Stortford looking to take control of National Two South title race

High drama as well as twists and turns were the themes to come out of Round 18 in National Two South as Bishop’s Stortford returned to the summit of this division and Andy Long’s men will now be aiming to stay there.

This thrilling title race had a another chapter added to it last weekend as a dramatic end to Stortford’s clash with Old Elthamians saw the men from Silver Leys return to the top of table. Stortford will now want to take control of the situation, but they will be under immense pressure from their promotion rivals.

The aforementioned OEs would have been hurting after last Saturday’s setback so they will be itching to respond positively this weekend when they travel to Worthing Raiders while Chinnor, Taunton Titans and Redruth will also be looking to continue strengthening their promotion bids this Saturday.

Down at the bottom of the table, there is a couple of ’10 pointers’ on offer as Barnes travel to Henley Hawks and London Irish Wild Geese host Bury St Edmunds.

Bishop’s Stortford v Canterbury

It was quite the statement last weekend from Bishop’s Stortford. Tom Banks held his nerve to kick his side to a huge victory over title rivals Old Elthamians and send Andy Long’s men back to the summit of National Two South. The 16-14 win only earnt the men from Silver Leys four points, but in the context of the rest of the season, that triumph could be the difference in this superb title race.

Stortford’s lead at the top of this division is now two points and they are four points clear of third placed Chinnor heading into this weekend’s fixture with Canterbury. Stortford lost last time out at Silver Leys when they were stunned by Cinderford so they will be looking to bounce back and secure their seventh home win of the term as they look keep hold of top spot.

After a wonderful end to 2016 for Canterbury, the City Men have been unable to continue from where they left off just before the Christmas break. The Kent outfit won an impressive seven games on the spin which propelled them up into the top six of this division, but ended last year with a defeat against Old Elthamains.

Canterbury looked as though they had wiped that defeat from their memory as they began 2017 with victory over Barnstaple, but a below-par performance at home last weekend against Clifton cost them dearly and it is now just one win in three for the City Men. It is far from disastrous for the men from The Marine Travel Ground as they have stayed sixth in the table and they come into this game against Stortford looking to do the double over the league leaders after beating them 38-34 back in October. Will history repeat itself for Canterbury?

Worthing Raiders v Old Elthamians

There is no doubt that the manner in which Old Elthamians lost to Bishop’s Stortford last weekend would’ve hit them hard. Down to 14-men, they somehow went ahead in the contest with just minutes remaining, but saw a vital win quickly turn into a sickening defeat. Director of Rugby Gavin Lach said last week his side need to ‘keep their feet on the ground’ and now he will be urging his group of players to respond positively this weekend.

Spirts may have been low after last Saturday, but OEs have every reason to be positive. They have accumulated the most wins in the division (15) and are only two points behind Bishop’s Stortford when they travel to Worthing Raiders tomorrow. OEs are still firmly in this title race and a fourth away win on the trot would certainly keep the pressure on the current leaders.

The odds weigh heavily in OEs favour as they visit Roundstone Lane to take on a side which has really struggled over the last three months. Worthing Raiders began this season with four wins from their first six matches and everything was looking positive for the Raiders after they were embroiled in a relegation battle in the previous season.

However, their campaign has declined dramatically and they head into Round 19 having lost 11 of their last 12 matches. Worthing are currently on a seven game losing streak and as a result they have dropped into the bottom three and find themselves five points adrift of safety as things stand. A long list of injuries has been a huge factor in why Worthing have struggled this term, but a much needed victory over Old Elthamians could be the tonic they need to start digging themselves out of trouble.

Chinnor v Redingensians

Whilst the top two were battling ferociously at College Meadows last weekend, third placed Chinnor knew they had to get their job done to increase the pressure on their promotion rivals. Despite Matt Williams’ side being reduced to 14-men just after half-time, they were able to grind out a victory over a valiant Barnstaple side which now leaves Chinnor just two points away from the play-off place.

Looking at the bigger picture, it was a victory that Chinnor desperately needed. They have been going through a blip lately and prior to last weekend; the Black and Whites had won just two of their last seven games after picking up 10 straight victories at the start of this season. Now, Chinnor will be hoping their recent inconsistent form is behind them as they look to take control of the promotion race once again. This weekend they host Redingensians looking for back to back victories for the first time since the start of November.

If Chinnor have been inconsistent over the last few game weeks, then Redingensians have been patchy for the whole of this season. The Rams currently lie eighth in the table and it is no surprise to see them in that position considering they have won eight, drawn one and lost nine of their 18 games this term.

In truth, I don’t think the men from Old Bath Road will mind their contrasting results as they sit in the top-half looking to build on their seventh place finish of last term. They head to Chinnor this weekend in a bad run of form as they have won just two of their last seven fixtures, but the Rams have already won four times on the road this season including a victory away at Old Elthamians. They will need a similar performance this weekend if they are to claim their first triumph of 2017.

Taunton Titans v Cinderford

Taunton Titans are doing just enough to stay in this promotion hunt. After feeling as though they had missed an opportunity 13 days ago when they were held to a draw against relegation threatened Barnes, the Titans responded with a professional display away at Bury St Edmunds last weekend which kept them fourth in the table and Tony Yapp’s side are only five points behind second place Old Elthamains.

The men from Hyde Park flew out of the blocks once again at the beginning of this season, but suffered a mini sticky spell between October and November which saw them fall away from the top two. However, they welcome Cinderford to Somerset this weekend currently on a seven game unbeaten run so confidence will be high for the Titans as they go in search of their fifth home win of the campaign.

Another side currently enjoying an unbeaten streak are Cinderford who travel to Hyde Park this weekend. The side relegated from National One last May had their problems in the first few months of this season and as a result, they won just two of their first 10 games which saw them dicing with danger.

