BBC Radio Kent will be broadcasting from the club on Friday morning (1st May) with rugby being the key focus of the programme between 9:00 & 10:00am and covering a range of topics such as:

How the rugby league pyramid works

Funding of lower leagues compared with the Premiership

Concussion & injury

The lack of a big rugby team in our region, who do people in Kent tend to support

Is rugby just for the middle classes?

2015 as a big year for international rugby (Six Nations, Rugby World Cup)

Match Coverage

In addition the BBC Radio Kent Sports Hub programme on Sunday will include match coverage of Gillingham v Notts County (12.15pm - NOT online). Also, Maidstone FC v Bridgnorth RFC in the final of the Intermediate Cup (3pm), and Kent CCC v Leicestershire CCC in the County Championship (weather permitting).

This can be listened to live on the radio or online and also after the match.

The club’s U10 age group will be providing a Guard of Honour with their Bridgnorth counterparts when skipper Ben Williams leads his side out at Twickenham this Sunday.

The U10s have only just completed their season with the team coming out as runners-up in the Plate competition this last weekend. 

Drawn in a t tough group they performed very well, beating Edenbridge 2:0, and Deal 4:0 but losing out to TJs 0:2 to finish as runners-up

Apart from being very proud of the team, the coaches and parents are so pleased for them, they really deserved to pick up some silverware, and the look on their faces as they were presented with it spoke volumes. 

They all played their hearts out on Sunday, as they have throughout the season, gave 100% commitment, and most importantly enjoyed themselves, they should be very proud of themselves.

The U10 squad has 25 players, and all but two of the A team on Sunday have been with us since the U6s.

It’s been a challenging season adapting to the New Rules of Play, which our age group gets each season going up, but Sundays result is just reward for the efforts of the whole squad, coaches and our fantastic players and parents.

Polo shirts, No1 Shirts and Scarves ordered by supporters are currently being delivered by the manufacturers and will be available for collection at 8:00pm on Thursday (30th Apr) evening at the club.  Both Kevin Bailey and Neil Cole will be present with your goods.

In addition Bob Beney will be at club Thursday from 7:00pm for those that wish to purchase flags.  They can also be purchased at his house in Bearsted (M: 07973 118043).  These are best sources in order not to be disappointed.

In addition and subject to any flags being left over, they can be obtained from Graham Norton prior to boarding coaches on Sunday morning.

Please make the effort to attend and collect your shirts/scarves, failure to do so places inconvenience on those people who have given their time to organise this and disrupts their oiwn personal plans and may result in you not receiving your items in time foir the cup final on Sunday.

The 2015 Kent RFU Volunteer Awards close on 30th April.

Next Sunday's RFU Intermediate cup Final will see a member of the Mini's accompany skipper Ben Williams and the team out onto the Twickenham turf for the prematch formalities.  The mascot for the occasion will be Lincoln Rixon who has just completed the season with the U8 age group and will celebrate his eighth birthday just before the final.  So here's a little bit about Lincoln and his interests:

National 1:  Champions Ealing rounded out the season as 8-31 winners at Loughborough St but second placed Rosslyn Pk slipped to an entertaining 45-50 home defeat to third placed Coventry.  A 12-32 win for Fylde at sixth placed Blackheath saw them secure fourth spot with Hartpury in fifth despite a heavy 29-3 reversal at Wharfedale.  At the bottom the last of the relegation places was finalised; bottom club Macclesfield went down in a high scoring 66-41 scoreline at Richmond, whilst Tynedale lost out 50-29 at O Albanians, who needed a win and other results to go their way to avoid the drop.  The other key result was Cinderford’s 33-17 win over Esher, which meant that they had somehow managed the great escape from relegation that looked almost certain at the season’s mid-point and consigned Albanians to National 2 rugby next season.  In the last of the fixtures Blaydon were 33-6 winners over Darlington MP.

National 2(S):  Whilst the top of the league was all sorted Dorking did manage to rain on Henley’s parade with a good performance seeing them run out 34-41 winners in an entertaining match, Bishop’s Stortford secured the playoff place with a 31-24 win over Launceston and will face Ampthill.  Taunton in third did all that was required should Stortford have slipped up, with 30-20 win over Cambridge.  At the bottom, relegated Dings and Shelford both lost out, going down to Chinnor (21-38) and Lydney (24-26) respectively.  Unfortunately the win wasn’t enough to save Lydney from the drop as the last of the relegated sides despite Southend going down 18-15 at Redruth, the losing bonus point was enough to keep them level on 56 points with Lydney, but with a vastly superior points difference.  The remaining fixtures featured Kent clubs, with Canterbury turning on the style with a convincing 48-5 win over Clifton, but Elthamians fell to an 18-35 defeat at home to Worthing.

Promotion Playoffs:  There were a number of playoff matches over the weekend, but this update only covers those of interest or relevance to Kent clubs.  In the playoff for promotion to National 2 it was Ldn 3(SE) outfit Barnes who carried their good form forward to record a hard fought 22-27 victory on the road at Nat 3(SW) Exmouth to earn a place in the higher division alongside league rival Bury St Edmunds next season.  Unfortunately in the playoff between the Ldn1 runners up Chobham fell to an Eton Manor side that had fought ‘tooth & nail’ all season with Ldn 1(N) league champions Colchester and on paper always looked like they would be the stronger side.  The result however, reflects the match as a tight contest, with Chobham just losing out by a single score in the 17-14 scoreline.

Medway from Ldn 2(SE) will join Maidstone in Ldn 1(S) next season after they beat the challengers from Ldn 2(SW), Ldn Cornish.  Whilst the first period was close, with the Medway just holding the advantage with a 16-12 scoreline, the hosts managed to ease away in the second half to create enough of a cushion to survive a late onslaught from Cornish to secure the match with a 29-12 result.  Disappointment for a Sheppey side who must feel that every match has been a knockout fixture since the halfway point in the season, as they just fell short against Sussex club Burgess Hill, going down 26-23 at the final whistle, having seen a penalty attempt drift wide in the last couple of minutes.

Probably of interest only to Maidstone, as they faced both clubs in the RFU Intermediate Cup; in the playoff for promotion to Ldn 1(N) Chiswick put in a good performance to edge the result at Diss 13-16.

Shepherd Neame Kent Cup:

Kent Cup:  TJs prevailed over Old Elthamians to lift the trophy with a 34-17 scoreline and despite being reduced to 13 men at points in the second half.

Kent Plate:  London 1 outfit Charlton Park proved too strong for Thanet Wdrs as they ran out comprehensive 52-16 winners.

Kent Vase:  Hosts Cranbrook completed a league and cup double at their level taking the Vase final with a hard fought 17-10 result over league rivals Beccehamians, who despite just missing out on both the promotion playoffs and the Vase trophy have still had a fine season.

Kent Salver:  After the disappontment of losing out in the promotion playoff the day before Sheppey's weekend saw a double disappointment as the fell to a 26-5 defeat at the hands of a Brockleians side they will lock horns with in Kent 1 next season.  With Brockleians fresh after a two week lay off, Sheppey had no response to the fresher legs after the exertions of of the previous days promotion playoff.  for Brockleians the result provided a welcome filip as they celebrate their 90th anniversary with  promotion and a Kent Salver double.

Despite the obvious rather important fixture taking place next week, the senior club held its Annual Awards Dinner at Rianos on the evening of Friday 24th April.  With much to celebrate in what has been a successful for the 1st XV, although there have been successes elsewhere even if not quite so high profile, the successful organisation and running of the inaugural Late Red Veterans trophy to name just one.

Key to the evening was to recognise the achievements of both players and volunteers for their work both on and off the pitch.  In the players awards the following were the recipients:

Head Coach's Award - Joel Byford

1st XV Player's Player - Jamie Perigo

Mustangs XV Player's Player - Nathan Fitzpatrick

Development XV Player's Player - Tom Chandler

Barbarians XV Player's Player (The Captains Shield) - Mark Ingram

Veterans XV Player's Player (The Mike Sharples Plate) - Neil Cole

The main club awards were presented as follows:

Bernard Hinks Award (Non Player) - Miles Tempan (For his contribution in establishing girls and womens rugby at the club)

Bernard Hinks Award (Other XVs) - Kenny Murray (Mustangs XV)

Bernard Hinks Award (1st XV) - Ben Williams

Centenary Cup (Team of the Season) - 1st XV

Sunday saw the conclusion of the inaugural Late Red Veterans Trophy as the eight clubs contesting the respctive finals assembled at The Mote.  First up were the Bowl and Shield finals with Medway takintg the Shield after overcoming Cranbrook 36-19.  The Bowl final was a keenly contested affair between Ash and New Ash Green (NAG), with the score locked at 10-10 going into the final quarter and NAG looking in the ascendency following a pushover try to break the deadlock.  Two tries from Ash  in the final five minutes, the first after a lovely piece of individual skill by former Fiji international Nicky Little saw him touchdown under the posts, to swing the match in Ash's favour.  Ash eventually ran out 24-15 winners to take the trophy.

The Plate final was contested between Aylesford Bulls and Tonbridge Juddians, and whilst the encounter was keenly contested in the early stages, the Bulls ran away with the match scoring 55 points to TJs nil.  The Cup final between hosts Maidstone and Thanet Wdrs proved to be equally as enthralling as the Bowl final, and whilst the county town side held sway for most of  the match, it was the East Kent club that was pressing in the latter stages.  Although it was an Ian Howson hat trick that proved the difference between the sides with Maidstone taking the match and the trophy with a 24-17 result.

Overall Results:

Cup Winners: Maidstone

Plate Winners: Aylesford Bulls

Bowl Winners: Ash

Shield Winners: Medway

National 1:  Champions Ealing slipped to a 15-19 defeat against second placed Rosslyn Pk whilst Coventry consolidated third spot with a 49-20 win over Blackheath, who drop a place to fifth.  They are overhauled by Hartpury who beat Blaydon 34-26. At the bottom, basement club Macclesfield went down 31-44 at home to Cinderford, who are still fighting for survival with O Albanians who also posted a useful result with a 19-51 away win at Darlington MP.  Already relegated Tynedale were 26-17 winners against Loughborough St.  The remaining results saw Richmond overcome Fylde 36-21 and Esher 26-8 winners against Wharfedale.

National 2(S):  After having secured the title away from home last week, Henley tripped up on home turf this week, going down 22-28 to visiting Worthing who finish the season in fifth place, Bishop’s Stortford remain in pole position for the playoff spot, but only just as they were 26-27 winners at struggling Southend.  Both third placed Taunton and Dorking in fourth remain in contention after they both posted wins, with Taunton 19-30 winners at Launceston, and Dorking inflicting a heavy 62-19 defeat on relegated Dings.  Shelford accompany Dings for the drop after they lost out 33-8 at Chinnor, whilst the battle for the last of the relegation places will go to the last weekend and is between Southend and Lydney, who won 29-17 at Redruth.  Canterbury’s safety is confirmed despite defeat at Cambridge in a high scoring 56-49 encounter.  In the last of the fixtures Clifton and Elthamians played out a 17-17 draw.

Promoted: Henley

Playoff: tbc

Relegated: Dings Crusaders, Shelford, Southend or Lydney

National 3(SE):  As expected BSE cruised to the league title on the final weekend with a 61-10 mauling of mid-table Gravesend, Barnes secured the playoff position, but only just as they fell to an 8-7 defeat at struggling Westcliff, with the losing bonus point being all they needed to keep their noses ahead of Ldn Irish WG who downed Chichester 28-19 but just miss out.  At the bottom Westcliff’s win sees them safe and consigned A&C and Tring to the drop, despite wins against Hertford 30-19 and TJs 13-9 respectively, whilst already relegated CS Rugby went down 19-50 at home to East Grinstead.  The remaining fixture saw Guernsey defeat Westcombe Pk 42-28.

Promoted: Bury St Edmunds

Playoff: Barnes

Relegated: CS Rugby, Amersham & Chiltern, Tring

London 1 (S):  Whilst there was obvious interest at the top of the table, the fixture programme contrived to see the bottom six clubs in action against each other to create an interesting situation.  Although both Basingstoke and Hove’s relegation is confirmed it was the other four clubs that were all fighting to avoid the last of the relegation places.  Twickenham’s match was key; they occupied the last of the places at the start of the day and needed to win at Cobham who also needed a positive result.  In the end it was Twickenham that took the points and league survival consigning Cobham to the drop. That outcome made the results of the other two fixtures therefor academic as Dover thrashed Basingstoke 90-7 and G&F ended Hove’s poor season with a 39-7 defeat.

At the top Sidcup stood in the way of Wimbledon’s title ambitions, but in the end proved to be a mere speed bump as the SW London club went on to win 54-7 to take the title.  The battle for the playoff spot was between Chobham and S&E, with Chobham hosting Havant and S&E on the road at Guildford, a 31-7 win for Cobham gave them the playoff spot against Eton manor, with S&E doing all they could as they took the points 19-29 in their match.  In the only dead rubber in the division, Brighton just edged Charlton Pk 31-27

Promoted: Wimbledon

Playoff: Chobham (v Eton Manor [L1N])

Relegated: Basingstoke, Cobham, Hove

London 2 (SE):  In what was a meaningless match at Horn Pk, the only real question was could Maidstone complete an unbeaten season and with one eye on Twickenham in two weeks, could they get through the encounter without any injuries.  In what was a somewhat entertaining end of season romp for both sides, Maidstone kept their unbeaten record, whilst Colfes picked up a bonus point for their efforts in the 28-45 scoreline.

Promoted: Maidstone

Playoff: Medway (v London Cornish [L2SW])

Relegated: Aylesford Bulls

London 3 (SE):

Promoted: Horsham, Dartfordians

Relegated: Hastings & Bexhill, Lewes, Park House

Kent 1:  Since the turn of the year every match has been a bit of a ’cup tie’ for the islanders as they pushed for promotion, in this fixture against Kings Coll, postponed from the end of February only a win would be enough to overhaul second placed Beccs  due to their inferior points difference.  In the end Sheppey took the playoff spot in some style as they overcame the opposition with an 82-24 result.

Promoted: Cranbrook

Playoff: Sheppey

Relegated: Bexley, Sittingbourne

Kent 2:

Promoted: New Ash Green, Brockleians

Intermediate Cup Final:  Maidstone v Bridgnorth

Twickenham Sunday 3rd May 2015 3:00pm KO

Following the briefing by the RFU at Twickenham the information issued previously is confirmed  plus some important additional points:

MATCH TICKETS:  £5/ Adult   £2/ Junior
Match tickets will be on sale at the stadium on the day of the match, the ticket office is located on the south east corner of the stadium along Whitton Rd.  The ticket office is open from 10:00am on the day of the match.  Tickets are ‘unassigned’ which means you get to sit in any seat that’s available in the Lower West Stand, so all Maidstone supporters can assemble together.

The club will not be applying for any tickets in advance, but if you want to avoid the queue on match day, you are able to book the tickets online at:

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/rfu/details/event.aspx?itemref=11578

If you book online then you do have to pay a small booking fee and postage.

Remember that tickets are for the day, so you’ll be able to watch the Senior Vase Final featuring Bromley from 1pm and the U20’s County Final from 5pm.

MATCHDAY TRANSPORT

The club is looking to lay on coaches should there be sufficient interest.  The cost of coach tickets will be £15/person and will need to be paid in advance. 

Likely itinerary:  Leave from the Clubhouse 11:30 to arrive approx. 13:00 at Twickenham.  Leave Twickenham 18:30 to arrive approx. 20:00 back at the Clubhouse.(tbc) 

If you are interested in going on the coach please email your interest to this special email address we’ve set up and state how many places you’d like, to assist with planning, please don’t leave this to the last minute:

stonescoachtotwickenham@hotmail.com

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and bookings are likely to close early in the week prior to the match, most probably on Tuesday 28th April.  The cut off date for booking coach places is the evening of Monday 27th Apr, places cannot be guaranteed for any booking after that time.

Please note the team are scheduled to arrive at the stadium Lion gate opposite the entrance to the Spirit of Rugby in the West Stand at 1:30pm

TWICKENHAM CAR PARKING
Car parking available at £5 per car payable at Twickenham. North and West car parks will be open.

TRAIN: Sunday train services from Maidstone only go hourly and will cost £22.30/ Adults and £11.50/ Children. Check out www.nationalrail.co.uk for more details.

HOSPITALITY
Bars and food stands at Twickenham will be open, they will be largely located on the West Stand concourse.

The club has a number of hospitality tickets at various levels and the allocation of these is currently being administered.  If you are lucky enough to receive one you should be aware of the RFU dress code to attend these:

1. Men; shirt jacket & tie.
2. Ladies: Smart casual

Children are permitted except in some circumstances and recipients will be briefed accordingly if there is a restriction.  You should be aware that the RFU dress code for the hospitality suites as stated above applies.  Strictly NO jeans (incl trs with patch pockets), Trainers or Rugby Apparel (i.e rugby shirts, track suit etc) or you will be refused entry.  This applies to children as well.

Note: If the club contacts you in respect of hospitality tickets please don’t accept them unless you fully intend to use them and adhere to the RFU dress code.  There are limited tickets available.

MERCHANDISE
Due to manufacture lead times there will be no more orders accepted for commemorative merchandise.

THE DEADLINE FOR No 1 SHIRTS/BLOUSES OR POLO'S IS 15TH APRIL 2015 - THERE IS NO EXTENSION TO THIS DATE AND ANY LATE ORDERS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED
 

The club is organising commemorative club polo shirts for sale, these will be predominantly black with red trim (see photo) and carry the club badge on the left breast with a cup final inscription underneath.  Cost is anticpated to be in the region of £25-30 and they can be ordered through Kevin Bailey  (see Contact page for details).

Time is short on this due to the cup final only being a month away so there is no slack in respect of the order deadline to ensure their arrival before 3rd May.  If you want a polo shirt act quickly as due to stock levels there is a limited supply and the deadline for orders is 15th April.  There are no ladies sized polo's available (they are not held as stock items) and the lower sizes available are chest sizes 34" (MB) & 36" (LB) respectively, and then XS, S, M, L, XL etc in 2" increments (click here for size chart)

In addition, for those not so keen on the polo shirts, the club is also offering a No1 shirt option, appropriately inscribed on the left breast, a ladies blouse option is also available.  Sizing and pricing will be available in due course and again please order via Kevin Bailey.  Again, the 15th April deadline for orders applies to ensure delivery so act quickly to avoid disappointment.

A reminder that Friday night is Quiz Night for the 125 Trophy.

Quiz starts at 7:30pm

£6 per person and teams of 6-7.

Every XV in the Senior Club should be looking to enter a team but participation from all sections is encouraged.

Listed below are the latest 500 club winners.

Feb 2015: Steve Vincent - £50

Mar 2015: Glyn Richards - £50

Apr 2015:

1st - Keith Newman - £150
2nd - Rob Lindsay - £ 70
3rd - Trevor Langley - £ 60

Winners are requested to contact Bob Beney via email to request how they wish to be paid (cheque or bank transfer)

This is last draw until next season.  Thank you for participating.
 

National 1:  At the top Ealing inflicted a heavy 12-45 defaet on Blackheath and a win next week will secure the title, Rosslyn Pk stay in second after a 38-20 win over Tynedale.  Coventry slip back in third place after they lost out 44-28 at Fylde.  At the bottom relegated Macclesfield posted a solid 14-32 win over Wharfedale although their relegation partners are now Tynedale following their loss.  The last of the relegation places is occupied by Cinderford who posted a useful 35-10 win over Richmond and could yet survive.  They are however reliant on other results going their way, as they did today with O Albanians losing out 31-59 to Hartpury.  The last of the results saw Loughborough St lose out to visiting Darlington MP 21-28 and Blaydon going down to visiting Esher 7-17.

National 2(S):  With the top two in action against relegation clubs the fixtures went with the form book as Henley secured the league title with a 22-38 win at already relegated Dings, second placed Bishop’s Stortford also posted a solid 38-7 win over Lydney to keep their noses in front of Dorking who were 33-64 winners at Shelford.  The impact of the results on the relegation battle are that Shelford are confirmed for the drop, although Lydney can still survive, with Southend and Clifton the only other clubs in the danger zone.  Canterbury are now safe despite an 18-20 home defeat by Launceston, whilst Southend fell to a heavy 52-18 defeat at Taunton and Clifton lost out 24-17 at Worthing.  Elsewhere, Elthamians were narrow 27-26 winners against Cambridge with Chinnor winning 7-21 at Redruth.

National 3(SE):  The penultimate weekend saw the top two clash as Barnes hosted leaders BSE, with the hosts just edging the result 28-27 to take the title battle to the final weekend.   In third spot Ldn Irish WG were looking to cash in should Barnes slip up as they faced fourth place club East Grinstead, whilst the Barnes result didn’t go their way, a 29-34 win means they still harbour playoff hopes going into the final week. At the bottom the relegation battle still involved five clubs at the start of the day; a heavy 60-5  defeat for CS Rugby at the hands of Westcombe Pk confirms their relegation, but despite a 30-44 loss for Tring against Hertford, their fate will not be decided until next week.  Wins for A&C at Gravesend (19-25) and Westcliff (17-34) at Chichester mean the other two relegation places will be decided on the final weekend.  In the last of the results which also had an impact on the relegation battle, a 26-45 win for Guernsey at TJs sees them now safe for another season.

London 1 (S):  The top two faced the bottom two although Wimbledon received a HWO against relegated Basingstoke to remain in top spot but Chobham’s 38-50 win against a Hove side also destined for the drop means that the title won’t be decided until the last weekend.   S&E are still on their heels and any slip up could see them sneak into the promotion places after they beat Dover 47-12.  The defeat for the Kent club didn’t do its survival hopes a lot of good, especially with Twickenham posting a 39-26 win against visiting Guildford they still don’t look to be safe, nether do Cobham despite a 25-25 draw at Havant.  In the remaining fixtures Chartlon Pk were 27-12 winners against G&F whilst Sidcup went down 26-34 at home to Brighton.

London 2 (SE):  Leaders Maidstone needed just two points to secure the title and after last week’s euphoria in the cup there was no let up as they outgunned Crowborough to secure the title with a 50-17 result.  Medway had already secured at least a playoff position and a win against T wells would guarantee them home advantage against Ldn Cornish,  Medway appear to have hit peak form at the latter end of the campaign and Wells had no answer to that as they lost out 48-10.  The remaining fixtures were really only for club pride as Ashford fell to a heavy 10-50 defeat against Colfes, whilst Sevenoaks beat a resurgent Beckenham 47-31,  relegated Aylesford travelled to Thanet and the 39-3 defeat sees them finish a miserable season as the only club in Ldn & SE to fail to garner a single point.

In the other Ldn2 divisions Tottonians had secured the SW title a couple of weeks ago as did Ldn Cornish the playoff spot and will travel to face Medway.  In the northern divisions Harrow were runaway winners of the NW division, but the playoff spot wasn’t decided until the last day with four clubs in the running, although in the end Chiswick did enough to book a place and home advantage for the playoff.  The NE division saw Chelmsford take the title with Diss as runners up and set to face Chiswick in the playoff.

London 3 (SE):  With champions Horsham convincing 92-3 winners over relegated H&B and promoted Dartfordians 45-16 against Folkestone the key interest was at the bottom end of the table.  Two of the three relegation spots are already decided, H&B go down alongside Lewes who won 18-14 against visiting Uckfield.  The third of the relegation places was between Anchorians and Park Hse; Park started the day in the drop zone and a 7-15 defeat against Pulborough meant the result of the Anchorians fixture at Bromley was academic, although the Gillingham side ran out convincing 15-33 winners against the Senior Vase finalists.  In the last of fixtures H&W finished the season strongly to take third spot after they hammered Dunstonians 78-7

Kent 1:  Cranbrook have already taken the title and a 5-59 result at struggling OGs saw them sign off the season with a win.  The main interest is in the battle for the playoff spot between Sheppey and Beccs; with a match in hand Sheppey look to be in the box seat after they beat bottom club Bexley 78-12 whilst second placed Beccs did all they could with a 56-7 win over visiting Lordswood but now have to wait for the result of Sheppey’s delayed match against Kings Coll next week for the outcome of the promotion battle.  Elsewhere Kings Coll lost out by a single point in the 18-19 scoreline against visiting Vigo.  For Sittingbourne a good win could have pulled them level with both OGs and Lordswood if results went their way, but their points difference meant they were unlikely to save themselves from the drop; in the end it was all academic as they fell to a heavy 12-40 defeat at the hands of in form HSBC.

Kent 2: A 7-59 win for leaders NAG over Shooters Hill gave them the league title.  A 22-18 defeat for promotion challengers Foots Cray at Askean meant that Brockleians  would take second spot after they beat Whitstable 15-26; Foots Cray will rue the 5-point deduction from earlier in the season that could have proved valuable.  Elsewhere Faversham lost out 24-27 to Faversham whilst bottom club Dartford Valley ended their season with a solid win in a 31-12 win over Edenbridge.

It is with great sadness that the club has been informed of the passing of Barry Joel on Tuesday 24th March.   Barry was a long standing member of the club and also a Vice President.  Two of Barry's great passions were football and rugby; football through his support of Fulham FC, and rugby through his  association with Maidstone Rugby since joining in 1995.  Barry had supported the club  through its highs & lows.  In the earlier days of his time with the club Barry assisted with the match programme as well as with the laundering of the 1st XV strip.  Alway seen with his black shirt and a club tie, in recent years Barry had in conjunction with his long term 'partner in crime' Francis Talbot assisted in the generation of sponsorship & adverising from local pubs as well as running the scoreboard for 1st XV matches, although poor health had meant his attendance at the club had become less frequent in recent months.

The funeral for Barry will take place at Vinters Park Crematorium at 12:30pm on Monday 20th april and then afterwards at Maidstone rugby Club.

It is with great shock and sadness that the club has been informed of the sudden passing of former 1^st XV player Pete Freeman. Pete was well known at the club and had attended a couple of this season’s match day lunches, and was at the club for Glyn Richards' last game with Veterans XV  at the weekend. In his playing days Pete represented the club’s 1^st XV in the 1980s playing on the back row alongside David Hooper and under the captaincy of Simon Knight.

Pete kept his passion for rugby and was an avid visitor to Twickenham and elsewhere for international fixtures.  In addition he was a  keen golfer and skier, Pete was an active  member at Bearsted Golf Club and a regular member of the annual Veterans XV skiing outing to France each year.  Finally, Pete was also a regular part of the loose grouping based around the Veterans XV, that met each Friday at the local real ale watering hole.

The club extends its sympathies and condolences to Pete's familly and friends at this difficult and sad time.

There will be a Humanist ceremony for Pete at Vinters Park Crematorium on Fri 24th April at 2:45pm followed by a celebration of Pete's life at Bearsted Golf Club from 4:30pm.  The familly have requested that it would assist if an idea of those intending to attend could indicate their intentions.  Nigel Edwards has stepped forward to coordinate this and members arequested to notify him by email of their intentions (nigel.edwards36@googlemail.com)

After the euphoria of Saturday's result and a cracking performance by the team, we can all look forward to a great day out at Rugby HQ in early May.  In the meantime the focus returns to the league as we host Crowborough this coming Saturday (11th) for what will be our last home fixture of the season.  Let's all get along and cheer the boys home as they look to add the league title to Ldn & SE Intermediate Cup honours they have already achieved.

So get along to The Mote for another exciting match and hopefully another afternoon of celebration.

Finally, below is a message from club captain Ben Williams to you all:

I hope you all had fantastic Easter. I just wanted to say on behalf of the whole senior squad a huge thank you for the amazing support not only on Saturday but throughout the season.

It really does make a huge difference out on the pitch and Saturday really showed how strong this club is. Considering the journey Maidstone Rugby has been on in the past 5 years or so makes it even more special.

The club’s joint Youth Chairpersons, Eva Howson and Dave Tugwell are being interviewed by Radio Kent’s Breakfast show on Thursday (2^nd Apr) morning at regular intervals between 7:30 – 8:50am about Youth Rugby.  Feel free to change from your normal radio channel to listen in.

Andre Toma who played with Maidstone during the 2011-12 season will be travelling back to Kent for Easter, as his current club, Devon based Withycombe RFC travel to face Bromley for the National Semi-Final of the RFU Senior Vase.  Withycombe took the SW Counties regional title with a 17-10 win over Gloucestershire club Gordano.

Andre’s last fixture for the club rather aptly was in the 50-0 victory over Harlow in the 2011-12 RFU Senior Vase.

Also bidding for Twickenham glory is James Withers, now playing for Battersea Ironsides who host Gloucestershire club Longlevens in the National Semi-Final of the RFU Junior Vase. James played youth rugby at Maidstone prior to going to university and was part of the 1st XV squad in 2010-11 on completion of his university studies, before work commitments saw him move to London.

