Stourbridge aiming to stay in the hunt

Stourbridge clinched a crucial win over Leicester Lions two weeks ago to keep their promotion ambitions alive and they can increase their chances of a possible top two finish when they lock horns with Sale FC this weekend.

Sale currently lie in that all important play-off spot and they are 11 points clear of Stourbridge. For Stour, that is a still quite a gap to claw back, but victory against the Manchester-based side would bring them firmly into the race for promotion.

Above the two aforementioned sides sit league leaders Caldy who will be aiming to continue their superb run to the title this weekend. Elsewhere in the top half, Leicester Lions and Sedgley Park will be hoping to begin February in a positive fashion while its sixth vs seventh as Chester travel to South Leicester.

Down at the bottom, Sheffield Tigers will be desperate to end a run of 12 straight defeats this weekend when they host Wharfedale and Preston Grasshoppers as well as Harrogate will be hoping to build on recent victories.

Tynedale v Caldy

Table toppers Caldy could not have asked for a better start to 2017. Four straight wins in the month of January has kept them in complete control of the National Two North title race and they begin February away at Tynedale looking to extend their unbeaten run to 20 matches.

Simon Verbickas’ men currently hold a 10 point advantage over second placed Sale FC and are 21 points clear of third placed Stourbridge. Their commanding position is due to the fact that they have won their last 12 matches and they head to the north-east this Saturday looking to extend that run by clinching their ninth away triumph of the campaign.

However, it will not be a straightforward task for the league leaders. Tynedale come into Round 21 in a buoyant mood having won their final two fixtures in January. Wins against Sedgley Park and Chester (two sides in the current top six) has seen Scott Lawson’s men cement eighth place in the table as things stand, but they will be keen to add another ‘scalp’ to their list this weekend.

The men from Corbridge have won seven of their last nine games, but both of those defeats during this run have come at home against Sale FC and Stourbridge. However, Tyne have won on five occasions in front of their own supporters this term and they may fancy their chances of inflicting a first defeat on Caldy since the opening day of the season.

Stourbridge v Sale FC

Stourbridge are fully aware of the significance of this fixture with Sale FC. If they are to win, then their play-off ambitions are still alive and kicking but if they were to lose, then it would leave their top two aspirations in tatters.

They welcome Sale to the Midlands this weekend on the back of a first defeat in seven matches. Neil Mitchell’s men were beaten by Harrogate last weekend which put a dent in their promotion bid, but it is key that they now respond to that setback. They are back on home turf this weekend where they have been so ruthless this term. Stour have won all 10 of their fixtures at Stourton Park and know that an 11^th victory in front of their own supporters could be huge in the context of this season.

Stour are 11 points behind Sale FC heading into Round 21 and the visitors will realise that a victory tomorrow would put them in an extremely strong position to finish in the play-off place come April. Jonathan Keep’s side have been on a superb run of form recently and they will want to continue what has been a remarkable season for them this weekend, but this clash with Stourbridge is a huge test of their promotion credentials.

Sale head to the Midlands having won their last six matches and did also beat Stourbridge 13-9 back in October when the sides met in Manchester. Sale have a mixed record against their promotion rivals this season as they have lost two and won two thus far, but a third victory this weekend could prove to be the most crucial. Sale have won their last five away games and overall, they have clinched seven victories on the road this term.

Leicester Lions v Harrogate

Leicester Lions cannot afford anymore slip-ups this season. After defeat two weeks ago against Stourbridge, their play-off aims took a serious knock and now they are playing catch-up with Sale FC. The Lions responded to that loss to Stour with a narrow win away at Scunthorpe six days ago and Andy Key’s men must now string together a positive run of results and see where it takes them between now and April.

The Midlands club welcome Harrogate to Westleigh Park having won six of their last seven matches, but that defeat to Stourbridge did hit them hard despite their recent good form. The Lions are now 13 points behind Sale FC and they do have a game in hand, but they will keen to just focus on this next fixture as they go in search of a ninth home win of the campaign.

What a month January was for Harrogate. Before the Christmas break, there were shoots of recovery on show for the Yorkshire side when they were languishing in the relegation zone as they picked up three straight home victories. They ended 2016 with a defeat and began the New Year with a loss against South Leicester, but since then, ‘Gate’s revival has been spectacular.

They head to the Midlands this Saturday on the back of three straight wins which has seen them move out of the bottom three and up into 11^th place in the table. They are now four points clear of the drop zone which highlights the job is still far from over, but it is still an excellent turnaround from David Doherty’s men. Harrogate’s next task is to try and secure their second away win of the season as they aim to continue their resurgence.

Luctonians v Sedgley Park

There is no doubting that this has been a tough season for Luctonians. After such an impressive campaign last term which saw the Herefordshire club go from relegation candidates to a team worthy of finishing in the top six, Alex Davidson’s side have struggled to replicate that this year after being hit with a huge amount of injuries to their key players.

Those injuries have obviously affected the Lucts on the field. The men from Mortimer Park had won four of their first six matches this season, but since then, they have fallen dramatically down the table. They head into this fixture with Sedgley Park having just one of their last 14 matches which has seen them drop to 12^th in the league standings and they are now just two points clear of the relegation battle. With teams around them all starting to produce results, the Lucts know something needs to change rapidly.

The last time these two sides met, the Lucts were on the wrong end of a 76-35 hammering and Sedgley Park will be hoping for a similar sort of afternoon on Saturday. Sedge ended January on a high with victory over South Leicester which was needed after back to back defeats against Hinckley and Tynedale.

