National 1: Teams at both the top and bottom of the table needed results to guarantee promotion or avoid relegation on this last day of the regular season at Level 3; a few weeks ago this could have been a match that Blackheath were dreading had they not moved to a safe mid-table position.  However, it was leaders Doncaster that now really needed the result with Rosslyn Pk breathing down their necks in scond spot; in the end a 20-38 win for the Yorkshire club sees them take the title and return to the Championship at the first attempt.  Meanwhile, Rosslyn Pk had done all that could be asked of them as they put struggling Cinderford to the sword 52-17, although the Gloucester club escape relegation thanks to Tynedale, who fought out a 14-14 draw with Henley, a result that wasn’t enough for the Oxfordshire club to escape the drop to Nat 2(S) for next season.  Loughborough Students 29-10 win at home to Blaydon was enough to move them clear of relegation, but the already relegated Hull Ionians’ last appearance in the division will be one to forget as they were hammered 67-14 by Coventry.  Worthing gave a better account of themselves but still lost out 34-38 to visiting Wharfedale; in the remaining fixtures Esher beat Richmond 31-17, with Fylde winning against O Albanians 50-30 in a high scoring encounter.

National 2(S): City club Canterbury were reliant on other results for any chance of a playoff place, but a 43-12 defeat at Clifton rendered all the mathematical calculations irrelevant.  Already promoted Hartpury tripped up at Bishop’s Stortford, going down 31-21 to the Essex club who have finished the league campaign strongly.  Ampthill clinched the playoff place with a 40-24 win over Ldn Irish (Am), a result that also condemned Irish to the last of the relegation places alongside Exmouth and Bournemouth who both lost today to Chinnor (32-12) and Taunton (48-27) respectively; Ampthill will now face Darlington MP in the promotion playoff.  Wins for Dings 12-31 at Southend, and Launceston 16-6 against Shelford saw them both to safety, whilst in the last of the fixtures Cambridge lost out by a point at home to Redruth, 19-20.

 Divisional Promotion Playoffs:

National 3:  O Elthamians will joining Canterbury in National 2(S) next season, after they defeated National 2(SW) Berkshire based Redingensians 17-10 in the promotion playoff at Foxbury.

London 1: After the disappointments of the last two seasons, where their league campaign has faltered at the critical moment, the 25-16 result against Eton Manor sees a relieved Chichester  elevated to National 3(SE) for next season.

London 2(S): The promotion playoff in the past four seasons has always gone the way of the SW clubs and today was no different as a resolute Gosport & Fareham defence was the key to their success over Maidstone, Whilst the Hampshire side offered a limited attack, their defence stood up to a battering, with the county town club unable to find the key to unlock their tight defence and lost out 14-10.

London 2(N): O Priorians 42-3 win over the HAC in the only outstanding fixture in Ldn 2(NW) means that they take the league title and leaves Twickenham, who have been their nearest rivals for the past two seasons in the runners up spot and they now face Saffron Walden in the London 2(N) playoff next weekend

Kent 1 v Sussex 1 Playoff:  despite being between the runners up in the two county leagues, this was an all Sussex match up, with Kent 1’s Hastings & Bexhill facing a Crawley side that have been rebuilding after their withdrawal from the league two seasons ago.  Despite home advantage, Crawley had no answer to Hastings’ attack and the final 22-41 result sees Hastings elevated to Ldn 3(SE) for next season

Others: In the only other playoff fixtures,  New Forest club Fordingbridge played host to an O Tonbridgian side that was only formed in 2009 and looking to make their mark as the youngest club in the London leagues.  The contest was somewhat one sided with Tonbridgians taking the tie 6-36. North of the Thames, Eastern Counties 1 club Newmarket hosted Essex 1 runners up Clacton, with the Suffolk club looking to bounce back to London 3 after relegation two seasons ago, but in what was an extremely tight contest it was the Essex club that just shaded the result 17-18.

Apart from National 1 & 2, the regular league season is now concluded for most clubs, with just a couple of outstanding fixtures postponed from earlier in the season to be played, plus also the National Semi-Finals of the RFU Knockout competitions played this weekend.

National 2(S): Already confirmed as champions Hartpury were pushed hard by bottom club Exmouth, who gave a good account of themselves before succumbing 32-47 to the league leaders.  It looks very much like Ampthill will take the playoff position after they were convincing 23-61 winners at relegated Bournemouth, with the Bedfordshire club now 4-points clear of Canterbury with just one to play.  In mid-table were 53-25 winners against Cambridge, whilst the remaining two fixtures both had some impact on how the battle to avoid the last relegation place would play out.  Chinnor currently look favourites for the drop after they lost out 43-12 at Bishop’s Stortford; whilst Launceston moved out of the bottom three thanks to a close fought 27-23 win over visiting Ldn Irish (Am) who are also not yet guaranteed safety.   

National 3(SE):  Only a single fixture played here in what was realistically a ‘dead rubber’ with the result not affecting the standings of either side as already relegated Thurrock went down 7-31 at home to eighth placed Hertford.

London 1(S):  Top were due to face bottom as Gravesend were scheduled to travel to Haywards Heath but received an AWO with the resultant 5-points confirming G’s as champions, leaving Chichester to host Eton manor in next week’s promotion play off.  In the only other outstanding fixture Sidcup’s 25-19 win against Dover moves them up to fourth place in the league standings.

RFU Knockout Competitions (National Semi-Finals)

Intermediate Cup:  In the semi-final affecting the Ldn & SE division champions Guildford, home advantage wasn’t enough as they narrowly lost out to a Trowbridge side that finished runner-up to Wells in Southern Counties (S), with the final result 17-19 to the visitors.  They now go on to face Staffordshire club Leek who beat Aspatria (a famous name from the amateur era) 27-15.

Senior Vase: NW Ldn club Harrow lost out 20-27 to last years Junior Vase champions Newent, as the Forest of Dean club booked their second consecutive Twickenham appearance with a 20-27 result.  Their opposition will be Yorkshire based Yarnbury who beat Corby club Stewarts & Lloyd 21-11.

Junior Vase: Home advantage was again no use for the Ldn & SE clubs, as Batterseas Ironsides lost out 24-35 to Gloucestershire club Longlevens.  They go forward to Twickenham and will face Rugby Lions, who in their first season back in the leagues since last season’s well publicised financial demise, beat Yorkshire club Goole 21-17.

Despite the small matter of next week’s promotion playoff, the club brought the curtain down on the regular season with the traditional awards dinner.  Held at Rianos for the third successive season, just over 100 of the club’s players and members attended to recognise the achievements made by both the players and those behind the scenes for what has been another successful season for the club.

Amongst the awards a number of RFU recognition awards were made, with RFU VIP ties presented to Dave Eastwood, Shaun Neaves, Mike Laurenson, Dave Smith, Dave Price and Tony Murphy for the considerable and often unseen work they do on behalf of the club behind the scenes.  In addition the contribution of several club stalwarts was recognised with the award of Vice Presidencies, with Hon Treasurer Ben Court contribution recognised along with that of the Mote CC’s immediate past president Mickey Back; a third award was also announced for Richard Parker and will be formally presented at a later date.

On pitch efforts were also recognised with Mike McIvor receiving the Mike Shaples Plate for the Veterans XV and Colin Frost the recipient of this year’s Captain’s Shield for the Barbarian XV.  The 3^rd XV player of the season was Callum Smith with Mustangs XV skipper Nick East being recognised for his efforts leading the team; the 1^st XV’s player of the season was vice captain Jack Davidson who also collected the Centenary Cup on behalf of the 1^st XV after another good season for the club’s flagship team.

The major awards of the evening saw Brad Ford take the David Arnold Young Player Award after a successful first season with the club; Diane Hughes received the Bernard Hinks Award for non-playing contribution to the club, with Will Fox picking up the equivalent award for players in the Other XVs.  The Bernard Hinks Award for the 1^st XV player went to Ben Brill after what has been an outstanding season, and brother Sam was on hand to make the presentation.  The last of the presentations saw the Harry Green Award presented for the fourth successive season, with former Chairman Andy Golding’s significant contribution to the club over a number of years being recognised.

Amongst the other presentations, Sam Brill and Caleb Van De Westerlo were presented with club shirts and plaques whilst the departing Willie Brown presented a framed shirt from his home club in New Zealand.

A full selection of photos are now available on the club gallery

Recent weeks have seen something of a family reunion for the Brill family, with Ben and Sam both appearing for the 1^st XV, Dad Brendon has also been in the UK with the family on holiday and they have all been on hand to watch the last four 1^st XV fixtures (all wins) whilst using Maidstone as a base for wider travels during their stay.  Prior to Brendon’s imminent return to the “land of the long white cloud”, he took time out to present club President, Jim Tinsley with a plaque from the family’s home club United Matamata.  In addition to the plaque both the boys also presented the club with a United Matamata club shirt to add to the club’s growing collection.

Spencer Nicholl from the town’s newest ‘Real Ale’ pub and new Official Sponsor for the 2014-15 season, Ye Olde Thirsty Pig was on hand for the 1^st XV’s 38-16 league win over Warlinham in their last run out at The Mote for this season.  Spencer has been a regular at the club in recent weeks for the 1^st XV home fixtures and was keen to become involved in supporting the club’s ambitions.  In fact the pub’s van used for deliveries etc  also carries the club badge as part of Ye Olde Thirsty Pig’s support for the club.  In addition to the obvious financial support that the sponsorship provides for the club, it is hoped that the collaboration will also lead to some additional benefits for both parties in terms of promoting the pub and also some of the area's real ale microbreweries.

Ye Olde Thirsty Pig is a free house situated on Knightrider Street serving the best local drinks with a wide range of Kentish Ale and Cider.  The pub is housed in a wonderful historic building dating back to c1540 and has many original features (click here for more details).

It has become recent tradition for overseas players that playing for Maidstone Rugby to present one of their club shirts from their home country on completion of their time with the club.  This week saw a shirt presented on behalf of Ivan Walkiling who was and ever present member of last season’s unbeaten league championship winning side.  Having concluded his time with the club and with no shirt to hand, this delayed presentation has come about by a somewhat circuitous route, with then club President Bob Beney collecting the shirt from Ivan in Australia during his recent visit for the Ashes cricket series.  Bob presented the shirt to the club on behalf of Ivan and it was fitting that Carol McKenzie received the shirt for the club, being as son Josh is currently being hosted in Australia for their rugby season by Ivan and his club Hamilton Hawks.

National 1: At the top of the table it still remains close, although the advantage still lies with Doncaster after a narrow 17-18 win at third placed Coventry; Rosslyn Park’s 12-60 hammering of relegated Hull Ionians means they narrow the gap to three points, with it all now being decided on the final weekend of the season.  At the biottom of the table, Hull were already relegated and Worthing are the second club to have their fate confirmed after they went down 33-20 at O Albanians, the last of the relegation places will be decided between Cinderford, who lost 32-46 at home to Esher, Henley who beat fellow strugglers Loughborough St 22-11 and Tynedale who lost out 49-21 at Richmond.  Of the four sides, Cinderford look to be in the stronger position having three fixtures remaining to the others one.  In the other fixtures, Black heath now sit in the top half of the table after a 19-24 win at Wharfedale and Blaydon just edged the result 15-14 against Fylde.

Promotion:  Either Doncaster or Rosslyn Pk

Relegation: Hull Ionians, Worthing and any one of 4 sides currently between 11^th & 14^th place.

National 2(S):  With leaders Hartpury running out 39-30 winners against playoff contenders Ampthill, Canterbury’s playoff aspirations received as sizeable dent after they lost out 27-31 at home to Bishop’s Stortford.  At the foot of the table relegated Exmouth and Bournemouth both won, with Exmouth beating Southend 34-27 and Bournemouth convincing 56-19 winners at home against Chinnor, a result that keeps Chinnor in relegation danger.  Launceston currently occupy the third relegation spot and a 36-24 defeat at the hands of Dings does nothing to help their survival cause but moves the Bristol based Dings up the table although not yet out of danger.  A 45-15 loss at Taunton doesn’t help Ldn Irish (Am) cause but a 34-15 win for Redruth against Clifton means they need just a single point for safety.  In the last of the fixtures Shelford went down 5-13 at the hands of Cambridge in the local derby.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Hartpury Coll, Ampthill or Canterbury (Playoff Opposition – Macclesfield, Stourbridge or Darlington MP)

Relegation: Exmouth, Bournemouth and any one of 5 sides currently between 9^th & 14^th place

National 3(SE):  Bonus point wins for Dorking at relegated Thurrock (0-76) and O Elthamians at home to BSE (45-7) sees both clubs finish on 111 points, with Dorking taking the title on points difference; Elthamains now go on to face Redingensians from Nat 3(SW) in the playoffs on the 26^th Apr.  At the bottom end of the table, like Thurrock, relegated Barking received another hammering, this time at the hands of Hertford (97-0).  The last of the relegation places is taken by Basingstoke, who went down heavily (21-61) at home against third placed East Grinstead, whilst Barnes survive another season and did everything they could to ensure their survival after a 30-31 win at Westcombe Pk.  In the remaining fixtures CS Rugby were narrow losers at home to Tring (27-28) whilst Guerbnsey were comfortable 49-7 winners against visiting TJs.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Dorking (Pr) O Elthamians (PO)  (Playoff Opposition –Redingensians [Nat 3 SW])

Relegation: Barking, Thurrock and Basingstoke.

London 1(S):  A 3-33 win for Gravesend at Hove was enough to secure the league title for Gravesend, with Chichester securing the playoff spot after they beat Brighton 24-32.  The relegation places are already decided and of the three sides going down only Beckenham posted a winning result as they beat Haywards Heath 17-27, Staines lost out 8-46 at home to Chobham.  In the mid table battles, fifth placed Wimbledon beat Havant 50-21, whilst Sidcup ran out 45-12 winners at home to Cobham; Dover just edged out S&E 33-30 in their battle.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Gravesend (Pr),  Chichester  (PO) - (Playoff Opposition – Eton Manor [Ldn 1N])

Relegation: Haywards Heath, Staines and Beckenham

London 2 (SE):  The promotion and relegation issues were all but settled at the start of the day, with relegated H&W going down to a final defeat at the hands of Sevenoaks (19-29).  Lewes were the favourites for the other relegation spot but still had the slimmest of chances of survival which hung on two results.  Firstly they had to secure a 5-point win against local rivals Crowborough, the other result they were reliant on was Maidstone running in a lot of points against Warlingham in order to make inroads into the 62 point advantage the Surrey club had over them.  Unfortunately they fell at the first hurdle, going down 36-26 making the second element academic.  Maidstone did their best in beating Warlingham, but a number of enforced changes in the county town club’s line up meant they were not as cohesive as in previous weeks and the 38-16 scoreline wouldn’t have reprieved Lewes even if they had pulled off an upset.  In the other results, Champions Charlton Pk beat Medway 44-25, whilst Tunbridge Wells secured fourth spot ahead of Sevenoaks with a 39-31 win against D&B.  In the last of the results Aylesford fell to a heavy 37-0 defeat at the hands of Colfes.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Charlton Park (Pr) and Maidstone (PO). (Playoff Opposition – Gosport & Fareham [L2SW])

Relegation: Heathfield & Waldron and Lewes.

London 3 (SE): All of the promotion and relegation issues were decided before today’s fixtures and champions Thanet celebrated in style as they ran out 53-14 winners against Dunstonians, Ashford did similar, as they inflicted a heavy 81-17 defeat on relegated Sheppey although third placed Folkestone unexpectedly tripped up 36-33 at Beccehamians in what was Darren Molloy’s last match in charge of the south coast club.  Horsham finish fourth in the table after they beat Burgess Hill 10-52 andin the remaining fixture Bromley beat Dartfordians 32-26.

Promotion:  Thanet Wdrs and Ashford

Relegation: Beccehamians, Sheppey and Burgess Hill

Kent 1: Park Hse had already secured the title but they still held sway in the battle for the playoff spot and inflicted heartbreak on Wealden club Cranbrook as they ran out narrow 20-18 winners; a result that combined with H&B’s bonus point 38-17 win over OGs sees the Sussex side take the playoff position on the basis of a superior win/loss record.  O wills strong run in continued as they rounded off the season with a 17-5 win over Kings Coll to finish in fourth spot, with Vigo in fifth despite losing out 32-19 at relegated Footscray.  Shooters Hill are the other relegated club and they lost out 21-28 to Southwark Lancers, with Sittingbourne ending the season with a 16-3 win over HSBC.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Park House (Pr) and Hastings & B (PO). (Playoff Opposition –Crawley [Sussex 1])

Relegation:  Footscray and Shooters Hill

Kent 2:  NAG still sit at the top of the table but have no fixtures remaining and must watch for another weekend at least to see if promotion beckons.  Askean move into second spot after their 32-13 win over Bexley, but like NAG they have also completed their fixture card and must watch and wait.  Bexley now sit a point behind in fourth spot with one match remaining whilst Lordswood moved up to third after a 0-71 rout of Faversham.  In the other fixtures Brockleians were 39-20 winners against Guys Hosp, whilst bottom club Dartford Valley lost out 12-54 to Edenbridge.

Promotion:  Two from New Ash Green, Bexley, Askean or Lordswood

National 1: Wins for Doncaster (57-17) against Wharfedale, and Rosslyn Pk  (32-10) against third placed Coventry mean that the promotion spot is not yet decided, although the Yorkshire club look the current favourites.  At the bottom relegated Hull Ionians lost heavily (52-3) at Esher, with second from bottom Worthing also losing out, going down 24-32 at home to Blaydon.  The last of the relegation places is currently occupied by Henley, who were well beaten (42-22) at Fylde.  Blackheath’s 27-10 win against O Albanians now sees them safe, as are Richmond, despite a 22-19 loss at Loughborough who still remain in relegation danger.  In the last of the fixtures, between two sides still in danger, Tynedale and Cinderford fought out a 24-24 draw, a result that was probably of more use to Cindeford given the number of fixtures they have remaining.

Promotion:  Either Doncaster or Rosslyn Pk

Relegation: Hull Ionians and any two of 6 sides currently between 10^th & 15^th place.

National 2(S):  The key fixture at the top was what Ampthill termed a ‘season defining fixture’, as they hosted city club Canterbury knowing a  win would put them back in the playoff battle and a loss effectively ending their challenge.  In what was a disappointing match for the city club, they went down heavily (41-8) and the advantage in the promotion playoff battle now sits with the Bedfordshire outfit.  At the top, Hartpury were pushed hard by Ldn Irish (Am) in a high scoring contest that just went the way of the league leaders 34-37.  At the bottom the already relegated Exmouth and Bournemouth both fell to defeats, with Exmouth narrowly losing out 18-17 at Launceston but Bournemouth being heavily beaten 57-26 at Southend.  The last of the relegation places is yet to be decided, with five clubs still in the reckoning; of these Dings still look favourites for the drop after a 29-26 loss at Cambridge with Launceston the other side in the most danger despite their narrow win at Exmouth.   The remaining sides in the mix are Chinnor who won 20-18 at Taunton, Redruth who were hammered 53-8 by Bishop’s Stortford, and Ldn Irish (Am).  In the mid table battle Clifton went down 13-21 at Shelford.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Hartpury Coll, Ampthill or Canterbury (Playoff Opposition – Macclesfield, Stourbridge or Darlington MP)

Relegation: Exmouth, Bournemouth and any one of 5 sides currently between 9^th & 14^th place)

National 3(SE):  The battle at both ends of the table looks like it won’t be cut and dried until the last day of the regular season; at the topof the table the two contenders went head to head with home advantage making the difference as Dorking narrowly outscored Elthamians 25-20 to regain top spot on points difference.  At the bottom the already relegated Barking and Thurrock lost out to CS Rugby (12-49) and East Grinstead (66-14), but it is the last of the relegation places where the interest lies.  Basingstoke sit just outside the drop zone and had the enviable task of traveling to face fourth placed TJs and lost out 41-32; meanwhile, Barnes task didn’t look much more reassuring as they hosted Channel Island club Guernsey currently sitting in fifth spot and a 31-22 win sees the West London club move out of the bottom three  as we go into the last week of fixtures.  In the remaining fixtures Hertford were 39-15 winners at home to BSE and Tring beat Westcombe Pk 29-12.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Dorking or O Elthamians (Playoff Opposition –Redingensians or Bracknell [Nat 3 SW])

Relegation: Barking, Thurrock and either Basingstoke or Barnes.

London 1(S): It is now only the battle for top spot that holds meaningful interest in terms of the promotion and relegation battles, Chichester led at the start of the day but a 33-22 defeat  at Wimbledon handed the initiative back to Gravesend who hosted third placed Brighton and bounced back from last week’s narrow loss with a convincing 41-15 win to move back to the head of the division with a match in hand.  At the bottom, the woes for the relegated clubs continued with Haywards Heath losing out 64-0 at Cobham, Staines falling to a 52-15 defeat at Havant and Beckenham losing out 15-29 to  visiting Dover.  In the remaining matches Sidcup’s 23-21 loss at Chobham sees them drop a couple of places in the table, whilst S&E were solid 34-17 winners against Hove.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Gravesend or Chichester (Playoff Opposition – Either Eton Manor or Westcliff [Ldn 1N])

Relegation: Haywards Heath, Staines and Beckenham

London 2 (SE):  The meaningful fixtures involved clubs at both the top and bottom of the table, leaders Charlton Park tied up the London 2(SE) league title, but were run very close in the 13-15 scoreline at struggling Warlingham.  The losing bonus point from the result means that the Surrey club now looks safe in the battle to avoid relegation although that won’t be confirmed until next week when they face  a Maidstone side who secured the playoff berth with a 7-59 win against Lewes, the other relegation candidate, who now look certain to face the drop as they will need both a bonus point win when they face Crowborough next week and also Maidstone to make seriuous inroads into Warlingham’s points difference if they are to survive.  Already relegated H&W went down 41-6 to D&B;  with Medway coach Taff Gwilliam having watched Colfes heavy defeat last week, it was no surprise that his Medway outfit were comfortable 35-11 winners to secure third place in the table, whilst following a convincing 55-29 result at Crowborough, Sevenoaks remain a point behind Tunbridge Wells after they edged a tight result against Aylesford (30-28), .

Promotion & Playoffs:  Charlton Park (Pr) and Maidstone (PO). (Playoff Opposition – Gosport & Fareham [L2SW])

Relegation: Heathfield & Waldron and Lewes or Warlingham

London 3 (SE): A 31-12 win at Anchorians was enough for Thanet to take the London 3(SE) crown, despite Ashford’s thumping 10-56 win at Dunstonians, although the result did secure promotion for the mid-Kent club.  Folkestone look like finishing in third after a 41-12 win over Bromley with Dartfordians looking to finish the campaign strongly as they thrashed relegated Burgess Hill 44-21.  At the bottom, all the relegation places were confirmed last week although Sheppey will go out with a flourish after a 66-7 drubbing of basement club Beccehamians.  In the all Sussex battle Horsham hammered Uckfield 34-0 to take the bragging rights and will look to finish as the highest placed of the Sussex clubs in the division in either fourth or fifth spot.

Promotion:  Thanet Wdrs and Ashford

Relegation: Beccehamians, Sheppey and Burgess Hill

Kent 1: The battle here will go to the last weekend although a 10-48 win for Park Hse sees them crowned champions and sees them return to London 3(SE) at the first attempt.  The real interest now lies in the playoff battle, after Cranbrook slipped up at O Wills last week, it was H&B’s turn to trip up this week, as they fell to a 31-22 defeat at HSBC, whilst Cranbrook moved back into second place with a 19-52 win at struggling Sittingbourne, although other results mean that the Swale club are now safe from relegation.  Who will finish bottom is yet to be confirmed, but a 47-21 defeat for Footscray at Kings Coll and with Shooters Hill’s going down 59-21 at Vigo, it is those two who drop to Kent Div 2 for next season.  In the last of the fixtures OGs wet down 17-27 at home to an O Wills side that are finishing the season strongly.

Promotion & Playoffs:  Park House (Pr) and Hastings & Bexhill or Cranbrook (PO). (Playoff Opposition –Crawley [Sussex 1])

Relegation:  Footscray and Shooters Hill

Kent 2: With an odd fixtures schedule, nothing is yet decided at the top of the table.  NAG received their second WO in as many weeks against Guys Hosp and sit at the top of the table having completed this season’s fixture card; they now have to wait and watch other results over the next few weeks for their fate to be decided. Bexley sit in second spot but had no fixture this week, with Askean also sitting this week out in third.  Fourth placed Lordswood hammered bottom club Dartford Valley 65-11with Edenbridge meting out similar punishment for Orpington in the 50-5 scoreline.  In the last of the fixtures, the local derby between Whitstable and Faversham narrowly went the way of the home side, with the Oystermen 18-17 winners in a tight contest.

Promotion:  Two from New Ash Green, Bexley, Askean or Lordswood

National 1: At the top, the battle between the top two went the way of Rosslyn Pk (21-18) as they narrowed the gap to Doncaster to four points; Coventry still sit a distant third after they convincingly beat Esher 43-0.  At the bottom relegated Hull Ionians went down 21-45 to Tynedale, who move up the table a couple of places nearer safety.  The two remaining relegation places are still undecided and appear to change on an almost weekly basis.  The current incumbents had mixed fortunes as second from bottom Worthing lost out 21-16 to fellow strugglers Henley, with Cinderford 22-19 winners over Loughborough St.  Blackheath appear to be safe despite a 22-16 defeat at Blaydon, as do O Albanians, despite a 25-28 reversal against Wharfedale.  In the last of the matches Richmond were convincing 36-0 winners against Fylde.

National 2(S):  The top of the table clash was the key fixture of interest here, with Canterbury now looking in pole position for the promotion playoff spot after they inflicted a 44-29 defeat on leaders Hartpury at Merton Lane, and now move to within three points of top spot.  The result would have been doubly pleasing for the city club given the news that Redruth had beaten playoff challengers Ampthill 41-36, a result that sees Redruth move into mid table and comparative safety as well as putting a dent in Ampthill’s playoff challenge. At the foot of the table, relegated Exmouth beat Cambridge 27-12 whilst Bournemouth beat fellow strugglers Launceston 25-21, a result that sees them both still in the bottom three places.  Dings 43-10 win over Clifton moves them out of the drop zone, although Chinnor remain in danger after a 31-47 home defeat to Ldn Irish (Am).  In the remaining matches Shelford went down 22-24 to visiting Bishop’s Stortford and Taunton beat Southend 22-18.

National 3(SE):  Having knocked Dorking off top spot last week, East Grinstead were unable to do the same to the new leaders as they lost out 25-19 at O Elthamians, who remain clear at the head of the division.  The lack of a bonus point won’t worry them too much, even with Dorking narrowing the gap to 3-points after a 10-50 destruction of BSE as they bounced back from last week’s loss.  At the bottom of the table, relegated Barking and Thurrock went down defeats to Kent based clubs, as Barking were demolished 109-5 by Westcombe Pk, Thurrock’s loss was less spectacular as they went down 19-39 to TJs.  The key battle in the relegation struggle was between Basingstoke and Barnes in their fight to avoid the last relegation place, despite a 24-41 win for Barnes, they still sit below the Hampshire club, but only by a point with 2 matches left to play.  In the last of the fixtures, Guernsey beat Tring 33-26, whilst CS Rugby and Hertford played out a 20-20 draw.

London 1(S): The big encounter was at the top of the table as leaders Chichester hosted Gravesend with the hosts just edging the battle 19-15 to move 4-points clear, although Gs still have a match in hand.  Brighton have secured third spot following a 46-12 win over S&E, with fourth spot still available and Chobham, Sidcup and Wimbledon all in contention after wins against Haywards Heath (0-67), Havant (38-17) and Staines (19-38) respectively.  With all the relegation places now decided Beckenham’s woes continued as they went down 55-15 at Hove whilst in the last of the fixtures Dover were 22-17 winners over Cobham in the mid-table battle.

London 2 (SE):  Just two fixtures outstanding from earlier in the season in this division, and both ended up high scoring affairs with Maidstone moving a step closer to securing the playoff berth after running in 11 tries in a 63-3 demolition of mid-table O Colfeians, whilst Sevenoaks did nothing to ease any of Warlingham’s relegation fears with an equally convincing 7-52 defeat for the Surrey club.

London 3 (SE):  The two outstanding fixtures here were of interest at the top and bottom ends of the table.  At the top was the match between Bromley and Ashford, with Bromley’s inconsistent season being littered with narrow defeats, Ashford added another as they ran out 31-34 winners and now require just a bonus point from their remaining two fixtures to secure the runners up spot and promotion.  There will be a sigh of relief in Uckfield as at the bottom end of the division the last of the relegation places was confirmed, with Dartfordian's 36-18 win against Sheppey effectively put the mathematical nail in the relegation coffin that consigned the Islanders.to Kent 1 rugby next season.

Kent 1: The leaders weren’t playing today but there was a change in the second placed club as Cranbrook dropped points being held to a 22-22 draw at O Wills.  H&B cashed in, and move into second after they were resounding 67-15 winners against bottom club Footscray who look favourites for the drop.  The key battle in the relegation struggle was between Sittingbourne and Shooters Hill with a 20-8 win for the Swale club looking like it may have consigned Shooters to Kent 2 rugby next season.  In the last of the fixtures OGs went down 19-38 at home to Southwark Lancers.

Kent 2: The top of Kent 2 has been a bit of a rotating door lately, with the latest incumbents at the head of the table being NAG after they received an AWO against Guys Hosp and also with Bexley going down 26-32 at home to Brockleians.  In the remaining fixture Edenbridge hammered Whitstable 61-18.  As the table stands, any of NAG, Bexley, Askean or Lordswood could take the promotion places and also the league title.

The U14s are playing against Aylesford’s U14s on their 1st XV pitch in a floodlit fixture this coming Friday.  There are two fixtures; an A XV fixture followed by a 'Development' fixture; matches are 35mins each half so an evening of good quality youth team rugby.

If you're free please try to get down and support the future senior players of Maidstone Rugby, bring your mates, perhaps use it as a warm-up if you're going into town later, bring your squads if you're an age group coach - we're really looking forward to seeing you there to watch the Maidstone Lions roar! #oneclub

According to this week's The Rugby Paper, former 1st XV player Piers Francis is apparently leaving RaboDirect Pro12 outfit Edinburgh at the completion of the season, in what has been an injury interrupted campaign for the former Maidstone player.  With experience from Waikato’s Super XV squad in addition to featuring in New Zealand’s provincial ITM Cup with both Auckland and Waikato; interest in his availability has apparently been shown from Pro12 club Glasgow Warriors, plus Aviva Premiership sides London Irish and Newcastle Falcons.