On a pleasant March afternoon for rugby at The Mote, 32 veterans and a few sons turn out to play against old rivals Cranbrook Veterans, a side against whom the Veterans XV has had many great games in the past, and this would be no exception.  Apart from the players many former Veterans XV players and families also turned out to mark the occasion.

Not only was this the last game of the season for the Veterans (other than their traditional tour after Easter); it also marked the day that Glyn Richards, a former Veterans XV skipper for 9 years, had decided to hang up his boots.  Following in what has become a bit of a ‘father and son’ tradition within the Veterans, Glyn’s son Garrie dug his boots out to play alongside his dad in the back row.

Matches between Maidstone and Cranbrook have always been competitive affairs and played in good spirit; and this was no exception with the outcome a narrow win for the home side, a rather fitting way to finish the season and mark the occasion.

In keeping with the Veteran’s Corinthian mantra, food and ale were consumed post-match and memories of great moments exchanged as the side said farewell (in playing terms) to one of its stalwarts of many years.

National 1:  One more win for the top club will see the title secured as Ealing beat third placed Coventry 24-18, Rosslyn Pk sit clear in second place and another win for them after a 12-24 result at Darlington MP will have the runners up place also secured.  At the bottom end of the table whilst already relegated Macclesfield lost out narrowly 7-10 to Blaydon, the other strugglers don’t look to be giving up without a fight.  Second bottom Tynedale were convincing 40-19 winners over fourth placed Blackheath, and Cinderford were equally impressive 37-14 winners against fifth club Fylde.  The results saw them both close the gap on O Albanians who held Esher to a 30-30 draw.  In the other matches Hartpury were narrow 20-19 winners over Loughborough St, whilst Richmond won 34-19 against Wharfedale.

National 2(S):  At the top Henley look ‘home & hosed’ after a 66-17 win over struggling Shelford, although a single point from their next fixture will put the title beyond doubt.  The playoff spot remains between Bishop’s Stortford, Taunton and Dorking, with all posting wins, although Stortford’s tight 45-46 win at Chinnor looks a lot less comfortable that Taunton’s 7-33 win at Lydney and Dorking’s 50-7 win over visiting Redruth.  At the bottom end of the table, relegated Dings went down 5-31 to visiting Worthing, whilst Shelford’s defeat effectively sees them relegated as well.  The last of the relegation places is still not decided although Lydney remain favourites after their defeat although Southend are not yet safe after they fell to a 21-26 defeat to fellow strugglers Canterbury, who now look all but safe.  In the remaining mid-table fixtures, Launceston were 29-5 winners over O Elthamians, and Cambridge beat Clifton 46-7.

National 3(SE):  Results in this division have at times been the most unpredictabl across the SE, although leaders BSE’s 72-0 thrashing of Chichester was still a bit of a surprise and they need just one more win to secure the title.  Barnes stay second after they beat A&C 9-17, a result that keeps the struggling Buckinghamshire club in the drop zone.  Ldn Irish WG were 16-10 winners over Westcombe Pk  to stay third, but are now reliant on other results if they are to take the playoff spot. East Grinstead stays fourth despite losing out 23-21 at Westcliff.  Tring remain at the foot of the table; despite a hard fought 27-28 win at Guernsey and CS Rugby also stay in the drop zone after they beat TJs 37-30.  The relegation battle remains very open and it could be any combination of three from the bottom five clubs.  In the remaining fixture Gravesend were 15-18 winners at Hertford.

London 1 (S):  Things are a little, but not much clearer at the top of the table; Wimbledon still sit in the box seat with a 17-39 win at Brighton and Chobham’s 31-7 win at Charlton Pk keeps them in second spot, just 2-points behind.  A further 3-points behind are S&E who thrashed relegated Basingstoke 12-62.  Sidcup aren’t out of the equation (mathematically at least) although their chance are very slim despite an 18-32 win at G&F.  At the bottom Hove are also relegated after they lost out 27-3 to Cobham, whilst Twickenham currently occupy the last of the relegation places after they lost out 38-12 at Dover, who are now along with G&F all but safe.  In the last of the fixtures, a mid-table battle between Guildford and Havant saw the home side just shade the outcome 13-12.

London 2 (SE):  At the top Maidstone overcame a tricky hurdle at Deal & Betteshanger with an 8-20 win that keeps them at the head of the division and drops D&B into the lower half of the table as their season’s  league fixtures are concluded.  Medway ran out 20-28 winners at Beckenham and with the playoff spot secure are now just looking to maintain form to secure the important home tie for a match that is looking like it will be against Ldn 2(SW) club Ldn Cornish.  Elsewhere the matches pretty much ran to the form book with Crowborough’s narrow 15-17 win at Ashford lifting them into the top half of the table for the first time this season.  Third placed Sevenoaks were 11-31 winners at Colfes with Tunbridge Wells 21-17 winners at home to Thanet.

London 3 (SE):  Both champions Horsham and promoted Dartfordians posted solid results with Horsham 21-31 winners over Sussex rivals Uckfield, whilst Dartfordians thrashed Pulborough 49-0.  A resurgent H&W’s good form continued as they take over third spot with a 14-27 win at strugglers Anchorians.  Relegated H&B and Lewes both lost out, with Lewes going down 30-17 at Dunstonians whilst Hastings lost out narrowly to fellow strugglers Park Hse, a result that will see the fight between Park Hse and Anchorians to avoid the last relegation spot go to the last weekend.  Elsewhere, Folkestone were narrow 10-7 winners over a Bromley side that have probably got their minds on other things at the moment.

Kent 1:  Cranbrook celebrated their title win with a 37-5 win over visiting Southwark, whilst the battle for second place still rages.  The current advantage lies with Beccs who were 0-19 winners at Vigo.  Sheppey did what they needed to do with a 7-24 win at Lordswood and with their match in hand, the deciding of the playoff spot could well go beyond the last weekend of the regular season. At the bottom of the table a 15-0 defeat for Sittingbourne at O Wills effectively sees them relegated, whilst a 7-47 win for OG’s at bottom club Bexley, lifted them away from the drop zone.  The last of the fixtures saw an HSBC side that have had an excellent second half to their season, overcome Kings Coll with a 7-36 victory to move above Vigo into fourth place.

Kent 2:  A massive 88-6 win for NAG against Askean keeps them at the top of the table with Foots Cray second after they beat Whitstable 22-13, although the title now won’t be decided until the last day of the season, but Brockleians, who had no fixture today are now out of the equation.  The other fixtures saw Edenbridge 38-5 winners over Shooters hill and Greenwich beat bottom side Dartford Valley 34-21.

RFU Knockout Competitions (National Semi- Finals):

Intermediate Cup:  Maidstone powered their way to a Twickenham final with a 44-13 win over SW Divisional champions Coney Hill and whilst the scoreline may look to flatter Maidstone, in truth they had other scoring opportunities in a hard fought semi-final where the margin could well have been greater.  They will face a Shropshire base Bridgnorth who overcame Yorkshire club Scarborough 6-10.

Senior Vase:  Bromley made it a Kent double as they beat Devon club Withycombe 22-16 to take their place at rugby HQ where they will face West Leeds who travelled to face Midlands club Melton Mowbray and came out on top by 22-33

Junior Vase:  In a repeat of last season’s semi-final against the eventual champions, Battersea Ironsides managed to reverse the outcome with a 30-15 scoreline against Gloucester club Longlevens and go on to face Yorkshire’s Northallerton in the Twickenham final, after they beat last season’s beaten finalists Rugby Lions 27-17.

The club sprung a surprise on Brian Hooper at last Saturday’s lunch, prior to the match against Aylesford Bulls.  Back in November Bob Beney received a signed shirt for the club from Australia captain Michael Hooper.

The Hooper connection to the club goes back to the early 1980s when Michaels father David played for Maidstone before eventually emigrating to Australia.  The presentation was timed for the lunch prior to the Aylesford fixture, as there is an association with both clubs with David also having played for Linton RFC (now Aylesford Bulls) and his brother Dick remains Fixtures Secretary for the club.

Brian Hooper is Michael’s grandfather and was attending the lunch as a guest of longstanding club member and Vice President Philip Charlton but had no knowledge of the presentation.

Saturday’s local league derby between Maidstone and nearest rivals Aylesford Bulls saw the club entertain the local MPs for each of the team’s constituencies.  Minister for Sport and Maidstone MP Helen Grant was on hand to support the home team, whilst Tracey Crouch, the MP for Chatham & Aylesford lent her support to the opposition.  At what was an enjoyable pre match lunch, Club President Jim Tinsley also presented both guests with a Maidstone VP tie and both Helen and Tracey promised to come along and support the club at Twickenham, if they get over the next hurdle on Easter Saturday.

National 3(SE):  BSE stay top and look to have at least a playff place secured after they beat fourth club East Grinstead 7-17.  Barnes remain second, five points adrift following their 43-14 victory over Hertford, with third placed Ldn Irish WG narrow 20-22 winners over TJs.  At the bottom end of the table defeats for CS Rugby and Tring against Guernsey (61-6) and Gravesend (22-33) respectively, look to have all but sealed their relegation.  Westcliff look favourites to take the last relegation place and occupy the last spot following a 32-8 loss at Westcombe Pk, whilst A&C posted a useful 22-25 win at Chichester, but are not safe yet.

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay top despite a narrow 12-13 defeat at the hands of S&E, a result that keeps them on the coat tails of the main challengers.  In the battle between second and third, Sidcup just lost out 12-14 to visiting Chobham.  The foot of the table saw Twickenham concede their fixture with fellow strugglers Basingstoke, whilst a 21-48 home defeat for Hove against Guildford sees them as the third club looking at relegation, elsewhere Brighton were 68-12 winners against G&F, with Havant just overcoming Dover 26-23.  Cobham remain flirting with relegation as they lost out 29-14 at Charlton Pk

London 2 (SE):  No change at the top as both leaders Maidstone and second placed Medway posted big wins.  Maidstone totally overwhelmed Aylesford to run in a score in triple figures (106-3) whilst Medway were 41-5 winner against Colfes as they look to capitalise on any slip by the county town club as well as securing  a home tie in the playoff. Those results mean that the top two are either promoted or in the playoff; despite Sevenoaks thrashing Ashford 75-5.  The remaining fixtures saw Crowborough  17-14 winners over D&B whilst Beckenham were 13-25 winners on their travels to Thanet Wdrs

London 3 (SE):  Horsham’s 49-12 win over Dunstonians effectively hands them the title, with second placed Dartfordians  also securing promotion after a 7-51 win against Bromley who slip to mid-table but probably have other priorities now.  H&W sit in third place despite losing out 25-32 at home to fifth placed Folkestone and the battle for third place is still between four clubs.  At the bottom already relegated Lewes were 42-25 winners over Anchorians  and moved off the foot of the table.  They were replaced by H&B who went down 27-11 at Pulbororough to confirm their relegation.  Park Hse picked up a valuable win with a 25-24 win at home to Uckfield in their battle for survival although they are running out of fixtures if they are going to stay up.

Kent 1:  A 10-55 win for leaders Cranbrook sees them clinch the Kent 1 title and behind them the battle still rages for the other promotion place.  Beccs did what they needed to do with a 54-15 win over Kings Coll and Sheppey also posted a 36-10 win over Vigo that would have ended any hopes the villagers still harboured.  At the foot of the table Bexley’s 69-0 mauling by Southwark means they are down, but the other of the relegation places is still between Sittingbourne and OG’s who were 42-12 winners against Lordswood.  In the mid-table encounter HSBC were convincing 54-3 winners against visiting O Wills.

Kent 2:  There were two conceded fixtures here as Askean received a WO from Edenbridge and Greenwich didn’t have to travel to take on Shooters Hill.  In the matches that did take place NAG went back to the top of the table with a 22-36 win at Whitstable.  Foots Cray drop to second, but with a reduced margin after they lost out 18-13 to third placed Brockleians who remain in the promotion hunt.

Two more shirts were added to the growing shirt collection in the clubhouse as following Saturday’s win against Chiswick in the regional final of the RFU Intermediate Cup, Jonno Skelton presented his Easts club shirt, and Jamie Perigo and Eddie Cranston were also on hand to present their Feilding OB Oroua RFC club shirt to add to the collection.

Following their win in the RFU Intermediate Cup regional final, a reluctant and disappointed Maidstone have been forced to withdraw from this season’s Kent Cup.  In accordance with the season’s objectives laid down by the playing squad at the start of the campaign the league is the top priority and there are still fixtures to be played if the side’s aspirations are to be realised.  This combined with no free weekends up to the deadline date for the semi-final which clashes with the club’s national semi-final in the RFU Intermediate Cup.  To their credit O Elthamians had offered a couple of dates, but taking account of player eligibility under the rules for national league clubs, and the fact that their league fixture list for their Extra 1^st XV concludes this Saturday (21^st), they were not faced with the same fixture congestion and prioritisation issues with which the county town club are confronted.  Elthamians now proceed to the final and will face a TJs side that came from behind to win their semi-final 37-25 against Blackheathens.  Trailing in the closing stages, TJs scored with the last play of normal time to tie the scores at 25-25 and then went on to win the match in extra time.

In the Plate competition Charlton Pk make the final after a 20-41 win at O Colfeians and will face Thanet Wanderers after they beat Gravesend 43-15.  In the Vase competition Cranbrook have yet to face Foots Cray in one of the semi-finals, but the winners will face  Beccehamians who played the other semi-final fixture last weekend against Southwark Lancers, running out 17-31 winners to take their place in the final.

The last of the competitions is the Salver, and Bexley were forced to withdraw against from their semi-final with Brockleians, so ‘Brocks’ will take on Sheppey in the final after they posted a 5-53 victory over Dartford Valley.

The finals take place at Cranbrook RFC on the 26^th April.

This weekend has been a profitable one for the club in what we hope will be one of several brfore the season closes.  Leading us off on the Saturday were the 1st XV in their RFU Intermediate Cup Regional Final against a very capable Chiswick side who are chasing promotion from London 2(NW) and may well come up against our adversaries in the previous round in Diss RFC.

In what was both an enthralling and entertaining encounter the guys did the business with a solid 29-12 victory in a match that for a long while was closer than the scoreline would appear to say.

Sunday was an equally busy day with the U15s playing O Elhamians in the Kent Bowl Final at Ashford.  Whilst it could be argued that they faced a lesser side, the oppostion did not make the match easy, and to their credit the U15s maintained both their discipline and shape all the way through a physical contest to run out convincing 41-0 winners.  A more comprehensive report is included as another Club News article.

At the opposite end of the age range the Veterans were competing in the inaugural Late Red Trophy semi-finals at The Mote.  It would appear that Mothers Day has somewhat interfered with team selections for some of the side and Maidstone faced a Canterbury side that was certainly in the upper range of the veterans age bracket and were rather out muscled by a younger home side who ran out convincing winners and will face Thanet Wdrs who overcame Sevenoaks in the other Tier 1 Cup semi-final.

A  round up of all the Late Red Trophy Cup & Plate semi-finals will appear once Richard Ewence has had all the results in from the other fixtures.

The Maidstone Lions U15 Roar - Kent Bowl Winners 2015

After hard fought pool, quarter & semi stages the Lions took centre stage at the Kent Bowl final against Old Elthamians Bs today - our first chance at silverware for many, years.

From the off the boys were on it, recycling the ball quickly and pushing it wide at every opportunity. The forwards worked hard to get across the pitch, dominating the breakdown and giving away just a single turnover from our own ball. Line outs were similarly dominated, often taking ball off the opposition on their throw, and they held their own in the scrum against a large pack. The backs proved the difference, using pace and running lines to carve their way through the opposition, or around the flanks. Handling was virtually flawless with only a few unforced errors, and when in defence our tackling was immediate & decisive, though on the few breaks they had the OEs centres and wings put us under pressure with pace and well timed passing.

Whilst it could be argued we battled against a lesser side, they did not make our points easy, and to their credit the Lions kept their discipline and shape all the way through the game despite the physicality and emotions running high. By the end however OEs had no reply, and Maidstone bounded to a 41-0 victory with tries from Lex Ayling (2), Alfie Hayward, Jacob Arbury, Alex Crosbie (2) and Dan Aujard, topped off with two conversions from Ollie Jenkins and one from Anup Ale.

To say the coaching team are proud of the boys is a poor expression of how we feel - the squad have worked so hard this season, and today is the culmination of many hours of effort and improvement. Well done lads !

RFU Knockout Competitions (Ldn & SE Regional Finals):

Intermediate Cup: In what was an entertaining match at The Mote, Maidstone’s unbeaten season continues as they took their third Ldn & SE regional title in four seasons with a 29-12 win over Ldn 2(NW) club Chiswick. They will now host Coney Hill in the National Semi-Final on 4^th April.

Senior Vase: In what was a good day for both the county’s finalists Bromley took the Senior Vase title by a single point with a 24-25 win over Ldn 3(NW) leaders Fullerians in a tight match where the SE London club were most certainly painted as the underdogs.

Junior Vase: Battersea Ironsides retained the Junior Vase title they won last year with a 20-14 win against visiting Camberley

National 1:  Promotion beckons for Ealing as they beat Fylde 14-39 to stay top with Rosslyn Pk now clear in second spot after they beat Hartpury 36-11.  Third placed Coventry were convincing 64-12 winners over struggling Tynedale and they look destined to go down alongside Macclesfield who lost out 50-26 to an O Albanians side still flirting with the drop zone.  Fylde’s defeat combined with a narrow 29-27 win for Blackheath over Darlington MP sees the SE London club retain fourth spot.  At the foot of the table the third of the relegation candidates Cinderford went down 32-21 at Wharfedale, this combined with OA’s win sees them facing the prospect of being the third side for the drop.  In the remaining fixtures, Blaydon were 26-19 winners over visiting Richmond whilst home advantage also told for Loughborough St as they beat Esher 36-20.

National 2(S): A 13-28 win for leaders Henley at Redruth, sees them just about ‘home & hosed’ in the title race; behind them the key battle was between the two playoff contenders as Bishops Stortford hosted a Dorking whose form appears to have deserted them as they fell to a second consecutive heavy defeat, losing out 32-8 and with it dropping to fourth place behind Stortford in the promotion battle.  Taunton also remains on the edge of the promotion battle having moved above Dorking  after a 35-14 win over Chinnor.  The bottom of the table saw the four clubs in the relegation battle with Shelford hosting Dings with the result going in favour of the home side (43-29) although both clubs realistically look destined for the drop.  In the other key fixture Canterbury hosted Lydney, with the two clubs fighting to avoid the third of the relegation places, the city club got a much needed 22-9 win, but are by no means ‘out of the woods’ yet.  Elsewhere Clifton fell to an 8-29 defeat against Launceston, whilst O Elthamians were solid 51-28 winner against Southend in a high scoring contest.  The last of the fixtures saw Worthing going down to a 19-43 home defeat against Cambridge.

London 2(SE): In the closing fixtures, if second placed were likely to trip up anywhere it would be against a Crowborough side whose league position is somewhat of a false reflection on their abilities; in the end Medway emphatically avoided the potential banana skin to run out 15-52 winners as their good form continues and closed the gap on leaders Maidstone to just 4 points, although the county town club have a game in hand.  In the other fixture postponed from earlier in the season, Tunbridge Wells fell to their second consecutive defeat at the hands of visiting Beckenham in a tight contest that saw the visitors take the spoils by the odd point in the 21-22 scoreline.

Kent 1: Only the one fixture outstanding in the division and a solid 5-20 win for leaders Cranbrook at Kings Coll sees them now 12 points clear at the top and with the real prospect of securing the title at Sittingbourne next week.

England will be playing two fixtures at Twickenham in the build up to the RWC 2015 as follows:

1. England v France, Saturday 15^th August, KO 8:00pm
2. England v Ireland, Saturday 5^th September, KO 2:30pm

Ticket can be ordered for these matches that are not necessarily constrained by the normal allocation system.

Prices are £85, £72 and £62 per ticket and children’s tickets can also be ordered at 50% of those prices.

The club must place its bid for tickets at the end of April, if any members would like tickets for these fixtures they are to contact Steve Vincent with details of quantity of tickets and prices.

Payment will be required at the time of ordering.

Please note that England is playing France in an away fixture on Sat 22^nd August in Paris.  Tickets may be available for this fixture and further details will be published as they become known.

The closing date for applications for tickets is Saturday 18^th April.

The U15s have reached the final of the Kent Bowl competition to be played at Ashford on Sunday 15th March.  well done to the boys and good luck in the final. 

Your support to cheer the boys on would be appreciated.  KO is at 1:30pm

Maidstone Rugby powered their way to the RFU Intermediate Cup Final on Sunday 3rd May with a 44-13 win over SW Divisional Champions, Gloucester based Coney Hill RFC. 

Now the initial euphoria of a great performance by the club's 1st XV has died down, many of you will be wanting details on tickets and travel for the final  at Twickenham.  The club will be briefed by the RFU at Twickenham in due course, bear in mind there are 3 finals to be cooridinated for that day.  Once the club has been briefed then we can start to firm up what contingency planning has taken place.  When that happens we will look to disseminate the information to members & supporters as soon as possible; either through the club website and/or the club's Facebook page.

Members & supporters are reminded that the club's volunteers that will be involved in the organisation of ticketing and travel arrangements, do so in their spare time.  Therefore, if you are efficient in your response, in terms of your requirements and payment, then it would be appreciated.  Payments will be able to be made either by cash, cheque or card (possibly even online), but the book now and pay later option won't be accepted.

We will endevour to keep you all as up to date as possible and your patience and cooperation is appreciated.

National 1:  The title race looks cut & dried with Ealing now nine points clear following a 17-29 win at struggling Tynedale, Rosslyn Pk sit second after a 13-35 win at Esher, whilst third placed Coventry lost out 32-25 at Darlington MP.  Blackheath remain fourth despite a 19-12 defeat by Hartpury with Fylde not fully capitalising after a 24-24 draw with Wharfedale.  At the bottom, Macclesfield’s relegation is confirmed after a 22-35 loss to Loughborough St, and Tynedale’s loss sees them as favourites to go down as well.  Cinderford currently occupy the last of the relegation places and 15-22 loss to Blaydon didn’t help their cause, although the other key relegation candidate in O Albanians also lost out, going down 34-20 at Richmond.

National 2(S): Things tightened up at the top of the table as third club Bishops Stortford held leaders Henley to a 34-34 draw.  Dorking remain in second spot despite a 17-51 hammering at the hands of fourth placed Taunton. At the bottom Dings and Shelford both lost, going down 20-29 and 13-40 to Redruth and Worthing respectively.  Canterbury dropped into the relegation zone after a 14-3 defeat at Chinnor, whilst Lydney climb above them after they drew 24-24 with O Elthamians.  in the mid-table battles Launceston lost out 7-28 to visiting Cambridge and Southend were 36-18 winners against Clifton.

National 3(SE):  At the top a 27-14 win for leaders BSE against Westcombe Pk sees them go six points clear with Barnes now in second place after they hammered Gravesend 13-54 and Ldn Irish WG went down to a 25-36 home defeat to a Guernsey side that now move clear of the relegation zone but leaves Irish dropping away from the promotion places.  At the foot of the table Tring swapped places with CS Rugby after they beat their hosts 18-25, but both still occupy the bottom two places.  A&C drop into the bottom three after a14-36 defaet at the hands of East Grinstead, and Westcliff are still in relegation danger after just losing out by the odd point to visiting TJs 31-32.  the last of the fixtures saw Hertford winners against visiting Chichester by 30-24.

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay five points clear at the top after a 13-20 win at G&F, with Chobham in second spot following their 31-22 result against Brighton.  Sidcup and S&E remain locked together in third place with both posting winning results against Cobham (7-27) and Twickenham 27-12) respectively.  At the foot of the table Havant ran in a cricket score against basement side Basingstoke (0-104), with Hove also losing out 45-24 at Dover, although the Sharks, along with Twickenham and Cobham are one of three sides that could still fill the last relegation place.  In the last of the fixtures, Charlton Pk lost out 17-11 at Guildford.

London 2 (SE):  With relegation already decided in the division the focus now remains at the top end of the table, with the top four all in action against each other.  Leaders Maidstone travelled to fourth placed Tunbridge Wells knowing this was the last of the battles against the promotion challengers and victory would stand them in good stead for the title.  A somewhat scrappy performance saw them run out 10-31 winners to stay 9-points clear at the top.  The other key battle was between second and third placed Medway and Sevenoaks at Knole Paddock and was a key battle for the home side if they were to maintain their challenge, a defeat would see their chances all but gone, whilst Medway had the advantage of a match in hand to regain ground if the result went against them.  In the end it was a somewhat one sided affair as a clinical Medway ran out 10-44 winners and now have an eight point cushion between themselves and third placed Oaks.  Colfes came from behind in a tight encounter to beat visiting Thanet 20-17, whilst the fixture between Ashford and D&B was equally tight, but with the visitors taking the result in a high scoring 29-32 scoreline.  The last of the results saw relegated Aylesford still looking to collect their first point as they went down 19-41 to visiting Crowborough.

London 3 (SE):  At the top and with promotion already secured, the Horsham coach was hoping this would allow his side to relax and take off the shackles against Anchorians as they push for the league title; this though was no ‘dead rubber’ Anchorians are still flirting with relegation and had everything to play for, but the league leaders let losose with a winning 24-51 result.  Dartfordians recovered from last week’s defeat to hammer H&B by 68-10 and with few matches remaining now look to have done enough to secure their own promotion.  At the bottom already relegated Lewes lost out 56-16 at the hands of visiting Folkestone, whilst the H&B defeat by Dartfordians will see them join Lewes in the county leagues.  The last relegation place is still undecided, although Park Hse currently occupies the slot and a 14-31 home defeat by Dunstonians did nothing to help their cause.  A 14-3 defeat for Pulborough at Uckfield sees them along with Anchorians still dangerously close to the drop zone and looking ahead to the remaining fixtures the issue may not be decided until the final day of the season.

Kent 1:  HSBC have been a thorn in the side of all of the promotion challengers in the second half of the season so leaders Cranbrook were no doubt very aware of the threat but still fell to 25-29 home defeat but still remain in pole position and 8 points clear going into the last four matches.  The other big encounter was between Beccs and second placed Sheppey, a 25-12 win for the Beccs now sees them 2 points clear of Sheppey who now sit in third place but with a match in hand.  Vigo were the only other club of the top four to post a win after a 22-14 result against relegation threatened OGs and an 18-13 loss for Sittingbourne at Bexley means that the relegation issues at the foot of the table are still yet to be decided.  In the remaining fixtures Kings Coll were 16-7 winners against O wills, whilst Lordswood lost out 7-15 against Southwark.

Kent 2:  It was honours even in the top of the table clash as NAG and Brockleians fought out a 10-10 draw which leaves Foots Cray still at the head of the division.  Dartford Valley look like they will end the season propping up the table after they lost out 41-0 at Faversham, whilst fellow north coast club Whitstable also won as they posted a 21-26 win at Edenbridge.  The last of the fixtures saw Askean just shade the encounter at Greenwich 22-24.

As has become the tradition in recent years, the overseas players that have been representing the club whilst in Europe and the UK have been asked to present the club with a shirt from their hometown club.  Nick Childs’ shirt is the latest addition to the collection following a successful season with Maidstone during which he scored a not insignificant 11 tries and a total of 183 points. Unfortunately Nick’s stay with us was cut short for domestic reasons which meant he had to return to New Zealand, all being well he will be returning in time for the start of next season’s campaign, but before he departed he took the time to present Head Coach Paul Hathaway with a Stratford RFC shirt.

The club is pleased to announce that Gary Pankhurst from Primary Sponsor Pankhurst Contracting has confirmed their commitment to the club for next season.  In addition, long term sponsors Alan Firmin Ltd, Crowe Clark Whitehill and Glosrose as well as Cripps Law and local real ale pub Ye Olde Thirsty Pig who joined the club at the start of the current season, have also renewed their support for the 2015-16 season.

Current long term partners Alltask and Britelite have both made provisional indications of their continued support and discussions are ongoing.

National 1: Only two fixtures here with leaders Ealing 7-45 winners over bottom club Macclesfield, whilst elsewhere Wharfedale were 8-6 winners over visiting Esher.

National 2(S): Again, few outstanding fixtures here, although Dorking effectively lost ground on leaders Henley after they lost out 19-25 at home to struggling Southend, a result that moves them out of the bottom three and above Canterbury on points difference, but still close to the drop zone. Also at the bottom, Lydney were solid 39-14 winners against Clifton and whilst the result doesn’t move them out of the bottom three it closes the gap to Canterbury.  In the last of the results, Bishops Stortford beat Worthing 29-10 to close the gap on Dorking.

