Heartbreak on Valentine's Day in National 2S

Round 23 saw some great performances across the board in National Two South. Henley Hawks increased their lead at the top of the table whilst Taunton’s hopes of a promotion place increased.

Also there was a derby day win for Bishop’s Stortford, excellent wins for Redruth and Clifton and heartbreak for relegation threatened Lyndey and Shelford on Valentine’s weekend. Here is the round-up of last weekend’s action plus a preview ahead of Round 24.

Round 23 Review
Henley Hawks 39-24 Canterbury
Henley remain at the top of National Two South after another hard fought victory over Canterbury. Earlier in the season they edged out their opponents by two points and with just three points separating the two sides in the final quarter of this match, it looked like it would be a similar story. However, the Hawks showed their strength and fitness to score two late tries to seal the victory. It was a cruel finish to the game for Canterbury who after performing so well for 80 minutes against the league leaders, left Dry Leas empty handed.

Dorking 13-6 Old Elthamians
Henley stretched their lead at the top of the table by 10 points as Dorking only managed a seven point win over the Old E’s. This was Dorking’s ninth home win of the season, but what has hampered their title chances is their lack of bonus points. Dorking have the lowest amount of bonus points (11) in the top half of the table and even though they do have their game in hand over Southend next weekend, they can only go within five points of Henley with a bonus point win. As for the OE’s, this was their fifth loss in seven games and they have now not beaten Dorking in their last six matches.

Dings Crusaders 26-54 Taunton
Whilst Dorking are failing to pick up bonus points, third place Taunton are, and they secured their 15th of the season with this win over Dings. Taunton are now just six points behind Dorking, but Dorking do have that game in hand. Taunton may be thinking that there is a slight chance they can sneak their way into the promotion places with seven matches remaining. In terms of Dings, they haven’t won in their last ten games and are now 20 points from safety. It is all but confirmed that the Crusaders will be in National Three next season.

Shelford 14-54 Bishop’s Stortford
Bishops’s Stortford put on a professional display as they saw off local rivals Shelford. Stortford once again started slowly in this game, but were clinical against a battling Shelford side and after leading 14-36 at the interval; they put their foot down in the second half to secure a comprehensive derby win. Stortford moved back into the top four with the win and ended their match report on their website by simply saying: “Its all still to play for!” Maybe they might fancy a late run for promotion? In terms of Shelford, this was another defeat at the Davey Field and they are now 13 points from safety.  

Redruth 22-17 Worthing Raiders
This was an enthralling encounter. A stunning first half display by The Reds helped record their fifth straight home win, despite a superb second half revival from Worthing who earned a losing bonus point. Redruth led 17-0 at the break, with full-back Anthony Hosking scoring 12 of the points, and despite a tremendous response from Worthing, Redruth held on. Worthing have never beaten Redruth away from home and it looked for all the world that they were going to with five minutes left, but it was The Reds who came away with the spoils.
Reaction
Steve Larkins – Redruth Head Coach: “I enjoyed the first half, we were direct, the wings looked sharp and we defended well. We had a few lapses in concentration after half-time. It was a pity we didn’t manage the bonus point try but we will aim for that next week when we will hope to impress!”

Chinnor 29-32 Clifton
Clifton made it three wins in their last six meetings with Chinnor as they narrowly won this encounter on Saturday. This was Clifton’s first win in two matches and their fourth away win of the season. As for the Chinnor, after being in the top four two weeks ago, they are now seven points behind Bishop’s Stortford after just one win in their last four games. This was also Chinnor’s first home defeat in eight matches.

Lyndey 18-24 Cambridge
Relegation threaten Lyndey were left heartbroken on Valentine’s Day as a last minute try from Cambridge secured their 12th win of the season. In truth, Cambridge should have won this more comfortably and looked like they had made the wrong choice with two minutes remaining on the clock. After being 18-17 down, Cambridge won a penalty in the Lydney 22 and instead of kicking for goal, they went for glory and the five points which would also secure a four-try bonus point. It looked like they had blown their chance when they knocked it on from the scrum, but from the Lyndey scrum Cambridge pushed their pack back on their heels and flanker Matthew Howling drove over the line to claim an incredible victory.

Southend Saxons 22-21 Cornish All Blacks
The Southend supporters must have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions on Saturday, but their side eventually came away with this vital victory in their fight to avoid relegation. It was nip and tuck for the first 40 minutes with both sides exchanging blows as the score was 13-13 at the break. The second half saw the Cornish All Blacks go ahead twice in the match and they led 19-21 with nine minutes to go. However, a penalty from the boot of Brad Burr stole the points from the Cornish All Blacks and leaves Southend six points clear of the drop zone.

