Henley Hawks relegated from National One

Henley Hawks became the first team in National One to be relegated this season after a home defeat to Coventry on Saturday.

It means an immediate return to National Two South for the Hawks after just one season in English rugby’s third tier while Cinderford and Wharfedale continue to keep their slim survival chances alive after impressive performances.

At the top, Richmond just about held their nerve to maintain their 10 point lead at the top of National One while Hartpury College continue to chase them down with only four games to go.

Wharfedale 21-22 Richmond                 

Table toppers Richmond travelled to Skipton on Saturday to take on relegation threatened Wharfedale, but this was no walk in the park for the league leaders.

Richmond were in complete control of this contest after the hour as they led 22-7 thanks to a brace from Mateo Zambruno Marino and tries from Jack Allcock and Alastair Lyon, but they then saw their lead reduced to just one point.

Northampton Saints’ new signing Matt Beasley touched down before Cameron Hudson also crossed the whitewash to secure a bonus point for Dale , but it was too little too late to completely turn this game around.

Richmond had done just enough earlier in this contest to secured maximum points to maintain their lead over Hartpury College, while Wharfedale are now nine points adrift of safety.

Loughborough Students 22-39 Hartpury College

Hartpury College did what they needed to do as they secured a bonus point win away at Loughborough Students.

It wasn’t straightforward for College though as the score was level at 15-15 at half-time, but after the break, flanker Jake Polledri added to his two first-half tries to spur Hartpury on to victory.

He was backed up by scores from Harry Robinson, James Stephenson and George Boulton as College wrapped up the win as they continue to hunt down Richmond, but know they are relying on the league leaders to slip-up if they have any chance of winning the title.

Ampthill and District 52-13 Plymouth Albion

It has been an excellent season for Ampthill and District and a top three finish looks on the cards after a superb bonus-point win over Plymouth Albion.

The A’s, who were promoted into this division for the 15/16 season, are now third in the table after this win and were in charge of this contest at half-time after Karim Lynch, Joe Tarrant and Aleki Lutui had all crossed.

Albion could only manage two tries in the second half and fell to their first defeat in 10 games in a week where the club has been put up for sale.

Ampthill didn’t hold back in the second period as they ran in five more tries to seal their 17^th win of the campaign and there is nothing from stopping them becoming real promotion candidates next term.

Blackheath 54-16 Hull Ionians

Recent defeats to fellow promotion rivals has seen Blackheath’s title hopes disappear, but they looked back to their best with a bonus point win over a struggling Hull Ionians side.

Club scored seven of their eight tries in the second half with centre Leo Fielding scoring a hat-trick after the hosts had only led 7-3 at the break.

This defeat for Hull Ionians leaves them nine points clear of the relegation zone, but they must improve on just two wins from their last 16 matches to keep their fate in their owns hands.

As for Blackheath, this win moves them back up to fourth in the table and they are now just one point behind Ampthill.

Darlington Mowden Park 40-14 Fylde

Darlington Mowden Park have moved up to sixth in the table after this convincing bonus point win over Fylde in the north-east on Saturday.

DMP have won 15 of their last 17 games and were good value for their latest victory especially after a first-half hat-trick from prop Darren Fearn.

Talite Vailoleti, Peter Horman and James Barnard all touched down for the home side after the break as they swept their Lancashire opponents aside to move into the top six. As for Fylde, they stay ninth in the table.

Cinderford 31-24 Esher

Cinderford are not giving up just yet. This latest win over Esher was their third in their last four league games and it now leaves them 10 points from safety with four games left to play.

The hosts trailed 24-15 at half-time thanks to braces from Thomas James and Andrew Garner for Esher, but three penalties from Chris Eden and a try from Nigel Baker turned the game on its head and ultimately secured another win for Cinderford.

Rosslyn Park 46-22 Blaydon

Rosslyn Park’s excellent recent form continued as they saw off the challenge of Blaydon at home.

Park have now won seven of their last 13 games and will have the impressive Hugo Ellis to thank once again as he scored a hat-trick to help his side to victory. He was backed up by Paul Mackey, Harry Elington, Thomas Whiteley and Andrew Henderson who all crossed as this victory strengthened Park’s place in the top half.

As for Blaydon, they are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone and may still need another win to be sure of their safety.

Henley Hawks 27-39 Coventry

The first causality in National One this season is Henley Hawks as their home loss to Coventry confirmed their relegation back down to National Two South.

Coventry led 13-22 at the break with tries coming from Matthew Jones, Ryan Hough and Robert Knox, with two penalties from Benjamin Palmer and a try from Simon Perry being the response from Henley.

Connor Morrison reduced Coventry’s lead to two points straight after the interval with Henley’s second try of the afternoon, but further scores from George Oliver, Peter Weightman and Hough again sealed the win for Coventry and sealed Henley’s fate.

The Hawks have won only five games since promotion and have tasted victory just once in their last 12 games. This is a young side that will look to bounce back stronger next year in National Two South.