In-form Chinnor aiming to stay top

After their victory over the Old Elthamians last weekend, league leaders Chinnor finally have some breathing space at the top of National Two South and they will looking to maintain their gap at the summit this weekend.

A win over second placed the OE’s six days ago has given Matt Williams’ side a six point lead at the top of this division and they remain the only side in the league yet to be beaten this term. Their next challenge is going in search of win number 11 as they travel to Canterbury tomorrow.

The OE’s will be looking to stay in touch with Chinnor as they host the Redingensians this weekend while third placed Bishops Stortford will be ready to pounce if the Eltham side slip-up and they get their job done at home against a struggling Henley Hawks side.

Elsewhere, Clifton will be aiming to make it five on the bounce while teams in the bottom half of the table harbour hopes of kick-starting their seasons.

Canterbury v Chinnor

If you had to describe one team in National Two South as an ‘enigma’ the answer would be Canterbury. The City Men really do blow hot and cold and this season is no better example of that as they currently find themselves eighth in the table having won four of their first 10 matches of this campaign.

Canterbury began the term with two victories from their first five games and they have produced the exact same form in their last five matches too. They welcome Chinnor to Kent on the back of two successive wins against Henley Hawks and Redruth which highlights that they do have the quality to challenge further up the table. The trick now for Canterbury is to start producing those sorts of performances on a more regular basis.

Chinnor on the other hand haven’t had any problems with inconsistency this season. The Black and Whites have dropped just two points from a possible 50 so far having picked up 10 straight wins in National Two South which sees them lead the way in this division by six points as things stand.

Matt Williams’ side delivered a real statement last weekend as they prevailed over second placed the Old Elthamians in the top of the table clash to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season and keep their promotion ambitions on track. Chinnor now must build on such a positive victory when they travel to Kent this weekend as they go in search of win number 11.

Old Elthamians v Redingensians

The Old Elthamians finished in eighth place in National Two South for the second successive season last year, but they’ve certainly upped their game this time around. After 10 matches, the OE’s currently sit second in the table but they will be itching to respond to their first defeat of the campaign which they suffered last weekend.

Their loss to Chinnor is a setback for Gavin Lach’s men whose nine game winning streak came to a shuddering halt. What is important now for the OE’s is that they dust themselves down and go again when they welcome the Redingensians to College Meadows tomorrow. The OE’s have won all four of their matches at their new home thus far this season and will be keen to make that five in order to stay in touch with Chinnor in this promotion race.

The Redingensians are also having a good time of things in National Two South so far this season. Last year, they were promoted to this division and finished in a very impressive sixth place following a strong second half to the campaign and it looks as though the Rams are building on that achievement this term as they are currently going through a terrific run of form.

The men from Old Bath Road are occupying sixth place as things stand having amassed four wins from their last five games. The Redingensians head to Eltham having not lost since the beginning of October when they fell to defeat against Chinnor, so they will be hoping to avoid the same sort of result against another promotion candidate this time around.

Bishops Stortford v Henley Hawks

Bishops Stortford are certainly one of the form teams in National Two South. After back to back defeats against the Old Elthamians and Canterbury, Stortford have gone on a run of five straight victories which has catapulted them right back into the promotion race as we begin the approach to the midway point of the season.

Andy Long’s men currently have the second best form in the division and their latest victory over London Irish Wild Geese means that Stortford are now level on points with second placed the OE’s. Their next task is a home game against Henley Hawks and Stortford will feel confident of adding another victory to their winning streak as they have won three of their four matches at Silver Leys this term.

Some followers of National Two South may have felt that Henley Hawks could have been among the better sides in this division, but they’ve failed to live up to expectations and have found life back at this level tough so far. The Hawks were relegated from National One in May and after 10 games of this current campaign, Henley find themselves in the bottom three and they’ve particular struggled on their travels, only managing one win from their last five away games.

A list of injuries have played their part in Henley’s disappointing return to National Two South, but they travel to Silver Leys on the back of three straight defeats and low on confidence. Two seasons ago, Henley and Bishops Stortford were battling for promotion from this division, but now the Hawks have to start fighting for a completely different cause as they look to move themselves out of danger with a victory this weekend.

Barnstaple v Taunton Titans

Barnstaple endured a difficult start to their first ever season National Two South as they lost their first four consecutive matches following promotion from National Three South-West. However, they have begun to show shoots of recovery losing just three times in their last six matches since the end of September in a run which has included victories over Clifton and Worthing as well as a draw against Barnes.

Those positive results haven’t moved Barum off the foot of the table, but they have given the side and coach Steve Perry plus points to work on. Barnstaple currently sit six points from safety as they prepare to welcome Taunton Titans to Pottingham Road this weekend and even though they have won both of their matches at home this season,  they will have to be at their very best to add to their tally tomorrow.

Taunton Titans are battling hard to remain in the promotion race in National Two South. After nine games, Chinnor and the Old Elthamians appeared to be pulling away, but the OEs’ defeat to Chinnor last Saturday as well as Taunton’s victory over Worthing Raiders, has dragged the Titans right back into the hunt for a top two spot.