However, Cinderford now look like the side many people were expecting to see in National Two South and they take the trip to Somerset this weekend having lost just one of their last eight matches. It has been a superb turnaround in fortunes for the Gloucestershire outfit who are on a three game winning run which includes a victory over promotion chasing Bishop’s Stortford. Can the men from Dockham Road secure another triumph against another side harbouring top two ambitions?

Redruth v Exmouth

Following successive defeats at the start of December, Redruth needed to see out 2016 on a high. They managed to do just that with a victory over Barnstaple and they have been able to build on that win at the start of this year which has reignited their hopes of maybe sneaking into the play-off spot this season.

Consecutive wins against Chinnor and Redingensians has left the Reds just seven points behind second place as we approach the final third of the season and Marek Churcher’s side cannot be ruled out of this promotion race just yet. Next on the agenda for the Cornwall-based side is a home fixture with bottom of the table Exmouth. On paper, Redruth will expect to claim their eighth home win of the season and if they were to achieve that, it would only strengthen their promotion bid.

Exmouth may well be rooted to the foot of the National Two South table, but they will head to the Recreation Ground this weekend in a buoyant mood and hoping that a potential great escape could still be on the cards come Saturday night. Jon Hill’s men secured only their second victory of the season last weekend against Henley Hawks, but the Devonshire side will be fully aware there is still a lot of work to do.

That triumph for Exmouth six days ago leaves them 13 points from safety as things stand so it is still quite a deficit to recover from, but it certainly won’t stop Exmouth from having a good crack at it. The side that were promoted from National Three South West last season are yet to win an away game since joining this division so they will be looking to upset the applecart this Saturday when they travel to Cornwall.

Clifton v Barnstaple

Clifton secured their first victory of New Year in some style last weekend. A trip to Canterbury was a tough assignment for the South Gloucestershire side, but they passed it with flying colours as they ran in six tries to seal their fourth away victory of the campaign. Added to that, their latest win continues the positive momentum which the Lavender and Blacks are currently generating.

They have won eight of their last 12 games which is a vast improvement to how they started the campaign with just one win from their first six outings. Their recent form has seen Clifton distance themselves from the relegation zone as they currently sit 14 points clear of the drop in ninth place. After sealing their first win of 2017 six days ago, Clifton’s next job will be to clinch their first home victory of the New Year, starting with this weekend against Barnstaple.

Despite just one win in four matches, Steve Perry and his Barnstaple side shouldn’t be too down about their recent form. Their last victory came against Henley Hawks in the penultimate game of 2016 and since then they have suffered defeats against Redruth, Canterbury and Chinnor.

All three of the aforementioned sides are currently in the top six, but against Canterbury and Chinnor, Barum performed superbly and picked up three points from those two fixtures which could prove vital in their fight for survival.  That loss to Chinnor saw the Devonshire side drop back into the relegation zone last weekend, but they are only three points from safety. If they keep up their positive displays, a victory should be waiting just around the corner for Barnstaple and they will hope a first away win of the season arrives on Saturday.

London Irish Wild Geese v Bury St Edmunds

Having begun 2017 with a crucial win over relegation rivals Exmouth, London Irish Wild Geese couldn’t back that up on the road last weekend when they were beaten by Barnes; another side fighting for survival. Indiscipline seemed to cost Wild Geese the opportunity to move away from the bottom three and instead they remain firmly in the mix at the wrong end of the table heading into Round 19.

Wild Geese are one place and three points clear of the drop zone as things stand as they welcome Bury St Edmunds to Hazlewood this weekend. The hosts have won five times this season, four of which have come at home. Added to that, Wild Geese have picked up successive victories in front of their own supporters so they will be eager to make that three in a row as they aim to create a buffer between themselves and the relegation places.

Three positions in the table and four points separate London Irish Wild Geese and their opponents Bury St Edmunds with the visitors this weekend struggling to find any sort of rhythm. They got 2017 off to a perfect start with a win over Worthing Raiders, but despite a solid performance last weekend, they lost to Taunton Titans which was actually Bury’s fifth defeat in their last six matches.

The Wolfpack finished in a very credible sixth place last season following promotion in 2015, but if they are to match that and earn another top-half finish, they really do need to turn their form around. They travel to Hazlewood this weekend having won just four of their last 14 matches, but one positive they can take into this game is that Bury won their last away outing against Worthing Raiders. Can they make it two away wins on the spin to stop this inconsistent form?

Henley Hawks v Barnes

Henley Hawks were right to feel aggrieved last weekend as a controversial decision saw a possible victory turn into a defeat away at Exmouth. As tough as it might sound, the Hawks need to forget about what happened six days ago and focus on their next task in hand which is a home fixture against Barnes.

Prior to last week, Henley had lost just one of their last six matches but they are still currently going through their best spell of form since their relegation from National One last May. The Hawks have started to move away from danger and are six points clear of the drop as they currently occupy 11^th place. They are also back at Dry Leas again this weekend where they have won their last three games and a fourth win against a side just two points behind them would increase the gap between themselves and the bottom three.

Barnes will travel to Henley full of confidence that they can continue their revival. They are currently on a three match unbeaten run which was extended last weekend as they secured a vital win over London Irish Wild Geese.

That victory for Barnes lifted them out of the relegation zone and up to 12^th in the table and they are now four points clear of the bottom three. Last season, a superb run at the start of 2016 played a huge part in Barnes avoiding the drop and it looks as though the South West London club could be on course to repeat that success once again. Barnes chairman Michael Whitfield said this fixture with Henley is another ’10 pointer’ so can Barnes get the job done for a second week in a row?