National 1: Doncaster still lead by 7-points after a 25-10 win over O Albanians, whilst Rosslyn Pk’s 30-38 win at Esher keeps them in touch in second spot with a 16-point cushion to third placed Coventry, who lost out 36-35 at struggling Tynedale, a result that moves the NE club clear of the bottom three.  In the relegation struggle, relegated Hull Ionians lost 25-15 at Loughborough St, whilst Worthing’s 28-36 defeat at home to Richmond sees them second from bottom.  Cinderford have matches in hand but occupy the last of the relegation places and lost out 35-29 at Fylde.  Henley’s 22-18 defeat at Blackheath means they are still mired in relegation danger, whilst in the remaining mid-table fixture Wharfedale lost out 13-37 at home to Blaydon.

National 2(S):  No changes at the top, leaders Hartpury won 48-12 against Redruth and are still well clear.  The playoff battle remains between Canterbury and Ampthill, with the city club posting a 13-29 win at Ldn Irish (Am) and Ampthill still 2-points behind after they won 36-10 against Shelford.  At the other end of the table relegated Exmouth went down 40-22 at Clifton, with Bournemouth also losing out, going down 41-21 at Cambridge.  The battle to avoid the third relegation place remains between Dings, who lost 35-14 to Bishop’s Stortford, and Launceston who leap frog Dings after a hard fought 15-10 win against Taunton.  Chinnor, along with Ldn Irish still sit on the edge of the relegation zone after a narrow 27-25 loss at Southend.

National 3(SE): Today was always going to be a critical date, with the top four sides in battle against each other and next weekend could be equally as important; as we sit at the moment Dorking slip from top spot after going down 35-17 to third placed East Grinstead’s  G-Force.  A solid 25-43 win for Elthamians at fourth placed TJs sees them now four points clear at the top.  Could Dorking lose out in the promotion race for a third consecutive season?  BSE stay fifth despite a convincing 42-27 loss at CS Rugby.  At the bottom end of the table with Barking already relegated and losing out heavily (5-83) to Guernsey, the key battle was the encounter between Barnes and Thurrock; a convincing 41-5 win for Barnes looks to have given them a sniff of survival, although they still sit 6-points adrift of Basingstoke who lost out heavily at Tring (67-19).  The last of the fixtures saw Hertford solid 24-6 winners against Westcombe Pk.

London 1(S):  Firstly let’s deal with the outstanding Haywards Heath v Hove result from last week, which did eventually surface, with Heath going down 10-31, a result that put Hove 17-points clear of Beckenham with four fixtures left at the start of this weekend.

Onto this week; and at the head of the table, whilst Chichester still lead by a point thanks to a 5-29 win at relegated Staines, Gravesend very much keep up the pressure after they won 6-36 at S&E.  The title battle remains tight between Chichester and Gravesend with G’s probably holding the advantage with a game in hand, although next weekends clash between the two will have a large bearing on the title destination.   In the last two seasons Chichester have wobbled at this point and dropped out of the running, but that is looking unlikely this season, although if G’s hold their form, Chi  may still have to go through the playoff route against the runners up of Ldn 2 (N|) which looks like being either Eton Manor or Westcliff.  At the bottom end of the table Haywards Heath lost out 57-17 at Havant and perhaps more crucially Beckenham lost out 15-38 at home to Brighton, a result that now sees their relegation confirmed and I am led to believe, sees their proud record of never having moved from this division since the establishing of the leagues, come to an end.

Elsewhere Chobham downed Dover 44-10 with Cobham losing out 22-29 at home to Hove; in the last of the results Sidcup were 29-36 winners at Wimbledon.

London 2 (SE):  Charlton Park currently sit as Champions elect and a 65-14 win over Lewes means that their opposition look favourites to move divisions in the opposite direction .  Maidstone still sit in second spot and favourites for the playoff spot against what looks like being Ldn 2(SW)'s Gosport & F, after making heavy weather of their match against Sevenoaks with a late18-14 win.  Medway remain third after they beat Aylesford 16-20 with Tunbridge Wells some 7-points further adrift despite a convincing 7-51 win at relegated H&W.  D&B’s 21-10 defeat at Crowborough effectively rules out any playoff aspirations they may have held.  In the last of the fixtures, any relegation fears Colfe’s may have had were removed after a 40-15 win over Warlingham, who still remain very much involved the relegation battle.

London 3 (SE):  The key battle here was the encounter between the top two sides, with Thanet coming from behind at the break to post a 5-20 win against closest rivals Ashford which effectively makes them champions elect, with Ashford still looking favourites for the second promotion spot.  At the bottom the key match was Uckfield’s fixture to see if the E Sussex club could put clear water and safety between themselves and the bottom three sides, a 10-17 defeat at the hands of Dartfordians still sees them potentially part of the equation and looking over the shoulders at the relegation zone, although 2-points from their remaining matches will see them safe for another season.  Bottom club Beccehamians went down 15-36 at home to Dunstonians, with Burgess Hill also falling to a 14-52 home defeat at the hands of third placed Folkestone.  Despite having a match in hand, time looks to be running out for Sheppey as they went down 42-25 at Bromley and the prospect of Kent 1 rugby next season is now beginning to look imminent.

In the mid-table battles Horsham held out for a narrow 17-20 win at Anchorians and move up to fourth place

Kent 1:  Leaders Park Hse were held to an 18-18 home draw against Vigo, although with two matches remaining they look like returning to Ldn 3(SE) as champions at the first attempt.  Both Cranbrook and H&B were able to close the gap with 54-3 and 40-12 wins against Southwark and Sittingbourne respectively; although in reality the real battle is between those two for the playoff spot against what is looking likely to be Sussex 1 club Crawley.  At the bottom end of the division the relegation battle remains between Shooters Hill, who lost out 7-24 to Kings Coll, Sittingbourne and Footscray, with the latter doing their survival chances a power of good with a solid 31-19 win at home to OGs.  In the last of the fixtures, O Wills pipped HSBC 17-14 in a tight encounter.

Kent 2:  Still all to play for in the promotion battle, with a couple of sides with matches in hand in the top four clubs.  Bexley lead the way after a 21-42 win at Guys Hosp, whilst Askean sit in second spot after they narrowly beat Edenbridge 15-14.  NAG are third after they beat Brockleians 22-10, with Lordswood in fourth spot following a 0-38 thrashing of Orpington.  In the last of the matches Dartford Valley remain at the foot of the table after a 7-20 loss at home to Whitstable.

2013-14 Awards Dinner
 

This year’s Annual Awards Dinner will take place on Thursday 17th April (Maundy Thursday) at Rhiano’s in Maidstone.

Attendance sheets will be available behind the bar from today (Tues 18th Mar) for those wishing to attend to register their names and make payment, see Carol or a member of the bar staff to put you name down.  The cost for this year has been held to the same amount as the previous two years, at £20 per head.  There is no payment on the night and if you have registered your name and not made payment by the closing date of 2nd April then your name will be removed from the list.

National 1: Just two fixtures outstanding in the division with Richmond now comfortably in mid-table after a 26-29 win at struggling Cinderford, whilst Henley’s 23-13 win over Blaydon sees them move up four places and out of the bottom three, but by no means out of danger.

National 2(S):  Leaders Hartpury had no fixture this week giving their pursuers the chance to close the gap.  Canterbury retain second place after a hard fought 17-20 win against a Dings side struggling to stay out of the relegation battle.  Ampthill had an equally difficult task against a Chinnor side in the same circumstance as Dings and made an equally difficult fist of things, running out 30-35 winners; with a game in hand on the city club, Ampthill now probably hold the whip hand in the playoff battle.  At the bottom, already doomed Exmouth travelled to face a Bournemouth side who still have faint hopes of survival, and a 24-17 win keeps those hopes alive.  Launceston’s 36-13 defeat at Cambridge sees them still occupying the third relegation place, although any one of themselves, Chinnor or Dings could go down.  Redruth’s 37-15 reversal at Shelford means that along with Ldn Irish (Am) they also aren’t out of the woods yet, so it’s all quite tight at the bottom of the table.  In the last of the matches Taunton and Bishop’s Stortford fought out a 24-24 draw.

National 3(SE): Wins for both the county’s clubs playing this weekend, as TJs bounced back from last week’s drubbing with a 45-34 win over Hertford, whilst Westcombe Pk were narrow 30-29 winners against visiting Basingstoke, a result that still sees the Hampshire side flirting with the edge of the relegation zone.

London 1(S):  Only three fixtures to catch up on here as Dover now look to be safe following a 36-12 win over relegated Staines.  In the last of the fixtures, a 20-12 win for Sidcup over S&E sees them move up to fifth spot, just ahead of Wimbledon.  The result of the Haywards Heath v Hove fixture has so far failed to surface in the RFU scores and on either club’s website!!

London 2 (SE):  Despite Maidsone slipping up in the last couple of weeks, they still sit in pole position for the playoff spot after a 7-78 demolition of bottom club H&W, a result that combined with Warlingham’s narrow 37-39 win at Lewes means that Heathfield’s relegation is confirmed; although the other relegation position remains to be settled between Lewes and Warlingham, with Crowborough and Colfes still not totally out of the equation.  In that respect Crowborough’s narrow 1-point win over Aylesford (20-19) means valuable points earned in their battle, whilst Colfes went down 23-3 at D&B to drop them back to the edge of the danger area.  In the last of the fixtures, league leaders, and champions elect Charlton Pk, effectively ended Tunbridge Wells’ playoff aspirations with a solid 21-32 win, a result that sees Wells slip to fifth to be replaced by D&B in fourth spot.

London 3 (SE):  At the top end of the table, second placed Ashford’s match against Bromley was postponed, although it would seem unlikely that is was for the weather given the recent spring sunshine; elsewhere relegated Beccehamians toppled Anchorians 22-20 in the surprise result of the day, whilst Folkestone fought out a high scoring 36-36 draw to consolidate third spot.  A 5-19 home defeat for Sheppey against Horsham means it now looks like any escape from relegation is lost; quite a reversal for a club that narrowly missed out on promotion in the last campaign.

Kent 1:  Cranbrook stay in the playoff spot following a 66-12 thrashing of Kings Coll, with challengers H&B also winning 3-31 at struggling Shooters Hill.  In mid-table HSBC lost out by a point to OGs in the 31-32 scoreline.

Kent 2:  Bexley move to the head of the division after a 50-5 thrashing of Orpington, with none of the other key contenders having a fixture this week.  In the only other matches played Edenbridge were 27-14 winners over Faversham, whilst Whitstable lost out 18-24 at home to NAG.

RFU Knockout Competitions (Ldn & SE Regional Finals)

Intermediate Cup:  Guildford proved too strong for  O Priorians as they ran out 28-15 winners to take the regional title and now go on to face SW Champions Trowbridge  who currently sit 2^nd in Southern Counties Sth

Senior Vase: In the battle between two London 3 NW clubs it was Harrow who prevailed over OMT 19-29 and go on to face the SW Champions, Gloucester club Newent  who were last year’s National Junior Vase Champions and currently sit at the top of the Gloucester Premier league.

Junior Vase: Joy for Battersea Ironsides as they overcame Sussex club Seaford  to run out comfortable 29-9 winners and also go on to face Gloucester based opposition in the national semi-finals in Longlevens  who currently sit in fifth spot in Gloucester Div 1.

Following the announcement that Sean Charlton has taken up the role of ‘Head of Playing’ and that Paul Hathaway has been appointed our new Head Coach for the 2014/15 season, we are pleased to announce that Shaun Neaves has agreed to take up the position of Chairman of Selectors next season.

Reporting to the ‘Head of Playing’ and working alongside our new Head Coach, this appointment is the next important piece of the jigsaw as we look to create a structure on the Playing side that not only provides the 1^st team squad with the best environment to challenge in the league, but also gives players throughout the club the opportunity to develop as players and enjoy the game.

Shaun, who at the moment is fulfilling the role of 1^st XV Manager, will move up to take on this vital role in June ready for the 2014/15 season and is tasked with a number of key duties. In addition to ensuring that the Selection Process is effectively managed in line with the clubs Selection Policy and that players at all levels have an independent arbiter they can approach with any grievance, Shaun will be a key part of the team that are looking to manage the effective integration of the clubs current U17 side into the Senior Section.

Jim Tinsley (President)

Jon Sargent (Chairman)

National 1: Doncaster stay eight points clear at the top after a 14-23 win at Esher, with Rosslyn Pk still second after they were convincing 31-11 winners against struggling Tynedale. Coventry remain in third spot following a 33-14 win against Loughborough St with Fylde losing ground after a surprise 37-24 loss to bottom club Hull Ionians.  At the bottom end of the division Henley remain second from bottom despite a convincing 55-22 win against Wharfedale.  Cinderford occupy the last of the relegation spots despite a tight 32-31 win against Worthing who are just three points above them.  Elsewhere Blaydon lost out 27-34 to visiting O Albanians, whilst in what is regarded as the games oldest club fixture; it was honours even as Richmond and Blackheath played out a high scoring 31-31 draw.

National 2(S):  At the top Hartpury march on, with an 18=23 win against Shelford. Canterbury faced an awkward trip to Redruth who still have relegation worries and a 21=17 defeat put a dent in the city club’s challenge. Ampthill narrow the gap on their coat tails after they beat Dings 19-34, a result that keeps the Bristol based club on the edge of the relegation struggle. Elsewhere at the bottom end of the table, basement club Exmouth narrowly lost out 20-21 to Bishops Stortford, with Bournemouth losing out 15-34 to Clifton. Chinnor’s match against Launceston would leave one club disappointed and a 28-20 result in favour of Chinnor eases some of their immediate worries.  In the last of the fixtures, Southend beat Ldn Irish (Am) 25-17 and Taunton were convincing 39-10 winners against Cambridge.

National 3(SE): It is ‘nip & tuck’ at the top of the table and is looking like bonus points may well be a critical factor who gets the automatic promotion, and who goes to the playoff against SW clubs Bracknell or Redingensians, where the battle is equally tight for the playoff spot. Dorking hosted fourth placed TJs and what was expected to be a tight encounter ended up as one-way traffic as the Surrey club ran in a 93-14 cricket score. Meanwhile Elthamians hosted a Barnes outfit who took Dorking’s scalp at the end of February, lightning didn’t strike twice as the visitors were equally convincingly despatched 66-10 to leave the situation the same at the top of the table.   Third faced fifth as East Grinstead took on BSE in what was a tight encounter with the G-Force keeping its grip on third place despite a 13-8 defeat. Already relegated Barking faced a Basingstoke side looking to avoid the drop with them, with the Hampshire club resounding 64-10 winners, a result combined with Barnes loss that will make them feel more comfortable. Thurrock look like running out of fixtures as they lost out 8-29 to visiting Tring, and their clash with Barnes on the 22^nd will be an interesting encounter that could see them relegated. Despite a 23-37 loss at home to CS Rugby, Westcombe Pk now look to be safe in the division for another season.

London 1(S):  Gravesend’s big 99-0 win over struggling Beckenham sees their challenge for the title continue whilst leaving Beckenham still further adrift from safety and running out of games. Leaders Chichester stay top after they were 48-8 winners over mid-table S&E, with third placed Brighton also posting a good result (47-12) against Cobham. At the bottom, two of the relegation places look cut and dried, as Wimbledon hammered Haywards Heath 0-94 and Staines fell to a heavy 62-15 to visiting Sidcup. Elsewhere Dover drew 21-21 against Havant and Hove lost out 7-47 to Chobham.

London 2 (SE):  In what is looking like a critical month in the battle for the playoff spot, the weekend threw up another couple of key fixtures. Charlton Pk look like they have the title sewn up despite a 13-13 draw against a Sevenoaks side that were still in with a shout of the playoff spot.   A Maidstone side that were smarting after last week’s loss travelled to D&B and will rue missed opportunities as they fell to a 16-11 defeat with the last play of the match. Elsewhere, Tunbridge Wells kept up the pressure for a playoff spot with a 21-13 win against Crowborough although it would appear that they may run out of fixtures to achieve that ambition, whilst Medway’s narrow 27-28 win at Warlingham maintains their outside chances as well as leaving Warl a bit too close to the relegation battle. Lewes put in a convincing performance against Colfes to run out 36-19 winners, whilst bottom club H&W torrid season continues as they lost out heavily to Aylesford (7-50).

London 3 (SE):  Whilst the promotion places look fairly secure for Ashford and Thanet, the title is still very much up for grabs,  Thanet looked to have the easier fixture as they hosted bottom club Beccehamians, running up a three figure total without reply (104-0) to stay at the top of the table. Ashford had a much different prospect as they hosted third placed Anchorians and in what was a tighter affair but still ran out convincing 43-15 winners.   Folkestone maintained their form from last week as they despatched struggling Uckfield 53-13 and move into third place, whilst Horsham’s season appears to have gone off the rails as they fell to a 43-17 defeat at Dartfordians. At the bottom Sheppey hosted Burgess Hill, with a win essential for both clubs if they are to avoid the drop; a 37-12 win for Sheppey will provide some encouraging signs if they are to avoid the drop, although they still need other results to go their way.  In mid-table Bromley travelled to Dunstonians with Bromley coming out on top 13-26.

Kent 1:  Without doubt the contest of the week here was the encounter between H&B and Cranbrook, a win for the Cranes would provide breathing space and maintain their title challenge, whilst for H&B a positive result would put them back in the playoff shake up, in a close fought battle the result went to H&B by the narrowest of margins 22-21. Leaders Park Hse travelled to face a Kings Coll side that have had an inconsistent season, with the league leaders comfortable 7-27 winners.   At the bottom of the table both Shooters Hill and Footscray both fell to defeats, against OGs (28-17) and HSBC (18-13) respectively. Sittingbourne still sit thitd from bottom after a 12-39 defeat against O Wills.  In the last of the matches Vigo were comfortable 45-7 against Southwark.

Kent 2:  Askean sit top of the table after a 10-23 win at Lordswood, who have had a disappointing period since the turn of the year and slip to fourth place.  Bexley are second despite having no fixture and NAG move into third spot after a 24-12 against Faversham.  Elsewhere Edenbridge lost out 22-27 to Brockleians and Whitstable went down 15-21 to Orpington.

The U16s are competing in the semi-final of the Kent Bowl competition this Sunday when they take on Blackheath.  The recent effort from all the boys and their coaching staff, plus the recent input from members of the senior squad is beginning to pay dividends and it would be great to see as much support as possible to cheer the lads on.  So come down to the Mote on Sunday and support Maidstone Rugby’s next generation.  #one club

Thanks to the contacts of former Barbarians XV skipper Trevor Bradley, with a little help from President of Uckfield RFC Peter Reeves, following the demise of the teams “tour" plans to Llanishen in Wales, an invite was extended to salvage the situation.  The result is that the Barbarians will be travelling over the Sussex border to face a President’s Veterans XV as Uckfield look to entice their reforming old boys back onto the field of play. The match will precede the RBS 6 Nations  England v Wales clash at Twickenham and victory or defeat in either will be soothed by copious amounts of local brew Harveys.  Buoyed by their recent win over Sevenoaks Acorns the team travels with a squad of 24 ambassadors of the club, departing post breakfast from the Malta Inn

After many years in operation, the club’s machine for marking the pitches was flagged up earlier in the season by Grounds chairman Martin Maytum as being ‘on its last legs’ so to speak.  Realising a replacement would be required; investigation into the cost of a more modern was something of an eye opener and a bit of a surprise.  Still that’s the penalty for equipment in what is a niche market. In order to cushion the blow of what was an unbudgeted expense, Martin organised last week’s highly successful quiz night which was attended by over 100 members from across the club, with many still at the club until the small hours of the morning.  The results of the quiz are covered in the ‘Weekly Round Up’, but needless to say, it was a very enjoyable and successful evening, as well as an excellent “one club” event, to the benefit of all elements of the club.

National 1: Doncaster still lead the table by eight points following a 24-19 win over Blaydon, but Rosslyn Pk lost ground, going down by the odd point in the 17-18 scoreline at Loughborough St.  The battle between third and fourth went the way of Coventry 15-35, with hosts Fylde slipping to fourth spot.  In the battles for potential relegation candidates, Blackheath look more comfortable after 32-24 win against Cinderford, a result that puts the Gloucestershire club six points from safety.  A 19-10 loss for Henley at O Albanians sees them slip to second from bottom, with a 27-5 win for Tynedale over Esher seeing them move out of the bottom four.  A 28-34 win for Richmond at Wharfedale should see them safe, but Worthing’s expected 34-17 win against basement side Hull Ionians combined with other results, fails to ease the Sussex club’s relegation worries

 National 2(S):  For Canterbury, a 29-13 win over Shelford keeps the ‘city’ club in the playoff spot in the table, with Hartpury still leading following a 29-22 win at Dings.  Ampthill remain in contention in third place after they overcame bottom club Exmouth 43-10.  At the bottom end of the table, despite a useful 28-33 win for Bournemouth over Bishop’s Stortford, they still sit one place above Exmouth, with Chinnor now third from bottom after they lost out 29-13 at Cambridge.  A 26-20 win for Ldn Irish (Am) against Redruth sees them move up the table but a 17-32 defeat for Launceston against Southend keeps them in relegation danger.  In the last of the fixtures Clifton were 28-22 victors over Taunton and sit fourth in the division, six points adrift of Ampthill in third and a further seven points behind Canterbury.

National 3(SE): Barnes’ shock 24-17 win against leaders Dorking still sees them in the third relegation spot; although at the top things are now very tight, with only a point between the leaders and Elthamians, who won 20-29 at Tring. East Grinstead stay third after a tight 12-14 win at TJs, who sit fourth, with victory snatched by the G-Force with the last kick of the match..  Fifth placed BSE slipped up, as they went down by the odd point in the 30-29 scoreline at Westcombe Pk, a result that sees the Orpington club now sitting more comfortably in mid-table.  At the bottom, the battle of the basement clubs went the way of the visitors, as Thurrock were narrow 24-26 winners at Barking.  Barnes surprise win combined with a 29-14 loss at Hertford for Basingstoke, sees the Hampshire club drawn back into relegation danger.  In the last of the fixtures, CS Rugby fell to their second heavy defeat in as many weeks, going down 13-50 to Guernsey.

London 1(S):  In the battle between the bottom two sides, Haywards Heath’s heavy 49-17 defeat at Staines keeps the hosts survival mathematically possible as Heath slip to the bottom spot.    Beckenham’s 14-33 loss to S&E sees them 12 points from safety; despite fourth from bottom Hove’s 26-5 loss at Havant.  At the top Gravesend are four points clear after a convincing 16-56 win at Cobham, whilst Sidcup ran second placed Chichester close, with the Sussex club just taking the win 17-20.  In mid-table Chobham were 19-12 winners over Brighton, with Wimbledon 38-23 winners over Dover.

London 2 (SE):  With things being quite tight at both top and bottom of the table, there seem to be key fixtures every week; Charlton Pk faced a D&B side still in with a shout of the playoffs but a 25-11 win for the league leaders, combined with other results sees D&B drop out of the top five in the table.  An in form Tunbridge Wells that had won their last seven matches hosted second placed Maidstone, knowing another win would really put them back in the playoff hunt; chances spurned by the county town club in the opening encounters then saw them slump to a 34 point deficit with only 30 mins left on the clock, Despite still losing out 37-33 to the relieved hosts, Maidstone’s comeback  demonstrated why they sit high in the table, as they have not failed in any game this season to come away with points, and the two bonus points garnered today may well prove crucial. 

At the bottom, whilst a 52-0 defeat at Crowborough very much means that H&W’s relegation looks a certainty; Lewes were looking to bounce back from last week’s mauling by Aylesford as they faced a Medway side that they narrowly lost to last month.  In the end they couldn’t repeat January’s heroics and fell to a 36-19 defeat that still sees them in pole position for the second relegation place  Aylesford continued their form from last week with a 33-12 win at home to Warlingham, a result that still leaves the Surrey side on the edge of relegation danger.  In the last of the fixtures, Sevenoaks recovered from last week’s cup disappointment with a 16-22 win at Colfes and move up to fourth spot, just above Wells.

London 3 (SE):  After Ashford ran up a cricket score last week, struggling Beccehamians would not have been particularly enthusiastic about their visit this week and rightly so as the mid-Kent club ran in another convincing win (19-44) to keep up the pressure on leaders Thanet.  Bromley have blown ‘hot & cold’ this season and were no match for the league leaders as Thanet stay 6 points clear at the top after a 25-34 result.  After two consecutive defeats, a convincing 36-9 for Anchorians against Dartfordians sees them remain in third, although effectively out of the promotion race unless something really unexpected takes place.  A resurgent Folkestone move up to fourth spot following a 20-41 win against a Horsham side that appear to have lost focus since mid-season.  At the bottom end of the table a 36-27 defeat for Burgess Hill would appear to have sealed their fate along with Sheppey, who lost heavily (59-30 to Uckfield, a result that would appear to have created the breathing space the Sussex club was looking for.

Kent 1:  Whilst the Park Hse title juggernaut appears to roll on, following a 37-17 win at OGs, both the two main playoff contenders lost, with second placed Cranbrook losing out 18-19 at home to Vigo, and H&B going down 22-10 at O Wills; results that certainly bring Vigo back into playoff contention in fourth spot.  At the foot of the division both of the bottom two clubs lost out narrowly in tight battles, with Footscray losing out 3-6 to fellow strugglers Sittingbourne; and Shooters losing out 19-20 to visiting HSBC.  In the last of the fixtures Southwark went down 10-17 at home to Kings Coll

Kent 2:  It looked like Lordswood were going to take the title at a canter, but the last couple of fixtures have opened up the title race with a second defeat in as many weeks seeing them drop to third spot after a 19-8 reversal at mid-table Brockleians.  Bexley’s 64-20 thrashing of Edenbridge now sees them sit at the top of the table, with Askean in second spot following a solid 41-17 over Whitstable.  In the last of the matches, Dartford Valley are still weeking their first win after a 5-15 loss to NAG.

I am pleased to confirm the appointment of former Gravesend and Tunbridge Wells Lead Coach Paul Hathaway as Head Coach to replace Andy Foley, who will be leaving his role as Director of Rugby at the end of this season.  Paul, who most recently coached National 3 South side Gravesend, returns to the club where he spent 6 years as a player, and will take over control of the 1^st team squad on 1^st June, ready for the 2014/15 season.

A tenacious backrow forward in his playing days, where he played in the National Leagues for Maidstone before moving to Tunbridge Wells, Paul’s coaching career began at Sevenoaks, whom he led to promotion to London 2 South and also the Kent Cup in the late 90’s.  Following twelve years as Lead Coach at Tunbridge Wells, Paul moved to National 3 South Gravesend in 2010 where he spent three seasons and led them to the Kent Cup in 2011.

Following on from the recent announcement that Sean Charlton has taken up a strategic role as Maidstone’s ‘Head of Playing’, I believe that Paul’s appointment is a great coup for the club.  With both his experience of coaching at a National League level and extensive knowledge of the Kent club scene, I have no doubt that he is the right man to further develop the squad and get the best out of our existing playing and coaching talent. 

Sean and I felt it was key that we found a new Head Coach who shares our belief that the focus should be on raising the playing skills of individuals and their understanding of how to control a game of rugby, so we are looking forward to Paul bringing a fresh approach and new ideas to the set-up for the beginning of next season.

Jon Sargent (Chairman)

The ‘catch & drive for the side’s second try against Crowborough might only have been Ollie Smith’s second touchdown of the season, but for the 1st XV it marked the milestone of 100 tries for the second consecutive campaign.  Whilst given the lack of an extended cup run this season and with only 6 fixtures remaining, matching last season’s tally of 213 tries is probably just a bit ambitious, but 100 tries in a campaign for two consecutive seasons is still an impressive statement of the sides style of play and the ambition of both the players and coaching team.

National 1: No fixture for ‘Club’ this week and they would have been looking with interest at results elsewhere in the table; wins for Tynedale and Cinderford against Loughborough (10-19) and Blaydon (32-13) respectively will certainly do nothing ease any relegation worries they have.  Although Richmond’s 20-17 loss at Coventry will be the one positive they can take from the day given the SW London club’s similar predicament. 

National 2(S):  Interest at both top and bottom of the table in these rearranged fixtures, with Canterbury keeping up the pressure on leaders Hartpury with a narrow 30-32 win at Bournemouth; and with a 20 point gap between them and safety, the south coast side look destined to go down after one season in the division.  Ampthill stay hot on the city club’s heels after their equally tight 23-28 win at Launceston.  Elsewhere, bottom club Exmouth lost out 20-36 to Taunton, whilst Ldn Irish(Am) did their survival chances a power of good with an excellent 59-24 win against Shelford, Chinnor’s 22-28 home defeat to Clifton sees them still in the danger zone; whilst in mid-table home advantage counted for nothing as Bishop’s Stortford were 13-39 winners at Southend.

National 3(SE): Dorking moved back to the top of the table with a 0-59 thumping of CS Rugby, with Barking’s relegation having been confirmed last week in their defeat to Elthamians, Thurrocks fate is also looking similar after they went down 27-60 to visiting fifth placed BSE.  In the match postponed from before Christmas, the tide has now receded enough at The Slade for the local derby in the division between TJ and Westcombe Pk went the way of TJs with a 33-13 scoreline.

London 1(S):  The two fixtures programmed had more bearing on the relegation battle than anything else, and Haywards Heath’s heavy 64-7 defeat at the hands of S&E will have pretty much consigned them to relegation, although we are not yet at the point in the season for the mathematical purists to say that salvation is not yet possible.  Dover’s 48-29 win against struggling Beckenham will have eased any slight fears they may have had, and whilst they still have 6 matches remaining, Beckenham’s fate as the third side to go down is beginning to look unavoidable.  Combined with Beckenham’s defeat, Hove’s relegation fears will be somewhat relieved after their 27-13 win against Wimbledon.