The aforementioned losses have all but ended any hopes Dean Schofield’s side had of a second successive appearance in the play-off as Sedge currently sit 14 points adrift of Sale FC with 10 matches left to play. With Stourbridge taking on Sale tomorrow, it could give Sedge a glimmer of hope that they can catch the Manchester-based club, but first they need to concentrate on themselves.

South Leicester v Chester

South Leicester return to Welford Road this weekend following yet another tough day on their travels last Saturday. Their defeat to Sedgley Park was their third away loss on the spin, but now that problem will take a back seat tomorrow as they look to continue their excellent recent home form which is keeping them in touch with the top six.

Form aside; it has been an excellent season for South who were flirting with relegation this time last year. The Midlands side will certainly not be embroiled in a battle for survival this term and instead, they have their eyes on wrestling sixth spot back off Chester. South have won their last three matches on home soil and they know if they were to add another victory to that sequence, it would see them move back into the top six this weekend.

Chester will be hoping that their defeat against Tynedale last Saturday does not kick-start yet another run of inconsistency for them. The men from Hare Lane have had such a mixed season and it looked as though three consecutive wins at the start of last month had put their patchy runs of form to bed.

Throughout this term, Chester have strung a good sequence of results together only for their hard work to be undone by a series of defeats. The Cheshire side will be looking to avoid that once again this weekend when they travel to the Midlands as they aim to keep hold of sixth place. Chester have won four times on the road this season and a fifth triumph would put some breathing space between themselves and South.

Hinckley v Preston Grasshoppers

A lot has happened at Hinckley since last weekend’s defeat against league leaders Caldy. Prop David Peck was sent out on a week’s loan to Nottingham to face Jersey in the Championship last Sunday and it was announced on Tuesday that George Chuter will succeed Paul Walsh as Director of Rugby from the end of the season.  Walsh will be hoping to end the season strongly at the helm and it looks as though he will leave Chuter with a side that will be playing National Two North rugby next season.

Head Coach Chris Campbell said before Christmas that their fixtures against sides in the current top six would give Hinckley an indication of where they are in this league following promotion last May. They certainly performed admirably during that tough run securing a few bonus points and a win over Sedgley Park too. It leaves Hinckley ninth in the table and more importantly 14 points clear of the drop as they head into this game with Preston Grasshoppers this weekend.

Hinckley have won just two of their last seven matches so Preston Grasshoppers may see this as the perfect time to play the Midlands side after a difficult run of fixtures for them. The Hoppers themselves will be in high spirits when they travel to Leicester Road on Saturday having secured their first win in seven games last weekend when they beat Otley.

Garth Dew’s side moved off the bottom of the table thanks to that much needed win and now they are nine points from safety with a game in hand. After the new regulations the RFU brought in following London Welsh’s exit from the Championship [LINK], it has handed Hoppers a lifeline that they can still pull of a remarkable revival. They head to Hinckley tomorrow having won just once on the road this term while their hosts have picked up four wins on home soil.

Otley v Scunthorpe

It has been a 2017 to forget so far for Otley. Four straight defeats added to their loss just before Christmas against Wharfedale means the Yorkshire side head into this fixture with Scunthorpe low on confidence. Before the end of last year, their unbeaten home record was very much the shining light in their season, but even their victories at Cross Green have started to dry up.

Otley currently occupy 10^th spot in the table and are seven points clear of the relegation zone and they have accumulated eight wins this term, seven of which have come at home. Their 100 per cent record on their own turf was ended by Sedgley Park just under a month ago and they were also beaten by Caldy at Cross Green in Round 19. Now is the time for Otley to recapture their brilliant home form as they look to distance themselves from the relegation battle.

Scunthorpe will also be looking to move away from danger this weekend by securing their eighth victory of the season. The National Three Midlands champions are just about doing enough to keep themselves afloat since promotion last May and as things stand, they are only outside the bottom three because they have picked up more wins this season than Wharfedale.

The Lincolnshire side are level on points with Dale and the Yorkshire outfit also have a game in hand, so victory could be vital this weekend for the men from Heslam Park. Scunthorpe have produced positive displays over the last few weeks including their away win over Preston. That was their last fixture on the road, so the Greens will be looking seal back to back victories on their travels this weekend.

Sheffield Tigers v Wharfedale

Last weekend’s defeat to Sale FC saw Sheffield Tigers slip to the bottom of National Two North for the first time since their promotion last May. The Yorkshire side suffered their 12^th straight defeat six days ago and their wretched run of form doesn’t look like it is coming to a halt any time soon.

After such a positive start to life in the fourth-tier, where they won four of their first eight matches, injuries and other factors have made this campaign tough for the Tigers who are now 10 points from safety as we begin the final third of the term. The men from Dore Moor are in desperate need of their third home win of the campaign and if they are to achieve that against a relegation rival this weekend, it could be the turning point in their season.

It looks as though Wharfedale have turned that preverbal corner in their season. James Doherty’s men suffered a long list of injuries after relegation from National One in May which hampered their progress of a possible immediate promotion back to the third tier. With that in mind, they found themselves struggling towards the lower depths of this division, but things are starting to look more positive at The Avenue.

The Yorkshire side have won four of their last eight games which has seen Dale move to the cusp of safety in this division. What Wharfedale need to add to their recent excellent form is an away win. All six of Dale’s victories have come at home this term, but they will fancy their chances of ending a run of nine straight losses on the road when they take the trip to a Sheffield Tigers side seemingly in freefall.