CHIPPENHAM have often rued their luck this season, but Mother Nature smiled on them on Saturday as they triumphed 2-1 over Weymouth in the Southern League Premier Division.

The visiting Terras won the toss and chose to face the elements, but throughout the opening half the wind increased to near gale-force strength and ended in a torrential storm.

Such was the strength of the wind that Weymouth’s clearances were blowing back over their heads and one comical snippet saw keeper Jason Matthews catch his own kicked clearance.

Chippenham looked to have blown their chances when they could only register one first-half goal, scored on 24 minutes when Rob Dean headed home a deep cross from Alan Griffin.

However, at half-time the wind dropped and keeper Ben John found himself staring at a blue sky and sunshine.

Chippenham celebrated the change just three minutes after the interval. Weymouth player-manager and keeper Matthews fumbled Corey King’s initial shot and the young winger, who only started due to Joe McClennan being ruled out with a shin injury, followed up to score what proved the decisive goal.

Weymouth made the game interesting for Chippenham’s bumper crowd of 452 when Stewart Yetton tapped in on 63 minutes after substitute Niall Thompson’s 30-yard shot hit a post and rolled across the face of goal.

James Guthrie should have wrapped the game up a quarter of an hour from time, but after bursting clear he rolled his shot past Matthews and narrowly wide.

The impressive King also saw a further three shots saved by Matthews, while at the other end John saved the Bluebirds when he blocked Adam Kelly’s close-range shot.

Lower down the ladder in Division One South & West, Cirencester’s home fixture against Godalming was abandoned at half-time with the score locked at 0-0.

Wind and rain during the latter stages of the first half left the Corinium surface unplayable and the teams will now have to try again at a later date.