On the eve of the traditional inter service Army v Navy fixture, ex-servicemen Bob Hayton and Mick Walker represented Maidstone FC at the unveiling of the Rose & Poppy commemorative gates, which now stand under the West Stand’s gold lion and through which teams will walk en route to Twickenham international matches.  Invitations to the unveiling were extended by the RFU to two representative of each club in existence at the time of WW1 as part of the RFU’s commemoration of the World War I centenary.

With this Sunday’s Kent Plate Final being fly-half Harry Millar’s last outing for the club, he took the time following his last home match against Charlton Park last weekend to make an addition to the club’s growing clubhouse shirt collection with the donation of a 1^st XV shirt from his home club in New Zealand, Christchurch RFC.

This Sunday’s final will be his 29^th outing for the club in which he has so far amassed 232 points and weighed in with 4 tries from the 111 that the 1^st XV have posted so far in competitive fixtures.

PS: What is it with Kiwis and Red & Black shirts?

Kent RFU Volunteer Awards

The 2016 Kent RFU Volunteer Awards are  open for nominations which can only be submitted via an online system.  The closing date for nominations is Thurs 28^th April and full details of the awards categories can be found on the Kent RFU website (click here)

Anyone can submit a nomination but the committee requests that you keep them informed via the Hon Sec of any nominations submitted.

Next Sunday (1^st May) sees the finals of the respective Shepherd Neame Kent Cup competitions at the The Jack Williams Memorial Ground, Aylesford.

Kent Vase Final:  KO 11.30am - Beccehamians RFC v Snowdown C.W RFC
Kent Salver Final:  KO 12.30pm - Sittingbourne RFC v Southwark Lancers RFC
Kent Shield Final:  KO 1.30pm - Aylesford Bulls RFC v Sevenoaks RFC
Kent Plate Final:  KO 2.30pm - O Dunstonian RFC v Maidstone FC  Unfortunately Old Dunstonian RFC are unable to field a side for the Shepherd Neame Kent Plate Final. Canterbury RFC, as losing semi-finalists were offered the opportunity to compete in the final but given that it is a Sunday  fixture over a bank holiday weekend, they were unable to do so at such short notice.  Maidstone FC are therefor winners of this season's Shepherd Neame Kent Plate competition.

Kent Cup Final:  KO 4.00pm - Westcombe Park RFC v Blackheath RFC

Before commencing this week’s round up of results, given that this is the last week of scheduled league fixtures for the vast majority of clubs; next week’s results will in large part be the odd postponed fixture, playoff results and also the Kent Cup Finals on the Sunday.  As a result next week’s Around the Grounds will not be posted on Saturday evening but delayed until the Sunday to include the Kent Cup results.

National 1: The top three all lost as champions Richmond lost out 22-25 against Rosslyn Pk, with second placed also suffering defeat, going down 35-26 at Plymouth Albion and Ampthill in third spot losing 25-19 at Coventry.  Blackheath sit fourth after they beat Esher 21-24 and now just two points separates 2^nd from 5^th place going into the final weekend. At the bottom the relegation issues are already sorted with bottom side Henley losing 34-27 at also relegated Cinderford, whilst the last of the clubs for the drop, Wharfedale lost out 19-15 at Fylde.  In the remaining matches Hull Ionians beat Loughborough St 38-27 and Blaydon beat DMP 27-14

National 2(S):   at this level there is still one weekends worth of fixtures to go and things just got a bit interesting at the top of the table with leaders Cambridge going down 43-38 at BSE, whilst second placed O Albanians narrowed the gap to just two points with a 26-47 win at Barnes.  Third placed Bishops Stortford were 0-28 winners at relegated Southend.  At the foot of the table, whilst Southend’s fate is sealed, bottom club Launceston lost out 17-34 at home to Redruth in the Cornish derby and Dorking’s 32-20 loss at Worthing means that they are relegated as well.  In the remaining fixtures, Canterbury lost 22-17 at O Elthamians, whilst Redingensians were 37-21 winners against visiting Chinnor, the final match up saw Clifton and Taunton play out a 19-19 draw.

National 3(SE):  With Ldn Irish WG having all but secured the title last week against TJs, a 29-36 win at Guernsey put the icing on the cake and with TJs posting a solid 43-11 win at home to visiting Chichester they secured the playoff spot and will face Nat 3(SW) side Barnstaple next week, after they lost out 38-24 to their league champions Exmouth in an last day, winner take all fixture.  East Grinstead posted a 35-3 win over relegated Westcliff to secure third spot whilst Hertford thrashed bottom club Eton Manor 60-12 to stake fourth spot with Westcombe Pk in fifth after they were equally convincing 63-19 winners against Bracknell. Relegated Gravesend lost out 18-24 at home to Colchester whilst in mid-table Shelford lost out 9-20 at home to Wimbledon.

London 1 (S):  All of the promotion, playoff and relegation issues were decided last week, so the majority of fixtures were only had some minor jockeying for positions at stake.  Champions S&E hammered Twickenham 71-5 whilst Guildford beat Tottonians 19-31, and will now face Tring from Ldn 1(N) in the promotion playoff.  A 28-28 draw for Sidcup against Chiswick sees them slip to fourth spot on points difference, with Medway occupying an academic third place after their narrow 13-12 win against fifth placed Brighton.  At the bottom, Charlton Pk fell to an 81-21 hammering at Maidstone, with the result moving the county town club up to sixth. In the remaining fixtures Dover lost out 12-43 at home to Havant whilst G&F were thrashed 19-81 by visiting Chobham.

London 2 (SE):  At the top Tunbridge Wells were 17-53 winners at mid-table Horsham, whilst Sevenoaks’ preparation for next week’s playoff against Ldn Cornish hit a speed bump as they fell to a 26-33 defeat at home to third placed Dartfordians. At the bottom Ashford lost 5-33 at home to Colfes and their relegation partners were decided when Thanet Wdrs lost out 34-29 away at Hove, which means Crowborough survive despite losing out 16-25 at home to Beckenham. In the last of the matches, a 43-18 win for D&B over Alleynians sees them close out the season in fourth spot.

London 3 (SE):  Bromley had already secured promotion and a 6-20 win at Folkestone was enough to ensure the league title was theirs.  The real interest was in the battle between second placed H&W and Aylesford where a win for either side pretty much guaranteed the runners up spot (although there were other permutations), in what was as expected a tight contest it was H&W that had built sufficient of a cushion to hold off a second half fightback by their hosts to take the honours 18-21 and with it a return to Ldn 2.  The relegation places were finalised last week and defeats for Uckfield at Park Hse (31-17) and Burgess Hill 22-32 at the hands of also relegated Cranbrook were expected. In the mid-table clashes a tight but high scoring 44-45 win for Pulborough at Anchorians sees the Sussex club take fourth spot, with Eastbourne in fifth despite losing out 37-10 at Eastbourne.

Kent 1:  Sheppey had taken the title some weeks ago and a 20-25 win at Brockleians saw them finish the season as the other undefeated club in the county this season. The real in the table was for the playoff spot and also the relegation battle.  At the top it was athree way battle, with two of the sides facing off against each other.  The playoff spot was however secured by O Wills with a 19-8 win over H&B who finish fourth whilst Beccs lost out following a 34-31 defeat at Southwark and finish the season in third. At the other end of the table, relegated OGs were beaten 34-0 at Kings Coll, whilst a 20-16 win for NAG over near neighbours Vigo, combined with a 31-28 defeat for Lordswood at the hands of HSBC means that it is the ‘woodsmen’ that drop to Kent 2 for next season.

Kent 2: Champions Sittingbourne finished the league season with a defeat, going down 19-27 at home to third place Foots Cray, whilst runners-up Snowdown ran amok as they thrashed Askean 96-0 with Orpington finishing in fourth place after they beat Shooters Hill 50-24.  At the bottom it is Edenbridge who prop up the table, despite a 20-15 win over a Dartford valley side that posted their best league position for some time.  In mid-table Faversham lost out  10-24 at home to Whitstable in the local derby, whilst Bexley were 38-5 winners over Greenwich.

The annual Maidstone Rugby Player's Dinner and Awards Night has been scheduled for Friday 6th May at Rihanna's Studios on Tonbridge Road, which has proved to be an ideal venue in recent years.   It is close to Town and close to the "First and Last" (for those who like to sink one or two in advance) and caters for our needs extremely well.

Ticket prices have been pegged at £25 for yet another year, which includes a 3 course meal and a whole series of fabulous speeches from the award winners and of course our illustrious Club Captain Ben Williams.

Places are limited to 100, so to enable you all to purchase your tickets quickly and easily, we have made them available via the website for the first time.   Purchase as many as you need by Paypal, credit card or debit card.

Don't delay, today's the day.

BAD LUCK.  YOU DELAYED TOO LONG AND MISSED IT      RCE 03/05/2016

It doesn't matter where you go in the world, if you're a rugby player you're almost certain to run into someone from either your own club, a nearby club, or someone you've played with or against.  It was no different for Kiwi Sam Brill who played for Maidstone's 1st XV from 2012-2014 when he went along to watch the recent Chiefs v Blues super rugby match at Waikato Stadium, during the post match period the Maidstone Rugby hoody of Sam Brill caught the eye of another former Maidstone 1st XV player in the Blues back player Piers Francis, and they took some time to exchange pleasantries and of course get the obligatory photo.

With Saturday's fixture v Chobham being a bit of an 'Old Boys' day, a bit of time was taken to make a presentation of a shirt to add to the club's growing collection.  On hand was club President Jim Tinsley to receive Harold Ossenton's kent shirt from the match in 1986 at Twickenham when Kent last reached the county final against Warwickshire.

Although not present at the day, there was another name assiciated with the club involved that day as backs coach Stuart Thresher made his Kent debut at Twickenham.

National 1: A 29-12 win for Richmond against Loughborough St means the SW London side are two wins from the title; with Hartpury looking like they will just miss out despite a 31-27 win over Rosslyn Pk. Ampthill remain third after a narrow 24-26 win at Hull Ionians with Blackheath just a point behind following a 30-45 win at Fylde.  At the bottom Henley are relegated following their 52-7 thrashing at Esher, whilst Cinderford and Wharfedale look the favourites to join them with four matches remaining after defeats to Blaydon (45-25) and Plymouth Albian (30-10) respectively.  The last fixture saw a 27-10 win for Coventry over DMP.

National 2(S):    At the top there were wins for the leaders Cambridge who beat Redingensians 12-33 and O Albanians who were 10-39 winners at Clifton.  Bishops Stortford remain third after thrashing bottom side Launceston 7-56, whilst Redruth’s25-44 win at O Elthamians sees them in fourth spot.  At the bottom we know Launceston are relegated, and a 15-27 defeat for Southend by BSe sees them as favourites to join them, with Dorking looking the likely candidates for the last relegation place after they lost 33-24 at Taunton.  Canterbury sit on the edge of the drop zone after a 41-24 loss at Worthing and need one more win to be sure of safety. In the last of the fixtures a 0-36 win for Chinnor at Barnes sees them now well clear of danger in mid-table after some mid-season worries.

National 3(SE):  The top of the table just got interesting as leaders Ldn Irish (Am) were held to a 25-25 draw at Hertford, meaning that with TJs posting a 34-29 win at Colchester, the gap between the two sides was reduced to just 3-points with a mouth-watering clash between the two programmed for next weekend. A 20-15 win against Wimbledon keeps east Grinstead in third spot with Westcombe Pk fourth after they hammered relegated Eton Manor 49-5. Of the other relegated sides, Gravesend lost out 31-3 to Guernsey, with Westcliff going down 7-17 at home to Bracknell.  In the last of the fixtures Shelford were narrow 31-27 winners against visiting Chichester.

London 1 (S):  An 18-25 win over Medway was enough to secure the league title for S&E, but life got interesting in the race for the playoff as Sidcup beat second placed Guildford 26-24 to move back to third spot and still give themselves an outside chance in the race. Brighton remain in fifth spot after a predictable 18-29 win at struggling G&F with Tottonians and Maidstone exchanging places in sixth and seventh despite both recording wins. Tottonians were 28-21 winners at home to Havant whilst Maidstone beat Chobham 39-24.  At the bottom of the table neither Twickenham nor Charlton Pk’s relegation is yet mathematically confirmed, except that defeats for both at the hands of Dover (32-6) and Chiswick (27-21) means that with two matches remaining, one of the two will definitely go down.

RFU Intermediate Cup:  By the end of the day one of the two competing sides in this national semi-final between Tunbridge Wells  and Western Counties Nth league leaders Matson would have lost their unbeaten record.  In what by all accounts was a tough encounter for both sides, it was T Wells’ cutting edge in the back division that was the difference as two early scores with one in reply gave them a 15-10 half-time lead. An early Matson score to make it all square added to the excitement before two further Wells’ tries took them to a 29-15 winning margin and a date at Twickenham to face Cumbrian side St Benedicts as they continue along the path to emulate Maidstone's league & cup achievements of last season.

RFU Senior & Junior Vases:  Whilst there is no county representation there is regional representation in one of them.  In the Senior Vase Heathfield & Waldron's victors Withycombe, who were beaten semi -finalist last year will face last season's runner-up West Leeds who overcame Oundle in their semi-final.  In the Junior Vase, Surrey 1 club O Cranleighians were 22-12 winners against Gloucestershire based Widden OB to book their place at Twickenham and will face Derbyshire club Buxton, who beat Wetherby 13-7.

Shepherd Neame Kent Cups

Collating results for the Kent Cup competitions is difficult as not all clubs post the results quickly and they are not consolidated and published by the organising body on the same day as happens with RFU league and Cup fixtures.  My apologies for any current gaps.

Kent Cup: With both sides having league fixtures scheduled on the 9^th April, the Blackheath v Tonbridge Juddians tie with Blackheath was played under floodlights earlier in the week.  With defending champions TJs having one eye on their league promotion challenge they fielded an understrength, but nevertheless strong and competitive side, but eventually went down 45-14 to ‘Club’s” heathens outfit.  In the other semi-final, some difficulty in agreeing a date for the fixture due to respective club commitments saw Elthamians withdraw from the competition leaving Westcombe Pk to proceed to the final against Blackheath on 1^st May.

Kent Shield: Despite the requirement for a bench of 7 in their Intermediate Cup national semi-final Tunbridge Wells that would stretch their resources, they opted to honour the fixture a mix of their 2/3s with an early KO in their Kent Cup fixture at Aylesford, the result convincingly went the way ofthe home side with a 47-12 scoreline. No doubt there were some speeding cars making their way home for the 2:30 KO at St Marks following the final whistle.  To find out their opponents Aylesford will have to wait for the other semi-final between Colfes and Sevenoaks which is scheduled for next weekend as a league and cup double header.

Kent Plate: The encounter between a Canterbury side based around their Invicta League Pilgrims XV and a resurgent Ldn 3 Dunstonian outfit was always going to be an interesting matchup. Dunstonians led 36-14 at the interval and despite a valiant second half comeback by the Pilgrims, dunstonians managed to hold out for a 41-38 win.  The fixture between Anchorians and Maidstone had been an ongoing saga since early March in terms of an alternative date to be played, given Maidstone’s full card of league commitments; in the end sadly Anchorians withdrew leaving a Maidstone v Dunstonians final on 1^st May.

Kent Vase: The result of the Beccehamians v Foots Cray fixture hasn’t yet surfaced, but whoever the winner was, they will face a Snowdown side that overcame Kent 1 opposition in Kings Coll 17-19 following what was a tight encounter.

Kent Salver: Southwark received a HWO after Brockleians withdrew ad they move onto the May day final to face Sittingbourne who the last I heard were beating O Wills 29-12, well into the second half of the match.

National 1: Richmond sit 10-points clear at the top after a narrow 21-22 win over struggling Wharfedale, with Hartpury in second spot after they beat Loughborough St 22-39 and Ampthill in third following a resounding 52-13 win over Plymouth A.  Blackheath move back to fourth spot following an equally resounding 54-16 win against Hull Ionians.  At the bottom Henley’s relegation is all but confirmed following a 27-39 defeat to visiting Coventry, with Wharfedale and Cinderford looking like the other relegation candidates despite Cinderford’s 31-24 win against Esher.  The remaining fixtures saw Rosslyn Pk 46-22 winners against Blaydon and DMP solid 40-14 winners at home to Fylde.

National 2(S):   No change at the top as Cambridge racked up triple figures in a 109-0 thrashing of relegated bottom side Launceston and O Albanians were 27-3 winners over a Worthing outfit now on the edge of the drop zone.  A 43-10 win for Bishops Stortford over Barnes keeps them in third spot but realistically not in contention.  At the bottom Southend look favourites to join Launceston for the drop after they lost out 39-26 to fellow strugglers Dorking, who remain in the drop zone despite the win.  Both Chinnor and Canterbury did their survival cnaces no harm as both posted welcome wins in their battles against the drop, with Chinnor 39-31 winners against Elthamians and Canterbury posting a useful 25-21 result against visiting Taunton.  In the remaining results, BSE lost out 28-31 to visiting Redingensians, whilst Redruth were 27-16 winners against visiting Clifton.

National 3(SE):  Ldn Irish WG remain sx points clear at the top after a 34-17 win over Shelford with TJs still in contention after they beat Guernsey 26-36.  East Grinstead stay third following their 5-45 win at relegated Eton Manor with Hertford now fifth after they beat Colchester 10-34.  A defeat by the same scoreline for Westcombe Pk at Chichester sees the Orpington based club slip to fifth.  At the bottom end of the division, the relegation places have already been decided with Eton Manor bottom and Gravesend also for the drop losing out 10-18 at home to Bracknell whilst Westcliff in the last of the relegation places lost out 39-15 at Wimbledon.

London 1 (S):  A 61-14 win for S&E over Charlton Pk would appear to have all but sewn up the league title with Guilford now very much favourites for the playoff spot against Tring or A&C, after they beat Chiswick 48-31, especially with Sidcup losing out 24-15 at Chobham and slipping to fourth spot.  Medway now occupy what for them is an academic third place after they beat struggling Dover 35-24.  At the foot of the table Twickenham trade places with Charlton Pk and move off the bottom of the division with a 43-25 win over fellow strugglers G&F.   In the mid-table battles Brighton beat Tottonians 24-14 to move up to fifth whilst Havant suffered their first loss in 7 outings when Maidstone overturned a 10 point deficit in the final quarter to run out 32-42 winners in what was by all accounts an entertaining encounter.

London 2 (SE):  The top two battled it out for the second consecutive week, this time in the league, but the outcome was the same with Wells 20-40 winners at Sevenoaks to all but tie up the league title, which should be confirmed after the next league fixture.  Sevenoaks will have to content themselves with a playoff spot which is looking likely to be against Ldn 2(SW) outfit  Ldn Cornish, who lost out last season to Medway.  The battle for third spot is between Dartfordians and D&B, with both posting winning results as ‘Darts’ were tight 24-29 winners at Thanet and D&B hammered struggling Crowborough 50-3; with only a couple of points separating the losing sides at the bottom of the table, it may well go to the last day of the season to decide who joins Ashford as the relegated sides.  Having mentioned Ashford, their woes continue as they lost out 10-44 to O Alleynians, who now look to be safe, whilst in mid table Horsham were 37-13 winners against Beckenham and Hove just pipped Colfes 11-10.

London 3 (SE):  The top two went head to head with Bromley 17-13 winners over second placed H&W. Aylesford sit third after a 50-24 win against Pulborough and the promotion battle between all three could well go to the last weekend with any two of the top three sides taking the honours.  At the foot of the table, already relegated Uckfield were hammered 80-10 by Folkestone who endaed what has been a disastrous few weeks for them.  Burgess Hill’s relegation was also confirmed after they were annihilated 101-0 against a Dunstonians outfit fielding a Namibian RWC player amongst a host of new players to join the club in the second half of the season and that have racked up a total of 241 points in their last 3 outings.  Cranbrook now look certain to be the third relegated side after a 25-13 loss at Anchorians. The last of the fixtures saw mid-table Park Hse lose 19-41 at home to Eastbourne.

Kent 1:  Already crowned champions, Sheppey were 17-36 winners at second placed Beccs, although the battle for the playoff spot is still very much between three clubs, Beccs are one although O Wills were unable to capitalise as they lost 34-25 at HSBC, a result that brings H&B back into the mix after they beat Kings Coll 14-67.  At the bottom, relegated OGs lost 25-7 at Brockleians and the battle between the other relegation contenders saw NAG 35-17 winners against Lordswood, a result that sees just a single point separate the two sides going into the last two weeks, with NAG looking to have the more favourable fixtures.  The last of the fixtures saw Southwark lose out 17-24 against visiting Vigo.

Kent 2:  With 70-point wins for the top two as Sittingbourne thrashed Bexley 73-7 to secure the league title and Snowdown beating Greenwich 74-0, only Foots Cray can now overhaul the colliery club for promotion as they beat Orpington 3-45.  Edenbridge look destined to prop up the table after despite a 27-19 win against Askean, as they sit 11-points adrift of Shooters Hill who lost out 40-5 at Faversham.  The last of the fixtures saw another 70-point score as Whitstable ran out 75-0 winners against Dartford Valley.

Former Maidstone player Piers Francis will make his first Super Rugby appearance when the Blues host Los Jaguares at North Harbour on Saturday.  Normally a 10, Piers will start in the No12 jersey with Rene Ranger starting at centre alongside him.  Having played for Counties Manukau in last season’s ITM Cup competition Piers was selected by Blues coach Tana Umaga for the Blues’ Super Rugby squad, although a preseason injury has limited his opportunities thus far.  Part of his recovery process saw him turning out for club side Bombay RFC in which he featured at fly-half for 60 minutes in last week’s 66-5 win, making a number of breaks, scoring a great long range individual try and kicking 8 conversions and a penalty.

Coverage on Sky Sports 3HD from 07:30 on Saturday morning

It is with great sadness that the club has to announce the passing of Pat Legge, wife of the club's former Director of Rugby John Legge.

Pat passed away peacefully on Monday morning with John & Katherine at her side.  Pat had been ill for some while and major surgery some 6 weeks ago had developed complications which required further surgery in circumstances in which the medical staff were unable to undertake.

John has requested that  no one contact him until next week.

The club sends its condolences and sympathey to John, Katherine and other familly and friends.

The funeral will take place at Charing Crematorium, Nr Ashford on Fri 22nd April at 3:20pm; and then afterwards at The Caxton, Tenderden from 4:30pm onwards.

Intermediate Cup:  In this clash between two of the county’s clubs for the Ldn & SE Regional Intermediate Cup, Tunbridge Wells remain on track to emulate Maidstone’s achievement of last season as they took the title against Sevenoaks.  In a match that was competitive in the first half they took a narrow 5-7 lead into the interval, but it was their performance in the third quarter of the match that sealed the win.  With an oppressive defence forcing errors from Sevenoaks combined with running the ball from deep in their own half, two Wells' tries in quick succession in the first five minutes of the second half saw Sevenoaks then having to force the pace.  Two further Wells‘ tries took the score out to 5-31 going into the final quarter; with a try apiece in the final stanza seeing them coast to the title with a 10-36 victory.  Wells now host Gloucester based Matson in the national semi-final, who are also unbeaten and currently head Western Counties North.  The victor is set to face the winner of the Durham City/Liverpool St Helens v Wolverhampton encounter in the Twickenham showpiece.

Senior Vase:  Heathfield & Waldron travelled to face a Devon based Withycombe outfit looking to make amends for their defeat at this stage last season, when they went down to eventual champions Bromley.  Against a H&W side still aiming for promotion and with a couple of unavailabilities due to the Easter holidays, home advantage told for the Devon club as they were able to stretch away from the visitors in the second half to run out 24-5 victors, after being held to 3-0 at the interval. Withycombe now progress to face Oundle or West Leeds on 7^th May at Twickenham.

Junior Vase: O Cranleighians had looked the regional favourites very early on in this competition and against Ldn Welsh (Am) they took the Ldn & SE Regional Junior Vase with a 3-31 scoreline at Old Deer Pk. They now face Gloucestershire’s Widden Old Boys in the national semi-final on 9^th April, with Buxton and Wetherby contesting the other semi-final.

A reminder that Sunday 10th April is a busy day at the club with the finals taking place in the various Shepherd Neame sponsored Late Red Veterans Trophy competitions which is organised by Maidstone Rugby in conjunction with, and on behalf of Kent RFU.

There are 4 finals which will be staged throughout the day with staggered KO times starting at 12:45pm when current Shield holders Medway take on Sittingbourne  in the Tier 2 Shield Final whilst the Tier 2 Bowl Final kicks off at 1:15pm and sees a repeat of last season’s final with defending champions Ash again taking on New Ash Green.

In the Tier 1 competitions the action starts at 2:45pm with hosts and last seasons Cup champions  Maidstone against Canterbury in the Plate Final with the action rounded off at 3:15pm in the Cup Final which will see a new name on the trophy this year as Tunbridge Wells take on Sevenoaks in what seems to have been an endless round of local derbies this season between the rival clubs.

​Presentations will be made for the respectieve Tier competitions after the Bowl and Cup finals  by Giles Hilton of Shepherd Neame.

Joint Youth Chairs Eva Howson & Tuggy were delighted to welcome over 50 coaches and Volunteers to a dinner to say thank you for their help throughout both this and many other seasons.

During their speech they said ‘We are really lucky to have such a dedicated and loyal group of volunteers, without you there would be no Youth Rugby. Everyone in this room has played a part in really delivering the expectations of our ethos and we should all be proud of being of what we have achieved together as well the benefits on and off the pitch for so many children and parents.’

Honoured guests were Simon Wright – Referee, Mayhem – Grounds , Jon Sargent – Coaching, Shaun Neaves – Club Chairman, Jim Tinsley – President.

Special thanks went to the incredible work that is done the behind the scenes by Roger Berry – Youth Fixture Secretary, Jasmin Bryan – Club Coaching Coordinator, Sarah Wheal – Safe Guarding Officer & Keely Gunn – Membership Secretary.

RFU cufflinks were presented to Allan Crosbie, Jamie Mills, Mark Fairway, Gavin Allwright, Craig Rixon, Bob Matthews, John Smith. Russell Evans was presented with a pot of 1^st team grass – a long story!

As well as speeches, dinner, awards, the odd beverage or two and the longest ever raffle – thanks Tim Hedges and Steve Philpott, the formalities were rounded of by guest speaker Martin Arnold. He had forgone his usual fee but did insist on a private changing room, bowl of ‘orange only’ smarties & 4 bottles of babysham at room temperature! Martins mix of jokes, stories and potted history of his playing days were well received and made to a great end to an excellent event.

As usual dinner was excellent thanks to Carol McKenzie and her team.  Our next event is a Parents dinner on the 1st April - all welcome so please contact us on maidstonyoutherugby@gmail.com or via you age group Head Coach.

A selection of photos from the event are now up in the website Gallery

National 1: At the top Richmond’s march to the titled stuttered with a 19-19 draw to Ampthill, a result that moves Ampthill up to fourth spot.  Hartpury stay insecond spot, still 10-points adrift after they were 54-29 winners against struggling Wharfedale, who now look destined to go down.  Plymouth Albion move into third following a narrow 20-19 win over Blackheath, who slip to fifth.  At the foot of the table, bottom side Henley lost out 35-21 at Fylde, whilst Cinderford went down 33-27 at Coventry.  Henley now look favourites along with Cinderford and Wharfedale to be the three sides to go down.  Hull Ionians are by no means safe and a 20-22 loss at home to DMP won’t have eased their worries, whilst Blaydon look to now be safe despite losing 42-29 at Esher.

National 2(S):    At the top Cambridge are now just five points clear after a high scoring 36-36 draw at Barnes with O Albanians closing the gap following their 21-26 win on the road at Taunton.  Third placed Bishops Stortford were convincing 5-43 winners at Elthamians with fourth placed Redruth 8-10 winners at Worthing.  At the bottom Launceston were hammered 0-79 by visiting BSE, whilst Southend lost 26-21 at Redingensians who now look to be safe after a poor start to the season.  Dorking now look the favourites to fill the last of the relegation places after a 52-39 defeat at Canterbury, a result that eases the city clubs worries, but by no means sees them safe.  In the last of the fixtures, Chinnor’s 29-26 loss at Clifton sees them tied on points with Canterbury on the edge of the danger zone.

National 3(SE):  Leaders Ldn Irish travelled to Westcombe Pk for a match that could either reignite Combe’s slim promotion hopes or would see Irish as the champions in waiting; in the end the result  ended in an honourable 20-20 draw; a result that keeps Irish at the top but saw Combe drop a place after East Grinstead won 40-18 against Colchester.  Meanwhile second placed TJs played host to Gravesend in a league & cup double header with the home side narrowing the gap on the leaders after a 77-8 hammering of their county rivals,  seeing them into the Kent Cup final to defend their title and sealing Gravesend’s relegation all in one swoop.  Bracknell’s 19-38 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon means that mathematically at least, Westcliff’s hopes of survival remain alive after they beat already relegated Eton Manor 45-19.  Elsewhere Hertford were convincing 42-7 winners over  Guernsey  and Shelford lost out 22-28 against Colchester in the last of the fixtures.