Prior to their win over Worthing in Round 10, Taunton had lost three of their last four matches which meant there were question marks about their promotion credentials. However, their victory six days ago leaves them just five points behind the OE’s and now Taunton must stay on the tails of the top two by securing back to back victories for the first time since September when they travel to Barnstaple this Saturday.

Clifton v Redruth

Clifton may have had a difficult start to the season, but they have certainly put that to the back of their minds over the last few weeks. The Lavender and Blacks will undoubtedly be harbouring a top-half finish following their 13^th place last season and that is certainly achievable this time around as they currently occupy seventh place in the table following a run of four consecutive wins.

Those wins against Worthing, Taunton, London Irish Wild Geese and Henley Hawks will no doubt have given everyone involved with the South Gloucestershire club a much needed lift as they are currently going through their best spell of results for 13 months. Can they now earn another victory this Saturday to continue their momentum?

Sitting in fifth place in the National Two South table at the moment are Redruth. The Reds have been brilliant for the most part of this season as they look to build on their fourth place finish of last season under new coach Marek Churcher, but a couple of recent defeats would have dented their aspirations for this campaign.

Back to back losses against the Old Elthamians and Canterbury has seen the men from The Recreation Ground slip  down the table and they are now eight points outside the promotion places as things stand. They will be eager to put an end to their losing run this weekend as Redruth travel to Clifton in search of their eighth win of the campaign.

Bury St Edmunds v Barnes

Bury St Edmunds’ tough start to the season was lifted slightly last week by their first victory in four matches in National Two South. Bury are still just five points outside the relegation zone as they currently sit ninth in the table, but if they can build on last week’s triumph over Exmouth they can certainly turn their attention to the right end of the table rather worrying about becoming embroiled in a relegation dogfight.

Bury come into this fixture in much better shape after that win over Exmouth, but they may also be confident about adding to that victory because they are back on home soil. The Wolfpack have won three of their five matches in front of their own supporters thus far and they will be aiming to put in another positive performance in Suffolk this weekend to move themselves further away from the bottom three.

Barnes, like Bury St Edmunds, had been struggling in National Two South but a recent flurry of strong performances and positive results has seen them move out of the relegation zone. A 31-17 defeat away to London Irish Wild Geese saw Barnes end September with four straight losses, but in their following six matches, they have picked two wins and a draw.

Henley Hawks and Exmouth were on the receiving end of Barnes’ two victories and those wins were important for the South-West London side as they were against early relegation rivals and it leaves them one point clear of the bottom three. Barnes did let a lead slip away from them against Barnstaple six days ago so they’ll need to raise their game if they’re to take a victory at Bury on Saturday afternoon.

Worthing Raiders v London Irish Wild Geese

Worthing Raiders have endured a tough few results over the past several weeks in National Two South. The Raiders welcome London Irish Wild Geese to Rugby Park having lost five of their last six games which has seen them drop down to 10^th in the division.

Those defeats have come against four of the current top seven as well as bottom of the table Barnstaple so Worthing will be keen to get back to winning ways as they go in search of their fifth win of the campaign this Saturday. The Raiders’ last win came in Round Six when they beat Canterbury at home and three of their four victories this term have come at Rugby Park.

London Irish Wild Geese are just about holding their own in National Two South so far this season after 10 league matches. Wild Geese were promoted from National Three London and South East in May and currently find themselves 12^th in the table and two points clear of the drop at this early stage of the campaign.

They travel to Littlehampton this weekend having won just one of their last five games – that sole victory coming at home against Canterbury – so they will be keen to turn their form around once again before losing starts becoming an unwanted habit. Wild Geese have picked up just one victory on the road this season and can go above Worthing in table if they double that tally tomorrow.

Cinderford v Exmouth

Cinderford were relegated from National One last season and instead of being one of the stronger sides in this division (as sides dropping down a league usually are) the Gloucestershire outfit are having a turbulent time of things and have found it tough to adapt to life in National Two South.

Granted, they have been hit with a huge amount of injuries but the men from Dockham Road currently lie in 11^th place in the table – just two points clear of the relegation zone. Cinderford have won on just four occasions this season and head into this fixture with Exmouth having lost four of their last six matches. At home, Cinderford have won just two of their five matches so far and despite missing a number of first XV players, they will be keen to turn their season around sooner rather than later.

A side that looks as though they are turning their fortunes around are Exmouth. The league table might suggest otherwise, but in recent weeks Jon Hill’s men have started to produce strong performances and are certainly capable of digging themselves out of the current predicament they find themselves in.

The Devonshire outfit currently sit 15^th in the table and are four points adrift of safety as things stand. Exmouth have won just once and drawn just once so far this season, but those results plus a narrow defeats against Barnes and Bury St Edmunds have all come over the last four weeks. Exmouth are yet to win away from home following promotion into this division in May, but they feel they can break that duck when they visit an out of form Cinderford this Saturday.