National 3(SE):  At the top of the table it is very much looking like BSE’s title to lose, although they were made to work hard for the win at TJs, just shagging the encounter 17-20, Ldn Irish WG and Barnes remain locked together in second and third place respectively, with Irish 220-30 winners over CS Rugby whilst Barnes keep up the pressure with a tight 23-26 win.  East Grinstead move above Hertford into fourth spot after the two met with the Sussex club resounding 29-3 winners.  At the bottom end with CS Rugby’s defeat dropping them back to the foot of the table and Tring’s defeat keeping them in the relegation zone, the only side to post a win was Guernsey who posted a 33-22 win against a Westcliff side still flirting with the relegation zone. A&C also remain close to the drop zone after they lost out 29-17 at Westcombe Pk, whilst in the last of the fixtures Gravesend went down 14-8 at Chichester.

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay 5 points clear after a convincing 40-7 win over a struggling Twickenham side stuck in the relegation zone.  Second placed Chobham were 12-17 winners at G&F with Sidcup still third after they despatched Guikdford 31-7.   S&E remain level on points with Sidcup following a 12-19 win at Havant.  In the relegation zone Hove convincingly beat bottom club Basingstoke 46-5 whilst a 30-25 defeat for Dover at Charlton Pk sees them only a point clear of safety.

London 2 (SE):  Maidstone’s lead was reduced by a point as a much changed county town club fought out a 15-10 win in the mud against Beckenham, Medway stay second following a 31-17 win against Ashford with Sevenoaks third after a 7-24 win at Thanet whilst the surprise result was a 17-0 defeat for Tunbridge Wells at Crowborough.  At the bottom Aylesford still look for their first point this season although it is now largely academic with today’s 20-3 defeat at D&B confirms their relegation to Ldn 3(SE).

London 3 (SE):  Horsham stay top and secured promotion after they beat Folkestone 10-0 but Dartfordians tripped up in the league title battle against a resurgent H&W, going down 15-3 to the hosts.  Bromley enjoyed another tight battle, this time coming out on top of the 0-5 scoreline against bottom club Lewes.  H&B remain key candidates for relegation after an 8-13 loss against Uckfield, whilst Park Hse just got the upper hand in a hard fought 12-11 contest against visiting Anchorians to keep their survival hopes alive.  In mid table Dunstonians were solid 6-24 winners over a Pulborough side that should have enough points in the bank to ensure survival.

Kent 1:  A 9-17 win for Cranbrook over O Wills keeps them at the top of the table with Sheppey still in second spot despite their fixture against Kings Coll being postponed.  Beccs stay third but have played a game more following a 19-17 defeat at OGs, with fourth placed Vigo also losing out 13-7 at Southwark.  Bexley’s relegation fate looks sealed after they lost out 46-0 to HSBC with Siitingbourne posting a useful 9-5 win against Lordswood to counter OG’s win and stay out of the drop zone.

Kent 2:  In the battle for top spot the momentum looks to have swung towards Foots Cray as they beat NAG 13-10 to move 4 points clear, although NAG have a game in hand.  Brockleians sit third following a 46-16 victory against Edenbridge.  In the other fixtures Shooters went down 12-17 at home to Faversham with near neighbours Whitstable winning with the same scoreline over Greenwich.

National 1: The Ealing march to the title looks to be on the home straight, as a 29-17 win at home against Darlington MP keeps them 4 points clear at the top.  A 35-12 win for Rosslyn Pk over bottom club Macclesfield combined with a 20-22 defeat for Coventry at the hands of Hartpury sees them and Park change places in second and third spot.  Blackheath stay fourth after they beat Esher 27-23 with Fylde in fifth place following a 33-26 victory over struggling Tynedale who now look favourites to join Macclesfield for the drop.  The matchup between O Albanians and Cinderford would probably go a long way to deciding the survival of both clubs, and a 20-7 win for OAs looks to have secured their Div 1 status whilst probably condemning Cinderford to the drop.  Elsewhere, Blaydon were 34-27 winners over Wharfedale with Loughborough St beating Richmond 29-13.

National 2(S): Leaders Henley were narrow 28-34 winners against Taunton whilst Dorking are now thirteen points adrift after a 15-15 draw with Canterbury, a result that helps keep the  city club at  edge of the relegation fringes.  For the bottom clubs, Dings 50-0 thrashing at the hands of Bishop’s Stortford sees them still anchored to the foot of the table with only two fixtures remaining before mathematical survival is gone.  Shelford look likely to join them after a 41-5 loss at Redruth, whilst Lydney’s 10-19 win at Clifton sees them still occupying the last relegation place but certainly not down yet.  A 26-19 defeat for Southend at Cambridge means they aren’t yet out of the woods in terms of survival.  In the mid-table battles Elthamians lost out narrowly in the 24-26 scoreline at home to Chinnor, whilst Worthing were 25-23 winners over visiting Launceston.

National 3(SE):  In what has been possibly the least predictable of the tables, certainly at the top end, some of the issues look like they are beginning to be settled.  BSE now look like the favourites to take top spot as they sit 7 points clear after a 23-14 win over Guernsey who drop back to the foot of the table.  In second place Ldn Irish WG unexpectedly lost ground as they lost out 8-26 at home to struggling Tring who could yet still avoid the drop.  A 22-8 win over Chichester for Barnes in third place sees them only separated from Ldn Irish on points difference with Hertford in fourth following a solid 28-7 win against Westcombe Pk.  Combe remain the highest placed of the Kent clubs after Gravesend lost out 12-15 to East Grinstead and could still get drawn into the relegation scrap, whilst TJs lost to struggling A&C 27-22.  In the last of the fixtures Westcliff are still not clear of the drop zone, losing out to CS Rugby 17-21 as like Tring, they try and haul themselves out of the relegation zone

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon still sit four points clear at the top despite going down 28-23 to nearest challengers Chobham, with Sidcup maintaining the pressure after they beat Dover 10-28 at The Crabble, a result that now sees the coastal club far too close for comfort to the drop zone.  S&E’s 55-29 win against bottom club Hove keeps them level on points with Sidcup, with Hove now looking certain to go down.  Of the other relegation candidates, Basingstoke lost out 22-53 at home to Charlton Pk, whilst Twickenham did their survival chances a power of good with a 24-12 win over Havant.  Cobham are still flirting with the danger area after they gave G&F their first away win of the season with a tight 24-26 result.  Guildford,, who had been one of the early season front runners saw any faint hopes the may have harboured of staying in touch with the top four disappear with an 18-20 loss at the hands of Brighton.

London 2 (SE): At the top of the table Maidstone remain 10-points clear despite their match against Colfes falling foul of the weather, and if the county town club continue their winning ways in the cup competitions, it may now not get played until late April. With Sevenoaks having no fixture Medway moved back into second place after a solid 41-0 win against visiting Thanet Wdrs.  Fourth placed Tunbridge Wells closed the gap on third placed Sevenoaks with a 22-12 win over visiting D&B, whilst at the bottom of the table a 31-7 win for Ashford over basement club Aylesford could potentially see the Bulls relegation confirmed as early as next week.  The last of the fixtures saw Crowborough fail to return to winning ways after the disappointment of last week’s cup loss, with a 20-16 defeat at Beckenham.

London 3 (SE):  A single penalty was all that separated Bromley from leaders Horsham with the table toppers ending up 0-3 winners against the regional Senior Vase finalists.  A 14-5 win for Dartfordians over visiting Uckfield keeps them in second place.  Whilst first and second in the table already looks decided, third placed Bromley have competition from three other clubs for the best of the rest.  H&W sit in fourth and a 28-12 win over bottom club Lewes sees them only a point adrift of Bromley.  Dunstonians and Folkestone are the other two clubs, with both posting wins against struggling H&B (25-14) and Park Hse (51-12) respectively.  Anchorians now look to have lifted themselves clear of relegation danger with another positive result as they convincingly beat Pulborough 48-13.  A result that sees Lewes now only one more defeat from confirmed relegation and last season’s promoted clubs H&B and Park Hse looking the most likely to join them.

Kent 1:  Cranbrook’s lead at the top was reduced following their fixture with Kings Coll being postponed and Sheppey posting a 27-8 win against OGs to stay in second spot with Beccs third after a 0-0 draw against visiting Southwark.  OGs loss keeps them in the relegation zone, just above Bexley who pulled off a surprise  20-17 win at home to fourth placed O Wills, whilst Sittingbourne’s 27-0 defeat at Vigo sees them still just above the drop zone.

Kent 2:  Leaders NAG had no fixture this week and an 8-27 win at Edenbridge for Foots Cray saw them take over top spot in the division with Brockleians narrowing the gap after they beat Greenwich 0-17, although NAG have a match in hand over both clubs.  In the remaining fixtures Faversham beat Askean 39-19 whilst bottom club Dartford Valley lost out 10-27 at the hands of Shooters Hill.

The winner of the £50 in January's 500 Club draw was Glyn Richards.

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Maidstone Rugby reach a London & SE Regional Final for third time in four seasons

After last season’s disappointing performance in the RFU Intermediate Cup where they fell at the first hurdle with a weakened side against a Guildford outfit that went on to take the regional title, Maidstone have put together an impressive cup run this time around.

Although they received an AWO in the opening round against Warlingham in this season’s RFU Intermediate Cup, there have been no easy ties for the county town club, as they despatched runaway London 2(NW) leaders Harrow 31-15 followed by a win against their nearest league rivals Medway 14-0 in the following round.

The team recorded a hard fought 7-33 away victory against a Norfolk based Diss side that head the London 2(NE) table and were defending an unbeaten home record this season until Maidstone’s visit.

Maidstone have had a good record in the RFU cup competitions in recent seasons, taking the London & SE regional title in the 2012 and 2013 Senior Vase competition and only exiting the tournament at the National Semi-Final stage following narrow defeats.

The side are looking to go one better this season, but first they host a Chiswick side that are going well in London 2(NW) and beat Crowborough 17-10 in the semi-final.

Maidstone Rugby is the latest Kent club to team up with Saracens as one of its partner clubs.  Given the county’s affiliation with Saracens it was the logical choice for the club after having conducted an in depth study of the benefits offered by the other regional Premiership clubs.

One of the first ventures for Jo Ellesmere who has taken on the role as Maidstone Rugby’s Premiership Club Liaison Officer, was the organisation of a one-day rugby camp at the club in conjunction with the Saracens community team.  This event held on Monday was a resounding success and saw over 120 young players between the ages of 7 and 16 attending for the day.

National 1: No change at the top as Ealing stay 4 points clear of Rosslyn Pk after a 22-39 win at Hartpury whilst Park had po0sted a convincing 6-44 win at Richmond on the Friday evening.  Coventry are third despite a 20-17 defeat at the hands of Esher and Blackheath close the gap in fourth spot  their 13-25 result on the road at bottom club Macclesfield.  Tynedale look candidates to join relegation favourites Macclesfield after they lost 27-18 at Darlington MP, whilst Conderford could yet still avoid the drop after they beat Loughborough St 28-12.  O Albanians went down 22-17 at Wharfedale and could yet be dragged back into the relegation scrap.  The last of the fixtures saw Fylde narrow 24-28 winners at Blaydon.

National 2(S):  Wins for the top two against Kent opposition maintains the status quo at the head of the table, with leaders Henley defeating Canterbury 39-24 and second placed Dorking downing Elthamians 13-6.  At the bottom Dings went down to a heavy 26-54 defeat, whilst Shelford fared little better as they lost by a similar margin 14-54 at home to Bishop’s Stortford.  An 18-24 reversal for Lydney against visiting Cambridge completed a set of defeats for the bottom three, whilst a tight 22-21 win for Southend over Launceston helps move them clear of the drop zone.  In the mid-table battles Redruth overcame Worthing 22-17 whilst Chinnor lost out to Clifton 29-32.

RFU Knockout Competitions:

Intermediate Cup:  Maidstone maintained their unbeaten record as the despatched Ldn 2(NE) leaders Diss 7-33, in a much tighter contest than the scoreline suggests and will face Ldn 2(NW) club Chiswick in the regional final on 14^th March after they overcame visiting Crowborough 17-10.

Senior Vase:  Home advantage told for Bromley as they just edged out Ldn Exiles 22-20 and will face a Fullerians side who are probably now favourites after they were convincing 24-0 winners against Kent club Dartfordians.

Junior Vase:  The Junior Vase is the only competition where there will be no county representative in the regional final, last season’s regional champions make the final again after Battersea Ironsides beat Eastern Counties 1 club Wisbech 7-20.  They will face either fellow Surrey 1 club Camberley or Essex based May & Baker, although the M&B result against Chipstead is apparently still the subject of an RFU enquiry

The club is pleased to announce, and offers its congratulations to 1st XV skipper Ben Williams and winger Alex Eastwood on their selection for the Kent Senior and U20 squads respectively, to compete in this season's inter county competitions.

Ben will be part of the county's senior squad to compete in the Bill Beaumont Division1 Cup, with pool fixtures against Hertfordshire, Cornwall and Gloucestershire.  Alex is part of the squad for the National U20 competition and is included in the matchday squad for the fixture v Cornwall at Charlton Park this coming Sunday (15th Feb).

Well done guys.  #oneclub

OK Ladies, why should the guys have all the fun? So now's your chance to have a great evening out with the girls, whilst they chase after you.

Plus you get to support a good cause with a proprtion of the proceeds going towards Breast Cancer Research.

There are now have 20 girls playing at Maidstone Rugby and are looking to build on this. Do you know any girls in Year 6 and above that want to play rugby?  The girls train on Monday evenings and if you are interested in taking up the sport or just want to come along and find out what it's all about, then contact Miles Tempan on 07875 700236.

The club has booked a 53 seater coach for the RFU Intermediate Cup Regional Semi-Final at Diss on the 14th February.  It is anticipated that once team travelling requirements have been met there will be c25 seats available for supporter travel.

Travelling  supporters should bear in mind that travel arrangement timings will be primarily focussed on the team arriving in good time for pre match preparations.  This may not necessarily dovetail with any hospitality arrangements that Diss may be arranging and information on ths will be communicated once it is received.

Cost will be £10 per head, which is good value when you consider the fuel and toll costs of a return trip by car.  Places are available on a first come, first served basis and can be booked at the club bar with the bar staff.  Payment is required at the time of booking.

Travel Timings:

Meet at club: 08:30am

Depart: 08:45am prompt

Lunch: 11:30 - 12:30 at  The White Horse Inn, Stoke Ash, Eye, IP23 7ET. (This is c9 miles and 15-20 mins short of Diss RFC)

Depart lunch for Diss RFC: 12:30

Arrive Diss RFC: 12:45pm

Normal Game Routine: 1:00pm

Kick Off: 2:30pm

Return trip:

Depart Diss at 6:00-6:30pm

For those making their own travel arrangements, Diss RFC is located at: Mackenders, Bellrope Lane, Roydon, Diss, IP22 5RG.

National 1: A 24-19 win against visiting Esher keeps them at the head of the table, with Coventry still in second spot after their 35-15 win over bottom club Macclesfield.  Rosslyn Pk are third after they posted a 24-7 result against struggling Cinderford and Blackheath are a distant fourth despite playing out a tight 24-24 draw against Richmond.  At the bottom Tynedale remain in the bottom three alongside Macclesfield and Cinderford after they lost out 16-23 to visiting Hartpury.  O Albanians are not yet clear of danger despite a tight 19-18 win against Blaydon, whilst a 29-15 defeat for Wharfedale at Loughborough St still sees them in danger.  The last of the fixtures saw Darlington MP pick up a valuable 10-33 away win at Fylde to move into a comfortable mid-table position.

National 2(S): An 18-23 win for leaders Henley at O Elthamians keeps them in pole position, with Dorking still second after they came out on top in an equally tight 11-15 scoreline at Clifton. Taunton now sit a distant third after they posted a solid 33-17 win over struggling Shelford who now look destined for the drop alongside a Dings side who went down 31-14 at the hands of Canterbury.  The result sees the city club move into mid table, although not yet totally out of the relegation woods.  Defeats for Southend at Worthing (33-11) and Lydney at Launceston (15-13) would appear to indicate that the last of the relegation places will be between those two, unless there is a big change of fortunes in the closing weeks. In mid-table Bishop’s Stortford posted a big 45-20 win over Redruth, whilst Cambridge were 22-14 winners against visiting Chinnor.

National 3(SE):  In what is turning out to be the least predictable of divisions there was another reshuffle amongst the leading clubs.  Leaders BSE stay top after a 10-24 win at struggling CS Rugby who stay anchored in the relegation zone, whilst Ldn Irish WG remain second following a thumping 59-21 result over a Westcliff side still not clear of relegation danger.  Barnes’ tight 11-14 result at East Grinstead keeps them third but puts a real dent in the G-Force's promotion hopes in fourth spot.  Chichester‘s recent good form came to an end as they were surprisingly overturned 29-10 by a struggling Tring outfit that move off the bottom, but not out of the drop zone.  For the county's clubs, all sit in mid table, Combe remain seventh after a 28-17 win over local rivals Gravesend, with TJ’s also winning as they ended Hertford’s run of form with a 28-21 scoreline.at the bottom end of the division Guernsey drop to the foot of the table again despite posting a 20-18 win over fellow strugglers A&C.

London 1 (S):  Wins for the top two in Wimbledon and Chobham over Havant (45-0) and Cobham (38-12) keep them in the prime promotion positions with Sidcup looking to capitalise on any slip up in third spot after they hammered struggling Basingstoke 57-0.  At the bottom, basement club Hove beat fellow strugglers Twickenham 23-14 but still remain anchored to the foot of the table, a 22-16 defeat for Dover still keeps them on the edge of the drop zone whilst G&F’s narrow 23-22 win over Guildford is probably enough to see them safe for this season.

London 2 (SE): First played second for the second consecutive week as leaders Maidstone played host to Sevenoaks; given that a total of only 6-points separated the two sides in the previous three encounters, the 34-14 scoreline saw the league leaders make amends for last week’s poor performance and has probably put a hole below the waterline of Oaks’ promotion challenge.  At the foot of the table, still no luck for Aylesford as they seek their first point of the season, going down to a heavy 7-58 home defeat to visiting Tunbridge Wells.  D&B and Beckenham change places after a 17-12 result in favour of the coastal club, whilst Crowborough returned to winning ways with a 18-5 win over visiting Colfes.  In the battle between last season’s promoted sides, Thanet and Ashford, the spoils went to Thanet with a 24-7 result.

London 3 (SE): The top two sit well clear of third placed Bromley who won at struggling near neighbours Park Hse 11-17, whilst Horsham and Dartfordians now look nailed on certainties for the promotion places after closer results against H&W (16-8) and basement club Lewes (29-32) than might have been expected.  At the foot of the table H&B along with Park Hse now look the other likely relegation candidates after they lost out 10-24 to Anchorians who now look to be moving away from the drop zone.  In mid-table Pulborough won a tight battle 13-12 at home to Folkestone, with Uckfield also winning narrowly at home to visiting Dunstonians 11-5.

Kent 1:  A 57-3 home win for leaders Cranbrook against bottom club Bexley, combined with a surprise 30-17 defeat for Beccs makes the league title the Wealden club’s to lose, as they now have a 10-point advantage.  Recent weeks have seen HSBC drive a coach and horses through the form book, as for the third consecutive week they toppled another of the promotion challengers, defeating Vigo 34-15 and dropping them to fifth spot, having been overhauled by O Wills who won 30-14 against visiting Lordswood.  Sheppey knew at the turn of the year that they needed to maintain a winning form to be in the hunt and a tight 22-26 win at Southwark sees them move into second spot and the playoff place but only by a point from third placed Beccs.

Kent 2:  A 45-0 thumping of Edenbridge by NAG keeps them at the top of the table, four points clear of Foots Cray, who were equally conving 43-0 winners over Greenwich.  Third placed Brockleian’s had no fixture and Askean closed the gap with a 58-14 win against Dartford Valley.  In the last of the fixtures Faversham moved off the bottom of the table with a more modest scoreline in the 7-24 against local rivals Whitstable.

Maidstone Rugby are delighted to announce that they have teamed up with Future Schools Trust (Cornwallis Academy) to offer a new Rugby Academy for Sixth Form students from September 2015.

Students studying courses in the Sixth Form can choose to join Future Schools Trust's Rugby Academy.  The students will be coached by representatives from Maidstone Rugby and the Trust's PE staff and will take part in regular fixtures. The students will also gain an insight into other roles within the game of rugby through recognised coaching, leadership and officiating courses. The skills learnt would then be applied by assisting with junior rugby development, primarily throughout the Trust's junior teams and feeder primary schools.

The run up to this season's RBS 6 Nations saw BBC Radio Kent's David Creasey visit the club on Thursday evening to talk about the upcoming tournament.  As well as watching the senior squad training, in what at times were blizzard conditions, David took some time to chat with Head Coach Paul Hathaway, Club Capatain Ben Williams and player Euan Caborn about the the 6 Nations and England's chances as well as the club's so far unbeaten season.  This was followed up with the opportunity to talk to Kent referee and former county chairman for womens rugby, Tracey Pettingale about the women's 6 Nations tournament  and its impact on raising the profile of womens' and girls' rugby in the county.

The interviews will be aired on BBC Radio Kent's  Breakfast show hosted by John Warnett & Maggie Doyle between 6:00am and 9:00am on Friday 5th Feb.

National 1: Ealing stay top despite their fixture with bottom club Macclesfield being postponed, Coventry did close the gap after they drew with Richmond 28-28, with Rosslyn Pk also narrowing the deficit following their 12-17 win at Wharfedale.  Blackheath now sit in fourth spot after they posted a narrow 14-17 win at struggling Cinderford, with Fylde dropping to fifth after a surprise 25-15 reversal at O Albanians. At the bottom end of the table Tynedale lost out heavily, going down 58-20 at Esher and stay one off the bottom.  In mid-table Blaydon overcame Loughborough St 27-23 whilst Hartpury were 34-19 winners over Darlington MP.

National 2(S): At the top, Henley march on after a 32-17 win over Clifton with Dorking second after a tight 16-15 home win over Cambridge. Taunton remains in third place despite an 8-5 defeat at Redruth and Chinnor closed the gap in fourth after they beat Launceston 24-12.  At the bottom end of the division, Canterbury’s winning streak came to an end as they lost out 8-0 to fellow strugglers Shelford, bottom club Dings lost out 6-25 to the visiting O Elthamians and Lydney did their survival chances a lot of good with 25-20 win against Southend, who are now drawn into the relegation battle.  The remaining fixture between Bishop’s Stortford and Worthing fell foul of the weather and was postponed.

National 3(SE):  Another reshuffle at the top of this competitive division as second placed BSE overcame leaders London Irish WG 20-9 to move into top spot, third placed East Grinstead  failed to capitalise as they lost out 23-6 at Chichester and drop to fifth place.  Barnes posted a winning 7-3 result against a stuttering Westcombe Pk to move into third place whilst Combe look to have now dropped out of contention.  Fellow Kent club TJs, couldn’t narrow the gap to them as they lost out 20-16 at county rivals Gravesend.  At the bottom end of the table, Guernsey ended Hertford's recent good run of form with a tight 6-8 win to move off the bottom.  They are replaced at the foot of the table by Tring who went down 18-12 against Westcliff, whilst in the battle between struggling CS Rugby and A&C, the honours went to the Buckinghamshire club 17-13.

London 1 (S):  A 10-34 win for leaders Wimbledon at Cobham sees them very much in the box seat for the title race.  Behind them there are still four sides in the promotion race, with all in competition with each other today; second placed Chobham were  22-29 winners at fifth club Guildford, third and fourth did battle as S&E  hosted Sidcup with visitors coming out on top 5-11 to move up to third place.   At the foot of the division whilst a 27-15 defeat at Havant for basement club Hove sees them looking most likely to go down, Basingstoke’s 5-62 hammering at home to Brighton means they look the obvious second candidate.  As we go into the last third of the season, the last of the relegation places looks to be between Dover and Twickenham, with Twickenham losing out heavily 14-52 to visiting Charlton Pk and Dover doing their survival chances a power of good with a solid 31-8 win against visiting G&F who are yet to win away from home.

London 2 (SE): The top two went head to head as leaders Maidstone travelled to Medway knowing they had beaten the hosts twice this season in contrasting conditions, in what was a tight contest the league leaders maintain their unbeaten record, but only just, as it ended honours even with a 14-14 draw.  Sevenoaks hosted an in form Crowborough, and with a win apiece after earlier league and cup encounters this season, Oaks needed the win to capitalise on the draw between the top two and the 28-13 result sees them overhaul Medway into second spot.   Tunbridge Wells stay in fourth spot after they just squeezed past Ashford 17-18, whilst Beckenham maintain fifth place with a 13-5 result over winless bottom club Aylesford.  The last of the fixtures saw Colfes host D&B and losing out heavily 17-33.

London 3 (SE):  The all Sussex top v bottom encounter went as expected with leaders Horsham running out 3-40 winners at Lewes, Dartfordians remain second despite a losing 13-15 result at home to Dunstonians.  At the bottom a heavy 53-5 defeat for H&B at Folkestone sees them favourite for one of the two other relegation places with either Park Hse or Anchorians looking likely to fill the last place.  A 34-0 defeat for Park Hse at H&W didn’t help their cause especially with Anchorians posting a narrow 10-7 win at home to Uckfield to capitalise on the result.  The last of the fixtures saw Bromley run out 24-10 winners over visiting Pulborough to narrow the gap on second place.

Kent 1:  There is now clear water between leaders Cranbrook and second placed Beccs after the Wealden club won 17-24 at Lordswood and Beccs went down 0-10 at home to an in form HSBC.  Sheppey move back into contention in third place after a 41-5 win against struggling Sittingbourne and overhaul Vigo who suffered a 0-19 home reversal against O Wills.  OGs were able to capitalise on Sittingbourne’s heavy defeat as they posted a 17-3 win over Southwark to move out of the bottom two, whilst basement club Bexley now look certain for the drop after a 33-3 defeat at Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  The withdrawal of Orpington from the division and the resultant expunging of their results have tightened up the standings at the top of the table.  NAG continues to lead after a big 0-45 win at Greeenwich, whilst Brockleians are second after they beat Faversham 10-26.  Foots Cray sit third, just behind Brockleians, but with a match in hand and no fixture today.   Elsewhere, Shooters Hill went down 5-22 to Askean and Dartford Valley lost out 5-37 at home to Whitstable.

2015 RFU President’s Awards

Time is short for any nominations for the RFU President’s Awards which can be submitted up until Sunday,February 1, 2015.

The overarching theme is to identify and reward outstanding teams of volunteers, although nominees for Category 7 – the President's Choice, ‘Beyond Rugby’ can be an individual or a group.

For full details click here

To ensure nominations are coordinated, anyone making a nomination is requested to do so via the Chairman, Jon Sargent.  Please submit your nomination (in accordance with the guidance outlined at the above link) in the form of an MS Word document and Jon will ensure the online nomination process is completed.

Many will have noticed that the left hand column of the website has been updated with a few new navigation buttons, there will a couple of extra additions in due course so please bear with us.

None of the pages prior to the changes have been lost, but there are a few additions as follows.

Club Volunteers:  This page is an important addition to the website and will contain information about roles for which we are looking for volunteers to step forward and assist in developing the club.  As a consequence all of the role descriptions for various posts within the club will now be contained here and deleted from the Policy page of the website.

RWC 2015:  This page will link to the official RWC 2015 website (as does the logo that cycles through the Maidstone Rugby window at the top of the right hand column of the website) , in addition it will also feature news articles that are more relevant to both the county and SE region.

500 Club:  This button replaces the standard navigation button that was previously in place.

In addition some husbandry has been carried out on the Links page of the website, if there are any particularly useful links that have been removed then please let us know and we will restore them.  There is some further web management to be conducted but this will not affect the site map as a whole and should purely involve the updating of some content of respective generic pages.

National 1:  At the top Ealing remain the front runners after a 63-35 win over Richmond, with Coventry just four points adrift after they beat struggling Cinderford 32-22.  Rosslyn Pk stay third following their tight 20-15 home win over Blaydon and Fylde sit fourth despite losing out 12-35 to visiting Hartpury.  Blackheath’s 17-7 win over Wharfedale sees them close the gap on Fylde to just 4 points.  At the bottom end of the table doomed Macclesfield gave their spirits a lift with a 20-22 win at fellow strugglers Tynedale, whilst O Albanians occupy the last of the relegation places following their 30-20 defeat at the hands of Loughborough St.  The last of the fixtures saw mid-table Darlington MP exchange places with Esher after a 30-22 win for the NE club.

