Stortford and Old Elthamians looking to put heat on Chinnor

After postponements to Bishop’s Stortford’s and Old Elthamians’ fixtures last weekend, the title challenging sides will be itching to return to action as they aim to wrestle top spot off Chinnor.

Chinnor returned to the summit of National Two South following victory over Redingensians in Round 19, but now they are the team to catch. Both Stortford and OEs do have games in hand which on paper they should win, but for now they need to continue picking up victories to knock Chinnor back down to third place.

The title and automatic promotion will be at the forefront of their minds, but for the likes of Redruth and Taunton Titans, they still believe they can sneak under the radar in the final third of the season and maybe steal the play-off spot.

Elsewhere this weekend, Cinderford will be looking to continue their good recent form while Bury St Edmunds and Henley Hawks do battle as they aim to secure vital points to end January on a high.

At the wrong of the table, a lifeline has been handed to the likes of Exmouth, Worthing Raiders and Barnstaple following the new regulation introduced by the RFU after London Welsh’s exit from the Championship.

Between both National Two North and National Two South, the records of the two clubs that finish in 14^th place will be compared at the end of the season and the one with the poorest record will be relegated. It has given new hope for the sides battling against the drop, but more so in National Two South, as the sides fighting for survival currently have stronger records.

Exmouth v Chinnor

It has been a very positive couple of weeks for Exmouth. The divisions’ bottom club secured their second win of the season in Round 18 with victory over Henley Hawks and were extremely close to causing an upset last weekend against Redruth. The Devonshire side lost 33-32, but picked up two bonus points which could prove vital as we begin the final third of the 2016/17 season.

However, the task remains a tough one for Jon Hill’s side. They are currently 12 points from safety, but with the new ruling that has been brought in due to London Welsh exiting the Championship, the side sitting in 14^th place in this division may avoid relegation to National Three. So with this in mind, Exmouth are only nine points adrift of possibly securing a place in the fourth-tier of English rugby for next season but for now, they will be purely focused on keeping up their positive displays when they host Chinnor this Saturday.

Chinnor are battling hard for a completely different goal this season. After fighting off relegation this time last year, Matt Williams’ side have turned into title and promotion contenders and last weekend’s victory over Redingensians saw the Oxfordshire side go back to the summit of National Two South.

Granted, their promotion rivals Bishop’s Stortford and Old Elthamians both weren’t in action but after a run of just three wins in eight matches, it would have been a boost for Chinnor to secure back to back victories for the first time since the start of November. The Black and Whites travel to Devon this weekend in search of their sixth away win of the season as they look to keep themselves firmly in the mix for the National Two South crown.

Clifton v Bishop’s Stortford

Bishop’s Stortford may well have been frustrated that they weren’t in action last Saturday. Andy Long’s men had their home fixture with Canterbury postponed and any thoughts they had of taking control of this title race were put on hold. Six days has passed and they have been knocked off top spot by Chinnor, but their fate is very much in their own hands heading into Round 20.

Stortford currently sit second in the table and level on points with Chinnor. They obviously have a game in hand over their promotion rivals so you could argue it is Stortford’s to lose. They take the trip to Clifton feeling fresh and revitalised looking for their ninth away victory of the season.

It won’t be an easy fixture for Stortford as Clifton come into this weekend on a high. The South Gloucestershire side continued to cement their place in the top half of the table last Saturday as they sealed a second successive win over Barnstaple. The Lavender and Blacks remain eighth in the standings, but head into tomorrow having won five of their last seven matches.

The men from Station Road have performed much better on their own turf this season, picking up six wins from their 10 matches played thus far. Clifton seem to carry on improving as week passes by after a torrid start to the campaign and now they will be hoping to maintain their momentum as they look to make it three wins on the spin.

