back in South West One East.

Heading into the weekend’s game just three places off the foot of the table, the importance of beginning the new year on the right foot was imperative and Ryan Parry got them off to the perfect start, scoring under the posts.

Further tries from Lewis Surry and Brad Doggett put the hosts in a commanding 19-0 lead at the break and despite Witney pulling a penalty back, Dan Carter’s 30-metre effort and a penalty try wrapped up the victory.

“It was a very pleasing result,” said Brown.

“I think on the day, we got it right and it was really good.

“We had a couple of good games before the break, playing well against Bassett and Swindon, but unfortunately, we let ourselves down against Banbury and if I’m totally honest, we collectively walked away feeling quite embarrassed.

“I guess the break came at the right time and last weekend, the boys worked really hard and adapted well.

“The boys, for about 70 minutes, played to the game plan that we have implemented and it worked a treat.”

Brown was particularly impressed with 19-year-old debutant Carter and knows the club must work hard to maintain the services of the young players coming through the club.

“It goes to show the strength in depth the club has got,” he added.

“The challenge, as a club, is retaining that youth because we probably end up with 70 to 80 per cent of our boys going off to university and we lose them few a few years.

“Young Dan Carter on the weekend was absolutely fantastic.

“He’s a good lad, his core skills are very good but he has got blistering pace and at this level, you can’t buy that.”

Chippenham are at home again this Saturday as they host Grove and Brown is keen to build strong foundations for the remainder of their season.

He said: “As a collective, the first half of the season, we all know we underperformed and the vibes we are getting back from the players has been very positive.

“We have had a few injuries but the guys understand what needs to be done.”