National 2(S):  Canterbury made it three on the trot as they posted a useful 28-23 result at home against Redruth, a result that sees them 10 points clear of the bottom three.  Of those clubs, Lydney went down heavily 59-5 at Worthing, whilst O Elthamians did the city club a favour in beating Shelford 23-3.  Basement club Dings lost 49-19 at Clifton.  At the top a 27-32 win for Henley over Cambridge sees them extend their lead to eight points after Dorking could only manage a 17-17 draw at Launceston.  Taunton posted a 22-17 win over Bishop’s Stortford whilst in mid-table Southend beat Chinnor 18-14.

London 1 (S):  Both of these delayed matches had more bearing on the relegation battl;e than the promotion race; G&F did themselves a power of good with a resounding 45-12 win over struggling Twickenham, a result that moves them up two places to eight spot, but leaves their opponents occupying the third of the relegation places.  Basement club Hove stay anchored to the bottom after a 57-0 hammering at Sidcup, with the result moving the Kent club above Guildford and into fourth spot.

London 2 (SE): Any promotion aspirations harboured by Tunbridge Wells have probably been dispelled after they fell to a 27-24 defeat at Colfes in a match delayed from earlier in the season, Whilst Crowborough continue their resurgence with a tight 10-15 win at Thanet.  The results now see Wells 10-points adrift of third placed Sevenoaks, with Crowborough and Thanet still in the lower half of the table in 8^th and 9^th places respectively, although the 'Crows' still have an outstanding postponed fixture to fit in around their league and Intermediate Cup commitments.

London 3 (SE):  The mid table battle between Uckfield and Folkestone went the way of the home side as they ran out solid 28-7 winners but they still lie 10 points their opponents for the day in seventh place to Folkestone’s sixth.

Kent 2:  No fixtures this week in the division. But the main news is the withdrawal of Orpington from the league.  No club takes this sort of decision lightly and issues of player availability, particularly in the front row, have somewhat forced their hand, and having already conceded two league fixtures they were unwilling to  risk  expulsion in the event of a third cancellation.  We wish them well as they look to turn things around.

RFU Knockout Competitions:

Junior Vase:  From a county perspective the key encounter was between Sheppey, who travelled to face last season’s champions Battersea Ironsides.  Ultimately they came up short, going down 17-8 as the Ironsides look to go one step further than last season’s National semi-final.  Camberley made short work of Kingston as they ran out 60-10 winners to progress, whilst Cheshunt lost out 13-19 at home to Wisbech.  The last of the ties between May & Baker and Chipstead was abandoned.

Shepherd Neame Kent Cup: With Blackheath already through to the next round after a 10-46 win over Colfes back in November, their semi-final opponents were decided this weekend after TJs ran out convincing 0-31 winners against Medway.  The other fixture played this weekend also pitched a Nat 3 club against London 2 opposition as Westcombe Pk hosted Maidstone; and although Combe had tried to play down the disparity in league standings, citing their own stuttering form; perhaps they were correct in their assessment as Maidstone were deserved 20-33 winners on the day to maintain their currently unbeaten season, The victors now go on to host the winners of the only outstanding tie between Tunbridge Wells and O Elthamians in the second of the semi-finals

Plate: In the first of the Plate fixtures to be played Dartfordians went down 19-57, with Gravesend having a Bye, the rest of the fixtures are scheduled for the 14^th Feb.

Rugby club fare is normally regarded as pretty traditional, and there is probably nothing quite as filling on a cold day as Suasages or Pie and Mash, however, Saturday’s lunch prior to the league fixture with Thanet Wdrs was a departure from that traditional stereotype and took a trip to the orient, with club members and sponsors experiencing a variety of Far East cuisine.  Hosted by Gary Pankhurst from the club’s primary sponsor Pankhurst Contracting the meal ranged from Japanese sushi to start, with a fusion of curries for a main course and desserts that demonstrated just a hint of difference from the norm.  In fact, probably the only recognisable English aspect of the meal was the Coffee, Cheese and Biscuits to round off a very enjoyable prelude to the main event of the day on the pitch.  An accomplished speaker, Gary even managed to get all those attending to join in a rendition of Max Bygraves ‘a Tiny House’; now that certainly was a first!

Prior to the lunch Fergus and Judith Wilson presented the club with a Wales international shirt signed by welsh legends Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett and JPR Williams and the whole event was rounded off with a presentation by club President Jim Tinsley, of a framed club shirt to Gary Pankhurst in recognition of his support to the club as its primary sponsor.

National 1: League leaders Ealing suffered a 27-22 reversal at struggling Cinderford, with second placed Coventry closing the gap following a 13-17 win at Wharfedale, with Rosslyn Pk still in third spot following their 10-19 win at struggling O Albanians, who drop into the bottom three.  Fylde stay in fourth place despite going down 14-7 at Loughborough whilst Blackheath closed the gap in fifth after they continued their good form with a 31-38 win at Blaydon.  At the bottom, basement club Macclesfield lost out 28-33 to Darlington MP, whilst Tynedale were beaten 38-17 at Richmond. In the last of the fixtures, Esher were beaten 8-36 by visiting Hartpury.

National 2(S): In a performance that belied relative league positions, a 12-19 win for the city club at fourth placed Bishop’s Stortford sees Canterbury move out of the bottom three with fellow strugglers Lydney and Shelford both losing out, going down to Clifton (24-7) and Chinnor (22-17) respectively.  Bottom club Dings lost out 0-5 to visiting Cambridge.  At the top Henley only just beat visiting Launceston by the odd point in the 29-28 scoreline, whilst second placed Dorking’s fixture against Southend fell to the weather.  In mid-table Redruth were 22-10 winners against O Elthamians, whilst Taunton beat Worthing 30-17.

National 3(SE):  The only team to really lose out in what is tending to be a weekly reshuffle of the sides in the top order were Westcombe Pk, as a 15-21 home defeat to Chichester sees them drop to seventh spot with Chichester moving into sixth.  A close fought 3-8 win for Barnes at TJs now sees them in fifth spot, just behind the in form Hertford who won 18-30 at struggling CS Rugby.  East Grinstead are third after a hard fought 14-19 win  against Tring whilst second placed BSE were 17-25 winners at Westcliff.  Bottom club Guernsey lost out 10-18 to visiting Gravesend whilst at the top London Irish WG posted a 40-23 win against A&C.

London 1 (S):  No change at the top of the division, with leaders Wimbledon beating bottom club Hove 61-12, whilst second placed Chobham were 38-17 winners against Dover who drop into the bottom three.  Third placed S&E were 7-26 winners at Brighton, with fourth club Guildford’s challenge faltering after a 22-5 reversal at a revtalised Cobham.  The bottom end of the table sees Basingstoke just above Hove following their 32-26 defeat at G&F who now move clear of the drop zone, whilst Twickenham still look vulnerable after a 30-0 defeat at the hands of Sidcup.  The last of the fixtures saw Charlton Pk go down 8-25 at home to Havant.

London 2 (SE): Given the recent weather, predictably the Crowborough v Medway and Tunbridge Wells v Beckenham fixtures were postponed through waterlogged pitches, with both home sides now building a backlog of fixtures.  Excess water wasn’t the issue for league leaders Maidstone as they ran out solid 38-8 winners against Thanet to extend their lead at the top of the table, whilst third placed Sevenoaks were able to get over the real hurdle of a D&B side at home, with an 11-21 win in a fixture that was always a potential ‘banana skin’.  However their failure to collect the bonus point could potentially be seen as a point dropped.  At the bottom Aylesford fell to a 0-24 home defeat to Colfes in a much tighter contest than their last outing, but a result that still sees them 13 points adrift of Ashford who had no fixture this weekend.

London 3 (SE):  Without doubt the key battle was between the top two, as Horsham hosted title rivals Dartfordians with home advantage telling in an encounter that was just as close as the early season encounter between the two sides.  A 20-15 result now sees Horsham 5-points clear at the top of the table with Darts still 18-points ahead of third placed Bromley who won 15-21 at struggling H&B.  In mid table Folkestone’s fixture at Uckfield was lost to the weather, whilst at the bottom end of the table, basement club Lewes were beaten 29-3 at Park Hse, a result that combined with Anchorians 29-8 loss at the hands of Dunstonians sees the Gillingahm side drop into the relegation zone alongside H&B and Lewes.  The last of the fixtures saw H&W continue their recent good form with a 10-19 win at fellow Sussex club Pulborough.

Kent 1:  Another key fixture at the top of the table, as Cranbrook hosted fellow promotion challengers Vigo with the result ending more one sided than might have been expected, asthe 'Wealden' club ran out convincing 30-7 winners to go 2-points clear at the top.  Beccs travelled to face an O Wills side looking to get back to winning ways but had enough to run out 10-21 winners to stay second, five points clear of Vigo.  In the last of the fixtures affecting the promotion challengers, Sheppey were away to face a HSBC side that appears to blow hot & cold on a weekly basis, this week it was the hot version as they dented the promotion hopes of the Islanders with a 33-27 result. At the bottom end of the table Lordswood put another nail in the Bexley coffin as the visitors ran out 6-24 winners against the basement club.  The encounter between Sittingbourne and OGs was a match that could have decided whether the home side got dragged into the relegation battle and also if an escape from the drop was a realistic hope for the visitors, a close fought encounter went the way of OGs with a 5-8 result and sees them swap places with the Swale club.   In the last of the fixtures Southwark were 7-0 winners against Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  A HWO for leaders NAG against bottom club Orpington sees them 8-points clear at the top with second placed Brockleians still only two points clear of Foots Cray despite both posting big wins against Dartford Valley (51-3) and Faversham (41-0) respectively.  Shooters Hill’s challenge has realistically disappeared after they lost out 21-3 at Whitstable and now lie 15-points off the top three, with the last of the fixtures seeing Edenbridge run out 13-3 winners against visiting Greenwich.

Please don't let this Club down. Treat referees as our guests and with respect at all times!

There appears to be a continuing trend of Match Official abuse; at the county AGM and in their pre-season letter to clubs, the county confirmed that they considered that such abuse must stop and to that end, they would consider in each case whether to add an extra number of weeks sanction as an additional deterrent.  They have added either 2 or 4 weeks to each case that has appeared before us; accordingly sanction periods of between 8 and 12 weeks have been imposed in some cases, even where a low entry point has been the starting point.

In other areas of the country the level of abuse has been such that a number of referees have walked away from rugby completely and this has resulted in severe sanctions for clubs concerned.  In some cases referees are not being provided to any match involving the offending club, regardless of level and age group.  Without them we have no game!

The RFU are currently being very firm on this area of abuse and will support County Discipline Panels who take a similar stance. In some recent cases of referee abuse the RFU have increased sanctions considerably – sometimes to bans running to two years.

Saturday 7^th February sees not only the 1^st XV home fixture against local rivals Sevenoaks RFC in the current league campaign, but also the next in the series of this season's Pre-match Lunches.

The club will be entertaining guests from our opposition for the day, as well as a number of the club’s current and potential new sponsors and advertisers.  This is likely to be a great occasion combined with what is traditionally a keenly contested local derby, (a total of only 6 points have separated the sides over 3 fixtures in the last two seasons) it promises to be a great day.  The pre-match lunches continue to be extremely popular this season and places are already filling up @ £20 per head.  It is recommended that you book early to avoid disappointment,  places will be allocated on a first come first served basis, if you are interested in attending then please contact Club President Jim Tinsley.

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It is obvious that in some areas  the new competition is thriving, and it is pleasing that the tiered structure of the competition  is achieving its aim,  resulting in some keenly contested and evenly fought matches. However, that picture is by no means universal and if we want to maintain interest in all areas, it will require some extra effort, especially in East Kent.

The organisers are particularly impressed by Leigh, who have been suffering an injury crisis but have managed to field a team of sorts for all three of their fixtures so far even if it has meant turning up short handed as they did against Cranbrook and most recently  at New Ash Green where they honoured the fixture with only 8 or 9 players. That is so much better than throwing in the towel and we gather that a very enjoyable and friendly 13 a side game ensued.

It was also good to see that D&B have made a late start to the competition and got one game under their belts so far and the committee remains convinced that Dover can still get their campaign off the ground before it’s too late.

Remember there are 16 Semi-Final Places up for grabs in Cup and Plate competitions across the 2 Tiers, East Kent vs West Kent, with home advantage going to the highest placed teams, so there is everything to play for.

The next round of matches is scheduled for 25th Jan and there is also a reserve date on Feb 15th if Dover and D&B want to have a go at getting their match played. If you are scheduled to play on 25th Jan, it would be ideal to make contact with your opponents  as soon as possible.

Many thanks to all that have expressed their support for this inaugural and made so much effort so far.

Click here for latest East & West pool standings.

RE

National 1: Ealing stay sic points clear at the top after a massive 78-12 result against Wharfedale, with Coventry still in second spot after they beat Blaydon 34-15.  An equally solid 38-17 win over Loughborough St keeps Rosslyn Pk in third spot from Fylde who beat Esher 48-17.  Blackheath stay in fifth, although somewhat off the pace of the leading four after they beat struggling O Albanians 33-8 with sixth placed Richmond slipping up 43-13 at Darlington MP.  At the foot of the table, bottom club Macclesfield went down heavily, 54-10 at Hartpury, with Cinderford now tied on points with Tynedale after they were narrow 5-10 winners in the battle between the other two prime relegation candidates.

National 2(S):  Life isn’t getting any easier for struggling Canterbury, but a 19-16 home win against top six club Taunton will ease some of their worries as they move out of the bottom three despite still being mired in the relegation battle.  Of the club’s alongside them in the relegation zone, bottom club Dings lost out 18-8 at Launceston, whilst in the Cambridge derby struggling Shelford went down 29-8 to their near neighbours.  At the top of the table Henley stay top despite a narrow 18-17 loss at Southend, with Dorking second only on points difference after a 14-38 BP win at struggling Lydney, which sees the Gloucestershire drop below Canterbury and into the bottom three.  In the remaining fixtures, O Elthamians lost out 14-26 at home to Bishop’s Stortford whilst Worthingsere convincing 36-14 winners at home to Chinnor.  Clifton were 30-22 winners against Redruth in the last of the fixtures.

National 3(SE):  Another reshuffle at the top end of the division but London Irish WG stay top on points difference despite losing out 14-9 at Hertford who now lie in fifth spot, BSE stay in second spot after they beat struggling Tring 42-22 who are now bottom of the table; but Westcombe Pk drop from third to sixth after they lost out 18-3 at East Grinstead who take over third place.  Chichester drop to seventh after going down 13-23 In their match against a visiting TJs who although they stay in eighth spot are demonstrating good form against the top sides and closing the gap on the leading group. At the bottom end of the table Guernsey stay in the bottom two after losing 29-24 to a now fourth placed Barnes.  Westcliff move out of the bottom three with a 29-34 win at fellow strugglers A&C, although both still lie too close to the drop zone for comfort and CS Rugby drop into the bottom three after they lost heavily 44-24 at Gravesend.

London 1 (S):  In reality the promotion battle is now between four clubs and in the encounter  between the top two sides, leaders Wimbledon overcame Guildford’s challenge with a 26-30 result that also sees the Surrey club drop to third place.  Chobham’s 7-22 result at struggling Basingstoke now puts them in second place with S&E in fourth after they beat struggling G&F 44-24.  Sidcup lie fifth after they beat Havant 5-17.  At the bottom end of the table Hove remain bottom despite a 15-15 draw with visiting Charlton Pk, with Basingstoke just above them after their loss at Chobham.  G&F occupy the last of the relegation places but Dover still sit in danger after they went down 15-20 at home to Cobham who are not out of danger themselves.  In the last of the fixtures Twickenham posted a welcome 16-12 win against Brighton but along with Dover and Cobham still sit too close to the drop zone.

London 2 (SE): This weekend was a blank weekend for leaders Maidstone as well as Thanet Wdrs, whose fixture against Crowborough has been rearranged for the 24^th Jan due to the Crows having to play their postponed Intermediate Cup fixture against Ldn Cornish.  Of the chasing pack, Medway narrowed the gap to five points with a 24-0 result in what could have been a tricky fixture against D&B.  Sevenoaks always looked to have a straightforward five pointer as they hosted bottom club Aylesford and consolidated their third place in the table, as they ran out massive 83-0 winners against the basement club for whom the New Year appears to have brought no change in fortunes.  Tunbridge Wells’ two defeats before the Xmas break mean they have dropped a bit off the pace and a trip to Colfes was a potential ‘banana skin’ they needed to get past if they were to maintain their challenge; in the end the fixture fell foul of the weather and will now be rescheduled for the 24^th Jan alongside Crowborough’s fixture against Thanet.  The last of the fixtures saw Ashford host Beckenham and lose out 14-24 to the visitors.

London 3 (SE):  At the top Horsham remain in pole position after a 34-14 win over strugglers Park Hse, with Dartfordians hard on their heels after they beat Anchorians 25-12.  Bromley sit third after a narrow 7-5 win against Uckfield and some 18 points adrift of the top two sides, with Folkestone in fourth spot after they won 20-7 at home to Dunstonians.  At the bottom, Lewes remains anchored to the foot of the table despite posting their second win of the campaign with a 15-7 win over Sussex rivals Pulborough.  H&B’s 34-3 defeat at the hands of H&W keeps them one off the bottom with Park Hse occupying the last of the relegation places with Anchorians the nearest club, five points above them.

Kent 1:  Without doubt the top of the table clash between Beccs and Cranbrook was the eye catching fixture in the division, with the match ending honours even in a 10-10 draw to leave no change at the top of the table.  For the other clubs challenging at the top end of the table this was an opportunity to close the gap, Vigo predictably despatched bottom club Bexley 32-0 to move into close the gap in third place.  Sheppey need to win all their fixtures if promotion is to be a real possibility and a home match against an in form O Wills the match was not as close as might have been expected, with the result going the way of Sheppey 21-3 keeps them their promotion chances alive.  At the bottom a 31-26 win for OGs at home to HSBC keeps their survival chances alive, with Sittingbourne’s 29-14 defeat at Southwark seeing them now dragged into the relegation battle.    In the mid-table battle that was the last of the fixtures, Kings Coll beat Lordswood 29-0.

Kent 2:  A 12-43 win at Faversham for leaders NAG sees them remain eight points clear at the top of the table from Brockleians who won 3-31 against a Shooters Hill side whose challenge now appears to have faded .  Footscray are still in with a promotion chance in third place after they beat perennial strugglers Dartford Valley 0-46, although Orpington remain bottom of the table following a 1027 loss at home to Edenbridge.  The last of the fixtures saw Askean lose out 12-15 at home to Whitstable.

RFU Knockout Competitions:

Intermediate Cup:  If you were judging this postponed fixture on the basis of previous league results and position, then the visiting side would probably have had the advantage, but as any of the club’s that have faced Crowborough know, they are a better side than their results currently show.  In what were heavy conditions, home advantage told as the Sussex club advanced to their best ever performance in the RFU cup competitions with a tight 19-16 win over a Ldn Cornish side that sit third in Ldn 2(SW) and now go on to face Ldn 2(NW) club Chiswick in the regional semi-final in February.

The draw for the regional semi-finals of the competition has been announced and Maidstone have received an away tie at Norfolk based Diss from Ldn 2(NE) in what is a repeat of the cup clash from the 2008 competition.  In the other semi-final, Ldn 2(NW) club Chiswick receive a home draw as they are pitted against the winners of the Crowborough v Ldn Cornish tie that will be played at Steel cross this coming Saturday (10th Jan).

In the other competitions, the draw for the Senior Vase semi-finals sees Bromley at home against Ldn Exiles from Ldn 3(SW), whilst Dartfordians travel to face a Fullerians side who beat Horsham in the last round and currently sit top of Ldn 3(NW).

The regional semi-finals are scheduled to be played on saturday 14th Feb.

The Junior Vase is a round behind the other competitions with the regional quarter-finals being played on Sat 24th Jan.  Sheppey, who are the county's sole survivor in the competition have a tough draw as they travel to take on the defending regional champions Battersea Ironsides.

Despite losing the prospect of a farewell fixture, with Crawley Veterans XV uncharacteristically unable to field a team last weekend; the club’s Veterans XV still gathered at the club on Saturday to cheer on the 1^st XV in their RFU Intermediate Cup tie against Medway, but more importantly to say farewell to adopted Kiwi Hone Tucker.  In addition to presenting the 1^st XV MoM award, Hone was himself presented with a framed photo of the Veterans XV in their recent three cornered fixture with Gravesend Moles and German side Koln Rugby and also a club plaque.

Hone has been a stalwart and popular member of the Veterans XV for the past 12 seasons, but his decision to return to his native New Zealand sees his involvement with Maidstone Rugby now come to an end.

National 1:  At the head of the table Ealing maintained their lead with a 5-31 win on the road at Blaydon; Coventry stay in second spot after they beat O Albanians 19-24 with third placed Rosslyn Pk back to winning ways after a 20-14 win over fourth placed Fylde. Although somewhat off the pace, Blackheath move into fifth spot after they posted a 7-15 win at Loughborough St, with Richmond dropping to sixth after they lost out 21-26 to visiting Hartpury.  At the bottom of the table, basement club Macclesfield went down 23-30 to visiting Esher, whilst Cinderford also lost at home, going down 3-17 at the hands of Darlington MP.  Tynedale still occupy the last of the relegation places after they went down 34-14 at Wharfedale.

National 2(S):  Of the leading clubs, Henley looked to have the easier fixture as they hosted struggling Lydney and ran out convincing 50-5 winners, Dorking on the other hand hosted a Chinnor side that had beaten the league leaders in the last fixture before the seasonal break and have been in good form recently; in the end the result went in favour of the visitors in what was a close fought contest with the 5-6 scoreline putting a dent in Dorking’s promotion hopes.  From a county perspective Canterbury needed a win to look to pull clear of the relegation zone as they hosted sixth placed Worthing and lost out 12-20 to remain in relegation trouble.  For the counties other club, O Elthamians had a difficult away tie at Taunton and went down 22-15 to their third placed hosts.  At the foot of the table, both of the clubs alongside Canterbury had home fixtures, with Shelford going down 9-19 to visiting Launceston and bottom club Dings losing out 6-13 to Southend.  The remaining fixtures saw Bishop’s Stortford overcome Clifton 34-8 and Redruth beating Cambridge 17-7.

National 3(SE):  London Irish WG stay top after they beat Gravesend 19-12,  although the chasing pack was shuffled again as  Chichester ‘s recent form deserted them  and they fell to a 22-15 defeat at bottom club Guernsey and drop to fifth.   East Grinstead’s G-Force also lost as they went down by the odd point in the 23-22 scoreline to TJs and slip to fourth place.  Westcombe Park managed to shake their pre-Christmas poor form as they  won 24-29 at struggling Tring and move up to third in the table, whilst BSE are back in second spot  after they defeated A&C 32-5.  Of the other clubs in relegation danger, Westcliff were 16-9 winners at home to Hertford, with CS Rugby going down 18-41 at the hands of Barnes keeping them on the edge of the danger zone.

London 1(S):  Leaders Wimbledon brushed aside visiting Charlton Pk with the 46-12 result seeing them maintain their place at the head of the division.  Guildford remain in close contention, posting a positive 32-14 result against Dover,  but Chobham switch places with S&E after coming out on top in the 23-20 scoreline between the two sides.  At the foot of the table Hove’s fixture at Sidcup fell foul of the wet weather, whilst Basingstoke defeated fellow strugglers Cobham 15-16.  Twickenham, who are the third of the mid-season relegation candidates also lost their fixture against G&F to the weather, whilst in the surviving fixture in the division between Brighton and Havant which had no bearing on the current promotion or relegation battles, went the way of the Hampshire based visitors in an 8-17 scoreline.

London 2(SE):  The only fixture in this division was the encounter between Sevenoaks and O Colfeians at Knole Paddock, which was postponed from early December.  A win for Oaks would confirm their promotion aspirations and see them move above Tunbridge Wells into third spot.  Against a Colfes side that have had an inconsistent season and find themselves languishing in the lower half of the table.  In the end Oaks had enough to pick up the 19-12 win

Kent2:  Shooters Hill remain in fourth spot in the table after a 32-17 win against fifth placed Edenbridge, to keep themselves in with an outside chance of a challenge for the promotion places.

RFU Knockout Competitions

Intermediate Cup:  Crowborough’s encounter with Ldn 2SW club Ldn Cornish fell to the weather as the Steelcross pitch was waterlogged.  In the remaining three matches the all Ldn 2SE battle between the top two sides in the division went the way of the league leaders, with Maidstone ending up 14-0 winners in a match where the scoreline gives the impression of a tighter encounter than the reality of the match.  Norfolk based Diss travelled to face Ldn 2(NW) club Hammersmith & Fulham and a picked up a good 15-26 away win to progress, however, fellow Norfolk club Norwich didn’t fare as well, going down 17-35 at home to visiting Chiswick.

Senior Vase:  Two of the county’s clubs in action here plus an interest in Sussex based Horsham from the SE division; on league form they looked to have the toughest task as they travelled to face 3NW leaders Fullerians and went down 19-10   Of the Kent clubs, Dartfordians had an away tie against a Stevenage side currently sat in mid-table in 3NW and the result went with the form book, as Darts ran out 13-22 winners.  Bromley’s task was a bit more difficult and whilst they had a home tie, their recent league form has seen them drop of the pace in the table and they faced a Welwyn outfit going well in 3NW; home advantage told in the end as the SE Ldn club ran out 19-12 winners in a tight contest   In the remaining fixture, 3SW club Ldn Exiles just had too much for visiting Hitchin and ran out 14-7 winners.

Junior Vase:  This competition with a larger entry list is still a round behind the other two competitions, and with a larger number of county and regional leagues from which the clubs originate is often difficult to compare league form; however, cup competitions are about performance on the day.  On paper, perhaps the most appealing of the ties looked like the battle between defending regional champions Battersea Ironsides and Eastbourne, with both clubs leading their respective division; although Ironsides ended up comfortable 29-7 winners to progress to the next round.  From a county perspective Beccehamians hosted Camberley, currently 2^nd in Surrey 1 with and just lost out 10-12 ij a hard fought encounter.   Sheppey, who have had some tough league encounters lately also drew a home fixture, and on paper looked to have a comfortable tie as they hosted a Southampton side currently in upper mid-table in Hampshire 2.  The Kent club were in the end comfortable 27-7 winners to see both of the counties sides’ progress.  In the other cup ties, Cheshunt’s tie against Canvey Island was the only fixture to be postponed due to weather; Surrey club Chipstead beat Millbrook 15-10 against the run of recent form, whilst Kingston went down 25-30 to visiting Ldn Welsh(Am).  May & baker were convincing 36-0 winners against visiting Crusaders and in the last of the matches Newmarket lost out 6-22 at the hands of fellow Eastern Counties club Wisbech.

The following members (see below) were the lucky winners for the 500 Club draw held on 20 December.  There will be additional draws conducted at the end January, February, and March, plus a final draw for this season in April. 

£250 - Trevor Langley

£100 - Steve Pooley

£100 - Glyn Richards

£60ea - Geoff Burr, Bob Hayton & Steve Pooley

Winners can receive their prizes in the following ways (see below) and where details are required please forward to Bob Beney via email (click here):

Bank transfer. (Preferred)
Advise your bank details

Club cheque
Advise your postal address

Alternatively you could reinvest winnings in the 500 Club to increase your chances in future draws. 

Remember; You've got to be in it to win it!!!

The more astute members from the club may have noticed that for some reason there was no 500 Club draw  during the 2013/14 season.  This was an oversight on the club's part and has now been corrected with an additional draw for 500 Club members during that period, taking place alongside  the draw for the current season.  Winners are as follows:

£250 - Richard Ewence

£100 - Geoff Burr

£100 - Glyn Richards

£60ea -  Norman Hall & Alan Hayward

£50 - Graham Norton

Winners can receive their prizes in the following ways (see below) and where details are required please forward to Bob Beney via email (click here):

Bank transfer. Preferred
Advise your bank details

Club cheque
Advise your postal address

Alternatively you could reinvest winnings in the 500 Club to increase your chances in future draws.

Remember;  You've got to be in it to win it!!!

 

Whilst everyone takes a break to enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities, here is a reminder of January’s fixtures.  The month provides a crop of great 1^st XV fixtures with matches against local rivals Medway to bookend fixture programme for the opening to 2015.

The year opens up on Saturday 3rd Jan with what looks like being a cracking encounter in the first of two fixtures between the top two sides in the league as we host Medway in the Ldn & SE Regional quarter-final of the RFU Intermediate Cup.  Saturday 10^th Jan was going to be an away trip to Haywards Heath, to fill what is now a blank weekend the club is looking to arrange a friendly fixture and details of the opposition and venue will be published once any arrangements are confirmed.

