The clubs I keep coming back to: Mark’s National League Rugby soft spot
Barnes' three wins on the spin have lit the fuse on their National Two East campaign
©Jonathan Knight
There are always a few clubs whose results you check first on a Saturday afternoon.
They might be local, familiar, linked to a player you have followed, or simply teams whose stories have caught your attention.
For me, it is seven National League sides this season. They have become regular fixtures in my notebook: Sedgley Park, Preston Grasshoppers, Fylde, Bury St Edmunds, Lymm, Camborne and Barnes.
They are spread across the divisions, and their seasons are heading in very different directions.
I might be biased (those who know TRU will understand!), but Sedgley Park have been the standout so far in National Two North.
Eight league games, eight bonus-point wins, and a formidable 420 points scored. Their latest success was a 35-27 comeback at sixth-placed Preston Grasshoppers, where they overturned a half-time deficit and preserved their unbeaten record.
Next comes a Lancashire derby at Park Lane against Fylde (9th): a chance for Sedgley to make it nine from nine, and for Fylde to measure themselves against the league’s pace-setters.
Fylde’s campaign has been more uneven: three wins from eight before last weekend, but a 50-13 victory over Heath offered an emphatic reminder of what they can do. The visit to Sedgley is a demanding test, yet derby games have their own energy. Fylde, who haven't been helped by injuries this season, will need to bring the attacking confidence of that big win and sustain it against an unbeaten side.
Hoppers will be looking to respond after their narrow defeat to Sedge. They have won five of their first eight games and remain in the top half of National Two North. Their next challenge is a trip to fifth-placed Hull Ionians, a side sitting among the division’s leading contenders.
There is plenty of season left, but a strong away performance would help Hoppers turn a good start into a genuinely promising one. Another standout fixture in Round Nine sees third-placed Chester travel to Tynedale (4th).
Bury St Edmunds (11th) face a different kind of test in National One. They have three wins from eight and sit just above the lower reaches of the table. Their 42-14 home loss to Rosslyn Park was a difficult way to end October, and now they travel to Tonbridge Juddians (2nd), who have won seven of their first eight.
It is a tough assignment at The Slade, but a chance for Bury to show the resilience needed to build consistency at this level. I cannot repeat how much I enjoyed my weekend in Bury St Edmunds.
Like Bury St Edmunds, Camborne are also one of the 'newcomers' to National One, but 'Town' have been nothing short of outstanding so far.
Seven victories from eight have put them among National One’s leading teams, and their latest result was a nine-try, 57-38 away win over Dings Crusaders.
They return home to face Bishop’s Stortford (9th), looking to keep pressure on the sides above them and maintain the attacking fluency that has already brought more than 300 points. A new club for me this season but one I visited in pre-season and have written about subsequently.
Over in National Two West, Lymm (8th) have five wins from eight in what is becoming a congested league table. Lymm's 47-31 victory over Hornets was a welcome response after defeats to Redruth and Taunton, and it means the top eight sides are separated by just eight points.
Andy Davies charges now visit Hinckley (4th), one of the division’s strongest sides. That makes Saturday a useful marker: Lymm have shown they can score freely, and this will test whether they can carry that form onto the road.
Barnes (7th) of National Two East are another side beginning to gather momentum. Their 29-15 win over Leicester Lions followed a run of positive results, and Saturday brings an away fixture at Westcombe Park (13th).
It is a London derby with points available and plenty of edge: an opportunity for Barnes to keep climbing after a mixed opening to the season. Why Barnes? Our colleague, Frank Nickson played there before heading off on a world tour.
That is the appeal of National League Rugby: seven clubs, seven different stories, and no single table that tells the whole picture. This weekend, the fixtures range from title-chasing Sedgley Park to important tests for Bury, Lymm and Barnes. I’ll be keeping an eye on all of them.