Old Elthamians v Taunton Titans

Just under two weeks ago, Old Elthamians suffered a blow to their title chances as they were beaten by promotion rivals Bishop’s Stortford in dramatic fashion at College Meadows. There is no doubt that OEs would’ve been itching to respond last weekend when they travelled to Worthing Raiders, but they were unable to do so due to the weather conditions in West Sussex.

After stewing over that defeat to Stortford for another week, finally the OEs have the chance to bounce back from that minor set-back when they host Taunton Titans this weekend. Currently, Gavin Lach’s men are third in the table, but they are only two points behind the sides above them and they also have that crucial game in hand. That loss to Stortford has certainly not ended OEs title chances and the Eltham-based side will be aiming to reignite their promotion hopes this weekend.

Another side that is harbouring possible promotion hopes are Taunton Titians who travel to College Meadows tomorrow. Tony Yapp’s men have been hovering around the top two places in this division for quite a while, but whenever they seem to be on the brink of breaking back into the promotion spots, they suffer a setback.

Last weekend was a prime example of this. Taunton had the chance to put some pressure on the sides above them, but they fell to a home defeat against Cinderford which leaves them fifth in the table and six points behind second place Old Elthamians. Added to that, OEs and Bishop’s Stortford have a game in hand so that gap of points could certainly increase. Taunton must carry on believing that they have a shot at the top two and a vital win over the OEs this weekend could spark their season back into life.

Barnes v Redruth

After holding off an almighty comeback from bottom of the table Exmouth six days ago, Redruth will be hoping for a much easier Saturday this weekend when they take on another side battling for safety in National Two South. The Reds’ hard-fought victory over Exmouth saw them move to within four points of the top two and despite a couple of the sides above them having games in hand, Redruth will feel they have got every chance of sneaking into the promotion spots.

Marek Churcher’s side have certainly recovered from a blip which they had at the start of December. Since their surprise defeat away at London Irish Wild Geese, the Cornwall-based side have won four straight matches which has kept them in the mix with the frontrunners. Redruth travel to London this weekend looking to stretch their winning streak and they can only achieve this by securing their seventh away victory of the campaign.

Redruth carry great form into Round 20, but so do their hosts Barnes. 12 months ago, Barnes were in a similar position to where they are now and went on a six match unbeaten run which was a major factor in them surviving relegation from this division. Fast-forward to this year and it looks as though Jamie Turner’s men are at it again.

They prepare to welcome Redruth this weekend on the back of a three game unbeaten sequence which has moved Barnes out of the relegation zone and they are bidding for a third successive home win this weekend. They currently sit three points clear of the drop and importantly, they do have a game in hand as their fixture with Henley Hawks was postponed last weekend. Moreover, the new ruling the RFU have introduced does strengthen Barnes’ survival bid, but they will be aiming to stay in this division by finishing outside the bottom three rather than the best 14^th place finisher.

Cinderford v London Irish Wild Geese

Cinderford currently sit top of the form table in National Two South. After a stuttering start to life at this level following relegation from National One in May, the Gloucestershire side look as though they are finally clicking into a gear and head into this weekend’s clash with London Irish Wild Geese on the back of four straight victories.

As a result, the men from Dockham Road have moved into the top six and their excellent recent form doesn’t look like it is stopping any time soon. Their away victory over promotion chasing Taunton Titans last weekend extended Cinderford’s run to just one defeat in their last nine matches so they will be oozing confidence this Saturday. Cinderford have won their last five matches at home and the odds weigh heavily in their favour that they can extend that run this weekend.

Another Saturday at Hazelwood and another victory for London Irish Wild Geese. The side promoted into this division last May have a knack of winning at home recently and so far it is keeping them away from the relegation zone. A third consecutive triumph in front of their own supporters against Bury St Edmunds last weekend lifted Wild Geese up to 11^th in the table and more importantly seven points clear of the bottom three.

The aim for the Sunbury-on-Thames side is to now translate their positive home results into their performances on the road. Since promotion from National Three London and South-East, Wild Geese have won just once away from home. For now, it is not an issue which is detrimental to their survival chances in this division, but they will be keen to start putting that right beginning with this fixture against Cinderford.

