Christmas cheer for Richmond

With the top eight teams all taking on each other and the bottom eight sides going head to head, no wonder there were some close results and thrilling action on the final weekend of the year in National One.

But the outcome from Round 15 is that Richmond head into the New Year top of the table and three points clear of Blackheath.

Hartpury College lost ground on that all important promotion spot after suffering their fourth defeat of the season while Darlington Mowden Park continue their charge up the table after making it six wins in six.

Down at the bottom, it was a profitable weekend for Henley Hawks who picked up their first win in seven and they were the only side to taste victory out of the bottom four sides.

Rosslyn Park 24-33 Richmond

After defeat to title rivals Hartpury College last weekend, this was a perfect response from Richmond as they secured a great result at Rosslyn Park.

It was a game that was finely in the balance throughout before a late try from Thomas Sargeant and a penalty from Robert Kirby finally sealed it for the league leaders who have won 12 of their 15 games so far.

As for Park, they were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion but now find themselves 14 points adrift from the top which suggests a shot at the Championship maybe out of their reach.

Blackheath 28-21 Esher

It was another hard fought battle in this fixture but it was Blackheath who prevailed as they edged out an Esher side who have now lost four of their last six matches.

The home side took advantage of yellow cards shown to Ian Kench and Neil Sweeney as Jake Lloyd scored a try while Freddie Gabbitass was deadly from the tee as ‘Heath built up a lead which they never surrendered.

Blackheath are now a point ahead of Hartpury College after this win while Esher are 10 points off Richmond and will need to begin 2016 on the front foot if they are to put pressure on the top three sides.

Hartpury College 17-22 Plymouth Albion

Hartpury College’s title ambitions took a knock on Saturday as they were beaten at home by an in-form Plymouth Albion side.

The away team seem to be improving every single week and this was a very good result considering how strong Hartpury have been at home this season.

Albion had led 10-22 with 12 minutes remaining but Rhys Oakley’s try saved a losing bonus point for the home side which now leaves them four points behind the league leaders.

As for Plymouth, they are up to sixth after securing their ninth victory of the campaign and they are now only four points behind Esher as they are starting to fulfil their potential.

Ampthill & District 31-25 Coventry

Ampthill & District made it back to back wins with this victory over Coventry at Dillingham Park.

The pendulum swung in this game throughout and when Coventry took the lead on 53 minutes thanks to two penalties from Clifford Hodgson, they looked like they were in control of the game.

However, the hosts responded as tries from Kennet O’Neil and William Maisey secured the win for Ampthill as Coventry once again failed to hold on to a lead.

After promotion via the National Two play-off, Ampthill have settled well into National One as they end a successful 2015 seventh in the table with eight wins to their name.

The same can’t be said for Coventry. Their name was in the frame for a promotion challenge this season, but inconsistency has let them down. They lie 10^th in the table which is their lowest position in a season and a half and they will now be looking for a strong second half of to the campaign.

Darlington Mowden Park 51-11 Blaydon

If you needed any indication about who is the form side in National One then this result highlights it. Darlington Mowden Park made it six wins in a row in style as they beat their north-east rivals Blaydon to move into the top half of the table.

DMP were rampant in the second half of this contest as Jake Henry scored a brace to complete his hat-trick while Jacob Woodhouse, Thomas Judd, Bruno Bravo and Ben Frankland all crossed

Park began the season slowly, but their recent form has propelled them into eighth place and they may not have wanted the Christmas break to come due to the great run which they are on.

As for Blaydon, they are outside the relegation zone on points difference alone after this defeat. Their mini revival came to a shuddering halt on Saturday so they’ll be hoping to get off to a flyer in 2016 to steer clear of danger.

Wharfedale 28-32 Fylde

This was a much closer contest than the one at Darlington as Fylde narrowly beat Wharfedale.

You are never quite sure which Fylde side will turn up each week and when they went 12 points down early on thanks to tries from Oliver Fewtrell and Robert Baldwin, Coach Paul Arnold may have been fearing the worst.

However, his side managed to turn the game around as tries from Mark Goodman, Adam Lewis, David Fairbrother and Anthony Bingham helped them on the way to victory.

‘Dale scored a late try trough Daniel Solomi which sealed two bonus points and that could prove vital at the end of the season as they currently sit 15^th in the table and just a point from safety. In terms of Fylde, they are ninth and seem to have cemented a position in mid-table for now.

Loughborough Students 28-24 Hull Ionians

Loughborough Students ended 2015 with a hard fought win over Hull Ionians to settle any relegation worries they may have.

A late try from Craig Eastwood in the dying embers of this contest snatched the victory from Hull Ionians who once again secured a losing bonus point after they looked certain for the win when a Penalty Try was awarded to them five minutes from the end.

Students are now seven points clear of the relegation zone and are now just two points behind the I’s who have now lost their last their last five games.

Henley Hawks 27-13 Cinderford

Henley Hawks sealed a vital win as they beat Cinderford in this relegation battle as they ended a seven match losing streak.

Tries from Jake Randall and Robert Bell gave the hosts a 10-8 half-time lead before they stretched their advantage after the break as Bell crossed again and he was joined by Liam O’Neil.

Cinderford threatened to mount a comeback when Alex Frame went over 12 minutes from the end to make it 22-13, but Randall grabbed his second try late on to settle the game.

Henley have struggled in National One since lifting the National Two South title in April, but this win leaves them just a point off safety and sends Cinderford to the foot of the table who are only four points adrift.