The 17^th Jan sees the home league fixture v Thanet Wdrs and there is also a pre-match lunch arranged for this fixture, the lunches have proved popular this season so if you want to sit down for lunch please contact Jim Tinsley at the earliest opportunity.  Saturday 24^th Jan sees cup action again, as the 1^st XV travel to Westcombe Pk for their Shepherd Neame Kent Cup tie, with the month being rounded out on Saturday 31^st Jan with the away league fixture against Medway.

The December edition of In Touch has been posted out to all clubs and will be with us shortly after the New Year, in the meantime, an online version of the latest edition can be viewed by clicking here.

National 1: Changes at the top end of the table as the leaders  posted a winning 45-19 result against O Albanians whilst Rosslyn Pk slipped up at Blackheath  going down 37-21 whilst Coventry took the opportunity to move into second spot after they beat Loughborough St 48-22.  Likewise, for the positions at the foot of the table as basement club Macclesfield went down to a heavy 57-5 defeat at the hands of Fylde, with Cinderford losing out 20-8 at fellow Gloucester club Hartpury.  The last of the relegation places was filled by Darlington MP but they move out of the bottom three despite narrowly losing out 26-27 to visiting Wharfedale.  In the other NE derby, struggling Tynedale were beaten 17-27 by Blaydon and replace Darlington in the drop zone; In the remaining mid-table fixture, Esher were beaten 27-37 in their battle against Richmond.

National 2(S):  Canterbury’s away form continues to haunt them as they went down 18-8 in the Kent derby at O Elthamians, a result that sees them mired in the relegation battle at the mid-point in the season.  At the top Henley lost out 28-21 at Chinnor, whilst second placed Dorking also lost as they went down 32-27 at Worthing.  At the bottom end of the division struggling Lydney hosted basement club Dings with the spoils going to the home side after a convincing 21-0 win. Relegation candidates Shelford travelled to face a Southend side that are also embroiled in the battle to avoid the drop and came away with a useful 14-32 win, although they remain in the drop zone.   In other results Cambridge were narrow 33-32 winners against Bishop’s Stortford, Clifton hosted Taunton on the Friday for a floodlit fixture, with the visitors running out 16-21 winners and Launceston hosted Redruth in the Cornish derby in the last of the fixtures, with the honours ending even in a 15-15 draw.

National 3(SE):  Despite a surprise 30-8 defeat for Ldn Irish(Am) at Barnes they remain at the top of the division, with a resurgent Chichester now in second spot after they beat CS Rugby 30-17, a result that drop the Civil Service club into  the bottom three..   In the local Kent derby, Westcombe Pk lost out to TJs with a 17-24 result and slip to sixth place, whilst East Grinstead move up to third after they got back to winning way with a 23-16 win over bottom club Guernsey with BSE slipping to fourth place after they narrowly lost 31-30 at in form Hertford, who now move up the table to fifth place.  Struggling Westcliff went down 40-14 at Gravesend, whilst Tring’s relegation worries continue after they lost out 24-15 at Buckinghamshire club A&C. 

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay top after a 5-32 win at Dover, with Guildford moving into second spot on points difference from S&E, after they were 14-42 winners at Basingstoke.  S&E remain in the hunt in third place following their 35-19 win at struggling Surrey rival Cobham.  At the bottom, Hove prop up the table after a 7-47 defeat at the hands of Brighton, with Basingstoke just above them and Twickenham rounding out the relegation places following their 8-29 loss at home to Chobham.  G&F move out of the relegation zone despite going down 22-15 at near neighbours Havant, whilst Charlton Park’s 29-16 win over Sidcup would appear to have punctured any promotion aspirations for the SE London club for this season.

London 2 (SE):  Without doubt the big match of the day was between third placed Tunbridge Wells and fourth club Sevenoaks in an encounter that would put a dent in one of the club’s promotion challenge.  Wells had taken the early season honours at Knole Paddock and denied Oaks a bonus point in the process  but Oaks gained revenge with a tight 26-27 win at St Marks. Second placed Medway travelled to Aylesford and picked up a predictable 5-53 bonus point win whilst leaders Maidstone hosted  Ashford , a side that have troubled several of the so called big clubs in the division.  In the end the county town club  ran in ten tries to post a solid 62-5 result to maintain their 9-point gap at the top.  In mid table D&B hosted Thanet Wdrs, the early season encounter was a close fought battle that followed the same trend of the early season encounter and went with home advantage in a 25-20 result.  In the last of the fixtures Colfes posted a useful 20-21 win over hosts Beckenham, a result that drops the SE London club into sixth place below the now fifth D&B.

London 3 (SE):  Horsham maintain top spot after they beat Pulborough 20-40 in the local Sussex derby, Dartfordians sit just a point behind after they thrashed struggling Park Hse 5-43 with Dunstonians now in third place following their 29-26 win against a Bromley side that is beginning to fall off the pace in fourth place.  A 0-27 win for Folkestone at Anchorians keeps them in fifth place, as well as leaving Anchorians just above the drop zone.  At the foot of the division, a first win of the season for Lewes, who beat H&B 19-26 was not enough to move them off the foot of the table but narrowed the gap to the Hastings club, with Park Hse occupying the last of the relagation places. The last of the fixtures saw another Sussex derby, with Uckfield falling to a heavy 20-40 defeat at the hands of an in form H&W.

Kent 1:  It’s tight at the top of the table as Cranbrook remain in top spot following a hard fought 10-8 win over visiting Sheppey, a result that drops Sheppey to fifth place.  Beccs remain in second place after a 5-20 win at bottom club Bexley with Vigo in third despite a narrow 19-17 reversal at Lordswood.  O Wills look like the side ‘coming up on the rails’, to use a horse racing parlance, as they move into fourth place after a 22-7 win at home to struggling OGs.  In the remaining fixtures HSBC narrowly lost 19-21 at home to Southwark whilst Sittingbourne also suffered a home defeat, going down 10-15 at the hands of Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  A 67-5 win for NAG at home to Dartford Valley keeps then clear at the top of the table with Brockleians still in second after they beat Askean 46-22.  The battle between third and fourth went convincingly the way of the third placed club as Foots Cray beat Shooters 53-12.  Orpington remains at the foot of the table after they lost out 21-7 at Greenwich with Faversham beating Edenbridge 0-13 in the last of the fixtures.

Renovations to the main club sign at the junction next to the Leisure Centre, which features all of the sports clubs at The Mote, has finally been completed.  Whilst a new face for the sign, thanks to funding through Andrew Haynes of local vehicle dealership Haynes, was in place for the start of the season, the whole sign has now been renovated.

Through the efforts of a number of Rugby club members, notably Dave Eastwood and Graham Bishop, the sign has received a new framework and been elevated to a higher and much more visible position, with some of the overhanging dead tree branches that obscured its view being removed.

The training schedule for the remainder of December and into the New Year is as shown below:

All Tuesday training will be at the club as follows

NO TRAINING ON TUES 23RD DECEMBER

Training for Tues 30th Dec (prior to the cup fixture v Medway) will take place between 7:30-9:00pm on 3G at the YMCA, Melrose Close, Maidstone, ME15 6BD.

Senior squad (1st/2nd XV) training on Thursdays for the following dates (below) will take place at Swadelands School, Lenham (ME17 2LL)  on 3G. Physio will also be available at the venue.

Thurs 18th Dec - 8:30-9:30pm

Thurs 8th Jan - 8:30-9:30pm

Thurs 15th Jan - 8:30-9:30pm

Thurs 22nd Jan - 8:30-9:30pm

Thurs 29th Jan - 8:30-9:30pm

Thurs 5th Feb - 8:30-9:30pm

All players are reminded that clean footwear is required and they should take trainers or moulded soles as a back up to normal rugby boots.

The upper tier training area under the new floodlights remains available on Thursday evenings for Veterans/5th XV training.

National 1:  The big battle was at the top of the table as leaders Ealing travelled to face second placed Rosslyn Pk, with the result just going in favour of the visitors 16-17.  Park stay second although third placed Coventry closed the gap after a 12-36 win against Blackheath, with Fylde in fourth spot following their 40-33 win over Richmond.  At the bottom, the basement pair faced off against each other, with Cinderford posting a convincing 42-5 win against Macclesfield; Darlington MP remain third from bottom after they lost out 29-21 at O Albanians, whilst in the remaining fixture affecting the relegation battle Loughborough St beat Tynedale 32-3.  The last of the fixtures saw Hartpury post a useful 20-25 win on the road at NE club Blaydon and Wharfedale’s match against Esher was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

National 2(S):  Woes continue for Canterbury, as the city club continue to struggle, losing out  5-36 to visiting Cambridge.  Amongst the other struggling sides, most were pitted against the leading contenders in the table.  Bottom club Dings went down 19-32 to second placed Dorking, with struggling Shelford also losing out 12-14 to a Chinnor side that has started to move up the table.  Southend lost out 40-11 to fellow Essex club and fourth placed Bishop’s Stortford, whilst Redruth posted a narrow 27-25 win against fellow strugglers Lydney.  At the top, Henley retains a 1 point lead after they were soundly beaten 30-7 at Worthing.  Third placed Taunton were 23-20 winners against Launceston whilst in the last of the fixtures, Kent’s O Elthamians were 39-12 winners against visiting Clifton in a mid-table battle.

National 3(SE):  Without doubt the big clash in the table was between the top two, as  East Grinstead’s G-Force took on leaders London Irish’s Wild Geese.  In what was a not quite the tight encounter one might have expected, Irish ran out convincing 21-6 winners to drop Grinstead back to fourth spot.  In the chasing pack BSE made amends for last week’s slip up as they beat Barnes 32-11 to move back into second spot with Westcombe Pk, whose three consecutive defeats had dropped them from first to fourth place, got back to winning ways with a convincing 15-38 win at CS Rugby to move up to third.  Guernsey has never been a good hunting ground for TJs, and the trend continues as they went down to a 29-20 defeat to the Channel Islanders, whilst Gravesend posted an 8-15 win at struggling A&C.  In other results, a Hertford side that have hit form inflicted a heavy 51-7  defeat on basement club Tring, whilst struggling Westcliff went down 13-22 at home to a Chichester side that have rediscovered their winning form.

London 1 (S):  Basingstoke’s lowly league position might have been inflicted as a result of their 15 point deduction earlier in the season, however, their recent form has only substantiated their position in the table although they put up a fight as they went down to a narrow 20-23 defeat  at home to leaders Wimbledon.  S&E’s equally tight 14-15 win at Dover keeps them in second place as well as keeping the Kent side flirting with the danger area.  Both Guildford and Sidcup kept up their challenge at the mid-season point with wins over Brighton (17-19) and Twickenham (29-12) respectively.  Bottom side Cobham upset the form book to beat to visiting Havant 28-17 and move up four places in the table, whilst fellow strugglers Hove lost out, falling to a high scoring 69-38 defeat at the hands of Chobham.  In the last of the fixtures, Charlton Pk drew 25-25 with a G&F side still sitting on the edge of the drop zone.

London 2 (SE):  Of the leading teams, on paper Maidstone looked to have the toughest encounter as they hosted an in form D&B at The Mote; and despite a tight first half they powered to a 32-3 win to remain nine points clear at the top of the table.   Home advantage told as second placed Medway did enough to run out convincing 48-14 winners against visiting Beckenham, whilst third placed Tunbridge Wells fell to an unexpected 22-19 defeat at the hands of Thanet Wdrs .  Sevenoaks’ encounter with Colfes was postponed due to waterlogged pitches and will probably now be played on the RFU Cup/Reserve weekend on 3rd Jan; whilst in the bottom half of the table, Crowborough made amends for last week’s loss at Deal with a 21-10 result against Ashford.  Basement club Aylesford had no fixture this week.

London 3 (SE):  With the two leading sides in Horsham and Dartfordians posting solid wins against Uckfield (47-15) and Pulborough (7-31) the key match in this division was at the bottom end of the table where Park Hse hosted H&B, with both sides looking for a positive result to close the gap to safety at the foot of the table the spoils went to Park Hse with a 22-11 score line to lift them above the Sussex club in the table.   Bottom club Lewes fell 38-26 at home to Dunstonians and are one of 14 clubs in the Ldn & SE region to complete the first half of the campaign without posting a win.  In the remaining fixtures, Bromley lost out narrowly 8-10 at home to Folkestone, whilst H&W posted a big 40-7 win against Anchorians.

Kent 1:  All change at the top of the division, after despatching Sheppey in a tight encounter last week there was no let up for Vigo as they faced a Beccs side still very much in the promotion hunt.  In the end they just came out on the wrong end of the 13-11 score line and drop to third in the table.  Beccs sit second behind Cranbrook who posted a routine 3-35 win at Southwark Lancers whilst   Sheppey got their show back on the road with a 23-3 win against visiting Lordswood.  At the bottom, the two basement clubs did battle with OGs convincing 34-6 winners over Bexley.   In the other fixtures HSBC lost out 25-40 against Kings Coll, with Sittingbourne going down to another heavy defeat, this time 5-45 at the hands of O Wills.

Kent 2:  A resounding 14-61 win for NAG against Askean sees them open up an 8 point lead at the top of the division, although Brockleians, who had no fixture remain in second spot.  Foots Cray closed the gap, posting a 15-20 win at Whitstable with fellow chasers Shooter Hill having their fixture against Edenbridge postponed.  Elsewhere Dartford Valley posted a 26-15 win against Greenwich, whilst bottom club Faversham won41-0 at home to Orpington

National 1:  At the top of the table, leaders Ealing were pushed all the way by Blackheath but just came out on top 31-27 and stay a point clear of Rosslyn Pk who thrashed Tynedale 0-47.  The battle between third and fourth went the way of Coventry as they beat Fylde 52-31 in a high scoring encounter.  At the bottom of the table, basement club Macclesfield went down 24-32 to visiting Wharfedale, whilst Cinderford posted a useful 30-32 result at Richmond.  O Albanians occupy the last of the relegation places after they lost 15-10 to Hartpury, with Loughborough St just above the drop zone after they lost out 29-17 at Darlington MP.  In the last of the fixtures Esher beat Blaydon 42-12.

National 2(S):  Canterbury’s away form continues to cause concern as they went down 25-15 at Launceston, although they still have three sides below them in the table and all had fixtures against sides in the top four.  All lost out, with Dings going down heavily 58-10 to leaders Henley, whilst Shelford lost 28-22 to second placed Dorking.  Lydney lost out 24-43 to fourth club Bishops Stortford whilst in the last of the fixtures involving the leading clubs, third placed Taunton went down 18-8 at Southend.  In mid-table Elthamians lost out 39-33 at Cambridge, whilst Chinnor posted a solid 33-12 win over Redruth, the last of the fixtures saw Worthing just shade Clifton with a useful 38-40 result.

National 3(SE):  Combe have lost a bit of momentum in recent weeks and a good result was essential against the league leaders to pull them back on track; unfortunately, despite home advantage Ldn Irish (Am) had too much for their hosts and consigned the Orpington based club to a 20-29 result and third consecutive defeat.  The result combined with East Grinstead’s 28-12 win against Westcliff sees them overhaul Combe into second spot, with BSE dropping to third after they lost to fifth placed Chichester 23-20.  At the foot of the table the bottom two did battle, with Tring coming out on top over Guernsey by 26-22.  The result meant that Tring were the only side in the bottom four to post a winning result as  A&C also went down 25-13 at Barnes.  Mixed fortunes for the county’s other clubs, as TJs were 23-20 winners against struggling CS Rugby, whilst Gravesend lost out 17-27 at home to Hertford.

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay at the head of the table after a narrow 37-33 win against Brighton, with S&E 4 points behind them following their  equally tight 23-19 result at home to struggling Basinsgtoke.  Guildford stays in third after they won 15-20 at Havant with Sidcup in fourth spot following their 31-12 win over G&F.  At the foot of the table, Cobham move off the bottom following a 16-17 win at fellow strugglers Hove, whilst for Dover, the other club on the edge of the danger zone, they prevailed in another tight match 20-22 at Twickenham.  Elsewhere Charlton Pk went down 8-28 against fifth placed Chobham.

London 2 (SE):  Local derbies can often be great levellers, but the encounter between basement club Aylesford and league leaders Maidstone went the way of the form book with a 0-62 scoreline, as the county town club extended their lead at the top of the table to 9-points.  With Tunbridge Wells sitting this week out, Medway took the opportunity to move into second spot with a 0-24 win at Colfes giving them a superior points difference over Wells.  Sevenoaks’ 12-39 result at Ashford keeps them in fourth place with Beckenham still in fifth despite a 10-25 home reversal against Thanet.  Such is the gap between fifth and sixth place that the clash at the Drill Field between D&B in sixth and seventh placed Crowborough was not going to see either move up the table, although either could close the gap.  This looked an interesting encounter, as both sides have had an inconsistent first half to the season but with both sides now beginning to build some form and move up the table it was home advantage that told as D&B were narrow 22-16 winners.

London 3 (SE):  At the top, Horsham retain the lead after a hard fought 7-29 result at Dunstonians, whilst the key encounter was between the two other leading promotion challengers went the way of Dartfordians  who beat rivals Bromley  23-14, a result that now sees Bromley dropping off the pace of the leading two.  At the bottom, life isn’t getting any easier for Lewes, as they lost out 41-0 to Anchorians who now move a step further away from the drop zone.  Elsehwere, Folkestone went down 15-25 at home to H&W, whilst Uckfield were 15-10 winners over struggling Park Hse.  In the last of the fixtures, Pulborough posted a solid 11-34 win at H&B to see them safely in mid-table.

Kent 1:  An 8-3 win for leaders Vigo against Sheppey sees them remain in top spot, with both Cranbrook and Beccehamians in close contention after the Wealden club thrashed Sittingbourne 76-5 and Beccs 6-12 winners at Kings Coll in an altogether tighter encounter. At the foot of the table OG’s posted their first win of the campaign with a 17-25 win at Lordswood, whilst Bexley also won with an 18-12 result over Southwark Lancers.  In the last of the fixtures, O Wills were 25-19 winners against HSBC.

Kent 2:  An emphatic 33-0 win for NAG over Whitstable keeps them at the head of the division, with Brockleians in second spot after they drew 3-3 with third placed Footscray. Shooter Hill’s challenge has probably faded now, despite beating Greenwich 17-33.  Likewise for Askean who lost out 29-12 at Edenbridge whilst at the bottom end of the table Dartford Valley lost out 19-12 at Orpington.

Have you joined the 500 Club yet?

The next draw will be at Christmas. and will take place on Sat 20th December.
If you want the chance to win the top prize join now, application forms must in in by 16th December.

Apllication forms can be downloaded from the 500 Club page on the website or alternatively, there are a supply available in the clubhouse bar.

See the 500 Club page for further details

Join now and help both the club and yourself

Bob Beney
 

National 1:  A solid Friday night 30-13 win for Loughborough St over Hartpury moves them away from the danger zone at the bottom end of the table where Macclesfield’s 39-0 thrashing at the hands of Blaydon sees them still propping up the division.  Cinderford sit one off the foot of the table after they lost 35-11 at Fylde, whilst Darlington MP drop into the bottom three following their 29-19 loss at second placed Rosslyn Pk.  The win sees them narrow the gap on leaders Ealing who went down 32-16 at third placed Coventry.  Blackheath’s 48-7 home win over Tyndale sees them move up to sixth in the table, a point behind Richmond who went down 29-29 at Wharfedale.  In the remaining fixture O Albainians won 24-22 against Esher, a result that sees them move above Darlington and out of the bottom three.

National 2(S):  A much needed win for Canterbury this week as the city club were 29-10 winners against struggling Southend and move out of the drop zone.  Of the other struggling clubs, Shelford now occupy bottom spot after a predictable 21-59 defeat at the hands of leaders Henley and a win for Dings, who won on the road at Worthing 24-28.  Fellow strugglers Lydney went down 49-17 at third placed Taunton.  At the top end of the division Dorking keep up the pressure on leaders Henley with a solid 12-38 away win at Redruth, whilst fourth placed Bishops Stortford shaded Chinnor 25-20 in a tight battle.  Elsewhere Kent’s O Elthamians lost out narrowly 18-20 at Launceston, with Clifton 12-9 winners over Cambridge.

London 2 (SE):  In the fixture postponed from earlier this month Tunbridge wells narrowed the gap to leaders Maidstone with a hard fought and narrow 16-15 victory over a Crowborough that is beginning to get back to good form; although Wells have played a game more than the other clubs in the leading group and sit out next week’s round of fixtures.

Due to the popularity of this season's pre-match lunches and thanks to the kind offer of our Primary Sponsor, Pankhurst Contracting, an additional date has been added to the diary for this season.

Previouslyly there was no pre-match lunch scheduled for January and it has now been decided that the home league fixture v Thanet Wdrs RFC on Sat 17th Jan will be preceded by a lunch.

Details of all the pre-match lunch dates can be found on the Events page of the website and further details of this addition to the diary will be circulated in due course.

In order to help the club progress, both on and off the field, the Club has agreed to create an informal Supporters Group to support the activities of the club and those of the President in particular. The objective is to pull people together to make us a better club and potentially to assist with any ad hoc jobs that need to be done.

A first consideration is to try to assist with the travel arrangements for first team supporters to away games and to coordinate some form of car sharing. Clearly, this will be more efficient for car drivers and a lot more fun all round.  In order to get the project off the ground, club VP Graham Norton has agreed to lead the project, initial steps are to assemble a database of interested parties, those members interested in being involved are requested to contact him via email (grahamnorton@wealdenhomes.co.uk) 

Let’s get a good crowd of supporters down to Ferryfields, Aylesford on the 6^th December - there can be no greater incentive to get involved!

Subject to the response we get ,Graham will set up an informal meeting in the club in January to explore any ideas club members may have.

Former Maidstone Rugby President, Bob Beney and his Mote CC counterpart Mickey Back, who is also a VP at Maidstone Rugby,  have been instrumental in a number of projects around the clubhouse in recent seasons.  One of their projects was the replacement of the old flagpole on the clubhouse.  However, this in turn created a new quandary in that the old Maidstone FC flag was too big to be effectively flown.  With both being vice presidents of the club, Bob & Mickey stepped forward with significant donations to ensure both club flags were renewed, with the new club flag taking on a much more recogniseable and easily identified design.  Whilst the flag has flown since the start of the season, this Saturday’s pre-match lunch was the first opportunity for the two Ex-Presidents to formerly present the flag to the club.

National 1:  A convincing 56-15 win for leaders Ealing over Fylde keeps them clear at the top of the table, with the result seeing Fylde drop to fourth spot, Rosslyn Pk stay second after a 10-31 win at Hartpury with Coventry moving into third place following their 21-53 win at Tynedale.  In a day of 50+ scores, Blackheath were on the receiving end of one, as they lost out 50-10 on the road at Darlington MP, whilst bottom club Macclesfield were also on the receiving end of a thrashing, losing out 17-51 to fellow strugglers O Albanians who still lie three off the bottom of the table.  Cinderford remain in the bottom two despite a 27-17 win over Wharfedale.  In mid table both Richmond and Esher narrowly came out on top in what were the tightest results in the division, with Richmond beating Blaydon 29-28 and Esher coming out on top 19-17 against Loughborough St.

National 2(S):  Canterbury stay in the relegation zone as we approach the season’s halfway stage, going down 24-11 to fellow strugglers Lydney.  Elsewhere O Elthamians just lost out 29-26 at Southend but still sit comfortably in mid-table in their first season at this level.   Henley continue to lead the way following a 17-3 win against Redruth, with Dorking still hard on their heels after they just edged Bishop’s Stortford 23-22 in a tight encounter.  Taunton remains in third place despite a 30-26 reversal at in form Chinnor. At the foot of the table the bottom two clashed, but a 43-20 win for Dings over Shelford can’t lift them off bottom spot.  Elsewhere, Cambridge lost out 14-28 at home to Worthing, whilst Launceston were 23-16 winners against visiting Clifton.

National 3(SE):  The lead changes at the top with Ldn Irish (Am) taking the top spot after they just had too much for TJs, running out 16-8winners in a tight encounter.  BSE & Westcombe Pk both slipped up as the Suffolk club lost out 7-18 to fourth placed East Grinstead, and Combe went down 18-13 at strugglers Westcliff, a result that lifts the Essex club clear of the bottom two.  Guernsey stay at the foot of the table after a 21-14 loss at CS Rugby, whilst Tring went down by the odd point, 18-17 at Gravesend.  Elsewhere Chichester brought their poor run to an end with a 16-18 win at A&C, whilst Hertford were convincing 32-10 winners against Barnes.

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay top, despite a 39-17 reversal at S&E, a result that sees the Surrey club move into second place in the table despite Guildford’s 48-3 hammering of struggling Hove.  Sidcup remain in the mix in fourth spot despite losing out 33-18 at Chobham who now lie in fifth place.  At the bottom of the table, Cobham still prop up the division despite a 26-13 win over Charlton Pk, Basingstoke sit third from bottom after a tight 29-28 win at home to Twickenham.  In mid-table a 13-5 win for Dover against Havant keep them just above the danger area whilst G&F fought out a 17-17 draw against Brighton.

London 2 (SE):  The day had a lot of potential to see the pecking order established as we enter the mid-season period, with all of the top four in action against each other.  Leaders Maidstone hosted second placed Tunbridge Wells at The Mote, running out 18-12 winners to open up and 8 point gap at the head of the table.   In the other top four clash third placed Medway travelled to face Sevenoaks with the winner knowing they could close the gap on the top two, and the visitors took the honours 34-23.   Elsewhere, the mid-table clash between D&B and Ashford convincingly went the way of Deal 30-0, who are now beginning to turn results in their favour and they now move above their mid Kent opposition in the table.  A 19-13 defeat for Colfeians at Thanet sees the East Kent side also move above Ashford and leaves Colfes in the bottom two.  At the foot of the table Aylesford travelled to face an in form Crowborough and a solid 32-6 defeat leaves them still without a point and falling further adrift at the foot of the table.

London 3 (SE):  Horsham stay at the head of the table on points difference after a 47-0 thrashing of struggling Anchorians, whilst Dartfordians were equally convincing, running out 8-56 winners at H&B.  Bromley lost ground following a 15-15 draw at H&W.  Whilst Anchorians loss sees them still in the danger area, the drop zone is firmly occupied by Lewes, who went down 7-38 to Folkestone, with Park Hse just being beaten 13-12 by Dunstonians.  In the last of the fixtures, Pulborough were 22-8 winners over Uckfield

Kent 1:  All change at the top of the table in what looks like being a tight battle for promotion, as Vigo go top after a 17-24 win at OGs, with second placed Beccs losing out 15-14 at fourth placed Sheppey.   Cranbrook also dropped points as they could only manage a 17-17 draw at HSBC.  At the foot of the table Bexley moved off the bottom after posting their first win of the season, a 29-33 win at Sittingbourne.  In mid-table O Wills were resounding 52-10 winners at home to HSBC, whilst Southwark lost out 11-13 at home to Lordswood.

Kent 2:  NAG move back to the top after they beat rivals Brockleians 10-19, third placed Foos Cray had no fixture and Askean move into fourth spot following a 21-15 result over Greenwich.  Elsewhere Shooters Hill beat Orpington 19-14 and Whitstable beat Edenbridge 31-19; at the bottom Dartford Valley just lost out 18-19 to Faversham.

This last Sunday saw the first ever girls rugby match played at The Mote with the newly formed Maidstone U13s girls team taking on a more established Sevenoaks team.  This was the first competitive rugby for Maidstone’s girls and the newly formed side play their socks off. 

Sevenoaks played exceptionally well and came with a full squad. The atmosphere was electric as the Maidstone Girls battled their way through very muddy conditions. Sevenoaks triumphed in the end after a gruelling battle where tries were scored from both sides.

“ I am so proud of the girls with their determination and sheer grit, their passing and determination to be the best they could be- some with only a few weeks of training under their belts!” said Maidstone Head Coach, Miles Tempan. “With more girls we can definitely compete in more matches and hope this is the start of many more games both home and away.”

In its efforts to assist Maidstone Rugby’s youth team coaches to consistently deliver safe and effective coaching that meets RFU standards, the club have recently introduced a “best practice” policy for coaching qualifications across all age groups.

March this year saw the club host a First Aid training course run by an external RFU endorsed training company, which has put the club in the fortunate position where all of the youth age group teams have at least one trained First Aider.  As an ongoing part of this new policy the club has also hosted a “Play it Safe” safeguarding children course this month which was attended by 15 coaches and parent First Aiders.

As part of the ongoing development, also arranged is a ‘Scrum Factory’ course which will be held at the club in early December.