London 2 (SE):  Key fixtures at both the top and bottom end of the table, although leaders Charlton Pk had the weekend off having been able to ride out the weather and play all their carded fixtures.  Beneath them Medway hosted a D&B side with both still in contention for the playoff position, but an 18-18 draw will have done nothing to promote either sides challenge.  Likewise, Maidstone hosted mid-table Crowborough at The Mote and in what was a tough encounter, a bonus point 27-10 victory sees the county town back in second spot in the table.  A Tunbridge Wells side that still harbour playoff aspirations travelled to Horn Pk to face Colfes and came away 9-23 winners to maintain their challenge.  Finally, at the other end of the table Lewes were looking to close the gap on hosts Aylesford in their bid to move out of the relegation zone but a 62-21 hmmering leaves them in a precarious position, at the same time as moving the bulls into mid table and leaving Warlingham and Crowborough looking over their shoulders.

London 3 (SE):  At the top end of the division, a win for Ashford at Burgess Hill which saw the mid-Kent side run in a 0-123 cricket score sees them remain in second  spot.  Anchorians 3-14 defaet at the hands of Folkestone probably ends their challenge for promotion.  With Horsham’s promotion aspirations having ended their match against Dunstonians was something of a dead rubber, with only club pride now at stake and the honours going to Horsham 12-10 in a tight battle.

Kent 1:  Cranbrook’s 24-45 win at Shooter Hill sees them move back into second spot in the table and whilst Park Hse look well out in front, both the Cranes and H&B have games in hand and could close the gap.  Whilst Footscray still sit at the foot of the table, despite benefiting from a surprising  AWO against O Wills, the relegation places are still very tight, in the remaining fixtures Southwark ran out 13-7 winners against HSBC, whilst Vigo posted a resounding 31-0 win against visiting OGs.

Kent 2:  The battle between Lordswood and Bexley, who look like the main promotion favourites, went the way of Bexley 10-23, although Lordswood still head the division.  Guys Hosp challenge faltered with a 19-5 defeat at Faversham.  NAG received an HWO against Orpington with Whitstable losing out 11-25 at home to Brockleians.

RFU Knockout Competitions

Intermediate Cup:  Kent interest in the competition ended with Sevenoaks 25-27 defeat against a Guildford side that had removed both Maidstone and Aylesford from the competition and has been the nemesis of the county’s clubs in the competition this season.  The other semi-final saw Ldn 2(NW) challengers O Priorians host Essex based Rochford Hundred with Priorians advancing to the regional final with a 28-12 result.

Senior Vase: After  Kent clubs have  made the regional final of this competition for the past three seasons, the county’s challenge ended at the semi-final stage this time around, with both sides going down to  Ldn 3 (NW) opposition.  In the battle between league leaders, Thanet travelled to face Harrow, losing out 15-12 in what was a tight contest.   The other semi-final saw Dartfordians  travel to Old Merchant Taylors (OMT) , going down 22-12 in an equally combative encounter.

Junior Vase: No remaining interest for the county in this competition after OGs exit to Billericay last weekend, as it happens Seaford fared  better, as they beat the two times previous finalists 22-19.  In the other semi-final Battersea Ironsides were 10-7 winners over Suffolk based Newmarket.

"Following the disappointing news that Director of Rugby Andy Foley will be leaving the club at the end of the season, we have taken the opportunity to review the current structure of the senior coaching set-up. This review has helped us to identify the current strengths of our playing set-up, hightlighted areas we feel could be improved and helped inform our search for a new Head Coach.

We are therefore very pleased to be able to announce that with immediate effect, Sean Charlton has agreed to take on the role of 'Head of Playing', which sees him take executive responsibility for ensuring that the playing structure of the whole club is suitably managed and the coaching structure thoughout the club is effective.

While Andy continues to focus on the key upcoming fixtures for the 1st team, Sean has been working with us to ensure that the right structure is in place for next season. Central to this process is ensuring that we recruit the right person to take on the role of Head Coach and that they have the right Coaching and Support Structures in place to continue the effective development of our playing squad. We are confident that we are making significant progress on this front and hope to make further announcements on this shortly.

Following on from the fantastic pre-Christmas news that Dave Tugwell and Eva Howson have jointly taken on the role of Youth Section Chairman, Sean's appointment further strengthens the clubs senior management team, and we hope you join us in wishing Sean, Eva and Dave every success in their new roles."
 

Jim Tinsley (President)
Jon Sargent (Chairman)
 

Following last weekend’s round of postponements due to the weather, the RFU have issued an updated programme for the rescheduled fixtures.  Whilst this weeks rescheduled fixture v Crowborough remains the same, the fourth attempt to play the league fixture against O Colfeians has again been put back, and will now take place on Sat 29^th March, this last week’s postponed fixture at Heathfield & Waldron is now scheduled for Sat 15^th March.

With the divisional play-offs programmed for Sat 26^th April, this now leaves Easter Saturday (19^th April) as the only remaining available weekend between now and the end of the programmed season.

Rearranged fixtures for the Invicta League and the Shepherd Neame RK&ES leagues will be published once known by the Fixtures Secretary and respective team’s fixture lists on the website amended accordingly.

Apart from the minor detail of Willie Brown’s birthday, Saturday evening saw the club say farewell to Scrum Half Michael Messina.  Michael joined the club at the end of November having travelled over from Australia as part of a short break in his university studies.  Having played for his home club Camden and also Randwick in Australia, Michael was keen to experience playing with an English club.  Starting in the Mustangs XV he made an immediate impression, although the somewhat unseasonal wet weather has curtailed both the amount of rugby he was able to play as well as any opportunity to make an impact with the 1^st XV.

A genuine ‘club man’ in the truest sense, Michael has fitted straight into both the playing and social aspects of the club, as well as also helping out as a valued member of Carol’s bar staff.  As part of an ongoing project with the club to display shirts of all of our overseas players, prior to his departure Michael presented the club with a framed shirt from his home club Camden Rugby; we wish him well with his ongoing studies and his future rugby career.

National 1:  With a loss for Tynedale (26-31) at home to leaders Doncaster and Cinderford’s match against Wharfedale postponed, Blackheath’s 12-34 win at bottom club Hull Ionians sees them begin to breathe a bit easier as they look to move clear of the relegation zone.  With Doncaster’s win Rosslyn Pk needed to keep up the pressure after their loss to Blackheath, and a tough encounter with third placed Fylde saw them come out on top with a 16-7 margin in a tight match.

A 47-7 loss for Worthing at Coventry and a 17-8 win for Richmond at home to O Albanians all help Blackheath’s cause in creating ‘breathing space’ from the danger zone to mid-table.  With Henley’s clash with Blaydon postponed, in the last of the results from the day Esher were narrow 24-21 winners over Loughborough St.

Postponed:  Cinderford v Wharfedale, Henley v Blaydon,

National 2(S):  A complete washout across the board in this division, with not a solitary fixture beating the weather.

Postponed:  Exmouth v Hartpury, Bournemouth v Ampthill, Dings v Canterbury, Launceston v Ldn Irish (Am), Shelford v Redruth, Chinnor v Clifton, Southend v Cambridge, Taunton v Bishops Stortford

National 3(SE):  Only the Thurrock v Hertford fixture fell foul of the weather; at the top of the table leaders  Elthamians thumped bottom club Barking 73-10, but Dorking stay just a point behind after a 26-3 win against Tring.  With their match being played in Brighton and a late kick off, third placed East Grinstead were 43-12 winners over struggling Barnes who now look favourites for the third relegation place, with the defeat putting them eight points adrift of Basingstoke, who drew 17-17 with CS Rugby.  Fourth and fifth placed TJs and BSE also fought out a draw with the scoreline 23-23, whilst in the last of the fixtures, which was pretty much an evening kick off due to flight delays, Westcombe Pk went down 25-10 to Guernsey.

Postponed:  Thurrock v Hertford

London 1(S):  The top two both won, with second placed Chichester running out big winners in a 112-15 hammering of a struggling Beckenham side  who are beginning to look destined for the drop being now eight points from safety; a repeat of last season’s ‘great escape’ is beginning to look unlikely.  Gravesend stay top after an altogether tougher encounter as they faced a Chobham side that had challenged at the top of the table early in the campaign, with the 17-10 result going in favour of the league leaders.  Brighton stay in third after they beat Havant 34-19; in the remaining fixture to be played Cobham took the honours at S&E with a try in the last play of the game denying the home side anything from the 11-24 scoreline.

Postponed:  Dover v Staines, H Heath v Sidcup, Hove v Wimbledon

London 2 (SE):  Some crucial contests were scheduled for this week at both top and bottom ends of the table; in the end only the Sevenoaks v Medway fixture survived through being played at Saracens Allianz Park ground on the 4G surface.  The result went the way of Sevenoaks 29-25 and sees the Oaks move into the top four, whilst two bonus points sees Medway level on points with Maidstone who drop to third but have two matches in hand on their immediate rivals.

Postponed:  Crowborough v Aylesford, D&B v O Colfeians, H&W v Maidstone, Lewes v Warlingham, Tunbridge Wells v Charlton Pk

London 3 (SE):  Thanet’s title hopes continue to look good after a solid 42-7 win over a Burgess hill side that look as if they will be dropping back to the Sussex leagues after just one season.  Although Uckfield’s 36-12 defeat at Dunstonians still leaves some hope for the Sussex ‘All Blacks’ and will leave Uckfield an uncomfortable run in to the end of the season if they don’t post some positive results.

Postponed:  Ashford v Bromley, Beccs v Anchorians, Folkestone v Dartfordians, Sheppey v Horsham

Kent 1:  League leaders Park Hse stretched their advantage at the top of the table to fifteen points, in the only fixture to survive the weather in the division, but they were made to work hard for the points by HSBC and only scraped home by a couple of points in the 15-17 score line.

Postponed:  H&B v Footscray, Kings Coll v Vigo, O Wills v Cranbrook, Sittingbourne v Shooters , Southwark = No Fixture

Kent 2:  Askean remain in second spot, but realistically their chances for both the title and promotion look precarious after a 22-26 defeat at the hands of visiting NAG, with both leaders Lordswood and third placed Bexley both having three matches in hand.  In the other fixture to survive the weather, Dartford Valley are still looking for their first league win after going down 5-19 at home to Faversham.

Postponed:  Bexley v Whitstable, Guys Hosp v Edenbridge, No Fixture - Lordswood, Brockleians& Orpington

RFU Junior Vase:  Third time lucky, as this regional quarter final tie finally took place on the 4G pitch at Saracens Allianz Park ground prior to the Sevenoaks v Medway league fixture.   Unfortunately OGs were outmuscled by the two times previous finalists Billericay, going down 33-15 to the Essex club who will now travel to the Sussex coast to face Seaford in next week’s regional semi-final.

The quarter finals of this season’s Shepherd Neame Kent Cup have now been completed with both Gravesend and Canterbury receiving walkovers after their respective opposition, TJs and Beckenham withdrawing.   Gravesend will now host Canterbury in the first of the semi-finals. Thanet Wanderers hosted Elthamians to complete their fixture on the 15th Mar, despite Thanet’s good season this season in both league and the RFU Snr Vase, Elthamians proved just a step too far as they lost out 5-25 to the SE London club who now face the winners of the D&B v Blackheath tie which is still outstanding.  The complete line up for the Cup semi-finals is as follows:

Gravesend v Canterbury
O Elthamians v Deal & Betteshanger or Blackheath.

The Plate competition has also reached the semi-final stage, with O Colfeians who beat Dartfordians 31-28 set to face Medway who overcame Tunbridge Wells in an equally close battle 24-21.  Dover received a walkover against a Sheppey side that are struggling this season and progress to face Westcombe Pk who also received a walkover when their fixture against Aylesford was cancelled after the Bulls were unable to field a front row.   The line up for the Plate semi-finals is as follows:

Westcombe Pk v Dover
O Colfeians v Medway

The weather may have again conspired to prevent us all getting out to either run around the pitch or watch the club's respective teams perform, but despite there being no club or RBS 6 Nations rugby this weekend it is the opening weekend of this season's Super 15 Rugby competition.

The club will be open and screening live matches over the weekend and also recording some of the Friday evening and early morning games for viewing at the club.

So come along and watch the southern hemisphere's sides perform, you know rugby is always better with your mates and a beer in your hand.

The Rugby Football Union is putting in place new standards relating to the management of concussion and extending the reach of its concussion education initiatives.

The return to play pathway for players who have sustained a concussion is dependent on the player’s age and the medical resources that they can access. The new routine minimum stand-down period is 19 days for adults and 23 days for Under 19s.

The minimum stand-down period for those in an Enhanced Care Setting – typically professional and elite age-group players – is six days for adults and 12 days for Under 17-19s. These are players whose return to play pathway is closely supervised by an appropriately trained and suitably experienced medical practitioner.

New education measures include a mandatory player safety course for RFU Licensed Coaches and additional promotional materials that add to acclaimed existing resources.

The standards, which come into effect immediately, have been put in place following revised guidelines from the International Rugby Board.

The RFU has consulted with the game and independent medical experts to create simplified and standardised return to play pathways that cover players of all ages and at all levels. These stand-down periods are to be seen as the minimum periods before a player can return to play and may be longer where appropriate.

The return to play pathway is made up of rest and Graduated Return To Play (GRTP) phases (click here for more information). Taken together they form the minimum stand-down period. The length of these phases for an individual is determined by the player’s recovery and informed by clinical assessment.

The revised RFU guidelines simplify and standardise the return to play pathway and timelines for all players, especially those under the age of 19, which is consistent with the advice to manage children and adolescent players more conservatively.

The measures have been approved by the Professional Game Board and the Community Game Board, the two bodies that manage the game in England.

http://www.rfu.com/headcase

The current wet weather has certainly taken its toll on the pitches and despite the best efforts of the ground staff under Grounds Chairman, Martin Maytum it appears that we are barely ‘keeping our heads above water’ (excuse the pun).  Martin has sent the photos shown into ‘web HQ’ this week just to demonstrate the extent to which the pitches have become waterlogged.  With the 1st XV pitch now more akin to a paddy field than playing field and with further wet weather forecast, the outlook for fixtures in the near future doesn’t appear to be good.  The lower pitches, as you would expect are similarly suffering and Martin and Fixtures Sec, Richard will be monitoring the situation throughout the week with respect to this week’s scheduled home fixtures.

In respect of the scheduled 1st XV fixture this coming weekend, H&W had to postpone last week’s fixtures, with their pitches at both Heathfield and Waldron sites deemed unplayable.  Our illustrious Fixtures Sec will be in close contact with them throughout the remainder of the week for regular updates, although any decision may not become final until Saturday morning.

With a number of postponed fixtures across the division and in order to get as many played at the earliest opportunity, the RFU have published a revised fixture list programming the postponed fixtures to what were the spare dates of Sat 22nd February and Sat 15th March.  This revised fixture list now sees the club host Crowborough on Saturday 22nd February, and the fourth attempt to play the fixture against O Colfeians will now be on Saturday 15th March.

With this revised programme, the only spare dates between now and the end of the programmed season (as it currently stands) for any further postponements are Saturday 29th March and Saturday 19th April, which is Easter Saturday, but designated by the RFU League committee as what is termed a 'Next Available Weekend' (NAW).  All players are requested to take account of this in their plans for the Easter period.

The recent wet weather may have put paid to the vast majority of fixtures in recent weeks, for both the senior and junior club alike.  However, where possible training has been taking place and a number of the 1^st XV squad have been giving up their Sunday mornings, plus in some cases midweek evenings to assist the age group coaches with some of their training sessions.  This last weekend saw club skipper Ben Williams, along with Sam Bailey, Nick Bunyan and James Sullivan helping out with the U14, U13 and U11 age groups, with further sessions already planned in this ongoing initiative.

The #OneClub Quiz Night

Saturday 1^st March, 7:30pm

Saturday 1^st March is a Fundraising Quiz Night to raise funds for a new pitch line marker (they cost more than you might think).

There are spaces for 20 teams, with a maximum of 8 persons per team.

Cost is £5 per head and includes nibbles and snacks

This is a #OneClub event and is open to all.

Having paid the ransom, the 125 Cup is up for grabs again.

Please be aware that in this modern age of honesty and integrity, mobile phones for participating teams will be centralised in the valuables boxes!!

The weather continues to affect the fixtures schedule and yet again had some impact on today’s fixtures, although it was the lower leagues that appeared to suffer most.

National 1:  Doncaster’s 36-10 win against Henley keeps them at the head of the division with Rosslyn Pk recovering from last week’s loss to Blackheath, to inflict a 44-point defeat on Worthing without reply, to stay in second spot.  Fylde’s 33-7 win against fourth placed Esher keeps them in third spot, but eight points off second place and effectively out of the promotion battle.  The real interest lies at the bottom of the table; and whilst Hull Ionians posted a solid 7-17 result at Wharfedale, they still remain at the foot of the table with relegation pretty much a certainty.  The other two relegation places occupied by Cinderford whose match against O Albanians was lost to the weather, as was that of fellow strugglers Tynedale’s.  Henley’s loss sees them now fourth from bottom with Worthing just above them.  Two sides who capitalised on the circumstances were Blackheath, who continued their recent good form with a 24-6 win against visiting Coventry, and Richmond who beat Blaydon 26-31 on the road, although both clubs are still not out of relegation danger just yet.

National 2(S):  Hartpury’s 29-5 win against strugglers Bournemouth keeps them eight points clear at the top of the table and effectively sees newly promoted Bournemouth looking down the barrel of immediate relegation.  The same can be said for Exmouth who lost out 32-7 at second placed Canterbury, whilst in third spot Ampthill were convincing 40-12 winners against Taunton.  Clifton’s tight 19-18 win over Southend sees them now occupy fourth spot whilst in the only other fixture to escape the weather, Dings were 10-15 winners at Redruth, but still sit on the edge of the relegation zone.

National 3(SE): At the top end of the table Dorking’s 10-73 hammering of basement club Barking wasn’t enough to put them back in top spot, with Elthamians still leading the division after an 8-27 win at Hertford.  East Grinstead stay third after they beat Tring 5-18, with TJs hard on their heels following a 10-23 win at Barnes. At the bottom of the table, Barking look nailed on for one of the relegation places with Thurrock also favourites for the drop following their 49-7 mauling at CS Rugby.  The last of the relegation places is occupied by Barnes although both Basingstoke and Westcombe Pk aren’t out of the equation yet, although today’s postponed fixture could have had a big bearing on things.  Elsewhere, BSE put in a good performance to run out 12-24 winners at Guernsey and look like finishing inside the top six in their first season at this level.

London 1(S):  Some confusion here with Chichester’s website claiming that they received an AWO due to Hayward’s Heath being unable to field a team, whilst Heath’s website, along with the London RFU & RFU website’s recording a postponement; so we’ll have to wait and see on that one.  As it currently sits, Gravesend go back to the top of the table after a solid 3-31 win at Havant, with Brighton remaining in third place after they narrowly beat Wimbledon 18-22.  At the foot of the table Beckenham’s 28-15 defeat at Cobham looks to make them favourites for the last of the relegation places alongside Haywards Heath and Staines, who lost out 5-27 at home to Hove.  With Sidcup’s match against Dover being postponed, the only remaining fixture saw Chobham 31-3 winners against S&E.

London 2 (SE):  There were some interesting fixtures scheduled for today, but the only one to survive the weather was  the top v bottom clash between Charlton Pk and H&W.  In conditions which always favour the forwards, Park’s pack had too much strength for the visitors as they ran out 57-3 winners to stretch their lead at the top of the table to 16 points, although they have played two fixtures more than second placed Maidstone.

Postponed: Aylesford v Lewes, Maidstone v Crowborough, Medway v D&B, Colfes v T Wells, Warlingham v Sevenoaks.

London 3 (SE):  Two fixtures survived here, with Bromley 25-11 winners against bottom club Beccehamians, and leaders Thanet 6-20 winners against an Uckfield side that are still looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

Postponed:   Burgess Hill v Ashford, Dartfordians v Sheppey, Anchorians v Folkestone, Horsham v Dunstonians.

Kent 1:  Just the one surviving fixture here as league leaders Park Hse ran out 28-3 winners at home to struggling Sittingbourne.  Vigo’s Fixture against OGs was postponed due to the rearrangement of OG’s outstanding Junior Vase fixture , which took priority.

Postponed:   Cranbrook v Kings Coll, Footscray v O Wills, Shooters v H&B, Southwark v HSBC, Vigo v OGs.

Kent 2:  If many of you had noticed that for some reason the league seems to have got a bit tighter in recent weeks, it is not only due to unplayed fixtures, but also due to the withdrawal of Ash from the league and their points being expunged.  Strangely only the fixture between NAG and Brockleians fell foul of the weather; at the top Lordswood ran out 15-13 winners in a tight battle against Edenbridge.  Guys Hosp beat bottom club Dartford Valley 5-32 but stay in fourth spot behind Askean and Bexley, despite neither club along with Whitstable having a carded fixture this week.  In the last of the fixtures, Faversham lost out 13-29 at home to Orpington.

RFU Junior Vase:  With the draw having been made for the regional semi-finals of the RFU Junior Vase, the outstanding fixture between Billericay and OG’s had been rescheduled for this week after being postponed last weekend.  However, Mother Nature did her best to disrupt the programme and the heavy rain and waterlogged conditions saw the match postponed for a second time.  With the semi-finals scheduled for the 22^nd Feb, it is likely that match will have to be played next week to decide who travels to face Sussex based Seaford, with Battersea Ironsides hosting Newmarket in the other semi-final.

It would appear that a number of the club’s retired players (although we would prefer to say that they have just put their playing careers on hold) have got the running bug, and club stalwarts, Ben Court, and Martin Arnold have gone down the more civilised road running route (as opposed to the ‘Tough Mudders’) and are both taking part in marathons in April this year and running for very deserving charities.

Ben is competing in the Brighton Marathon on 6^th April and running for Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent, whilst Martin will be pounding the streets of the capital the following weekend (13^th April) for the London Marathon in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. If you would like to donate to either of these worthy charities you can click on the respective links below:

Ben - www.justgiving.com/Ben-Court

Martin - www.justgiving.com/MartinArnold56

National 1: The poor weather seems to have favoured the struggling sides from the look of today’s results, although leaders Doncaster ran out 12-31 winners at Loughborough.  Their lead was extended to 12 points thanks to Blackheath’s 12-15 win at second placed Rosslyn Pk; a result that also lifts them out of the bottom three.  Bottom club Hull Ionians now look destined for the drop after they went down 7-53 to visiting O Albanians, Cinderford sit one of the bottom after their match was postponed whilst Tynedale posted a solid 26-7 win over third placed Fylde but still sit in the bottom three.  Wharfedale lost out 22-10 at fifth club Coventry, with Esher closing the gap on Fylde after a 36-19 win against Worthing.  In the last of the fixtures Richmond were 25-10 winners against Henley but remain very much in the relegation battle, along with five other clubs.

Postponed: Cinderford v Blaydon

National 2 (S):  The big result of the day was Hartpury’s 22-12 defeat at the hands of Taunton, although they reamin 12-points clear at the top due to the postponement of both Canterbury’s and Ampthill’s matches.  Struggling Ldn Irish (Am) put a dent in Cambridge’s promotion ambitions with a solid 3-19 win on the road,  fellow strugglers Dings made it a poor day for Cambridge as they put in a good performance to run out 26-6 winners against the city’s other leading club, Shelford.  In the only other fixtures to survive, basement club Exmouth went down 13-35 to Redruth and Launceston were 17-5 winners against Clifton.

Postponed: Bournemouth v Canterbury, Chinnor v Ampthill, Southend v Bishops Stortford P,

National 3(SE):  Elthamians’ 46 unanswered points at Basingstoke takes them to the top of the table, just a point clear of Dorking who have a game in hand; with the result also leaving Basingstoke very much still in the relegation battle just six points off the relegation zone.  TJs stay in fourth spot after they beat CS Rugby 13-22 at a rearranged venue due to the weather.  Westcombe Pk were the big winners of the day as they downed East Grinstead by the odd point in the 18-17 scoreline, a result that lifts Combe clear of relegation danger for the time being and rekindles TJs hopes of taking third spot in the table, given the two games in hand they have.

Postponed: Thurrock v BSE

London 1(S): Dover still sit on the margins of relegation danger after a 12-22 defeat at the hands of Brighton, whilst Havant moved comfortably into mid-table after 32-24 win over a Chobham outfit that have fallen off the pace in the second half of the season.

 Postponed: H Heath v Gravesend, Sidcup v S&E

London 2(SE):   League position counted for nothing in this encounter between Lewes and Medway, in which the venue was reversed earlier in the week and played at Priestfields due to the wet weather and waterlogged pitches at Lewes.  Nominally the home side, league strugglers Lewes pushed Medway all the way, in the end only going down to a last minute try and by the odd point in the 13-14 scoreline; in what was always going to be a forwards battle given the conditions.  The result keeps Medway in third spot with the losing bonus point narrowing the gap to safety for Lewes to just 4 points.  Maidstone’s fixture against Colfes was postponed for the third time, with conditions at both clubs unplayable.

Postponed:  Maidstone v O Colfeians.

London 3(SE): No Fixtures

Kent 1:  In the battle between two of the relegation favourites at the foot of the table Shooters Hill moved off the bottom following a convincing 41-5 win over fellow strugglers Footscray, who now prop up the table.

Kent 2:  At the top end of the table, Lordswood’s match at Guys Hosp was lost to the weather but both  Askean and Bexley closed the gap with wins against Faversham (16-11) and NAG (18-13) respectively.  In the only other fixture to survive the weather, Orpington trounced bottom club Dartford Valley 50-0

Postponed:   Edenbridge v Whitstable, Guys Hosp v Lordswood

RFU Cup Competitions:

RFU Junior Vase:  OGs push for honours in the Junior Vase was put on hold due to the weather, as their fixture against a Billericay club who currently lead Essex 1 and who have reached the Twickenham final twice in the past, taking the title in 2007, was postponed due to the weather.  In the fixtures that beat the floods, Sussex 1 club Seaford beat Essex 2’s May & Baker 20-32, whilst Newmarket trounced O Walcountians 45-0 to proceed to the regional semi-finals.  In the last of the ties Eastern Counties 1 leaders West Norfolk were undone by Battersea Ironsides 7-17.

Over the Christmas and New Year period, Immediate Past President Bob Beney travelled to Australia to take in some of the Ashes cricket, of course arriving after the third test, the ‘wake’ for the cricketers had already started.  On the brighter side of things Bob took the time to travel from Sidney to Newcastle to drop in on Ivan and Tegan and re-establish the links forged last season.  Both Ivan & Tegan are in good form and Bob even got to meet new addition ‘Tackleberry’ the dog (obviously the influence of Bramble had an effect on Ivan!).

The club shirt that was presented to Ivan is now framed and takes pride of place on the wall next to the club plaque, along with his shirt from his club in Australia.  On behalf of the club, Bob collected a shirt from Ivan’s club Hamilton Hawks, which is currently being framed.

Of course, after the Aussie’s sent us Ivan, their peace has now been shattered as we’ve now sent Josh McKenzie in the opposite direction.  Seems like a good trade, they send us a ‘recycled convict party animal’ , and we send them a fresh faced callow youth who is unlikely to spend a fortune on razor blades while he’s out there.  I hope they look after him and don’t lead him astray!!!

Josh is being hosted by Ivan and Tegan during his stay and is intending to play for Hamilton throughout the Aussie rugby season.

National 1: Despite a solid 38-10 win against fourth placed Esher, ‘Club remain in the bottom three, separated on points difference from Richmond and Cinderford, after Richmond’s 27-9 loss to leaders Doncaster, and despite Cinderford’s 5-12 win at Henley.  Tynedale stay in the bottom three after they went down 29-19 at Worthing and basement side Hull Ionians posted a 14-14 draw at Blaydon.  At the top Rosslyn Pk are three points off leaders Doncaster after a resounding 3-45 victory at Wharfedale, with Fylde now in third spot following their 56-22 win against Loughborough St.

National 2 (S):  Canterbury’s challenge remains on track as they stay in second spot following a 27-17 win against Taunton at Merton Lane, with Hartpury still well ahead at the top of the table after they ran out 31-14 winners against Chinnor.  With Cambridge going down 26-19 at Clifton, Ampthill move into third place after they beat Southend 17-14.  At the bottom Exmouth lost out 29-21 at Shelford, whilst Bournemouth were 21-10 losers at Redruth.  Dings occupy the third relegation place after they lost out 39-26 at fellow strugglers Ldn Irish (Am), with Launceston still not clear of relegation danger after a34-7 loss at Bishop’s Stortford.

National 3(SE):  Wins for Dorking against Hertford (29-19) and O Elthamians over CS Rugby (36-9) keep them both at the top of the division, East Grinstead remain third following a 45-10 over bottom club Barking, whilst fourth placed TJs lost out 21-24 to Tring in a match played in the neighbouring village of Edenbridge due to their pitches still being waterlogged.  At the bottom of the table Thurrock’s narrow 8-10 loss to Westcombe Pk did nothing for their survival chances and everything for Combes.  Barnes currently occupy the third relegation spot after they lost out 37-16 at BSE, with Basingstoke losing out 10-14 to visiting Guernsey in the last of the division’s fixtures.

London 1(S):  In what is now effectively a two horse race, surprisingly both the top two lost, with leaders Chichester  going down 16-24 to visiting Cobham , and Gravesend also tripping up at home to an in form Wimbledon outfit 20-27.  At the bottom end of the table, relegation favourites Staines went down 40-12 at Brighton, with Haywards Heath losing heavily, 37-7 at Dover.  The last of the relagation places looks to be between Beckenham and Hove, with Beckenham losing out 15-45 at home to Chobham, whilst Hove lost out 6-19 to fourth place Sidcup.  In the last of the fixtures S&E were narrow 39-33 victors in a high scoring contest against Havant. 

London 2(S):   Charlton Pk stay top after they won 0-15 at Crowborough, Maidstone will be disappointed not to have picked up the bonus point against Aylesford in their 18-10 win, although their disappointment will be eased by Tunbridge Wells 23-16 victory over third placed Medway, a result that eases Wells into fifth spot.  D&B took the opportunity to close the gap in fourth place after a 25-3 win over Warlingham, with Sevenoaks 22-3 winners over struggling Lewes.  H&W stay at the foot of the table after a narrow 7-9 loss at home to Colfes.