London 1 (S):  There was a top v bottom feel to this week’s fixtures with a lot of big winning margins, as S&E travelled to face Dover, coming out 0-63 winners in a one sided contest  to maintain their lead over Guildford who were also comfortable 17-59 winners against struggling Charlton Pk.  Third placed Sidcup had a tougher proposition as they hosted Havant, coming out 21-14 winners, whilst fourth club Medway were big 11-64 winners at G&F. In the battle for a top five place Brighton travelled to Maidstone, just losing out 24-20 in what was a tough and enthralling encounter, whilst Tottonians  were 48-3 winners against bottom side Twickenham, a result that all but confirms their relegation and sees Totts into the top five in the table.  The last of the fixtures saw Chiswick beat Chobham 33-19.

London 2 (SE):  A solid 48-5 win  for T Wells over visiting Hove keeps them at the top of the table, whilst second placed Sevenoaks ensured a top two finish with a 14-32 win at Alleynians, a result that sees the old boys side still mired in the relegation battle, although with Thanet losing 19-17 at Colfes, they still look the favourites for the drop alongside Ashford who went down 42-17 at Beckenham.  Crowborough currently sit just above the drop zone with a game in hand, but a 15-33 defeat to third placed Dartfordians means that with just 4 points seperating Thanet, themselves and Alleynians, the other relegation position is far from settled.  In the last of the fixtures D&B came out on top 20-14 in the mid-table battle against visiting Horsham. 

Note:  If your looking for some good rugby over the Easter weekend, league leaders Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks face each other twice in the next two weeks with both encounters at Sevenoaks' Knole Paddock.  Easter Saturday (26th) sees them face off in the Ldn & SE Regional RFU Intermediate Cup Final, as both sides look to emulate Maidstone's achievements last season. Whilst the following week they do it all again in a league encounter, which with both sides assured of at least a playoff spot, could go a long way to decide the outcome of the title.

London 3 (SE):  It remains tight at the top with H&W ceding top spot on points difference, despite a 19-45 win at Burgess Hill who now look favourites to go down alongside already relegated Uckfield who were thrashed 3-70 by new leaders Bromley.  Third placed Aylesford are the only side who can challenge the leading two, and they were 28-34 winners at Eastbourne, whilst fourth club Folkestone’s run of poor form continued with a 29-19 defeat at Pulborough.  At the bottom Cranbrook are still hovering on the edge of the drop zone after a 10-21 loss against Park Hse, whilst the battle between two sides with recent good form went convincingly the way of the home side as Dunstonians were 64-7 winners against Anchorians, a result that must surely indicate that they will pull clear off the relegation zone.  

Kent 1:  With the title sewn up Sheppey march on after a 12-37 at O Wills, a result that probably ends the home sides promotion hopes, whilst Beccs now look the leading candidates for the playoff spot after a 14-26 win at Vigo.  At the bottom, already relegated OGs won 24-12 against Southwark whilst NAG’s survival bid stalled after a 23-16 defeat at H&B.  Brockleians and Lordswood  are the other sides in relegation danger with neither fully safe after Brocks were 0-17 winners in the encounter between the two clubs.  The last of the fixtures saw HSBC comfortable 44-14 winners against Kings Coll in the mid-table battle.

Kent 2:  Unbeknown to both the RFU & Ldn RFU websites, there were a full round of league fixtures last week the results of which were published in The Rugby Paper, although still not appearing on either of the official websites; so without covering them all a brief summary is that the leading promotion contenders in Sittingbourne and Snowdown both posted bonus point wins and continued to lead the table.  This week saw the top two clash with Sittingbourne pretty much assured of the league title and an immediate return to Kent 1 after a solid 21-5 win against Snowdown.  A HWO for Foots Cray against Edenbridge means they have an outside chance of promotion going into the last three fixtures.   Below them Orpington were narrow 1-point winners, 23-24 at Greenwich, whilst Bexley won 35-12 against Dartford Valley.  The remaining matches saw Shooters Hill gunned down 5-44 by Whitstable and Askean also losing out in a 17-22 home defeat to Faversham.

With all of the five different levels of the Kent Cup competitions now at the semi-final stages perhaps the opportune time for a brief update before the fixtures take place.

Kent Cup

Defending champions Tonbridge Juddian roared into the semi-finals with a 77-8 hammering of Gravesend in what was a league and cup 'double header'  last Saturday and now travel to face Blackheath under lights on 6th April: whilst Westcombe Pk will host O Elthamians in the other semi-final.  Due to a full fixture schedule it is believed that neither of the semi-finals will take place before the 9th April deadline, but will be completed in sufficient time prior to the 1st May.

(Update - 24 Mar: Elthamians have conceded their semi-final against Westcombe Pk who now proceed to the final)

Kent Shield

In this first year of a new tier in the competition, as expected it is largely the front runners in their respective leagues that have progressed.  Aylesford will host Tunbridge Wells in one semi final, scheduled for 9th April with the other tie to be competed between O Colfeians and Sevenoaks, which given the fixture schedule may end up being played as a league and cup 'double header' on 16th April.  Given both Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks current Intermediate Cup commitments, with half an eye on Twickenham, also their promotion playoff possibilities in the league ,plus a postponed fixture to be played, quite how they will fit in their respective Shield semi-finals will be an interesting exercise.

Kent Plate

It seems that Maidstone are the only side that has had to play its way to the semi-finals in this competition, with both their opposition Gillingham Anchorians and also O Dunstonians having been placed in the Plate competition due to late entry, have ended up in their respective semi-finals without having played a match at all in the competition so far.  Maidstone's journey to Anchorians is likely to be on 9th April despite offering up Easter Saturday (26th Mar) which was vacant for both clubs, or the possibility of a midweek fixture under floodlights.  The other semi-final will be contested between O Dunstonians and Canterbury and is scheduled for the 9th April, which is a vacant league weekend for both clubs, given that Canterbury's side for the competition is based around their Invicta League Pilgrims XV.

Kent Vase

Both of these semi-finals are scheduled for the 9th April with Beccehamians drawn at home to Foots Cray and Kings College hosting Snowdown in the other tie.

Kent Salver

The semi-final; between Southwark Lancers and Brockleians is scheduled for 9th April whilst neither Sittingbourne or O Williamsonians in the other semi-final have a date published on their websites, although the 9th April would seem the likely date given that neither club has league commitments that day. (this is now confirmed as 9th April)

The draws have been made for the February and March 500 Club and the winners are shown below. 

The winning numbers are drawn using an electronic random number generator.

500 club winners February 2016

£100 =  Dave Coleman

£50 -   Geoff Burr

£30 -  Pete Sime

500 club winners March 2016

£100 - Steve Pooley

£50 -   Ian Valentine

£30 -   Tom Challis

Could draw winners please contact Bob Beney, either via email (click here) or phone (M: 07973 118043)

Thank you to all those who support the 500 club, if you aren't part of the draw then why not join in time for next season.

You have to be in it to win it

National 1: Despite a narrow loss by a single point in the 26-27 scoreline between Blaydon and Loughborough St, both sides now look to be in relative safety with an 11-point cushion between themselves and Wharfedale, the highest placed of the relegation candidates.

National 2(S):  An 18-29 win at Redruth for O Albanians narrows the gap with leaders Cambridge to just 6-points, whilst a 76-5 hammering for already relegated Launceston at the hands of Taunton rubbed salt in the wounds of a torrid season for the Cornish ‘All Blacks’.

London 1 (S):  After several weeks with long road trips G&F would have been glad of a home fixture, although the visit of Tottonians may not have been what they were looking for.  A  29-38 defeat that also saw them receive 2 red cards sees them now firmly in the drop zone, although 8-points clear of the bottom two.  It may only be the relegation of Medway for its administrative transgressions that will see them feature in the division next season.

London 2 (SE):  Of the two fixtures that Crowborough had in hand, this one at home to Colfes would have been the one they targeted as they look to haul themselves clear of the drop zone.  In what apparently was a ‘game of two halves’ the home side went down 17-36, a result that now sees them involved in a dogfight with Thanet and O Alleynians to avoid the last relegation spot.

London 3 (SE):  With Uckfield already relegated but Burgess Hill still mired in the relegation battle, this was an important fixture for the home side to look to pick up some much needed points and narrow the gap on in form Dunstonians.  In the end they ran out 22-17 winners although they still sit 11- points from safety and even if they pick up wins in their remaining fixtures, they are still reliant on other results to avoid the drop.

Kent 1:  In the only fixture outstanding in the division, Sheppey secured the league title and promotion with a 13-24 win at H&B.

RFU Cup Competitions

Intermediate Cup:  A glance at respective league positions gave the impression that on paper at least, Sevenoaks had the easier of the semi-finals in this competition as they hosted a Ldn Exiles side that were by their own admission a bit of an unknown quantity.  In the end it proved to be a tight contest with Oaks just edging it 17-8 as they weathered a second half storm to set up a regional final against local rivals Tunbridge Wells.  They had travelled to face the league leaders from Ldn 2(NW0 Fullerians and in a convincing display brushed aside their hosts with a 0-53 hammering.

Senior Vase: Whilst the other competitions are at the Semi & Quarter Final stages, the Senior Vase saw two Ldn 3(SE) club contesting the Regional Final of the competition and the opportunity to travel to Devon to face last season’s beaten semi-finalists Withycombe.  League leaders H&W hosted an Aylesford side that had inflicted a rare defeat on them this season on the opening day, and with both sides involved in the promotion battle it was always going to be a tight encounter.  Home advantage told as the Sussex club took the regional title 30-23 to progress to the national semi-finals.

Junior Vase: No county interest in this competition but it is beginning to look as if O Cranleighians are developing as the tournament favourites at regional level, after they swept aside Hampshire club Millbrook 5-57 in the first of the semi-finals, whilst Ldn Welsh (Am) were narrow 26-28 winners against Surrey 3 club Reeds Weybridge

National 1: Richmond stay top and stretch their lead after a narrow 6-8 win in a tight battle at Blackheath which probably ends ‘Clubs’ promotion aspirations for this season; with second placed Hartpury falling to a 24-18 loss at Ampthill the title is now very much Richmond’s to lose.  At the bottom, basement side Cinderford keep fighting and posted a useful 24-21 win over Fylde, a result that combined with Henley’s 24-31 defeat to Hull Ionians sees them swap places at the foot of the table.  The last of the relegation places is now occupied by Wharfedale, who lost out 24-31 to Loughborough St.  Of the other strugglers, Blaydon picked up a useful win with a 26-8 win at home against Coventry, whilst in the mid-table battles Rosslyn pk were 29-17 winners against Esher on Friday night and DMP lost out 17-24 at the hands of Plymouth Albion.

National 2(S):    A narrow 24-21 for leaders Cambridge at home to Elthamians sees them 11-points clear at the top as second placed O Albanians hammered struggling Canterbury 71-17.  Whilst the result would have damaged the city club’s points difference, the fact that sides below them lost means they don’t yet drop into the relegation zone.  Of the bottom clubs, Launceston lost out 19-13 to Southend, the side just above them, with Dorking going down 7-13 to visiting Redingensians who now look safe.  The last of the sides in or about the drop zone is BSE and they posted a useful 35-26 win against Barnes along with Chinnor who won 38-8 against Worthing and both look to have enough to stay safe for this campaign.

National 3(SE):  With only five games left Ldn Irish WG’s 7-20 win at third placed E Grinstead  would appear to make them champions in waiting, although they still have to face second placed TJs who won 17-14 in a tight battle against Hertford at The Slade.  Fourth placed Westcombe Pk leapfrog E Grinstead to third with a 20-40 win at Colchester.  At the bottom there was still no joy for basement club Eton Manor as they went down narrowly 13-17 at home to Bracknell, whilst fellow strugglers Westcliff were beaten 18-10 by Chichester.  Gravesend’s 5-32 loss at the hands of visiting Wimbledon means that combined with Bracknell’s win, both they and Westcliff are running out of matches and could find relegation confirmed as early as the next round of fixtures. In the remaining fixture, home advantage told as Guernsey were 30-27 winners over visiting Shelford.

London 1 (S): After losing last week  S&E and Guildford met with the league leaders back to winning ways to extend their lead at the top to 10 points after a 23-15 scoreline; the result, combined with last week’s Guildford defeat had seen Sidcup back in the promotion battle although a narrow 29-24 defeat at Brighton meant they were unable to fully capitalise although the fight for the playoff spot remains ‘nip & tuck’.  At the bottom of the table Twickenham went down 10-23 at home to a stuttering Maidstone whilst Charlton Pk lost out 23-22 at Chobham with the last kick of the match.  In the battle between the other two struggling sides a 25-19 win for Dover sees them move above G&F who are still looking for a positive away result this season.  The remaining fixtures saw Havant beat Chiswick 58-16 and Tottonians lose out 20-18 on their travels to Medway

London 2 (SE):  With the top two well clear of the pack, a 0-32 win for leaders Tunbridge Wells at Thanet means they have now secured at least a playoff spot, whilst Sevenoaks also won 34-5 at home to Beckenham and sit a single point away from securing a shot at promotion.  After going down 7-31 to D&B, Ashford’s relegation is now confirmed, with either Thanet or Crowborough who won 10-13 at Horsham the favourites to join them.  In the remaining clashes Dartfordians were narrow 26-25 winners over Colfes and Hove won out 12-10 in a tight contest at home to Alleynians.

London 3 (SE):  It remains tight at the top of the table with H&W picking up the expected 5-points, but by virtue of a HWO against already relegated Uckfield.  Bromley keep up the pressure with a  healrthy 38-10 win against Pulborough, whilst Aylesford remain third waiting for either side to slip up after they convincingly beat Cranbrook 40-6.   At the bottom, above Uckfield both Burgess Hill and Dunstonians could theoretically avoid the drop although Hills’ heavy 42-3 defeat at Anchorians means their chances are slim, whilst Dunstonians recent good form continued with an 8-76 thrashing of Park Hse.  In the last of the fixtures Folkestone's poor run of form continued as they failed to get  back to winning ways with a 5-11 home defeat to Eastbourne.

Kent 1:  Following a 20-11 win against Vigo, Sheppey’s promotion should be confirmed in a couple of weeks as they need just 2 points to take the tirtle.  In second place O Wills slipped up, going down 11-7 at Kings Coll and drop to third with Beccs taking over the second spot after they were 18-0 winners against bottom side OGs, whose relegation is confirmed by that defeat.  An 8-15 loss for Brockleains to H&B combined with NAG’s 27-7 win over HSBC means that the other relegation spot is still not decided, whilst in the remaining fixture Southwark were convincing 64-20 winners against Lordswood.

Kent 2:  An 8-36 win for Sittingbourne at Orpington means that they need just a single point to secure promotion, whilst second placed Snowdown’s 45-0 win against Bexley sees them favourites to go up alongside them.  Foots Cray’s 7-36 win at Faversham sees them in third, but a little off the pace. At the bottom Edenbridge’s narrow 3-5 defeat to Greenwich sees them continue to prop up the table whilst the remaining fixtures saw Whitstable hammer Askean 46-0 and Dartford Valley post another win, with a 22-7 result against Shooters Hill.

Although each of the cup competitions are at different stages the draw for the next round of each trophy has been made and the possibility of a Twickenham final beckons for 3 of the county's clubs.

In the RFU Intermediate Cup the competition is at the Regional Semi-Final stage to be played on Sat 12^th March, and sees the county’s two sides kept apart.  On paper Tunbridge Wells have the tougher prospect as they travel to Watford to face Ldn 2(NW) leaders Fullerians; whilst Sevenoaks have been drawn at home to fourth placed Ldn 2(SW) club Ldn Exiles having convincingly despatched the league leaders Cobham in the last round

In the Senior Vase the competition is at the Regional Final stage and with three clubs in the semi-finals always looked likely to be an all Ldn 3(SE) affair.  League leaders Heathfield & Waldron will face Aylesford in the final, although the draw for home advantage and the date have not yet been announced.

The Junior Vase is also at the regional Semi-Final stage although there are none of the county’s sides left in the competition.

The date for Maidstone's  Kent Plate fixture at Dartfordians has now been confirmed as Saturday 12th March, KO 2:00pm.  This is a non-league weekend and as such was vacant for both clubs, with neither having RFU Cup commitments.

The fixture is the only quarter-final tie in the competition with Canterbury, O Dunstonians having byes, as do Anchorians following O Elthamians progression in the Cup competition after they beat Sidcup 21-5.

The winner will advance to the semi-finals which have to be played by 9th April for which the draw has not yet been announced.

National 1: A 14-12 defeat for Blackheath at DMP sees a serious dent in their promotion aspirations as they now sit third and 12-points adrift of leaders Richmond. Ampthill climb to fourth spot after they beat Fylde 19-29 whilst at the bottom end of the table Blaydon were 40-14 winners over fellow strugglers Henley and move out of the bottom three.

National 2(S):  Cambridge stretch their lead at the top to 11-points after a tough 15-21 win at Taunton although the main interest was at the bottom end of the division.  Launceston’s relegation is now all but certain after they lost 12-39 to visiting Canterbury, a result that moves the Kent club out of the bottom three; a 38-26 defeat for Southend at Clifton sees them now looking like favourites to go down alongside Launceston, with Dorking slipping into the last of the relegation places after a 46-20 loss at Redruth.

Nat 3 (SW):  I omitted to comment on the promotion candidates from Nat 3(SW) last week and the impact on promotion and certainly the interest that Nat 3(SE) will have in who the playoff candidates might be. 

There are five clubs potentially in contention at the top, although some the leading three have matches in hand on the fourth and fifth placed clubs, so this brief summary concentrates on the top 3.  Barnstaple currently lead the division by 4-points from Exmouth who have a game in hand on the leaders.  Lydney are further 6-points behind with a 4 or 5 point cushion to Brixham and Bournemouth. 

London 1 (S): Surprise reversals for the leading two sides in the division as leaders S&E lost out 37-32 at Tottonians and Guildford were beaten 24-23 at Havant.  The fixture between Maidstone and G&F went decidedly with the form book as the home side featuring a number of changes hammered the Portsmouth based club 66-0.

London 2 (SE):  Hove gave themselves a bit of breathing space at the bottom end of the table with a 39-17 win against Crowborough who occupy the relegation places alongside Ashford, although the ‘Crows’ still have 2 games in hand over most of their relegation threatened rivals.  Although there is an old saying that it is “better to have points in hand than games in hand” they potentially still look to have enough to avoid the drop.

London 3 (SE):  With Uckfield already relegated from the division, both the other two main candidates for the drop are putting up a good fight to avoid relegation.  This week second from bottom Burgess Hill overcame the form book to post a 30-17 win over local rivals Pulborough, although there is a long way to go to avoid the drop.

RFU Cup Competitions

Intermediate Cup:  Two of the county’s sides in action here with Sevenoaks having what might be regarded as the tougher proposition as they hosted Ldn 2(SW) leaders Cobham, running out solid 30-13 winners at Knole Paddock.  The county’s other side faced league rivals Horsham and proved too strong as Tunbridge Wells prevailed 20-10 to progress to the semi-finals.  In the other fixtures an always strong Diss outfit were disappointed, just being edged out 15-17 by visiting Ldn 2(NW) outfit Fullerians, with Ldn 2(SW) club Ldn Exiles 32-26 winners over Hammersmith & Fulham.

Senior Vase: Only points difference separates the league leaders in Ldn 3(SE) and in the clash between the two sides Bromley’s attempt to defend the national title they won last season came to an end as they bowed out of the competition 19-16 at rivals Heathfield & Waldron. The other of the regional semi-finals proved equally as close with Aylesford another of the county’s sides in action, and running out 15-24 winners at Hertfordshire club Hitchin.

Junior Vase: The regions interest in the competition ended as Kent 1 club Hastings & Bexhill bowed out of the competition 34-8 at O Cranleighians, whilst it was a disappointing day for Norfolk with both Ely and Crusaders losing out, Ely going down 23-15 at Reeds Weybridge and Crusaders beaten 12-6 by Ldn Welsh (Am).  The last of the ties saw Millbrook narrow 22-20 winners at home to visiting Sussex side Seaford.

In the run up to the inter-services rugby competition and the prestigious Bacock Trophy Army v Navy fixture at Twickenham at the end of April; former Maidstone scrum-half Dave Heads, now serving as an officer with 1 PWRR has been selected in the Britsih Army squad.  Dave's first appearance is likely to be this evening (24th Feb) against Worcester at Sixways were he is part of the match squad for the fixture.

Dave joins a string of former Maidstone players that have represented the British Army XV, the most recent being Tom Hughes and we will be keeping a close eye on his progress.

National 1: A 14-7 win for leaders Richmond against DMP sees them 10-points clear of Hartpury who leapfrog Blackheath after they beat ‘Club’ 15-9.  Paymouth albion and Esher remain in fourth and fifth respectively after wins against Henley (27-8) and Coventry (12-13).  At the foot of the ladder Cinderford posted a useful 24-28 win at Hull Ionians, although it wasn’t enough to lift them off the bottom but they’re tied on points with Henley.  The three clubs looking to avoid the last of the relegation places all lost with Blaydon going down narrowly, 10-8 at Fylde; Wharfedale losing out 15-27 at home to Rosslyn Pk and Loughborough St beat 19-21 at home by Ampthill.

National 2(S):  leaders Cambridge are now looking favourites for an immediate return to National 1 after an 8-16 win at Clifton; Albanians look the favourites for the playoff spot with their 19-6 win against Dorking, especially after third placed Bishops Stortford fell to a second successive loss, going down 29-15 at Worthing.  At the foot of the division, whilst Launceston’s 0-34 defeat at the hands of Redingensians probably sees them needing some form of divine intervention to stay up, the remaining relegation places could potentially still go to any of six clubs.  Southend currently occupy one of them after they lost 21-15 to Barnes and city club Canterbury have slipped back into the last of the relegation places after they lost narrowly 5-7 to visiting Redruth.  Chinnor, who beat Taunton 15-26, and BSE who won 21-23 at Elthamians are two of the other candidates along with Dorking and Redingensians.

National 3(SE):  No change with the top two although Ldn Irish WG remain top after a comfortable 9-26 win at struggling Westcliff whilst TJs result was a much closer 25-29 at Shelford and sees them 9-ponts off the leaders.  East Grinstead consolidated their place in third, a further point behind following a 15-11 win against Colchester.  Fourth placed Westcombe Pk’s challenge looks to have faltered as they fell to their second successive 1-point defeat, losing out 25-26 at home to visiting Guernsey.  At the bottom end of the table, basement side Eton Manor were thrashed 57-0 at Wimbledon, a result that given the margin to safety effectively confirms their relegation back to Ldn 1(N), Westcliff are tied on points with Gravesend who lost 28-7 at Hertford and with a 16-point margin between them and Bracknell who lost narrowly (9-10) against Chichester, they currently look favourites to join Manor for the drop.

In looking at this week’s London leagues; in this edition after each summary I will also look at who are the leading promotion contenders in the equivalent leagues, from both an automatic promotion and also a likely playoff perspective.

London 1 (S): Wins for all of the top five clubs as  S&E stay top after a comfortable 8-34 win at G&F, whilst Guildford sit 5-points behind after they beat Chobham 27-23.  Third placed Sidup hammered Twickenham 50-7, whilst Medway halted Maidstone’s recent good form with a 12-20 win at The Mote.  Completing the top five, Brighton were narrow 13-15 winners at Chiswick.  At the bottom of the table Twickenham’s defeat sees them favourites for relegation along with Charlton Pk who lost out 25-32 to Havant, with Medway automatically relegated, the dogfight between G&F and Dover may well now be academic, despite a 49-3 thrashing at Tottonians for the Kent club.

Ldn 1 (N):  In this division it is very much a three way battle for the promotion and playoff positions, with Amersham & Chiltern currently leading Tring as both look for a return to Nat 3(SE), Brentwood are also in the hunt should either of the leading two slip up.

London 2 (SE):  Tunbridge wells take over at the top following their 46-0 win against third placed Dartfordians, whilst Sevenoaks slipped up at D&B, going down 18-10 at the Drill Field, a result combined with Beckenhams 20-0 win over Hove that means only three point separate third and fifth places.  At the bottom Ashford were hammered 62-7 by Horsham and their relegation now looks certain, which is not the case for the other relegation place.  Crowborough drop into the bopttom two after their fixture with Colfes was postponed, whilst Thanet posted a 22-7 win against O Alleynians to move up a place.  With only 4-points between 8^th and 11^th places any one of Crowborough, Thanet, hove and Alleynians could see themselves in relegation trouble; although the ‘Crows’ have three matches in hand.

Ldn 2 (SW):   Cobham are 17-points clear at the top and look like they will make an immediate return to Ldn 1(S) with four clubs in the hunt for the payoff spot.  Winchester are the current occupiers from Ldn Cornish who lost out last season to Medway.  Ldn Exiles and KCS old Boys are also in the hunt although despite Winchester’s current position; Ldn Cornish look to be in the box seat with 3 matches in hand.

London 3 (SE):  It now looks a three horse race for the promotion places with H&W and Bromley still tied on points at the top following wins at Pulborough (0-24) and Eastbourne (8-41) respectively.  Aylesford in third spot slipped up as they fell 21-13 at a resurgent Dunstonians and are now 7-points adrift of the leading two.  Folkestone’s challenge looks to have really hit the rocks as they lost for the third successive week, going down 23-10 at Wealden club Cranbrook.  At the foot of the table the clash between the bottom two in Uckfield and Burgess Hill was postponed, and win for the two clubs above them means that whilst Dunstonians occupy the third relegation spot, their recent form against top four clubs suggests they won’t go down without a fight.  In the last of the fixtures Anchorians got back to winning ways with a convincing 34-8 win against Park Hse that prevented the Bromley based outfit overtaking Folkestone for fourth spot.

Kent 1:  Sheppey stay 17-points clear at the top after a 0-53 hammering of bottom club OGs, with O Wills second following their much narrower 20-19 victory against Vigo, a 12-43 win for Beccs at Lordswood keeps them just a point behind in third spot.  At the bottom OGs are all but relegated, with NAG and Brockleians the candidates for the other relegation spot.  NAG went down 13-3 at Kings Coll whilst Brocks lost 24-5 on the road at HSBC.  In the last of the fixtures H&B were 24-17 winners against Southwark Lancers.

Sussex 1: The top of the table is a two horse race with Lewes currently leading from Haywards Heath by virtue of points difference although Lewes do have a match in hand.

Kent 2:  The top two now look like powering to promotion, as leaders Sittingbourne were 43-0 winners against Edenbridge and second placed Snowdown posted 50 unanswered points against an Orpington side that have fallen of the pace since mid-season but still sit in third place, some 13-points adrift of the top two. A 5-18 win for Dartford Valley against Askean could potentially help them on their way to their highest position in the league in recent years, whilst Shooters Hill lost out to Bexley 26-5, Greenwich beat Faversham 17-3 and currently there is no report on the score between Foots Cray and Whistable.  

In what is the second year of this competition Maidstone hosted the Late Red Veterans Trophy finals.  The competition is structured into two tiers to accommodate small and large clubs and as such the day saw four finals taking place. 

In Tier 2 the Shield final saw Medway defending the trophy they won last year against Sittingbourne, in what was an extremely competitive encounter with Sittingbourne holding the upper hand in the early stages.  It was Medway however who prevailed in the end as they gradually overcame their opposition as the match progressed to take the trophy 24-12.  In the Bowl final it was a repeat of last year’s encounter with New Ash Green turning the tables on last season's winners Ash, to run out 47-19 winners in a match that was much more competitive than the scoreline might indicate.

The Tier one finals saw last seasons’s cup winners and hosts Maidstone take on Canterbury’s Cardinals in the Plate final.  The contest was closely fought with only a 5-0 advantage to Maidstone at the interval but saw them eventually stretch away to take the trophy 26-7.  The day’s finale saw Tunbridge Wells against Sevenoaks in the Cup final and yet another important encounter between the two clubs this season.  It is always good to have a really competitive and combative finale to the day and the two sides went at it ‘hammer & tongs’ throughout.  Wells held a slight advantage at half-time and exerted the majority of the pressure in the second half, but it was Sevenoaks that used the conditions and a stiff breeze to best effect to run out winners by just the odd point in the 29-28 scoreline to claim the Cup and dent their opponents record this season in the crunch fixtures.

A somewhat delayed and slightly abridged version of this week’s round up due to the authors excursion to watch England beat Italy in Rome.

