THIS was not a happy Easter for Chippenham's U13 squad as they went down heavily to a touring U13 side from London Irish.

This was a hard, physical game against a very strong visiting London Irish side.

They ran in nine unanswered tries and added five conversions.

The first of their nine tries came directly from the kick-off which set the scene for the rest of the enthralling match.

Chippenham found themselves under pressure throughout the match.

London Irish looked dangerous every time they passed the ball out wide.

When Chippenham did manage to win possession of the ball, they did not get any change out of the Irish defence which repelled anything that the home side could throw at them.

To their credit, the Chippenham players did not give up.

Their backs did well against much tougher and stronger opposition and their forwards performed well.

Chippenham fought and battled hard but could not keep up with the pace of the Irish players.

Although they lost, the coaches were happy with the team's effort and attitude and the players now know what is expected of them for next season.

A Chippenham player did sustain a rib injury during the early exchanges and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Afterwards in the clubhouse, several presentations were made.

The London Irish contingent nominated Chippenham's Myles Cavendish at their player of the match and he was presented with a London Irish club shirt.

They also presented a club tie to the coach and to the team captain, with a shield for the clubhouse wall.