London 3(SE): Big wins for the top two as Thanet destroyed Horsham’s promotion credentials in a 55-8 demolition of the Suusex club, Ashford stay in second spot after they also did a hatchet job on another Sussex club with a 55-0 result against Uckfield.  A weakened Anchorians side lost out 26-20 at Bromley but stay in third spot, whilst Dartfordians closed the gap on fourth club Horsham with a 12-29 win at Dunstonians.  At the bottom of the table Beccehamians remain at the foot of the table but still took the honours 10-3 in their battle with fellow strugglers Burgess Hill.  Sheppey stay one off the bottom and still in real relegation danger after they lost out 5-25 at home to mid-table Folkestone.

Kent 1:  With Cranbrook having a game in hand, things are still very tight at the top of the table, especially with second placed H&B beating leaders Park Hse 15-6.  Cranbrook stay in third after they were narrow 12-15 winner at struggling Footscray.  Bottom club Shooters Hill lost out 36-29 at O Wills, whilst in the mid table battles Sittinbourne’s 10-5 win over Southwark Lancers will have eased their relegation fears.  Elsewhere,  HSBC went down 10-15 to visiting Vigo, with OGs also losing at home, defeated 12-19 by the visiting Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  Leaders Lordswood remain 5-points clear at the top and with two matches in hand after their 7-34 win at Whitstable, whilst Askean move into second spot despite struggling to beat bottom side Dartford Valley 6-8. Faversham lost out 5-36 at home to Brockleians, whilst in the last of the scheduled fixtures Orpington won by a single point in the 23-22 scoreline against Guys Hosp.  Bexley, Edenbridge and NAG had no scheduled fixture.

National 1: Having appeared to have slipped into relegation danger, ‘Club’ now find themselves thoroughly embroiled in the relegation mire after a 31-10 defeat at struggling Tynedale who  at the start of the day sat one place below them but following this result move out of the bottom three.  The only side now below Blackheath are Hull Ionians, who went down 14-28 at home to a Henley outfit who now sit well clear of the drop zone, but aren’t entirely ‘out of the woods’ yet.  Worthing still remain on the edge of the danger area after they lost 28-20 at Loughborough St,  Cinderford drop into the bottom three after their fixture against visiting Richmond fell foul of the weather.  At the top end of the table Fylde beat leaders Doncaster 25-17, a result that sees Rosslyn Pk narrow the gap to just 3 points after their 37-23 win over O Albanians.  Esher slip one place to fourth spot after going down 26-28 at Wharfedale, with Fylde moving up to third.

National 2 (S):  At the top end of the table Canterbury stay in second spot after a 17-24 win at Chinnor, but Hartpury stay 10 points clear at the top following their 7-23 win at Southend.  Cambridge move up to third despite losing out 32-36 at home to Bishop’s Stortford, Ampthill are just a point behind in fourth place after their fixture at Launceston was lost to the weather.  At the bottom, Exmouth remain at the foot of the table following a 12-3 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Dings, a result that combined with Ldn Irish (Am) 23-13 defeat at Clifton sees the Bristol club swap places with the Exiles.  Bournemouth’s 20-27 defeat at the hands of Shelford sees them remain in the relegation zone.

National 3(SE):  Leaders Dorking saw he gap to second place reduce after their fixture at CS Rugby was the only one in the division to be postponed.  Elthamians to the opportunity to reduce the margin with a 17-30 win over struggling Westcombe Pk, East Grinstead stay third with a 26-35 win at Hertford.  Fourth placed TJs got their first run out in over a month and posted an 8-42 win at basement club Barking.  At the bottom a 34-14 defeat at the hands of Guernsey sees Thurrock still mired in the relegation zone, with Barnes in the third of the relegation places after they lost 40-10 at Tring.  In the last of the fixtures, along with ‘Combe’, Basingstoke are still flirting with the drop zone after a 13-20 loss at the hands of fifth placed BSE.

London 1(S):  The leading pair both won, with Chichester running out 20-24 winners at Dover, whilst Gravesend despatched bottom club Staines 0-48,  a distant third placed Brighton went down heavily as they were hammered 40-3 by in-form Sidcup.  At the foot of the table, Haywards Heath’s fixture against fellow strugglers Hove was postponed, whilst Beckenham were dragged further into drop zone after a 35-17 loss at Havant.   In the mid-table battles Chobham lost out 13-16 in a tight contest to a visiting Cobham side; whilst Wimbledon continued their good form with a 22-10 win over S&E in a match where the venue was reversed due to waterlogged pitches at Wimbledon.

London 2(SE):  In the matches affecting the promotion contenders, Maidstone’s fixture against O Colfeians  fell foul of the weather with both The Mote and Horn Pk pitches waterlogged.  Crowborough’s match against Medway survived a late pitch inspection with Medway just edging a hard fought battle 7-10, whilst Sevenoaks lost out 27-25 in another tight contest at D&B.  Struggling Lewes didn’t fare as well, going down 43-13 at Tunbridge Wells.

London 3(SE):  Of the two scheduled fixtures, Burgess Hill went down 15-37to a visiting Anchorians, a result that sees the Medway based club move above Horsham into third spot.  Dunstonians added to Sheppey’s woes as they ran out 30-17 winners, a result that sees the ‘Islanders’ beginning to look detached from safety in the division.

Kent 1:  Leaders Park Hse now sit 10-points clear after a solid 5-34 win against a Footscray side that are beginning to look like favourites for one of the two relegation places.  A situation that was not helped by struggling Sittingbourne’s 17-6 win over Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  With no scheduled fixture for leaders Lordswood, Bexley took the opportunity o close the gap, and in some style as they ran in 51 unanswered points against Faversham.  Askean moved up to third with a 22-7 win against Guys Hosp on Blackheath’s 3G surface at Well Hall.  Edenbridge’s 13-5 win against fellow challengers NAG sees them move into fourth spot.  Brockleians early season challenge has faded somewhat, although that didn’t prevent them posting a resounding 59-0 win against bottom club Dartford Valley.

RFU Cup Competitions

RFU Senior Vase: This fixture was due to have been a home fixture for Darts, but waterlogged pitches saw them relocate the match to Anchorians; he change of venue didn’t seem to faze the ‘home’ side as Dartfordians ran out solid 15-0 winners against a Finchley side currently fourth in Ldn 3(NW).    Dartfordians now go on to face an OMT side from the same division and one place above Finchley, whilst Thanet, the county’s other representative still in the competition, travel to face the Ldn 3(NW) league leaders Harrow.

RFU Junior Vase: After last week’s resounding 29-8 win over OGs, the smart money would have probably been on Cranbrook to repeat the result against the same opposition a week later.  Well, the smart money would have been wrong; as OG’s lived up to their reputation as a bit of a bogey side for Cranbrook in the cup competitions with the Gravesend old boys running out 10-17 winners and now going on to face Essex club  Billericay who beat O Actonians 13-9 in the other outstanding fixture.

For many years, decades even, the Poplars trees adjacent to the entrance to the club on Willow Way  have been a distinctive feature of The Mote skyline.  However, the storms in recent years and the inherent danger of falling branches to both members in the main car park and road users on Willow Way has meant that some corrective action was required.  With the poplars having been previously pollarded in the distant past, the best course of action was to remove them completely.

In time they will be replaced with other trees; in the meantime the view of the club from Willow Way has changed significantly.  A by-product of their removal is the elimination of distracting shadows cast across the cricket ground in late afternoon during the summer.  Additionally, it all means a cleaner and tidier car park due to the absence of leaves falling during the autumn.

The Mustangs may have despatched their opposition from Tunbridge Wells at the gallop on the 1^st XV pitch at the weekend, but Tuesday morning saw groundsmen Tony Saunders  & Martin Maytum confronted with a different type of Mustang.  During their early morning rounds they found a horse quietly grazing on the top pitch.

Whether they thought it had been delivered as a replacement for the tractor and a reversion to horse drawn machinery, we don’t know, but they managed to corral the animal whilst Carol made enquiries to trace the owner.  In due course a relieved and grateful owner from Tovil arrived to return the horse to its paddock.

Players and spectators at this weekend’s fixtures may have noticed a slight change to the way in which the scrum is conducted as follows:

In a minor revision to the current protocol surrounding the on-going scrum engagement global trial, the International Rugby Board has confirmed that referees will use non-verbal communication to indicate to the scrum half when the ball can be thrown into the scrum.

Up to now as part of the scrum trial, the referee has told the scrum half that the scrum is ready for the put-in by the use of the phrase “yes nine”. But following an initial review, including consultation with national coaches and referee managers, it has been decided that referees will adopt a non-verbal communication to scrum-halves for the introduction of the ball in accordance with the relevant law (20.5 Throwing the Ball Into the Scrum).

With the new procedure now the verbal “Yes 9” has been dropped:

If the 9 is on the far side of the scrum the referee will raise their hand and nod their head in a yes motion when the referee believes that there is sufficient stability for the ball to be put in.

If the 9 is on the ‘putting in’ side the referee will give the 9 a tap on the back when they believe that there is sufficient stability for the ball to be put in.

Referees need to continue to referee all of the other elements of the scrum trial including: pushing BEFORE the ball is introduced to the scrum by the 9 and clear and obvious put-ins that are not straight.

National 1: Doncaster stretch their lead at the top after some odd results that seemingly went against the form book this week, with the Knights running out convincing 62-28 winners against strugglers Cinderford.  Rosslyn Pk stay in second place despite a 19-18 loss at Blaydon, with Esher still third after they lost heavily to O Albanians 31-8. Coventry’s 10-18 win against a Henley side also flirting with the danger zone, moves them up to fourth spot above Wharfedale who surprisingly went down 14-27 to relegation candidates Tynedale.  At the bottom Blackheath continue to struggle and remain in the bottom three, and despite having the bulk of territory and possession they needed a last gasp penalty to secure a 28-28 draw in their home fixture against Loughborough Students. Hull Ionians remain anchored at the foot of the division after a 33-24 loss against a Richmond side looking to pull clear of the drop zone and Worthing, also on the edge of the danger zone did themselves a favour to move up the table after a 25-17 win against visiting Fylde.

National 2 (S):   Hartpury stay well clear at the head of the division following a convincing 40-13 win against Launceston, with Canterbury back up to second spot after they beat Southend 27-21 in a tight battle at Merton Lane.  Cambridge slip to fourth spot after a heavy 40-10 defeat at the hands of resurgent Ampthill who move up into third place.  At the bottom Exmouth lost out 21-15 at Ldn Irish (Am) who still remain in the danger zone, whilst the battle between two of the other key relegation candidates went the way of Dings as they beat Bournemouth 33-29.

National 3(SE): At the top of the table just two points separate the main title challengers, with leaders Dorking returning to winning ways at Westcombe Pk with a solid 28-9 bonus point result that also drops Combe dangerously close to the relegation zone, Elthamians keep up the pressure after they overcame a Guernsey side that defeated the leaders last week with a  27-15 bonus point win.  Third placed East Grinstead were 26-14 winners against CS Rugby whilst fourth club TJ’s match at Hertford was postponed.  At the bottom end of the table relegation favourites Barking remain at the foot of the table after they lost out 29-17 at fellow strugglers Barnes; Thurrock also look destined for the drop after they lost out 23-33 at home to Basingstoke.  The last of the fixtures saw Tring close the gap on BSE in fifth place with a 15-20 result over the Suffolk club

London 1(S):  At the top Chichester stay a couple of points clear of Gravesend after a 27-8 win at Chobham, a result that realistically ends any hopes of a promotion challenge for the Surrey club.  Gravesend had a much stiffer task on their hands and just came out on top as they narrowly beat visiting Sidcup 12-10, Brighton remain third after a resounding 50-3 win against struggling Haywards Heath.  At the bottom end of the table, basement side Staines lost out 41-12 at S&E, whilst Beckenham remain favourites as the third relegation candidates following a heavy 3-49 home defeat to Wimbledon.  In reality Havant, Hove and Dover all remain in danger of the drop and a 15-39 win for Havant at Cobham will have relieved some worries, as will Dover’s 23-30 win at Hove.

London 2(SE):  The big fixture here was between the top two, as Charlton Pk entertained Maidstone and the 22-15 win for the hosts essentially means it looks like the title is Park’s to lose, the county town club remain in second spot with Medway third after they hammered bottom club Heathfield 57-0 at Priestfields.  Sevenoaks stay fourth following a 7-18 win at Aylesford, a result that combined with struggling Lewes’s 24-17 win over D&B will make the Bulls feel a little less than safe as the season run in begins.  In mid table Colfes return to form saw a convincing 47-24 win against Crowborough whilst Tunbridge Wells were 16-33 winners at Warlingham.

London 3(SE):  Thanet return to the top af the table after they beat Dartfordians 17-39 on the road and Ashford went down 19-17 at Horsham, a series of results that now sees Thanet, Ashford and Horsham as main title challengers.  Wins for Folkestone, 34-12 over Dunstonians; and Anchorians, 20-8 against struggling Sheppey see them move above Dartfordians into third and fourth places respectively.  At the bottom things remain tight with Beccs still bottom but moving back into positive points after a 12-17 win at fellow strugglers Uckfield, whilst Burgess Hill posted a useful 22-17 win in their survival cause against mid-table Bromley

Kent 1:  There are only three likely title challengers at this point in the season with Park Hse staying top after a 17-12 win over O Wills, H&B stay second despite going down 22-14 to Southwark Lancers.  In third place Cranbrook posted a 29-8 win against OGs in a preview of their postponed Junior Vase cup fixture due to be played next week.  At the foot of the table, bottom club Shooters Hill’s match against fellow strugglers Footscray was postponed, whilst Sittingbourne lost out 11-3 at Vigo; in the mid-table battle Kings Coll beat HSBC 24-19.

Kent 2:  Lordswood stay 13-points clear at the head of the table after a hard fought 7-10 win at NAG with Bexley now second following their 15-49 win at bottom club Dartford Valley, Askean sit in third spot after they beat Guys 20-19 in a hard fought contest. In the remaining fixture Orpington went down 3-20 to visiting Brockleians.

The club is pleased to announce that following a move into the Maidstone area, 6’6”, 18st lock forward Gareth Ellis has joined Maidstone Rugby.  Gareth formerly played his club rugby in the UK with National 1 side Henley Hawks until 2009 and then Bedfordshire club Ampthill RFC, where he was part of the 1^st XV that were Nat 3(M) Champions in 2010, as well as appearing at Twickenham for Ampthill against Jersey in the final of the Champions Cup that season.  Work commitments saw him move to Holland at the end of that season, where he has been representing the DIOK Leiden club who are currently third in the Dutch premier league, in addition to captaining the Leiden Defenders representative side.  Gareth brings a wealth of experience from playing National League standard rugby and in addition to his talent and experience, adds welcome depth to the club’s growing senior squad.

Thank you all for supporting the Clubs Christmas Raffle - the draw results are listed below. 

If you are a lucky winner and have yet to collect your raffle prize please can you collect from the bar as soon as possible.

This Wednesday, 8th January, Maidstone Rugby will be on TV as part of the BTSport’s Rugby Tonight programme.  The show is filmed in front of a live studio audience with a party of between 20-30 players from across the senior club led by club captain Ben Williams, taking part in demonstrations of play on the studio pitch for the programme, as well as providing a significant number of the audience for the broadcast.

Celebrities and guest talent also take part in a range of studio challenges as well, so there will be plenty of fun and banter throughout. The Rugby Tonight programme takes an informal, yet highly informative look at the game in addition to featuring news and analysis from across the sport.

Following the wet weather over the mid-season interval and the continuing rain it was no surprise that the playing surfaces at a large proportion of clubs were so heavily sodden that they couldn’t take another topping up to the point of overflow.  The result was that out of the 37 scheduled fixtures that have relevance to Kent clubs within the London & SE leagues (incl Nat 3(SE)), 21 fell foul of the weather, whilst a large number of those further afield which were less affected by rain over Christmas period managed to survive.

National 1: At the bottom end of the table, basement club Hull Ionians went down 11-23 to a Cinderford side that are beginning to move up the table.  Blackheath lost out 33-17 at Fylde and stay in the relegation zone, 5-points above Tynedale who posted a solid 34-13 win against mid-table O Albanians.  At the top, leaders Doncaster had to work hard for the points against a Worthing side that pushed to the final whistle in the 17-21 result, the result still sees Worthing just above Blackheath and the danger zone.  Rosslyn Pk posted a solid 28-6 win against Henley to stay in second spot with Esher in third place after a 24-20 wins against visiting Blaydon.

National 2(S):  After defeat to Canterbury just before Christmas, Cambridge did themselves a power of good with a 31-21 win at home against leaders Hartpury, the result moves them back into second spot after Canterbury lost out 18-6 at Launceston.  It wasn’t a good day for any of the leading group, with fourth placed Ampthill also losing out, going down 36-12 at Clifton.  In the battle between the bottom two clubs, Bournemouth’s clash with Exmouth was postponed, elsewhere in the danger zone Dings lost out 24-5 to Taunton and Ldn Irish (Am) were beaten 18-13 at Bishop’s Stortford.

National 3(SE): It appears a trend for the leaders to slip up this week, as Dorking lost their first match this season, going down 8-6 to a Guernsey side that has  made all of the division’s leading contenders work hard for a positive scoreline.  The result sees the gap to second placed O Elthamians increase to eight points, although OE’s now have a game in hand.  In the only other fixtures to survive, mid-table Hertford move above CS Rugby following a 27-0 win over struggling Barnes, who stay in the relegation zone; basement side Barking stay rooted at the bottom after they went down 13-34 at home to Tring.

Postponed Fixtures: Basingstoke v O Elthamians, CS Rugby v TJs, Thurrock v BSE, Westcombe Pk v East Grinstead

London 1(S): Only three fixtures survived the weather here and Chichester move to the top of the table after they posted a 5-27 bonus point win at Hove, at the bottom Beckenham will probably look at their 25-25 draw at basement club Staines as points dropped instead of points gained, in their battle to avoid the third relegation spot.  In mid-table Wimbledon were sunk at home by a visiting Cobham side 16-23. 

Postponed Fixtures:  Dover v Brighton, Havant v Chobham, H Heath v Gravesend, Sidcup v S&E

London 2(SE): Again, just two fixtures survived in this division; leaders Charlton Pk were 15-8 winners over Aylesford; a result that sees the Bulls drop back into the bottom three thanks to Warlingham’s 10-19 win at basement side Heathfield & Waldron.

Postponed Fixtures:   Crowborough v Medway, D&B v Sevenoaks, Maidstone v O Colfeians, Tunbridge Wells v Lewes

London 3(SE):  Ashford stay top following a 21-10 win against fourth placed Dartfordians, whilst Thanet stay second and close the gap slightly following a bonus point 27-10 win against mid-table Folkestone.  Horsham stay in third place, but will look at the 6-6 draw at struggling Beccehamains as points dropped as they looked to kick start their promotion challenge in 2014.  Elsewhere in the last fixture to survive the elements Bromley also picked up a bonus point as they beat Uckfield 26-9.

Postponed Fixtures:  Burgess Hill v Anchorians, O Dunstonians v Sheppey

Kent 1: Hastings & Bexhill closed the gap on Park Hse with a 20-17 victory over Vigo, who slip to sixth place after Southwark moved up to fourth spot following a hard fought and tight encounter with O Wills 21-22, the result also sees O Wills slip to fifth place.

Postponed Fixtures:  Footscray v Park Hse, HSBC v OGs, Shooters v Cranbrook, Sittingbourne v Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  Lordswood now have a 13-point gap at the top of the table, thanks to a 64-0 thrashing of east Kent club Ash, whilst after a good start to the season, Askean’s challenge seems to faltered in mid-season as they went down to third consecutive defeat, this time 8-5 at the hands of Brockleains.

Postponed Fixtures:   Bexley v Orpington  Edenbridge v Faversham, Whitstable v NAG, Guys Hosp - No scheduled fixture

For those interested in the RFU Cup competitions, the draws for the next round of the three RFU competitions was rather surprisingly announced on schedule on Christmas Day!!

RFU Intermediate Cup:  The regional semi-finals are due to be played on the 22^nd Feb as follows:

Kents sole surviving participant Sevenoaks, have a home draw and will face Ldn 2(SW) club Guildford, whilst Old Priorians from Ldn 2(NW) take on Rochford Hundred from the NE division.

RFU Senior Vase:  The Senior Vase is at the same stage as the Intermediate Cup, with regional semi-finals scheduled for the 22^nd Feb; the competition appears to be dominated this season by clubs from London 3 SE & NW.  In the first of the ties Thanet Wanderers travel to face divisional leaders Harrow.  The second semi-final sees Old Merchant Taylors, currently third in the NW division host either Dartfordians or league rivals Finchley, with the outstanding tie between those two now rescheduled for 18^th Jan.

RFU Junior Vase:  The Junior Vase is a round behind the other two competitions and has regional quarter-finals scheduled for the 1^st Feb, with two outstanding ties from Round 4 to be played on the 18^th Jan.  In the first of those O Actonians face Billericay, with the winners hosting the victors of the other outstanding fixture, the all Kent clash of Cranbrook and O Gravesendians.  The remaining fixtures for 1^st Feb see Essex based May & Baker take on Sussex club Seaford, Newmarket host O Walcountians.  In the last of the matches West Norfolk take on Battersea Ironsides; Battersea will need to be at their best as given the luck that West Norfolk have been having with 3 Byes and a home draw so far, it might just be that the trophy already has the Eastern Counties 1 club’s name on it!!

National 1: A narrow 16-14 win at home against Worthing lifts Blackheath out of the bottom three, but still very much in the relegation battle in the New-year.  Also at the foot of the table Cinderford went down to a tight 29-31 home defeat to Coventry, who end a series of losing results.  Tynedale also lost, going down to a heavy 51-7 thrashing by fellow Northeast club Blaydon.  Bottom club Hull Ionians had the toughest task of the day as the travelled to league leaders Doncaster, and fell to a heavy 48-6 defeat.  At the top end of the division Rosslyn Pk stay in second spot after they beat Richmond 7-28, with Esher still in third spot following an 8-13 win at Henley.  Wharfedale’s recent good form came to an end as they went down 26-36 to a Fylde that move up to fourth place.

National 2(S): The big game of the day was the battle between promotion rivals Canterbury and Cambridge, with Kent’s  city club just coming out on top 8-3 in a tight contest, to move up to second spot in the table.  Leaders Hartpury were 41-24 winners against visiting Clifton, with Ampthill moving into third spot after they beat Bishop’s Stortford 41-22; although it’s all very tight in the chasing positions behind Hartpury.  At the bottom of the table  Ldn Irish (Am) lifted themselves out of the bottom three after a solid 34-10 win over fellow strugglers Bournemouth, Dings remain in the danger zone despite a resounding 38-0 win over Chinnor.  Bottom side Exmouth’s fixture against Taunton fell foul of the conditions.

National 3(SE):  The local derby between TJs and Westcombe Pk was another fixture to be postponed due to waterlogged pitches, although the only match to be lost to the weather in the division.  At the top Dorking beat Basingstoke 23-11, with Elthamians also posting a solid win with a 34-7 result against strugglers Thurrock.  Surprisingly East Grinstead slipped up at home, going down 3-19 to visiting Guernsey.  Bottom club Barking lost out heavily, going down to a 72-0 hammering at BSE, whilst in mid table Tring beat Hertford 17-12.  Both Barnes and CS Rugby had no fixture this week.

London 1(S):  Gravesend remain at the head of the table and four points clear, after a solid 33-10 win over Dover, Chichester are in second spot after they returned to winning ways with a 24-18 result against Havant.  Brighton sit third after they took the honours in the local derby with Hove  27-8 whilst Sidcup move up to fourth spot following a 5-20 win at Beckenham, a result that sees Beckenham and Dover still locked together on the edge of the drop zone.  Chobham slip to fifth after they lost out 12-16 at home to Wimbledon.  At the foot of the table, bottom club Staines lost out 24-5 at Cobham, whilst struggling Haywards Heath’s visit to S7E was postponed due to the weather.

Ldn 3(SE): Just a single fixture to be played in the division as a result of an earlier postponement; recent seasons have seen Folkestone start the campaign strongly and then fall off the pace around mid-season, and this campaign looks like going the same way as they went down 3-19 to a visiting Horsham side that are looking to bring their own season back on track as they move up to third spot.

Kent 2: Just a single fixture in the division, with Faversham doing themselves a power of good, with a solid 22-0 win against Edenbridge lifting them away out of the bottom three in the table.

RFU Cup Competitions:

Intermediate Cup: Following the completion of the third round fixtures there is just one club remaining from the county to fly the flag for Kent rugby, as Medway went down 10-18 to visiting O Priorians; in the all Kent match up, Sevenoaks were 13-3 victors against league rivals Charlton Park.  In the remaining two matches, Guildford were convincing 7-35 winners at St Albans, whilst Holt went down 17-28 to Rochford Hundred.

Senior Vase:  Dartfordians fixture against Ldn 3(NE) club Finchley was postponed although all of the other matches were completed, with Anchorians going down 36-17 at Harrow.  OMT hammered Camberley 52-0 to progress to the regional semi-finals along with Thanet who beat Welwyn 19-7.

Junior Vase:  The only county interest in this competition was put on hold, as Cranbrook’s clash with OGs was postponed along with the O Actonians v Billericay fixture.  Elsewhere, Battersea beat Millbrook 26-13, whilst Essex club May & Baker also progress after a 27-10 win over the Bank of England.  Newmarket were narrow 10-5 victors over Royston, with O Walcountians also coming out on top in another tight encounter (13-5) against US Portsmouth.  Sussex club Seaford were 17-12 winners over O Tiffinians and West Norfolk received their second successive Bye in the competition.

NB:  In accordance with theprocedures for all notifications within the London Division, the draws for the next round of the RFU National Cup Competitions will be posted on the London RFU website at 12-noon on the Wednesday following the previous round ties.   That will be Christmas Day - so good luck with that one!!!

National 1: Blackheath could probably have done without entertaining a Wharfedale side that has hit form recently as they went down 20-23 at Rectory Field, a result that drops them into the bottom three and very much in the danger zone and relegation battle.  Fellow strugglers Tynedale faced a Richmond side also in relegation danger with Richmond coming out on top in 24-32,  with Cinderford going down to a heavy 36-5 defeat at Esher.  At the top of the table Doncaster against Coventry was the big battle, with the leaders recovering from last week’s stumble to run out 39-30 winners, a result that sees Coventry drop to sixth, just below Fylde who came out on top 9-5 in a tight contest against Blaydon.  Rosslyn Pk stay hard on the heels of Doncaster after what was perhaps a predictable 48-0 thrashing of bottom club Hull Ionians.

National 2(S):  After facing the top two sides on consecutive weeks, on paper this should have been a more comfortable encounter at Bishop’s Stortford, but it’s a tough division and Canterbury were made to work hard for the points in the 20-27 result.  At the top Hartpury faced Ampthill and ran out surprisingly comfortable 24-42 winners, Cambridge went down 17-23 at home to Shelford in their local derby, but stay in in second spot, a point clear of Canterbury who sit third. Taunton’s surprisingly heavy 35-8 defeat at Ldn Irish (Am) sees them drop to seventh.  At the bottom end of the division Exmouth stay bottom after a 36-19 loss at Southend, whilst Dings and Bournemouth both lost out to Launceston (31-27) and Chinnor (22-17) respectively, to stay in trouble in the relegation battle along with Ldn Irish (Am) who moved out of the bottom three.

National 3(SE): Another top of the table clash this week as leaders Dorking travelled to take on Elthamians with the visitors losing their 100% record in a 20-20 draw despite OEs being reduced to 14 men in the second half, the result sees both sides still holding the top two places.  East Grinstead’s G-Force maintain their promotion challenge after a convincing 23-40 win at struggling Thurrock, TJs were made to work hard to beat mid-table Basingstoke 31-35 to stay in touch in fourth place, with a last minute try giving them the win.  Westcombe Pk went down 22-34 at home against Tring and look to be heading for a mid-table finish, whilst at the foot of the table Barking went down 39-13 at CS Rugby, with Barnes also losing as they were heavily beaten 58-5 in Guernsey.  In the mid-table battle BSE were convincing 37-9 winners over Hertford.

London 1(S): After ousting Chichester from top spot last week, Gravesend faced fourth placed Brighton, with a 10-17 result checking the south coast club’s progress in the promotion battle.  Chichester failed to rebound from last week’s disappointment going down 22-24 at home to a  Wimbledon side that are having an inconsistent season, whilst third club Chobham drop below Brighton after they also lost, going down 17-9 at Sidcup.   Cobham were resounding 0-41 winners at struggling Haywards Heath, with Havant easing some of their relegation fears with a 21-52 win at bottom club Staines.  Unless there is a big turnaround in the second half of the season the bottom two clubs look certain for the drop with a number of sides looking to avoid the third relegation spot; Dover are one side side that is flirting with the edge of the relegation battle, locked together on points with visiting Beckenham at the start of the day, and so it remains, with the scores at 3-3 at the interval the match was abandoned almost immediately after the restart, due to an injury to the referee.  Hove looked to be involved in the relegation battle at the mid-point of the season but a 32-19 win against sees them move into mid-table and clear of the relegation places for the time being.