National 1: Richmond are looking the promotion favourites after a 0-36 win at struggling Henley, with Blackheath back up to second after they beat Loughborough St 39-12 and Hartpury slipped up 36-27 at DMP.  At the bottom Cinderford lost out 22-34 at home to Plymouth Albion and along with Henley look destined to go down.  The other relegation place looks like being decided between Blaydon and Wharfedale with the former beating Hull Ionians 35-7 and Wharfedale losing out 35-29 at Ampthill.  In the other results Rosslyn Pk beat Coventry 22-16 and Esher were narrow 26-24 victors over Fylde.

National 2(S):  Cambridge sit 7-point clear at the top with a 28-22 win over Worthing and O Albanians match at Redruth being postponed, whilst in the battle between third and fourth, the honours went the way of the fourth placed club with Taunton beating Bishops Stortford 22-26.  At the foot of the table Launceston lost out 11-8 at Dorking whilst Southend went down 9-14 to Elthamians.  Chinnor remain in the drop zone despite a 39-26 win over Canterbury who drop back into the danger area.  BSE keep themselves just out of danger with a 32-20 win over Clifton and Redingensians recent good form continued with a 23-13 win over Barnes and moves them up to tenth in the standings.

National 3(SE):  Still four side realistically in the promotion battle here although Ldn Irish WG are the front runners with a 9-point advantage after their  30-9 win over Bracknell.  TJs stay second after a tight 11-10 win against Westcombe Pk who slip a place to fourth.  East Grinstead move up to third and just a point behind TJs after they posted a good 11-25 result at Guernsey.  At the bottom, still no joy for Eton manor as they lost 26-15 at fellow strugglers Gravesend, as result that moves them above Westcliff who lost 48-5 at Colchester, although alongside Eton Manor both Gs and Westcliff look favourites for the drop with there now being a 15-point gap to safety.  In the remaining fixtures Chichester were 15-8 winners against visiting Wimbledon, with Hertford beating Shelford 18-6.

London 1 (S): both Portsmouth based fixtures fell to the weather, with G&F’s match with Tottonians being postponed after the Totts skipper felt the pitch was unplayable, Havant’s fixture against leaders Guildford also went the same way.  S&E took the opportunity to regain the top spot with a 38-19 win against Chobham, whilst third placed Sidcup put last week’s defeat behind them with a 28-41 win at fourth placed Medway.  Brighton capitalised on Chobham’s loss to move up to fifth place with a 41-14 win over struggling Charlton Pk.  At the bottom Twickenham lost out 8-25 to visiting Chiswick and a losing bonus point for Dover in a muddy 7-12 defeat to Maidstone sees them move out of the bottom three.

London 2 (SE):  A convincing 4-7 win for Sevenoaks over Horsham keeps them at the head of the table, with T Wells in second spot after they posted a 10-29 win at Colfes.  Dartfordians’ 31-26 win against Alleynians keeps them in third with D&B fourth after they beat Hove 5-17.  At the foot of the table Ashford remain winless after a 3-25 defeat to a Crowborough outfit sitting just above the drop zone, whilst Thanet’s 8-10 dfeat to visiting Beckenham sees them looking like the prime candidates to join Ashford for the drop.

London 3 (SE):  H&W and Bromley remain tied at the top of the table after wins against Eastbourne (28-3) and Cranbrook (46-7) respectively.  Aylesford stay third after they beat Anchorians 26-19 whilst Folkestone’s challenge looks to has ended after they lost out again, this time 17-26 to struggling Dunstonians.  At the bottom Uckfield lost out narrowly, 15-17 at home to Pulborough; and their relegation could be confirmed as early as next week dependant on results.  Fellow strugglers Burgess Hill also lost, falling 23-3 at Park Hse.

Kent 1:  Surprisingly leaders Sheppey lost their unbeaten record as Lordswood were awarded a W/O although O wills were unable to close the gap as they lost out 10-5 at NAG in their battle for survival.  Beccs doid manage to close the gap with a narrow 10-8 win over fourth placed H&B, a result that probably ends the Sussex clubs promotion challenge.  At the bottome OGs fought out a 3-3 draw with Vigo, Brocleians lost out 10-13 to visiting kings Coll, whilst Southwark posted the biggest scoreline in the division with a 26-0 win over HSBC

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne stay 6--points clear at the top after a 0-22 win at Faversham, with Snowdown in second after they beat bottom club Edenbridge 12-40. Orpington are now 8-points adrift in third following a 5-10 defeat at the hands of Bexley.  In the mid-table encounters, Whitstable beat Greenwich 11-6 and Dartford Valley were hammered 0-48 by visiting foots cray.  The encounter between Shooters Hill and Askean was abandoned at half-time due to the referee being injured and with the score at 12-5 to Shooters, the match is likely to be replayed at some point.

The weekend of the 27th & 28th February is building up to be a big weekend of rugby for Maidstone.  On the Saturday, apart from the obvious interest in the RBS 6 Nations as England face Ireland at Twickenham in what is the national side's first home fixture in this year's competition; the 1st XV host Gosport & Fareham in a fixture postponed duue to the weather from 30th January.

On the Sunday the club's under 15s sides top the bill as the U15 A XV host local rival Medway in the Kent Cup and will be looking to progress as they defend their 100% record so far this season.  The B XV will be competing and have a tough draw as they travel to face Westcombe Pk in the quarter-final of the Bowl competition.

As if that isn't enough, in the afternoon the 1st XV runout again, this time in the Shepherd Neame Kent Plate competition as they travel to Cranbrook  looking to book a place in the next round to face Dartfordians (away), the other sides through to the next round are Canterbury, Anchorians and Dunstonians,  Interestingly, the tie against Dartfordians will be the only quarter-final match as the other sides have byes to the semi-finals (although this is conditional on whether Sidcup beat Elthamians, should Elthamians lose they will travel to face Anchorians).  

STOP PRESS: Unfortunately Cranbrook have withdrawn from the Kent Plate competition which means that Maidstone will now face Dartfordians (away) in the next round.  However there is still; plenty of rugby for the Sunday afternoon as the club's Late Red Occasional XV host Tunbridge Wells Veterans XV at The Mote in the next intalment of this seasons Late Red Veterans Trophy (KO 2:30pm).

Your support for all the teams would be appreciated

Things seem to be moving quite slowly in the Kent Cup competitions and this update deals primarily with the Cup, Shield and Plate situation.  In the Cup competition 2^nd round ties which should have been completed last weekend saw only the one match take place as Westcombe Pk progressed following a 17-26 win at Dover.  With postponed fixtures consuming spare dates, the fixture between Sidcup and O Elthamians is now scheduled for Friday 26^th Feb under floodlights.  No information has surfaced on what is happening (or happened) in the tie between Backheath (Heathens) and Charlton Pk and looking at both club websites, you would think the competition didn’t exist.  The last of the ties is a bit more difficult to fathom, as it was supposed to be Medway v TJs, but with Medway’s disbarring and Gravesend supposedly reinstated from the Plate to the Cup, it may be that the administration is still catching up.

In the Shield competition the semi-final clubs are now known, with 3 sides from Ldn 2 joined by Aylesford from Ldn 3 who beat Bromley in early January to book their place.  Colfes received a W/O against Park Hse and the two league ‘big guns’ in Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks  reached the semi-final stage after away wins at Folkestone (10-18) and Dartfordians (24-34) respectively.

In the Plate competition matches don’t have to be played until the weekend of 27/28^th Feb although Canterbury have booked their quarter final spot after a 43-7 win against Ashford last weekend.  Under the competition rules, with Park Hse failing to fulfil their fixture in the Shield they are now ineligible for the Plate so it looks as if Dunstonians will receive a bye whilst Dartfordians still wait to find out what has happened in the elusive Blackheath/Charlton Pk cup tie. With Gravesend looking like they have been reinstated in the main Cup competition it is probable that Anchorians now have a bye and should Elthamians lose against Sidcup they will also receive a bye to complete the fixture card.  Ironic that the first round of the Plate tin which there could have been 10-11 sides vying for 8 quarter-final spots, looks like resulting in actually being the quarter-finals.

Update;  The draw for the Quarter-Finals of the Kent Plate competition have been announced as follows:

Dartfordians  v Maidstone

Old Dunstonians - Bye

Gillingham Anchorians  v Old Elthamians or Bye ( if Elthamians lose to Sidcup in Cup )

Canterbury - Bye

The draw for the Cup, Shield, Vase & Salver competitions can be found here

Maidstone Rugby feature in this months edition of Rugby World magazine.  The brief article can be found in the Focus on Club Rugby section of the magazine under London & SE clubs. The article also features a photo of club captain Ben Williams in a pose that can be best described as that of a 'Prancing Horse'!!

National 1: Blackheath slip to third place after they lost out 21-15 at struggling Wharfedale, Hartpury overtake them following their 48-16 win against relegation struggler Henley whilst Richmond stay top after they beat basement club Cinderford 25-8.  Esher just about stay in touch with the top three after they won 19-22 at Hull Ionians but they are tied on points with Plymouth Albion who beat Blaydon 16-5.  At the bottom of the table, Cinderford, Henley and Blaydon look the favourites for the drop although Wharfedale are by no mean out of the woods despite today’s win.  In the other fixtures Ampthill were 21-5 winners over Rosslyn Pk and Loughborough went down 7-22 at DMP.

National 2(S):  Despite Cambridge’s fixture at Taunton being postponed they remain top as O Albanians were unable to capitalise, going down 5-17 at home to struggling Chinnor.  Third placed Bishops Stortford closed the gap after they beat city club Canterbury 14-26.  Bottom club Launceston are now 28 points adrift after they lost heavily, 40-0 at Barnes with Redingensians, another club in the relegation dogfight winning 18-42 at Elthamians.  With the matches between Clifton v Southend and Redruth v Dorking being postponed the bottom of the table sees Southend and Chinnor in the relegation spots above Launceston, although at this stage it really is perm any two from six for those relegation places.

National 3(SE):  The only fixture in this division saw Colchester lift themselves into mid-table with a 24-46 win at Bracknell.

London 1 (S): In a weekend of rearranged fixtures involving some of the promotion chasers at the top end of the table most notably Sidcup failed to significantly close the gap on the sides above them as they went down 25-17 at a Maidstone outfit that have taken points of all the top three sides since the end of November.  Fourth placed Medway were convincing 32-10 winners against fifth placed Chobham and the only side in the top five to record a win, whilst sixth club Brighton lost out 18-15 at Havant with Tottonians running out 36-3 winners against visiting Chiswick.

London 3 (SE):  the tow fixtures in this division were mainly mid-table affairs with struggling Burgess Hill losing out 10-20 at home to fellow Sussex club Eastbourne, a result that keeps Eastbourne just ahead of Pulborough who were 10-17 winners at Cranbrook.

Kent 1:  the only match in this division saw sixth placed Vigo close the gap on HSBC with a 26-10 win against visiting Kings Coll who sit on the edge of the drop zone and will be the target for NAG to catch in the coming weeks.

RFU Intermediate Cup  Round 3:  in large part is was good results across the board for the Ldn 2(SE) clubs as Sevenoaks received a W/O with struggling Basingstoke conceding the fixture, for their league challengers Tunbridge Wells were 48-5 winners against Hove whilst Thanet lost out to 17-53 at home to visiting Horsham.  Elsewhere, Cobham came out on top 24-18 in the clash of the ldn 2(SW) frontrunners; whilst last season’s regional semi-finalists Diss were narrow 11-12 winners at Woodford.  In the remaining ties, H&F received a walkover against Romford & Gidea Pk, with Enfield losing out 7-27 at home to Fullerians and Saffron Walden convincingly beaten 5=-29 by a Ldn exiles club that is very much on the rise.

RFU Senior Vase Round 3:  This competition is at the regional quarter-final stage and all three of the Ldn 3(SE) clubs will be involved in the draw for the semis.  Aylesford were resounding 49-20 winners at home to visiting Eastleigh, whilst defending champions Bromley thrashed Stevenage 74-21.  The last of the regional sides is H&W and they posted a 12-20 win at a confident US Portsmouth side that were promoted last season with a perfect league record (including bonus points).  The last of the ties saw Hitchin 34-12 winners over Kings Lynn based West Norfolk.

RFU Junior Vase Round 3: Of the two sides of local interest still in this competition Southwark fell 7-44 to visiting O Cranleighians, whilst H&B were 13-20 winners at Kingston.  None of the fixtures saw runaway victories as Chipstead went down 12-20 to Millbrook and Crusaders were 18-7 winners against Royston.  Ely beat Maldon 22-11 whilst Fordingbridge went down to Reeds Weybridge 14-25.  In the two remaining fixtures Seaford were narrow 10-7 winners against O Georgians and Streatham & Croydon lost 7-25 to Ldn Welsh(Am).

NB:  The Around the Grounds for next weekend (13 Feb) will be delayed and probably not appear until Tuesday evening as the author is away in Rome for the Italy v England RBS 6N fixture.

As many of you will know the club has in recent years since the injury to Tom Hughes, been supportive of the work of the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF).  During the matches on Sat 6th Feb v Sidcup and Sat 20th Feb v Medway there will be a collection to support the ongoing good work that they do.  The collection is being made by local lady Lorna Torrens who is running the London Marathon in April to raise funds for the IPF and this is just part of her fundraising effort.

As a neuropsychologist Lorna specifically chose to raise funds for the IPF having recently been asked to assess a couple of rugby players who have incurred head injuries as well as having done work with injured players with the Scottish Rugby Union during her time in Edinburgh.

Lorna has a long association with rugby, her father was actively involved in the sport as a referee in the USA during rugby’s formative years there in the mid-1970s.  Her son also played the game and represented Cambridge University as an U21 Blue.

Attempting the London Marathon is no mean feat and the RFU IPF is a very worthy cause, so we ask you to please give generously.

Lorna also has a just Giving page where donations can be made: click here 

National 1: A 29-33 win for leaders Richmond at their nearest challengers Hartpury secured the league title and a return to the Championship after a number of years.  A 25-21 win for Ampthill over Fylde keeps them third with Blackheath in fourth spot following their 20-20 draw at home to Coventry Plymouth Albions’ 24-28 win at Loughborough St sees them in fifth place.  At the bottom, already relegated Henley were 31-20 winners over Blaydon, whilst Cinderford’s 43-10 defeat at Rosslyn Pk sees their relegation confirmed, as does Wharfedale’s 10-18 defeat to visiting Hull Ionians.  The last of the matches saw DMP 27-13 winners against visiting Esher.

National 2(S):   Despite a 36-15 win against Southend, Cambridge will have to wait at least one more week before being crowned champions with second placed O Albanians running out convincing 46-20 winners at O Elthamians.  Bishops Stortford stay third after a 53-5 hammering of Redingensians, although some 12 points adrift and out of the running for honours.  At the bottom Launceston are already down and lost heavily again, this time 75-3 at Chinnor.  Southend’s defeat by Cambridge also confirmed their relegation with only one place left to be decided.  Dorking still look favourites despite a 27-14 win against BSE, but Worthing’s 30-12 loss at Taunton sees them pulled onto the edge of the danger zone.  A useful 34-27 win for Canterbury against Clifton has lifted them clear and into mid table, although two more points would see them mathematically safe.  The last of the fixtures saw Redruth 32-18 winners against visiting Barnes.

National 3(SE):  Without doubt the key fixture was the encounter between leaders Ldn Irish WG and second placed TJs, with the league leaders taking the win in a tight encounter  25-22 to effectively take the title.  TJs however, have sufficient of a buffer to have secured the playoff spot which looks likely to be against either Barnstable or Exmouth.  Third placed East Grinstead were 14-24 winners at Bracknell, although what will be happening with them next season is uncertain, with the rumour mill currently working overtime.  That may have an effect on what happens at the bottom of the table where the relegations were decided a couple of weeks ago; in that group Gravesend hosted Westcliff and lost out 32-41 whilst bottom club Eton Manor were beaten 20-41 by Shelford.  In the remaining fixtures, fourth club Westcombe Pk  lost out 1810 at Wimbledon and slipped to fifth whilst Hertford moved up to replace them with a 10-15 win at Chichester.  The last of the fixtures saw Colchester 27-24 winners over visiting Guernsey.

London 1 (S):  At the top S&E were 33-15 winners against Chiswick, whilst Guildford pretty much secured the playoff spot with a 60-22 defeat of a somewhat off colour Maidstone side; it now looks like Guildford will travel to face either A&C or more likely Tring, both of whom are looking to return the Nat 3 at the first attempt.  Third placed Sidcup were 11-29 winners at relegated Charlton Pk whilst fourth placed Medway ran out 32-41 winners at Twickenham who are also relegated.  Elsewhere, Chobham lost out 24-26 to visiting Tottonians and Brighton hammered Dover 53-5; the last of the fixtures saw Havant take the local bragging rights with a 47-0 destruction of G&F.

London 2 (SE):  Predictably Tunbridge Wells claimed the league title after they thrashed already relegated bottom club Ashford 104-0, and with Sevenoaks already guaranteed the 30^th Apr playoff spot, which is likely to be against Ldn Cornish, their battle at Colfes was probably more important for the place in the Kent Shield final in this ‘double header’. In the end Oaks look to have booked themselves a busy weekend over the 30^th Apr/1^st May with a 18-23 result.  At the bottom the battle between Crowborough and Thanet Wdrs would go a long way to deciding the remaining relegation place; and with Crowborough running barrow 10-8 winners Thanet are all but relegated going into the final weekend. In the other fixtures a top half battle saw D&B lose out 27-8 at Beckenham whilst Dartfordians went down 21-29 at home to Hove. The last of the fixtures saw a tight contest between Alleynians and Horsham with the ‘old boys’ just shading the result 26-25.

London 3 (SE):  At the top of the table leaders Bromley won 8-28 at Burgess Hill, a result that guarantees promotion for the SE London club, whilst the same result also confirms Hill’s relegation to Sussex 1.  Second placed H&W also won 39-19 against Folkestone, but their promotion aspirations will have to wait until next week when they travel to face Aylesford who sit just 3-points behind and won 0-38 at basement club Uckfield.  The matchup between Cranbrook and Dunstonians went the way of the London club and guaranteed their safety for the season, at the same time as sending the Wealden club back to Kent 1 after just one season.  The mid table battles saw Pulborough 59-15 winners against Park Hse, whilst Eastbourne were 24-15 winners against visiting Anchorians.

Kent 1:  With Sheppey having already secured the league title back in March, their 81-10 hammering of Southwark had no impact at the top of the table.  With O Wills having now all but dropped out of contention they needed a result against leading contenders for the playoff spot Beccehamians to stay in the race, and a convincing 44-8 fitted the bill admirably. H&B have played themselves back into contention in recent weeks and despite a 15-22 defeat against HSBC they go into the final weekend with all to play for as just 2-points separates 2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th in the table in what is a three way battle for a playoff spot against Sussex club Haywards Heath.   At the bottom OGs are already down and three sides are involved in the battle to avoid the drop alongside them; NAG had what looked the easiest task as they narrowly beat OGs 27-32, but the other two contenders faced off against each other with King Coll coming out on top against Lordswood (19-29) and now looking to be safe, with the last of the relegation places now to be decided on the final weekend.

Kent 2:  League champions Sittingbourne were 11-24 winners at Greenwich whilst Snowdown’s 10-36 win at nearest rivals Foots Cray secured their promotion to Kent 1.   At the bottom Shooters hill received a HWO against Edenbridge, who failed to turn up for the match; so no doubt some questions to be answered there, as the match is published on their website.  Obviously a breakdown in communications somewhere.  In the other fixtures Askean lost out 21-25 to Orpington, Bexley also lost out at home to Whitstable 10-17, whilst Dartford Valley were defeated 24-48 by visiting Faversham.

Thanks to the club’s Martin Maytum and the support of Rigby Taylor members of the club and also guests from elsewhere in the county and neighbouring Essex enjoyed an entertaining Friday evening in the company of the RFU’s groundsman Keith Kent and members of his team.

In addition to being informative for those interested in the technical side of groundcare the evening was also highly entertaining and amusing as Keith imparted a number of stories and humorous anecdotes from his time with the RFU England set up, last year’s Rugby World Cup and also his prior experiences with Manchester Utd.

All in all it was a great evening of entertainment from professional who remain in tune with the requirements of grassroots sport, and thoroughly enjoyed by all those who attended.

National 1: Richmond stay top of the table by virtue of a hard fought 3-10 result at struggling Blaydon, with Blackheath sit alongside Hartpury 6 points adrift after they won 21-15 against visiting Ampthill and Hartpury were 7-38 winners at bottom club Cinderford. With the top three now ten points clear of the chasing pack the bottom end of the table is also beginning to sort itself out; with Cinderford looking destined for the drop, although Henley, who won 25-19 against Loughborough St, Blaydon and Wharfedale who were beaten 36-26 at DMP are the four clubs looking to avoid the three relegation places.  In the other results Rosslyn Pk were 14-12 winners against Fylde, with Esher losing out 15-30 to Plymouth.  The final fixture saw Coventry 26-19 victors over visiting Hull Ionians.

National 2(S):  Canterbury’s recent run came to a shuddering halt as they were thrashed 62-10 by league leaders Cambridge, with O Albanians slipping up for the second consecutive week as they lost out 20-16 at third placed Bishops Stortford.  Taunton also stay in touch to round out the top four with a 24-34 win at BSE.  At the bottom, still no joy for basement club Launceston who were just edged out 17-20 by Elthamians and their fate now looks certain as they are 28 points from safety.  Chinnor sit one off the bottom and lost out 13-26 to Redruth whilst Redingensians complete the bottom three despite a 20-11 win against Clifton.  It still remains tight in the relegation dogfight and Southend, who beat Worthing 25-10 and Dorking who lost out 15-29 to Barnes in the last of the fixtures, are alongside BSE on the edge of the drop zone.

National 3(SE):  A 17-41 win for ldn irish WG at Wimbledon sees them now 8 points clear at the top after TJs went down 14-8 at fourth placed East Grinstead’s G-Force.  Westcombe Pk sit above the G-Force courtesy of picking up the bonus point in their 37-26 win over Hertford.  At the bottom Eton manor remain winless after losing out 14-29 to visiting Chichester with Gravesend just above them following their 35-24 defeat at Cambridge based Shelford.  The last of the relegation places is currently occupied by Westcliff who were beaten 20-28 by visiting Guernsey.  The remaining fixture between Bracknell and Colchester was a victim of the weather.

London 1 (S):  Waterlogged pitches saw leaders S&E’s fixture at Tottonians postponed, as was that of Maidstone and G&F; Guildford took the opportunity to move to the top of the roster with a 24-21 win against Brighton, with third placed Sidcup also winning 32-3 against struggling visitors Dover.  Medway stay fourth after a 6-15 win at Chiswick whilst Chobham move up to fifth courtesy of a 33-26 win against Havant. At the bottom of the table the battle between the two sides beneath Dover saw Charlton Pk move off the foot of the table to be replaced by their opposition following a narrow 20-17 win.

London 2 (SE):  As in ldn 1(S) there is a change at the top thanks to postponed fixtures, with T wells fixture at Crowborough predictably being postponed given the prevailing wet weather.  Sevenoaks took full advantage to take over at the top after the thrashed bottom club Ashford by 80 points without reply.  The gap between the top two and third place widened to 17 points after Dartfordians lost out 20-12 at Beckenham, with Horsham still fourth after a 12-7 win against Hove.  At the bottom of the table Ashford look certain for the drop and Thanet currently look favourites to join them after a 20-10 loss at mid-table D&B that sees them a point behind Crowborough, although the Sussex club have games in hand.

London 3 (SE):  It remains nip & tuck between the top two of H&W and Bromley after both posted wins at Cranbrook (0-45) and Dunstonians (18-34) respectively.  Aylesford stay third after a 22-28 win at park Hse, whilst fourth placed Folkestone lost ground after they went down 38-19 to an Anchorians side that bounced back from last week’s heavy defeat.  At the foot of the table Uckfield’s torrid season continues with a 33-10 loss at Eastbourne, a result that sees them 14 points adrift of Burgess Hill (whose match with Pulborough was postponed) and further behind Dunstonians, who complete the relegation places with all three well adrift of the ninth placed club.

Kent 1:  Sheppey are still 12 points clear despite their match at fourth placed H&B being postponed, O Wills are now clear in second after they beat bottom club OGs 40-15 with third placed Beccs slipping up 32-31 to HSBC. At the bottom NAG may yet escape the drop after posting a third consecutive win with a 16-0 result over Brockleians, and they are now just six points adrift of Kings Coll who went down 3-8 in a tight contest at Southwark Lancers.   The last of the matches was a real mid-table contest as Lordswood took the points with a 26-17 result against Vigo.

Kent 2:  At the top Sittingbourne are 11 points clear after they were 26-22 winners against Whitstable and second placed Snowdown’s match against Faversham was postponed.  Third placed Orpington’s contest against bottom side Edenbridge was abandoned, with no news as yet of what the score was at the time or at what point the game was called off.  In the remaining fixtures, Foots Cray hammered Shooters Hill 43-0 whilst Greenwich were 16-7 winners against Dartford Valley.  The last of the matches saw Bexley run out 41-7 winners against Askean.

National 1: Richmond stay six points clear at the top after a33-19 win over fourth placed Esher, with Blackheath 20-7 winners at home to Rosslyn Pk.  Hartpury are third after they hammered struggling Blaydon 71-12, whilst fifth placed Ampthill lost out 45-29 at DMP.  At the foot of the division Cinderford lost 43-12 at Loughborough St whilst Henley lost out 26-17 to fellow strugglers Wharfedale and remain just on the edge of the danger area and a point above Blaydon.  In mid-table Hull Ionians lost out 26-36 at home to Fylde, whilst Plymouth were 29-18 winners over Coventry.

National 2(S):  In the battle between the top two, leaders O Albanians lost out narrowly 24-26 to Cambridge, who narrow the gap to just two points between them in the table, with third placed Bishops Stortford failing to capitalise after they lost out 5-0 at Redruth.  Taunton, the early season front runners stay fourth after they hammered Southend 50-7 to extend the Essex clubs poor run of results that now sees them drop into the bottom three and relegation danger.  Both of the bottom two clubs lost, with Redingensians going down narrowly 22-20 at Worthing, whilst basement side Launceston were hammered 50-15 at Clifton.  Chinnor’s 23-19 win against visiting Dorking moves them out of the drop zone, whilst Canterbury were tight 34-33 winners at home to BSE and move up to 10^th in the table and 9-points clear of the drop zone.  The last of the fixtures saw Elthamians play out a 17-17 draw in mid-table against Barnes.

National 3(SE):  Despite a solid 43-10 win for TJs at home to Westcliff it’s Ldn Irish WG who head the table courtesy of a 62-14 mauling of bottom club Eton Manor and a TJs 5-point deduction for a law infringement in the match between the two sides in December.  Westcombe Park lost out 7-3 in a tight battle with Shelford and are now tied in third place with East Grinstead who beat Hertford 15-23, although both sides are 9-points off the playoff position.  At the bottom end of the table, Gravesend’s 17-27 home defeat to Chichester sees them sitting between Eton Manor and Westcliff in the relegation zone, whilst a 48-34 win for Colchester over Wimbledon eases some of their worries with Bracknell still not totally out of the woods after a 27-8 loss at Guernsey.

London 1 (S):  No change at the top of the table with S&E 27-12 winners against Havant and Guildford running out 7-31 winners at struggling Twickenham.  Sidcup stay third after they beat G&F 22-47, a result that sees the Solent club back on the edge of the drop zone and level with Dover after they posted a 31-15 win against Chiswick. Charlton Pk remain at the foot of the table after they were nilled by 47 points at Medway.  In the mid-table battles Brighton were 13-6 winners at home to Chobham and Maidstone made up for their early season aberration in the home fixture, with a solid 8-21 win at Tottonians.

London 2 (SE):  Predictable the top two posted big wins, with leaders Tunbridge Wells thrashing O Alleynians 64-0 and Sevenoaks running out convincing 50-7 winners at struggling Crowborough.  Dartfordians stay third after a solid 20-14 win over D&B whilst Horsham remain in fourth spot despite losing 23-20 at Thanet Wdrs, a result that sees the east Kent club only a point from Crowborough in their battle for survival.  Bottom side Ashford are still looking for their first win after narrowly losing out 15-10 at Hove, whilst Beckenham were 0-6 winners in the mid-table battle that completes the fixtures.

London 3 (SE):  games went with the form book as the top four all posted comfortable wins with H&W heading the table after a 31-10 win against struggling Dunstonians.  Bromley were comfortable 41-3 winners over Anchorians with Aylesford 24-13 winners at home to struggling Burgess Hill, whilst fourth placed Folkestone recorded a hefty 33-10 result against an in form park Hse outfit.  At the bottom Uckfield stay anchored to the foot of the table after they lost out 24-32 to visiting Cranbrook, with the current bottom three clubs of Uckfield, Burgess Hill and Dunstonians now at least 10 points adrift and looking the favourites for the drop.  In mid-table Pulborough fought out a 19-19 draw with visiting Eastbourne to complete the fixtures.