Canterbury v Worthing Raiders

It has been a mixed few weeks for Canterbury. Following seven successive victories which propelled the City Men into the top six, they ended last year with a defeat against Old Elthamians and have made a stuttering start to 2017. A narrow win over Barnstaple was followed by a home defeat against Clifton two weeks ago and with their fixture against Bishop’s Stortford last weekend being postponed, Canterbury just seem to have lost their rhythm.

Of course, it wasn’t Canterbury’s fault that they weren’t in action six days ago, but they will be eager to spark their season back into life when they host Worthing Raiders tomorrow. Canterbury currently lie seventh in the division and just a point behind Cinderford and they will fancy their chances of securing a seventh victory at The Marine Travel Ground this weekend against a Worthing side desperately short on confidence.

The Raiders take the trip to Kent this Saturday in a wretched run of form which has been down to a long list of injuries. Worthing have won just one of their last 12 matches and as a result, they have slid down the table and into the relegation zone and they currently find themselves six points from safety, but they do have a game in hand.

As we know, that fixture will be at home against title chasing Old Elthamians but the new RFU laws for this season may come to Worthing’s aid if they finish as the best 14^th place finisher. The Raiders are only three points behind that spot, but if they are to have any chance of surviving the drop into National Three, they must start picking up victories. It will be a tough ask this weekend for Worthing against a Canterbury side that has had a very good season, but it is certainly not out of the realms of possibility that the visitors can get a result.

Barnstaple v Redingensians

After a positive end to 2016, Barnstaple have just hit a bad run of form and it has come when some of the sides around then are currently enjoying positive results. Following their fifth win of the season against Henley Hawks just before Christmas, Barum have slipped to four straight defeats which has left them in the relegation zone.

It certainly isn’t all doom and gloom for Steve Perry’s side though as they currently sit just three points from safety and also a 14^th placed finish may well be enough to secure their status in National Two South following the new ruling introduced. However, the men from Pottingham Road will want to stay in this division by finishing outside the bottom three and a sixth home victory over Redingensians tomorrow would certainly be a positive end to a difficult month for Barnstaple.

Another side feeling the January blues are Redingensians. After showing no signs of a Christmas hangover following their victory over London Irish Wild Geese at the start of the month, the Rams have lost their last three matches and their inconsistencies are starting to creep in once again.

The men from Old Bath Road have remained in mid-table despite a loss form and they are only a point outside the top-half as they take the trip to Devon this Saturday. Redingensians finished seventh last year and they have a great chance to make it successive top eight finishes this season, but they will need to start accumulating victories beginning with this clash against Barnstaple.

Bury St Edmunds v Henley Hawks

If the aforementioned Barnstaple and Redingensians were struggling to find any sort of rhythm, you could certainly throw Bury St Edmunds into that category. The side which currently occupies 10^th in the table got 2017 off to a perfect start with a win over Worthing Raiders, but they welcome Henley Hawks to Suffolk tomorrow having lost their last two matches.

In fact, the Wolfpack have lost six of their last seven games and any aspirations they may have had of earning another top-half finish following their credible sixth place last season looks unlikely at present. Bury head into this game having won just four of their last 15, but this season, they have won five fixtures on home soil which is a positive they can take in this match with Henley Hawks.

The Hawks have suffered double frustration over the last two weeks. A controversial defeat against Exmouth was followed by their fixture with Barnes being postponed six days ago so any positive momentum which Henley generated may have faded away.

However, the men from Dry Leas will be eager to return to action this weekend as they look to continue their best spell of form since they were relegated from National One in May. The Hawks have lost just two of their last seven games which has seen them move five points clear of the drop zone, but they do also have a game in hand against Barnes. Henley are on their travels this weekend as they go in search of only their second away win of the season.