London 2(SE): At the top end of the table the key fixture was between a Medway side that have been on a winning run since the start of November ,and leaders Maidstone who have stuttered slightly in recent weeks.  However, it looks very much that Medway are Maidstone’s nemesis this season as the county town club failed to come to grips with both the the conditions and critically the referee, losing out 19-12; a result that brings Medway back into contention at the top end of the table and sees Maidstone drop to second place.  An inconsistent Colfes outfit made Charlton Pk work hard for their 26-17, a result that takes them into 2014 at the top of the table.  Sevenoaks failed to maintain their recent charge after a 20-27 defeat against Tunbridge Wells, whilst D&B’s 48-18 loss to Aylesford was probably the surprise result of the day.  At the foot of the table the bottom two clubs faced off with Lewes  taking the honours against Heathfield 27-25 to close out 2013 on a slightly more positive note as well as moving off the bottom of the table.  Crowborough failed to get back to winning ways with a 31-14 loss at Warlingham, although despite the result the Surrey club, along with two or three others could still be drawn into the relegation struggle

London 3(SE):  New leaders Ashford had a battle on their hands in what is always a tough encounter against Folkestone and an 8-22 win for Ashford keeps them at the head of the division going into 2014 and sees Folkestone slump to sixth place. Thanet put last week’s loss behind them with a solid 10-31 result that keeps them in second place and ends Sheppey’s recent resurgence.  Anchorians good run continues after they beat Dunstonians 33-10 to sit in fourth spot just behind  Dartfordians, whose recent form meant that they had too much firepower for struggling Beccs, running out 33-14 winners.  Horsham had shown good early season form but have struggled of late, but had enough to post a 20-7 win over; in the all Sussex match up, Uckfield came out on top against Burgess Hill 29-5

Kent 1: Park Hse were always unlikely to slip up at Shooters Hill, running out 34-25 winners; for Cranbrook the match against HSBC was a potential banana skin against a side that whilst inconsistent, on their day can turn anyone in the division over; and so it transpired, with HSBC running out 15-26 winners, a result that drops the Wealden club to third spot.  Similar could be said for H&B’s trip to Kings Coll but they held their form to run out narrow 7-10 winners and move up to second.  Southwark drop into mid-table after a 5-22 defeat at the hands of struggling Footscray, Vigo were beaten 6-19 by O Wills, with the two clubs exchange league placings in fourth and fifth place, whilst OGs compounded Sittingbourne’s relegation fears with a 17-14 home win.

Kent 2:  With Askean having no fixture, Lordswood capitalised as they extended their lead at the top following a convincing 3-43 result at bottom club Dartford Valley.  Guys Hosp against a visiting NAG was the key match of the day with the result going to the hospital club 10-8, and they move into second spot. At the bottom, Faversham closed the gap on Whitstable after the beat the ‘Oystermen’ 17-5, although the match was abandoned after 65 mins due to a serious head injury.  In the mid-table battles Brockleians lost out 7-10 to Bexley, whilst Orpington lost 12-47 at home to Edenbridge.  Like Askean, Ash also had no fixture this week.

I have been investigating how to best resolve the current Youth Section Chairperson vacancy and having circulated a proposal, tonight held a meeting with the Coaches from all sections.

In order to spread the workload of running the Youth Section and to make the most of various skills sets that exist across the coaches and parents a number of new roles have been created. These roles will evolve and be filled over time and include Schools Liaison Officer, Publicity Liaison, Welfare Officer and Fundraising officer.

Volunteers for the key roles are detailed below and I would like to hear from individuals that can assist the Youth Section going forward. No huge time commitment will be required but many hands make light work!

Joint Chairperson – Eva Howson & Dave Tugwell

Joint Deputy Chairperson – Charlotte Walker & Charlie Goodbody

Youth Section Representative – Allan Crosbie

Mini Section Representative – Russell Evans

The wider overriding focus and culture will very much be on ensuring the Youth and Senior Sections align under the ‘One Club’ ethos and in the short term we will be reviewing our current state against our welfare policies and first aid cover across the sections. We will then have a solid foundation on which to build and further develop the section going forward.

Dave Tugwell

Youth Section

Joint Chairperson

Note: Role descriptions for vacant roles can be found in the Compendium which is on the Policy page of the website.

NB: Please see the notice about Club Officers & Officials in the Notices section below.

Saturday’s home league fixture against Lewes saw representatives from Club sponsors Alltask on hand to watch what was a convincing 1st XV performance in securing another bonus point win; prior to the match Commercial Director Ian Howson was on hand to receive a 1^st XV shirt from Club Captain Ben Williams and vice-captain Jack Davidson. 

Although unable to attend in person Daniel Fincham, Alltask’s CEO commented “Maidstone Rugby club, last year's unbeaten League Champions and this seasons current league leaders, provide a showcase for a leading local rugby club for both youth and senior teams, and that is why Alltask is delighted and proud to be part of the Official Sponsorship programme for the 2013/14 season”.

Alltask offers a scaffolding, insulation, solar energy and asbestos management service and works closely with blue chip construction companies, utility providers and infrastructure developers using high levels of service, in-house real time information management systems and paperless processes to help deliver projects in a safe, environmentally sound and ethical manner.

National 1:  A bad day for ‘Club’ as they went down to a heavy 53-16 defeat at O Albanians, a result that sees them drop into the bottom three and real relegation danger following Richmond’s 33-10 win against Loughborough St and Cinderford’s narrow 28-27 win against fellow strugglers Tynedale. At the top of the table Doncaster tripped up, going down 19-17 to a Wharfedale side that are ‘coming up on the rails’ to use a horse racing parlance, as they move into fifth spot.  In the big battle of the day second placed Rosslyn Pk came away 18-19 winners at third club Coventry.  Esher closed the gap from fourth place after a predictable 25-47 win at bottom club Hull Ionians.

National 2(S):  After last week’s last minute disappointment at Hartpury, Canterbury were restored to winning ways with a hard fought 33-30 win over second placed Ampthill, a result that drops the Bedfordshire club to third spot.  Hartpury stay top following a 31-26 win against Ldn Irish (Am), whilst Cambridge move into second place after their 10-15 win at Dings Crusaders, Taunton’s 20-15 win against Chinnor sees them in fifth spot, a point behind Canterbury.  At the bottom, Exmouth’s 25-32 defeat at the hands of Launceston keeps them below Ldn Irish, with Dings also losing Bournemouth complete the bottom four clubs in the danger zone, after they narrowly lost out 36-39 to Southend.

National 3(SE): At the head of the table Dorking consolidated their position as leaders with a 73-35 win at home to BSE, whilst third club East Grinstead checked second placed Elthamians challenge, after they beat the SE London club 20-14 at Saint Hill.  TJs put the disappointment of the last two weeks behind them with a 47-10 home win against struggling Thurrock.  Barking remain anchored to the bottom after a 9-37 defeat at the hands of Westcombe Pk.  Elsewhere, fifth placed Hertford are still some way off the pace of the top four, despite an 18-13 win over CS Rugby, barnes vercame Basingstoke 31-17 and in the last of the matches Guernsey posted a useful 23-33 away win at Tring.

London 1(S):  The top two went head to head and a win by the narrowest of margins, 24-23 in favour of Gravesend, sees them pick up the leaders mantle from their opposition Chichester, who drop to second spot.  Chobham are third after they dismantled Haywards Heath 62-3, with Brighton in fourth spot on point difference following their 23-35 win at S&E.  Sidcup sit in fifth place after they beat Havant 17-18 in another match where the difference was only a single point, the result sees Havant stay in the bottom three above Haywards Heath and Staines, whose 33-13 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon keeps them anchored to the foot of the division.  Beckenham move above Hove after a 33-31 win against the Sussex club, whilst in mid-table Cobham move above Dover after a 33-10 home win against the Kent club.

London 2(SE):  Last time Maidstone lost, Colfes caught the backlash the following week, this time around Lewes were the unfortunate recipients, as the county town club ran out 58-14 winners to stay at the head of the table; although by all accounts a number of the Maidstone players couldn’t quite understand how Lewes are bottom of the table.  Charlton Pk stay in second spot after they demolished Warlingham 79-5, D&B are ten points adrift in third spot after they posted a narrow 13-15 win at struggling Heathfield & W, with Medway now fourth after a 15-31 win at Colfes.  Tunbridge Wells move up the table after they were 14-24 winners at Aylesford, whilst stay in fifth place after they ran out 7-24 winners at Crowborough.

London 3(SE):  Thanet’s 29-19 loss at Anchorians sees them drop to second in the table, with Anchorians still in fifth spot.  Ashford take over at the top following a 38-34 win at Dunstonians, with Folkestone in third after they ground out a 3-5 win at Bromley; yet another narrow defeat for the SE London club.  Horsham returned to winning ways with a 12-31 in the Sussex derby at Uckfield, fellow Sussex club Burgess Hill weren’t as lucky, going down to a heavy 6-39 mauling at the hands of fourth placed Dartfordians.  In the basement battle Sheppey narrowed the gap to Burgess Hill after a solid 17-43 result at Beccehamians, to post their second win of the season.

Kent 1: Park Hse stay top following a 29-8 win against Southwark Lancers, a result that sees the Lancers drop out of the top four, Cranbrook remain in second spot with a 37-0 win over Sittingbourne and H&B are third following a 30-8 win over visiting HSBC.  Vigo move into the top four following their 3-11 win at bottom side Shooters Hill, whilst fellow strugglers Footscray went down 0-22 to King Coll.  In the Old Boys battle, the result was not as tight as might have been expected for two sides locked together in mid-table, with O Wills taking the honours over OGs 33-5.

Kent 2:  A second consecutive defeat sees Askean slip from first to fourth as they went down 24-15 at Edenbridge, Lordswood take over top spot after a solid 54-21 result against Orpington, with NAG now second after they beat Ash with a convincing 55-12 result.  Guys Hosp are third after they won a high scoring encounter at Bexley 36-43.  In the last of the fixtures bottom club Dartford Valley went down 59-22 at Whitstable, both Brockleians and Faversham had no fixture.

Pitch battle over Mote development

Development plans proposed by Mote Cricket Club (MCC) Development Committee have been rejected at an Extraordinary General Meeting of Maidstone Rugby Club.

The meeting held on Wednesday 4^th December, saw the rugby club’s membership vote by 121 votes to 2 to reject the proposal, following a detailed consultation period.

The MCC plan would see the whole of the existing 1^st XV rugby pitch given up for a housing development in order to fund the building of a new £2.5m Clubhouse on the shared ground.

The rejection of the plan was largely due to the loss of playing facilities and lack of suitable provision within the plan of alternative rugby training and playing areas for the 115 adult and 200+ youth playing members.

Rugby Club Chairman Jon Sargent said: “This proposal, while undoubtedly able to provide a fantastic new facility, would be at the expense of over three acres of playing fields, which the rugby club members clearly feel are more important than a multi-million Pound new clubhouse.

“While it is clear that the existing clubhouse facilities at The Mote are in need of improvement, we do not believe it should be at the expense of sporting facilities which are at the heart of why we exist, and make us an important part of Maidstone’s sporting community.”

At the meeting Maidstone Rugby Club repeated its desire to explore other alternatives with MCC, but the members felt the proposal failed to provide its adult playing membership with an adequately sized 3^rd pitch, and critically for its Junior Section, showed a significant reduction in the training areas available for the youth sides.

Jon Sargent added: “While the result will undoubtedly be disappointing news to those within the MCC Development Committee who have clearly invested significant time and effort in developing this plan over the last couple of years, any plan for redeveloping the site and facilities must be based on the interests and requirements of those who use the facilities on a weekly basis and throughout the year. 

“The Rugby Club Committee has previously identified that the Club would be willing in principle to relinquish the remaining 2½ years on our lease to an enabling development, as long as certain conditions, including the provision of suitable alternative playing areas, were met within any proposed plan.  Although this specific plan failed to meet these conditions, we continue to believe that by working closely with the MCC Committee there is scope to investigate options which will provide both clubs with secure long term futures, and facilities that have the interests of our sports and our members at their core.”

Following the Information Forum on 13th November and the opportunity to digest the facts in respect of the proposed Mote CC Development; plus the opportunity to have your questions answered at the Question & Answer Forum held at the club on the 27th November.  The EGM on Wednesday 4th of December is your chance to have your vote on the issue, this is the most important decision the Membership has had to make in over 50 years, the Committee urges all members to make the effort to attend and cast their vote.

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT

National 1:  Blackheath were held to a 20-20 draw at home to Blaydon, a result that does nothing to ease any jitters they may have, given their proximity to the drop zone.  At the top of the table Doncaster beat nearest rival Rosslyn Pk 24-17 and Coventry swap places with Esher to go third following a 14-20 win at the Surrey club.  At the foot of the table Tyndale’s 40-29 win over bottom club Hull Ionians sees the Yorkshire club anchored to the foot of the table, but does little to ease Tynedale’s own woes despite Richmond’s 34-26 loss at Fylde.

National 2(S):  Canterbury faced the top club Hartpury but were unable to repeat last season’s win as they lost out in a high scoring 39-36 result at the league leaders.  Whilst the city club were losing out to the table toppers, second and third placed Ampthill and Cambridge above them faced sides struggling at the foot of the division with Ampthill running out 38-17 winners against Redruth, and Cambridge downing basement club Exmouth 40-23.  Ldn Irish (Am) are still mired in the relegation battle after they lost out 16-27 to visiting Chinnor.  Clifton stay in touch with the top group after they beat Dings in Friday night’s local derby 24-17, whilst elsewhere Southend lost out to Taunton 33-44 who move above Canterbury into fourth spot, Bournemouth went down 32-5 at Launceston, with Bishop’s Stortford 25-11 winners against Shelford in the last of the weekend’s results.

National 3(SE): The top four sides all faced each other this week with Dorking’s unbeaten record severely tested by visiting East Grinstead’s G-Force in a tight encounter that just saw the home side prevail 25-13.   After last week’s loss to Dorking, this week’s 35-18 defeat to second placed Elthamians sees TJs beginning to lose ground on the top two sides.BSE sit in fifth place after a hard fought 36-32 win against CS Rugby, whilst Hertford are sixth following a win with the same scoreline at Westcombe Pk.  Barking stay at the foot of the division after a 45-7 loss at Guernsey, with Thurrock still one off the bottom despite a narrow 34-33 win over fellow strugglers Barnes.  In the last of the fixtures Basingstoke went down 7-28 at home to Tring.

London 1(S):  Chichester stay top after a predictable 57-14 win over basement club Staines; Gravesend stay in second spot following a convincing 41-3 win against S&E.  Chobham remain third despite a 17-15 reversal at Dover and Brighton sit in fourth spot after they beat Beckenham 29-24, a result that sees Becks flirting with the drop zone alongside Havant, who drew 34-34 with Haywards Heath. In yet another of a series of narrow score lines across the region Sidcup lost out 22-23 at home to Wimbledon, a result that dents their promotion challenge, whilst Hove eased their own fears as the struggling south coast side beat Cobham with a convincing 39-8 result.

London 2(SE): At the start of the day Kent clubs occupied the top five places in the division, although there is a distinct gap between the top two clubs and the rest developing.  Charlton Pk predictably picked up the bonus point win with a 17-37 result at bottom club Lewes to maintain their title challenge.  Leaders Maidstone faced Sevenoaks at Knole Paddock, Maidstone have held the proverbial ‘indian sign’ over Oaks in recent seasons, but the host dispelled that as they were narrow 23-22 winners against a county town side that gave a stilted performance but still picked up 2 bonus points which were enough to keep them at the head of the table, Oaks slip to fifth despite the winning result.  For D&B, November will be a month to forget although they managed to arrest their loss of form with a 23-12 win over Crowborough.  At the bottom of the table Tunbridge Wells stabilised the ship with a 32-10 win against H&W, whilst Colfes beat Warlingham 24-32 to leave the Surey club in relegation danger, alongside Lewes and Heathfield.  In mid table, Aylesford brief winning run came to an end as they slipped back towards the danger area after going down 29-5 at Medway, a result that moves Medway up to fourth spot.

London 3(SE): Something was supposed to give, as the top two Thanet & Ashford went ‘head to head’ but ending honours even with a 15-15 result Folkestone’s resounding 93-0 win at home to Burgess Hill sees them close the gap and move into third, whilst Horsham, whose early season form saw them as promotion candidates slip to sixth in the table after they went down by a narrow margin (8-10) to fifth placed Anchorians for the second time in three weeks.  At the foot of the table Dunstonians despatched bottom club Beccehamians 25-10, whilst Bromley did not enjoy what was predicted to be a profitable visit to Sheppey, going down 17-6 to give the islanders their first win of the current season.  In the last of the fixtures, Dartfordians good recent form continues as they ran out 24-5 winners at home to Uckfield and move into fourth spot.

Kent 1: Another good win for Wealden club Cranbrook who defeated Southwark 8-34 to stay in second spot following league leaders Park House’s 5-32 win at Vigo.  Hastings & Bexhill stay in touch in third spot following a solid 13-34 win at Sittingbourne. OGs close up on the top group after they narrowly beat basement side Footscray 17-16, whilst bottom club Shooters Hill went down heavily 57-13 at King Coll.  In the mid-table battle HSBC took the honours 25-16 against O Wills.

Kent 2: Askean stay top despite losing out 13-19 at home to second placed Lordswood, NAG stay third after a 20-34 win at Faversham.  Guys Hosp are fourth following a HWO against Ash, Brockleians lost out by the odd point, 8-9 in a low scoring match against Edenbridge, whilst in the last of the fixtures Orpington went down 16-23 to Whitstable, Bexley had no fixture this week.

500,000 Rugby World Cup tickets will be made available in May/ June 2014 to clubs and organisations that are members of the RFU. These tickets will include every match at every venue from the pool matches through to the final.

Details and numbers of tickets allocated to each club will be issued in the New Year. The process will be different to the regular ticket distribution process used by the RFU for International matches at Twickenham. In particular,

- The ticket allocation per Club will be based on the 2014 Six Nations International match allocation methodology.

- Clubs will have the opportunity for members to purchase tickets for all 10 Twickenham matches and for the 38 matches at other venues around the country.

- Allocations per Club per match at Twickenham will be lower than for RFU International matches (England 2015 have entitlement to 50% of tickets at each fixture) but overall members of each clubs will have the option to purchase many more tickets than in a regular year.

- Specific conditions of use will be put in place including that tickets cannot be used in sponsorship, commercial, or hospitality programmes.

- The administration of the sale, collection of payment, and ticket fulfilment will be managed in full by England 2015 via the official Rugby World Cup 2015 ticketing system.

- Tickets will be sold directly to the club members, the end user.

- Tickets will be delivered to the club member’s home address.

- There will be a ticket limit per match of 4 tickets per member.

Full details of the fixtures and ticket prices for each match are available atwww.rugbyworldcup.com and further detail of this programme will be provided in March next year.

 MAIDSTONE FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED 

NOTICE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING 

TO TAKE PLACE ON WEDNESDAY 4^th DECEMBER 2013 AT 7.45PM AT THE CLUBHOUSE, THE MOTE, WILLOW WAY, MAIDSTONE ME15 7RN.

For details of the agenda click here

The Rugby Blueprint Roadshow which will be visiting Kent on 25th November, at the Village Hotel, Maidstone (venue for previous Club support Evenings).

The presenters from the Rugby Football Union will be seeking views on the future of the 7 – 18 game. The whole process is about gaining views and opinions from the game to decide on the future of 7-18 competitions across the country. We will be giving information from child experts and research from players across the landscape as well as seeking opinion from all involved in the game to ensure we have covered all areas prior to decisions taking place.

 The evening will consist of three parts;

1.    Part one – will be general information on why things need to be looked at and changes considered. A voting section on questions around what we should offer (Electronic Voting System will be used)

2.    Part two – Split into two groups 7-12 and 13-18, and discuss in more detail what it could/should look like, and any other considerations specific to those ages

3.    Part three – come back together and feedback any relevant points, vote again following individual discussions

Everyone is welcome to come along to the Roadshow evening. The RFU want to hear in particular from those organisers, teachers, coaches, referees and parents who are at the coalface each week of the season. They are looking for views on how the New Rules of Play work practically, to propose and get feedback on what competition format best recruits and retains players, and to hear the challenges and solutions that more players wanting to play will create for the people-resource in our rugby clubs, schools and colleges.

 Who will present at the evening?  There will be a team of deliverers for each session including Dave Fraser (Schools Development Manager), Stuart Armstrong (Player Pathways Manager) and Gary Townsend (Player Development Manager). 

For further information on the Rugby Blueprint Roadshow please go to the following link http://www.rfu.com/myrugbyblueprint

National 1:  Blackheath went down 27-11 at Henley and need to look for a turnaround in both form and results if they are to avoid getting dragged into the relegation battle.Doncaster stay at the top of the pile following a 17-33 win at O Albanians with Rosslyn Pk hot on their heels after they just pipped Esher 38-31 in the battle between the nearest challengers.  That result combined with Coventry’s narrow 36-34 against strugglers Tynedale sees the midland side move above Esher into third place in the division.  Hull Ionians remain anchored to the foot of the table after a hard fought and narrow 24-26 loss to Loughborough St.  At the start of the day Cinderford occupied the last of the relegation places, but following a 39-32 against Fylde they leapfrog both Richmond and Blackheath as they move up the table.

National 2(S):  Canterbury were narrow 23-20 winners against struggling Ldn irish (Am) and stay in fourth spot in the table. Leaders Hartpury slipped up as they lost out 32-29 at Redruth, Ampthill remain in second spot following a 20-31 win at Shelford with Cambridge third following their 17-33 win against Bournemouth.  At the foot of the table Exmouth remain bottom despite a 36-24 win against Clifton, with Dings also in trouble after they lost 14-33 against Bishop’s Stortford.

National 3(SE): With Elthamians running out convincing 11-42 winners at Barnes, the big match up was between leaders Dorking and third placed TJs at The Slade, in the end the league leaders were comprehensive 2-30 winners to maintain top spot in the table.  East Grinstead’s G-Force capitalised on TJ’s loss as they move into third spot after a hard fought 22-17 win at home to BSE.  The foot of the table sees Barking and Thurrock still the bottom two sides after defeats to Basingstoke (19-36) and Tring (45-31) respectively.  In the last of the fixtures in lower mid table, Hertford were narrow 15-12 winners over visiting Guernsey.

London 1(S): A resounding 0-50 win at Beckenham keeps Gravesend’s promotion challenge intact with Chichester still top after they came out on top in a tight contest at S&E (20-38).  Third placed Chobham won 31-15 on the road at Hove, whilst the south coast sides near neighbours Brighton also posted a tight 26-30 away win at Cobham.  At the bottom end of the table basement club Staines predictably  went down 8-40 to Sidcup, a result that keeps the Kent side in touch with the leading group, whilst Haywards Heath stay in the relegation zone after they lost out with a heavy 54-3 defeat at Wimbledon.  The last of the relegation places is currently occupied by Hove, after Havant posted a resounding 27-0 win against Dover.

London 2(SE): At the top end of the table the big games were between Maidstone and D&B, and Charlton Pk and Sevenoaks.  After what was an unbeaten 7 match run at the start of the season D&B were looking to end a string of three defeats in November as they took on the league leaders, and whilst Maidstone’s performance was a bit like the proverbial ‘curates egg’ – good in parts,; they did enough to take the result 41-15 and extend their lead at the head of the table.  At Kidbrooke Charlton Pk hosted a Sevenoaks side whose recent good form had seen them move up to fourth in the table; and whilst the losing bonus point after 23-18 defeat sees them stay in fourth spot, there is now a distinct gap opening between the top two and the rest.  Key games at the foot of the table as the bottom four clubs were in action against each other, Aylesford hosted a struggling H&W outfit and a 31-19 win sees them move above both Tunbridge Wells and Warlingham in the table; with both sides losing out against Crowborough (15-0) and Medway (29-5) respectively.  In the other match up Colfes hosted basement side Lewes and a 36-20 win for Colfes sees them move into mid-table and leaves Lewes at the bottom of the table on points difference from H&W.

London 3(SE): A 10-31 win over basement side Beccehamians sees Thanet Wdrs stay at the head of the division with Ashford still in second spot  after a nail-biting 23-24 win at Anchorians.  Horsham and Folkestone both have a match in hand and remain in third and fourth respectively despite Horsham, going down 13-20 at home to Dartfordians  and Uckfield holding their visitors to a 22-22 draw.  Sheppey’s woes continue as a 12-3 defeat by newcomers Burgess hill sees the islanders still looking for their first win this season.  In the last of the fixtures mid-table Bromley went down 21-34 to Dunstonians.

Kent 1: Cranbrook hosted Hastings & Bexhill at the Tomlin Ground in what was a key fixture for both sides in their respective promotion campaigns, with Cranbrook taking the honours 27-19 to maintain their challenge.   Park Hse stay top after a 21-17 win over Kings Coll, whilst Southwark’s challenge faltered after a 6-15 defeat at the hands of Vigo.  At the bottom Shooters Hill went down 7-34 to OGs and are only separated from Footscray on points difference after they also lost out 8-27 to HSBC. In the last of the fixtures O Wills beat Sittingbourne 18-13.

Kent 2: Askean stay top following a 7-17 win at bottom club Whitstable, with Lordswood second after they defeated Brockleians 26-10.  With Guys Hosp having no fixture NAG moved up to third following a 101-3 annihilation of Dartford Valley, whilst Ash moved clear of the bottom group with a narrow 17-15 win against Faversham.

Former England Rugby Captain, Phil Vickery MBE, was in Maidstone on Thursday to switch on the Christmas Lights at Fremlin Walk. In addition Phil was also promoting his well known range of Raging Bull rugby clothing.  Prior to the big 'switch on' Phil hosted a number of VIP guests at a reception which was attended by Club Captain Ben Williams ands a number of club players and members.

Given that it was a training night, the offer of a run around on 'The Somme' with  the senior squad to pass on a few tips was made to Phil, which for a former front row forward he sidestepped with some skill!

Shepherd Neame Kent Cup:

Following last weekend’s round of cup fixtures, the draw has been announced for the Quarter Finals of the Kent Cup and in each of the ties there is one club who received a walkover in the last round and one that was able to fulfil the fixture.  Ldn 1(S) club Gravesend  lock horns with Nat 3(SE) side TJs, whilst Deal & Betteshanger face Blacheath.  Ldn 3 (SE) club Thanet Wdrs have a difficult proposition as they host O Elthamians and in the last of the fixtures Canterbury are drawn at home to Beckenham.  Ties are to be played on or before 23rd February 2014.

RFU Knockout Competitions:

In the RFU Knockout competitions the draw has been made for the third round as follows:

Intermediate Cup: Only four ties to be contested as the competition reaches the regional Quarter-Final stage. Perhaps the eye-catching tie sees Sevenoaks host league rivals Charlton Pk in an all London 2(SE) tie. The county’s other club remaining in the competition sees Medway take on London 2(NE) club O Priorians. In the other two matches, Norfolk club Holt host Rochford Hundred whilst Guildford travel to face St Albans.

RFU Senior Vase: Three of the county’s clubs remain in this competition that is also at the regional Quarter-Final stage, although in this completion they have managed to avoid each other in the draw. Dartfordians and Thanet Wdrs have home ties, with Darts hosting a Finchley side currently in mid-table in Ldn 3(NE); Thanet also have a home draw as they take on Ldn 3(NE) club Welwyn who sit one place below Finchley in the table. An improving Anchorians picked up a difficult away tie and travel to face an unbeaten Harrow club at the top end of Ldn 3(NW). In the remaining tie OMT currently going well in Ldn 3(NW) host a Camberley side that are currently struggling in Ldn 3(SW).

RFU Junior Vase: This competition is not as far progressed as the other two RFU competitions and is only at the last 32 stage with only 2 Kent clubs involved in the eight matches. Unfortunately the fates have been unkind in this respect and one will fall at this hurdle, as the draw sees Cranbrook host OGs in an all Kent match up. In the other fixtures, Millbrook who despatched Pulborough 62-17 are drawn away at Battersea Ironsides who also posted a solid 15-38 win at O Blues in the last round; West Norfolk’s tie against Verulamian is subject to confirmation due to match card issues, should it transpire that they receive a bye, it will see them move into Rd 4 having played only one fixture.

Full details of all the RFU Cup draws can be found on the RFU London & SE website: http://rfulondon.com/

With the exception of Sevenoaks fixture against Beckenham, which will be played on the 24^th Nov, all of the remaining fixtures were scheduled for this weekend (16^th/17^th), although a number of the sides had RFU Cup fixtures which could impact on whether the matches actually took place.  No such problem for TJs and Tunbridge Wells who played on Saturday with the Nat 3 side comfortable 36-5 winners against a dogged Wells side.  Blackheath’s match against Maidstone also went ahead as planned and was an extremely competitive contest with the defending champions made to work extremely hard and just holding on in the end for a 22-18 victory.  Canterbury’s Pilgrims hosted Colfes at Merton Lane and it was their pacey backs that were the difference as they ran out 45-24 winners. 

Gravesend had received a HWO some time ago in their tie against Ashford, for the three remaining fixtures the question was what the RFU Cup had taken out of the sides should the fixtures go ahead.  Ironically, it was Dunstonians who had withdrawn from their RFU Senior Vase tie the day before, who also withdrew from this cup tie, handing a HWO to Deal & Betteshanger; Thanet Wdrs were also handed a walkover when after a tough encounter in the RFU Senior Vase against Horsham the day before, Anchorians conceded the fixture.  In the last of the fixtures that did take place and following a tough encounter against D&B, Charlton Park’s resources could well have been stretched against a fresh Elthamians side from Nat 3, however, this ended up as a real ‘nail biter’ and was an extremely tight match with a Park penalty two minutes from time looking like they would take the tie, but a 3-point score at the final whistle gave Elthamians the win by a single point, 18-17.

So with just the one match outstanding, with the exception of Westcombe Pk all the ‘big guns’ remain in the draw, as the following sides progress to the Quarter-Finals: Blackheath, Canterbury, Tonbridge Juddian, Deal & Betteshanger, O Elthamians, Thanet Wdrs, Gravesend and either Beckenham or Sevenoaks

Former England Rugby Captain, Phil Vickery MBE, will be switching on the Christmas Lights at Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, on Thursday 21st November 2013. The Fremlin Walk event runs from 4.00 to 9.00 pm. Phil will also be promoting his Raging Bull clothing range and will meet members of the public (he particularly likes to meet the rugby community), to sign autographs and pose for photographs in the House of Fraser store.

A number of the club's members have been invited to a reception at the event, but all are welcome and there is the added bonus of the opportunity to win £200 of Raging Bull clothing in the House of Fraser prize draw.

When the Around the Ground was compiled on Saturday, it neglected to include the results from Kent 2, where there was a full league programme of fixtures.

Kent 2: At the top of the table Askean are four points clear despite having no fixture, their nearest challengers were Lordswood and Bexley, but a 14-14 draw between the two sides sees both drop a place with Guys Hosp the beneficiaries and moving into second spot after a 61-22 thumping of Faversham.  At the bottom there were also changes with a hard fought 13-10 win for Dartford Valley against Ash lifting them of bottom spot; whilst  Whitstable’s 19-19 draw at Brockleians wasn’t enough to prevent them dropping to the foot of the division.

In the last of the fixtures Orpington winning run came to an end as they went down 6-32 to visiting NAG who now lie in 5^th spot.  Edenbridge had no fixture.