Kent 1:  Sheppey dropped their first points of the season but are still unbeaten after they were held to a 17-17 draw at home to HSBC with O Wills winning 12-31 at Brockleians the gap at the top is narrowed to 17 points.  A 32-24 win for Beccs over Kings Coll sees them move into third with H&B dropping a place after they were turned over 15-11 at Vigo.  At the foot of the table OGs remain bottom after they lost out narrowly 29-33 to Lordswood with NAG narrowing the gap to safety to 9-points with a tight 13-14 win at Southwark.

 Kent 2:  A 3-42 win at Dartford Valley for leaders Sittingbourne sees them extend their lead despite Snowdown posting a 6-17 win at Whitstable.  Third placed Orpington also won on the road as they were 27-32 winners at Faversham and the promotion battle now looks to be between just three clubs.  In the other fixtures, fourth placed Foots Cray put 52 points past Askean without reply, whilst in the two remaining fixtures both Bexley and Greenwich put 26 points past their opposition with Edenbridge replying with just five in their match with Bexley and Shooters Hill 7 in theirs.

Maidstone Rugby in conjunction with Rigby Taylor are pleased to announce an evening with RFU Head Groundsman Keith Kent.  Now if you're thinking that this will be an evening of discussion about turf management, fertiliser regimes, grasscutting, weedkiller and other pitch management issues, then you couldn't be more wrong.

Keith is an accomplished speaker with a wealth of humorous stories and witty anecdotes accumulated from his time as Head Groundsman with the RFU at Twickenham and previously at premiership football club Manchester United's Old Trafford ground; as well as from his travels across the grassroots of the game (pun intended).

So it promises to be both an informative and entertaining evening.

Entry is by ticket only at £15 per head which includes food.

Tickets are available from the bar in the clubhouse or alternatively by contacting Martin Maytum on M: 07540 059142 or via email (click here).

500 CLUB

500 club winners  latest draws

Draws made by random number generator 11.45 am 16 Jan 2016

October

£100 Pete Sime

50 Brian Fridd

30 Jim Tinsley

November

£100 Keith Newman

50 Alan Hayward

30 Dave Coleman

December

Special top Christmas prize. £500.  Andy Golding

£100 Glyn Richards

50 Steve Vincent

30 Jack McFarland 

There will be 3 more draws this season during February, March and April 

'You have to be in it to win it'

The 1st XV will be travelling to Tottonians by coach and there are places available for any supporters wishing to travel.  The coach is departing the club at 09:30am on the Saturady morning to allow sufficient time for the team to arrive and go through their pre-match routine.

Anyone interested in travelling by coach please contact Bob Hayton, cost is £5.00

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DEPARTURE TIME TO 09:30am

National 1: With Blackheath’s fixture at DMP postponed there was the opportunity for leaders Richmond to open the gap, and whilst they did so, it was not be the margin they hoped as they were held to a 21-21 draw at Coventry. Third placed Hartpury also failed to capitalise as they lost out 24-14 at fourth place Esher who close the gap to just a point between the two sides. At the foot of the division there is no change in the bottom three as basement club Cinderford fought out a 26-26 draw with fellow strugglers Wharfedale, with Henley also losing, going down 16-38 to visiting Ampthill.  Blaydon’s fixture against Loughborough fell to the weather whilst in the mi-table battles Rosslyn Pk were 49-0 winners against Hull Ionians, and Fylde lost out 26-38 to visiting Plymouth Albion.

National 2(S):  at the top O Albanians were 12-31 winners at BSE whilst second placed Cambridge were pushed much harder as they were narrow 29-27 winners against visiting Redruth.  Bishops Stortford stay third after the inflicted a 36-8 defeat on struggling Chinnor.  At the foot of the table just below Chinnor, bottom club Launceston lost by a similar score, going down 5-38 against Worthing whilst Redingensians who occupy the last of the relegation places were beaten 14-40 at home by Taunton.  City club Canterbury moved up a place or two with a 14-31 win at Southend although it is still looks a tight battle for survival for half a dozen clubs from 9^th downwards. In mid table Dorking lost out 20-22 to visiting Elthamians whilst Barnes also won by a two point margin in their 27-25 win over visiting Clifton.

National 3(SE):  The situation at the top remains the same with leaders TJs 15-32 winners at Bracknell whilst Ldn irish WG also picked up a7-29  bonus point win against Chichester, with Westcombe Pk in third following a big 53-18 win in the local derby against struggling Gravesend.  In fourth place East Grinstead returned to winning ways with a 24-10 win over Shelford.  At the bottom Eton manor lost out 15-33 to fellow strugglers Colchester, a result along with Westcliff’s 13-36 defeat to Hertford, that combined with the defeats for Gravesend and Chichester sees the Essex club build a bit of breathing space from the drop zone. In the last of the fixtures Wimbledon were just edged out 21-22 at home to Guernsey.

London 1 (S):  no change at the top, although Maidstone became only the second club this season to take points off leaders S&E with a 17-17 draw.  Guildford took the opportunity to narrow the gap with a heavy 31-0 win over Medway who drop to fifth spot whilst Sidcup remain third after they posted a solid 36-12 win over a Tottonians side that had posted some impressive recent results.  Chobham’s 33-5 win over struggling Twickenham sees them move back into the top five in the table, whilst Twickenham, along with Charlton Pk who lost 19-44 at home to fellow strugglers Dover look to have a real job on their hands to avoid relegation.  With Havant’s fixture against Brighton lost to the weather, the last of the fixtures saw Chiswick post a 34-19 win over G&F.

London 2 (SE):  Just three points separate the top two with leaders Tunbridge Wells 3-23 winners against Beckenham and Sevenoaks posting a 34-7 win against visiting Hove.  Dartfordians remain in third place after they were 8-12 winners at fourth placed Horsham with D&B’s 17-12 win against Colfes moving them above Beckenham into fifth.  At thefoot of the table  the battle between the bottom two saw Thanet do the doble over winless Ashford with a narrow 8=-10 result and whilst ashford look destibned for the drop, the result will add fuel to Thanet’s survival hopes, despite Crowborough’s tight 11-10 win against Alleynians

London 3 (SE):  Another reshuffle at the top of what is a tight promotion contest in this division as this week’s scores demonstrate; H&W now head the table despite only managing a 18-18 draw at Anchorians, Aylesford also drew by the same score with Folkestone whose own challenge is also gathering momentum.  Leaders at the start of the day Bromley drop to second on points difference after they lost what is the most local of local derbies against Park Hse 19-18 in a tight contest.  With the fixtures between Cranbroojk & Pulborough and burgess Hill v Eastbourne po0stponed the onoly surviving fixture saw Dunstonians hammer Uckfield 52-8 to move up a place and leave the Sussex club in what looks like an impossible situation to avoid the drop.

Kent 1:  Sheppey march on undefeated at the top as they beat Kings Coll 16-41, with a 30-8 win for second placed O Wills against Lordswood keeping them a point clear of H&B who move above Beccs after a 34-10 win against bottom club OGs.  NAG narrowed the gap to safety whilst p[putting a dent in Beccs promotion challenge with a narrow 25-24 win, although there remains a 12-point gap to safety. In the remaining fixtures HSBC went down 10-20 to visiting Vigo and Brockleians were 20-17 winners over Southwark.

Kent 2:  Wins for the top two as Sittingbourne hammered Shooters hill 57-0 and Snowdown posted an equally convincing 39-3 result over Dartford Valley.  Orpington in third lost a bit of ground after they drew 13-13 with visiting Whitstable.  At the bottom Edenbridge continue to prop up the table despite posting an impressive 31-19 win against Faversham, whilst elsewhere Greenwich were big 38-8 winners against Askean and Bexley lost out 13-19 at home to Foots Cray.

February Half Term Rugby Camp 2016 – Maidstone FC

The Saracens Rugby Camp Program is aimed at U7 – U14 boy and girls playing age groups and provides organised, educational, inclusive and structured activities, utilizing Saracens experienced, qualified and award winning coaches from the Community team.

With the RFU implementing Shaping The Game for U7 - U10 across all counties, Saracens brand new delivery structure will be in place throughout the season!!

Coaches will pass on expert advice and professional tips, creating a fun and enjoyable environment in which participants will work closely in groups of the same/similar age covering all rugby aspects. Individuals can expect to cover content specific to their age group ensuring the best possible chance to further personal development on and off the field.

The club and experienced coaching staff allow access for all rugby abilities and encourage TAG rugby players to attend in addition to those of an older age.

Course: Two Day Skills Clinic

Venue: Maidstone FC

Date: Tuesday 16th & Wednesday 17th February

Age: 6-14 years old

Normal Price: £60.00

Online Price: £54.00

To book your place on a this course, please CLICK HERE or call Ed Clark on 0203 675 7242

National 1: No change at the top with Richmond leading the way following a marrow 22-21 win against visiting Fylde, Blackheath are three point behind in second after they beat Henley 23-12 whilst third placed Hartpury were 26-17 winners against Coventry.  At the bottom Cinderford lost out 47-14 at Ampthill with Wharfedale going down to a 13-27 home defeat to fellow strugglers Blaydon, a result that sees them move out of the drop zone above Henley. In the other matches fourth placed Esher were 17-32 winners at Loughborough whilst in the mid table encounters DMP beat Rosslyn Pk 17-10 and Plymouth Albion lost out 7-17 to visiting Hull Ionians.

National 2(S): wins for the top clubs as leaders O Albanians thrashed Southend 62-10 and Cambridge were 19-26 winners at struggling Chinnor.  A 41-10 win for bishops Stortford against Dorking sees them maintain station in third spot, whilst Taunton’s match against bottom side Launceston was postponed.  At the bottom end of the table Canterbury moved out of the bottom three to be replaced by their opposition after a 27-23 win against Redingensians although in reality any of the clubs in the bottom half of the table will be looking over their shoulders.  Of them, BSE lost out 22-8 at Redruth and Worthing fought out a 24-24 draw with Barnes

National 3(SE):  All of the fixtures here survived the weather, with TJs remaining top of the pile after a 26-6 win over Wimbledon with Ldn Irish WG a point behind following their 24-7 victory against struggling Gravesend.  Combe stay in close proximity in third spot after they narrowly beat fourth placed E Grinstead 21-17with fifth club Hertford posting a big 50-18 win against Bracknell.  At the bottom Eton manor look doomed for the drop following a 32-5 loss at Guernsey with Westcliff’s 38-7 defeat to Shelford keeping them in the drop zone.  Whilst Manor, Gravesend and Westclif =f look the favourites for the drop, there is not a lot of breathing space for a number of other clubs with Chichester and Colchester the sides in most danger and the Essex club narrowly coming out on top 19-18 in their encounter today.

London 1 (S):  Three of this week’s fixtures fell to the weather with waterlogged pitches with Maidstone’s encounter with third placed Sidcup postponed along with fourth club Medway’s match against Chobham and Tottonians fixture against Chiswick also delayed.   No change at the top though as leaders S&E convincingly despatched Brighton 22-3 and Guildford 18-40 winners at struggling Dover.  At the bottom G&F’s narrow 25-22 win over basement side Charlton Pk now sees them with a 9 point cushion over the bottom three clubs with Twickenham the other relegation threatened club alongside Charlton Pk and Dover after they went down 28-49 at home to Havant in the last of the surviving fixtures.

London 2 (SE):  no change at the top as T Wells and Sevenoaks still lead the table by some margin, with Wells 17-0 winners at home to D&B who slip to fifth, and Oaks 22-27 winners at struggling Thanet Wdrs.  With Horsham slipping up with a 21-18 defeat at Colfes, Dartfordians move into third spot after a 59-5 thrashing of bottom side Ashford.  In mid-table Beckenham were 18-14 winners against Alleynians, with Crowborough’s trip to Hove for the lower mid-table battle being postponed.

London 3 (SE):  Bromley go top after they responded to last week’s Kent Cup defeat at Aylesford with a 22-7 win at home against the same opposition, a result that sees the Bulls drop to third.  H&W missed the opportunity to head the table after they could only manage a 7-7 draw with fifth placed Park Hse.  Folkestone are still eyeing promotion possibilities after they hammered Burgess Hill 38-0, a result that sees Hill third from bottom and 10-points from safety.  Anchorians continue to climb to safety after they beat bottom side Uckfield 7-17 and a 21-13 defeat for Dunstonians at Pulborough sees them occupying the third relegation spot.  In the last of the fixtures Eastbourne were 33-12 winners against Cranbrook who have now slipped to ninth in the table, but with a 10-point cushion on the relegation zone.

Kent 1:  Sheppey’s unbeaten league campaigns continues after they beat strugglers NAG 43-5 and now sit 18-points clear of second placed O Wills who were 12-19 winners at Southwark; Beccs who lost 10-14 at home to Brockleians slip to third.  A 15-20 home defeat to HSBC sees OG’s still occupying bottom spot with NAG the other relegation candidates and 16 points from safety.  In mid-table H&B were 5-22 winners at Lordswood, whilst Vigo’s fixture against kings Coll fell to the weather.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne continue to lead the way with a 5-34 win at Askean, with Snowdown in second after they beat Shooters Hill 7-40.  Orpington sit two points behind in third after they recovered from last week’s defeat with a 5-24 win at Dartford Valley, whilst Foots Cray continued their good for with a 41-0 thrashing of Greenwich.  At the bottom Edenbridge continue to prop up the table after their match at Whitstable was postponed whilst in mid-table Faversham lost out 26-32 to visiting Bexley.

National 1: Richmond stay top after a 13-28 win at Hull Ionians, with Blackheath still in second spot after their convincing 5-37 win over bottom club Cinderford; Hartpury remain in third spot following a tight 17-18 result at Fylde.  At the foot of the table Wharfedale managed a dour 3-3 draw with Esher and remain in the drop zone, whilst Henley went down 11-19 at home to DMP with Blaydon losing out 12-19 to visiting Ampthill.  In mid table Coventry were 37-12 winners in the Midlands derby with Loughborough St, whilst Rosslyn Pk slipped up with a 24-26 home defeat to Plymouth Albion

National 2(S):  The opening fixtures of the year saw O Albanians go clear at the top after a 21-31 win at strugglers Redingensians, with nearest challengers Cambridge slipping up in a 12-29 home defeat at the hands of Bishops Stortford, a result that combined with Taunton losing out 20-15 on the road at Barnes, moves Stortford into third spot. At the bottom end of the table the match between basement side Launceston against fellow strugglers Canterbury was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, whilst Chinnor lost out 24-20 at home to BSE but move above Canterbury thanks to the losing bonus point.  In the mid table battles, Dorking were narrow 31-29 winners over Clifton, whilst Elthamians got their year off to a winning start with a 19-13 victory against Worthing.  The fixture between Southend and Redruth played on Sunday resulted in a 10-21 win for the Cornsh club.

London 2 (SE):  Crowborough hosted Sussex rivals Horsham in a fixture postponed from 21 Nov; in what was a one sided affair Horsham ran out 31-0 bonus point winners to move up to third place in the table behind T Wells and Sevenoaks, whilst Crowborough continue to languish three off the bottom at the wrong end of the table.

Kent 2:  No change in the placings although third placed Orpington missed out on the chance to leapfrog second placed Snowdown and close the gap on leaders Sittingbourne as they went down to a 12-0 defeat at Foots Cray who stay in fifth spot.

National 1: A 24-33 win for Richmond at Rosslyn Pk sees them remain at the head of the division, although Hartpury slip to third after a 17-22 home defeat at the hands of Plymouth Albion, whilst Blackheath move up to second following their 28-21 win against fourth placed Esher.  At the bottom end of the division Cinderford remain bottom after a 27-13 defeat at fellow strugglers Henley, with Wharfedale just above them after they lost a tight 28-32 battle at home to Fylde.  Blaydon are out of the drop zone only on points difference following a 51-11 mauling at DMP.  In the remaining fixtures, Ampthill were 31-25 winners over Coventry, with Loughborough St beating Hull Ionians 28-24.

National 2(S):  Cambridge and O Albanians see out the year locked together at the top of the table after 27-10 and 25-7 wins against BSE and Barnes respectively, with Taunton in third following their 22-7 win over Clifton.  At the bottom Launceston remain at the foot of the table after they lost the local derby at Redruth 17-0, whilst in the battle between struggling Chinnor and visiting Redingensians, in a high scoring match the result went with the away club 39-41.  Canterbury upset the form book to beat Elthamians 20-9, but still remain in the drop zone, although with the exception of bottom club Launceston, only five points cover the bottom half of the table.  In the other results Dorking beat Worthing 31-26 and Bishops Stortford were 28-15 winners against Southend.

National 3(SE):  As expected TJs maintain their slender lead at the top of the table after a 5-39 dismantling of bottom club Eton Manor, with Ldn Irish WG second after an equally convincing 38-10 display against struggling Colchester.  Combe stay in touch after they beat Westcliff 5-46 along with E Grinstead also in pursuit after they inflicted a 27-0 defeat on Gravesend.  At the top this means just five points cover the top four. At the bottom it was essentially no change, with Eton Manor propping up the table, from Gravesend, with the third of the relegation spots occupied by Westcliff from Colchester and Chichester, who were 31-20 winners at home to Guernsey.   None of the bottom 5 are by any means out of the woods, with an 9 point gap between them and Bracknell who beat Shelford 29-21 in ninth spot.  In the remaining mid-table clash Wimbledon lost out 11-23 at home to Hertford.

London 1 (S):  After a raft of top two clashes across the divisions last week, this week it was the turn of Ldn 1(S) as clear leaders travelled to face a Sidcup side who had inflicted their only defeat so far this campaign.  The outcome went with the league leaders 13-20 and sees Sidcup slip to third spot to be replaced by Guildford who recovered from last week’s defeat with a 31-7 result against G&F to leave the Solent club still on the edge of the drop zone, whilst Medway remain in fourth place with a following a 27-26 loss at Havant.  At the bottom things look dark for Twickenham who narrowly lost out 32-31 at fifth placed Brighton, whilst Charlton Pk suffered a big 15-78 defeat at home to Tottonians.  Dover occupies the last of the relegation places after a 41-14 loss at injury ravaged Chobham, whilst in mid-table Maidstone lost out 20-12 at Chiswick.

London 2 (SE):  Whilst it’s a long way to the end of the season, at the halfway stage in this division there are a clear top two and equally a clear two relegation favourites with an 12 point gap between the top two and third place, and a noticeable 6 point gap between the bottom two and safety.  The top versus bottom clash went as expected with T Wells inflicting a heavy 5-52 defeat on winless Ashford whilst Sevenoaks recovered from last week’s narrow loss to the league leaders with a 31-10 mauling of Colfes.  Third and fourth did battle as D&B were 17-13 winners over visiting Beckenham.  At the bottom a narrow but welcome 10-8 win for Thanet over Crowborough means that the relegation battle between those two is by no means cut & dried.   In the remaining fixtures Horsham were 38-25 winners against Alleynians, whilst Dartfordians were 22-47 winners at Hove.

London 3 (SE):  Despite a 5-22 win for H&W at Folkestone it was Aylesford who moved back to the top opf the table on points difference after a bonus point 32-5 win against bottom club Uckfield.  Bromley remain third and just two points off the top two, after they beat Burgess Hill 39-19 with Folkestone in fourth spot and Park Hse in fifth following a high scoring 46-40 win against Pulborough.  At the foot of the table Dunstonians are the other club alongside Uckfield and Burgess Hill in the relegation zone after they lost out 25-38 against visiting Cranbrook, whilst Anchorians picked up a useful 29-24 win against Eastbourne to leapfrog their opponents in the table.

Kent 1:  going into the second half of the season and Sheppey march on with an 18-42 win at Southwark that following second placed Beccs 13-32 defeat to O Wills sees the ‘islanders’ 15 points clear at the top of the table.  The result for O Wills in combination with H&B’s 33-29 loss at HSBC sees them move into third and HSBC up to fifth place.  At the bottom the encounter between basement clubs NAG and OGs saw a 33-6 win for NAG and they move off the foot of the division as a result, although still 14 points adrift of Brocleians who were 24-22 winners against Vigo.  The last of the results saw a hefty 64-7 win for Kings Coll against visiting Lordswood.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne stay top after they beat fourth placed Greenwich 26-0, with Snowdown in second after they also won 37-7 against Foots Cray.  A 39-17 win for Orpington against Askean keeps them in touch in third spot and 7-points clear of Greenwich.  At the bottom Edenbridge prop up the table going into the New Year, despite a convincing 34-12 win over fellow strugglers Shooters Hill.  Faversham and Dartford Valley fought out an honourable 17-17 draw with the last of the matches bringing a 25-5 win for Whitstable over Bexley.

To all those who ordered Club Hoodies and Xmas Rugby Shirts for Christmas, they will be available for collection at the club this Thursday 17th Dec at 8:00pm.

National 1: It’s very tight at the top as Richmond stay at the head of the table despite a 21-27 home defeat to second placed Hartpury who are a point behind, with Blackheath in third place just a further point adrift following their 16-24 win at Coventry.  Fourth placed Esher lost out 14-22 at home to struggling DMP, whilst Rosslyn Pk were narrow 17-20 winners at Cinderford. At the bottom of the table, a 15-16 win at Hull Ionians for Wharfedale sees them move of the bottom to be replaced by Henley whose match with fellow strugglers Blaydon was postponed.  The last of the fixtures saw Plymouth Albion 34-27 winners against Loughborough St

National 2(S):  Cambridge and O Albanians remain neck & neck at the top of the table after wins against Southend (11-33) and O Elthamians (17-25) respectively.  A 27-23 defeat for third placed Taunton at Worthing sees them now 8-points off the leading two, with Bishops Stortford a further 4 points behind after their 15-27 win at struggling Redingensians.  At the bottom a 10-21 defeat for Launceston against Chinnor keeps them at the foot of the table, whilst Chinnor move out of the bottom three.  Canterbury’s struggles continue as they lost out 46-31 at Clifton and are now one of the foot of the table.  Dorking are still on the edge of danger area following their 17-13 loss at BSE, whilst in the last of the fixtures Barnes edged out Redruth 36-31.

National 3(SE):  As we hit the mid-season point the key fixture here was the top of the table clash, the first in a series across the divisions that involve Kent clubs.  New leaders TJs hosted Ldn Irish WG in what was expected to be a tight battle given the narrow margins of victory last season which both went the way of Irish.  In the end it was honours even at 15-15 and status quo for the top two.  Combe stay in touch and close the gap with the top two after they inflicted a second successive defeat on mid-table Wimbledon (26-18) with East Grinstead still in the hunt after they beat Bracknell 45-16.   At the bottom end of the table basement club  Eton Manor lost 37-14 at Shelford and look favourites for an immediate return to Ldn1, whilst Gravesend’s 30-8 defeat at fellow relegation strugglers Westcliff sees them swap places in the bottom three. Although defeats for both Chichester (39-15) and Colchester (22-10) at Hertford and Guernsey respectively, sees them still on the edge of the danger area.

London 1 (S):  S&E beat Chiswick 22-46 to stay at the top of the division with Guildford dropping from second spot after 36-14 defeat at Maidstone with Sidcup now in second after they inflicted a heavy 25-42 defeat on a struggling Charlton Pk outfit.  Medway bounced back from last week’s loss with a 39-24 win over bottom club Twickenham.  Elsewhere at the bottom of the table, Dover lost out by the odd point 22-23 at home to visiting Brighton who move into the top five, whilst G&F still remain on the edge of the danger area despite a convincing 36-16 win over Havant in their local derby.  In mid table Chobham slipped to a third successive defeat as they went down to a hefty 65-7 defeat at Tottonians and slip to seventh as a result.

London 2 (SE):  Without doubt the clash of the day was between the pre-season promotion favourites Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks, last season’s results went with the away sides but not this time as Wells shaded a tight battle 11-6   There is a significant gap between the top two and third place, but and neither of the chasers could taka advantage as a 22-5 defeat  for D&B at struggling Crowborough meant they failed to narrow the deficit whilst both Horsham and Beckenham are still somewhat off the pace of the leaders after Beckenham’s 18-8 win over the Sussex club.  At the bottom the outlook looks gloomy for the bottom two at the halfway stage as basement club Ashford went down heavily 36-0 at Alleynians and Thanet lost out 15-0 to Dartfordians.  In the last of the fixtures, Colfes beat Hove 25-21 and swap places in the bottom half of the table.

London 3 (SE):  Things are relatively tight for the top five in this division and in yet another top of the table clash as the top two in Bromley and H&W went head to head, a 25-10 win for H&W now puts them at the top of the division with Bromley slipping to third after  Aylesford travelled to Pulborough and picked up a 5-17 win.  Whilst fourth club Folkestone picked up a useful five points from their 10-29 result at bottom club Uckfield.  Park Hse complete the top five despite a heavy 37-10 defeat at Eastbourne.   At the bottom Uckfield’s loss means they still prop up the table with fellow strugglers Dunstonians and Burgess Hill locking horns with Dunstonians edging a low scoring contesrt 8-7.   in the last of the fixtures between Cranbrook and Anchorians, the Gillingham side picked up much needed points with a 12-25 win.

Kent 1:  Another battle between the top two clubs in their division as leaders Sheppey hosted second placed Beccs, with the 41-24 result in favour of the ‘Islanders’ now seeing them 10 points clear at the top of the table at the halfway mark in the season.  Third placed O Wills failed to narriow the gap on Beccs after they went down  8-26 at home to HSBC whilst fourth club H&B were 36-11 winners against Kings Coll and move above O wills..  At the foot of the table NAG remain winless following a 20-13 defeat at the hands of Lordswood, whilst OGs are also well adrift of safety after they went down narrowly 13-15 to visiting Brockleians in the last of the fixtures, the mid-table encounter between Vigo and Southwark went the way of the home side as Vigo ran out victors 24-11.

Kent 2:  Wins for the leaders Sittingbourne despatched Bexley 0-25 and second placed Orpington were 0-29 down at near neighbours Foots Cray when their match was abandoned at half time due to a serious injury.  Third and fourth clashed as Snowdown made the long trip to Greenwich’s  Old Mill Rd ground, with the result going in favour of visitors 17-21 and sees them move into second spot.  At the bottom of the table Edenbridge lost out 19-10 to Askean, with second bottom Shooters picking up a useful 24-10 result against visiting Faversham.  In the final fixture Dartford Valley lost out 10-39 to visiting Whitstable.

There will be a full selection of QBE Autumn Internationals in 2016 with fixtures against Australia, S Africa, Argentina and Fiji during November.  However as a bit of a taster in the summer there will be an England home fixture at Twickenham against Wales on Sunday 29th May.

Tickets for this match are in three categories; £83, £70 and £48 and are not subject to the normal allocation system.  Essentially, we can bid for what we want.  The closing date for bids from the club is 21st January 2016.

If any members are interested in obtaining tickets for this fixture and the opportunity of watching England gain revenge for their embarrasing defeat on home turf during the RWC, then they should contact Steve Vincent via email as soon as possible stating how many tickets they require and in what category, plus also method of payment. (click here)

Although there is no RFU Cup competition for the club this season, here is an update on the draw for the various competitions affecting the county’s clubs that was announced this week following the last round of cup ties.  In the Intermediate Cup Sevenoaks travel to face a Basingstoke side that after relegation from Ldn 1 last season find themselves at the foot of Ldn 2(SW) this time around.  Tunbridge Wells are also away and face the same Hove outfit they beat 31-41 this week.  The last of the county’s clubs, Thanet Wdrs host league rival Horsham in their fixture.

In the Senior Vase Aylesford are drawn at home against an Eastleigh side who sit mid-table in Ldn 3(SW), whilst defending champions Bromley also have a home draw and will host Ldn 3(NW) side Stevenage, who were narrow winners over Harlow last time out.  Although not a Kent, they are in the same SE division and Heathfield & W will travel down the A3 to take on US Portmouth who currently sit atop Ldn 3(SW), whilst the last of the fixtures sees Hitchin at home to Ldn 3(NE) leaders West Norfolk.

Only Southwark from the county remain in the Junior Vase and have been drawn at home against Surrey 1 club O Cranleighians who toppled Beccs in the last round; although Hastings & Bexhill, who play there rugby in Kent 1 are still in the tournament and travel to face Kingston who are struggling in the same Surrey division.

National 1: A 17-31 win over Loughborough St for Richmond sees them go top after Hartpury lost out 26-18 at Rosslyn Pk.  Blackheath stay in third spot despite only managing a 34-34 draw at home to Fylde, which meant that Esher drew level on points after their convincing 5-39 win at Henley.  At the foot of the table Wharfedale stay bottom after they lost out 9-12 at Plymouth, but a 12-10 win for Cinderford over fellow strugglers Blaydon sees them leapfrog above Henley and out of the bottom two.  In mid-table Ampthill just pipped Hull Ionians 22-21, whilst DMP were 29-21 winners against visiting Coventry.

