Hartpury have eyes set on a ton in National One

Followers of National One have known for a while that Hartpury College are likely to be promoted to the Championship this season and the runaway leaders are now targeting yet another milestone.

John Barnes’ side currently sit 27 points clear at the summit, but this weekend could see them rack up 100 points for the season with two months of the campaign still remaining. Trying to halt them will be Blaydon who are battling hard to avoid the drop and travel to Gloucestershire on the back of successive wins.

Below Hartpury sees the race for the silver spot continue as Blackheath host Ampthill and District, while Plymouth Albion go to Darlington Mowden Park and Birmingham Moseley are at home against an in-form Rosslyn Park.

Down at the wrong end of the table, it may well be a must win game for bottom of the table Macclesfield when they welcome Cambridge to Cheshire tomorrow while Hull Ionians and Esher do battle in Surrey. Elsewhere, Fylde host Coventry and Old Albanian travel to Loughborough Students.

Hartpury College v Blaydon

Hartpury College will be aiming to make it a century of points this weekend when they host Blaydon. Last Saturday, the runaway league leaders secured their 20^th straight victory of the season as they beat Hull Ionians and they are once again up against another side battling to avoid the drop in Round 21.

College are currently 27 points clear at the top with 10 games left to play and it is all but confirmed that John Barnes’ side will clinch the National One title. However, they are fully aware that they can’t underestimate Blaydon tomorrow despite their being 14 places between the sides.

Blaydon’s win six days ago against Blackheath has given them a superb chance of avoiding relegation. The north-east side head south this weekend still in the bottom two, but they are level on points with Hull Ionians who occupy the final safety spot in this division following the demise of London Welsh from the Championship.

Micky Ward’s men take on Hartpury tomorrow on the back of two straight wins and if they were to get a result this Saturday it would not only be the shock of the weekend, but arguably the shock result of the season.

Blackheath v Ampthill and District

Second placed Ampthill and District take the trip to fifth placed Blackheath this weekend aiming to continue their impressive recent form. The A’s won 36-10 against Macclesfield last Saturday to secure their ninth win in their last 10 matches as the Bedfordshire side aim to keep control of the runners-up spot in this division.

The men from Dillingham Park finished fourth last season following promotion from National Two North and they are on course to the better that achievement this term. Ampthill have won six of their nine away fixtures in this campaign and another victory over a rival for the silver medal spot would tighten their grip on second place.

As for the hosts Blackheath, they currently sit eight points behind Ampthill and their hopes of another top three finish look to be hanging by a thread after their shock defeat to Blaydon in Round 20. ‘Club’ were inconsistent in January picking up two wins and two losses, but those victories both came at Well Hall.

The London-based side have actually been superb at their new home this season; winning eight and losing just one of their matches in front of their own supporters. Blackheath will now be focused on ending this campaign strongly and a 14^th victory of the term would get the final third of this season off to the perfect start.

Darlington Mowden Park v Plymouth Albion

This weekend, one of the longest trips in National One is taking place as Plymouth Albion trek north to take on Darlington Mowden Park at the Northern Echo Arena. Third placed Albion are currently level on points with Ampthill and District after racking up 14 wins this term.

Considering the changes in management during the season, Plymouth have not tailed off and Kieran Hallett and his side are continuing to push for that runners-up spot. The men from Brickfields have secured four away wins this term, but come into this fixture with DMP on the back of three straight wins so with confidence oozing, they may fancy their chances of extending that run.

As for Darlington Mowden Park, they continued their good form last weekend with a victory over Old Albanian and since the middle of December, the north-east side have lost just one of their last six matches.

With that in mind, DMP have moved themselves away from danger and up into ninth place in the table. Like Plymouth, the hosts seem to be brimming with confidence and they too will be keen to keep up their decent run of form this weekend as they go in search of their fifth home win of the campaign.

Birmingham Moseley v Rosslyn Park

Fourth placed Birmingham Moseley will be aiming to return to winning ways at Billesley Common tomorrow, but it won’t be easy as they host one of the in-form sides in this division in the shape of Rosslyn Park.

Park are unbeaten in their last six games and have climbed into the top six after this excellent run of results. They head to the Midlands this weekend just three points behind their hosts and ambitions of a top four finish are very much on the cards if Rosslyn continue to keep performing at a high level.

In terms of Birmingham Moseley, they battled to a morale boosting victory over Cambridge last weekend after two defeats in their last three matches prior to their win at Volac Park. January was a tough month for the Midlands side, but they will now want to end this season in a positive fashion as they start preparing for a shot at promotion next year.