National 1: Blackheath went down 18-25 at home to Richmond whilst elsewhere Doncaster returned to the top of the table thanks to a 19-11 win at home to Esher.  Rosslyn Pk lies in second spot after they downed Tynedale 13-41 with Esher slipping into third place. Coventry are fourth after a 22-45 win at Loughborough  Students.  At the foot of the table a 42-15 defeat for Hull Ionians at Fylde sees them still four points adrift of Tynedale, and a further seven points off Cinderford.

National 2(S): Home wins were the order of the day as Canterbury moved into fourth spot after a convincing 46-22 home win against Redruth, Hartpury continue to head the table following a 48-23 win against Shelford; with Ampthill in second spot after a 78-10 thrashing of Dings Crusaders.  Cambridge si in third spot with a 48-25 win against Taunton, Clifton’s 53-13 win against Bournemouth sees them in fifth, just a point behind Canterbury.  At the bottom of the table London Irish (Am) just lost out 25-27 to Southend and stay one off the bottom, whilst basement club Exmouth went down 31-7 at Bishops Stortford.

Intermediate Cup:  Having inflicted D&B’s second defeat of the season in the league at the Drill Field last week, Charlton Pk and D&B went head to head for the second time in a week, this time on home soil Park turfed the south coast side out of the cup with an equally tight 14-10 result.  Aylesford have traditionally gone well in the RFU knockout competitions, but not this season, as they went down 7-19 to Ldn 2SW front runners Guildford.  Medway have hit form in recent weeks and you would have thought they would have needed all their resolve as they prepared to host unbeaten Ldn 2(NW) leaders Twickenham, but for the visitors to withdraw and hand Medway a walkover.  Sevenoaks travelled to face a Portsmouth side that are struggling in their division with Oaks running out convincing 21=52 winners and leaving the Solent club to concentrate on league survival for the rest of the season.  In the other fixtures perhaps the big match up was between O Priorians and Saffron Walden, with the Ealing based Priorians running out convincing winners in a flattering 50-15 scoreline. In the remaining fixtures Holt conceded to Basildon, Norwich went down 21-34 at home to St Albans and Rochford Hundred beat Ldn Cornish 21-11.

Senior Vase:  Dartfordians had ended Folkestone’s unbeaten start to the season and the cup draw saw them face off again for the second time in three weeks with Darts posting yet another solid 21-33 win  Anchorians hosted league rivals Horsham, with the home side perhaps upsetting the form guide as they posted a confidence boosting 31-14 result.  Both Thanet and Dunstonians had byes in the first round, both were scheduled to face sides in the bottom half of Ldn 3(SW), Thanet hosted Ldn Exiles running out 15-22 winners; whilst Dunstonians disappointingly conceded to Camberley.

In other ties Finchley were 34-5 winners against Hitchin, OMT beat Wisbech 49-7 and Welwyn overcame O Streetonians 21-5; unbeaten Ldn 3(NW) side Harrow received a bye.

Junior Vase:  There is a much greater number of sides that compete in the Junior Vase, to the point where there was a Preliminary Round involving 18 clubs in Septemner;  of the 16 ties in the second round only two involved Kent clubs, with Shooters Hill, Sittingbourne and Vigo having gone out of the competition in the first round.  Cranbrook travelled to face Sittingbourne’s conquerors Eastbourne and in what was a tight but entertaining encounter, just prevailed 32-34.  OGs moved into the second round thanks to a HWO against Sussex based Holbrook and faced a Chipstead side going well in Surrey 2, in the end the Kent side had too much for Chipstead, running out 34-24 winners.

A full review of results can be found on the London RFU website at: http://rfulondon.com/

Kent Cup:  In the only fixture played today TJs ran out solid 36-5 winners against Tunbridge wells.  There will be a full roundup of this weekend’s Kent Cup fixtures on Sunday 17^th Nov.

National 1: Blackheath’s 25-0 defeat at Cinderford sees them drop to 11^th in the division.  At the top Esher take over top spot following a 56-24 win against Tynedale and thanks to Blaydon’s 22-17 win over Doncaster.  Rosslyn Park stay third after their 31-5 win over Loughborough students on Friday night.  Coventry stays in touch following a 32-5 win over Fylde.  At the foot of the table Hull ionians remain last despite recording their first win with a 31-20 defeat of Worthing.

National 2(S):  Canterbury slip to sixth following a 23-12 defeat at Cambridge based Shelford. Hartpury stay top after they narrowly beat Dings Crusaders 23-25 with Ampthill climbing to second following their 20-42 win at struggling Exmouth.  Cambridge slip to third after they lost out 40-17 to Chinnor, who now move up to fourth.  Taunton are the last of the top five after they beat Clifton 27-13.  At the bottom end of the division Launceston’s 14-17 win at Southend sees them begin to move clear, although there appears to be a weekly reshuffle of the relegation contenders with Exmouth and following London Irish (Am) 38-28 loss at Redruth,  probably two of the early favourites for the drop.

National 3(SE): Probably the key fixture was at Saint Hill as East Grinstead hosted TJs in a battle of two of the leading promotion contenders; in the end it resulted in a 13-13 draw as despite finishing the match with 14 men, TJs managed to salvage a draw with a late penalty.  The result possibly did neither side a favour as Dorking stretch their lead at the head of the table to 5 points following a 32-18 win against Barnes.  Elthamians leapfrog TJs into second spot after they thrashed Tring 40-8.  CS Rugby sit in fifth spot after they beat Guernsey 23-30 on the road, although there is a 10-point gap between themselves and east Grinstead in fourth place.  BSE stay in sixth place despite a narrow 16-18 home defeat to Westcombe Park.  Basingstoke posted a good 21-13 win against Hertford to continue their move up the table, whilst at the foot of the division Barking drop to bottom spot after going down 27-14 at Thurrock.

L1(S):  Chichester stay top of the table after a 24-8 win at home to Sidcup, Gravesend are two points behind in second place after they were convincing 51-12 winners against Cobham with Chobham third after a tight 13-18 win at fourth placed Brighton.  S&E beat Beckenham 28-8 to stay in touch at the top and Dover move up to mid table following a 21-6 result against Wimbledon.  Hove swap places in the bottom four with Havant after the Sussex side won 29-14 whilst in the battle between the bottom two sides, Haywards Heath were stunned by Staines as they posted their first win of the campaign with a 5-16 away win; Staines remain bottom due to an earlier points deduction but move out of negative equity!

L2(SE):  Having been unbeaten leaders until last weekend D&B suffered their second consecutive loss as they went down 8-13 to promotion challengers Charlton Park.  Maidstone stay at the head of the division after they beat Tunbridge Wells 41-12 in a match that was switched to The Mote due to waterlogged pitches at St Marks.  Medway‘s move up the table was put on hold as their fixture at struggling Lewes was one of only three across the region to fall foul of the weather.  Sevenoaks stay in fourth spot after a convincing 27-3 result at home to Colfes.  H&W’s woes continue after they were beaten 3-20 by Sussex rivals Crowborough; whilst Warlingham went down 14-24 at home to basement club Aylesford, a result that lifts them of the foot of the table.

L3(SE):  The big fixture here was scheduled to be a clash between two of the leading contenders  Folkestone and Horsham where the result could have significant repercussions on the rest of the season; however with the match, apparently controversially falling victim to the weather it meant a change at the top of the table.  Both Thanet and Ashford cashed in following wins against Bromley (20-9) and Beccs (68-0) respectively to move into first and second places.  In the bottom half of the table Sheppey are still looking for a first win after they went down 5-22 to Uckfield and Burgess Hill lost out 10-22 at home to Dunstonians.  In mid-table Dartfordians and Anchorians fought out a 22-22 draw.

Kent 1:  The surprise of the day was Cranbrook’s 25-6 loss at Vigo, a result that drops them to fourth in the table.  The other leading contenders all posted wins with Hastings moving back to the top after they beat O Wills 22-5, Park Hse sit in second place after a solid 5-40 win at OGs, with Southwark in third place following their 7-15 win at Kings Coll.  Shooters Hill and Footscray remain as the bottom two clubs after they lost 15-12 and 24-10 at HSBC and Sittingbourne respectively.

Kent 2: Askean’s advantage over Lordswood was eroded despite the ‘Woodsmen’ having no fixture, as Askean went down 16-10 at NAG. Bexley’s 5-27 win at Whitstable sees them close in on the top two, whilst Guys Hosp slip to fourth place following a 19-13 defeat by Edenbridge.  Orpington remains in mid-table after a 5-23 win at Ash with Dartford Valley still at the foot of the table after they lost 20-5 at Faversham.

In order for Mote Cricket Club (MCC) to progress with their Development Plans, MFC must first relinquish our current lease on the 1^st XV pitch.  MFC will not be in a position to relinquish the current lease until a new alternative lease has been agreed by the members, but as efforts to draft a new lease were put on hold while the NDC attempted to explore alternatives with MCC, we are currently not in a position to vote on this specific issue.

However, in order to provide MCC and their preferred Developer with a clear indication of whether MFC supports their Development Plan or not, the Committee has decided that it would be prudent to ask the MFC membership to vote on whether they feel that the current MCC plan is in the best short and long term interests of the club.  We are therefore planning to hold a formal vote to this effect at an EGM on Wednesday 4^th December. 

Due to the significance of this decision and to ensure that the members are fully informed of the details and implications of the MCC proposal, we are proposing to have an Information Forum on Wednesday 13^th November.  This Forum will take the form of a Powerpoint presentation in which the details of the proposal will be laid out in front of the membership so that everyone has a clear understanding of the positive and negative implications associated with the plan.

In order to give members time to consider the details presented at the Information Forum objectively, a separate Question + Answer Session is planned for Wednesday 27^th November. 

Both of these sessions will lead up to an EGM the following Wednesday 4^th December, where the members will be asked to vote on whether they are in favour of the MCC Development Proposal or not. 

The Key Dates:

·         13^th November:  Information Forum (Clubhouse @ 7.45pm)

·         27^th November:  Q+A Session  (Clubhouse @ 7.45pm)

·         4^th December:     EGM Vote on the MCC Proposal (Clubhouse @ 7.45pm)

As this is the most important decision the Membership has had to make in over 50 years, the Committee urges all members to make the effort to ensure they fully understand the MCC plan and the implications of the decision they are being asked to make.  Also, as only members of the club will be able to vote at the EGM, we encourage everyone who wants to have a say in the future of the club to ensure they have paid their membership. 

If you are a club member and have not received an email copy of this statement, please e-mail jon_sargent@hotmail.co.uk so that we can extend the current distribution list and include you in all future communications.  

Whilst the 1st XV saw a few changes for the league fixture versus Heathfield and Waldron, the majority were for the usual unavailability and injury reasons, except for Josh Jensen.  Apart from a late call up in mid-week to play alongside Alex Sterzu for a Kent Select XV in Aylesford's annual Remembrance fixture, Josh then jetted off to Odense to represent Denmark in their international fixture against Israel. 

Whilst the 1st XV were able to post a big win without him, his national side weren't as fortunate, going down to a narrow 13-15 defeat in a tight contest.

Nevertheless, congratulations to Josh from the club on his international selection.

National 1: As expected Blackheath beat bottom club Hull Ionians 32-16 and stay in tenth spot; at the top no change with wins for leaders Doncaster against Tynedale (55-3) and Esher (12-32) at Loughborough whilst Rosslyn Pk stay third despite losing 26-10 to Fylde.  Ionians stay at the foot of the division, eight points adrift of Tynedale.

National 2(S):  the city club move into third spot following a tight 21-18 win over Dings Crusaders.  Hartpury continue to set the pace after a 50-10 win against Exmouth with Cambridge second following their 25-10 win against Southend.  Clifton drop to fourth despite a 24-20 win against Chinnor.  At the bottom there is no change despite a 45-22 win for bottom club London Irish (Am) over Launceston and a loss for Bishops Stortford at home to Taunton (32-37).

National 3(SE): At the top of the table Dorking and TJs remain unbeaten with wins against Tring (25-33) and BSE (45-11) respectively.  East Grinstead and Elthamians are tied in third spot following wins at Barnes (5-39) and Barking (14-40) with a ten point gap to the fifth placed BSE.  Westcombe Pk’s 24-0 win over Guernsey moves them up into mid-table whilst Hertford were 27-10 winners against bottom club Thurrock.  in the mid-table battle CS Rugby were 51-38 winners against Basingstoke.

L1(S):  Gravesend’s 20-22 win at leaders Chobham saw the Surrey club knocked off the top of the division to third spot.  Gravesend move into second behind Chichester who won 6-20 at Beckenham, fourth placed Brighton just lost out, going down 23-22 at Havant, with Sidcup now fifth after they defeated winless Haywards Heath 27-0 in concert with S&E losing 24-11 at Cobham.  At the bottom end of the table Hove stay in twelfth place after a 20-12 loss at Wimbledon, whilst bottom club Staines went down 15-49 at home to Dover.

L2(SE): At the top it’s a bit of a reshuffle of the pack, with two of the big battles taking place at Kidbrooke and Priestfields as third club Charlton Pk hosted fifth placed Tunbridge Wells in what proved to be a a convincing win for the SE London side as they ran out 44-10 winners and move up into 2^nd spot.  Meanwhile a Medway side surprisingly languishing in mid-table replaced Wells’ in fifth place after they routed fourth placed Sevenoaks 47-20.  Elsewhere D&B travelled to Colfes and in a game where all the points were scored in the first half and went down 15-12 to a Colfes try on the stroke of half time; the result sees D&B drop to third in the standings.  Maidstone hosted H&W and posted a massive 72-5 win in greasy conditions.  At the foot of the table Lewes went down 14-8 at Warlingham, whilst bottom side Aylesford went down 9-17 to visiting Crowborough and remain at the foot of the table

L3(SE):  Horsham’s 53-3 thrashing of basement club Sheppey sees them back on top, especially with Folkestone tripping up 29-19 at Dartfordians.  Thanet’s 7-39 win at Burgess Hill sees them into second spot on points difference with Folkestone having slipped to third place a point behind.  Ashford sit in fourth spot following a narrow 13-14 win at Bromley, “Oh how Bromley may rue the draws and narrow losses when the season concludes”!  Anchorians were 29-19 winners over Beccehamians, a result that in concert with a points deduction sees Beccs at the foot of the table; Uckfield’s hard fought 15-10 victory over Dunstonians sees them leapfrog above Burgess Hill into ninth place.

Kent 1:  At the top end of the division, similar results for leaders Cranbrook who won 25-7 against O Wills, and Hastings & B who defeated Footscray 5-25 see them as the pace setters.  Park House drew 25-25 with HSBC and slip to third spot with Southwark in fourth place after a 20-10 win over OGs, a side that they have struggled to beat in the past.  A 6-0 win for Vigo over Kings Coll moves them up into mid table with Sittingbourne moving out of the bottom two after they narrowly beat basement club Shooters 12-14.

Kent 2: Askeans are now five points clear following a 55-0 thrashing of Ash, whilst second placed Lordswood suffered a 21-18 reversal at Edenbridge.  Guys Hosp closed the gap in third after they thrashed Dartford Valley 57-3 and Orpington’s 28-19 win over Faversham sees them move up to sixth, just behind Bexley who didn’t play today.  In the last of the fixtures Brocleains went down 5-17 at home to NAG.

Many thanks from Ground Chair Martin Maytum to Dave Tugwell, Ian Lee, Bob Beney and Carol Mcenzie for their help in clearing the car park area of the larger pieces o debris following the 'storm' on Sunday night/Monday Morning.  The carpark is being swept on Friday (1st Nov) morning courtesy of local company Scarab Sweepers.

National 1: ‘Club’ slip into the bottom half of the division after a comprehensive 63-21 defeat at the hands of fourth placed Coventry.  Doncaster still heads the table despite losing out 11-10 at Henley.  Rosslyn Pk and Esher both won to stay in second and third place respectively.  At the foot of the division Hull Ionains and Tynedale stay in the bottom two but Worthing’s defeat by Rosslyn Pk sees them drop into the bottom three after Cinderford won 15-10 against O Albanians.

National 2(S):  Hartpury stay top after a12-50 result at Bournemouth with Cambridge in second place despite losing at Launceston.  Southend are third and Canterbury move up to fourth place after defeating Exmouth in a high scoring match (41-51).  At the foot of the table London Irish (Am) and Bishops Stortford both lost to accompany Exmouth in the bottom three places.

National 3(SE): Dorking stay top following a resounding and predictable 61-8 win against Barking with TJs still in second spot following their 22-5 win over Barnes.  Fellow Kent club Elthamians are fourth after a 25-6 win against Hertford and are only separated from third placed East Grinstead on points difference after the G-Force’s 26-0 win over Tring.  Guernsey brought Suffolk based BSE’s winning run to an end as they inflicted a 29-39 defeat on the fifth placed club.  Westcombe Pk find themselves languishing dangerously close to the drop zone after a 40-8 defeat at Basingstoke, whilst bottom club Thurrock drew 24-24 with CS Rugby.

L1(S):  Leaders Chobham stay top despite a 10-8 defeat at S&E, but Chichester and Gravesend closed the gap following 34-12 and 32-14 wins against Haywards Heath and Havant respectively.  Brighton stays in contention in fourth place, after an 18-8 win against Wimbledon.  In mid-table Beckenham ended their run of poor form with a 30-19 win against visiting Cobham, whilst Sidcup got the best of the all Kent match up as they defeated Dover 5-26 at The Crabble.  In the last of the fixtures Hove move above Haywards Heath and out of the bottom three following a 38-14 win at bottom side Staines.

L2(SE): Going into the second quarter of the campaign, almost all of the fixtures had some bearing on how the season was panning out the respective clubs.  At the foot of the division the bottom two battled it out with basement club Aylesford travelling to fellow strugglers Lewes and just coming out on top 20-22 in a match that could have gone either way; although the result doesn’t change the positions at the foot of the table.   At the top end Sevenoaks maintained their upward curve with a solid 31-18 win against Warlingham.  Medway travelled to the division’s only unbeaten club D&B and went down to their biggest defeat so far in a 24-12 scoreline, a result that sees the Lions move back to the head of the division.  Leaders Maidstone dropped to second after they failed to collect a bonus point in their 12-19 win on the road at Crowborough, with Charlton Pk also winning at Sussex based H&W 16-31 to stay in contention in third spot and leave their Sussex host flirting with the danger zone at the wrong end of the table.  Tunbridge Wells move up following a 17-10 win over Colfes.

L3(SE):  Tough contests for the leading contenders as Folkestone hosted an Anchorians side  that has found its feet in their second campaign at this level, eventually running out narrow 22-18 winners to stay top; Horsham travelled to Dunstonians for what was never going to be an easy contest but ground out a 24-27 result to stay in second place.  Other leading contenders Thanet were convincing 41-19 winners against Uckfield whilst Ashford also maintained their challenge with a resounding 55-5 result against Burgess Hill.  For a change Bromley produced a less than nail-biting scoreline as they won 8-16 at promoted Beccs.  Dartfordians continue to look comfortable in the division as they maintained Sheppey’s woes at the foot of the table, running out 12-34 winners to leave the island club anchored at the foot of the table 

Kent 1:  Cranbrook’s 0-19 win at Kings Coll sees them stay at the head of the table on points difference from Park Hse who were 24-32 winners at Sittingbourne.  H&B stay in touch in third spot following a 69-0 thrashing of Shooters Hill. Alongside Shooters and Sittingbourne at the wrong end of the table, both HSBC and Footscray both lost, going down 5-12 and 32-16 to Southwark lancers and O Wills respectively.  In the last of the fixtures, Vigo went down 12-0 to OGs.

Kent 2: Just a point separates leaders Askean from Lordswood in second place, with both winning 0-10 and 29-0 against Faversham and Guys Hosp respectively; second placed Lordswood have a game in hand and probably just hold the early advantage.  Bexley’s 15-25 win at NAG sees them move above Guys and into third place.  Ash was 13-8 winners against Brockleains and a win for Orpington at Dartford Valley (14-42) sees the clubs sitting in mid-table; Whitstable were 26-21 winners against Edenbridge.

A limited amount of league fixtures this week with the RFU’s cup competitions taking centre stage.

National 1: Blackheath lost out 8-21 to visiting Rosslyn Park and remain in mid-table, Doncaster remain the front runners ahead of Esher with Park now third. Tynedale, Cinderford and Hull Ionians remain the bottom three clubs after all lost today.

National 2(S): Canterbury sit in seventh spot after they posted an excellent result with a 36-6 win over league leaders Bournemouth, a result that sees the south coast club drop to fourh spot following good wins for new leaders Hartpury as well as Cambridge and Clifton.  Launceston, Exmouth and Ldn Irish (Am) remain the bottom three clubs following defeats today.

National 3(SE):  Barnes stay in mid table as they lost out to 24-45 to CS Rugby who also move up the mid –table rankings.  Basingstoke moved out of the bottom three following a 36-15 win over basement club Thurrock who are yet to pick up their first point after six matches.

Kent 2:  Askean’s 34-24 win over Dartford Valley keeps them at the head of the table with a 3-point advantage over Lordwood who have played a match less and won 36-31 against Whitstable.  Guys Hosp move into third spot following a 71-0 thrashing of Orpington; Ash’s 31-3 win against Bexley sees them in fourth spot.  Mid-table Brockleians were 37-2 winners against bottom club Faversham.

RFU Intermediate Cup:  Aylesford and Charlton Park received walkovers after Teddington and Winchester withdrew due to front row and injury issues, under new rules in the RFU tournaments this season it looks like both clubs will face a fine and a 3-year exclusion from the competition.  Holt’s fixture at Hemel Hempstead was also cancelled after Hemel’s withdrawal.  After making the National semi-finals in RFU Cup competitions in the past two seasons, a much changed Maidstone side contrived to throw away a 5-28 lead in the last half hour to bow out in the first round 31-28 to a Guildford outfit going well in SW2.  Medway just edged the contest at Crowborough 7-9, whilst Sevenoaks were solid 24-16 winners against a visiting Tottonians side currently 3^rd in 2(SW). Tunbridge Wells went down 3-15 at home to Ldn Cornish, whilst D&B posted a big 14-31 win on the road against a Trojans side that dropped down from Ldn 1 at the end of last season.  The last of the county’s clubs saw Colfes go down 19-12 to Ldn 2(SW) basement club Portsmouth.  Elsewhere, Ldn 2(NW) club O Priorians posted a good 22-42 win at last season’s regional semi-finalists Chelmsford and league leaders from the NW division Twickenham overcame Enfield Ignations 35-21.  Ldn 2(NE) club Saffron Walden posted a big 50-5 score against HAC whilst St Albans almost reached the 50-point mark in their 49-29 win over Stowmarket.  In the last of the fixtures Norwich were 15-0 winners over UCS OB to progress to Round 2

RFU Senior Vase:  Just one contest that was confined within Ldn 3(SE) as Bromley agonisingly lost out 30-31 against Horsham to a last minute try and conversion, Ldn 3(SE) leaders Folkestone were 21-50 winners at OMW and Dartfordians progress courtesy of a 17-15 win over Wanstead.  Uckfield lost out 18-20 to Ldn Exiles, with Anchorians progressing courtesy of a walkover after Ldn 3(SW) leaders Farnham withdrew in one of two walkovers in the competition, with Wymondham also conceding to Hitchin.  In one other fixture of note, last season’s regional finalists Cantabrigians fell at the first hurdle, going down 35-10 at Sudbury.  Both Dunstonians and Thanet received byes in the first round.

RFU Junior Vase:  All of the county’s clubs had escaped the 9 fixtures in the Preliminary round of the competition but with there being 32 fixtures in the 1^st Round this summary will just concentrate on the results for the Kent sides.  Cranbrook were 26-14 winners over Rye and whilst Sussex based Hastings aren’t a Kent club they do ply their trade in Kent 1 and were narrow 20-21 winners at Crawley.  OGs and Pulborough both received walkovers due to the withdrawal of Holbrook and Vigo respectively.  Shooters Hill went down narrowly, losing out 15-17 to Seaford whilst in the last of the fixtures involving the county’s sides Sittingbourne also bowed out following an 11-19 defeat by Eastbourne.

The Changing of the Guard – Changes to the Executive Committee

Monday’s AGM saw a number of changes on the club’s Executive Committee as a number of club officers and officials stood down from their roles after several years of outstanding service.

Bob Beney has completed a 3-year tenure as club President and has passed the baton to longstanding member and a former club captain in Jim Tinsley.

Chairman Andy Golding also stood down and will be handing over to another former club captain in Jon Sargent, whilst Bob Hayton is handing over his Deputy Chairman duties to Dave Arnold but will be retaining his responsibilities for Sponsorship & Advertising, and is looking for volunteers to expand specific aspects of the role.

As seems to be the political vogue at the moment, there is something of a ‘cabinet reshuffle’ taking place which see a number of new incumbents in other roles within the club.  Veterans XV skipper Steve Vincent is taking over the club’s Development Chair role whilst Carol McKenzie will take over as House Chair alongside her current Bar Management roles and Martin Maytum returns as Ground Chair.   Jim Walker is taking over a key role as the club’s RFU Accreditation Coordinator.

Finally, a written copy of the Chairman's Report for the 2012-13 Season was not available at the AGM, for those wishing to view the report click here for a pdf version.

National 1: Undefeatd Doncaster sit atop the division, ‘Club’ remain in mid table after a 28-20 loss at fifth placed Esher.  At the bottom of the table Hull Ionians already find themselves 8 points adrift of Cinderford, O Albanians and Tynedale.

National 2(S): Bournemouth , Hartpury and Cambridge head the table with Canterbury sitting in mid-table despite their narrow 36-34 defeat at Taunton but only 5 points above basement side Bishops Stortford

National 3(SE):  Dorking stay top after their sixth consecutive bonus point win with a 24-41 win at Hertford, TJs stay in second spot after they squeezed past Tring 29-35.  Elthamians posted a solid 19-49 win at CS Rugby to stay in third spot with East Grinstead in fourth after they beat Barking 5-49.  BSE complete a top a top five that are now 9-points clear of the rest with a 10-19 win at Barnes.  Westcombe Pk were 37- 21 winners over bottom club Thurrock, in the last of the fixtures Basingstoke provided the surprise result of the day with a 31-33 win at Guernsey.

London 1(S):  At the top of the table, leaders Chobham consigned Beckenham to their third consecutive defeat with a 51-15 result, Gravesend stay in touch after a narrow 16-19 on the road at Wimbledon but slip to third place with Chichester moving above them into second spot after a 28-35 win at Cobham.  At the bottom end of the table defeats for Staines by fourth placed Brighton (21-37) and Haywards Heath (17-27) at the hands of Dover see them as the early relegation favourites.  Dover themselves aren’t out of contention with Hove also at the wrong end of the table following their 34-20 defeat at the hands of Sidcup.  In the remaining fixture Havant were narrow losers against S&E 37-39.

London 2(SE):  From a local perspective the match of interest was Maidstone’s visit to take on Aylesford, in a top v bottom clash with local pride at stake and the Bulls still looking for their first win this season, the county town club’s scalp could have provided them with the kick start they needed.  A satisfying 7-38 win moves Maidstone to the top of the table but leaves the Bulls still anchored to the foot of the division.  Warlingham’s recent form was put to the test by the visit of leaders D&B as the Surrey outfit  went down 8-20, although despite the result and their unbeaten record Deal slip to second spot.  Charlton Pk shook off last week’s defeat with a convincing 31-8 over visiting Crowborough.  Tunbridge Wells battle at Medway saw the home side 25-20 winners.  Sevenoaks move up to fourth spot after a convincing 17-39 win at Lewes, whilst Colfes returned to winning ways inflicting a 34-3 defeat on Heathfield.

London 3(SE):  Of the top two Horsham’s trip to Thanet looked the tougher proposition and a 14-28 defeat sees them slip to second place, Folkestone moved to the top of the table after inflicting a heavy  67-17 on a struggling Sheppey outfit that sees them still winless.    Anchorians narrow 34-35 loss at home to Bromley sees them slip out of the top three, whilst Ashford closed the gap with a solid 12-29 result at Uckfield.  Newcomers Dartfordians won 27-23 against Dunstonians.  A points deduction combined with a 28-17 loss at Burgess Hill sees them drop to the foot of the table with the ‘Sussex All Blacks’  move  up the table above Uckfield.

Kent 1:  Leaders H&B went down 36-17 at third placed Park Hse and slip to third, whilst Cranbrook’s big 63-7 win at home to Footscray moves them to top and it looks like an early season gap is developing between the top four sides and the rest; still early days yet though.  Southwark were 25-0 winners at Sittingbourne with fifth placed O Wills 7-17 winners at Shooters Hill.  Vigo ground out a narrow 22-19 win against HSBC to move up to sixth and in the last of the fixtures Kings Coll lost out 8-11 to Os in a tight contest.

Kent 2:  With no fixture this week, Lordswood slip to third spot, leapfrogged by Askeans who were narrow 15-16 winners at Orpington, Bexley move into second place after a solid 0-28 win at Faversham. NAG were convincing 55-15 winners over Edenbridge, Guys Hosp 17-43 win at Whitstable was effectively cancelled out by a points deduction and they stay in mid table.

The latest meeting between the Mote Cricket Club (MCC) Development Committee and the Rugby Club’s NDC took place on 09/10/13.  We are disappointed to have to report that the NDC have been unable to reach a compromise which we feel satisfies the concerns the membership have previously expressed over the provision of rugby pitches and training areas within the MCC proposal.

 Key Points:

• MCC have not included a representative of the NDC in their recent meetings with the Developer as previously indicated;
• MCC have not invited NDC members to attend the monthly MCC Development Committee Meeting or allowed the NDC Chairman to work alongside the MCC Development Chairman as we indicated had been agreed in the last NDC update;
• MCC propose to increase the current playing and training areas available to MFC by increasing the width of the current training pitch (The Somme), and feel an exclusive contract with Maidstone Borough Council for a pitch in Mote Park could be arranged along with a shared let on a second council pitch when necessary.
• The NDC stressed the point that we are aware that the regular/ permanent use of Mote Park pitches is highly unpopular within the MFC membership, and put forward a number of alternative options which we feel more effectively provide sufficient playing and training area within the current boundary. 
• All of the NDC options presented, including reducing the area surrendered for development, realigning the pitches and exploring extending the boundary have been discounted by MCC.
• MCC are clear that they are unwilling to consider any alternative options that involve either altering the area of the proposed housing development or requires the need for further consultation with the MCC membership to discuss moving or sharing their cricket pitches.
• The MCC proposal is exactly as it stood in July when it was presented to and approved by the MCC membership at their EGM. 