National 2(S):  O Albanians and Cambridge remain the front runners after wins over Clifton (34-5) and Redingensians (38-23) respectively.  Taunton stay in close contention after they despatched Dorking 19-22, with bishops Stortford somewhat off the pace in fourth spot after they thrashed bottom side Launceston 50-7.  Redruth’s 37-13 win over O Elthamians sees them as the only other side in the division to have amassed over 40 points so far in this campaign.  At the bottom a 35-25 win for Chinnor over Barnes wasn’t enough to lift them out of the bottom two, although there is now a 14-point gap between them and the bottom club.  Canterbury are only a point above Chinnor thanks to the losing bonus point from their 20-27 home defeat to Worthing, who move just above them.  The last of the fixtures saw Southend run out 16-23 winners at BSE.

National 3(SE):  Recent weeks have some tight results for Ldn Irish WG, but this week they fell on the wrong side of the 10-12 scoreline against Hertford and slip to second spot with TJs taking over as league leaders following their 9-25 win at Colchester.  Combe stay in third place after they inflicted a 0-63 hammering on bottom side Eton Manor.  East Grinstead’s 8-18 win at Wimbledon sees them in fourth with Shelford’s tight 12-13 win at Chichester keeping them in touch with the leading group.  At the bottom defeats for Westcliff and Gravesend against Bracknell (34-12) and Guernsey (18-35) respectively, keep them in the relegation zone as we approach the season mid-point.

London 1 (S):  S&E stay at the head of the table following a 21-0 defeat of Medway, Guildford are second after they beat Sidcup 16-14 in a tight battle, although Sidcup move up a place to third, courtesy of the losing bonus point.  At the bottom Twickenham remain at the foot of the table after a 20-25 loss at the hands of fellow strugglers Dover who move above Charlton Pk following their 20-34 loss at home to Chiswick.  G&F remain on the edge of the danger area after a 46-14 defeat by Brighton.  In mid table a second half comeback saw Maidstone overturn a 19-point deficit to defeat Chobham 31-34 and Havant were narrow 27-24 winners over Tottonians.

London 2 (SE):  No change at the top with both the leading contenders winning as T Wells beat Hove 31-41, whilst Sevenoaks were slightly more convincing in their 40-10 defeat of O Alleynians.  D&B sit third after a 28-34 win over Horsham, who slip to fourth although both clubs sit at least 10 points off the leading two clubs.  At the bottom, Ashford ran Beckenham close but still lost out 5-10, with fellow strugglers Thanet also losing out 10-29 to Colfes.  The last of the fixtures saw Dartfordians 29-12 winners over Sussex strugglers Crowborough.

London 3 (SE):  A HWO against Uckfield and the resultant 5 points sees Bromley now head the table with H&W second following their 59-8 thrashing of strugglers Burgess Hill.  Aylesford won 28-26 against Eastbourne, but slip to third following a five point deduction, whether this is the result of their offence earlier in the season or another transgression is not known.  Folkestone have recaptured some form and occupy fourth spot after they beat Pulborough 23-5.  At the foot of the table Uckfield remain bottom from Dunstonians who are also struggling having lost 30-19 at Anchorians, a result that sees Anchs’ move up two places.  In the last of the fixtures, park Hse move into the top five in the table following a 23-19 win over Cranbrook who slip to sixth.

Kent 1:  Sheppey continue to set the pace after a crushing 48-11 win over third placed O Wills, Beccs stay second after they beat Vigo 26-5, although they are six points of the leaders, but six clear of O wills in third.  H&B are fourth but somewhat off the pace after they beat basement side NAG 12-19.  At the bottom a 17-17 draw for OGs against Southwark doesn’t lift them out of relegation danger, especially with Brockleians winning 22-5 against Lordswood.  In the last of the fixtures Kings Coll lost out 14-17 at home to HSBC.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne stay at the head of the table despite a heavy 38-7 defeat at third placed Snowdown.  In second place Orpington were narrow 14-12 winners against fourth club Greenwich.  After them there is a 7-point gap to the mid-table battles with Bexley the leading club after they beat Dartford Valley 19-26.  Foots Cray drew 10-10 with bottom club Edenbridge whilst Whitstable were 40-0n winners over visiting Shooters Hill.  The last of the fixtures saw Faversham 28-0 winners over Askean.

With the majority of first round matches in this season’s Cup & Shield competitions now complete, the draw for the first round of the Plate competition has been made.  For those who are unaware, the Shield is a new tier in the Kent cup competitions for sides at Level 7 & 8, and both the Cup and Shield competitions feed into the Plate.

Having lost out in the first round of the Cup, Maidstone find themselves travelling down the road to face old friends & rivals Cranbrook who lost to Folkestone in the opening round of the Shield, Cranbrook are enjoying a first season back in the London & SE divisions after an absence of some years, following promotion last season.  In other fixtures Canterbury will host Ashford and Dunstonians will face the loser of the outstanding fixture between Park House and Colfes.  Dartfordians are also waiting confirmation of their opposition, as they face either Charlton Pk or Blackheath, whilst Anchorians host Gravesend.

The remaining fixtures are a bit more complex to work out as they may, or may not be Byes; in the first if Westcombe Pk and Elthamians, who had Byes in the first round of the Cup both lose their 2nd round Cup ties then they will play each other, however, if only one of them wins then the other  will receive a Bye.  Should both win then they both proceed in the Cup and as both of their opposition clubs had already won in the earlier round of the Cup competition thay are therefore ineligible for the Plate competition and the tie remains vacant.  The last of the potential ties relies on the result of a Shield fixture; should Aylesford beat Bromley them the tie is vacant, but if the result is the other way round then Aylesford have a Bye in  the Plate competition.

Clear as mud!!!

Kent Plate (1^st Round) – fixtures to be played on or before Sun 27^th Feb 2016

Cranbrook v Maidstone

Canterbury v Ashford

Old Dunstonians v Park House or Old Colfeians

Dartfordians v Blackheath or Charlton Park

Gillingham Anchorians v Gravesend

Westcombe Park or Old Elthamians  Bye (depending on results in Cup )

Aylesford Bye (depending on result in Shield )

The club ran a design a Christmas Card competition for the Junior section of the club during November.  After a tough judging selection the winner was selected and the prizr for the best design went to Daniel Drewnicki from the club's U6s in the mini section.  This last Sunday (29 Nov) saw Daniel presented with his prize by Club President Jim Tinsley and the cards has published and is on sale now from the club shop.

The Club Shop Xmas sale of goodies started this last Sunday. there is a wide range of rugby related items from Christmas Cards designed by one of the U6 players to Teddy Bears in Maidstone t-shirts, plus lots more.  The shop will also be open this Thursday (3rd Dec) from 7:00pm with lots of items from stocking fillers to main presents.

National 1: Hartpury stay top following a 13-8 win over Loughborough St, but only on points difference from Richmond who hammered struggling Wharfedale 55-12.  Blackheath remain in third following their 20-26 win on the road at Hull Ionians with Esher in fourth spot after they thrashed bottom side Cinderford 43-3.  At the bottom, apart from Cinderford and Wharfedale, Henley are also struggling and they lost out again, going down 29-15 to Coventry, whilst Blaydon posted a handy 13-0 win over Rosslyn Pk to move up the table.  In the remaining fixtures, Plymouth beat Ampthill 18-13 whilst Fylde lost out 17-21 at home to DMP.

National 2(S):  Cambridge and O Albanians share top spot after both posted bonus point wins over bottom club Launceston (8-33) and struggling Worthing (24-31) respectively.  Taunton’s 68-21 hammering of Canterbury sees them in third and 9-points clear of Bishops Stortford who drew 24-24 with Barnes. Chinnor are just one of the bottom off the table after they lost out 27-19 at seventh placed O Elthamians. Of the other struggling clubs, a 32-18 win for Redingensians over BSE sees them move above Canterbury with Dorking also moving up the table after they beat Southend 18-22. In the last of the fixtures Clifton and Redruth swap places after the Cornish side just shaded the 7-10 scoreline.

National 3(SE):  No real change at the head of the table as leaders Ldn Irish WG just shaeded the result at Shelford 30-31, with TJ’s still second after a 32-19 win against visiting Guernsey.  Combe stay third after they beat Chichester 37-12 with East Grinstead in fourth spot following a 67-12 thumping of bottom club Eton Manor.  Westcliff remain just one of the bottom after they also fell to a heavy defeat, going down 5-50 to visiting Wimbledon.  Gravesend are only out of the bottom two by virtue of pints difference and they also lost, falling to a 34-10 loss at Bracknell, whilst in the last of the matches Colchester lost out 34-10 at Hertford.

London 1 (S):  S&E stay four points clear at the top after a 10-46 win at struggling Charlton Pk who sit three off the bottom.  A 12-17 win at Chiswick keeps Guildford in second spot with Medway third after they were made to work hard for their 9-16 win at Dover.  A 23-19 win for Sidcup over fifth placed Chobham sees them in fourth spot but level on points with Medway.  At the bottom Twickenham prop up the table after they lost out 29-7 at fellow strugglers G&F.  In the mid=-table battles Tottonians were 13-5 winners against visiting Brighton, whilst Maidstone ran out 41-22 winners against Havant.

London 3 (SE):  In the fixture between Uckfield and Park Hse that was postponed from the opening day of the campaign, Uckfield struggles continued as they lost out 19-24 and stay anchored to the foot of the table with Park Hse moving into a comfortable mid-table slot.

RFU Cup Competitions

RFU Intermediate Cup  Round 2:  Disappointment for Beckenham as they lost out 20-0 at Hammersmith & Fulham, T Wells fared better as they were 5-13 winners at Portsmouth, with Thanet getting a HWO as KCSOB conceded.  Unfortunately D&B lost out 13-12 in a tight contest at Ldn Exiles although Ldn 2(SE) club Horsham posted a useful  20-14 win at home against Andover.  In the remaining matches there were wins for saffron Walden and Fullerians, with endield receiving a W/O whilst Basingstoke, Cobham , Diss , Hove, London Cornish, Romford & GP, Sevenoaks and Woodford all received byes.

RFU Senior Vase Round 2:  A 12-11 home win for Aylesford over last season’s Junior Vase champions Battersea Ironsides sees them progress, whilst Kent’s defending Senior Vase champions Bromley despatched O Actonians 8-17.  Folkestone unfortunately conceded their ties to US Portsmouth whilst there appears to be no trace of the H&W v Hackney result.  In the remaining cup ties Stevenage, Hitchin and West Norfolk progress.

RFU Junior Vase Round 2: A full round of sixteen cup ties in the Junior Vase and surprisingly given their league form Sheppey fell to a home defeat by Sussex based Seaford 20-22.  Another of Kent 1’s leading sides also bowed out as Beccs lost out 2-23 at home to O Cranleighians, leaving Southwark as the county’s only survivor to carry the flag for Kent rugby following their 29-8 win over O Walcountians.  A 33-5 win for Kent 1 but Sussex based H&B over Petersfield sees them progress.

Saturday 12^th December sees not only the last of the home 1^st XV fixtures for 2015 in this campaign, but also the fourth of club’s the Pre-match Lunches this season. 

Apart from entertaining guests from our opposition for the day we will also be adding some festive cheer to the occasion as we enter the traditional Christmas holiday period. These occasions are great social occasions and part of what grassroots community rugby is all about and last season's was a great event, so demand is expected to be high with places allocated on a first come first served basis @ £25 per head, So why not get into the Christmas spirit and come along for the last home game of the year, if you are interested in attending then please contact Club President Jim Tinsley.(click here)

National 1: No changes at the top as Hartpury were convincing 0-45 winners at struggling Wharfedale whilst Richmond were 10-46 winners at Ampthill.  Blackheath move back into third spot after they beat Plymouth 34-3 with Esher slipping to fourth following a 14-8 loss at Blaydon.  At the bottom Cinderford went down 13-38 at the hands of Coventry and remain rooted to the bottom whilst Henley drop into the bottom three following an 18-23 loss to Fylde, combined with Blaydon’s win.  Loughborough St posted a useful 10-32 win at Rosslyn Pk  as did DMP with a 43-11 win against Hull Ionians.

National 2(S):  The top of the table shuffles round again as O Albanians take over top spot after they beat Taunton 35-24, whilst Cambridge sit level on points after their 62-15 hammering of Barnes.  Bishops Stortford stay in touch after they beat Elthamians 26-19 although Clifton slipped to a 31-17 loss at struggling Chinnor.  At the bottom end of the table there was also a reshuffle; for Canterbury, a 16-28 win at Dorking ends their losing streak and moves them up the table a couple of places.  At the foot of the table Launceston narrowly lost out 29-26 at BSE whilst Redingensians were 12-37 winners at Southend with Worthing dropping into the bottom three after a 24-16 defeat to Redruth.

National 3(SE):  The top two stretched their advantage at the head of the division as Ldn Irish WG beat third placed Westcombe Pk 28-14 with second club  TJs inflicting a heavy 3-49 defeat on a Gravesend outfit that sit three off the bottom. Both Shelford and East Grinstead remain alongside Combe in the chasing pack, both running out winners against Colchester (14-26) and Chichester  (17-26) respectively.  At the foot of the table the bottom two clubs locked horns, with Westcliff picking up a useful 29-35 win at Eton Manor.  In mid-table Guernsey beat Hertford 29-23 whilst Wimbledon were comfortable 57-13 winners against Bracknell.

London 1 (S):  No change at the top as the leading contenders all won, with leaders S&E 20-3 winners at struggling Dover, Guildford were 38-5 winners against Charlton Pk and Medway move up a place into third following a 36-5 win against G&F.  Sidcup slip to fourth despite a 20-22 win at Havant with Chobham in fifth after they beat Chiswick 43-10.  At the foot of the division Twickenham prop up the table from Dover after they lost 0-30 to visiting Tottonians whilst in mid-table Brighton beat Maidstone 33-22.

London 2 (SE):  At the top of the table T Wells edge ahead of Sevenoaks following a 51-0 thrashing of Thanet, whilst Oaks ground out a 6-15 win at Beckenham with Horsham staying third despite their match at Crowborough being postponed.  D&B are fourth after a 24-0 win over bottom club Ashford.  In the mid-table battles Colfes lost out 15-30 at home to Dartfordians whilst O Alleynians beat Hove 33-10.

London 3 (SE):  Aylesford lost their unbeaten record at the top of the table as they went down 16-15 at Cranbrook, although second placed Bromley were unable to capitalise as they lost out 29-19 to a Pulborough side now in fourth spot.  H&W took the opportunity to close the gap on the top two with a 0-19 win at local rivals and bottom club Uckfield.  Elsewhere at the bottom end of the division Anchorians lost out 26-11 at Burgess Hill, whilst Dunstonians currently occupy the last of the relegation places following a 12-21 home loss to Park Hse .  In the last of the fixtures a 12-37 win for Folkestone at Eastbourne moves them up into fifth place.

Kent 1:  A big 3-41 win for unbeaten Sheppey at Vigo keeps them six points clear at the head of the table, with Beccs in second spot after they beat struggling OGs 24-34.  O Wills are only a point behind them after they posted a handy 36-5 win against visiting Kings Coll with H&B fourth following an 11-0 win over Brockleians, although there is an 8-point gap between third and fourth in the table.  At the bottom, basement club NAG are still looking for their first win following a 48-12 mauling by HSBC whilst in mid-table Lordswood narrowly came out on top (24-22) against visiting Southwark.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne continue to set the pace after a 31-7 win over second placed Orpington, with Snowdown slipping to fourth place after a 9-5 defeat at Bexley.  Greenwich take over third place following their 27-5 win at bottom club Edenbridge.  In the remaining fixtures Dartford Valley posted a useful win, beating Shooters 5-17 whilst Askean were 33-17 victors against Whitstable, the last of the fixtures saw Faversham concede a HWO to Foots Cray.

National 1: All is still tight at the top of the table with  37-10 win against Ampthill meaning  Hartpury stay at the top of the table after Blackheath slipped up against old rivals Richmond 23-20 and drop down to fourth with Richmond now second.  Third placed Esher also failed capitalise as they lost 13-20 to Rosslyn Pk who sit in fifth place.  At the foot of the table Blaydon and Cinderford remain locked together with Cinderford going down to a heavy 45-7 defeat at Fylde, whilst Blaydon were beaten 38-0 at Coventry.  Wharfedale are only a point clear of them after they also went down heavily, with a 30-8 defeat at Loughborough St.  In mid-table DMP were 15-25 winners at Plymouth Albion, with Hull Ionians beating Henley 32-5.

National 2(S):  The slump continues for Canterbury as they fell to a 19-23 defeat to second placed O Albanians and now look in danger of getting dragged into a relegation battle.  Elthamians were held to a 14-14 draw against third placed Cambridge, but still look in a position to mount a promotion bid as the season develops, they currently sit 11 points behind the leaders.  Taunton continue to head the table after they beat Redruth 19-16 whilst in the battle between the two clubs just above OEs, the honours went with the home side as Clifton edged out Bishops Stortford 201-7. At the bottom, of the three clubs below Canterbury only Chinnor failed to pick up points as they lost out 23-15 at Worthing, whilst bottom club Redingensians picked up a losing bonus point in their tight 19-20 loss at the hands of Dorking.  Bottom side Launceston picked up the best result of the bottom three with a 17-17 draw with visiting Southend.  Finally in the mid-table battle Barnes lost out 18-21 to BSE.

National 3(SE): Ldn Irish WG stay top and stretched their lead despite being held to a 16-16 draw by visiting East Grinstead.  Second placed TJs were unable to capitalise as they fell to their second defeat this season with a 16-11 reversal at Hertford, with third placed Westcombe Pk narrowing the gap after they beat Colchester 18-3.  At the bottom end of the table, winless  Eton Manor remain anchored to the foot of the division following an 18-3 loss at Bracknell, with Westcliff just above them despite an 18-10 win over Chichester.  Gravesend lost 39-5 at the hands of Wimbledon and drop to third from bottom, although by no means adrift of the mid-table pack.  In the remaining fixture Shelford were 27-25 winners over Guernsey.

London 1 (S):  No change at the top of the table; although in the clash between the top two the honours went to the league leaders as S&E just pipped second placed Guildford 15-17.  Sidcup remain in third spot despite losing 23-26 to visiting Brighton, with Medway closing the gap in fourth after they beat Tottonians 10-18.  Chobham recovered from last week’s defeat to beat Charlton Pk 3-24 to remain in fifth.  At the foot of the table Dover and Twickenham occupy the bottom two places, with basement side Dover going down to a narrow 13-10 defeat at G&F whilst Twickenham fell to a 23-10 loss at Maidstone.  In the last of the fixtures Chiswick picked up useful points as they beat Havant 14-13.

London 2 (SE):  With a third of the season played Sevenoaks and T Wells sit one & two in the table and level on points, with Oaks solid 27-0 winners against D&B who slip to fifth spot, and T Wells 5-17 winners at Dartfordians.  Third placed Horsham remain in the reckoning, but were pushed hard for their 7-22 win at bottom club Ashford, whilst Thanet who came up with Ashford two seasons ago are also struggling as they sit in the other relegation spot following their 25-3 loss at O Alleynians.  A bonus point defeat at 12-8 defeat for Beckenham at Hove was still enough to move them into fourth place whilst a 29-10 win for Colfes saw them leapfrog their opposition Crowborough and move clear of immediate danger at the bottom end of the ladder.

London 3 (SE):  Aylesford head the table by two points after they ground oput a 15-5 win against Dunstonians, with Bromley closing the gap in second thanks to a bonus point 31-7 result against Eastbourne. A good 22-3 win for H&W over Pulborough keeps them in contention in third spot.  At the foot of the table a number of the strugglers were in action against each other; the encounter between Burgess Hill and Uckfield went the way of visiting Hill by 7-12 and moves them above fellow strugglers Anchorians who lost out 10-6 at Park Hse with the results leaving Uckfield and Anchorians propping up the table.  The last of the fixtures saw Folkestone beat Cranbrook in a tight 17-16 scoreline to climb above the Wealden club.

Kent 1:  Sheppey continue to record big wins as they put 65 unanswered points past struggling OGs and now sit 6 points clear of second placed Beccs who beat Lordswood 13-5.  O Wills slip to third after being held to a 10-10 draw at fourth placed Vigo, with H&B in fifth spot following their 13-22 win at Southwark.  Despite their best efforts bottom club NAG remain both winless and pointless after an 8-17 defeat that just saw them miss out on a losing bonus point.  Third from bottom Brockleians are not far clear of the drop zone after they lost a 3-6 arm wrestle with HSBC

Kent 2:  The top two remain undefeated after leaders Sittingbourne were 3-12 winners at Edenbridge, whilst Orpington posted a more convincing 44-14 result against third placed Snowdown.  A 10-17 wi for Greenwich over Faversham sees them in fourth spot but level on points with the colliery club.  At the bottom points deductions see Edenbridge in overdraught territory below Shooters Hill who lost 5-6 to Bexley, with Dartford Valley moving above them after a 24-17 win against Askean.  The last of the matches saw Whitstable 10-0 winners against visiting Foots Cray

Thursday 12^th November saw Maidstone Rugby launch a new venture with the inaugural meeting of the new Maidstone Business Club.  With a number of representatives from businesses in Maidstone and the surrounding area, the event was a great success with local MP Helen Grant also attending to chat to a wide range of people from the business community.

With the foundations now laid, the aim of the club is to facilitate bi-monthly lunch meetings where the decision-makers, influencers and successful business people from the area can meet, enjoy lunch and discuss life, politics, sport, business etc.  Relationships are built and as a result business takes place between members and other introductions are made to many more who can help. 

If you’ve got an appetite for business then Maidstone Business Club is the ideal regular networking event for you. Many successful business people contend business networking is a more cost-effective method of generating new business than advertising or public relations efforts. This is because business networking is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment than company money

So why not join us for a delicious two course lunch, an occasional speaker and finish the day off in the pleasant and relaxing surroundings of the Bearsted Golf Club.

The RFU along with Kent Referees Society have been working hard to secure referee courses in Kent. Historically there hasn't been the workforce to deliver these courses and have only been available outside of Kent. We now have 3 courses over the season in Kent and need to ensure that the places are filled in order for us to continue having courses delivered in Kent . Please distribute widely to ensure everybody knows of these courses and therefore work together so that we in Kent can ensure we have enough referees to facilitate our games

Referee courses in Kent now available

Want to become a rugby referee or interested in understanding more about the game? Why not book yourself on a referee course. The Level 2 course is for new and developing referees wanting to referee the 15-a-side game and will equip candidates with the skills and confidence to do so effectively. It is delivered using a mixture of practical and classroom based activities.

Referee courses have been scheduled in Kent at the below dates and venues

1.  Sun 29th Nov & Sun 6th Dec 2015 @ Leigh Academy- Dartford 9-5pm both days. Click here to book on line via the RFU booking system. (there are still 8 vacancies available on this course)

2.  Sun 7th Feb & Sun 21st Feb 2016 @ Langley Park School 9-5pm both days . Click here to book on line via the RFU booking system.

3.  Sun 18th June & Sun 25th June 2016 @ Simon Langton School, Canterbury 9-5pm both days . Click here to book on line via the RFU booking system.

Places are going quickly so secure your place asap

The fixture list on Saturday provided the opportunity for a couple of Father & Son days for both home and opposition sides.  firstly for Justin Lello who was playing for Canterbury Cardinals against Maidstone's Veterans XV, the day proved to be a very special 'life moment' for hiim as he ran out with the eldest of his fours sons in 17 yr old Woody, who promptly capped off the event by running in a hat-trick of tries against the somewhat one paced Maidstone Veterans.

Meanwhile elsewhere at The Mote Jonathan Davies was celebrating his 50th birthday with an outing for the Barbarians XV alongside his two sons in former 1st XV wing James and younger brother Alex.

National 1: In the battle of the top two it was Blackheath that came out on top as they beat Hartpury 13-12 to narrow the gap on the leaders.  A 46-5 result for Esher against Coventry keeps them level on points with Blackheath and in third spot with Richmond and Ampthill who both posted narrow wins  against Darlington MP (21-22) and Loughborough St (21-19)respectively in the next two places.  Blaydon and Cinderford still occupy the bottom two places despite both posting good wins, with Blaydon 34-17 winners against Fylde and Cinderford running out 32-19 winners against Hull Ionians. In the mid-table encounters, Wharfedale lost out 26-15 at Rosslyn Pk whilst Plymouth Albion posted a solid 3-36 win at Henley.

National 2(S):  Canterbury continue to slip down the table as they lost out 25-10 at Redruth, whilst Elthamians recent run came to an end after they were narrowly beaten 18-17 at BSE.  At the top of the table Cambridge continue to lead after a convincing 38-3 win over Clifton, with Taunton just a point behind after they were narrow 23-25 winners at struggling Chinnor who drop into the bottom two.  O Albanians are only a point adrift of Taunton and kept up the pressure with an 8-24 win at Dorking.  At the bottom of the table Launceston sit just below Chinnor and a 30-10 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Redingensians keeps them anchored to the foot of the table, with Redingensians moving above Chinnor and out of the bottom two.  In the remaining fixtures, a 25-10 win over Worthing keeps Bishops Stortford in the top five whilst in the last of the matches Southend were 23-6 winners against Barnes.

National 3(SE): A tighter than expected 17-13 win over struggling Westcliff keeps Ldn Irish WG at the head of the division, with TJs close behind after they were convincing 28-3 winners against Shelford.  Combe stay third despite a 16-13 loss at Guernsey with East Grinstead unable to capitalise as they lost out 18-17 at Colchester.  Bottom club Eton manor are still without a win but pushed Wimbledon all the way in their 10-12 defeat.  Both Chichester and Bracknell are flirting with the early season danger area with Bracknell 5-10 winners in their encounter.  Gravesend is another club close to the drop zone and a 14-25 home defeat by Hertford does nothing to help their cause.

London 1 (S):  At the top of the table the matches went largely as expected with S&E regaining top spot, running out solid 34-17 winners against struggling G&F who now drop to the bottom of the table. Guildford slip to second despite a good 17-24 away result at fellow challengers Chobham, who slip to fifth, with Sidcup now third following their 8-22 result at Twickenham;  Medway move to fourth after they edged out Maidstone 27-23.  At the bottom Charlton Pk move up three places with a tight 28-30 win at Havant  and Dover slip into the bottom two after they were beaten 13-27 at home to Tottonians.  In the last of the fixtures Brighton were 37-11 winners at home to Chiswick.

London 2 (SE):  No doubt about the clash of the day here as league leaders Sevenoaks travelled to face the improving third placed Horsham.  After an opening day mauling at the hands of T Wells this was the sternest test of the Sussex sides credentials and although they came out on the wrong side of the 19-25 scoreline they showed that they had developed some stern resolve against an Oaks side that were always looked upon in preseason as one of the main promotion candidates.  The result was enough to keep them at the top of the pile, as nearest challengers T Wells were solid 39-5 winners at home to Colfes.  D&B keep up the pressure and closed the gap on third place with a good 16-9 home win against Hove whilst Beckenham beat struggling Thanet 41-10.  Just below the east Kent club at the wrong end of the table, both Ashford and Crowborough needed a positive result, and home advantage told as the ‘Crows’ proved to have too much for the ‘Toucans’ , posting a 22-0 win to move out of the bottom two.  In the last of the fixtures the mid-table clash saw Alleynians lost out narrowly against Dartfordians, going down 22-24.

London 3 (SE):  Anchorian’s poor start to the season continued as they went down 0-15 at home to unbeaten league leaders Aylesford with second placed Bromley also winning with a 5-22 result against cCanbrook that sees the Wealden club drop into mid-table.  H&W’s run continues as they picked up a 3-27 win at Eastbourne, with Pulborough also moving into the top four after they beat struggling Uckfield 34-10 who now prop up the table. Burgess Hill continue move one off the bottom following a13-8 win against fellow strugglers Park Hse whilst Folkestone move into mid-table after they inflicted a narrow 24-26 defeat on  Dunstonians.

Kent 1: Matches between Lordswood and Sheppey are usually feisty affairs but the ‘Islanders’ maintained their perfect record to stay top after they posted a solid 14-34 result.  O Wills take over second spot with a 35-13 win over bottom club NAG, whilst Beccs slip to third despite a 0-10 win at H&B. A tight 13-15 win for Vigo at OGs keeps them in the top four and also OGs in the bottom two, with Brockleians just above them following their 24-10 loss at Kings Coll. In the mid-table encounter home advantage told with HSBC 24-17 winners against visiting Southwark.

Kent 2:  No change in the top three with Sittingbourne continuing to lead the way after a 41-3 thrashing of Faversham, with Orpington second after they beat Bexley 3-23.  Snowdown sit third after they beat Edenbridge 23-3.  In the remaining results, Foots Cray were solid 43-13 winners against Dartford Valley, whilst Greenwich beat Whitstable 13-0.  The last of the results went in favour of Askean who toppled Shooters 32-10.

Some very interesting games so far in this season's LRVT.