One of the aspects that is currently at the forefront of the rugby agenda is concussion management and we are taking steps to ensure our youth team coaches, First Aiders and parents all understand the new RFU approach, and have arranged for Katy Hornby (who is a doctor and works closely with Rosslyn Park RFC) to deliver a concussion management training presentation at Maidstone on Sunday 23 November.

National 1:  Ealing and Rosslyn Pk continue to set the pace as both posted wins against Esher (27-10) and Tynedale (64-43) respectively, Fylde stay on their heels after they won 35-3 against Wharfedale.  At the foot of the table Macclesfield posted their first win, running out narrow 27-29 winners at Loughborough St, fellow strugglers Cinderford  lost out heavily  46-5 as they made a fruitless visit to NE club Blaydon.  Another of the strugglers, O Albanians also posted a win taking the match 13-10 at home to Richmond.  A 29-24 win for Blackheath against Hartpury keeps ‘Club’ in the top half of the table, with the other mid-table encounter between Coventry and Darlington MP going the way of the midland club 29-17.

National 2(S):  With the Canterbury languishing at the wrong end of the table, a good result at home against Chinnor was essential; a nailbitting 23-22 win for the city club sees them move up four places in the table to eleventh.  The big clashes of the day were between Taunton and Dorking, with the Somerset club looking to make up some lost ground on the leading two clubs; but the result went the way of the Dorking 14-21 and sees them consolidate second place in the table.   The other top of the table clash saw leaders Henley travel to fourth placed Bishop’s Stortford, the Henley bandwagon rolls on, with a solid 14-21 result to keep them unbeaten at the top of the table.  At the bottom, a tight 32-31 win over Launceston sees them move up the table at the expense of their opponents.  Of the other struggling sides, bottom club Dings lost out 36-25 to Redruth, whilst Shelford went down heavily 41-13 at Worthing and Lydnet lost out 38-18 to Elthamians.  In the last of the fixtures Clifton were resounding 51-18 winners over Southend.

National 3(SE):  The big clash in the division was between the top two as leaders Westcombe Pk hosted Suffolk club BSE, the 13-20 result in favour of the BSE sees them take over at the top of the table and Combe drop to third, with Ldn Irish (Am) moving into second spot after they beat struggling Guernsey 17-31.  An 18-5 result for E Grinstead over A&C keeps them in touch with the leading three.  At the bottom Tring beat CS Rugby 21-16 to move off the foot of the table, with Westcliff losing out 35-23 at TJs.  In the mid-table battles Barnes were 29-15 winners against Gravesend, whilst Chichester lost out 23-30 at home to an in form Hertford.

London 1 (S):  Wimbledon stay at the head of the table after they hammered G&F 50-22, Sidcup stay in second place following their 26-3 win against basement club Cobham.  S&E continue their rise up the table and occupy third spot after they were 14-36 winners at Twickenham, with Guildford and Chobham occupying the next two places after Guildford beat Charlton Pk 16-19 but Chobham lost out 29-27 at Brighton.  At the bottom end of the table Basingstoke lost out 38-22 at Havant whilst Hove and Dover fought out an 8-8 draw to remain in the danger zone.

London 2 (SE):  Despite the top of the division being competitive, it was affairs at the other end of the table that were of interest as the bottom club Aylesford hosted D&B, the 3-33 result in favour of the visitors moves them up three places in the table to seventh and now means that there is a 10 point gap to safety for the Bulls.  At the top end of the division a resounding 3-39 bonus point win for leaders Maidstone at Beckenham sees them move clear at the top following Tunbridge Wells fixture against Crowborough being postponed. In mid-table Thanet’s woes continue as they have now lost 5 consecutive league matches, going down 38-12 at Sevenoaks who move up a place but leave Thanet now one off the bottom, whilst Ashford lost out heavily, going down 19-53 to visiting Medway who move up to 3rd position in the table.

London 3 (SE):  Leaders Horsham continued their good form as they just came out on top 5-10 against hosts Folkestone, but they now share top spot with Dartfordians after they were 34-10 winners against visiting H&W.  Bromley stay third after a big 50-8 win at home to bottom club Lewes.  .  At the bottom, whilst Lewes look the early favourites for the drop Park Hse and H&B look the main candidates for the other two relegation slots, with Anchorians 22-8 winners against Park Hse, whose survival cause also wasn’t helped by a points deduction.  Elsewheret H&B lost out 35-26 at Uckfield and Dunstonians were narrow 24-21 victors over Pulborough.

Kent 1:  A 48-3 win for Beccs against struggling OGs keeps them at the head of tha table, a point ahead of Cranbrrok who 28-12 winners against O Wills.  Vigo sits a point behind them after they beat Southwark 31-7.  Sheppey remain in fourth spot, but will look at the 10-10 draw at Kings Coll as points dropped in their battle to return to Ldn 3.  At the bottom, Bexley notched up their first win of the campaign with a 19-8 result against HSBC, whilst in mid-table Lordswood were 30-7 winners against Sittingbourne.

Kent 2:  There is a change at the top of the table as NAG lost out 12-17 in the battle with third placed Foots Cray, The result sees Brockleians now head the table after they were 0-22 winners at Edenbridge.  There is a smattering of points deductions across this division which affect placing, but on the pitch Faversham remain bottom after they lost 8-25 at home to Shooters Hill.  As Faversham dropped into negative points, Orpingtom pulled themselves back into the black with a 21-12 win against Askean, whilst Whitstable also move up the table after a tight 14-15 win at Greenwich.

The draw has been announced for the RFU Intermediate Cup plus the Senior and Junior Vase competitions.  With Harrow going out in the last round, the last eight In the Intermediate Cup sees three of the league leaders in the London 2 divisions remain in the competition and the draw has seen them all avoid each other.  Maidstone have received another home tie, and will face league rivals Medway,  the draw means that both clubs will bookend the month of January with cup and league fixtures against each other; whilst the other club from Ldn 2(SE), Crowborough have also received a home draw and will face Ldn 2(SW) leaders Ldn Cornish.  North of the Thames, Norwich will host Chiswick, whilst fellow Norfolk club Diss travel to take on Hammersmith & Fulham.

In the last eight of the Senior Vase, Bromley and Dartfordians are the county’s only remaining representatives and Darts have been rewarded for their win over Folkestone with a draw against Ldn 3(NW) club Stevenage  In fact all of the representation from north of the Thames are from the 3(NW) division with Bromley hosting league leaders Welwyn.  Other regional interest lies with Ldn 3 (SE) leaders Horsham, who have been drawn away against Fullerians; whilst the last of the fixtures sees Ldn 3(SW) club Ldn Exiles host Hitchin.

The Junior Vase is a round behind the other two knockout competitions with Beccehamians and Sheppey remaining as Kent’s representatives in the tournament.  The next round sees Beccs at home to Surrey based Camberley who along with Battersea Ironsides are possibly one of the favourites for the regional competition; Sheppey also have a home draw and will host Southampton from Hampshire Div 2.  A big win in the last round for last season’s regional finalists Battersea Ironsides sees them play host to Eastbourne in the next round.

The next round for all three competitions is to be played on Saturday 3^rd Jan 2015, strange scheduling by the competitions committee when the 29^th Nov is a vacant weekend.  When 26% of the scheduled fixtures have resulted in WO already, how many competition withdrawals the scheduling creates due to it being so soon after the Xmas & New Year holiday period, we will have to see.

Full details of the draw for all three competitions can be found at www.rfulondon.com

National 1:  Ealing stay top after a closer than expected 14-21 win at Darlington MP, whilst Rosslyn Pk move above Fylde into second spot after they beat bottom club Macclesfield 7-36 and Fylde lost out 9-8 in a tight and low scoring contest at Tynedale.  In the basement battle Cinderford lost out 8-14 to visiting O Albanians, with the two swapping places in 14^th & 15^th place respectively.   Blackheath stay in sixth place despite going down 24-18 at Esher, with Richmond and Coventry above them following their wins against Loughborough St (24-22) and Hartpury (21-33).  In the last of the fixtures Wharfedale took the bragging rights against north east rivals Blaydon 15-12.

National 2(S):  Henley stay clear at the top following a 15-10 win against nearest rivals Taunton, who drop to third spot after Dorking’s 46-19 win over Canterbury, who now drop into the bottom three places.  Below them are Dings, who lost 8-34 to fourth placed Bishop’s Stortford and Cambridge who play Southend on Sunday (9^th).  A win against the Essex club would see them leapfrog two places above Canterbury and also local rivals Shelford, who beat Redruth 31-11.  A 29-19 win fopr Launceston against Worthing sees them move out of the bottom three places for the time being; whilst in mid-table Chinnor just pipped Elthamians 25-22 and Lydney’s match with Clifton was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. (Sun 9th Nov - Southend 20 v Cambridge 36)

RFU Knockout Competitions

Intermediate Cup:  Just eight fixtures in this competition with the county’s interest lying with Maidstone and Medway; both picked up home fixtures in the draw and both also faced sides who are leading contenders in the promotion battle in London 2(NW).  Maidstone played host to Ldn 2(NW) leaders Harrow, who were promoted last season having picked up the Ldn3(NW) title and also won the Ldn & SE Regional Senior Vase.  With the weather having now turned much wetter, this could have ended up being a more forward orientated battle than either side may have hoped for, in the end and despite a half time deficit, it was Maidstone’s more expansive game that prevailed over Harrow’s forward dominated approach, with the county town side progressing with a 31-15 result  Medway hosted Staines who had dropped down from Ldn 1 at the end of last season but ran out convincing 48-7 winners to move into the next round.  Other interest from a Ldn 2(SE) perspective was with Crowborough, who travelled to face a Tottonians side who sit second in Ldn 2(SW) and had despatched Colfes in the last round; a solid 7-19 win for the ‘Crows’ may surprise some, but probably not the sides that have come up against them this season.  In the other fixtures Ldn 2(NE) leaders Norwich were due to face a Tabard side that are struggling at the bottom of the same division, in the end the match was conceded by Tabard on Thursday with Norwich progressing to the next round.  League leaders from Ldn 2(SW), Ldn Cornish also faced a side from the same division as they hosted struggling Portsmouth, ending up runaway 62-0 winners and obviously a side that clubs will be hoping to avoid in the next round.  An interesting encounter was between Diss and Alleynians, who both sit fourth in their respective tables, with the outcome going in the Norfolk club’s favour 34-21.  In the remaining ties, Chiswick received a HWO against Rochford Hundred, whilst Saffron Walden lost out 22-31 at home to Hammersmith & Fulham.

Senior Vase: Fate had drawn two of the county’s clubs against each other as Folkestone travelled to take on Dartfordians with the result probably reflecting league form as darts ran out 37-17 winners.  The last of the county’s clubs in the competition is Bromley and as expected they added further to league rivals Lewes’s with the Sussex club conceding the fixture.  The Horsham v Grasshoppers clash never took place with Horsham receiving a HWO, whilst H&B’s tie with Ldn Exiles threw up the rarity of a draw, with disappointment for the Sussex club, as the Exiles progress under the away team rule.  In the remaining fixtures Stevenage had a Bye, with Hitchin narrow 16-13 winners against Finchley; Welwyn also received a HWO against Suffolk based Stowmarket and W Norfolk lost out 8-27 at home against Fullerians.

Junior Vase:  This competition has a far greater number of entrants, so this review will concentrate on the county’s involvement.  Beccs travelled down the M23 to take on Crawley from Sussex 1 and posted a solid 14-27 away win to progress to the next round.  Sheppey had drawn a home tie and were due to host Cranleigh from Surrey 2 but received a HWO.  Due to the entry for this competition is larger than the other RFU competitions, and due to this round up being primarily based on Kent club’s interests, a consolidated list of the other results is shown below:

The draw for all three Ldn & SE Regional elements of thr RFU Competitions will be announced on Wed 12th Nov.

Thanks to the organisation and efforts of Ground Chair, Martin Maytum with the assistance of player Luke Day, the club has been able to provide some additional floodlighting to assist in taking the pressure off the main training pitch.  Additional permanent lights have been put in place to cover the training area at the far end of the 1^st XV pitch.

Please be aware that this area is suitable for light training only, it has not been implemented for major set piece work (especially in wet conditions) and is primarily aimed at fitness training and general running and ball skills work.

Please bear in mind that this area is primarily for use by youth and especially mini rugby and not by senior teams for major set piece and scrummaging practice!

As a means of providing some additional exposure for our pitch perimeter advertisers, and at no extra cost, the club has implemented an initiative which has seen the addition of a new window in the right hand column of the club’s website.  The window is designed to promote the support provided by our pitch perimeter advertisers, and will feature the  logos of all of the companies whose support to the club is primarily, or solely through perimeter advertising which will cycle through this window, with each logo hyperlinked to their respective company websites.

There is a great full page advert in the KM this week with details of our Give It A Go / Bring a Friend day on the 16th November, 10am - 12.

This is also supported with over 5000 leaflets going out to local schools.

A huge thanks to Tim Hedges at Verb Solutions and Steve Philpott at Beadles for their generosity.

Lots of help will be required on the day to show case our club, make the morning run smoothlyand welcome new people to THE County Town Club.

Please get in contact with your Head Coaches and offer your help.

We will need car park assistance, directing people to the right pitches, help in the club house....... It is vital we make all newcomers welcome and encourage them to come back!!
 

England Rugby has today unveiled a new film celebrating rugby’s core values of:

Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship.

Get involved

Click here to view the video.

National 1:  Ealing continue to head the division after they beat Hartpury 50-17, but the key encounter was between third placed Rosslyn Pk who hosted a Richmond side that were fifth at the start of the day and looking to close the gap on the top three.  Park in the end had too much for the visitors, running out28-15 winners.   Fylde fought out a comfortable 42-24 win against Blaydon which keeps them in the top three places.   At the foot of the table, struggling Macclesfield lost out heavily, going down 34-0 at the Rectory Field to Blackheath and remain without a point, with the result moving ‘Club’ up to sixth in the standings.   O Albanians turned over a Wharfedale side that were looking to steer clear of the danger zone by 31-7, whilst fellow strugglers Cinderford were beaten 25-15 by Loughborough St.  The last of the struggling teams this season are Darlington MP who upset the form book, running out 19-53 winners at Tynedale.  In the remaining fixture, Coventry stay in the top five after they narrowly beat mid-table Esher 33-31.

National 2(S):  Battles against the division’s leading contenders for both of the county’s clubs, as Canterbury hosted league leaders Henley, with the encounter only just going with the form book and the city club losing out 28-30, a result that keeps them flirting with the danger zone at the wrong end of the table.  Elthamians entertained second placed Dorking and slip to sixth in the table after losing out 19-39 to the Surrey club;  third placed Taunton were too strong for bottom side Dings, as they ran out comfortable 31-19 winners.  Of the other struggling clubs, mixed fortunes for the Cambridge based clubs, with the city based club convincing 50-20 winners at home to Lydney, whilst Shelford went down 30-21 at Bishops Stortford.  Launceston are also flirting with the early season drop zone following a tight 21-22 defeat at the hands of Essex club Southend.  In mid table, Worthing just pipped Redruth 12-10 whilst Clifton lost out 20-38 at home to Chinnor.

National 3(SE):  After last week’s heavy defeat at TJs, A&C went down to another loss, this time at the hands of leaders Westcombe Pk, as the visitors ran out 20-33 winners to stay at the top of the table.  BSE faced a resurgent TJs and in a hard fought encounter ended up solid 36-14 winners to stay in second spot.  Ldn Irish (Am) posted a closer than expected 40-34 result against strugglers CS Rugby to remain part of the promotion battle, although East Grinstead tripped up after a 23-16 reversal  at Hertford.  At the bottom, Tring went down 33-9 against Barnes, whilst in the basement battle Westcliff posted a solid 34-17 win against fellow strugglers Guernsey.  In the mid table encounter, Gravesend lost out 18-22 to a Chichester side that had appeared to lose form in recent weeks.

London 1 (S):  A change at the top of the table as Sidcup lost out by the odd point in a tight battle at Guildford (18-17), whilst Wimbledon take over top spot following their 13-23 win at Twickenham.  Chobham stay in third after they thrashed G&F 56-0, with Guildford now fourth.  At the bottom, Cobham won 16-15 against Brighton to narrow the gap on Basingstoke who went down 18-23 at home to fellow strugglers Hove. A 13-20 home defeat for Dover at the hands of Charlton Pk sees them sucked back into the drop zone, whilst in mid table S&E won 31-27 against Havant.

London 2 (SE):  Perhaps the most interesting battle in the table was that between two of the divisions struggling sides, with bottom club Aylesford enduring a torrid season hosting an Ashford side in their first season at this level and posted their first win last weekend; in what was a one sided affair the hosts conceded 50 points for the second week running as Ashford routed the home side 12-51 to leave the Bulls still pointless and eight points adrift at the bottom of the table.  At the top leaders Tunbridge Wells travelled to face D&B who are playing better than their results reflect and are never an easy proposition at the Drill Field.  In the end it was honours even with a 29-29 draw meaning a change at the top of the division. Maidstone hosted mid table Colfes, both encounters were highs scoring fixtures last term, and this was no exception with the hosts running in 11 tries to run out convincing 65-17 winners to maintain their 100% record and move to the head of the table.  Beckenham travelled to face an improving Crowborough outfit and in a tight battle ran out 16-19 winners to stay in third spot  whilst Sevenoaks who had no fixture drop to fifth as a result of  a big bonus point 7-52 win for Medway, who inflicted a third consecutive defeat on a Thanet side that had started the season brightly.

London 3 (SE):  Without doubt the big clash here was the battle between the top two as Horsham hosted unbeaten leaders Bromley, in a hard fought encounter that went in favour of Sussex club, the 18-11 result sees Bromley drop to third spot as a consequence of fellow challengers Dartfordians’ 19-32 win at Uckfield.  At the bottom end of the division, basement club Lewes are still looking for their first points after losing out 16-36 to county rivals H&W.  Fellow Sussex club H&B also lost out to stay one off the foot of the table following a 14-21 defeat at the hands of visiting Dunstonians.  Anchorians are still looking for their second win as they lost 29-23 at Pulborough .  In the last of the fixtures, Park Hse entertained Folkestone, these fixtures are always bruising tight encounters, this was no different with the honours taken by Folkestone in the narrow  25-26 scoreline which moves the seaside club up to fourth spot.

Kent 1:  Cranbrook stay top on points difference after a big 48-7 win against Kings Coll, with Beccs in second spot after they won 29-35 at Southwark Lancers.  Wins for Sheppey and Vigo at struggling OGs (19-41) and Sittingbourne (7-25) keep them third and fourth respectively.  A 48-20 loss for Lordswood sees them third from bottom, but Bexley remain without a point just above OG’s following a 46-0 thrashing at the hands of O Wills.

Kent 2:  With leaders NAG having no fixture today it was an opportunity for Brockleians and Footscray to close the gap, and whilst NAG have a game in hand, Brocks and Footscray now sit equal on points following wins against Greenwich (31-14) and Edenbridge (33-7) respectively.    Edenbridge’s defeat and a HWO for Askean against Faversham sees them consolidate fourth place whilst the bottome two clubs, Orpington and Dartford Valley took heavy defeats at the hands of Whitstable (41-5) and Shooters Hill (63-5).

Over the years there have been a lot of lookalike Maidstone Rugby ties sported on TV by a number of notable rugby personalities, Dewi Morris and Shaun Edwards to name just two (see club news for Dec 2011).

However, Tuesday’s visit to Maidstone Rugby by Will Greenwood saw him presented with one of the club’s VP ties by Club Captain Ben Williams.  However the presentation did come with a condition, ‘that he wears the tie on his next TV appearance’!

True to his word, and we would expect no less, Friday afternoon’s appearance on Sky Sports News saw Will wearing the aforementioned tie.  Well done Will; LEGEND.

Tuesday night (28^th) saw RWC 2003 winner with England and former British Lion Will Greenwood at The Mote working alongside the club’s coaching team conducting a coaching session with the senior squad.  since his retirement from playing in 2006 Will has very much been the TV face of rugby as an analyst for Sky Sports rugby coverage and also co-presenter of the “School of Hard Knocks” alongside  Scott Quinnell.

A more grassroots orientated  rugby person you could not wish to meet, and very conscious of his roots Will was very much looking to be involved with the players;  the evening therefore followed the club’s usual training pattern and saw the former Harlequin player step in to assist the club’s coaching team at various points where he felt that he could add most value to the session.  This was followed by an informal session in the bar where Will was more than willing to sign autographs and pose for photographs before holding an informal Q&A session with club members.  All in all, a great night at Maidstone Rugby spent with one of the most ‘down to earth ‘ rugby legends you could wish to meet.

The visit also provided the opportunity for a brief Harlequins reunion with the club’s Backs Coach Stuart Thresher; Stuart was coming to the end of his elite level rugby career with Quins’ at the time that a young Will Greenwood was embarking on his with the Twickenham based club.

The club is delighted to announce that RWC 2003 winner with England and former British Lion Will Greenwood will be visiting the club on Tuesday 28^th October. ‘Greens’ as he’s known to his friends, will play an active role in the senior squad training session and then join us in the bar afterwards for an informal Q&A.

This is an open invitation to all club members to come and learn from one of the greatest centres to have worn the red rose. If any of the coaches and players from the junior section would like to come and observe the training session then you are, of course, more than welcome #OneClub.

National 1:  In the country’s oldest fixture, home advantage told with Richmond 36-27 winners against Blackheath.  Ealing continue to lead the table after a 5-22 win at Esher, with Rosslyn Pk in second place after they narrowly beat struggling Cinderford 17-19.  Fylde sit third after they drew 29-29 with Darlington MP.  At the foot of the table Macclesfield remains bottom and without a point after they lost 13-21 at home to Coventry, with O Albanians just above them following a 32-19 loss at Blaydon.  In mid-table Hartpury were convincing 53-12 victors over Tynedale, with Wharfedale 38-20 winners against Loughborough St.

National 2(S):  it was honours even for the city club as they shared the points with bottom club Dings in a high scoring 36-36 draw at the Bristol club.  O Elthamians went down 48-19 at leaders Henley but remain in fourth place; whilst Dorking and Taunton remain locked together on points in second and third places after wins against Clifton (49-34) and Shelford (19-28) respectively.  Sixth placed Bishops Stortford lost out 28-24 at Redruth, whilst at the bottom end of the table Cambridge went down 23-29 at Chinnor and Launceston lost out 20-19 at Lydney.  In the mid-table battle, Southend got the better of higher placed Worthing 23-14.

National 3(SE):  Combe still sit at the head of the table despite a 26-27 home defeat at the hands of visiting mid-table club Hertford, the result compounded by a five point deduction this week  now sees BSE level on points after they defeated Guernsey 26-30.  Ldn Irish (Am) remain in third place after they overcame bottom side Tring 20-52 with east Grinstead’s G0Force in fourth following their rather tighter 27-24 result against visiting Gravesend.  TJs look to have got their mojo back and move up to sixth following a 50-14 win over A&C.  After their strong start to the campaign, Chichester appear to be faltering as they lost out again, this time at home to Barnes 25-28, whilst in the basement battle, CS Rugby move out of the bottom three to be replaced by Guernsey following their narrow 26-24 result over Westcliff.

London 1 (S):  Solid wins for the top two, as leaders Sidcup were 32-5 winners against Dover, whilst Wimbledon hammered Chobham 51-14, a result that sees the losers drop to fourth spot.  They are replaced in third place by Guildford, who beat Brighton 10-18, with S&E now fifth following an 18-39 win at Hove.  Cobham’s 29-20 defeat at G&F sees them propping up the table but a good 47-15 win for Charlton Pk now sees them in a solid mid-table position as one of four sides on 18 points.  Two of the others did battle today with Havant resounding 42-15 winners against Twickenham.

London 2 (SE):  With leaders Tunbridge Wells having way too much firepower for bottom club Aylesford as they racked up 50 unanswered points in their encounter; the key battle saw second placed Maidstone travel to face third placed Sevenoaks for an encounter that if last season was anything to go by, would be a close affair.  Only one point separated the sides in this match last year, and it was the same again but with Maidstone taking the points this time around in the 31-32 scoreline.  Fourth placed Beckenham hosted D&B with the visitors stuttering season continuing as they went down to a narrow 18-15 defeat to the SE Ldn club.  Colfes against Crowborough looked like being an interesting encounter, with neither side having really got going this season but the ‘Crows’ look to be in improving form as they were 13-22 winners.   The last of the matches saw the two sides promoted into the division this season as Ashford hosted Thanet; Ashford have proved an awkward opponent for most sides this season. Still waiting for their first win, it arrived in style as they despatched the East Kent club 48-25 in an entertaining encounter to move above D&B in the table.

London 3 (SE):  Bromley and Horsham remain tied at the top of the division, with the SE London club beating next door neighbours Park Hse 21-6, Horsham’s result was much more clear cut as they hammered H&W 5-56 in the Sussex derby.  Bottom club Lewes’ woes continue, as they shipped 92 pints for only 7 in response in their defeat at the hands of third placed Dartfordians.  A 22-15 win for fourth paced Dunstonians against Uckfield made it a poor day all round for the majority of the Sussex clubs, with newly promoted Pulborough also losing out 45-14 at the hands of Folkestone and Anchorians posting their first win of the campaign with a 37-7 result against H&B.

Kent 1:  Beccehamians and Cranbrook remain the top two clubs, with leaders Beccs posting a 51-0 win over Sittingbourne and Cranbrook 12-29 winners at winless Bexley.  Sheppey sit third after they were 24-20 winners in a tight contest against Southwark; with Vigo in fourth after they defeated HSBC 35-22.  At the bottom, OGs are having a torrid time and another defeat, this time 32-3 at the hands of Kings Coll sees them and Bexley now 11 points adrift of Lordswood who also lost out heavily at home to O Wills, 19-50

Kent 2:  NAG maintained their 100% record as they despatched Edenbridge 7-32, Brockleians sit in second place after they were winners by a similar score line (10-38) against bottom club Orpington.  Foots Cray’s  15-35 win at Greenwich keeps them level on points with ‘Brocks’ with a six point cushion to fourth placed Askean who were 7-44 winners at Dartford Valley.  In the local derby, Faversham lost out 7-29 at home to near neighbour Whitstable.

PS:  Glad to see the weekly roundup of results appears to have reappeared on Southwark’s radar again!!

Remember the clocks go back 1 hour this Saturday night/Sunday morning (26th Oct)!!

In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.

For those out on the town, that's an extra hour in the bar!!!!

Apologies for the delay which was created by a number of issues which we won't go into.  Needless to say these are now availble at the bar, so next time you are in the club please ask Carol for  your Members Handbook (if you're fully paid up)!

Youth Age Group Lead Coaches are asked to collect a batch to distribute to their respective age groups.

The Whole club has recently purchased a Automatic Emergency Defibrillator (AED)  which has also been part funded by Kent RFU.

A defibrillator is a machine that delivers an electric shock to the heart when someone is having a cardiac arrest.

According to the British Heart Foundation…

“Acting quickly when someone is in cardiac arrest and fighting for their life is crucially important - every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces their chances of survival by 10%."

 Although hopefully, this will equipment will never have to be used, it is an important and integral part of any rugby club. A defibrillator is a high energy electric shock, given to the heart in cardiac arrest could start it beating normally again.

This is called defibrillation, and it's an essential life-saving step in the Chain of Survival.

They are simple and safe. The machine gives clear spoken instructions. You don't need training to use one.

Once in position, the defibrillator detects the heart's rhythm. It won't deliver a shock unless one is needed.

How to use a defibrillator

Defibrillators are very easy to use. Although they don’t all look the same, they all function in broadly the same way.

If you come across someone who is not breathing or breathing erratically, the most important thing is to call 999 and start CPR. If you're on your own, don't interrupt the CPR to go and fetch a defibrillator. When you can, send someone else to find one. Once the defibrillator is open, all you have to do is follow the spoken instructions.

Saturday’s home league fixture against Medway at The Mote saw the first of this season’s pre-match lunches.  A great effort by Carol McKenzie, Diane Hughes and the backroom team ensured that 37 of the club’s supporters and visitors were wined & dined prior to the 1^st XV’s league fixture, as well as being entertained by the wit & wisdom of the club's Deputy Chairman Dave Arnold.  With the club’s Youth Section conducting a Saturday training session, assisted by some of the senior squad, all followed by a BBQ, it was a busy day at The Mote.

In addition, 1^st XV manager Dave Hughes was on hand to present one of son Tom’s British Army representative shirts to the club and add the growing collection that is appearing in the bar.

This was a first of a series of supporters and sponsors pre-match lunches, detail of the dates for others are published on the Events page of the website and will also be publicised on the club’s notice boards.

