AN EIGHT-TRY romp heralded in a new era at Footes Lane on Saturday as the Raiders made their home bow in front of a big Garenne Stand crowd.
Inspired by some brilliant back play, Jordan Reynolds’ side tore Chichester apart with a fantastic first-half display that gave them a 33-7 half-time lead.
Then it was a case of digging in against the wind, which the home side achieved in impressive style before scoring three more late tries.
Despite an initially concerning Robin Le Cocq injury Luke Sayer put Raiders on the way to the points with a brilliant 50m run down thief which left 'Chi's' for dead all over the place.
This mercurial performer even managed to make it as far as behind the posts to give Owen Thomas the easiest of first conversions in front of his new home crowd.
Thomas enjoyed an outstanding game and the new fly-half was soon setting up a second try with his own burst which knocked a gaping hole in the visiting defence, before slipping in winger Dave Davison for his own 40m race for the corner before any covering defender could get to him.
Thomas nailed a beauty of a touchline conversion for a 14-0 lead.
There was a brief hiccup when skipper Blair Campbell threw away a pass and Ben Robson darted in and hated away for a long-distance intervention score which was converted by Alex Marsh.
The Garenne Stand need not have worried as new scrum half Adam Nixon squeezed over for a score converted by Thomas for a 21-7 lead,
By the break Raiders had added two more tries, Owen Thomas getting the next as he rolled his tackler near the line and covered the final 5m to score and after thing delay it was the turn of his namesake, the excellent No. 8 Matt Thomas, to break from a close-range scrum that forced its way onto the try-line and get the ball down for the only unconverted try of the half.
The second half saw Chichester have the breeze at their backs, but Raiders succeed in playing most of the half deep in their opponents' half.
Chichester scored another intervention try courtesy of Ben Robson but Raiders responded with Matt Thomas forcing his way over behind the pack and then young Matt Armstrong was introduced for Sayer and inside a couple of minutes he was put in to score his first competitive try at this level.
There was still time for Cameron Craine to bulldoze over and it hardly mattere that the new fly half missed his conversion.

TEAMS
Guernsey Raiders: Crane, Ceillam, Batiste, Hillier, Merrien, Rice, Le Cocq, M. Thomas; Nixon, O. Thomas, Davison, Campbell, Walters, Stables, Sayer.
Replacements: Leon Gardner, Luke Gardner, M. Armstrong.
Chichester: Greyvensteyn, Richter, Dowding, O'Callaghan, Peach, Dickin, B. Polhill, Johnson; Durkin, Marsh, Bonds, T. Polhill, Robson, Masten, Adams.
Replacements: Tokne, Belcher and Meakin.