In the Cup competition Western pool, Sevenoaks have started with real intent, although they have two tough local derbies ahead of them yet including the defending champions Maidstone who have fallen to two narrow defeats in their opening matches.  Whilst in Eastern pool, two teams have made their debuts, Ashford and Dover, with Ashford opening their account with a solid win over the Dover/ South Coast Griffins.  The alter-ego is the idea Richard Catt from Dover who has devised a plan of forming the South Coast Griffins (in honour of Mick Griffin of Snowdown, who passed away earlier this year) comprising veteran players from Dover, Folkestone and Snowdown. So far, so good, except that no one from Snowdown was available for the first match. 

In the Bowl competition Western pool, debutants Vigo are already heading the table, despite losing to O Gravesendians in their first actual fixture. In the Eastern pool, no fixtures have yet been played although the organisers are reliably informed that plans are in place to get the schedule completed in good time.

Just a quick reminder that there should be no under 35s playing in any matches and one club has already fallen foul of this rule.  If you have players who are lucky enough to look only 25, then you might expect to be asked nicely to prove their dates of birth, although the organisers would much prefer to rely on the integrity of the participating clubs.

For those that follow the fortunes of former Stones player Piers Francis, he has been selected as part of the Auckland Blues squad for the 2016 Super Rugby tournament.  Piers had previously been playing his rugby in New Zealand with both Auckland and Waikato before spending an injury hampered 2-year stint with Edinburgh in the Pro 12 back in the UK.  Piers returned to New Zealand for the last season after a short period with Doncaster Knights in the English Championship and has been playing for Counties Manukau in this last season's ITM Cup under coach Tana Umaga.

With Umaga moving to take over as the Blues coach for next season he has selected a squad with a heavy accent on youth and Piers is the only player from the Counties squad to have been selected for the Blues.

The club is looking at producing leisurewear Xmas rugby shirts with the club badge (see picture).  the club needs to order a minimum of 10 shirts to make an order viable.

Prices are: Junior = £30.00, Adult £35.00

A £20 deposit is required with each individual shirt order and the club will need to submit its order to the manufacturer at the end of October in order to ensure December delivery.  Please contact Kevin Bailey for details and to submit orders (click here), 16 ordered so far so don't miss out.

Sizing information:

S = 40", M = 42", L = 44", XL = 46", 2XL = 48", 3XL = 50", 4XL = 52"

IMPORTANT:  A number of people expressed interest on the club's Facebook page but have not converted that interest into a definite order, providing both the shirt size required or a deposit.  NONE of these orders will be processed unless Kevin receives these details.

Saturday's league win against Dover was the last appearance in Maidstone colours for popular player Jonno Skelton.  Unfortunately for our resident Aussie (convict, surf-dude and general good egg), and despite the club's best efforts, the parole board have rescinded his licence and sadly we have to ship him back to Botany Bay.

Jonno has been a key member of the side during his stay picking up 7 tries in his 37 consecutive appearances and was a part of a great 2014-15 side that lifted the RFU Intermediate Cup at Twickenham in May.  In fact Jonno was one of only two players who played in every competiotive fixture last season and has not missed a match during his time with the club.

The club wishes Jonno every success on his return to Brisbane.

National 1: A 50-7 thrashing of Darlington MP keeps Hartpury at the top of the table and three points clear of Blackheath who were 15-23 winners at Loughborough St.  Esher are third following their 21-31 win at Fylde, with Richmond and Ampthill the next two sides after they both won  54-5 and 12-29 against Henley and Wharfedale respectively.  At the foot of the table Blaydon are bottom following a 28-3 defeat at Hull Ionians, with Cinderford just above them following their 27-15 loss at Plymouth. In the last of the results Coventry lost out 13-20 at home to Rosslyn Pk.

National 2(S):  Canterbury continue to slip down the table after they went down 11-15 at home to struggling Chinnor, different fortunes for Kent's other club in the division as a resurgent O Elthamians were 38-29 winners over Southend to move up to sixth.  Cambridge lead the division from Taunton after a 17-29 win at Worthing with the Somerset side 20-15 winners over Essex based Bishops Stortford.  Clifton stay in contention following their 30-8 win against BSE, with O Albanians also well in the running after they beat Redruth 34-15.  Launceston continue to prop up the table after a 16-20 loss to visiting Dorking, with Redingensians just above them on points difference after they lost out 19-13 at Barnes.

National 3(SE): With TJs losing 23-17 at third placed Westcombe Pk, Ldn Irish WG go clear at the top following a tight 27-30 win at struggling Bracknell.  In the chasing pack East Grinstead got back to winning ways with an 18-10 win over visiting Guernsey, whilst Shelford beat Hertford 17-12.  At the bottom end of the division Gravesend eased their early season worries with a 6-30 win at basement club Eton Manor, with fellow strugglers Westcliff losing out by the tightest of margins in the 2012 scoreline against fellow Essex club  Colchester.  In the last of the fixtures Wimbledon were 30-17 winners against visitors Chichester to narrow the gap in lower mid-table on their opponents.

London 1 (S):  In the battle at the top of the table there ws a bit of a reshuffle despite the fact that in the battle between the top two the honours went the way of the visitors as S&E beat hosts Chobham 20-23.  Despite the win they drop to second spot with Guildford taking over at the head of the table on points difference thanks to their bonus point win against Havant 31-27.  Sidcup move above Chobham into third place after they beat fifth club Medway 20-18.  At the bottom, G&F move off the foot of the table despite losing out 37-10 at Tottonians who move up to sixth.  Charlton pk are now bottom after they lost heavily, going down 3-32 at home to Brighton, with Dover completing the bottom three following their 34-8 defeat at Maidstone,.  Both Chiswick and Twickenham remain flirting with the early season danger zone with Chiswick just edging the result  between the two sides 16-15.

London 2 (SE):  Sevenoaks stay top after an 85-10 thrashing of bottom club Ashford, with T Wells hard on their heels following their 16-10 win in the local derby with struggling Crowborough.  Horsham stay third after they inflicted a heavy 14-53 home defeat on Hove, with Beckenham dropping out of the top four after they lost out 29-18 at Dartfordians.  D&B go fourth after they beat struggling Thanet Wdrs 10-19.  In the battle between the ‘old boys’ sides in lower mid-table the honours went the way of Alleynians, as they beat Colfes 28-17.

London 3 (SE):  Aylesford went back to the top of the table after they combination of a 41-29 win over Park Hse and having their 5-point penalty from earlier in the season rescinded, with Bromley now second after they beat Dunstonians 46-17.  Cranbrook drop from 1^st to fourth following a 25-5 defeat at the hands of H&W who move into third spot.  At the foot of the table, Uckfield move off the bottom with a 26-13 win against Eastbourne, whilst Burgess Hill slip to the foot of the table after they lost out 17-14 to local rivals Pulborough.  Anchorians still remain uncomfortably close to the danger zone after they went down 30-24 at Folkestone.

Kent 1: Sheppey stay clear at the top following a 27-17 win over nearest rivals H&B who slip to fifth spot, Beccs move into second after a 13-0 win over HSBC with O Wills in third following their 18-36 win at still pointless OGs. Southwark move into fourth after their 22-3 win against Kings Coll.  At the bottom NAG prop up the table following a 20-3 defeat at Brockleians whilst in the mid-table battle Vigo overpowered Lordswood 41-12.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne continue to lead the way in their bid for an immediate return to Kent 1 with a 27-34 win at Whitstable, whilst Orpington remain in close contact after they thrashed Edenbridge 7-42.  Greenwich and Snowdown occupy third and fourth after 12-38 and 7-33 wins at Dartford V and Faversham respectively.  At the bottom end of the table just above Edenbridge, Askean and Bexley fought out a 12-12 draw elsewhere Shooters lost out 17-22 at home to Foots Cray.

This will possibly be the last year that hoodies are ordered as we now have an alternative top for sale.

The price will be £42 including embroidered name / nickname for Adult sizes up to XL , bigger than XL are £45, with Junior hoodies up to LB's ( 36" chest) @ £35.00.

The order will be placed end of October for delivery in late November, subject to the minimum order number required by Samurai being achieved.  Additional numbers are still required to make the order viable and reach the minimum noumber threshold, the deadline for orders to nbe submitted to Kevin bailey is Sat 31st October!!!

A deposit of £25 is required with your order ...............

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

The club is pleased to announce the signing of Alfie Paea who joins the club from the well-known Randwick club in Australia.  At just under 6ft and 16+st Alfie is a robust midfield back player.

Previous playing experience has seen Alfie play rugby union with Sydney based Eastern Suburbs and Parramatta rugby clubs in addition to rugby league with Sydney Roosters and the Gold Coast Titans. His recent experience in Europe saw him playing in Romania for CSM Bucharest.

Alfie played at representative level in 2014 for the Tonga A XV as well as being selected for a Tonga Select XV to face Super XV outfit the Melbourne Rebels.

This week also sees the arrival of Scottish based back rower Jake Eaglesham who has moved to the area, Jake started his rugby career at Scottish club Ross RFC, before travelling to play the sport in Germany, Spain, Australia and most recently New Zealand.  Jake has played rugby at representative level with both ACT in Australia and Tasman in NZ.  Finally the club has added depth to its front row stock with the arrival of young Australian prop Andi Petelo who until recently was playing his rugby in New Zealand with Brightwater Warriors RFC. Andi previously played in his native Australia and has played representative rugby at youth level in both the union and league codes.

National 1: Hartpury stay top after they humiliated hosts Henley with a 0-45 hammering whilst Blackheath move into second spot after they were narrow 27-24 winners against Wharfedale with Ampthill dropping back to fifth following their 17-10 loss at Rosslyn Pk who now sit one place below them.  Third place ins now occupied by Esher after they beat Hull Ionians 40-14 with Richmond in fourth spot after they beat struggling Cinderford 20-43.  Blaydon occupy the foot of the table after a narrow 33-38 loss at the hands of Plymouth, with Darlington MP alongside Cinderford in the bottom three despite a 39-16 win against visiting Loughborough St. In the remaining fixture Coventry went down 24-36 at home to Fylde to end the day with both clubs locked together in mid table on 19 points each.

National 2(S):  after their bright start to the season Canterbury’s run of poor form continues as they went down 48-13 at home to fourth placed Bishops Stortford to slip to twelfth spot.  Taunton stay top despite falling to their first defeat of the season as they lost out 32-19 at second placed Cambridge, with Clifton still in third after they drew 34-34 at Southend.  A narrow 24-27 win at Redingensians for OEs, keeps them in seventh place with O Albanians who won 14-50 at struggling Chinnor, and Redruth who beat Dorking 17-23 the other sides above them.  Launceston stay bottom after they lost out in a tight contest 31-33 against Barnes, with Chinnor the other side in the bottom three along with Redingensians.  The remaining fixture saw Worthing lose out 25-11 at BSE.

Kent 2:  Shooters Hill had been scheduled to play Orpington in amatch rescheduled from the 19^th Sept, in the end the match was conceded with the points going to Orpington  who leapfrog Greenwich and Snowdown into second spot behind Sittingbourne.

Kent Cup:  After reaching the semi-finals last season before being forced to withdraw, Maidstone bowed out in the first round as they were beaten 17-26 at The Mote by defending champions and Nat 3(SE) league leaders TJs.   Sidcup received a walkover after Thanet Wdrs conceded and progress to face O Elthamians.  In the match at The Crabble, Dover hosted  Canterbury, and in a contest played in difficult wet conditions Canterbury were unable to make their forward dominace pay, as they went down 12-33 to the hosts who now face Westcombe Pk in the nest round.  Medway’s fixture against Gravesend to decide who will now face TJs is apparently scheduled for Thursday 22^nd, to be played under floodlights*.

*Both clubs seem reluctant to publish Kent Cup fixture dates on their websites!

Kent Shield:  In what is a new tier for clubs at Levels 6 & 7 the Shield competition has already started with the Round 1 matches between Bromley & Cranbrook and Ashford v Folkestone having been played in early September.  Bromley and Folkestone progressing to Round 2 to face Aylesford and Tunbridge Wells respectively.  In the second round matches Sevenoaks have already progressed to the semi-finals after they beat Dartfordians 24-34 in another early season fixture whilst today saw Folkestone host T Wells and lose out 10-18 in a disjointed match in awkward conditions that wasn’t really decided until a Wells try going into the last quarter.  The remaining Round 2 fixtures are shown below.

Round 2 (outstanding fixtures): Park House v Old Colfeians, Aylesford Bulls v Bromley

Kent Vase: Orpington’s fixture against Greenwich is yet to be scheduled whilst results from the  Snowdown v Sittingbourne encounter saw a 21-12 victory for the colliery side whilst Edenbridge were resonding 41-7 winners against visiting Askean in their 1st round fixture.

Saturday 24^th October sees the second home league fixture for the 1^st XV in this season's campaign and another of the club’s pre-match lunches.  Due to the earlier KO timing (1:00pm) as a result of the RWC this event will break from the normal format and will be conducted as Brunch, commencing at 11:15am. and Carol has promised a fry up to warm the cockles of your heart.

Apart from entertaining guests from county rivals Dover, our opposition for the day, most importantly we will hope to be hosting a number of the other guests. As ever these occasions are great social events and part of the fabric of grassroots community rugby.  There will be places available which will be allocated on a first come first served basis @ £15 per head, if you are interested in attending then please contact Club President Jim Tinsley via email click here.

The Club will be hold the Vice Presidents Christams Lunch on Sunday 22nd November at Bearsted Golf Club which over the years has proved to be an excellent venue,  timings are 1.30pm for a 2:00pm sit down

The price is  £22 per person

We hope as many of you and your guests that can come as possible. Please let our Immediate Past President Bob Beney (email) know as soon as possible if you would like to attend.

It would e helpful if you could provide your name and those of your guests

Payment can be made direct to the club bank account or by  cheque payable to Maidstone FC.

Please post to:

Bob Beney
3 Roseacre Gardens
Bearsted Maidstone Kent ME14 4JF

We look forward to seeing you on the day.
Bob Beney
 

National 1: Ampthill lost top spot after a 10-15 defeat at the hands of third placed Blackheath, with Hartpury taking over after they were 27-17 winners against struggling local rivals Cinderford.  A second consecutive defeat for Rosslyn Pk, this time 36-20 at Fylde,  sees them drop to mid-table with Esher moving up to fourth place after a 12-38 win at Plymouth.  At the bottom end of the division, defeats for bottom side Blaydon at the hands of Richmond (19-10) and Darlington MP who lost heavily 45-21 at Wharfdale sees them in the bottom two positions.  Cinderford sit just above them and also Loughborough St who lost out 21-24 at home to Henley.  In the last of the fixtures Coventry came out on top 16-21 at Hull Ionians in the mid-table battle.

National 2(S):  At the head of the table Taunton maintained their perfect record with a narrower than expected 26-22 win over visiting BSE, Clifton and Cambridge sit just behind them after they both won, with Clifton 41-7 winners over strugglers Redingensians and Cambridge beating Kent based Canterbury 17-33 at Merton Lane with the result dropping the city club to 10^th in the table.  Wins for O Albanians over Bishops Stortford 22-14 and Redruth 24-22 against Chinnor keep them in the top half of the table.  O Elthamians look to have found their feet after a shaky start to the season and a 49-11 win over bottom club Launceston moved them up to seventh spot.  In the last of the results Barnes were 37-19 winners against Dorking with Worthing losing out 11-20 at home to Southend.

National 3(SE):  TJs and Ldn Irish WG stay locked together at the top of the table with the Kent side holding prime position on points difference.  On paper TJs looked to have the harder proposition as they hosted close challengers in fourth placed East Grinstead, coming out 33-20 winners whilst Ldn Irish were pushed much closer than expected by Wimbledon in their 24-22 scoreline.  Combe stay in third spot despite a 14-13 loss at Hertford with Guernsey in fifth after a 24-15 win against struggling Westcliff.  At the bottom of the table Eton Manor stay anchored to the foot of the table after they lost 36-10 at Chichester, with both Bracknell and Gravesend also in the bottom four following narrow defeats against Colchester (24-21) and Shelford (24-25) respectively.

London 1 (S):  A 41-26 win for S&E against Tottonians sees them move to the top of the table as Chobham drop to second after they unexpectedly lost out 24-22 at Havant.  They are one of three clubs on 24 points with the placings shuffled and Guildford moving to third following a 12-37 win at Brighton with fourth placed  Sidcup just coming out on top in the 23-24 score at Dover.  Medway complete the top five after they beat Chiswick 30-21.  At the bottom of the table G&F prop up the division after a 15-26 defeat to visiting Maidstone, with Charlton Pk just above them after they lost 36-17 at Twickenham who now sit third from bottom.

London 2 (SE):  Sevenoaks and T Wells continue to make the pace in the table with Oaks winning by 21 unanswered points at Crowborough and Wells 15-58 winners against O Alleynians.  A 29-13 win for Beckenham against Colfes keeps them in third spot, level on points with fourth club Horsham who beat Thanet 51-17.  Ashford stay bottom following a narrow 24-27 home defeat to Hove, whilst in mid-table D&B were 13-8 winners over visiting Dartfordians.

London 3 (SE):  Only 2 points separate the top four in the early season table with newly promoted Cranbrook still heading the division after they hammered bottom club Uckfield 52-5, Bromley sit second after a 27-40 win at Anchorians with Aylesford in third after a they were 12-40 winners at struggling Burgess Hill.  Eastbourne completes the top four after they ran out 32-24 winners against Pulborough.  In mid-table H&W won again with a narrow 17-21 victory at Dunstonians with Folkestone losing out 20-16 at Park Hse.

Kent 1: Favourites Sheppey continue to head the table but dropped their first point of the season when they failed to pick up the bonus point in their 6-23 win at HSBC, with H&B and Beccs tied in second on 16 points after they both enjoyed wins against Vigo (28-12) and Kings Coll (0-22) respectively.  Both NAG and OGs are still looking for their first points of the season as they both lost out, with NAG going down 17-45 at home to Southwark and OGs losing out 22-5 at Lordswood.  In the remaining result fourth placed O Wills were 25-0 winners against Brockleians.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne stay top after 50-7 thrashing of Dartford Valley with Snowdown in second following a 19-0 win against Whitstable; although this match was abandoned at half-time due to a serious injury. A 31-28 win for Greenwich sees them in third with Orpington fourth after they hammered Faversham 62-0.  At the bottom Edenbridge conceded to Bexley whilst Askean lost out 31-0 at Foots Cray.

Despite the disappointment of last week's 1st XV result, the club was able to close off an oustanding bit of business in respect of the growing shirt collection in the clubhouse.  Now in his fourth season with Maidstone Rugby, Romanian player Lucian Morosan presented President Jim Tinsley with one of his Romania shirts from his time with the national sides.

With the RWC in full flow it was probably rather apt timing as whilst many know that Lucian represented Romania at U18 & U20 ages, most won't realise that those appearances also involved participation in the IRB Junior World Cup tournaments at both U18 & U20 level.

National 1: Ampthill continue to lead the way after they beat Darlington MP 32-20, with Hartpury now second following a 22-28 win at bottom club Blaydon.  Blackheath move up to third following a useful 18-31 win at the much fancied Rosslyn Pk, a result that drops them to fourth.  At the other end of the table, alongside struggling Blaydon and Darlington, Cinderford continue to struggle after they lost out 9-16 to Loughborough St and Wharfedale went down 39-13 at Henley.  In the remaining fixtures Coventry beat Plymouth Albion 26-19 and Hull Ionians won 35-38 on the road at Fylde.  The last of the matches saw Esher 41-34 winners over visiting Richmond.

National 2(S):  A 19-34 win over Southend sees Taunton stay at the head of the division, with three clubs as the immediate competition.  Bishops Stortford sit second after a good 47-15 win over Redruth, with Clifton in third after they beat basement club Launceston 19-54.  Cambridge are fourth following their tight 29-23 victory over O Albanians.  A 39-10 defeat at BSE sees Canterbury drop to eighth, with O Elthamians in tenth spot after a narrow 32-30 loss at Barnes. At the fot of the table a 30-27 defeat for Chinnor at Dorking sees them one off the bottom, with Redingensians just above them after they posted their first win at this level with a 28-10 victory over Worthing.

National 3(SE):  TJs still head the table although their 27-32 win at Westcliff was tighter than current league positions would have indicated, with the league leaders coming from behind in the closing stages to take the points.  Ldn Irish WG remain in second spot on points difference after they hammered bottom club Eton Manor 0-55, a 35-18 win for Combe over Shelford keeps them in third spot with East Grinstead fourth after they beat Hertford 43-20.  Gravesend lost out 19-11 at Chichester and sit in lower mid-table whilst below them Colchester lost out narrowly (18-16) at Wimbledon and Bracknell went down 27-30 at home to Guernsey.

London 1 (S):  No change in the top section of the table as Chobham still lead following a narrow 17-15 win over Brighton, with Sidcup second following a solid 40-17 win against G&F.  S&E stay third following a 22-37 win at Havant but Guildford move above Medway after they won 46-15 against Twickenham and despite Medway posting a good 21-40 win at Charlton Pk.  At the bottom end of the table Chiswick were 20-16 winners against Dover whilst a lacklustre Maidstone slipped to their first home defeat since 2013, going down 10-19 to visiting Tottonians.

London 2 (SE):  Sevenoaks take over at the top of the table following a 13-63 thrashing of Hove, with Tunbridge Wells now second after a hard-fought 22-16 result against third placed Beckenham.   Horsham move up to fourth following a 34-29 win at Dartfordians.  At the bottom end of the early season table ashford went down 21-3 to fellow strugglers Thanet, with Crowborough losing out 13-3 to O Alleynians.  In mid-table Colfes lost out 11-18 to D&B.

London 3 (SE):  Cranbrook head the division despite a 35-28 defeat at Pulborough with Bromley in second after they were 34-10 winners against Park Hse in what is probably the most local of local derbies, a 12-30 win for Dunstonians at Uckfield sees them complete the top four.  Aylesford posted a 23-26 win at Folkestone and would have been in top spot but for a 5-point deduction for an administrative indiscretion.  At the bottom end, Burgess Hill prop up the table below Uckfield and Park Hse, after a 62-25 defeat at Eastbourne, whilst H&W now seem to have found their form with a 73-13 drubbing of Anchorians.

Kent 1: Sheppey are quite obviously the team to beat this season as they racked up another big score, running out 81-14 winners against Kings Coll.  Three clubs sit behind them on 11 points, with H&B 5-25 winners over OGs, Vigo 45-7 winners against HSBC and Beccs 48-5 winners against NAG.  At the bottom Brockleians sit just above NAG & OGs after they lost out 18-14 at Southwark, whilst in mid-table Lordswood were narrow winners in a tight 7-0 encounter with O wills.

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne and Snowdown remain in the top two positions following healthy wins, with Sittingbourne hammering bottom club Shooters hill 3-64 and Snowdown 17-55 winners at Dartford Valley.  Greenwich and Faversham sit just behind them with Greenwich 13-24 winners at Askean and Faversham receiving a HWO against Edenbridge. In the remaining fixtures Whitstable lost out narrowly at home, going down 10-13 to visiting Orpington whilst Foots cray were 26-6 winners over Bexley.

The Mote was 'buzzing on Sunday (27th) with not only the England result in the RWC, but with new recruits coming to the club eager to try our wonderful sport on our 'Give it a Go' day.

Flyers and RWC wall charts had gone out to local schools and businesses and slightly nervous parents were welcomed to the club by Youth Chairs and duly directed around the various pitches.

It was a glorious sunny day and on a quick wander around it was clear that everyone had joined in and were getting on well.  Some age groups were able to provided dedicated training in small groups and soon the new recruits were full of confidence.  Even the parents relaxed and were able to enjoy a chat with other parents and enjoy the unique atmosphere and inclusiveness of rugby.

In all there were over 60 new boys and girls that came along and most if not all are keen to return.  There is also a greater awareness of rugby and the club across schools and the community.

Many thanks to those that made the event such a success.

To further make the most of the RWC focus the Youth Chairs have arranged an event in Maidstone's Jubilee Square on Saturday 17th October from 9:00am - 1:00pm.  there will be stalls and displays, please come along and support the event, then it's up to the club for the 1st XV Kent Cup home fixture, followed by one of the RWC Quarter- Finals.  What a great day of rugby.

National 1: Rosslyn Pk go top after a 26-44 win at Hull Ionians with Ampthill slipping to second spot following a 14-14 draw at home to Henley.  Status quo for the rest of the top five despite third placed Coventry going down 31-7 at Richmond; Hartpury were 30-13 winners over Esher with Blackheath winning 23-7 against visiting Darlington MP.  At the bottom Loughborough St swap places with Blaydon after a 35-7 result with Henley just above them and level on points with Darlington and Cinderford who won 27-33 at Wharfedale.  In the remaining fixture Plymouth Albion beat Fylde 31-24.

National 2(S):  At the top Taunton preserved their 100% record with a 41-6 thrashing of Redingensians, with Old Albanians second after they beat BSE 46-11, with Cambridge now third after they beat fellow challengers Redruth 25-27.  Canterbury slipped to seventh after they fell to their first defeat of the season, losing out 25-29 at home to Southend.  Bishop Stortford and Clifton sit just above them following wins against Chinnor (20-36) and Barnes (32-24) respectively.  Old Elthamians continue to climb up the table after a 24-17 win against Dorking, whilst Worthing hammered struggling Launceston 46-5.

National 3(SE):  TJs stay top of the table after a 28-7 win against Bracknell, with Ldn Irish WG in second spot after the beat Chichester in a high scoring match 52-38.  Westcombe Pk move into third spot after they beat county rivals Gravesend 28-36 with East Grinstead in fourth following their 8-29 win at Shelford.  At the bottom end of the table Eton Manor and Westcliff are still looking for a first win after they both lost out to Colchester (26-8) and Hertford (57-12) respectively.   The last of the fixtures saw Wimbledon post a good win on their travels to Guernsey, just coming out on top in the 24-28 scoreline.

London 1 (S):  Chobham stay top after they beat Twickenham 12-23 with Sidcup still in second spot despite losing out 25-16 at Tottonians.  S&E move into third place after a 31-17 win against Maidstone and Medway move up to fourth after they bounced back from last week’s defeat with a useful 30-18 win over Guildford.  In mid-table Brighton ran out convincing 60-20 winners against Havant, whilst at the bottom end of the table Dover moved off the foot of the division with a 36-15 win against Charlton Pk and Chiswick lost out 34-14 at G&F.

London 2 (SE):  T Wells are the early front runners after they posted another solid result with a 21-29 win at D&B, with Beckenham in second place after they were convincing 12-51 winners at Old Alleynians and are just ahead of Sevenoaks who beat Thanet 39-5.  Ashford joins Thanet and Alleynians in the bottom three after they lost out 12-34 at home to Dartfordians with Crowborough just above them following a 27=27 draw at Steel Cross with Hove.  Horsham bounced back from last week’s heavy defeat with a 29-13 win over O Colfeians.

London 3 (SE):  Cranbrook are the early leade4rs after they beat Eastbourne 34-22 with Aylesford in second spot after they upset Bromley with a 32-21 result, along with third placed Bromley there are a host of clubs on 5 points with Pulborough fourth despite losing 26-14 at Dunstonians and Anchorian next following their 45-10 win at Uckfield.  The remaining matches saw those clubs in the bottom section of the table in action as H&W fell to a surprising second straight defeat, going down 17-12 at Park Hse, whilst Folkestone lost out heavily 46-6 at Burgess Hill.

Kent 1: Favourites Sheppey posted another big win with a 19-71 win at NAG, although this wasn’t the biggest scoreline of the day as H&B ran in a cricket score, beating Lordswood 104-0.  O Wills sit second after they beat Southwark 15-5 with Kings Coll in third spot after they beat Vigo 19-13. In the other matches HSBC convincingly beat OGs 54-22 whilst Brockleians just lost out 10-17 at home to Beccs

Kent 2:  Sittingbourne sit top after week 2 following their 73-5 hammering of Askean, with Snowdown in second after they beat bottom club Shooters Hill equally convincingly 55-3. Bexley are third after a 23-17 win over Faversham with Whitstable in fourth place after they beat struggling Edenbridge 0-36.  Dartford Valley slip to mid-table following a 50-18 mauling by Orpington with the last of the fixtures seeing Greenwich overcome Foots Cray 17-7.

The club is pleased to announce that Aylesham based Sharpak have lent their support to the county town club as one of their Club Sponsors.  Sharpak Aylesham is part of the French based Groupe Guillin and is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of a range of innovative food packaging solutions. With over 45 years’ experience in the food industry, they are specialists in standard and bespoke products specifically designed to suit their customers' needs."  
 
Commercial Director Rick Calcott commented "At Sharpak, we are very proud to be a major long standing European manufacturer of packaging based in East Kent, supporting employment and giving opportunities for local people. Our business has been a long standing supporter of Rugby Union at all levels, and so we are extremely pleased to be supporting Maidstone Rugby, and look forward to a successful and bright future together."