Round 24 Preview
Taunton v Henley Hawks
Henley Hawks go into this game 10 points clear of Dorking having won six of their last seven matches. The next two matches will be big tests for the league leaders as travel to Taunton this Saturday, before hosting fourth place Bishop’s Stortford at the start of March. In terms of this Saturday,  Henley have won nine games away from home this season, but have lost three of their last five away matches.
As for Taunton, their win against Dings Crusaders leaves them just six points behind second placed Dorking and they may feel they can sneak into the promotion places. Taunton have won 10 of their 11 games at home this season and they have won eight of their last 11 matches overall. Henley won this fixture 15-10 earlier in the season.

Canterbury v Dorking
Dorking really can’t afford to drop any more points from now until the end of the season. They have a lot to do to beat Henley to the title, but Taunton are starting to creep up on them which could catch Dorking out if they are not careful. Dorking travel to Canterbury this weekend and they are unbeaten in their last five games. They have also lost just once away from home all season (which is the best record in the league).
In terms of their hosts, Canterbury would certainly have taken positives from their defeat to Henley last weekend and will be hoping they can put in a similar performance against Dorking. Canterbury have won three of their last five matches and have won seven games at home this season. They are nine points clear of the relegation zone, but  are still not safe just yet. Dorking won this reverse fixture 46-19 back in November.

Bishop’s Stortford v Dings Crusaders
After reading Stortford’s match report from the Shelford game, I think they feel they have a chance of reaching the promotion places. They are 11 points behind Dorking, but both teams have a game in hand. I think it is a long shot Stortford can get into a promotion spot, but they will be certainly thinking they can add five points to the cause on Saturday when they take on the league’s bottom side. Stortford have won their last two matches and have won seven games at home this season.
As for the Crusaders, it has been a miserable season. They have won just three matches and have lost their last ten games. They sit 20 points from safety and it looks incredibly unlikely they can turn that deficit around. Dings have won just once away all season and that came against Worthing at the end of November. They were beaten 8-34 by Stortford earlier in that month and they have lost their last three against Stortford.

Worthing Raiders v Cornish All Blacks
Worthing suffered their second defeat in four weeks last weekend which has certainly ended any hope they may have had for a promotion spot. Worthing were going through a purple patch of form and they will want to rediscover that, starting this week at home to the Cornish All Blacks. Worthing have won nine of their 12 matches at home this season and haven’t lost at home since the end of November.  
In terms of the All Blacks, they have won just once in their last five matches which has seen them slowly fall down to 11th place in the league. Away from home, they have won on just three occasions, but they did beat Worthing 29-19 earlier in the season.

Old Elthamians v Chinnor
Chinnor travel to the Old E’s looking to end a two match losing run which they are currently on. The sixth place side have lost both of their games in February and their form has seen them lose ground on a potential top four finish. Chinnor have won four times away from home this season with their last win on the road coming against second place Dorking in the first game of 2015.
As for the Old E’s, two wins in seven games in 2015 isn’t the best record, but they still currently lie in the top half of the table.  They have won six times at home this season and they will want revenge on Saturday as Chinnor won 25-22 in this fixture earlier in the season.

Cambridge v Southend Saxons
After their narrow win over Lyndey, Cambridge have now won more games than they have lost for the first time this season. They have had a really good season which they can build on for the 2015/16 campaign, but first, they will want to finish as high as possible this year. Cambridge have won their last two matches and have won eight times at home this season.
In terms of Southend, they have lost just twice in 2015 and after their cup win in midweek over Romford & Gidea Park, they backed that up with a vital victory over the Cornish All Blacks. With a game in hand, Southend are six points clear of the relegation zone and they will be looking to increase that gap by picking up their fifth away win of the season on Saturday. Cambridge won this reverse fixture 20-36.

Clifton v Lyndey
Both of these sides were involved in close games last Saturday, but both had contrasting fortunes. Clifton won away at Chinnor and will want to back up that excellent performance this Saturday. The hosts have won six games at home this season and they have won five of their seven games in 2015 which has helped them move away from any relegation danger.
As for Lyndey, they lost to a last minute try away at Cambridge and they must have thought when they were 18-17 up, it would be their first away win of the season. Instead, they were condemned to their 11th straight defeat on the road and they have now won just once in seven games overall. These sides face each other twice in the next two weeks after the first fixture was postponed back in November.

Redruth v Shelford
Redruth’s recent good home form has really helped them move away from any threat of relegation. After five straight wins at home and with the third best home record in the league, they will be confident of adding another win to that tally this weekend when they host Shelford.
Shelford have won just once in their last seven matches and now find themselves 13 points from safety. They have won just six times all season, two have which have been away from home. Staying up is not out of the question, but 13 points is a lot to claw back especially with Southend being on a good run of form. A big confidence booster  for Shelford is that they did beat Redruth 31-11 earlier in the season.