The Lily Hill Park faithful did not have to wait long for their side to go in front, as scrum half Barry Dwyer nipped across the whitewash from a ruck near the visitors line in just the fourth minute. Although the normally reliable George Owen missed the conversion, Bracknell found themselves 5-0 ahead and with a platform to build on.

However the basement boys cut the gap after quarter of an hour when their player-coach Mike Lawton slotted a straight-forward penalty.

Rory Greenslade-Jones’ men extended their lead five minutes later courtesy of a try from the outstanding Stuart Mackay.

He received the ball in his own half off the back of a scrum but found space and cantered through to touch down before Owen converted to put Bracknell 12-3 ahead.

The reminder of the half saw some scrappy play, with the hosts having most of the territory, but the final pass on a number of occasions would not go to hand.

And they were made to pay for failing to convert their opportunities when Chard scored a try of their own following an interception by Ben Stead.

Lawton added the extras and despite dominating the game, Bracknell led by just two at the interval.

However the hosts came storming out of the blocks at the start of the second half, and they picked up a third try of the afternoon when Chris Brember broke free and off-loaded to man-of-the-match George Milligan, who sauntered over the try line. Owen knocked over the conversion to put his side 19-10 to the good.

Bracknell wrapped up the vital bonus point shortly after when Dwyer again made the most of some missed first-up tackles from the relegation favourites, and Owen’s laser-like boot ensured the hosts had a 26-10 cushion entering the final 20 minutes.

The home supporters would have been expecting a few more tries to follow, but the same errors which afflicted Bracknell in the opening 40 minutes returned to haunt them and they failed to add to their score.

Indeed Chard - who began to gain parity at the very least - scored the only remaining points of a contest which became a lot closer than any of the Bracknell players or supporters would have wanted.

The visitors try came via their superb No. 8 Rob Burnell, who burrowed over, pre-empting Lawton’s successful kick at goal.

And Chard could have come even closer to the hosts as prop Nick Hyslop crossed the line and was convinced he had touched down, but the referee ruled otherwise.

The result leaves Bracknell in sixth place in the table after their opening 10 games, just seven points off table-toppers Redingensians, albeit that the leaders have a game in hand on Greenslade-Jones’ men.

Bracknell will hope to make it back-to-back wins when they travel to another side at the wrong end of the table, Weston-Super-Mare, on Saturday (2.15pm).