While there are still some avenues to be explored and details to clarify, the focus of the NDC is now on preparing for an EGM towards the end of November where the club membership will be given the opportunity to accept or reject the proposal MCC have presented to us.  It is our intention to arrange another Information Forum evening following the upcoming AGM, so that the details of the MCC proposal can be presented in full to the membership.  Details will also be circulated to those members currently on the email circulation list, so that our members have sufficient time to consider the implications of accepting or rejecting the proposal in advance of an EGM vote.

If you are a club member and have not received an email copy of this statement, please e-mail jon_sargent@hotmail.co.uk so that we can extend the current distribution list and include you in all future communications. 

The following nominations have been received by the Hon Secretary to be voted on at the AGM: 

President: Jim Tinsley

Chairman: Jon Sargent

Deputy-Chairman: David Arnold

Development Chairman: Steve Vincent

Ground Chairman: Martin Maytum

RFU Accreditation Co-ordinator: James Walker

Chair of House: Carol McKenzie

The roles of Youth Chairman and Schools Liason Officer have not yet received any nominations

National 1: Blackheath stay in seventh spot after a 35-23 home win against Tynedale, unbeaten sides Doncaster, Coventry and Esher head the table with Blaydon and Hull Ionians still winless at the foot of the table.

 National 2(S): A 30-13 win for the city club against second placed Chinnor keeps Canterbury in upper mid-table; with leaders Clifton also losing out 21-20 at strugglers London Irish (Am).  At the top of the table it was largely the status quo despite adverse result for some of the leading contenders; Bournemouth drew 26-26 at Shelford, whilst Ampthill, Cambridge and Hartpury all enjoyed comfortable wins.  At the bottom, Bishops Stortford and London Irish (Am) prop up the table, with Shelford and Launceston just above them.

National 3(SE):  From a county perspective the big game was at Foxbury Ave where Elthamians took on Westcombe Pk, and whilst Combe were looking to get back on track after last week’s loss to leaders Dorking, the third placed club were in uncompromising mood as they ran out convincing 39-9 winners.   Second placed TJs enjoyed a somewhat predictable and resounding 78-14 win at home to Barking whilst the leaders Dorking also won convincingly away at CS Rugby 53-8 to maintain their perfect start to the season.  BSE stay in the leading group after they beat bottom club Basingstoke 25-10.  East Grinstead’s G-Force were back to winning ways after a tough encounter with Hertford (34-12), whilst the basement battle between Thurrock and Guernsey went the way of the Channel Islanders 24-40. The mid table contest between Barnes and Tring went with home advantage 21-18.

London 1(S):  Let’s try and not mix this one up; third placed Cobham hosted leaders Chobham with the visitors taking the spoils in the 10-15 result to stay at the head of the division.  Second club S&E lost out 8-10 to Wimbledon and slip down the table as a result.  The best of the Kent clubs, Gravesend faced basement side Staines with the resultant 43-7 scoreline probably somewhat predictable and sees the north Kent club climb back up to second spot.  For the rest of the Kent clubs Beckenham went down 13-35 at home to Havant, with Sidcup losing out 30-21 on the road at Brighton.  Elsewhere Dover took on Chichester and lost out 33-11 and in the last of the fixtures Hove beat struggling Haywards Heath 43-24.

London 2(SE):  Without doubt the big battle was at The Mote between last season’s runners up Charlton Park, and newly promoted Maidstone; with the county town side overturning a 12-15 half-time deficit and two yellow cards, running in 4 second half tries to end up deserving 38-20 winners.   D&B cashed in on the result, picking up their first bonus point win as they beat 34-22 Lewes to now head the table.  Medway’s move up the table stalled as they were beaten 13-3 at H&W in the surprise result of the day.  Crowborough compounded Colfes woes with a narrow 6-5 result, whilst in the local derby Sevenoaks had too much for an Aylesford side yet to record their first win this season and ran out 26-15 winners to move up to fifth spot.  In the last of the fixtures T Wells hosted a Warlingham side that looks like it has got its season back on track as the visitors ran out 13-20 winners.

London 3(SE):  Leaders Horsham demonstrated their promotion aspirations as they ground out a 30-33 win at Ashford, whilst second placed Folkestone continued their strong start to the campaign with an 18-25 result at Dunstonians.  Anchorians keep up the pressure with a solid 18-39 win over a Sheppey side that looks to be struggling this time around.  Thanet leapfrog Ashford after a 19-14 result against Dartfordians, with Bromley also moving up the table following a resounding 50-9 win against newcomers Burgess Hill.  In the battle at the bottom end of the table Beccehamians hosted Uckfield and just came out on the wrong end of the 11-12 scoreline in a tight contest.

Kent 1:  The big match here was the clash of the top two clubs as Hastings hosted Southwark with the Sussex club running out easy 40-0 winners to stretch their lead at the head of the division.  Third placed Cranbrook faced OGs in a match that is always a tough encounter, their 17-20 win sees them move into second spot despite Park Hse’s 10-22 win at O Wills.   In the remaining fixtures Footscray move off the bottom after a 53-5 thrashing of Shooters Hill, whilst Sittingbourne lost out 11-21 against Vigo. The last of the match ups saw HSBC face Kings Coll with the bank side in debit as they went down 10-34.

Kent 2:  Lordswood stay top after a 18-8 result against NAG with Askean still second after they beat Guys Hosp 14-17. Edenbridge’s good start faltered with a narrow 7-12 loss at Ash and Bexley’s 38-15 win over Dartford Valley keeps them in the top half of the table.  Brockleians were 9-22 losers against Orpington.

National 1: The pack was shuffled for the top five clubs with Fylde and Loughborough Students the sides dropping down the order after their defeats to Worthing and Blackheath respectively.  By all accounts Blackheath’s encounter with a previously unbeaten Loughborough side was an entertaining affair, with ‘Club’ stretching out to a 3-37 half-time lead only to be pegged back in the second half but taking the points with a 43-50 win to move up to seventh spot.

 National 2(S): After last week’s all important first win of the season, the city club went down to Essex based Southend 34-27 and sit in eleventh spot.  The leading pair of Clifton and Chinnor remain the only unbeaten teams in the division, with London Irish (Am) still looking for a first win and propping up the table following their 19-16 defeat at the hands of Exmouth.

National 3(SE):  The big shock this week was East Grinstead’s narrow loss, as they went down 16-14 to CS Rugby to suffer their first defeat since January 2012 when they lost a controversial match at Aylesford; the result sees them drop to fifth in the table.  Dorking stay top after a 24-48 win at Westcombe Park, with TJs moving into second spot after they won 12-21 at Hertford.  Elthamians are in third place after a 17-17 draw in Guernsey.  Bury St Edmunds move up into fourth place after they beat Tring 17-31 whilst mid-table Barnes narrowly overcame Barking 30-33, the remaining fixture between Basingstoke and Thurrock was postponed.

London 1(S):  Sidcup inflicted league leaders Gravesend’s first defeat of the season as they came out convincingly on top 27-8, a result that knocks  G’s off top spot as they drop to fourth place.  Chobham are the clear leaders after a 53-10 demolition of Chichester with S&E in third place after they beat basement side Staines 26-41.  Dover did themselves a power of good after three straight defeats, as they were convincing 43-15 winners against Hove; Haywards Heath continue to struggle as they were hammered 3-57 at home to Brighton.  Havant went down 19-23 to a Cobham side that now sit in third spot in the table, whilst in the last of the fixtures Beckenham had a trip they will look to forget , going down 51-17 at Wimbledon.

London 2(SE):  The big result in the table was Maidstone’s demolition of O Colfeians,  a result that might send a few tremors round the division as the county town club bounced back from disappointment last week with a 13-72 hammering of the side that came down from London 1 last season.  Charlton Park stay top after they held on to win 33-39 at Aylesford after the Bulls had rallied from 12-39 down in the second half.  D&B are in second place following their narrow 12-15 win at Sevenoaks whilst Tunbridge wells and Medway move up to fourth and fifth places after wins against Lewes (20-26) and Crowborough (16-7) respectively.  A comfortable first win for Warlingham against visitors H&W (40-19)  sees the Surrey side move up the table and out of the bottom three.

London 3(SE):  Horsham look like the side to beat this season, as they overcame Beccehamians 37-5 to post their third straight bonus point win and sit at the top of the pile.  After last season’s indifference Folkestone look to be back to their traditional strong start to the season as they lie second after a hard fought 25-22 win over Thanet; Anchorians 51-17 hammering of newcomers Burgess hill sees the Gillingham club in third place, just ahead of Ashford who were narrow 22-24 winners at Dartfordians.  Uckfield and Bromley played out a 19-19 draw, whilst after narrowly missing promotion last time around, Sheppey don’t seem to be able to buy a win as they went down 30-38 at home to Dunstonians and sit one off the foot of the table.

Kent 1:  Hastings & Bexhill stay at the head of the table after an 11-53 win at Vigo with Southwark in second spot following their 20-17 win over O Wills.  Cranbrook and Park Hse sit in third and fourth spots, with both recording big wins after Cranbrook hammered Shooters 71-10 and Park Hse steamrollered Footscray 71-26 to see them anchored at the foot of the table.  Sittingbourne lie second from bottom after a 17-7 loss at Kings Coll, whilst HSBC’s 26-3 loss at OGs sees them occupy that last of the bottom three places.

Kent 2:  Lordswood are the early leaders in the division after they posted a second bonus-point win with an 18-24 result at Ash, Askean are also unbeaten and sit in second spot after they beat Brockleians 26-5.  NAG beat Whitstable 33-3 and Bexley overcame Orpington 22-27 with the fixture between league newcomers Faversham and Edenbridge being postponed.  Judging thatus of affairs in this division looks like being difficult this season, when despite having an even number of teams (12) there rarely appears to be a full list of carded weekly fixtures, although perhaps this may resolve itself as time progresses.

Maidstone brought the curtain down on last season’s fundraising on behalf of the RFU Injured Players Foundation this last weekend when Paul Murphy the RFU’s Immediate Past President was on hand to receive a cheque for £700 on behalf of the IPF, the money brought last season’s total raised to just under £7500 for an extremely worthy cause. Paul wasn’t just here to collect the cheque either, the prospect of a battle between what looks like being two of the division’s heavyweights this season was too good to miss and he was certainly treated to a battle royal, that went right down to the wire.  Shame about the final result though.

National 1: The top five clubs all posted wins, with Blackheath going down to a narrow 29-31 home defeat to fourth club Fylde.  The result leaves in lower mid-table, although even though it is early days, there looks to be a distinct gap developing between the top six clubs and the rest.

National 2(S): The city club finally got the win they needed to get their season going, as they beat visitors Launceston 33-25 to move up to eight spot.  The leading pair of Clifton and Chinnor are the only unbeaten teams in the division, with winless London Irish (Am) propping up the table just below Dings Crusaders and Launceston.

National 3(SE):  After this weekend’s results there are five clubs that remain unbeaten at the head of the table, with Dorking leading the pack after a 30-20 win over a visiting Guernsey side still looking for their first win.  Hot on their heels are East Grinstead who overcame Westcombe Pk 28-22, whilst Elthamians are in third spot after a 49-14 result over bottom club Basingstoke.  TJs remain in the mix after they despatched CS Rugby 10-0 at The Slade, along with Hertford who were 29-34 winners at Barnes.  Newcomers bury St Edmunds seem to have got into their stride and recorded a 49-24 win over visiting Thurrock, whilst Tring racked up a big score as they beat Barking 60-14.

London 1(S):  Gravesend remain top of the pile in London 1 (S) after a big 74-5 win over Haywards Heath, Chichester and Chobham remain level on points after ‘Chi’ thrashed Hove 74-5 and Chobham downed Havant 38-26.  Beckenham are very much in the top half after a 55-3 against a Staines side that look like being the division’s ‘whipping boys’ this season. Sidcup ease back into the top half of the table in fifth spot after they returned to winning ways with a 19-23 result at S&E, whilst     Brighton v Dover, Cobham v Wimbledon, whilst Dover came off second best as they lost out to Brighton 27-7.  In the last of the fixtures Cobham convincingly beat Wimbledon 32-3.

London 2(SE):  A lot of the perceived leading contenders were in action against each other again this week as Charlton Pk hosted Colfes and ran out 19-5 winners to move to the head of the table, with D&B in second spot after a 22-8 win against Aylesford.  In the big clash, a cruel bounce of the ball saw Maidstone lose out with the last play of the match to Medway, going down 19-21 in their first league defeat in 18 months. In the Sussex derby, Lewes went down 13-9 at H&W, whilst Crowborough were narrow 10-6 winners over visiting Warlingham.  In the last of the fixtures Tunbridge Wells came back from last week’s narrow loss with an equally narrow 28-24 win over Kent rivals Sevenoaks

London 3(SE):  Folkestone and Horsham look the early favourites after two matches with both posting big scores as Folkestone were 29-41 winners at Ashford and Horsham 28-46 winners at Bromley.  Thanet sit in third spot after a tight 7-3 win against Sheppey with Dartfordians just below them after a 15-41 win at Beccehamians.  Dunstonians were narrow 24-22 winners over visiting Anchorians, whilst newcomers Burgess Hill posted their first win in the London leagues with a 12-3 result over fellow Sussex club Uckfield.

 Kent 1:  At the head of the table Hastings & Bexhill look to have carried their form over from last season as they sit as early leaders in the division following a 19-0 win over Kings Coll.  O wolls and Southwark are the only other unbeaten clubs following wins over Vigo 11-6 and Footscray 19-20 respectively. Cranbrook ran in an 8-32 win at HSBC to move up to fourth, whilst Park Hse are fifth despite going down 13-10 at Shooters Hill. Sittingbourne and OGs normally feature strongly in the division and an early season match up saw honours even, as they fought out a 12-12 draw which still sees them both in the bottom half of the table.

 Kent 2:  In the first weekend of a full card of fixtures, it was mixed result for the league’s newcomers, with Edenbridge recording a 31-0 win over Dartford Valley on their return to the Kent divisions.  Fellow newcomers Faversham went down heavily 57-14 at Lordswood.  Guys Hosp also posted a big score as they thrashed Brockleians 55-13 and Askeans were 15-23 winners at Bexley.  In the last of the fixtures Whitstable were held to a 13-13 draw by Ash.   

An update for the Kent Cup was included in the Around the Grounds article dated 7th Sept, for those who missed it, following completion of the 1st Round matches te draw for the 2nd Round is below, of key interest is Maidstone's tie away at Blackheath which is povisionally scheduled to be played on the tournament due date of Sun 17th November:

Sherpherd Neame Kent Cup (2nd Round)

Sevenoaks v Beckenham

Blackheath v Maidstone

Canterbury v Old Colfeians

Tonbridge Juddians v Tunbridge Wells

Deal & Betteshanger v Old Dunstonians

Thanet Wanderers v Gillingham Anchorians

Gravesend v Ashford

Old Elthamians v Charlton Park. 

 Allmatches to be played on or before Sunday 17^th November

The date and time for the currently overdue Annual General Meeting of the club has now been set as 8:00pm on Monday 14th October at the club. There are a number of issues for discussion; in addition a number of the current officers of the club and officials in key subsidiary roles are not standing for re-election and volunteers for the roles listed below should be forwarded to the current Chairman for consideration by the executive committee by Monday 7^th October and provide details of 2 proposers with a brief outline of why they believe they would be suitable for the role. In the event that there is more than one nomination there will be a formal vote at the AGM.

Role descriptions for the key roles can be found on the website's policy page.

Click the button to the right for the outline agenda for the meeting.

Additional items for discussion and inclusion on the agenda should be forwarded to the Hon Secretary for consideration by the Executive Committee by Monday 7th October.  Members should note that the proposed Mote Development is not an item for the agenda, as this will be being discussed at a separate EGM under the direction of the New Development Committee (NDC) at the appropriate time.

In line with the constitution of the club members should be aware of voting rights at the AGM (and this applies also to the anticipated EGM as well), those eligible to vote are:

• Adult playing members
• Adult non-playing members
• Playing Family member (one vote)

Youth/Junior members do not have a vote unless they are over 16 and pay full adult subscriptions, although Student members, who have attained 18 and are in further education, are deemed to be adult members and eligible to vote. If the appropriate subscriptions have not been paid or are not being paid by direct debit (which must be set up by 30^th September 2013) the individual has no right to vote.

Roles becoming Vacant:

President; Chairman; Deputy Chairman; Youth Chairman; Ground Chairman; Schools Liaison Officer; RFU Accreditation Coordinator.

National 1:  Blackheath recovered from last week’s disappointing opening weekend and bounced back to take the points as they beat Worthing 22-27 to claim a bonus point win and now sit in mid-table.  The early front runners are Coventry, Doncaster, Loughborough Students and Fylde, whilst Hull Ionians are propping up the table and still looking for their first points.

National 2(S):  After losing out at home in the final throes of last week’s season opener Canterbury again lost out, as they went down 24-14 to early front runners in the table Cambridge.  Although sitting 11^th in the table a win now would do a lot to steady the early season nerves at the city club.

National 3(SE): East Grinstead and Dorking lead the way in the division, with both posting bonus point wins on the road against Guernsey (16-31) and Basingstoke (8-36) respectively. Elthamians sit in third spot after a thumping 18-54 win at Thurrock whilst Hertford are fourth after a narrow 15-13 win against visiting Tring.  In the all Kent clash TJs took the bragging rights as they just edged Westcombe Pk 10-13, whilst in the remaining fixtures CS Rugby and Bury St Edmunds posted their first wins against Barnes (19-12) and Barking (27-42) to leave their opposition as two of the three sides in the division still looking for their first winning result.

London 1(S):  After two rounds Gravesend head the table, one of four clubs on 9 points, as they despatched Dover 10-18 at The Crabble.  S&E’s 12-40 win at Haywards Heath sees them in second spot with Chobham and Chichester also there following tight results at Wimbledon (15-18) and Havant (10-25) respectively.  Staines lie at the foot of the table following a 3-33 loss to Cobham, a result not helped by a 5-point deduction for some administrative indiscretion. After a promising couple of seasons in the division Hove look to be struggling this time around as they went down 15-20 at home to Brighton, whilst in the all Kent clash, visitors Beckenham took the honours against Sidcup in a hard fought and tight contest ending with a 19-21 scoreline.

London 2(SE):  Only two sides posted bonus point wins on the opening day, as in the all Sussex clash, two of last season’s main challengers faced off with Lewes beating Crowborough 30-26.  Early table toppers are last season’s London 3 champions Maidstone, as the county town club brushed aside Warlingham 11-46.  The big clash was an all Kent affair with two of last season’s heavyweight promotion challengers going head-to-head with Charlton Park just coming out on top (3-10) in a low scoring match at Medway.  In fact most of the match ups in the division were tight affairs as Colfes were narrow 19-21 winners at Aylesford, whilst D&B just had enough to take Tunbridge Wells 20-16 and Sevenoaks ground out a 13-10 win against visiting H&W.

London 3(SE):  The results in this division couldn't have left the table looking more symmetrical by design, with bonus point wins for the top five clubs, a draw for the middle two and defeats for the bottom five clubs.  Folkestone were the biggest winners as they ran out 50-10 victors against newly promoted Beccehamians.  A Horsham side that look to have built on last season’s promising foundations posted a solid 43-8 result at home to welcome Burgess Hill to the London leagues.  Given last season’s performances by Sheppey, the 0-34 home defeat at the hands of Ashford was perhaps the surprising scoreline of the day, whilst Anchorians posted a good result as they beat Uckfield 34-24 at Darland Ave.  In the battle between last season’s club relegated from London 2, Thanet had the edge over Dunstonians and ran out 12-26 winners.  In the remaining fixture Dartfordians look to have recovered from last week’s mauling in the Kent Cup and shared the honours in a 10-10 draw with visiting Bromley.

Kent 1: All of the matches were close fought contests in this division, with Vigo narrowly heading the division after a 16-7 defeat of Footscray, Old Wills lie second following their 15-22 win at Kings Coll, whilst Park Hse sit third after they beat Cranbrook 13-20 at the Tomlin Ground.  Wins for HSBC and Hastings & Bexhill over Sittingbourne (11-5) and OGs (10-13) see them close behind with Southwark getting off to a solid start to their second season in the division with a 16-13 win over Shooters Hill.

 Kent 2: In the only fixture in the division Dartford Valley were winners by a single point as they overcame Brockleians 8-7 in a hard fought and tight battle.

The first formal meeting between the Mote Cricket Club (MCC) Development Committee and the Rugby Club’s NDC took place on 05/09/13.  In line with the NDC’s stated aim to keep the membership informed of the ongoing progress in our discussions, we can confirm that while progress has been made in some areas, there is still a significant way to go to ensure that some of the concerns the membership have expressed, especially over the provision of Pitches and training areas and the Lease, are adequately addressed within the new proposal.

Key Points:

• MCC have agreed to include a representative of the NDC in their next meeting with the Developer;
• The NDC indicated that a decision on a new lease would be made by the Rugby Club membership at an EGM and that this process could take a significant time.  MCC agreed to approach the Developer to indicate a Rugby Club decision on the lease may not be reached until later in the year;
• MCC agreed to arrange joint NDC meetings with Maidstone Borough Council and the MCC’s Planning Consultant.
• MCC have agreed to invite two NDC members attend the monthly MCC Development Committee Meeting and allow the NDC Chairman to work alongside the MCC Development Chairman;
• MCC believe that the 25 year lease they have previously offered would now be considered a long-term commitment.  While the Trustees may consider a proposal from the Rugby Club for a longer lease, this would need to be clearly justified;
• The NDC outlined that the current proposal results in a total of 769.5sqm reduction in playing area over the 3 Pitches and the loss of 2,557.6sqm of additional grassed areas currently used by the Junior Section for training on Sundays. 
• MCC agreed to provide a copy of the Financial Plan for the development and clubhouse for review by Rugby Club representatives;
• MCC are happy to include the NDC in the finalisation of the clubhouse layout.   

With a number of meetings planned over the next few weeks with various Stakeholders, and discussions ongoing with the MCC Development Committee, we expect to be able to provide another update to the membership towards the end of September.

A change in work circumstances had made me think that perhaps the Around the Grounds blog this season might not be realistic, however, we'll give it a go and see if I can manage to make the time , although as we go through the season it may not appear on the website until possibly Monday evenings.  An additional consideration was that I know Ed Pritchard on the other side of 'The Pond' eagerly awaits its publication each week in order to keep himself up to date with what's happening in the county. 

Well here we are at the start of a new season and as the full range of league action phases in over the next week or so and we ease ourselves back into weekly competitive rugby, this week’s ATG provides a summary of what has been happening in the first round of the Kent Cup and covers what league action there was for the county’s sides.

Shepherd Neame Kent Cup:  Maidstone’s 71 point demolition of last season’s Kent 1 champions Dartfordians this weekend, was the last of the Round 1 fixtures and sees them move forward to face Blackheath in the next round who had an equally convincing 74-5 victory over London 1 club Dover last weekend.  In the other matches played last week Charlton Park overcame a Westcombe Pk side 23-20, a result that must now surely see Combe labelled as favourites for the Plate competition.  Beckenham had to work hard for their 22-36 win at Sheppey, coming back from a 15-7 half-time deficit to progress whilst Sevenoaks move forward to the next round after Sidcup conceded the fixture, apparently  due to lack of front row cover.  The match was however still played as a pre-season friendly with 'Cup' running out 40-7 winners.  In the two fixtures played earlier that week, Medway went down 22-28 in a close battle with Canterbury and Aylesford put in a better showing against Gravesend than some of the preseason results might have indicated, eventually falling 26-9 to the London 1 club.

The confirmed draw for the second round is as follows: Sevenoaks v Beckenham, Blackheath v Maidstone, Canterbury v Old Colfeians, Tonbridge Juddians v Tunbridge Wells, Deal & Betteshanger v Old Dunstonians, Thanet Wanderers v Gillingham Anchorians, Gravesend v Ashford, Old Elthamians v Charlton Park.   (matches to be played on or before Sun 17^th Nov)

National Leagues:  In National 1 a disappointing start for Blackheath against a Doncaster that dropped down from the Championship last season,  as they went down heavily 47-17 conceding 5 tries in the second half, with two scores in two minutes at 65 & 67 minutes being the killer blow for Club.  In National 2 Canterbury just lost out to Clifton (30-32) in what was apparently a thriller at Merton Lane with the city club coming back, only to have victory snatched away in stoppage time as Clifton crossed the line and took all the points with a winning conversion.

National 3(SE): Wins for all of the county’s sides on the opening day as Westcombe Pk were 27-30 winners at Barnes and TJs narrow 19-17 winners against visiting Guernsey.  Elthamians travelled to newly promote Bury St Edmunds and took the points with a 30-36 win against the Suffolk outfit.  In the pick of the other matches Barking, who were relegated from National 2 last season lost out 29-34 at home to Hertford, whilst Dorking will look to be in the promotion mix again this season and started their campaign with a 44-15 win at home to Thurrock.  By far the most convincing result of the day was East Grinstead’s 73-5 mauling of Basingstoke, the Sussex side look to be maintaining momentum and will be gunning for a third consecutive promotion on this sort of form.  In the last of the results Tring dampened the start to CS Rugby’s 15oth anniversary season, as they were narrow 25-23 winners.

London 1(S):  Gravesend’s 51-7 hammering of Hove was the pick of the results and sees them top the table after the first weekend.  Sidcup also posted a solid 3-32 win at Cobham, whilst Beckenham also got off to a winning start against Haywards Heath with a 10-0 result.  Dover were the only one of the county’s clubs to lose out on the opening day as they went down 17-12 at newly promoted Sutton & Epsom.  Chichester will be looking to stay on the pace this season, having dipped out in the promotion battle in the closing stages in the last two seasons.  They faced last season’s London 2(SE) champions Brighton and took the points with a solid 24-11 win.  In the other matches Chobham were 29-3 winners against Staines and Havant went down 12-28 at home to Wimbledon.

• New Development Committee

The Executive Committee has agreed the make-up of the New Development Committee (NDC) which has the delegated responsibility to engage with The Mote Development Committee in order to ensure that the requirements and concerns of the Rugby Club are adequately represented with regards to The Mote Development Plans.

NDC Members:
Jim Tinsley (Former Club Captain)
Jon Sargent (Former Club Captain)
Andy Foley (Director of Rugby)
Steve Vincent (Veterans XV Captain)
Dave Tugwell (U14s Coach)

An initial introductory meeting has taken place with Glenn Aukett (Mote CC Chairman) and Dennis Fowle (Mote CC Development Chairman), at which the rationale behind the formation of the NDC was explained.  Concerns over the current proposal were outlined and the opportunity was also taken to both request answers to a number of the key questions raised by the members at our Information Forum on 12^th August and put forward our needs as a club.      

The first full meeting between The Mote Development Committee and the NCD is scheduled for 5^th September, during which we expect The Mote to provide feedback on some of the concerns raised including:

What are the exact project timelines and key milestones?

How can we ensure the Rugby Club have adequate playing facilities (pitch size, number, quality)?

How we can incorporate more training areas for our Junior Section in the proposal;

How we expect to work together and ensure we have a robust business plan for the proposed clubhouse and ground facilities;

How to ensure the long term future of our club and possibly extend the lease proposal beyond 25 years;

The NDC will be communicating all relevant points discussed and progress made in all its meetings with The Mote via this website with a copy circulated via e-mail to the membership.  These will be the de facto sources of information.  

If you are a club member and have not received an e-mail copy of this statement, please e-mail jon_sargent@hotmail.co.uk so that we can extend the current distribution list and include you in all future communication.

As you prepare for the new season take a look back at the last one with a few words of wisdom and encouragement from Club Captain Ben Williams.(click here)

"One Club"

In response to members’ concerns regarding The Mote Development Plans, the Executive Committee have agreed to allow a new rugby club development committee (NDC) to be formed.

The purpose of the NDC will be:

• To satisfy the concerns of members that all options regarding The Mote Development Plans have been explored.
• To seek meaningful discussion with The Mote Development Committee in areas where there is severe impact on the rugby club.
• To draw up Terms and Conditions in preparation for lease discussions with The Mote Trustees.

The  term of the NDC will be for the period up to the AGM, and the names of the five new members of the committee will be announced shortly.

The NDC will undertake to communicate progress and will make a full presentation at the upcoming EGM.

Shirt Number & Matchball Sponsorship

All of the Shirt Number opportunities have now been sold, although there are still the following Match ball opportunities available at £50ea:

 Home League & Kent CupFixtures

07 Sep v Dartfordians (Kent Cup Rd 1) - Sold (Shepherd Neame)

21 Sep v Medway – Sold (Ben Court)

05 Oct v Charlton Pk - Sold (South East Steel)

02 Nov v H&W - Sold (Bob Beney)

23 Nov v D&B - Sold (Sobraon Solutions Ltd)

07 Dec v Lewes – Sold (Alan Firmin Ltd)

04 Jan v O Colfeians - Sold (Pankhurst Contracting)

25 Jan v Aylesford - Sold (Maidstone Rugby 1st XV)

08 Feb v Crowborough - Available

01 Mar v T Wells - Available

22 Mar v Sevenoaks - Available

12 Apr v Warlingham - Available

As most of the membership will be aware, there is a lot going on at the moment creating circumstances in respect of the running of the club that are not routine.  Given the nature and timing of these events combined with them falling during the holiday season when significant numbers of the membership are away; and with the necessity to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) the committee has taken the decision to delay the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

This important decision has not been taken lightly but it was felt by the committee to be the correct and logical route to proceed, in order to deal with the situation creating the requirement for an EGM before the more routine elements of club business covered by the AGM.

As soon as dates for both an EGM and AGM are confirmed they will be published to inform members of the date, time and venue at least two weeks prior to the meeting in accordance with club rules.

There will be a meeting to present and discuss information pertaining to the proposed development of The Mote.  The meeting will take place at the clubhouse starting at 7:30pm and  a presentation followed by an opportunity to air any questions will be available.  Further details on the agenda will be promulgated in due course or will be available at the club prior to the commencement of the meeting.

