CHINNOR made a stunning start to life in National League 1 when beating Plymouth Albion 26-11 away from home.

Fly-half Caolan Ryan kicked 16 points on his debut as the newly-promoted club got the better of a side who finished third last season and had only lost once at home over the last two years.

Chinnor, playing their first game at the level, came out of the blocks with a series of powerful scrums.

And two Ryan penalties put them 6-0 in front after ten minutes.

Two try-saving tackles from Plymouth’s Matt Shepherd prevented Chinnor from extending their lead, before the same player kicked a penalty for the hosts.

The visitors continued to power forward, but were not rewarded with a try.

Instead, they were forced to settle for another Ryan penalty, before Shepherd replied as Chinnor’s lead was cut to 9-6 at half-time.

The Thame-based side continued in the same vein after the break and extended their advantage.

No 8 Tom Burns silenced the home support with a 35-metre run to score the first try, Ryan converting, to make it 16-6.

Plymouth responded with their best period of the game.

And the pressure took its toll when Teegan Minkley crossed, Shepherd adding the extras, with 20 minutes to go.

But Chinnor crucially extended their lead to eight points with nine minutes remaining, when Ryan kicked his fourth penalty.

They then made sure of victory on 78 minutes.

Joe Dancer brilliantly stole a Plymouth lineout and Chinnor countered, leading to debutant Craig Holland going over under the posts, Ryan converting, to seal a deserved win.

Joe Butler scored 18 points as Henley Hawks started the new season with a thrilling 45-37 win at Bury St Edmunds.

Sam Randle, Xavier Andre, Sam Portland and debutant Sam Lunnon also crossed as the visitors began life under head coach Luke Allen with victory in Suffolk.

Hawks resisted some early pressure in the National League 2 South fixture, before taking the lead on 11 minutes.

Randle broke from half way before squeezing over, fly-half Butler converting.

A Cameron Ritchie penalty got Bury on the scoreboard, before the hosts went 10-7 ahead.

Nicholas Perez went over and Ritchie added the extras.

Hawks were quick to reply, though, and went 14-10 up on 20 minutes when Andre raced over, Butler converting.

The early scoring continued as a Ritchie penalty brought the hosts back within a point, before Butler replied to make it 17-13 to Henley.

Hawks’s Marcus Lowe was sin-binned, but they extended their advantage to 11 points when Portland crossed and Butler converted.

Bury also lost Jaid Wiltshire to the sin-bin, before cutting the deficit to 24-18 at the break as Tuidriva Uru went over.

Captain Lunnon’s score, converted by Butler, was then followed by a penalty try as Hawks opened up a 38-18 lead in the early stages of the second half.

Jake Albon was sin-binned for Henley and the hosts replied through Patrick Robinson, Ritchie converting.

But Butler capped off a fine performance by converting his own try to make it 45-25.

Findlay Sharp and Ritchie then crossed late on for Bury, but Henley had already done enough to earn victory.