As a footnote, it was great to see 1^st XV flanker Eddie Cranston’s girlfriend pitching in to help out, welcome to the club Gemma and we hope you enjoy your stay.

Club Captain Ben Williams and all the players in the 1st XV would like to say a big THANK YOU to all the supporters who came along to the first home league fixture of the season against Medway.  In particular thanks to the club's Youth Section for their support, it was amazing and created a great atmosphere and a real buzz at the ground.

We're glad we could reward you with a good performance and an all important winning result.

National 1:  Blackheath continue to move up the table and sit in eigth place after a 38-29 win against Cinderford; at the top Ealing continue to set the pace with another solid result as they thrashed bottom club Macclesfied 73-13.  A 33-25 win for Fylde against O Albanians keeps them in second place with Rosslyn Pk third after they beat Wharfedale 49-26.    The battle between fourth and fifth went the way of Coventry as they defeated Richmond 48-27 to close the gap on the London based club.  In the remaining mid-table fixtures, Tynedale beat Esher 24-20 whilst Darlington MP went down 21-28 to visiting Hartpury Coll.

National 2(S): A 37-22 win for the city club against Shelford sees Canterbury’s worries ease slightly as they move out of the bottom two, Cambridge slip down after they went down 14-28 at home to third place Dorking.  O Elthamians are in fourth spot after they beat bottom club Dings Crusaders 38-29.  At the top Henley remain the front runners following a 7-20 win at Clfton, with Taunton in second after they beat Redruth 24-17, Bishops Stortford lost a bit of ground following a narrow 24-22 defeat at Worthing.  In the mid table battles, Launceston lost out 22-26 at the hands of Chinnor , with Southend resounding 50-13 winners over visiting Lydney.

National 3(SE): Combe stay at the top of the table as they posted another bonus point win, with a 15-31 result at local rivals Gravesend.  BSE are second following a 52-5 thrashing of struggling CS Rugby, whilst Ldn Irish (Am) are in third place following an 11-29 win at bottom club Westcliff.

East Grinstead’s 18-23 win at Barnes sees them in fourth place.  Fifth placed Chichester failed to win for the third consecutive week, recording what looks to have been an entertaining and high scoring 37-37 draw with Tring.  In the remaining results A&C lost out 15-17 to visiting Guernsey, whilst TJs were 26-39 winners at Hertford to move up to seventh spot.

London 1 (S): A 10-25 win at Basingstoke keeps Sidcup three points clear at the top of the table, with Wimbledon in second spot after they drew 29-29 with visiting Havant. Chobham and Guildford sit in third and fourth spots after wins over Cobham (15-34) and G&F (46-19) respectively; although points deductions do affect their league positions, as does it also for Basingstoke.  At the bottom end of the table, a 21-13 win for Dover against Brighton brought some welcome points, whilst fellow strugglers Hove recorded the second draw in this division as they tied 19-19 at Twickenham; whilst Charlton Pk lost out 17-5 at S&E.

London 2 (SE): The main clash here was between two of the division’s leading contenders as Maidstone hosted Medway in what was the county town side’s first home fixture in this campaign, current leaders Tunbridge Wells obviously feel that this is where any threat to their challenge lies, as they had a number of observers at the match, and their statement that they were there to watch Medway, a side they have already played had something of a hollow ring to it.  The match itself was a free flowing game with the home side pretty much having sewn up the points by half-time as they eventually ran out 38-22 winners and move into second place in the table.  Medway slip to fifth place with Sevenoaks now in third spot after they reversed their RFU Intermediate Cup result against Crowborough with a 6-17 win at Steel Cross, Beckenham returned to winning ways with a 16-33 win over bottom side Aylesford which puts them in fourth place.  Tunbridge Wells stay top after they beat Ashford at St Marks, but by a narrower margin than might have been expected  (27-22) given their respective league placings.  In the mid table positions, D&B eased some of their early season worries with a 15-10 win at home to Colfes.

London 3 (SE):  Bromley stay at the head of the division after they beat Pulborough 9-14, and are separated only by virtue of their win/loss record from Horsham who ran out convincing 36-10 winners over bottom club Lewes who have yet to win a match this season.   Dartfordians 15-30 win at Dunstonians sees them in third spot, whilst Folkestone’s  challenge hit another speedbump as they drew 10-10 at H&B.  Uckfield now sit in fourth spot with a 33-8 win over struggling Anchorians, the latest in a series of good results for the E Sussex club.  In mid-table Park Hse edged out H&W 19-11.

Kent 1: Beccs won 9-22 at HSBC but it is Cranbrook back at the head of the table after they hammered Lordswood 51-14 at the Tomlin Ground.  Sheppey sit in third after they beat fifth placed Sittingbourne 10-22 in the local Swale derby.  At the bottom OGs and Bexley are still looking for their first win after going down 50-10 and 10-29 to Southwark and Kings Coll respectively.  The clash between O Wills and Vigo was the tightest encounter of the day, with Vigo just edging the result 10-11 to stay in fourth spot in the table.

Kent 2:  A 67-5 thrashing of Greenwich keepsd NAG at the top of the table and with maximum points, whilst Brockleians 43-15 win against Faversham keeps them in second place.  Footscray’s 24-19 win against bottom club Orpington puts them in third place, with fourth placed Edenbridge having no fixture this week.  In the basement battle Whitstable were 29-10 winners against Dartford Valley, whilst in the mid-table encounter Askean lost out 22-25 at home to Shooters Hill.

Saturday 1^st November sees not only the second home league fixture for the 1^st XV in this campaign, but also the first of club’s the pre-match Sponsors Lunches this season.

Apart from entertaining guests from our opposition for the day, most importantly we will be hosting a number of the club’s sponsors and advertisers.  These occasions are great social occasions and part of what grassroots community rugby is all about.  There are likely to be some spare places which will be allocated on a first come first served basis @ £20 per head, if you are interested in attending then please contact Club President Jim Tinsley.

Book Early to Avoid Disappointment

Please note that orders for Club Hoodies from the shop are now closed.

Saturday 18^th October sees not only the first home league fixture for the 1^st XV in this campaign, but also the first of club’s the pre-match lunches this season.

Apart from entertaining guests from our opposition for the day, plus some of the club’s sponsors these occasions are great social occasions and part of what grassroots community rugby is all about.

Places may be limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.  Cost is £20 per head and includes a three course meal including wine, plus a complimentary match programme.

To book your places please contact Club President, Jim Tinsley, or see Carol McKenzie at the bar by the evening of Wed 15th Oct.

National 1:  A resounding 12-52 win on the road at Wharfedale sees Blackheath in eighth position, but Ealing still head the table after a 16-26 win at Richmond, a result that drops the SW London club to fourth spot.  Fylde move into second place after they beat Hartpury 24-32, with Rosslyn Pk third following a similar 29-38 result at Blaydon.  At the foot of the table Macclesfield are bottom after they lost out heavily at home to Tynedale (24-60), with O Albanians also still looking for a first win after they went down 13-28 to Loughborough St; a result that lifts the Students out of the bottom three and above Cinderford following their 11-15 home defeat to Coventry.  In the last of the fixtures, fifth placed Esher were 32-19 winners against Darlington MP.

National 2(S): City club Canterbury’s woes continue as they slumped to another defeat, this time 38-15 at Cornish club Redruth and still sit one off the foot of the table..  County rivals Elthamians on the other hand continue to sit high in the standings in sixth place after  a  28-33 win against Cambridge based Shelford.  In the battle at the top of the table remain at the top after a 37-5 home win against struggling Cambridge, with Taunton still in second despite a 34-20 defeat at fourth placed Bishops Stortford, Dorking sit in third after they beat Launceston 20-17.  At the foot of the table Dings remain bottom after they narrowly lost out 19-21 in a Friday night battle with Clifton who are fifth.  In mid-table Lydney just overcame Worthing 18-17 in a close contest, with Chinnnor easily overcoming a Southend side 42-21, a result that keeps the Essex club just one place above Canterbury at the bottom end of the division.

National 3(SE): combe stay top after a 38-10 win against mid-table Barnes, with BSE in second spot after they beat Ldn Irish (Am) 17-37 at Sunbury., a result that sees Irish drop a place.  They are replaced in third spot by East Grinstead, who inflicted a 27-5, and second consecutive defeat on Chichester, who now sit in fifth place.  Gravesend sit in mid-table after an 18-18 draw at TJs who lay two places below them.  At the bottom, Tring remain at the foot of the division, losing out 25-41 at home to Westcliff who still remain in the bottom three.  A narrow 25-23 win for CS Rugby against visiting A&C sees them move out of the bottom three places with Guernsey now embroiled in the basement battle following their 15-20 home defeat at the hands of Hertford.

London 1(S):  Sidcup stay top despite slipping up 16-23 at home against S&E, Wimbledon lie second after they beat Cobham 43-10, with Basingstoke dropping to third after they lost out 29-24 at Brighton.  Chobham sit in fourth after they beat Guildford 12-5.   At the bottom end of the table, Hove sit just above bottom side Cobham after losing out 22-56 at home to Havant.  Dover are beginning to look early season strugglers after they went down 33-10 to G&F, In mid-table Charlton Pk took the honours 40-22 against Twickenham.

London 2(SE):  A number of key early season games in the division,  league leaders Tunbridge Wells travelled to face Beckenham, with both sides having had a free weekend with neither having entered the RFU cup competitions; league leaders Wells just had enough to run out 18-27 winners,  Maidstone on the other hand were desperate to get back to competitive  rugby, having had both of their last two fixtures withdrawn, and unfortunately Thanet, who started the day one place below them were on the receiving end as the county town club were convincing 10-36 winners to move up to third in the table.   Second placed Medway played host to an in form Crowborough side, with home advantage telling as Medway took the honours 21-13  Both Sevenoaks and D&B were looking to return to winning ways after cup defeats last week, D&B are a difficult side to beat at home as are Sevenoaks, although this  contest was more one-sided than expected with Oaks convincing 38-8 winners.  In the last of the fixtures, Aylesford stay anchored to the foot of the table after a 57-6 drubbing at the hands of Colfes, who ran in 40 second half points to run away with the match.  Ashford sat this week out, with no fixture.

London 3(SE):  Bromley’s resounding  55-5 win against H&B sees them go top after Horsham slipped up at Dartfordians, losing out 32-30 in a high scoring but tight contest; a result that sees Dartfordians move into third place.  H&W are fourth after they despatched Pulborough 33-14 with Dunstonians fifth following their 7-24 win at Anchorians; a result that sees the Gillingham side second from bottom after a disappointing start to the season.  Uckfield sit in mid table after they beat Folkestone 23-39, a result that sees the Kent club’s pre-season label as promotion favourites fade after they shipped 31 unanswered second half points to let a 23-8 half-time lead slip away..  Lewes remain bottom after they went down 17-27 to a visiting Park Hse side that very much needed a confidence boost after consecutive heavy league and cup defeats to Horsham .

Kent 1:  Beccs move to top spot after a 22-13 win over O Wills, a result that sees OW drop to sixth place from second; with Cranbrook now occupying second following their tight 13-18 win at Vigo, who slip to fourth place.  Sheppey are third after a 28-20 win against HSBC, with Sittingbourne in fifth place following a 7-26 win at struggling OGs who stay at the foot of the table.  Bexley sit just above them after they lost out heavily, 35-0 at Lordswood, with Kings Coll also struggling at the bottom end of the table, after they lost out 3-33 to mid-table Southwark.

Kent 2:  NAG stay top of the table following a 14-49 win at Orpington, with Edenbridge still in second place after they lost out 24-18 at Greenwich.  At the bottom, Whitstable remain winless after a 26-12 loss at Shooters Hill, with Faversham just above them following their 14-24 loss to third placed Footscray, Dartford sit in third from bottom after they lost out 0-32 to Brockleians.

This is the Last Call for orders for club Hoodies that are now being taken; the price remains @ £40 including embroidered name / nickname for Adult sizes up to XL , larger than XL are £43, with Junior hoodies up to LB's ( 36" chest) @ £33.50.

The order will be placed this month for delivery in late November, subject to the minimum order number required by Samurai being achieved.

A deposit of £20 is required with your order ...............

Full details on form which are available from behind the bar or can be downloaded (click here).
 

There was an element of disbelief around the club as the draw for the second round of the RFU Intermediate Cup was published; a home draw and the strange phenomenon of two consecutive home games loomed.

In all seriousness, the draws to both the Kent Cup and RFU Intermediate Cup hadn’t fallen our way in the first round of both competitions, this combined with the withdrawal of one of the clubs in Ldn 2(SE) had meant that the club had to wait until it was 6 weeks into the competitive season before the 1^st XV could look forward to playing a home fixture.

So what of the draw, with only two of the county’s sides left in the competition, whilst both have home matches, neither has picked up a particularly comfortable fixture.  We find ourselves hosting Harrow who defeated Ldn 2(NE) leaders Chlemsford in the last rounds and currently sit at the top of Ldn 2(NW) with maximum points.  Harrow were last season’s Ldn & SE RFU Senior Vase Champions, before losing out to Newent in the National Semi-Final.  Medway play host to Staines who were relegated from Ldn 1(S) at the end of last season and currently sit in third spot in the same division as Harrow.

The only other club from Ldn 2(SE) are Crowborough and they face a trip to face Tottonians who had a convincing home win over Colfes in the first round and are currently unbeaten in second spot in Ldn 2(SW) behind a Ldn Cornish outfit that will host Aylesford’s victors, Portsmouth in round two.

Full details of the draw are below

 In the other competitions, fate has seen Dartfordians drawn at home to Folkestone, and with there only being a point betw3een them in the opening league match of the season, this is likely to be a tight contest.  Bromley travel to face league rivals Lewes, and if current league form is a gauge, them the SE London club will be confident of a positive result.  For other clubs from Ldn 3(SE), Horsham host Grasshopper from Ldn 3(NW) whilst H&B also have a home draw and take on a Ldn Exiles club that put H&W to the sword in convincing style in the last round.  In the Junior Vase, the county’s representatives are Beccehamians and Sheppey.  Beccs travel to face Crawley, whilst Sheppey have a home tie against Cranleigh.  The only match in this competition to yet be confirmed is the opponents for May & Baker, with match card issues to be resolved from the tie between Millwall and O Actonians (OAs won the match).

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

Last weekend saw the one outstanding 1^st Round fixture played between Nat 2(S) club O Elthamians and defending champions, Nat 3(SE) side Gravesend.  With both having had a full round of fixtures on the Saturday, and Elthamians limited by the rules of the competition for clubs at Level 4 and above, the result still went the way of the SE London club by a three figure score.  The result therefore sees the completed line ups for the 2^nd Round of the Cup competition as follows:

Medway v Tonbridge Juddians
Old Colfeians v Blackheath
Westcombe Park v Maidstone
Tunbridge Wells v Old Elthamians

Round 2 Draw (to be played between 8th November 2014 & 14th February )

For any of you that have been looking at Westcombe Park’s website, you may have noticed that they have already marked the fixture down as the 8^th November.  This is incorrect information as the date has not yet been agreed between the clubs, although given this weeks published draw for the RFU Intermediate Cup, it certainly won't be the 8th November!!

Full details on all of the Shepherd Neame Kent Knockout Competitions can be found on the recently revamped Kent RFU website, (click here) which incidentally features quite a lot of photos from Maidstone Rugby.

Those supporters who had been intending to travel to the 1st XV in the RFU Intermediate Cup First Round tie at Warlingham, please be aware that this match is now cancelled.  A combination of injury and unavailability has meant tha Warlingham were unable to field a front row and have conceded the fixture and we now progress into the Second Round.

Not the ideal way to progress, especially after not having a fixture last week, but we are by no means the only club now receiving a walkover, both London Cornish (2SW) and Saffron Walden (2NE) have also had their opposition withdraw.  This  is despite the organising committee this season implementing a sanction of £100 plus exclusion for 2 years against teams that withdraw from the competition.

On a brighter note, why not come along and watch the Mustangs XV at The Mote; if you enjoyed watching our 1st XV back division last season, then watching the Mustangs with a back division of Caleb, Willie B and 'The Train' will be just like old times!!

National 1:  Ealing continue to set the pace after they beat Cinderford 28-12 but Richmond stay with them, level on points after they were 19-30 winners at NE club Tynedale.  Fellow NE club Blaydon had too much for Blackheath as they defeated ‘Club’ 12-29 at the Rectory Field, a result that leaves the county’s senior club in eleventh spot in the table.  Fylde stay third after they beat Loughborough St 43-25, with Rosslyn Pk in fourth following a solid 38-3 win against struggling O Albanians.  Basement club Macclesfield remain one of three winless clubs after they went down 41-12 at Darlington MP, elsewhere Esher drop off the pace after a 30-19 loss at Hartpury, whilst Coventry rebounded from last week’s defeat with a solid 53-26 win against Wharfedale.

National 2(S):  Canterbury continue to struggle, with the city club losing out 10-22 at home to Bishops Stortford, a result that sees them one of the bottom place currently occupied by Dings, who went down 27-17 at Cambridge.  Southend who sit just above them also lost out, going down 13-18 at home to third place Dorking.  At the top of the table Henley and Taunton lead the way, with the Hawks 22-32 winners at Launceston, and the Titans narrow 17-19 winners at Worthing.  Clifton slip to fifth place below Bishops Stortford after a narrow 31-32 loss at home to mid-table Shelford, with Lydney and Chinnor exchanging places after the Gloucester based club won 30-24. Elthamians stay in sixth place after a tight 13-12 result against Redruth.

National 3(SE):  The key clash in the division was that between the two unbeaten sides, with Westcombe Pk taking the plaudits in a 14-25 win at Chichester, a result that sees Combe 6-pomts clear at the top with Ldn Irish (Am) moving into second spot after they beat A&C 13-28, with Chichester dropping to third place.  BSE sit in fourth after a solid 39-14 win against a struggling Westcliff, who continue to prop up the table.  East Grinstead’s G-Force now occupies fifth spot, following a 55-3 demolition of Tring who lie just above Westcliff.  Gravesend sit in mid table after a 27-24 win over Guernsey, with TJs posting only their second win of the campaign so far, after they were 16-39 winners at Barnes.  Struggling CS rugby lost out heavily 42-3 at Hertford and occupoy the third of the bottom three places.

London 1(S): Kent side Sidcup continue to set the pace in Ldn 1(S) after they nilled Twickenham by 31 points to sit 2 points clear of a Basingstoke side that hammered G&F 60-15.  Wimbledon now occupy third spot following a 13-30 win at Hove, whilst Chobham, who beat Dover 13-21 are fourth, with a 5-point deduction also affecting their league position.  Cobham occupy bottom spot following a 24-7 loss to Guildford, whose league position is also affected by a points deduction, Havant also stay in the bottom three after they shared the points with Charlton Pk following a high scoring 31-31 draw at Hooks Lane, in the last of the fixtures S&E share mid-table positioning after the SE Ldn side just edged the Sussex club 24-20.

RFU Knockout Competitions

RFU Intermediate Cup:  It would appear that the competition organising committee’s sanction of a £100 fine and 2 year exclusion from the RFU competitions wasn’t quite the deterrent they had hoped.  After having no fixture the week before Maidstone’s attempt to actually get on the field of play were again thwarted, with the withdrawal of Warlingham on Friday evening.  They were not the only side to receive a walkover into the next round as both Ldn Cornish and Saffron Walden also had their opposition concede, citing injuries and front-row issues.  For the rest of the county’s clubs overall  it was a disappointing day with Medway the only winners 20-6 in a repeat of last week’s league clash over D&B.  Aylesford lost out 7-15 at home to visiting Portsmouth, whilst Thanet Wdrs also lost at home, going down 18-23 to O Alleynians.  Sevenoaks went down 19-10 at steel Cross tom league rivals Crowborough whilst Colfes suffered a heavy away defeat at the hands of Hampshire based Tottonians, 57-21.  In the remaining fixtures Campion lost out 5-24 to Chiswick, with Enfield going down 34-5 at the hands of Hammersmith & Fulham.  Harrow continue their winning run after last season’ Senior Vase win, with a 34-16 victory over Chelmsford, whilst Rochford Hundred overcame Hampstead 27-3; in the last of the ties, Norwich were narrow 19-22 winners at St Albans.  Diss, Staines and Tabard all had first round byes.

RFU Senior Vase:  A raft of HWO in this competition, with Finchley, Folkestone, Fullerians, Grasshoppers, Hastings & Bexhill and West Norfolk all finding their opposition disappointingly conceding the fixture, and in as a consequence somewhat devaluing the competition at the outset. (Comment:  In a competition that is not compulsory, why enter in the first place if you have no intention of honouring the fixture.  Thankfully only one of the clubs was from Kent and having not named the others, they also shall remain nameless.  Elsewhere Bromley’s early season good form continues, as the beat Eastleigh 19-10, with Dartfordians also progressing after they beat Uckfield 24-5.  Unfortunately Park House failed to progress, as their tie against Sussex club Horsham followed the same trend as last week’s league encounter, with a heavy 65-9 defeat.  In other fixtures Ldn Exiles were 27-0 winners over H&W, whilst Cantabrigians just lost out 22-23 in a tight encounter with Hitchin. Stevenage won 24-31 on the road at O Brentwood, with Upminster losing out 6-17 to visiting hackney.  Welwyn beat Harlow 24-12, whilst Lewes and Stowmarket both have byes into the next round.

RFU Junior Vase:  With Askean, Edenbridge and Shooters all going out in the Preliminary Rd last month, and with Beccs and Sheppey being two of thirteen clubs having a bye, the county’s interest this weekend lay with Lordswood as they hosted Chipstead, with the victors taking a hard fought tie with just two penalties to run out 0-6 winners.  Elsewhere the competition saw 5 HWO from the 19 matches.  Of the Sussex clubs, only Bognor progressed, as the beat Woking 18-38, whilst both Rye and Seaford fell to visiting opposition.  Battersea Ironsides posted the biggest win of the day when they beat Merton 12-50.

A full list of results can be found at http://rfulondon.com

Brief Summary of Development Meeting

Presented by:                Jim Tinsley                 President

                                    Jon Sargent                Chairman

                                    Steve Vincent             Development Chairman

The Presentation covered three areas:

• Brief reminder of events up to AGM in July
• More recently what’s been happening and where we are now
• Where we go from here 

A number of meetings with MCC and MFC, mediated by Alison Broom, CEO of MBC. The main outcome of these was an acceptance by MCC to explore the refurb option for the clubhouse – the rationale being that a refurb, if practicable, would cost less, therefore less land would need to be sold. MBC agreed to source and fund an independent and suitably qualified consultant to carry out a study.

Although the resulting report was comprehensive, and encouraging with respect to a possible refurb, it was eventually agreed by the MFC team that, because of the narrow gap between rebuild and refurb costs, the rebuild would be considered the preferred option. The main reason for this approach was to enable us to get MCC to focus on the one specific problem which has been constantly emphasized by MFC but ignored, that of the proposed reduction in playing and training space for rugby.

At the last of the tripartite meetings MCC were challenged to confront this issue, and with support from MFC, seek the solution by asking MBC to provide Mote Park land, i.e. extend the boundary of The Mote into the park.

This initiative was dismissed by MCC at first, but slowly is receiving meaningful consideration by The Mote hierarchy. A number of one-to-one meetings between MFC and MCC have taken place and a joint Development Committees get-together is planned to produce an action plan before meeting with MBC. The key phrase used at the presentation meeting was “not MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, but certainly MISSION DIFFICULT”.

At the last meeting with MBC, both clubs were tasked with producing a justification for the space they required.  We have almost completed ours, and this is a comprehensive and professional report stretching to 17 pages.  This draft is with MCC and will eventually be presented to MBC. We await the MCC report.

The Q&A session at the end of Wednesday evening’s presentation was lively. Questions covering finances, location of clubhouse, the lease and others were aired.

Finally, a show of hands was requested from those attending (approx. 50) for support for the direction the current discussions are taking. This support was all but unanimous.

National 1:  An 8-21 win at Wharfedale was enough to keep Ealing in top spot, with Richmond moving into second after they narrowly beat Darlington MP 30-27.  Esher sit third after they brought Fylde’s winning run to an end, just taking the result by the odd point in the 29-28 scoreline, the result dropping the Lancashire club to fourth spot.  At the bottom Macclesfield remain pointless after they went down 3-41 at home to Hartpury, with O Albanians just above them who also lost 12-35 at home to Blackheath, who now sit in seventh spot. Loughborough drop into the bottom three following a 27-36 loss to Rosslyn Pk with Cinderford just above them following their 32-28 win over Tynedale.  The last of the results saw Blaydon overcome Coventry 21-16.

National 2(S):  The city club lost again as Canterbury fell heavily (43-12) at early season promotion candidates Taunton who move into top spot and leaving the Kent club very much at the wrong end of the table.  Henley sit second after they beat Southend 31-13 with Clifton third after a 20-23 win at Redruth.  Dings stay bottom after a 22-35 loss to Launceston, with Cambridge just above them after they lost out 32-11 at Shelford in the local derby.  Bishop’s Stortford lost ground at the top following their narrow 41-43 loss at the hands of Elthamians, with Dorking gaining ground after they hammered Lydney 52-3.  In the last of the fixtures, Worthing continued their recent momentum with a 21-26 win at Chinnor.

National 3(SE): Combe stay top with a 100% record after a 30-20 win over East Grinstead’s G-Force, Chichester lie in second place following a solid 14-24 win at The Slade against a TJs side that have had a stuttering start to the season, with Ldn Irish (Am) the first of three clubs  in third spot after they beat Hertford 31-25.  Tied on points with Irish are A&C who beat Westcliff 12-21 and also Barnes, who downed Guernsey 19-40.  At the bottom end of the table Westcliff and Guernsey are propping up the table with CS Rugby just above them despite a 30-28 win over Gravesend.  In the last of the fixtures, Tring went down 7-26 at home to BSE.

London 1(S):  Sidcup stay top after a tighter 20-19 result than Havant's early season league position would have predicted, a result that now leaves Havant at the foot of the table; Chobham stay second despite losing out by the odd point in a high scoring 36-37 scoreline against Basingstoke , a result that moves Basingstoke into third after Guildford lost out 18-15 at Wimbledon.  At the bottom end of the division, Charlton Pk posted their first win of the campaign with a 41-15 win over Hove to move off the foot of the table, whilst Dover beat Cobham 18-33 to move clear of the bottom positions but leaving Cobham just above Havant at the basement end of the table.  In mid-table G&F were hammered 24-65 at home against S&E whilst Brighton also lost out at home to Twickenham 22-31.

London 2(SE):  Still early days yet, but with Crowborough getting something out of today’s games, the season is not looking particularly bright for bottom club Aylesford.  After last week’s heavy defeat, Sevenoaks piled on further agony as they ran out 19-27 winners in what ended up a competitive but scrappy match.  With Maidstone sitting out this week there was a reshuffle at the top as Tunbridge Wells continued their good form with a 29-14 bonus point win over Colfes to see them into top spot after week three.  Thanet slip to fifth place after they were hammered 55-0 at Crowborough, whilst Medway move into second spot following a 29-41 win at the Drill Field against D&B.  In the last of the fixtures,  a 36-18 win for Beckenham at home to Ashford sees them move into third spot with Maidstone in fourth place.

London 3(SE):  Horsham stay top after a convincing 9-65 drubbing of Park Hse, with Bromley maintaining their early season promise in second spot after they overcame Uckfield 0-14.  Dartfordians sit in third spot after they posted a solid 12-40 win over an Anchorians side that have made a stuttering start to the season; many people’s preseason promotion favourites Folkestone slip down the table after a 17-8 defeat at Dunstonians.  At the bottom end of the table Lewes continue to struggle as they lost out 31-10 to Sussex rivals Pulborough who now sit in fourth spot, whilst in the other all Sussex match up in the division H&B went down 10-38 to H&W.

Kent 1:  Vigo’s solid start to the season continued as they stay top after a 25-38 win at winless Bexley, with O Wills now in second spot after they beat Sheppey 20-15 in what looks like it could be an extremely competitive division this season.  Cranbrook sit in third after a narrow 25-22 win at home to Beccs whilst HSBC’s 48-7 demolition of struggling bottom club OGs sees them in fourth spot.  Southeark are still looking for a first win after they lost out 19-3 at Sittingbourne, whilst in mid table Lordswood were comfortable 31-0 winners over Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  A surprising early season HWO for Edenbridge over Orpington sees them sit at the top of the table, separated from first placed club NAG on points difference following NAG’s 78-5 hammering of Faversham.   Askean sit third following a 7- 21 win at bottom club Whitstable.  In the mid table matches Footscray beat Dartford Valley 31-6 with Brockleians 40-13 winners over Shooters Hill.

