橄榄球round-up: Maidenhead look to put an end to poor run of form

Photo credit: Paul Morgan

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Bottom of the table Horsham are Maidenhead’s hosts on Saturday in what looks increasingly like a must-win game for Maids if they’re to start bridging the gap between themselves and the division’s pacesetters.

得分没有大卫的问题d Mobbs-Smith’s side in most of the matches they’ve played this season, however, preventing them has, and that’s been the main reason for their four defeats from five matches so far.

Injuries and ill-discipline have played a part in that, with the side somewhat unfortunate to lose their most recent home game to London Welsh by just four points (40-36). However, they’ve managed to score 30 points or more on four occasions this season yet have only come away with one win for all that effort, so Mobbs-Smith must be thinking about tweaking the side’s style to make them more difficult to beat.

Whether he does that this weekend – against a team who’ve lost all five of their matches having conceded nearly 200 points in the process – remains to be seen. But they’ll need many more performances like their intense, energetic and disciplined win over Camberley back on September 9 if they’re to start hauling themselves back up the division.

Maids currently sit 10th, with 10 points from five games, however, they’re already 11 points adrift of leaders Havant – one of the sides they’d have hoped to challenge for league position this season.

They remain one of the league’s most potent attacking teams, however, striking the balance between attack and defence appears to be eluding them right now, and Saturday’s game at Horsham will be crucial in implementing the processes needed to get the team going again and to gather some momentum.

However, getting another ‘W’ on the board will be the first objective, irrespective of whether that comes with a bonus point and plenty of tries or not.

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Marlow will look for back-to-back wins in the Regional 2 Thames for the first time since their promotion when they host Leighton Buzzard at Riverwoods this Saturday.

With Buzzard coming into the clash off the back of five straight defeats, having picked up no points and conceded 193 points, a home win should be a foregone conclusion for Rory Greenslade-Jones’s side. However, he’ll be urging his players against complacency despite the side’s fine acclimatisation to their new level.

On paper, Marlow have made a mixed start following their promotion last season, winning only two of their first five fixtures, however, they’ve been competitive in almost every game and would surely have had a few more points on the board had they not frittered away leads with some ill-disciplined defence.

Last time out they overcame Grasshoppers 38-31 at Syon Lane and have climbed up to eighth in the table as a result, however, all the sides up to fifth placed Belsize Park remain within striking distance.

Captain Phil Hellmuth has noticed the step up in quality between the two leagues, with the side being punished for almost every single error at this level. However, Marlow have already shown they’re capable of matching most sides at this level – including second placed HAC who beat them 38-22 – and there should be more evidence of that at Riverwoods this weekend.

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Windsor are the success story of our local sides so far this season, winning three of their opening five matches to move up to third in the Counties 1 Tribute Southern North table.

They suffered a set-back in their last outing, losing 33-18 away at sixth-placed Bletchley, however, they usually provide a stiff test for most teams coming to Home Park.

Saturday’s home game against second placed Oxford Harlequins 2nds promises to be another big test of their credentials this season, but Andy Symons’ side surely have the weapons capable of inflicting a first defeat of the season on Quins.