The Debnams will be running a cake-sale at the club this weekend in aid of MacMillan Cancer Charity.

Any Cake donations on the day, would be gratefully received.

STOP PRESS:  The Debnams raised £65 for this cause , despite the lack of home fixtures on saturday.   Thanks to anyone who assisted, consumed or conttributed.

Earlier this year, club Ground Chairman Martin Maytum travelled to Georgia as part of an RFU party to provide assistance and advice across a range of topics, although Martin’s input was primarily aimed at ground care issues.  Martin also took with him one of the club’s strip to pass on for use by one of the clubs in Georgia and was able to present the kit to George Maisuradze from the Kochebi club in Tblisi and the strip is now in use by their youth team which receives limited funding.

Maidstone Rugby feature in a four page spread in the latest edition of the online publication Rugby Club magazine.  To read the article click here.

Apologies for the delay in this week's missive, but familly domestic duties called and the author found himself committed elsewhere on Saturday  (although not so far away as not to be able to see a very exciting S Africa v Japan encounter on the TV), sometimes no matter how hard you try you can't always put rugby at the top of the domestic agenda!!

National 1: Blackheath were too strong for hosts Henley as they ran out 13-47 winners and sit in fifth place and drop their hosts into the bottom three.  Above ‘Club’ the early front runners Coventry were downed by fourth placed Hartpury 21-23 with Rosslyn Pk remaining in second spot after a dominant 26-17 result, although they failed to pick up the bonus point.  Ampthill take over top spot after a 25-27 win at Cinderford, although the win was almost snatched away with the last kick of the match, as a Cinderford penalty hit the post denying them a first win of the season.  At the bottom end of the table Loughborough St went down 30-16 at Esher, Blaydon lost out heavily 13-43 to Wharfedale and stay in the bottom four with the opening day win against Blackheath their only win so far.

National 2(S):  City club Canterbury move up to third and were made to work hard for the points in their 6-20 win at Redingensians, but it is the west country sides that currently lead the way as Taunton posted another bonus point win with a 12-38 result at Launceston to head the table.  Redruth sit a point behind after they just pipped BSE 22-23, although the Suffolk club missed a chance to take the points with a last kick of the match penalty drifting wide of the posts.  O Albanians sit fourth and level on points with Canterbury after they battled out a 29-29 draw at Southend.  At the bottom end of the table Chinnor sit just above Redingensians and Launceston following a 44-20 defeat at Cambridge, whilst Dorking posted a good win with a 24-17 win over Bishops Stortford and O Elthamians finally got their season going with a 45-25 win over Clifton

National 3(SE):  TJs maintained their 100% record and stay top after they came from behind to beat bottom club Wimbledon  24-36, They are joined on maximum points by Ldn Irish WG who beat Gravesend 22-28 and also Shelford who were 15-32 winners at Westcliff.  Combe sit forth just above E Grinstead who they beat 10-11 in a tight encounter at Saint Hill. Eton Manor suffered another heavy loss, going down 22-42 to Guernsey, but a bonus point does lift them off bottom spot.  Bracknell posted a 32-19 win over Hertford and in the last of the fixtures Chichester were narrow 15-13 winners over Colchester.

London 1 (S):  Early indications are that seasoned campaigners Chobham and Sidcup are the early season promotion favourites with both downing newly promoted opposition as leaders Chobham beat Medway  34-22 and Sidcup sealing a 34-15 win over Maidstone with a three try burst in the last 10 minutes.  Guildford sit in third spot after they beat bottom side Dover 27-23, with Havant in fourth following a 46-21 win against Twickenham.  A third defeat for G&F, this time at the hands of Charlton Pk sees them one off the bottom with Twickenham just above them.  In the other results Chiswick bounced back from last week’s loss with a 25-19 win over Tottonians, whilst S&E were 20-27 winners at Brighton

London 2 (SE):  The opening day at this level quickly identified the likely front runners as Tunbridge Wells inflicted a 75-29 mauling on newly promoted Horsham, D&B posted a good result  with a 3-31 win at O Alleynians whilst Hove  beat Thanet Wdrs 15-30.  Sevenoaks were 24-34 winners at Dartfordians and Beckenham were 24-19 winners at Crowborough with Colfes rounding out the winning teams as they beat Ashford 22-18.

London 3 (SE):  Bromey sit top after the first weekend as they built on the form from the end of last season with a 46-6 defeat of Folkestone.  Pulborough posted a solid result as they beat Anchorians 33-5 and Cranbrook are third following an opening day walkover against Burgess Hill.  Eastbourrne beat Dunstonians 21-12 and after their good end of season form in the last campaign H&W surprisingly went down 20-25 at home to Aylesford.  The fixture between Uckfield and Park Hse was not scheduled for this weekend and will be played on the 28^th Nov.

Kent 1: After losing out in the promotion playoff it is no surprise that Sheppey are the obvious favourites in Kent 1, and a 57-8 hammering of newly promoted Brockleians sends out an obvious message.  Vigo sit alongside them at the top after they dished out an equally convincing performance with a 41-12 win in the local derby with NAG.  A 27-5 win for Lordswood over HSBC sees them in third place with O Wills fourth following their solid 24-29 win at H&B.  In the remaining matches Beccs lost out by the odd point in the 22-23 scoreline to visiting Southwark Lancers, whilst OGs went down 8-16 at home to Kings Coll.

Kent 2:  After normally propping up the table it’s nice to record that Dartford Valley sit top of the table after the opening weekend following their 24-13 win against Edenbridge, a repeat of their encounter in the Jnr Vase a fortnight ago.  Sittingbourne sit alongside them as they also posted a bonus point win against Foots Cray in a tight battle that ended 22-23.  Bexley sit third after a 5-12 win at Greenwich with Snowdown posting their maiden win on their return to the leagues with a 12-17 win at Askean.  In the remaining result Whitstable lost out 8-10 in the local derby with Faversham and the match between Shooters Hill and Orpington was postponed.

Well, the RWC is almost upon us and if you didn't come along to watch 'Building Jerulaem' then you dipped out, a cracking insight into England's RWC winning campaign in 2003 that goes back to the origins of the trophy and the way the modern game developed in England.

Anyway, it all starts on Friday 18th with the opening fixture, so whether your Kiwi, Aussie, Saffa, Paddy, Jock, Taff or South Sea Islander get yourself down to the club to watch England  (in their away kit) take on a Fiji side packed with talent and that Pacific Island flair in the opening fixture.

Apart from the cosmopolitan nature of the club we also have a genuine interest in some of the other countries, with Aussie Michael Hooper in the Australian side, who's father played for Maidstone; plus also an interest in the progress of South Africa, with longstanding club member Jack McFarland's son John the Boks defence coach.

So get down to the club, the best place to watch rugby, with your mates.

With the Rugby World Cup looming large on the horizon, Maidstone Rugby will be showing the film-documentary "Building Jerusalem", the story of England's 2003 victory. With behind the scenes footage similar to recent Lions Tours films, Building Jerusalem relives the greatest achievement in English rugby.

The film is only on release in cinemas for a week or so, so we are holding a screening once it is out on DVD as part of the clubs Rugby World Cup preparations.

Entry on the night is free but donations on the door will be welcome.  The bar will be open and there will be a RWC sweepstake at £2.50 per entry.

The film commences at 7:45pm and is 90mins in duration.   So come along, invite your friends and get ready for the biggest event in world rugby, all at your local rugby club.

Enthused by the Rugby World Cup, inspired into giving rugby a go, then why not cpme down to the Maidstone Rugby Youth Section's 'Give it a Go' day at The Mote on Sunday 27th September between 10:00am & 12:00noon.  All ages from 6 to 16 welcome, boys and girls.  No previous rugby experience is required as all of our coaches are RFU qualified, First Aid trained and DBS cleared.

What do you need to bring along?  Well apart from yourself and a bit of enthusiasm you'll need some shorts, a shirt (any old T-Shirt will do) and some football boots or trainers.

There will be refreshments during the morning with a fully licensed bar for parents, plus also onsite parking.

So why not get along to The Mote and see if you've got what it takes to be the next Jonny Wilkinson (or Catherine Spencer).

For more information or if you have any queries contact: maidstoneyouthrugby@gmail.com

Particular thanks from the club go to Steve Philpott and Beadles car dealership who are sponsoring the event.

National 1: A 44-10 win for Blackheath against Cinderford at the Rectory field gets ‘Clubs’ campaign on the road although the early front runners Coventry and Rosslyn Pk are joined by Ampthill.

National 2(S): City club Canterbury posted their second consecutive win, ending up just shy of a half century with a 49-10 victory over Launceston to sit in fourth spot in the early league standings.  Elthamians fell to their second defeat as they narrowly lost out 19-16 at Worthing.  The early lead is shared by three clubs with O Albanians, Taunton and Redruth heading the table.

National 3(SE):  After the second round of fixtures TJs sit at the top of the pile on points difference following an 82-14 demolition of new boys Eton Manor who have now shipped a total of 147 points in their first two matches.  Three other clubs share the same points as TJs, with Shelford in second following their 52-17 hammering of Bracknell with east Grinstead in third spot after they overcame Gravesend 7-33.  Ldn Irish WG are fourth following their 17-36 win over Colchester.  Westcombe Pk and Hertford sit a point behind after wins over Westcliff (46-25) and Wimbledon (25-10) respectively.  In the last of the fixtures, Chichester went down to a second defeat after they lost out 52-14 to Guernsey.

London 1 (S):  Chobham sit in top spot on points difference after they made light work of Dover, running out 12-50 winners at The Crabble, with Sidcup in second place after they upset S&E 11-36 and Guildford third following a 29-50 win at G&F.  Medway sit fourth following a 53-24 win against visiting Havant whilst Maidstone move up to fifth following a 41-21 win against Chiswick in a repeat of last season’s regional Intermediate Cup final.  Charlton Pk lost out 29-3 on the road at Tottonians whilst Twickenham lost out 23-30 at home to Brighton.

RFU Intermediate Cup  Round 1:  Disappointment for Colfes as they went down 36-14 at Hampshire club Andover, and also for Ashford who were beaten 36-25 by visiting league rivals Horsham.  Dartfordians were unlucky as they lost out by the odd point in the 10-11 scoreline to visiting Portsmouth, but better results for D&B, who beat Weybridge Vandals 26-5 and Thanet Wdrs who posted a tight 15-19 win at Steel Cross against Crowborough.

RFU Senior Vase Round 1:  No Kent clubs were involved in the first round, with Aylesford, defending champions Bromley, Folkestone plus H&W all receiving byes to Rd 2 along with Jnr Vase winners Battersea Ironsides.

RFU Junior Vase Round 1: A 0-11 defeat at the first hurdle for Lordswood against O Cranleighians, whilst after last week’s win over Edenbridge Dartford Valley went down heavily 71-5 at O Wimbledonians.  Foots Cray lost out 12-7 at Seaford although Southwark Lancers posted a useful  19-31 win at Mitcham to progress to the next round, where they will be joined by Beccehamians, H&B and Sheppey who all had byes.

The club will be open specifically for the following fixtures during the Rugby World Cup:

All Saturday scheduled fixtures

Thurs 24th Sept - 8:00pm, New Zealand v Namibia

Thurs 1st Oct - 8:00pm, France v Canada

Fri 2nd Oct - 8:00pm, New Zealand v Georgia

Tues 6th Oct - 8:00pm, Fiji v Uruguay

Sun 11th Oct - 12:00am, Argentina v Namibia

Sat 17th Oct - Quarter-Final 1 & 2

Sun 18th Oct - Quarter-Final 3 & 4

Sat Oct 24th - Semi-Final 1

Sun Oct 25th - Semi-Final 2

Fri 30th Oct - 8:00pm, Bronze Final

Sat Oct 31st - RWC Final

The club is sad to report the death of former Chairman David Catt (Snr).  David died last week after a short illness in hospital.

During his time in office, David presided over a perion of change taking place. He proceeded to bring a business approach to the running of the club and brought a degree of stability when the club was dropping down through the leagues.

The funeral will take place at Vinters Crematorium at 2:00pm on Thursday 10^th September, and afterwards at The Cock Inn at Boughton Monchelsea.

National 1: Blackheath’s opening weekend saw a long trip north to face Blaydon with little to show for their efforts as they lost out 29-16.

National 2(S): The opening weekend of in National 2 saw mixed fortunes for the county’s clubs, as big spending O Elthamians failed to overcome their Somerset hoodoo and went down to a heavy 47-16 defeat at Taunton, whilst Canterbury came out narrow 9-10 winners at newly promoted Barnes.  The division is headed after the opening weekend by O Albanians after they thumped Launceston 3-47.

National 3(SE):  wins for all the county clubs on the opening day as with Combe 6-16 winners at Bracknell, whilst TJs had to come from behind after shipping early points in their battle at Chichester, but coming back strongly later in the match to run out 19-33 winners.  Gravesend travelled to newly promoted Colchester and ground out a useful 23-33 win.  Early leaders are London Irish (Am) who beat Guernsey 39-23, although it appears strange looking at the table that Hertford, who hammered newcomers Eton Manor 7-65, apparently  did so without acquiring a bonus point!! Elsewhere there were wins for East Grinstead (10-29) over Westcliff and Shelford, who beat Wimbledon 3-20.

London 1 (S):  Although the division sees 4 new names this season, strangely all are as a result of promotion and none via relegation as geography came into play.  Joining the promoted clubs from the 2 SE & SW divisions is Chiswick who were level transferred after promotion via the 2 NE-NW playoff.  After the opening fixtures Chobham sit at the head of the table following their 55-24 destruction of G&F; Havant sit in second spot following a solid 32-7 win against Dover.  For the rest of the county clubs, Sidcup defeated new boys Chiswick 10-33 whilst Medway were solid 15-22 winners at Brighton.  In the all Kent match up it ended honours even at 16-16 between Charlton Pk and Maidstone.  Elsewhere Guildford beat Tottonians 25-6 and Twickenham just lost out by the odd point or two 31-33 at home to S&E. 

RFU Junior Vase Preliminary Round:  Four of the county’s sides were in action here as Askean travelled to face Mitcham & C, going down 25-0 to the hosts, two clubs found themselves drawn against each other with Edenbridge just losing out 15-18 at home to Dartford Valley in a match that will no doubt give them some early season confidence as they go into the league fixtures.  The last of the ties saw Sittingbourne travel to face Reigate, but no result has yet surfaced on either club website or the RFU and London RFU sites.

The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour has been continuing its 100 day tour around the country today and the last stop on its trip through Kent was to County Hall in Maidstone.  The event was used by the county to to acknowledge and celebrate the role of volunteers being at the heart of the game in Kent.

Representatives from all of the clubs in the county were invited to take part although there was a particular accent on the younger volunteers who are helping to spread the game in schools around the county and their local areas.

Club President Jim Tinsley along with Bob Hayton attended to represent Maidstone Rugby along with Bob Beney, Trevor Langley and Andy Golding through their involvement as RWC Champions for the county.

As the season kicks off tomorrow Biddenden Vineyards have confirmed their continued support in sponsoring the Man of the Match award for the season.  In a change from the previous seasons, for this campaign instead of awarding the selected player with a bottle of their sparkling cider, the lucky recipient will receive a bottle of their award winning Biddenden Ortega white wine.

In another change to previous seasons, this season’s Man of the Match will be awarded by a panel of supporters attending the match on the day.

Having added another tier of sponsorship to attract local businesses, the club is pleased to announce that longstanding supporter of the club Sibley Pares has committed to this level along with Shepherd Neame who have renewed their support for the county town club and apart from being club sponsors are well known for their support to grassroots clubs in a variety of sports across the county.

With the RWC just around the corner Guy Salmon Maidstone have also committed to supporting the club as part of the Jaguar/Land Rover involvement with the sport’s biggest tournament.  The club is also pleased to announce that regional car dealership FG Barnes have also committed their support to Maidstone Rugby for the coming season under their MG & Subaru brands

In addition the club welcomes the following additional perimeter board sponsors:  CAPS Ltd, NFU Mutual, Vanwise Group, Invest & Fund, McVeigh Parker, Caxtons and Outset.

Discussions remain ongoing with a number of other interested companies and we would hope to bring you more news of the club’s expanding sponsor portfolio in the near future.

Many thanks to those who came along to assist in getting the perimeter advertising boards up in time for the new season, plus some reorganising of the current boards,   In all 26 new boards were put in place including a new run of 6 boards on the Leisure Centre side of the pitch and an additional run of boards on the external   perimeter of the scoreboard end.  With 6 more boards still to come prior to the first home league fixture on 12th Sept;  there is also the possibility of a number of other boards currently under consideration by local and regional companies.  At the moment we sit at c105 boards from local businesses that choose to sponsor/advertise with the club and we do have the capacity to accomodate more.

Despite the fact that the pre RWC warm up fixtures are not yet complete, and with the RWC yet to come, fully paid up members can apply now to the Club for inclusion in the ballot for RBS 6 Nations 2016 Tickets. The matches are Ireland (27 Feb16) and Wales (12 Mar 16) at Twickenham with the away matches being Scotland (6 Feb16), Italy (14 Feb16) and France (19 Mar16). Applications for inclusion in the ballot to Steve Vincent via email (click here) stating which matches and how many tickets ideally required (not to exceed 4 per member for home matches and 2 per member for away matches).

Matchball Sponsorship opportunities  still remain available for next season's home league and cup fixtures, all the fixtures in the first half of the season have now been taken up with Sidcup the first of the   6 home league fixtures in 2016 that remain available  The cost is £50; if you or your company would be interested in being a Matchball Sponsor for one of these fixtures then please contact Bob Hayton in the first instance:

12^th Sept v Chiswick - Bob Beney

3^rd Oct v Tottonians - Jim Tinsley

17th Oct v Tonbridge Juddians (Kent Cup) - Gordon Diment

24^th Oct v Dover - Sharpak Aylesham

14^th Nov v Twickenham - Gordon Diment

28^th Nov v Havant - Topnotch Health Club

12^th Dec v Guildford - Sharpak Aylesham

9^th Jan v Sidcup

16^th Jan v Sutton & Epsom - Sharpak Aylesham

30^th Jan v Gosport & Fareham

20^th Feb v Medway

19^th Mar v Brighton

9^th Apr v Chobham

23^rd Apr v Charlton Park

The club is pleased to inform the members that by permission of The Mote CC, the clubhouse will be open for you all to be able to watch all of Englands pre-RWC fixtures, including the fixture v France this Saturday (15th Aug), KO 8:00pm.

Other England Pre RWC Fixtures:

Saturday 22nd Aug:  England v France (Paris), KO 7:00pm

Saturday 5th Sept:  Englnd v Ireland (Twickenham), KO 2:30pm

It was announced at the club’s AGM that Jon Sargent was to take a break from his club duties as Club Chairman due to work pressures. In the intervening period those pressures have not abated and as a consequence Jon has informed the committee that unfortunately he is not able to give the commitment that this important role demands. He has reluctantly had to step down from the position with immediate effect.

Jon stepped into the role of Chairman just over two years ago with a change of regime during what was a difficult period for the club’s committee and he fully intends to remain involved with the club. He hopes to assist both the club and the committee where possible, in a less time consuming role. In the interim Shaun Neaves has been fulfilling the role as Acting Club Chairman and following Jon’s decision to step down has accepted the committee’s unanimous invitation to formally take over the role as Chairman. Shaun will also continue in his role of Chairman of Selection.

The Kent RFU's latest In Touch Newsletter has just been distributed, those members who are also members of Kent RFU will have received their copy in the posrt and a number of copies are normally sent to respective clubs.

Yet again the club has a lot of coverage with articles on the 1st XVs successful league campaign and RFU Intermediate Cup victoray at Twickenham.  There are also pieces on Miles Tempan's success in launching girls rugby at the club, also the Late Red Veterans Trophy  finals, plus Martin Maytum's trip to Georgia as part of the RFU Unity Team.

The newletter is not yet available on line, but the link will be posted here once it becomes available.

Having mentioned membership of Kent RFU, the cost is only £10 per year and membership entitles application for international tickets from the county allocation, pluys free entry to the Kent Cup Finals day.  In addition, if you attend the Kent RFU AGM there is generally a substantial buffet, plus drinks from hospitality.

It's worth thinking about, for more details contact Mike Cordell the Hon Secretary at Kent RFU (cb-honsec-kent@therfu.com)

For those that have followed former Maidstone player Piers Francis's rugby career, you should know that after two seasons with Edinburgh in the Pro12, followed by a stint with Doncaster Knights in the English Championsjip, Piers is now back in New Zealand where he  has been playing his club rugby.for Bombay RFC.

Having previously played for Auckland and Waikato in the ITM Cup, he has been selected for this season's competition by Counties Manukau (Steelers) coach Tana Umaga and got the first chance to stamp his mark on the important No 10 jersey in their 29-21 pre season win over Canterbury.  Piers' selection comes after an impressive club season with Counties Manukau club champions.

Elsewhere in New Zealand representative rugby, former 1st XV player from last season's successful campaign, Jamie Perigo just fell short of selection for Manawatu (Turbos) in this season's competition but has been selected as part of the Manawatu senior development squad; also Nick Childs who featured in the club's 1st XV until mid-season has also been selected at representative level as party of the Taranaki senior development squad for the current season.

The following announcement  has been sent to the press and the notice should appear in tomorrow's Kent Messenger (7th August). At the same time the Mote CC President (Brian Piper) and the Mote CC Chairman(Glenn Aukett) have been made aware of the announcement.

Following a highly successful 2014/15 on the pitch Maidstone Rugby, the Mote based club have entered into discussions with local landowner and Vice President Paul Firmin to secure their long term future.  The opportunity to move away from The Mote, the club's home for in excess of 50 years, has received the backing of the club's committee, and the membership will be presented with full details of the proposal.  Initial discussions between the club, Mr Firmin and Maidstone Borough Council representatives have been positive although it is recognised that significant hurdles need to be overcome before a more formal confirmation of details can be released.

Maidstone Rugby Club remains a significant tenant of The Mote.  Cricket Club Chairman Glenn Aukett recently stated that the ground development plans have been 'put on ice'.  The two clubs will shortly enter discussions regarding the renewal of the existing lease which the rugby club have, for a period of time to suit the goals and aspirations of both sporting clubs.

The club is  sad to report that club member David Hole passed away on Monday 27^th June from complications following back surgery.

Dave played his rugby for the club during the 1960’s before travelling around the world through his work in the hotel industry. He was a larger than life, cheerful and friendly character, remembered as much for his off pitch activities, although he was proud to have been the club’s first, and as yet only dual international, having played international representative rugby for both Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

The club send their condolences to Dave’s wife Vicki and son Edward.

There will be a private funeral, but details of a memorial service will be announced in due course.

The draw for the pool fixtures for the 2015-16 Late Red Veterans Trophy Cup & Bowl competitions has now been published.  This season sees much the same entry in the Cup competition with Ashford replacing  deal & Betteshanger in the eaastern Pool.  In the Bowl competition Gillingha, anchorians come in to replace Leigh RFC.

The full programme of fixtures, which start significantly earlier in the season this time around, can be found on the  late red Veterans Trophy page of the website (click here) or via the Kent RFU website competitions page.

Due to revised orders we have two spare tops available, that were produced for our cup final appearance at Twickenham.

Polo Shirt - Size SMALL

No 1 Shirt - Size XL

They are £25 each - please contact Kevin Bailey (kevin.bailey@walterlilly.co.uk) to secure 

'First come first served'

Sunday 26th July saw two teams from Maidstone attend the O2 Touch Rugby Tournament at Saracens Allianz Park.. Despite the weather having an impact and it not perhaps being the best conditions, both teams that entered had a brilliant time. Team 1 just missed out getting through to the semi finals.

Other than the rugby, there was the opportunity to hear Emily Scarrett, Jason Robinson and Johnny Wilkinson speak and have a Q&A session. Jason was a big hit with the squad, and even asked a certain player to show him some footwork skills- to which he replied (to the world cup winning player) with "you couldn't handle it!". I think perhaps he was a bit starstruck. There were only two minor injuries, but tears were shed over two lost iphones.

Apart from the rugby there was plenty to occupy the teams, with a goal kicking tent, interactive challenges and commentary from Vernon Kay.

The O2 Touch Tour has something for everyone- it is a minimal contact sport that can be played by both men and women of all abilities. Numbers at tthe club's Touch sessions on  Tuesdays and Thursdays have fantastic this year and it would be great to see even more people next year!

Particular thanks to  Alex Clark for organising all the Touch Rugby sessions and the tournament entry.

COMMENCING FROM THURSDAY 20TH AUGUST, CAROL WILL BE SELLING A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF OLD PLAYING SHIRTS BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING AT THE ABSOLUTE GIVE AWAY PRICE OF £2 PER SHIRT !!!

THERE WILL BE A WIDE RANGE OF SIZES AND STYLES SO COME AND GRAB YOURSELF A BARGAIN.
 

A glorious Tuesday evening saw the club hold what has now become an annual event with a BBQ for its Sponsors and Advertisers at The Mote, with over 40 representatives from the club’s portfolio of sponsors and interested local businesses attending. The evening saw a review of last seasons unprecedented achievements, culminating in the formal presentation of a framed version of one of the club’s Twickenham cup final shirts for the clubhouse and was followed by an update by Head of Playing Sean Charlton, to the clubs sponsors of the ambitions and objectives for the 1^st XV and the wider senior squad next season.

The event provided a valuable opportunity for the club to say thank you to its sponsors for their continuing support,. without whom we could not achieve what we do,.

Although Maidstone won’t be involved in the RFU Cup competitions this season, there are still a number of the county’s clubs that will be.

In the Intermediate Cup it is probably disappointing that only half of the clubs eligible within the region have entered.  Of the Kent clubs involved in the first rounds, Colfes travel to face Hampshire based Andover whilst Thanet Wdrs come up against league rivals Crowborough.  Dartfordians host Portsmouth, with Ashford travelling to face newly promoted Horsham.  A number of clubs have byes into either the 2^nd or 3^rd rounds, amongst the seven clubs receiving a bye into the 2^nd round are Tunbridge Wells, who have decided this season that they are interested in the possibility of a good cup run along with Beckenham who also have a bye.  Sevenoaks probably thought they looked set for a busy season as they are probably one of the preseason league favourites in Ldn 2(SE) and are the only Kent club to have a bye into the 3^rd round; this means they won’t actually play a cup fixture until the 6^th February next year!  They are joined by Maidstone’s regional semi-final adversaries from last season in Diss along with 6 other clubs.

The Senior Vase sees an even lower number of entries with only 22 clubs partaking for the Ldn & SE region.  From Kent only three sides have entered and all have byes into the second round, Aylesford Bulls, Folkestone and defending champions Bromley will all take the field, but there is likely to be some strong competition as Junior Vase champions Battersea Ironsides, a resurgent Heathfield & W plus US Portsmouth who were promoted with a perfect record last season are all in the competition.

In the Junior Vase there are 50 entries with ten from Kent, the Preliminary round on 5^th Sept sees two of the counties clubs pitted against each other as Edenbridge take on Dartford Valley with the winners drawn at O Wimbledonians in the next round, Foots Cray are at home against Croydon with the winners going on the face Sussex club Seaford, whilst Askean on the road to face Mitcham with the winners rewarded with a home tie against Southwark Lancers.  The last of the county clubs in action on day one is Sittingbourne who travel to take on Reigate with the winners scheduled to face Kingston in the 1^st Round.  Joining them in the first round are Lordswood, who host O Cranleighians.  Three of the Kent Div 1 clubs have byes into the 2^nd Round, Beccehamians, Sheppey and also Hastings & Bexhill, who despite being Sussex based, ply their trade in Kent 1 after relegation from Ldn 3(SE) at the end of last season.

Full details of all the competition draws are available on the London RFU website (click here)

The Annual general Meeting for Maidstone Rugby will take place on Friday 10th July 2015 at 8:00pm at The Mote.  Following an eventful season both on and off the pitch there will be plenty to be discussed and updated on, for details of the agenda click here. 

If any members have any points or topics for discussion, they should be submitted in writing to the Hon Sec by Fri 3^rd July 2015.

Please make the effort to attend and have a say in the running of your club.

Coaches & Players Meeting: Due to a prior booking at the club it has been necessary to move the players meeting to Wednesday 1st July 7.30pm. We need to have a good turn out so we can set the tone for the coming season, which will have very different challenges and goals for all teams.
 

Training on Tuesdays & Thursdays commencing Tuesday 7^th July @ 7:15 for a 7:30pm start.

Forwards Scrummaging Sessions with Steve Milward:

Saturday 1^st August @ 2:00pm

Saturday 8^th August @ 2:00pm

Training will be hard and fast, with plenty of ball work involved from the start.