Kevin Maggs’ side will also be eager to get their home form back on track this weekend as their 100 percent record at Billesley Common was ended by Ampthill and District two weeks ago.  This will not be a straightforward task for Moseley against a rampant Rosslyn side, but they will be hoping to start February off with a home win.

Fylde v Coventry

Sixth placed Coventry head to the north-west this weekend to take on Fylde where they will be keen to improve on their away form. Rowland Winter’s men have been superb at home in this campaign with 10 of their 12 victories coming at the Butts Park Arena, but it has been the complete opposite on their travels.

Cov will be happy to be sitting in the top six this term after a very inconsistent season last year, but they may feel that they could be higher up the table if they had enjoyed more success on the road. The Midlands side have won just twice all season away from home, but they might fancy their chances of adding to that tally this weekend against a Fylde side that is just starting to look nervously over their shoulders.

Paul Arnold’s men are currently 13^th in the table and seven points clear of the bottom two, but they will know their impressive home form this season could be enough to keep them in National One for another year. Fylde have won six times this season overall and all six of those victories have come at Woodlands which once again highlights how strong the Lancashire side are on home turf.

They will need to be back to their best in front of their own supporters this weekend after a torrid January which saw Fylde lose all four of their matches. A return to winning ways is something they maybe craving otherwise they could be dragged into a relegation scrap.

Loughborough Students v Old Albanian

Loughborough Students host Old Albanian this weekend with the visitors currently struggling to find form. OAs were promoted from National Two South last May, but they are now entering a huge part of this season having lost their last three matches ahead of this fixture with Loughborough.

Despite the losses, James Shanahan’s side sit 10^th in the table and a massive 17 points clear of the relegation zone which they will be pleased about on their return to this division. However, they will now be keen to put a bad January behind them and focus on the remainder of the season, starting with this trip to the Midlands tomorrow.

This fixture presents a chance for the OAs to get their campaign back on track, but Loughborough Students won’t be offering any help as they too want to begin finding some positive consistency. The Students are having a solid term so far as they currently occupy eighth place in the table, but they will be keen start stringing a run of positive results together after a patchy few weeks.

They head into this fixture with the OAs having won five and lost five of their last 10 matches which has seen them fail to push on from their current mid-table position. However, one positive for the Midlands side is that they have lost just one of their last seven matches at home and they will fancy themselves to improve on that record this Saturday.

Macclesfield v Cambridge

January was not a successful month for both Macclesfield and Cambridge as they prepare to meet at Priory Park tomorrow. The hosts suffered a blow to their survival chances as they lost to Blaydon and Macc now sit 12 points from safety following a sequence of eight straight defeats.

Head Coach Giles Heagerty said on BBC Radio Manchester last week that his side ‘haven’t lost heart’ and that was clear to see in their valiant performance against Ampthill and District six days ago. They will need that same spirt this weekend as they look for their third win of the season because if they fail to get a result on Saturday, it could put one final dent in their battle against relegation.

They may fancy their chances tomorrow as they welcome a Cambridge side struggling for confidence and form. Ross Stewart’s men have performed will since promotion from National Two South last summer, but over the last few weeks, the Blood and Sand have seen a dramatic change in fortunes.

They head to Cheshire having lost their last six matches and their mid-table spot now seems less comfortable. They currently lie 11^th in the table and 11 points clear from the drop which is far from disastrous, but the men from Volac Park will be itching to stop the rot this weekend against Macclesfield as they go in search of their third away triumph of the campaign.

Esher v Hull Ionians

With the new regulation introduced by the RFU regarding relegation following the demise of London Welsh from the Championship, both Esher and Hull Ionians may well be thankful that only two sides will be relegated from the third tier of English rugby as they go head to head this weekend at Moseley Road.

Hosts Esher have struggled massively in recent weeks and as a result, they have slipped down to 13^th in the standings, but are nine points clear of the bottom two. Nine defeats in their last11 matches is the reason for Esher’s decline and they now face a crucial game against Hull Ionians as they look to dispel any relegation nerves.

One of the positives to come out of Esher’s season so far has been their home form where all six of their victories have come this season, including their most recent win over Fylde. A seventh victory at Moseley Road is much needed this weekend for Esher.

As for Hull Ionians, they are firmly embroiled in a relegation battle. The visitors to Surrey on Saturday are sitting just one place above the bottom two and are only outside the drop zone because they have won more games than Blaydon, but they do have a crucial game in hand.

The Yorkshire side come into this game after two tough fixtures against Blackheath and Hartpury College, but they know that these type of matches against Esher is where they need to be picking up points. The I’s have won on five occasions this term, but only one of those victories have come away from home. That triumph came against Macclesfield at the end of September and a second win on the road this weekend would be crucial for the men from Brantingham Park as they aim to create some distance between themselves at the bottom two.