Kent Rugby sees the start of a new tournament this season. with the first season of the Shepherd Neame sponsored Late Red Veterans Trophy. Initiated and organised by Maidstone Rugby in conjunction with the Kent Rugby Development office, eighteen of the county’s clubs have signed up to the new tournament where the key aim is the retention of older players by providing a coherent, meaningful and enjoyable competition throughout the season. With that in mind, the tournament has been structured to allow larger and smaller clubs to compete on an even and competitive footing, with the tournament running on a two-tier basis, with cup and plate competitions at both levels. The tournament is initially run on a pool basis to provide a guaranteed number of fixtures for all participating clubs, with the outcome of the pools deciding which clubs go forward to the respective cup and plate knockout stages. The tournament culminates with a ‘finals day’ which will be hosted by Maidstone Rugby in April 2015.

Full details of the draw are available by clicking the relevant icon on the club website homepage.

A celebration of Trevor's life will take place at Vinters Park Crematorium on Thursday 9th October at 11:45pm and afterwards at Maidstone Rugby Club.

Club colours, club ties & blazers are encouraged.

It is with extreme sadness that yesterday, Tuesday 23rd September, we heard the news that Trevor Bradley passed away in the early hours of that morning.

Trevor will be fondly remembered by his fellow Barbarians and all other playing and non‐playing members of Maidstone RFC. Trevor had a big personality, gaining enormous respect over time for the contribution he made to the club during his time as BXV captain and his work afterwards in assisting future captains.

One of his proudest moments was when he became a Vice President.

Trevor galvanized the BXV with his unerring belief that a team that trains together wins together, and this was shown in many games played over the years. Trevor always encouraged new players to play at Maidstone, a number of whom have gone on to play for higher teams, or have moved away but have carried on playing allowing the Barbarians to visit many clubs the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland.

An Ulsterman and an Irishman, with a belief and love of all man no matter what colour or religion, he bought a number of nationalities to play for the BXV and so the Mighty Maidstone Barbarians was born.

This year was to be Trevor’s final season at the club as he had made plans with his beloved wife Sarah to move to pastures new on the Sussex coast. A final hurrah tour was being planned to the BXV first ever tour city of Sheffield and this is still planned for the weekend of 20th March 2015 ‐ the weekend nearest St Patrick's Day.

During his tragically short life Trevor has brought people together from all walks of life and new bonds and
friendships have been made, that without him would not have occurred.

Our thoughts and sincere sympathies go to Trevor's wife Sarah, to whom he was devoted, and to their families and friends. It goes without saying that Trevor will leave a significant void and will be hugely missed by everyone who knew him.

Trevor is the Captain of our ship.

Rest in Peace.

David Eiffert,  VP, friend and fellow-Barbarian.

National 1:  Blackheath finally got their season up and running with a 29-19 win over Loughborough Students to sit them comfortably into mid-table.  At the top Ealing are setting the pace and a 36-17 win against Blaydon sees them a point clear of Fylde who were 22-17 winners over Rosslyn Pk; Richmond occupy third spot following a big 17-59 win at  newly promoted Hartpury.  Tynedale are fourth after they beat NE rivals Wharfedale 20-17.  At the bottom Macclesfield prop up the table after they lost out heavily 53-15 to Esher, with O Albanians and Cinderford just above them following defeats at the hands of Coventry (37-16) and Darlington MP (32-24) respectively.

National 2(S):  Canterbury’s season hit a bump as they went down 36-25 at Worthing, to leave them sitting just below the mid-point in the table with fellow Kent club O Elthamians too near the bottom for comfort after they lost out narrowly at home to second placed Taunton (29-31).  At the top Henley are four points clear after they beat struggling  Lydney 17-43, with Bishop’s Stortford slipping into third after they lost 35-24 at Clifton.  A 52-14 defeat at the hands of Southend sees Dings still anchored to the bottom.  In the other results there were mixed fortunes for Cambridge’s clubs, as Cambridge beat Redruth 27-20 whilst Shelford lost out to another Cornish club in Launceston, going down 23-15.  Dorking stay in upper mid-table after a tight 22-23 win at Chinnor.

National 3(SE): Combe stay top of the table after they beat Tring 24-8, a point clear of new boys Chichester who routed a Guernsey side that doesn’t appear to travel well this season, 54-19.  Fellow new boys Amersham & Chiltern (A&C) sit in third and were convincing winners, 28-15 over a BSE that performed well last term, with relegated Ldn Irish (Am) in fourth following a resounding but slightly surprising 6-38 away win at Gravesend.  TJs find themselves wallowing at the wrong end of mid-table after a second consecutive defeat, going down 25-19 at East Grinstead, CS Rugby prop up the table following a 38-28 defeat at Barnes, with Westcliff just above them after they lost 27-5 at Hertford.

London 1(S):  Sidcup and Chobham sit atop the table after the third week, with Sidcup posting a resounding 7-44 win on the road at Hove, whilst Chobham were 22-30 winners at S&E.  Guildford sit just below the top two after a 10-26 win at struggling Dover, with Brighton in fourth spot following their 18-32 result at Havant.  Bottom club Charlton Pk remain winless as they went down 15-29 to mid-table Wimbledon, whilst elsewhere   Basingstoke beat Cobham 34-12 and Twickenham eased to a 26-0 win over visiting G&F.

London 2(SE):  Without a doubt the big game of the day was the local derby at Knole Paddock where Sevenoaks entertained Tunbridge Wells, both sides would probably have preferred this encounter later in the season when they were both well into their stride, although with both having faced stiff opposition the week before this was sure to be a full blooded encounter with Wells taking the away win 18-27 and denying Oaks the losing bonus point.   Newly promoted Thanet, leaders after week one faced east Kent rival D&B and remain top of the table after the second week with a solid 24-12 win.  Maidstone made a second consecutive away trip as they took on an Ashford side in their first season at this level; Ashford are a side that will cause problems for the opposition with their attack from anywhere ethos, although the county town club did enough to contain them and run out 21-34 winners to stay just behind Thanet in the table   Elsewhere, Medway hosted Aylesford and inflicted a second consecutive heavy defeat on the Bulls with a 68-14 demolition, and whilst the visitors may have been looking at a season of consolidation this term, as they prop up the early season table, it does begin to look like it could be a long hard season for them.  In the last of the fixtures Colfes lost out 8-29 at home to Beckenham whilst Crowborough sat this week out following Haywards Heath’s withdrawal.

London 3(SE):  Some have labelled Folkestone as this season’s promotion favourites, and a 36-17 win at home to Anchorians sees them sit just below top club and the other preseason promotion favourites Horsham, who convincingly defeated Pulborough in the Sussex local derby 31-8.  Bromley are always strong starters in the league and a convincing 40-10 win at home against Dunstonians sees them in third spot, however, like all of the early top three, it is a question of consistency through the season that will count, and something all three have lacked in previous campaigns.  Dartfordians it fourth following a 30-8 win against Park Hse, leaving the Bromley based club at the foot of the table, Heathfield beat local rival Uckfield 24-3 with Lewes going down12-20 to newcomers H&B as the cinque ports club recovered from last weeks mauling at the hand of Horsham.

Kent 1:  Following last week’s flying start by Cranbrook, the surprise result of the day was their 31-27 defeat at Sheppey, who now top the table.  Beccs sit in second spot after a 62-15 demolition of Bexley, with Vigo third after they beat Lordswood 15-3.  Old Wills made it two on the trot with a 0-22 win against an OG side that must be wondering what has hit them following two consecutive heavy losses which leave them sitting at the foot of the table.  In the early season mid=table battles, Kings Coll were narrow 15-13winners over Sittingbourne, whilst Southwark went down 29-33 at home to HSBC.

Kent 2:  NAG made it two from two after a resounding 0-41 win over Dartford Valley, although they aren’t the bottom club, as Whitstable sit below them following a points deduction from last week’s fixture. Edenbridge sit second on points difference after they won 7-49 at Faversham, with Askean in third spot following their 27-17 win against Brockleians.  In the remaining fixtures Orpington lost out 5-8 at home in a tight battle with Greenwich, whilst Shooters also went down at home, losing out 21-35 against visiting Footscray.

There is still one fixture still outstanding between Elthamians and Gravesend to decide who travel to face Tunbridge Wells in the second round of the competition, but one issue has been resolved and with Sevenoaks withdrawing from their tie with Westcombe Pk, the Orpington based club will now host Maidstone in the next round.  Second round fixtures are scheduled to be played on, or before Sun 8^th November.

National 1:  Wins for Fylde, Ealing and Rosslyn Pk see them sharing top spot in the table, with Blackheath being beaten by Park 31-25 and having faced two of the three early front runners in the opening two weekends.  Macclesfield’s heavy 0-47 defeat to Fylde sees them propping up the table with Cinderford also winless at the foot of the table who lost 10-23 at Hartpury.  O Albanians also find themselves at the wrong end of the roster after their 30-47 loss to Ealing.  In the northern derby Blaydon lost out 15-20 at home to Tynedale, whilst in SW London Richmond were 30-25 winners against Esher.  Wharfedale’s 32-18 win over Darlington MP sees them in fourth spot, just above Richmond and Tynedale.

National 2(S):  In the Kent derby, the honours went to Canterbury as the city club bounced back from last week’s defeat to overcome O Elthamians 28-15, Taunton currently sit a point clear at the top after they beat Clifton 38-24, with Bishops Stortford in second spot following their 32-19 defeat of bottom club Cambridge.  Henley and Redruth are only separated from Stortford on point’s difference after they beat Chinnor (28-24) and Launceston (14-13) respectively, with the Cornish derby being a really tight battle.  Elsewhere Southend remain winless after they lost 18-6 at Shelford, whilst in mid-table dings just got the better of Lydney 24-22.

National 3(SE):  It was local derby day for two of the county’s clubs in the division with TJs at home for the second week on the bounce as they hosted Westcombe  Pk, Combe lost out in both fixtures last season in what was a poor season for them, but after a solid opening day win this encounter looked like being an altogether tighter affair. In the end Combe took the honours, running out 16-27 winners to stay in top spot.  For Gravesend, they made the short trip to the opposite bank of the Thames estuary to face Westcliff and posted a 13-24 win to sit third in the early season table.  Chichester sit in second spot after they despatched struggling CS Rugby 18-43, whilst BSE are fourth following their equally convincing 43-21 win over bottom club Hertford.  Guernsey bounced back from last week’s heavy opening day defeat with a good 33-28 win over East Grinstead’s G-Force.  Ldn irish got off the mark with a 26-16 result against Barnes with last week’s big winners Amersham & Chiltern brought down to earth with a 16-10 defeat at Tring.

London 1(S):  In a very local Sussex derby the honours were shared as Brighton and Hove played out an 11-11 draw.  Sidcup currently sit at the top with nine points, following their 27-5 win against Charlton Pk, with Chobham level on points after they beat Twickenham 43-10.  Guildford also sit on 9-points as they ran out 37-31 winners at home to Basingstoke. A 24-0 defeat for Dover at Wimbledon sees them just one off the bottom, above Charlton Pk. Cobham posted their first win with a tight 24-23 scoreline against S&E who are still looking for their first win; and in the Pompey derby, Gosport & F were 27-18 winners at home to Havant.

 London 2(SE):  The big news in this division was the withdrawal from the league  late in the week by Haywards Heath who had come down from London 1(S) last term after a torrid season.  The opening day still threw up some interesting encounters and with Kent providing 10 of the division’s clubs, a number of the preseason promotion favourites would be looking to get off to a good start.  On last season’s form the clash between Tunbridge Wells and Medway looked like the pick of the fixtures, with the result going right down to the wire and Wells snatching a 24-23 win in the closing minutes.      Sevenoaks travelled to a Beckenham side that were relegated last term in what looked an interesting encounter, with  Oaks 10-12 winners in another tight encounter.   Last season’s runners up were away at Crowborough and had to come from behind, eventually running out 17-30 winners.  For the two sides promoted into the division, both appeared to have received less daunting fixtures on last season’s form, despite the away venues.  Ashford travelled to face Colfes and lost out by the odd point I a high scoring 35-34 scoreline, whilst Thanet were at Aylesford for their opening day fixture and were comfortable 12-34 winners, to sit at the top of the pile at the end of the opening week.

London 3(SE):  Loads of questions in this division; could Folkestone and Horsham realise their potential and hold their form for the whole season; could Anchorians build on last season’s promise and could Pulborough hold their own at this level at the second attempt?  Horsham look to have hit the ground running, as they inflicted a heavy 17-50 defeat on newcomers Hastings & Bexhill.  Folkestone had a tougher encounter, just edging the contest 23-20 against Dartfordians, whilst Anchorians went down 17-22 at home to a Bromley outfit that are always a tough proposition in the opening weeks.  Dunstonians bounced back from last week’s heavy Kent Cup defeat with a solid 31-18 result against Heathfield, whilst in the Sussex derby, the honours went to Uckfield, who beat Lewes34-10.  In the battle between the two sides that retuned to the division at the first attempt following promotions last season, Pulborough proved too strong for Park Hse, running out 34-19 winners.

Kent 1:  Cranbrook sit at the top after day one, following a 52-17 demolition of OGs, Vigo posted a solid 26-14 win against Kings Coll to get their season moving and Sheppey will be glad to have got a first league win for some time under their belt, after they beat Bexley 20-29.  O wills beat Southwark Lancers 19-7 with HSBC going down 13-17 at home to Sittingbourne.  In the last of the fixtures Lordswood narrowly lost out 24-26 at home to Beccs.

Kent 2:  NAG sit top at the end of the opening week after they beat Shooters 48-7, with Edenbridge also getting off to a flying start as they down Dartford Valley 40-6.  Brockleains were 31-16 winners over Whitstable and Greenwich posted a solid 22-5 win against visiting Faversham.  With Orpington not playing this weekend, the last of the fixtures saw Footscray lose out 7-8 to visiting Askean.

With Sevenoaks’ fixture against Westcombe Pk not scheduled until the 21^st Sept and Elthamians’ encounter with Gravesend taking place a fortnight later; Maidstone’s 70 point demolition of Ldn 3 club Old Dunstonians was the last of the early season Round 1 fixtures.  In the other first round matches Ldn 2 club Tunbridge Wells just edged the 39-31 result against a Dartfordians side from a division lower.  Ldn 2 club Medway were convincing 15-46 winners against league rivals in newly promoted Thanet Wdrs.  Charlton Pk made an early exit from the competition as they faced Nat 3(SE) side TJ’s although there was relative parity up front; it was the execution of the TJs backline that saw them run out 9-33 winners.  In the battle of the so called ‘big guns’, who under the tournament rules have to field their 2^nd XVs, it was Blackheath’s Heathens  that were convincing winners at they outclassed Canterbury’s Pilgrims, inflicting a heavy 10-54 home defeat on the city club to progress to the next round.

With two fixtures still outstanding the draw for round two looks like this:

Medway v Tonbridge Juddians
Old Colfeians v Blackheath
Sevenoaks or Westcombe Park v Maidstone
Tunbridge Wells v Old Elthamians or Gravesend

With the majority of the competitive league fixtures starting next week, it was only sides at levels 3-6 that started their league campaigns this weekend, and whilst it remains only match 1 in a long campaign the opening days results provide the first 'acid test' for a side, of how indicative preseason preparations and results have been.

National 1:  Blackheath made the long trip to the NW to take on a Fylde side that had finished last season comfortably in the top half dozen.  'Club' never really threatened as Fylde ran out 31-16 winners, Ealing, Esher, Rosslyn Pk and Richmond all posted winning results, whilst newly promoted Hartpury went down 25-30 at home to visiting Wharfedale and Darlington MP lost out by the odd point (23-24) at home to Blaydon.

National 2(S):  A disappointing start for Canterbury, as the city club lost out 28-24 at Clifton, whilst Elthamians fared better in their first outing at this level, beating Worthing 30-33.  Newly promoted Dorking fared less well, losing out 10-13 at home to Henly, whilst Bishops Stortford were ‘one point’ winners in a tight contest against Launceston (18-19).  Wis for Cambridge, Chinnor, Lydney and Redruth complete the results and leave Chinnor at the top of the table at the end of the opening day.

National 3(SE):  Wins for all three of the county’s clubs on day one of the league season which saw home advantage very much to the fore across the matches in the division.   Westcombe Pk made the most convincing start with a 37-7 home win over Guernsey.  Gravesend ran out 20-13 winners against BSE, whilst TJs left it late to come from behind to beat Tring 23-21 in a match that could have gone either way, and in which the visitors had a kick to take the tie in the closing minutes.  Elsewhere East Grinstead’s G-Force maintained last season’s momentum with a 22-14 win over CS Rugby, whilst Barnes and Chichester , whilst Amersham & Chilton were the only side to buck the trend as they posted a convincing 20-40 win at Hertford.

London 1(S):  Nixed fortunes for the three Kent clubs on the opening day with Sidcup’s 28-12 win over Wimbledon the only positive result.  Newly promoted Charlton Pk went down 22-43 to visiting Brighton, whilst Dover lost out 33-29 at Basingstoke.  G&F went down 25-30 at home to Hove, with fellow Portsmouth club Havant also losing out at home, going down 22-25 against Chobham.  Guldford posted a narrow 24-26 win at S&E, but the big winners of the day were newly promoted Twickenham who routed Cobham 68-13 to sit at the top of the pile on day 1.

The club's Youth section will be running a stand at Bearsted Sports and Activity day which takes place on Bearsted Green on Tuesday 26th Aug.  The day runs from 10:00am until 3:00pm and anyone with children interested in starting rugby should come along.  It will be easy to find, just look for the big upright flags.

From September 12 to 29, 2014 up to 1 million tickets will go on general sale for the 48 Rugby World Cup 2015 matches taking place across England and in Cardiff.

All members, fans, players and staff will be able to apply for tickets through the general sales application window in September. This also includes those who have already purchased tickets through the Rugby Community Ticket Sale, who will be able to use their same login details and ticketing details as created in May.

Tickets for all 48 matches, at each price category, will go on sale in September and you will be able to apply for up to 4 tickets for each match.

It is important to note that this is an application window and therefore members can apply for tickets at any point between September 12th  and 29th. This is not a first come, first served sale so there is no advantage to applying on the first day, but it is recommend that you don't leave it until the last minute. Where matches are oversubscribed RFU ticketing will conduct a ballot by match and by price category. All members of the public who have applied for tickets will be advised in October 2014 on the status of their application.

With only 29 clubs from a possible 48 in the Ldn & SE region entering this season’s competition, including  Ldn 2(SE) clubs Ashford, Beckenham, Haywards Heath & Tunbridge Wells amongst the non-entries, it’s clear very early on as to where some clubs are placing their priorities.  For the remaining clubs in the division the draw is as follows:  Aylesford got what appears to be their traditional home draw in the competition as they host Portsmouth, whilst Maidstone travel to face Warlingham who now play in Ldn 2(SW) following a level transfer at the end of last season.  Medway will host Deal & Betteshanger in the only all Kent tie, whilst Sevenoaks travel to face league rivals Crowborough.  Thanet Wdrs have a home draw against O Alleynians from Ldn 2(SW) with Colfes making the long trip to face Southampton club Tottonians also from Ldn 2(SW).

Three clubs receive byes in the first round, based on their playing record last seaon, with Diss, Staines and Tabard all having dropped down from Ldn 1, the full draw is shown below, with first round ties to be played on Sat 4^th October. 

In the Senior Vase five of the county’s sides are in action and drawn as follows; Bromley host Hampshire club Eastleigh, whilst Dartfordians are also at home to league rivals Uckfield.  Folkestone also have a home draw as they take on OMW, Anchorians make the trip to the south coast against Hastings & Bexhill, with Park Hse also in Sussex as they travel to face Horsham.  The remaining tie affecting Ldn 3(SE)  see s Heathfield & W away at Ldn Exiles.

In the Junior Vase only six of the county’s clubs have entered the competition; in the Preliminary Rd to be played on Sept 6^th, Edenbridge and Askean have away ties at O Blues and O Georgians respectively, whilst Shooters Hill host Reigate.  Lordswood have a bye into the 1^st Rd whilst Beccehamians and Sheppey have byes as far as Rd 2.

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

The start of another rugby year is looming with the normal kick-off for the Veterans at the Ashford Tournament and Beer Festival.

This year it will be on Saturday 30th August 2014 and games will kick of at 11.00 am sharp.

The invitation is open to all that qualify as Vets (over 35 and drink beer. Lager drinkers may also apply under the “special measures” ruling).

Even if you’re not old enough to play, or indeed, too old, it's still a great day out.

Please let Adrian Clarke know if you intend to attend 07568308833

A reminder to all senior players that preseason training has started.  Training is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm at the club and is open to all senior players. Whether you are regular 1st XV player, part of the the new development XV squad or one of the Mighty Barbarians or Veterans XVs, It is guaranteed that you will benefit from attending!

In addition,  Shaun Neaves is running his legendary  'Fatboys' sessions on  Saturdays at 12:30, at the far end of the 1st XV pitch. So why not come along and flip some tyres with the bigman himself; it beats being dragged round the shops; and you don't have to be fat either!!!

Remember club training and these additional sessions are run for your benefit. #oneclub

Despite the best efforts of the weather Maidstone Rugby’s Sponsors BBQ turned out to be a great success.  Although the rain had obviously deterred some, a significant number of the club’s current sponsors and advertisers were in attendance, along with representatives from a number of companies who have expressed an interest in becoming involved with the club.

In addition to the obvious social element of the evening, the event saw a shirt presentation to the club of 1^st XV player Josh Jensen’s Denmark international shirt, as well as a full presentation on the objectives and ambitions for the club’s senior and youth sections over the coming season by Sean Charlton, the club’s Head of Playing.

Sunday 6^th July saw Maidstone Touch, which is run as part of the RFU’s O2 Touch initiative at Maidstone Rugby enter 3 teams in the annual Canterbury Touch Tournament;  one youth boys team primarily from the U16s  and two teams in the Mens Open competition.  With the exception of the club’s 3 Kiwis, this the first experience of tournament touch rugby.  Of the men’s teams, one consisted of what was primarily players from last season’s U17 age group who played very well throughout the day holding their own against teams that play and practice together every week. The other men's team consisted of mainly senior players and went through the round robin unbeaten, qualifying for the final in first place.  Unfortunately they just lost out in the final to a London team who were using this tournament as a build up for the English national touch champs and train every week; the match was a close  contest with Maidstone just losing out in extra time.

The real success of the day was the Youth (U16s) team who won their grade and are now the Canterbury touch youth champions. All in all it was a great day and a great success, with a big vote of thanks to all the parents and spectators who made the journey to support the teams.

The organisers of tournament commented on how well all of the Maidstone teams played, especially the youth teams.  With so many current Maidstone players playing today from across the club everyone represented the club well.

O2 Touch is still being run on Wednesday nights at 6:30pm at The Mote and everyone is welcome to come join in. Hopefully the success of the teams today will encourage more people to come along and with sufficient interest the club can look to expand its current Touch Rugby activities, with potentially a our own Maidstone tournament at some point in the future.

The fixture programme for the 2014-15 season has been announced and sees the 1^st XV opening their league campaign with consecutive away fixtures.  The campaign commences on the 13^th September and first up is a trip to face Crowborough with the team on the road again the following week to take on newly promoted Ashford.  The first home fixture is on the 27^th Sept when Haywards Heath visit The Mote for the first time in 6 seasons.

As part of the build up for the new season, Sean Charlton, Paul Hathaway and Fixtures Secretary Richard Ewence have lined up preseason fixtures against London 1(S) clubs Sidcup at The Mote on Sat 16^th August and at Dover the following week, with hopes for another over the bank holiday weekend.  In addition, and for the third consecutive season, the club has been drawn in the 1^st round of the Kent Cup, although this time with an away fixture at O Dunstonians.  The date is yet to be finalised, but will be before the start of the league campaign (likely to be 6^th Sept).  The draw for the first round of the RFU Intermediate Cup is yet to be announced.

The fixture page of the website will be updated in due course, as the fixtures for the other senior sides in the Invicta League and Shepherd Neame leagues become available.

A final opportunity could be available for members to purchase RWC tickets. Some of our ticket allocation for matches at Twickenham remain (being QF1 and QF4) and all other games around the country are "first come first served".  Should you wish to try and purchase tickets send an email to steve.vincent@hbsv.com and Steve will then upload your email address to the RWC website creating an account for you. RWC should then email you with a request to activate your account and then you will be free to buy a maximum of 4 tickets per match. If you wish to buy for either of the QF's please confirm your intention to do so to Steve along with how many tickets (max 4) you would like as the procedure for Twickenham games is on an allocation basis only.

This offer will close Friday 27th June.

With the club’s partnership with David Lloyd having come to a conclusion at the end of last season, Maidstone Rugby are pleased to announce that local fitness centre Topnotch have now stepped in as the club’s fitness partners to assist in preseason preparations for the 2014-15 league and cup campaigns.

The club has in the past worked with Topnotch on an informal basis and is delighted to be able to re-establish these links on a more formal basis for both parties.

Work is well underway in preparing for next season; disappointingly, and after a number of years of loyal support, the partnership with current Primary Sponsors, Brachers Law, has now come to a conclusion.  The club has been able to initiate sponsorship arrangements with a number of other local and regional companies in addition to the support of its current partners.  Key sponsors Alan Firmin Ltd, Alltask, Britelite, Crowe Clark Whitehill, Glosrose, KH Engineering and Shepherd Neame have maintained their support for the coming season, whilst in addition to the recent announcement of local real ale pub Ye Old Thirsty Pig as one of the club’s Official Sponsors, the club is pleased to announce that local company Pankhurst Contracting have increased their level of support and will be the club’s Primary Sponsor for the new season.  The club is also pleased to welcome  the region’s largest law firm, Cripps Harries Hall, who have also stepped in as one of the club’s key official sponsors along with local construction services company Genco, both of whom service a number of blue chip clients.

Work remains ongoing to broaden the club’s sponsorship portfolio and vacancies remain available; if you feel you or your company may be interested in any of the sponsorship or advertising opportunities available at the club, then please contact the club’s Sponsorship Officer, Bob Hayton via the contacts page.

Maidstone 5^th XV aka Barbarians celebrated the end of an arduous season with their annual awards dinner on 16^th May with thanks to the hospitality of the staff at The Bull in East Farleigh.

Pictured with captain, Ian Ausher (middle), the award recipients (l-r):-

• The Captains’ Shield (MFC 5th XV Player of the Season) – Colin Frost;
• MMB Newcomer of the Year – Karim Neseyif accepting for Luke Cox;
• Barbarian of the season (Contributions to social rugby) – Gary Griffiths;
• Most Improved Barbarian/Tourist of Year – Jason Hudson;
• The Voice, Bruno T Dag.

Not pictured but other awards went to Paul Hodges (retaining the Handbag of the season) and Tom Clarke (Tim Doyle Memorial Award for services against social rugby). 

If anybody knows someone who may be new or wishing to return to the game at the social end of Maidstone Rugby then why send them down to MMB’s summer training. Starts 4^th June on Penenden Heath from 7pm to 9pm and every Wednesday thereafter until September.   No specific level of fitness required!

Recent seasons have looked like the Evergreen XV were to be the perennial  bridesmaids after having reached 5 finals in recent seasons only to end up as the runners up.  Whilst they lost out in the opening round of this year’s competition against Blackheath, in what was a rerun of last season’s final, for the first time ever, the team has had to test the waters of the Plate competition.  A solid 48-0 semi-final result against Medway meant that Nick East’s side were full of confidence as they went up against a Beccehamians outfit in this season’s finale.  In what ended up being a convincing display the side ran in eight tries to overwhelm opponents Beccehamians and take the trophy by 50-7.

A full match report is available on the Fixtures/Reports page under Veterans XV fixtures.

Sunday’s Evergreen Cup fixture against Medway saw a remarkable turn of events, with seven of the last eight 1^st XV Captains in attendance.  Proving that you can’t keep a good man down, the elder statesmen of the group Dave Charlton and Matt Plowman have been ever present in the Evergreen XV in recent seasons.  However, and perhaps demonstrating that time (or age) catches up with us all, the last few seasons have seen them joined by all but one of their contemparies, with only former skipper Mark Ryan still too young to join the ranks of Veterans Rugby.

Pictured (L to R) Back row: Steve Matthews, Matt Plowman, John O’Brien, Martin Arnold.  Front row: Jon Sargent, Jim Walker, Dave Charlton

A summary of what happened where in the regional and county competitions.

As ever there was a lot of rugby played elsewhere in Kent and, despite the somewhat damp season (to say the least), we did not see the respective campaigns ending with a raft of fixtures compressed into the final weeks as a result of the wet and wintry weather.