Pre-Season Fixtures:

Saturday 15^th August v tba

Saturday 22nd August v Tunbridge Wells (A)

Saturday 29^th August v tba

The take up for the Vice Presidents Lunch at Bearsted Golf Club on Sunday 12th July has proved to be extremely popular and the event is practically full with over 8 tables already taken.  However, following discussion with the Golf Club we have been able to book some additional tables, as a result there are a limited number of places still avalable, although those places are likely to be booked fairly quickly.  In order to ensure you avoid the disappointment of missing out, please book your place promptly by contacting our Immediate Past President Bob Beney, either by phone (T; 01622 736357) or via email (click here),

Friday afternoon saw members of Maidstone Rugby's all conquering 2014/15 campaign attened a civic reception at Maidstone's historic Town Hall, hosted by His Worship The Mayor of Maidstone, Daniel Moriarty.  The county town's rugby club were by no means alone,  as they were joined by Ian Tucker, steve watt and Jay Saunders from Maidstone United following their league winning season and also fellow rugby club Weavering Warriors who had won their league within the Kent RFU league structure.

The club is pleased to announce that KH Engineering Services Ltd have renewed their sponsorship support to the club for the coming season. The company under Managing Director Kevin Hollingsworth have been significant contributors to the club in recent seasons, during which time the club has enjoyed an unprecedented period of success. Whilst it is important to realise that the visible aspect of this success has been achieved by results on the pitch, without the support of KH Engineering and our other sponsors, the club could not provide the infrastructure and environment to promote that level of performance.

KH Engineering’s Kevin Hollingsworth commented “We are very pleased to have participated and played a small part in the achievements of the club. My thanks in particular go to the coaches, captain and manager who have worked tirelessly to the progress the team. Well done.

Maidstone Rugby’s Commercial Manager, Bob Hayton responded by saying “ KH Engineering have been strong supporters of the club over a number of seasons, and preferred to remain out of the limelight during their early involvement despite the valuable level of their support. However their contribution has been, and continues to be significant, not just in financial terms, as we look to maintain the progress of the club at all levels”

Maidstone’s 1st Round Shepherd Neame Kent Cup fixture v Tonbridge Juddians at The Mote has now been confirmed for Saturday 17^th October, KO 2:00pm (tbc).

Over the coming weeks a numbers of items will be offered for sale at reduced clearance prices :

The first of which are :

A) - Track Suit Trs - Blue tracksuit bottoms with full length leg zips @ special offer price of £20/pair - normally £27.50 - see shop details on the web site for image.

PLEASE NOTE :For the coming season (!5/16) the tracksuit bottoms will be black and all match day squad members of the 1st XV will be expected to wear these (not blue)

The quantities and sizes available are as follows :

Small (32" waist) - 3 pairs

Medium (34" waist) - 2 pairs

• Large (36" waist) - 1 pair
•  

B) - Club T-shirts - Red & black with embroidered club badge and Maidstone Rugby across shoulders - sorry no image available - special offer price of £13 each

PLEASE NOTE :For the coming season (15/16) the T-shirts will be black (as last seasons) and all match day squad members of the 1st XV will be expected to wear these.

The quantities and sizes available are as follows :

Medium (42" chest) - 1

X-Large (46" chest) - 2

• XX-Large (48" chest) - 2

C) - Club vests - White & grey with 'Maidstone Rugby' logo (one with ball) across shoulder - sorry no image available - special offer price of £8 each

The quantities and sizes available are as follows :

Medium (42" chest) - 1

• Large (44" chest) - 1
•  
• XX-Large (48" chest) - 2

D)  Old Style Youth Shirts - On offer are a limited number of the old style junior shirts which are in a 'Pro-knit' material (which is heavier and totally different to the current shirt material). They will make good training or leisure shirts for all sections of the club

There are the following sizes and quantities available :
 

MB (34" chest) - 3 no - sale price £12.50 each

• LB (36" chest) - 1no - sale price £12.50

• XS (38" chest) - 4 no - sale price £15 each
• M (42" chest) - 4 no - sale price £15 each
• L (44" chest) - 1 no - sale price £15
• XL (46" chest) - 1no - sale price £15

Anybody wishing to purchase any of the garments listed please contact Kevin Bailey - kevin.bailey@walterlilly.co.uk

Further offers will follow so keep watching the news for further details

 

RUGBY WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015- PIPPED AT THE POST

The July edition of Rugby World magazine sees us pipped at the post by Battersea Ironsides for this top award. We were in the running along with US Portsmouth, Droitwich U16’s, Ystradgynlais, and Colchester. On page 94/95 there is also a brief review of “National Champions” and our RFU Intermediate Cup victory against Bridgnorth is set out along with a super picture of the flying Eddie Cranston scoring a try at HQ. We are also featured on page 103 where the article covers London and South East Champions .As London Two South East winners the captain and three coaches are mentioned along with reference to us being unbeaten, winning the Intermediate Cup at Twickenham and the scoring exploits of Jamie Perigo (18 tries)and Nick Childs (183 points).

Back by popular demand:  Fatboy training - and guess what?  You dont need to be fat OR a boy to attend!!!!

Fatboy Training will commence this year on Saturday 6th June from 2pm to 3 pm at the club, on the "park" end of the bottom pitch.

Come and experience the joys of tyre-flipping, duck walking, sledge and club-hammer usage and a special guest appearance from Matilda.

Please bring boots, as the scrummage machine will be in use.   

All are welcome, courtesy of your host Shaun Neaves.

The draw for the coming season’s Kent Cup has been made and sees Maidstone drawn at home to the defending champions Tonbridge Juddians, the date for this fixture is yet to be confirmed but in line with all first matches must be played on or before the 31^st Oct.  In the other 1^st Round fixtures Sidcup host Thanet Wdrs and Dover will entertain Nat 2(S) club Canterbury. Like Maidstone, Medway also have Nat 3(SE) opposition as they face Gravesend at Priestfields.  Last season's finalists O Elthamians received a bye in the 1st Round along with Blackheath, Charlton Pk and Westcombe Pk.  The full draw for the opening two rounds is shown below:

 Round 1 Draw

Sidcup v Thanet Wanderers

Dover v Canterbury

Medway v Gravesend

Maidstone v Tonbridge Juddians

Round 2 Draw

Dover or Canterbury v Westcombe Park

Charlton Park v Blackheath

Sidcup or Thanet Wanderers v Old Elthamians

Medway or Gravesend v Maidstone or Tonbridge Juddians

(To be played on or before 27^TH February, 2016)

The 1^stXV fixture programme for the new season has been announced with Maidstone opening their account on 5^th Sept with an away trip to Kidbrooke to face Kent rivals Charlton Park in what is expected to be a tough opening encounter.  The 12^th Sept sees the first fixture at The Mote as we entertain Chiswick, who were promoted via the playoffs at the end of last season and subsequently level transferred to Ldn 1 (S).  After having not played them before until last season’s London & SE intermediate Cup Final, like the proverbial bus, a second fixture followed on shortly after.  The 19^th Sept sees the team back inside the M25 as they travel to Crescent farm for the fixture with Sidcup and September’s fixtures are rounded out the following week with another away fixture and a trip to Sutton & Epsom.

The website fixtures page will be updated with the full fixture list next week although the full fixture card can be viewed at the London RFU website (click here)

London & SE Promotion & Relegation Summary

National 2 (S)

Promoted: Henley Hawks, Runner Up: Bishops Stortford

Relegated: Dings Crusaders, Shelford, Lydney

National 3 (SE)

Promoted: Bury St Edmunds, Runner Up: Barnes

Relegated: CS Rugby, Amersham & Chiltern, Tring

London 1 (N)

Promoted: Colchester and Eton Manor (PO)

Relegated: Woodford, Romford & Gidea Park, Ipswich

London 1 (S)

Promoted: Wimbledon, Runner Up:Chobham

Relegated: Basingstoke, Hove,Cobham

London 2 (SE)

Promoted: Maidstone and Medway (PO)

Relegated: Aylesford

London 2 (SW)

Promoted: Tottonians, Runner Up: Ldn Cornish

Relegated: Tadley, Farnham, Portsmouth

London 3 (SE)

Promoted: Horsham and Dartfordians

Relegated: Hastings & Bexhill, Lewes, Park House

London 3 (SW)

Promoted: London Exiles and Andover

Relegated: Ellingham & Ringwood, Sandown & shanklin, New Milton & District

Shepherd Neame Kent Division 1

Promoted:  Cranbrook Runner Up: Sheppey

Relegated: Bexley, Sittingbourne

Shepherd Neame Kent Division 2

Promoted: New Ash Green and Brockleians

Sussex 1

Promoted: Eastbourne, Burgess Hill (PO)

Shepherd Neame Kent Cup

Winners: Tonbridge Juddians.  Runners Up: O Elthamians

Shepherd Neame Kent Plate

Winners: Charlton Park.  Runners Up: Thanet Wanderers

Shepherd Neame Kent Vase

Winners: Cranbrook.  Runners Up: Beccehamians

Shepherd Neame Kent Salver

Winners: Brockleians.  Runners Up: Sheppey

Whilst the draw for the Kent Cup has not yet been announced, next season will see an additional tier of competition with the addition of the Kent Shield.  Whilst this won’t directly affect Maidstone, the competition is for clubs at Levels 7 & 8 (Ldn 2 & 3) although clubs that lose in the opening round will still go into the Kent Plate which will continue to serve as the secondary completion for the Kent Cup and now also the Shield.  The main competition is now limited to teams at Level 6 (Ldn 1) and above, although the same limitations for clubs at Nat 2 level will still apply.

In a splendid reception at the Village Hotel, Kent RFU hosted a special dinner on the 28th May for a variety of nominees who were deemed to have been outstanding volunteers in the cause of Rugby in Kent. In common with most amateur sports, Rugby relies on the selfless dedication of innumerable volunteers to keep the wheels turning, whether in clubs or schools or as players, administrators or officials. Maidstone Rugby was well represented amongst the county's great and good, with David Smith making the shortlist for his work in schools liaison, Richard Ewence for his efforts in establishing the Late Red Veterans Trophy and Miles Tempan for his outstanding work in establishing Girls Rugby at Maidstone and also in another category as a youth coach. The occasion was dignified by the presence of outgoing Kent RFU President Tim Fagg and by the presence of RFU President Jonathan Dance who helped judge the nominations and who made the presentations.

Following a number of enquiries, we have sought some options to produce commemorative T-shirts (black) or polo shirts (red and black as before) following the clubs success in winning the Intermediate Cup.

The proposed design will have the club crest and wording as the original polo's with the addition of 'Champions' inserted below and a full list of the fixtures and results on the back headed 'The road to Twickenham,'

Due to the large quantity of printing required the anticipated cost of the T-shirts would be £35 each with polo's at £37.50 - these are being offered at cost price

It is fully appreciated that as a one off garment they are expensive, so will only be ordered against confirmed applications with costs paid. Please note they are ONLY available in adult sizes from XS to 3XL. As we will need a minimum number of garments to make the order feasible, due to one off set up costs and delivery charges, there is no guarantee that an order will actually be placed.

If anybody is interested in placing an order, please contact Kevin Bailey via email (click here)

Maidstone Rugby are pleased to announce a major sponsorship deal with locally based company Hospitality Finder, one of the leading event management companies in the UK.  As a major player with a proven pedigree in the corporate hospitality industry Hospitality Finder has over  30 years of experience in the field and are official providers of major Rugby, Horse Racing, Motorsport, Tennis, Football, Cricket and Golf events plus many more events around the United Kingdom and overseas.

Mike Dunderdale, the co-founder and Managing Director of the company commented “As part of our on-going commitment to support the development of grass-roots sport in our local community, Hospitality Finder is delighted to announce this exciting new partnership with our local team Maidstone Rugby Club.

The growing stature of the Club has been extremely impressive in recent times and we are proud to contribute our support to ensure Maidstone Rugby Club enjoys further success in the future. We look forward to seeing more outstanding displays on the pitch in the coming season, as we saw at Twickenham Stadium in Maidstone’s recent Cup Final.”

To expand our product range below are the details of the new club top for the 2015/16 season

The top is at a minimum shower-proof and comes with a fleece collar and fleece inside the cuffs, soft mesh internal lining, front pouch pocket and the underarm panels are in 'knitted ribbon'

The top will be available to all sections of the club, in all sizes, (see sizing chart link on the club shop page) as it is a 'bespoke' item being manufactured for ourselves. The initial delivery will be in the region of 8 weeks time

The anticipated cost will be £40 for adult sizes up to 2XL, £43 for 3XL +, and £33.50 for junior (up to Large Boys as these are zero rated for VAT) - cost includes all embroidery etc as shown on the presentation.

ANYBODY WISHING TO RESERVE A TOP PLEASE CONTACT KEVIN BAILEY ; kevin.bailey@walterlilly.co.uk ASAP SO THAT THE INITIAL ORDER CAN BE PLACED TO MEET THE ANTICIPATED DEMAND.

If you have any queries please contact Kevin.

Stars from football and sport in Kent will go head to head in a charity football match on Friday 29th May at Maidstone United's Gallagher Stadium.  Many well known names will take to pitch for the much awaited charity clash with the proceeds of the game going to Demelza Hospice Care for Children and Cardiac Risk in the Young.

A whole host of Maidstone United and Gillingham stars from the past and present will be playing against a Kent’s All Stars team that combines ex professional footballers and representatives from our champion sports teams from across the county.  Fresh from having won the RFU Intermediate Cup Final at Twickenham, some of our own victorious Maidstone Rugby side will also be playing with Ben Pitkin, Olly Newton, Josh McKenzie, Alex Clark and Josh Pankhurst already confirmed.

So why not make a note in your diary and pop along for the 7:30pm KO and support the boys, it's all in a very good cause.

For a fuller description of those taking part click here

Maidstone Rugby are pleased to announce the continuation of their partnership with  local fitness centre Topnotch as the side looks to begin its preparations for the 2015-16 season.

Having re-established its relationship with Topnotch prior to the extremely successful 2014-15 league and cup campaigns Topnotch’s Ross Whateley was more than delighted to continue the arrangement with the county town club.

Twickenham: Diary Notes from a Vice President supporter

Thursday (30^th April)

Popped down the club to see the squad training on the first team pitch.  The elegant Stewart Thresher is putting the boys through some unopposed drills with Paul Hathaway looking on.  The ball is pinging through the hands and no mistakes – all at speed.  Impressive.  Bridgnorth will have to be an exceptional team to beat us me thinks.  Everyone looks sharp, relaxed, confident and happy.  There is a positive atmosphere and all the boys have a smile on their faces.

Big Kiwi centre Lenny Van der Velde is on the side lines watching the session.  Sadly he’s injured and he has to have a knee operation on his return to NZ.  This soft spoken rock of defence takes the disappointment of missing out on our big day all in his stride and is philosophical.  What a great guy – we wish him all the best in getting over this serious injury.

Sunday (3^rd May)

At the Club

In line with tradition the player’s coach is late to arrive.  However, no panic, everyone is calm and it’s just another game.  The coach eventually arrives about ten o’clock and it soon departs after a bit of best wishes and back slapping from supporters.  Everyone is relaxed and there’s an air of confidence, not arrogance.

At eleven o’clock, all 270 supporters are on the coaches and off we go bang on time despite the rain which is most unwelcome.  How good it is to see a big level of support from the junior teams – hopefully today will inspire them to play for the first XV in the years to come.  Home grown is best maybe?

On the coach

Coach E has a special guest – Gina Skelton.  She’s Jonno Skelton’s mum and she’s flown all the way from Queensland, Australia to see her son play at outside half (she goes back home on Tuesday!).  To make her feel welcome we sing a very bad rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’.  Gina, being a member of the Australian Army took it all in her stride.

HQ

1.40pm the team comes out to have the official photograph under the banner ‘The Spirit of Rugby’.  Supporters are there to cheer them on.  The photograph turns out to be very impressive.

3.00pm. The Match.  Both sides line up and face the West Enclosure.  Some of us are in the Royal Box!  Bridgnorth look a big beefy side; they are bigger than us but will they live with our expansive attacking game.  Move them about the park, I think to myself, and play to the open spaces.  Play our normal game and we should do it.

The game is over in a flash.  The pressure is on because we have a countdown clock and we’ve run them off their feet in the first half – just great rugby.  It’s good that our ‘home grown’ players get some tries and we’re 24-6 up at half time.  Surely we can’t lose this big lead.  The Bridgnorth supporters have had little to cheer about but their team rallies in the second half by playing to their big forwards.  We give away a string of penalties at the breakdown and one wonders if the referee is ‘evening up’ the scoreline – surely not, this is Twickers.  However, we concede well-deserved tries to the Shropshire lads; well deserved, but it’s too little too late.  The boys look tired as Bridgnorth are a powerful unit, and our tackling has been awesome to keep them out.  10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1……leaps of joy for us all; we’ve won at Twickenham.  There’s a lot of emotional for everyone from Maidstone; hugs, kisses, tears, joy, relief…what a performance.  We’ve done it at last.

The Bridgnorth boys get their medals from the Royal Box.  They are totally knackered with their huge second half effort.  Maidstone collect their medals and Ben Williams raises the Cup to the crowd.  Maidstone support goes wild.  There is a lot of noise and excitement in the air and everyone is overjoyed. 

Hey, ho.. what’s going on; Ben Williams is down on one knee, as all props do, proposing to his girlfriend, Jo Cook, on the halfway line.  Thankfully, Jo accepted to rapturous applause.

Post match

The Spirit of Rugby is a hidden palace in the west stand and once you’ve got in it’s an exclusive environment.  Unlike our club, you need tickets, wrist bands to get anywhere other than the loos.  The Bridgnorth team and supports are very gratuitous in defeat as they have no complaints – the better team won.  There are kind words from the Bridgnorth president, and our president says all the right things in reply.  The respective captains speak in accord as both sides have had a wonderful season.  Someone had to win and at long last, Maidstone F.C. have the Intermediate Cup.

Maidstone stalwarts of the past will be looking down at all the fun and excitement.  I think back of Alfie Johnson, Malcolm Farley, Harry Green and all those who sent us forward in the 70’s and 80’s.  As for my 30 year old deck chair blazer; it’s had its last trip and it retires in full Twickenham glory.  Never to be seen again.  Bring on a new era.

Well done team Maidstone and lots of thanks to the Kiwi boys who now return to NZ.  What exceptional players.

Graham Norton V.P

The London Divisional Organising Committee has confirmed the league composition for London Division 1 (South) for the 2015/16 season.

Following the imbalance between the northern and southern London divisions created by all three clubs relegated from National 3(SE) going into London Division 1(North) the level transfer procedure came into play.  The consequence of this is that Chiswick RFC who won the playoff against Diss RFC for the promotion place in the London 2 northern divisions have been transferred to London Division 1(South).  The complete league composition is listed below and information on the Links pages of the website has been updated accordingly.  Work has started on the fixtures for the new season and the League organising committee anticipate having the fixtures list published by the end of May (although these tend to be released by divisions over a period of a week or so).

Brighton RFC
Charlton Park RFC
Chiswick RFC
Chobham RFC
Dover RFC
Gosport & Fareham RFC
Guildford RFC
Havant RFC
Maidstone FC
Medway RFC
Sidcup RFC
Sutton & Epsom RFC
Tottonians RFC
Twickenham RFC

Orders for new club playing shirts are now being arranged for delivery for the start of next season - the shirts are a 'Regular Fit' (NOT the skin tight playing version) but these still can be used for playing in or just leisurewear for supporters / parents etc

The shirts can be personalised and a graphic of the shirt will follow shortly to explain the alternatives available to the back of the shirt - essentially it can be manufactured with different printed options, including 'Maidstone Rugby', your name , a number, or any combination of these. PLEASE NOTE that the cost of the shirt is fully inclusive of all printing options.

The cost of the shirts (provisional - subject to confirmation)  are £35.00 from baby up to large boys, £42.50 from XS up to 2XL and £47.50 for 3XL or bigger - please refer to the sizing chart on the Club shop webpage -  to reiterate the shirts are regular fit not the tight 'competition version' used by the playing sides. Women's sizes are available as detailed on the sizing chart, BUT a minimum order of 10 shirts is required, so for any women's order could you please also provide an alternative mans sized shirt, just in case the minimum number is not achieved.

If anybody wants to place an order you need to get the details (size and personalisation requirements) to KEVIN BAILEY ASAP, preferably by e-mail,  but strictly by no later than 19th June (no extension to the deadline is possible due to manufacturing lead times) - a minimum deposit will be required of £25 for child's shirts and £35 for adults, this to be paid via electronic transfer, bank details will be advised, or cheque (Regret - strictly no deposit no order, as these are bespoke orders).

If anybody has any queries please contact me direct - see contacts page on the website

The club is pleased to announce that new sponsor Linton Fuel Oils has joined with Maidstone Rugby for the 2015-16 campaign.  Linton Fuel Oils is part of the WFL (UK) Ltd who have a keen interest in rugby and through the Watson arm of the business are a major sponsor of Exeter Chiefs.  However, their support is not limited to the elite end of the sport and Rob Young, Regional Sales Manager at Linton Fuel Oils commented, “We’re delighted to be supporting Maidstone for the 2015/16 season. Going unbeaten last season and taking their respective title was very impressive, so we’re very happy to support the club as it continues to go from strength to strength. We wish everyone at the club the best for the forthcoming campaign.”

Congratulations to Maidstone's Groundsman and utility player Martin Maytum, who has been selected as part of a three-man RFU groundsman team to travel to Georgia for a week at the beginning of June.

Martin will be accompanying England Rugby's Twickenham Head Groundsman, Keith Kent and RFU representatives and they will be tasked with supporting and offering help and advice at club level to the Georgian clubs as part of an obligation in connection with this year's Rugby World Cup to support emerging nations. Georgia have participated in every world cup to date.

Martin was among a large number of applications that were then short listed to 5 candidates who then attended an afternoon of interviews at Twickenham before the two successful candidates were selected.

Despite our many moans about out pitches, with the huge use they get, a limited budget and a full time job Mayhem does an amazing job. He fully deserves to be selected and I am sure he will keep us updated on social media during his trip. He may even throw in some ‘real ale’ inspired top tips on pre match day preparations

Joint Youth Chairs, Eva and Tuggy, hosted an evening of fine food (Mughal Dynstany) and drinks (various hostelries!!) to say thanks to key volunteers who have helped them so much this season to develop the section off the field.

Whilst very grateful to all the Head and other coaches there is a huge amount of unseen work that goes on behind the scenes to make the section so successful.

They were joined by Jasmin Bryan (Club Coaching Coordinator), Tim Hedges (Advertising), Steve Philpott (Sponsor – Beadles), Dave Smith (Schools Liaison), Roger Berry (Youth & Junior Fixture Secretary), Russell Evans (Junior Section Advisor & Coach), Miles Tempan (Ladies Team), Sarah Wheal (Club Safeguarding Officer), Keely Gunn (Membership Secretary).

The gents were presented with RFU Ties or cufflinks and the ladies received silver RFU engraved trinket boxes.

Thanks very much for their and everybody else’s hard work both on and off the pitches.

Maidstone U15’s hosted Wiltshire based Minety RFC for a return fixture having enjoyed a visit to them last season whilst on tour.

Minety were visiting with both U14’s and U15’s and U15’s Head Coach Allan Crosbie organised the day ably assisted by a team of U15 parents who ran a BBQ and bar, starting at 9am with bacon rolls!

Allan invited local rivals and good friends Gravesend for a three way tournament.

Jamie Mills U14’s faced stiff opposition against a strong Minety side who ran out winners and then managed to beat Gravesend in a tough encounter.

The Maidstone U15’s were too strong for both opposition but all three sides had an enjoyable morning with very competitive games played in a good spirit.

Maidstone U15 prop Jonathan Ayten achieved what many much older than him can only dream of, scoring from inside centre under the posts and then converting his try!!

He then bagged man of the match for his efforts along with Alex Crosbie in the first game.

Can I just reinforce our President Jim Tinsley’s comments about Sunday.  While the performance and result were a testament to everyone who has been involved in the playing squad this season from both a playing and non-playing perspective, the performance of every single one of you who represented our club on Sunday is something I am immensely grateful and proud of.

Whether you are the newly engaged, loose-head prop who struggled to get down on one knee, the former players on the other side of the world wearing the red, white and black in support your team mates, the Under 11’s sitting next to me who thankfully just stuck to screaming in support rather than follow through with their threat of performing a victory streak, or the former 1^st team captain (or two) who are struggling to remember the whole day, you are what the club is all about and I thank you all for making the day so special.

I have sat in that stadium many times before and I can’t honestly say I have ever witnessed a better half of rugby than that first half on Sunday.  I also have to say that I don’t recall 82,000 people ever creating the atmosphere the few thousand of you managed.  It was an honour to watch such a great performance and a privilege to be able to sit among so many friends and enjoy it.   

We are one club.  We are Maidstone.

Jon Sargent
Chairman MFC

I would like to clarify the wine and Guinness fuelled ramblings of my after-match speech in The Spirit of Rugby Suite.

In the 135 year history of Maidstone Football Club, Sunday 3^rd May 2015 is unarguably the greatest day the club has experienced. Whilst basking in the reflected glory of our team’s achievement, we must acknowledge the effort put in by everyone involved and the contribution made.

Lack of space prevents me to list a roll of honour by name. However it extends well beyond the 22 match day squad – think travelling reserves, think players who on another day would have made the cut, or on crutches and limping who missed out, think coaching team, think supporters, think volunteers, think sponsors. You know who you are, and importantly we on the Committee know who you are and we thank you all most sincerely. And we are PROUD OF YOU ALL.

Jim Tinsley

President

Maidstone Football Club

For those of you unable to get to Twickenham (why not?!!) for the big game, the match is being covered live on BBC Radio Kent's Sports Hub programme with all the build up starting at 2:00pm with Matt Coles and Rachel Burford, followed by full match commentary from 3:00pm.

You can get BBC Radio Kent on the following channels:  96.7/104.2 FM, 774 AM, DAB, TV Channel 719 and www.bbc.co.uk/kent

Dear Supporters,

This is where you are sitting. I have done my best to couple people together as best I can but please comply with the arrangements as set out below. This exercise has not been easy with several late tackles !

I appreciate your assistance so that we can get away from the club in a smooth efficient manner.

Coach A – Dave Smith’s under 12’s and Mark Fairway’s under 14’s

Coach B - Under 7’s and Paul Ruth’s under 10’s + the under 11’s +George Wright, Oliver Wright and Mathew Wright.

Coach C – Under 15’s with Allan Crosbie and Mustangs with Nathan Fitzpatrick + Brian Mc Keon.

Coach D – Parties belonging to Andy Golding, Carol Mc Kenzie, Craig Tuffrey, Ian Ausher(3), Gerald Tucker, Miles Templan, Dave Lindsay.

Coach E - Parties belonging to Graham Norton, Gordon Diment, Steve Vincent, Ian Lowe, Alastair Wright, Stuart Russell, Matt copper, Brian Skinner, Roy Cranston, Richard Gray, David Lamb, Luke Linnett ,J. Sinfield,Joe Parker, Steve Mc Guigan, Richard Pearce, Keith Moore, The 3 from the Thirsty Pig!, Mick Duggan, Karen Smith, Richard Weston,, Kevin Lamb, Gina Skelton (fly half Jonno’s mum) all the way from Australia - a big welcome to Maidstone, Micky Back, Bob Morris, Michael Sell, Dave Eastwood, Lyndsay Mc Price, Steve Mathews, Martyn “Georgia “ Maytum, Mark Thurgood.

Coach Captains for each coach are highlighted. Please make their responsibilities as little as possible on the day. Please report to your coach captain on getting on the coach so that you are recorded in their tick system.

I remind you again with regard to keeping the club house area free of parked cars and if you must come by car that you park up in the area between the first team pitch and the Mote cricket area. First cars in head as far over towards the Park as you can so that we fill up from that end. It makes life a lot easier by doing it this way.

Do not forget to bring a camera to record Maidstone FC at TWICKENHAM , suitable clothing should the dreaded rain arrive, and cash to by our £1 flags which will be on sale whilst waiting to get on the coach.

The excitement is already building and BE THERE ON TIME PLEASE as we want to leave at 11.00 sharp and to arrive early on time see our boys arrive at 1:30pm and have their team photograph at 1.50 p.m. in front of the Spirit of Rugby,  Seeing us all there will give them a good boost of confidence.

Have a great day, especially all our youngsters who are the stars of the future.

Kind Regards,

Graham Norton

Vice President

The 24^th April saw the County Town’s two League Champions get together for the first joint photo of the two clubs since the 1978-79 season, when Maidstone United were at that time very much on an upward curve towards joining the Football League and in the pre league era of Rugby Union, Maidstone Rugby had won the Kent Cup at a time when it was the sole piece competitive silverware to challenge for.

The two sides met at Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium with club coaches Paul Hathaway and Jay Saunders able to exchange views, and club captains Ben Williams and Steve Watt were able to wish each other well for their respective forthcoming fixtures, in particular the rugby club's Twickenham Cup Final.