The proposed layout of the ground and plans for the clubhouse are currently on display in the clubhouse, as they have been for the previous 3 weeks.

For the meeting agenda please click here for a pdf download.

The last couple of seasons have seen Maidstone Rugby link up with Kent based Solo Sports Supplements as part of their preparation for the season. Based in Maidstone, Solo are one of the leading stockists and suppliers of dietary sports supplements in the south east, and nationally through their online facility, supplying a wide range of the leading nutritional supplement brands. 

The club is pleased to announce that Solo Sports have committed to extend the arrangement for a further season and as a follow on from this week’s presentation on diet & nutrition, owner Gary Hawkins will be happy to provide various dietary items as well as diet and training advice to the senior squad, plus running a substantial discount scheme for rugby club members.

Gary will be liaising with coach Lee Evans in providing information to new members of the squad about the scheme, alternatively, pop into their new shop in Starnes Court, just off Union St or visit their website: http://www.solosupplements.co.uk

The International Rugby Board Council has announced the implementation of a global trial of the "crouch, bind, set" scrum engagement sequence from next season.  The sequence is aimed at enhancing player welfare by reducing impact on engagement by up to 25 per cent in elite competition.

Implementation will begin at the start of the season (wef 1^st Aug) in both hemispheres and follows extensive evaluation of the sequence during the recent IRB Pacific Rugby Cup, which indicated the possible delivery of a more stable platform leading to fewer resets and more successful scrums.

In a revision of the 'crouch, touch, set' engagement sequence currently being trialled, props will be expected to bind using their outside arm after the referee has called "bind" in the sequence.

The front rows will maintain the bind until the referee calls "set". At that point, the two packs will engage.

Coupled with the process, the IRB will instruct referees to ensure that the ball does not enter the tunnel unless the scrum is square and stationary and that a straight throw-in is strictly policed.

To support the introduction of the scrum trial engagement, RFU Scrum updates will be delivered across Area 3 during August and September.  Please view the dates below and identify the session that best suites you. There is no registration for the events listed and coaches / referees and players are asked to attend at the times listed.  GET THERE IF YOU NEED TO.............

London Referee Society Events - Referees, coaches and players welcome to attend

27th August - Chelmsford RFC (Adult & Youth), 7.30pm to 9pm

28th August - London Welsh RFC (Adult & Youth), 7.30pm to 9pm

28th August - Sutton & Epsom RFC (Adult & Youth), 7.30pm to 9pm

11th September - HSBC (Adult & Youth), 7.30pm to 9pm


Club Based Sessions

29th July - Guildford RFC (Adult & Youth), 7.30pm - 9pm

3rd August - Hove RFC (Adult & Youth), 10am to 11.30am

5th August - Wimbledon RFC (Adult & Youth), 7.30pm - 9pm

19th August - Blackheath RFC (All), 7.30pm - 9pm

28th August - Reeds School (Youth & Children), 7.30pm - 9pm

28th August - Whitstable RFC (All), 7.30pm - 9pm

31st August - Worthing RFC (Youth and Children), 10.30am to 12pm

2nd September - Medway RFC (All), 7.30pm - 9pm

4th September - Crowborough RFC (Youth and Children), 7.30pm to 9pm

4th September - Sevenoaks RFC (All), 7.30pm - 9pm

4th September - Croydon (Youth & Children), 7.30pm to 9pm

9th September - Haywards Heath RFC (Youth and Children), 7.30pm to 9pm

Maidstone open their account in this season's Intermediate Cup with stern test and a trip round the M25 as they take on London 2(SW) club Guildford who finished 3rd in the table last season.  In other matches neighbours Aylesford also face Ldn 2(SW) opposition and have a home draw against Teddington, with Sevenoaks also at home as they host Tottonians.  Fellow Kent club Tunbridge Wells also have a home draw as they face London Cornish, with Charlton Pk at home to Winchester.  Medway travel to take on league rivals Crowborough, whilst the last of the Kent clubs in the competition, Deal & Betteshanger make the long trip to Eastleigh in Hampshire to face a Trojans side looking to bounce back after last season's relegation from London 1(S).

Full details of all the fixtures can be found on the London RFU website (click here)

O Maidstonians fixtures have now been confirmed for the 2013-14 season, with the first being on Monday 26^th August v Maidstone’s Mustangs XV.    December sees  the side face an O Williamsonians XV with the season rounded off with the traditional fixture against the school 1^st XV at the end of March followed a month later against O Westonians.

Details are on the O Maidstonians page of the Maidstone Rugby website (click here) and any former MGS players interested on turning out for the 'Old Boys' should contact Jonathan Davies.

Dear members,

I am sure that most of you are now aware that following the Mote CC EGM on Wednesday evening (17^th July) the cricket membership agreed to the proposed development going forward. This now leaves us in a clear position, where we can consider how this would impact on us as a Club. In view of this, we have scheduled a meeting for Monday 12^th August, to provide a forum for member consultation and the opportunity to present the facts of the situation as it affects us.

To help all understand where we currently are, I would refer you back to the article on the news section of the website from Trevor Langley, (Development Chair) dated June 19^th, which provides a clear summary of what has been proposed including reference to pitches etc. We have also arranged for the proposed Plans to be made available for view in the near future* but please bear in that these are in outline only and subject to further discussion, including the merits (or not) of an Artificial Grass Pitch.

If anyone would like information/clarification, then please feel free to contact Trevor Langley, our Development Chair.

As always, we the committee are acutely aware of our role in representing the interests of the club and its members and will continue to do so.

*A notice on the website will inform members of the exact dates when the plans are available to view.

The O2 Touch sessions commence at 7:00pm on Wed 17th July at the club for 10 weeks.  This is a great way to keep fit and is not just for recognised players.  The sessions during this period are primarily aimed at beginners and aim to introduce people to the game.  If you're coming along it's a great opportunity to bring a couple of mates, or wives and girlfriends. 

It doesn’t matter whether you have never played the game before, packed up playing full time now and want to play-on, but without the “hits”, or you just want to maintain some levels of fitness pre-season, Maidstone Rugby’s Touch Rugby centre opens its doors to you all on Wednesday 17th July for 10 weeks.

This programme is open to all – men and women – all ages (18+) – all abilities – with trained coaching available to introduce beginners into the game. Touch Rugby is a mixed sport, designed for maximum participation, so take the plunge and get along and have some fun.

Maidstone Petanque Club

Summer Competition

Have you got the boules to take part in the very first petanque competition on the newly constructed Maidstone Petanque Club Piste?

If so, then join in the fun, have a couple of ales and make up a team of three!

We need 8 teams of three to play on Saturday afternoons. The competition is staring on the 27th of July and will run for four weeks. The piste will be divided into two lanes with matches commencing at 2pm until around 5pm. Boules will be provided however please bring your own if you have any.

Each team must have a captain who is responsible for collecting £15 per team. Some of the money will go toward funding the materials that went into constructing the piste and helping to get the petanque club up and running. There will be a trophy and prestige at stake. The captains will also be responsible for making sure teams attend every fixture and if any players in that team cannot make a match they must find replacements. However it is not permissible to use another player already representing another team as a replacement. If a team of three is not put together the match will be forfeited. Rules on how to play will also be posted.

There will be a sheet on the noticeboard near the bar and toilets where team captains can put themselves forward with the name of their team. I’m sure it will be competitive fun and hopefully before long there will be a club up and running with your support.

Thanks and praise must go to Pete and Diane Iles for drawing up the competition and format, as well as donating the first sets of boules. Howard Waters and Steve Merwood for donating their time and effort in constructing the piste and Jeremy Hipkins for donating his time to construct the steps. Hopefully you can volunteer your support to help get a new social club going.

Before we kick off the new season the club will be holding a working day on Saturday 10^th August  from 10:00am to do a bit of tidying up.  Key work to be done is painting the railings around the 1^st XV pitch, plus also painting the goal posts on the pitch.  In addition there will be some basic grass trimming on the concrete paths down either side of the pitch, plus some trimming back of undergrowth in various places.

Volunteers attending should bring some gardening implements plus gloves, brushes etc, for painting will be provided.

There is likely to be a bit of a BBQ afterwards and an opportunity to watch a bit of cricket or a game of petanque and enjoy a pint or two.  It’s your club so don’t leave it to the same few people to do everything.

There is now a list on the notice board in the club house, if you are intending to support your club and turn up to help, please add your name to the list so we have an idea of numbers and can plan and prioritise the jobs that need doing accordingly.  Additionally, it will help to have an idea of numbers for catering reasons.

Further details will follow in due course, but we'll leave you with a little story most of you will have read before.  Which one will you be?!!!

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.  There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.   Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.   Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.   It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

The Firmin name has long been associated with Maidstone Rugby with the late Alan Firmin the club’s chairman for nearly 10 years during the  1960s & 70s; son Paul wore the club’s colours and both he and next generation of Firmin’s in Paul’s son Michael have maintained a keen behind the scenes interest in the club over the years. The coming season will see the Firmin name feature prominently again, this time on the shirt as opposed to wearing it, with Alan Firmin Ltd having stepped forward as one of the club’s Official Sponsors for the forthcoming 2013-14 season. Whilst we can ‘Trust Firmin to Deliver’, they like us all, will be placing their trust in the players to deliver on the pitch and build on last season’s success.

Following their August preseason fixtures the club’s 1^st  & Mustangs XVs are straight into competitive action as Saturday 7^th September sees the competitive season start in earnest with a home ‘double header’ of fixtures as the 1^st XV start their Shepherd Neame Kent Cup campaign against a resurgent Dartfordians side.

Before that Maidstone player and serving Army officer with the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, Chris Trezise brings the county regiment’s rugby team to face what is looking like a strong Mustangs XV with the Presidents Cup up for grabs.  In a similar vein to last season's President's XV, the event will also be looking to raise funds for service charities.  With the afternoon sure to provide some thrilling rugby and if the British weather can manage to let the sun out for once, it promises to be a great day. 

Our rugby pitches have been verti-drained, scarified and reseeded in readiness for next season with 250 tons of sand/top dressing also added to them, in particular the training pitch which was in serious need of attention. To give the pitches the best chance for recovery and benefit from the remedial work they are not being used until further notice.

Thanks to the efforts of Martin Maytum & Mark Fish they are now being cut twice weekly and any of you that have taken the time to walk round the club will see the obvious improvement in their condition as the warm weather and showers have assisted in their recovery. 

The pitches remain out of bounds and preseason training is taking place in the open areas beyond the far posts of both the 1st XV and bottom pitches, due to training being largely fitness based at the moment.  All coaches are reminded to plan your training programmes accordingly.

It is hoped that the bottom pitch will be back in bounds earlier than the other two and portable floodlights will be available to allow evening training as the nights draw in during August.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

It is with great sadness that the club has been informed that former club President 'Mick' Spillane passed away on the morning of Tuesday 18th June following a period of illness.  Mick was widely known in rugby circles, not just in Maidstone but in the wider county through his longstanding association with Kent RFU.

The club's sympathies and condolences are with Mick's wife Jan and the familly at this sad time. 

Note: This article also appears in the latest edition of the Touchline newsletter, which will be available online later this week.

There are two items that have made significant progress over the last few months that justify an update to the membership; the Mote Sports Federation and development of the ground. I’ll deal with them separately because, at this stage, they are separate items, although if all goes to plan, they will ultimately be linked.

Mote Sports Federation (MSF) - We’ve just completed an internal review, after the first six months of operation, so now we have an assessment of where we stand. Until we’d reached this point, we were hesitant to issue a statement to rugby club members as we needed some time for the organisation to gel. But let me start by reiterating what the MSF is and its remit. MSF was set up as a combined organisation, represented equally by the cricket and rugby clubs, to run the site at the Mote. It has a governing body of three from each club, including both clubs’ Chairmen and Treasurers, plus one other from each club. To this group report sub-committees, covering the operation of the facilities (pavilion plus tabernacle) and the sports ground. The Chairman is elected from the six members on a biannual rotating basis and the first one is Glen Aukett, the cricket club Chairman.

The aim of the body is to improve the efficiency of all operations and to plan for the long-term by maximising the usage of the site throughout the year. In addition we have been granted an extended lease of 50 years, ensuring security of tender at the site but with 5 year review points, should our circumstances change if alternative options become available in the future.

We will not be able to fully evaluate the success of this ‘trial period’ of working together until we have been through a full year cycle and, even then, both Clubs have agreed that they will not enter into any formal, longer term arrangements until it is considered right to do so. However, after six months, we can say that the two clubs are working together successfully. We have a clear picture of what needs to be done and we are building solid foundations for the future. Improvements to the pavilion are underway, we now have a refurbished Tabernacle for youth and club use and we have a new sense of involvement from the ground staff, something that was particularly important at the end of last season when we encountered some nasty weather at a key point for the first team.

Finally, Jon Fordham, former Commercial Director and Operations Director at Kent County Cricket Club, has been appointed (on a retired, voluntary basis) as Commercial Manager with the remit to ‘sell’ the facilities so that we start to generate income from external sources (outside the members of the clubs) to help off-set operating costs, by generating profit. Jon is already working towards this through the development of a robust Marketing Plan.

There is still much to do and it will take time. But we have already had interest from other clubs, in the Maidstone area, wishing to consider joining MSF in the future. It has also been endorsed widely by other external and influential bodies, including Maidstone Borough Council, and enabled us to form a strategic sporting alliance with local major sports Clubs, such as Maidstone United Football Club, to provide reciprocal opportunities to promote sport in the county town, for the benefit of all.

Against this back-drop, I think you will agree that progress has been made.

Ground Development - As I stated above, ground development sits outside the MSF because the ground itself is owned, in trust, by the cricket club. After initial joint discussions some years ago, Mote Cricket Club elected to undertake ground development themselves and this has now reached a stage where the rugby club has been brought back into the discussions.

Andy Golding and myself attended a meeting with representatives of MCC a couple of weeks ago, so this update is timely and current. Firstly, let’s go back to the principles involved here.

The aim of any development is to improve the facilities for the two clubs. The pavilion is now over a century old and it is showing its age. Getting funds together from grants or soft loans, sufficient to fund a major building project, is almost impossible in this time of Government cut back and austerity. The only way sufficient money can be generated is through the sale of land for housing development and this is the route being pursued. It should be noted that Maidstone Borough Council have shown support for raising money in this way, as long as it is invested in improved sporting facilities. This is an important feature of the scheme.

As matters now stand, a scheme has been put together that would involve building on two parts of the ground, one part where the grounds man’s house now stands and a second taking up part of the first team pitch.

So how does this impact on rugby, I hear you ask, with a degree of concern in your voice? While there will be a hiatus over one season as pitches are re-laid and a new pavilion is built, under the current proposal and subject to formal plans being produced, the club will retain three pitches within The Mote, one of which will be a full size, 4G pitch, replacing the training pitch, a second pitch of the same current dimensions will be available where the second pitch now stands (with a match day stand, together with some spectator seating) and a new third pitch will be laid out at right angles to the existing first team pitch. The dimensions of this pitch will be similar to the existing training pitch, albeit, slightly wider. In addition, we are looking to get an exclusive, fenced off pitch in the park, near to the Mote, as an additional playing area.

The pavilion will be completely rebuilt on the site of the existing pavilion on two stories, with six changing rooms complying with latest RFU and ECB stipulations, and two bars. The top storey will be essentially for social occasions, while the bottom storey will be for sport. We are now entering a period of detailed discussion over lay-out and exact facility specification but, suffice to say, the foot print of the pavilion will be larger than the existing one, so I think we can conclude that facilities will be a step up on those existing and more tailored to a rugby club environment.

In the not-too-distant future, detailed plans will be available and these will be presented to the membership. The club will then be asked to endorse the changes as we will have to surrender our current rights to the first team pitch, as set out in our lease.

I mentioned in the first part of this update that the development and MSF will eventually come together. When the pavilion has been completed, it will be run by MSF. The aim will then be to maximise income from the social and sporting facilities so that the profits go to pay the running costs of the buildings and ground. This will lighten the financial load on the two clubs and, if all goes to plan, give both clubs a long-term financial base from which to plan their playing development. This is something both clubs have singularly lacked in the past.

This whole scheme could now move quite quickly and we will keep you fully updated as there will be some important decisions to make that will have significant, positive impact on the future of the club.

Maidstone5^th XV aka Barbarians celebrated with their annual end of season awards dinner recently with thanks to the hospitality of the staff at Tandoor Mahal.

Pictured with captain, Ian Ausher (3^rd from right), the award recipients (l-r):-

• Retiring on medical advice, MMB No.8 - Mark Burrill;
• The Captains’ Shield (5th XV Player of the Season) – Simon Seal;
• Most Improved Barbarian – James Greengrow;
• Barbarian of the season (Contributions to social rugby) – Will Fox;
• MMB Newcomer of the Year – Matthew Whatley.

Not pictured but other awards went to Jason Hudson (Tim Doyle Memorial Award for services against social rugby) and Paul Hodges/Ben Foskett (tied for Handbag of the season).  Grateful thanks and a token of esteem were extended to our departing Fitness Coach, Richard Hadfield.

Maidstone Rugby has been appointed as one of the first O2 Touch Rugby Centres in Kent.

Wish you were fitter?  Love a laugh?  Like being part of a team?  Want to get back into rugby, or discover what it’s all about?  Then why not join the O2 Touch revolution.

For both men and women, totally non contact, and a great introduction to rugby or a great way to ease back into the sport after a long spell out.  A fast, simple and exciting game it promotes the fundamental rugby skills of handling, evasion and support play, without the physicality of the 15-a-side game.

Whether you come as an individual or form a team with your mates or colleagues Touch Rugby is now available to all locally thanks to the launch of the RFU backed O2 Touch Rugby program which is being hosted in the county town by Maidstone Rugby .

It doesn’t matter whether you have never played the game before, packed up playing full time now and want to play-on, but without the “hits”, or you just want to maintain some levels of fitness pre-season, Maidstone Rugby’s Touch Rugby centre opens its doors to you all on Wednesday 17^th July for 10 weeks.

This programme is open to all – men and women – all ages (18+) – all abilities – with trained coaching available to introduce beginners into the game.

Costs are £3.00 per night for an individual to Pitch Up and Play to experience the thrill of playing Rugby and enjoying the social network and fun that Rugby offers.

For more details or to book your place Contact: Willie Brown on M: 07446 234773or email maidstone02touch@live.com

The draw for this season’s Kent Cup has been made and sees Maidstone host Dartfordians in the first round in a repeat of the competition opener from a couple of seasons ago when debuts for Ollie Newton and Jason Smith saw the county town side run out convincing winners.  This time it promises to be a tougher proposition with Dartfordians going through a bit of a resurgence following their league winning season as they took the Kent 1 title to achieve promotion back into London 3.  All 1^st round matches should be completed by 31^st August although it is possible that this fixture will be played on 7^th September, a week before the league campaign starts.

The winner will face a tough second round encounter as they are drawn to face the winners of the Blackheath v Dover tie.  Full details of the 1^st & 2^nd Round draw are below.

1^st Round on or before 31^st August 2013

Maidstone v Dartfordians

Charlton Park v Westcombe Park

Blackheath v Dover

Sheppey v Beckenham

Sevenoaks v Sidcup

Gravesend v Aylesford Bulls

Medway v Canterbury

2^nd Round on or before 17^th November 2013

Sevenoaks or Sidcup v Sheppey or Beckenham

Blackheath or Dover v Maidstone or Dartfordians

Medway or Canterbury v Old Colfeians

Tonbridge Juddians v Tunbridge Wells

Deal & Betteshanger v Old Dunstonians

Thanet Wanderers v Gillingham Anchorians

Gravesend or Aylesford Bulls v Ashford

Old Elthamians v Charlton Park or Westcombe Park

The performance of Maidstone Rugby’s 1^st XV in their London 3(SE) league campaign and successful defence of their London Division Senior Vase was recognised last night with a reception held at County Hall by Kent County Council hosted by Chairman Eric Hotson.

Members of the 1^st Xv squad led by Club Captain Ben Williams, along with President Bob Beney, Club Chairman Andy Golding and a number of club officials and a number of the club’s sponsors were in attendance as the newly appointed Chairman of Kent County Council paid tribute to their historic feat in completing their league campaign as one of only a handful of unbeaten sides across the country. With the league structure in rugby union being a relatively modern concept, since their inception in the 1980s it is the first time that Maidstone have completed an unbeaten league campaign, although they came close in 2006 under the captaincy of Jon Sargent when they lost only one league fixture throughout the season, and by a single point, the narrowest of margins.

Throughout the league season the club’s 1^st XV won all of their 22 league fixtures, only failing to collect bonus points on two occasions and posting a points total of 108 from the maximum 110 available. In the season as a whole, from competitive fixtures they scored 214 tries and amassed a total of 1380 points , conceding only 258 in all competitions.

Maidstone’s David Lloyd Health & Fitness club have renewed their sponsorship of Maidstone Rugby for the third successive season.  Following last season’s successful campaign David Lloyd Maidstone’s General Manager, Lee Glascock had no hesitation in renewing their support for the county town’s rugby club.

This week saw the start of the induction process for a number of the senior squad as they start the build-up to the 2013-14 league and cup campaigns, Skipper Ben Williams commented that “fitness over eighty minutes from the very first match was a major factor in last seasons success and access to state of the art leisure and fitness facilities such as those here at David Lloyd, alongside the club's comprehensive preseason training programme will ensure that the senior squad are in the best possible shape at the start of the season’.

Photo: Skipper Ben Williams with members of the senior squad and Chloe from David Lloyd at Maidstone’s premier health and fitness club.

Head Coach Andy Foley’s plans for next season took further shape this week as he revealed three additions to the senior squad for next season’s league campaign.  In the forwards TH Prop Ollie Smith has joined the club from league rivals Heathfield & Waldron

In the back division there are three additions, with Kiwi Caleb Van der Westerlo arriving from Auckland having played last season at Currie RFC in the Scottish Premier Division, Caleb joins fellow Kiwis Sam Brill and Willie Brown who has now delayed his return to New Zealand.

They are joined by Danish international 15s and 7s player Josh Jensen, who is a former team mate of Adrian Hogben’s and with Adrian was part of Chippenham’s promotion winning side to Nat 3(SW) in the 2010-11 season.  The last of the trio is another former team mate of Adrian in former Army ‘A’ player Robbie Grieve who joins from Canterbury and in addition to joining as a player will be taking on an additional role analysing 1^st XV statistics in concert with Adrian.  

Photos: Caleb Van de Westerlo (top) & Josh Jensen (bottom)

Maidstone open there 2013-14 league campaign on the 14th Sepember against a Warlingham side that normally feature strongly in the opening half of the season.  Things don't get any easier in a division that is extremely competitive, as the following weekend they then host a Medway side who finished fourth last term, in what is the first of the local derbies before an away trip to an O Colfeians side that are looking to return to London 1 at the first attempt.  A home fixture aainst a Charlton Park side that has been in the promotion 'shake up' for the past two seasons sees the club enter October, before a visit to near neighbours Aylesford on the 12th October.

Full details of the seasons fixtures will be posted in due course, although a comprehensive fixtures programme is available to download here.

With the season barely complete the end of April saw Head Coach Andy Foley hold his first planning meeting for the senior squad next season. On the playing side, whilst the overwhelming majority of the senior squad remain for next season’s campaign, a couple of players will be unavailable as they return home or resume their university studies; there are a number of confirmed additions to the squad and these will be announced in due course.

Coach Foley has also confirmed his coaching and support team for next season. Lee Evans will once again take responsibility for the forwards as player/coach, whilst Adrian Hogben will continue his Defence and Video review responsibilities and is joined by Robbie Grieve who will analyse 1st XV statistics. Despite moving away from the immediate Maidstone area, Fin Davis will be staying on as 1^st XV Manager for another season as are Richard Weston and Jacques Van Vuuren who will be continuing as the Mustangs XV coaching team. Joining the team is James Leverington who will be particularly involved in the preseason build up to the league campaign, as the senior squad’s Fitness & Conditioning coach; whilst 2012-13 Bernard Hinks award winner Willie Brown has delayed his return to New Zealand and will remain with the club in a player/coach role with responsibility as the senior backs coach.

Anna Iles continues to head up the physio support, although a change of job for John Fairhurst means that he will be unavailable next season and the club is actively seeking a replacement to support the Mustangs XV as well as heading up the mid-week injury management process.

The club rounded off the 2012-13 season with the club dinner on Friday 10^th May and as is the tradition the efforts of everyone across the club from both the playing and non-playing side were recognised.  A number of Vice Presidencies were awarded, amongst them, Mike Laurenson, Jonathan Davies and Andy Foley.  In addition RFU VIP Ties were awarded to Allan Crosbie from the Youth Section, Trevor Langley and Bob Hayton along with a club blazer for long term volunteer and supporter Francis Talbot.

Recognition for their efforts in supporting the on-pitch efforts of the players saw 1^st XV manager Fin Davis and touch-judge Dave Hughes receive the Head Coach’s Award.  The respective team Player awards went to the following recipients:

1^st XV – Sam Bailey

2^nd (Mustangs) XV – Sam Weston

A (3^rd) XV – David Ruaux

Ex A (4^th) XV – Andy Smith

B (5^th) XV (The Captain’s Shield) – Simon Seal

Veterans XV (The Mike Sharples Plate) – Brian Costelloe

Following such a good season and the outstanding efforts of the players, settling on the winners for the club awards was a difficult decision; The David Arnold Young Player Trophy was won by winger James Davies who scored 16 tries along the way, despite missing out on the tail end of the campaign with a broken ankle.  The Bernard Hinks Player awards went to Matt Cooper in the senior sides for his performances in both the 3^rd XV and primarily with the Mustangs XV, whilst the 1^st XV award winner was Willie Brown who played every match during the season, scoring 21 tries and amassing 162 points in all.

Charlotte Goodbody, a stalwart in the Tag Rugby section of the club took the Bernard Hinks Award for the Non-Player, not just for her overall contribution to the club but also for stepping into the breach at short notice to organise the festival as part of visiting Farnham RFC’s tour.

The Centenary Cup for the Team of the Season went to the Mustangs XV, who despite not picking up any honours, had a solid season in Invicta 2, and showed great form from the mid-season interval.

Finally, although not awarded every year, The Harry Green Award has been presented three times in recent seasons and it was awarded again this year with Bob Hayton’s contribution to the club over several seasons being recognised with the award.

There are a selection of photos now on the gallery, plus you can also click here to go to The Photo Team gallery where some excellent additional photos can be purchased (use password 5115).

Some of our members have noticed a news item on Blackheath's website, that they have progressed to the final of the Evergreen Cup (an annual competition for players aged over 35) due to our withdrawal from the semi-final which, whilst true in parts, does not provide the full context.

Having contested the Final in four of the last five season's, Maidstone's withdrawal from the competition this season was due solely to a 'comedy of administrative errors' that created a farcical situation. 

After playing, winning and reporting our first match in the competition in early February, we then heard absolutely nothing from the competition organizers despite several follow-up emails and phone calls, most of which went unanswered.  In April, still having heard nothing, we managed to obtain a copy of the results and subsequent draw from another club, which revealed that our win over TJs in February had been recorded as a loss and it appeared that both the Cup and Plate competition had progressed without our inclusion. With time rapidly running out before the   designated date for the Final (4th May) and hearing nothing further, we assumed that this year's competition had just faded away through general lack of interest and administrative short-comings. 

With our own playing season over, we then received an email out of the blue on 25th April, revealing that we were miraculously back in the draw with a May semi-final vs Blackheath for the chance to play in a final to be contested in June, and that we should liaise with Blackheath to decide the semi-final venue!!  This was especially surprising, bearing in mind that the date of the final has always been set in stone and completely immovable in previous seasons. (as Blackheath discovered last year when they felt unable to contest the Final on the designated date and we - as losing semi-finalists - agreed to play the final in their place). 

Not surprisingly under the circumstances, our Fixtures Sec informed the organizer and the other "surviving" clubs that our season was already over and that we were not intending to take any further part in this year's competition.

League matches that are not played by a given date are declared void and in our view, it would have been an act of kindness to have allowed this year's Evergreen to die a natural death - particularly given that at least one of the "Semi-Finalists" has reached that stage without playing a single match.

Maidstone FC has been a staunch supporter of this competition and the spirit in which it has been played since we joined it 7 or 8 years ago and we find it disappointing for all concerned that such an enjoyable competition has reached such a low ebb. 

This is the last edition of Around the Grounds for this season, with a bit of luck it will be back again at the start of the club’s league campaign next season.

National 1:The key outstanding matches all concerned the relegation battle, already down Cambridge faced a Wharfedale side needing a win to guarantee safety and a 12-28 win was enough to get the job done. Meanwhile Macclesfield needed a bonus point win to really have any chance of staying up as they hosted Fylde, whilst they were able to close out the season with a narrow 29-28 win, with Wharfedale winning it was all in vain.  The last of the relegation struggles saw Sedgley Pk host a Loughborough Students who hammered the final nail in their relegation coffin as they were crushed 12-106.

Promoted: Ealing Trailfinders.  Relegated:Cambridge, Sedgley Park and Macclesfield

National 2(S):Battles at both top and bottom of the table with the key encounter being the title decider between Henley and Worthing, a convincing 55-27 win for Henley saw them snatch the title from a Worthing side that had held top spot for the majority of the campaign.   In the promotion playoff

Worthing will now face National 2(N) side Stourbridge, who finished second to Hull Ionians only on their win/loss record. At the foot of the table Clifton did what was required as they hosted already relegated Barking, but only just as they ran out narrow 29-25 winners. Rugby Lions withdrawal before the start of the season meant only two would go down in this campaign, Bournemouth’s 29-14 against Dings combined with Lydney being unable to overcome fellow Gloucester rivals Hartpury, losing out 29-25, means that the south coast club will retain their National 2 status and the Forest of Dean side will drop to National 3(SW) next season.

Promoted:Henley, Playoff: Worthing.  Relegated:Barking and Lydney

RFU Cup Competitions:  It was finals day on Saturday and in the senior competition Brighton took the Intermediate Cup 22-30 as they defeated Bridlington to complete a unique treble, in being the only club to have won all three of the RFU knockout trophies.  In the Senior Vase Selby just beat Drybrook to the title 29-25 whilst in the Junior Vase, defending champions Baildon lost out heavily to Gloucester based Newent, going down 58-29.