Monday 18th Feb: 09:45
Being a creature of habit I suppose I better get stuck into the latest results around the parish. In Kent 1, after our 27-21 defeat at the hands of Beccehamian, we sit 5th in the table, they remain in 3rd just a couple of points behind Dartfordians who drew 27-27 with Bromley who are 4th. Canterbury II remain top after beating Ashford. Our good friends The Greenies beat Deal & Betteshanger 15-10. In the battle for survival both Cranbrook and Charlton Park did themselves no harm at all by beating Dover and Thanet Wanderers respectively. Thanet now sit at the foot of the table with Park and Cranbrook just above them. We could have a significant impact on the outcome of who goes down and who stays up with Thanet and Cranbrook being our final two games of the season.
In Surrey/Sussex 1 a mixed day for the Sussex sides. Hove put Old Walcountians in their place winning 53-3. Eastbourne battled valiantly against table topping Teddington losing 43-53. East Grinstead lost 71-26 to Weybridge Vandals. Old Cranleighans are down as they again failed to fulfil a fixture. Eastbourne are 6th, Hove now 7th and Grinstead 8th.
Over in Hampshire 1 not a great day for Bognor who lost 30-0 to Gosport & Fareham. Petersfield top this one despite not playing as bottom placed Bournemouth II pulled out. Sadly Bognor are just one place above in 11th.
In Sussex 2 Uckfield lost at home to league leaders Haywards Heath 27-15. Pulborough stay hot on their heels after their win over Seaford. Crawley lost to Worthing III and sit at the foot of the table. In the other game Shoreham beat Brighton II. It’s advantage Heath in the chase for promotion. In the battle to stay up it is between Burgess Hill and Crawley. Two tough fixtures ahead for both.
Up in the Regional set up it was a good day for Chichester beating Tottonians 18-12. They move up into 9th and look safe. Salisbury are far from safe after losing at Wimborne. They lie in 11th with two tough fixture to come. Jersey RFC are strolling this league. In Regional 1 it was a horrid day for Horsham losing at Marlborough 43-10. They slip to the bottom of the league. Brighton lost at CS Stags and Tunbridge Wells were beaten 67-26 at Maidenhead. Havant continue to lead the charge but Camberley are hot on their heels.
Up in the rarified atmosphere of the National Leagues a good day for Worthing beating Sevenoaks 40-28. TJs continue their fine season with a 36-21 win at Wimbledon. It’s tight at the top with Esher just in front but plenty of games to come. TJs are 4th but out of the promotion race, in my opinion. ‘Oaks are looking comfortable in 9th but Worthing still have a bit to do to make sure they stay up, but are looking increasingly secure.
Elsewhere Hastings & Bexhill lost to Sittingbourne, Rye beat Dover 2s, Barnes Green beat Eastbourne 2s, Ditching won at Hove 3s, Lewes won over at Jersey Royals, Steyning beat Horsham 2s, Holbrook beat Hellingly, Littlehampton lost to EG 2s, and finally St Leonards beat Eastbourne 3s.
Not quite finally as Bridgnorth lost at Stoke-on-Trent.
Plenty in the papers about the Six Nations. Ireland were deserved winners but as in the World Cup failed to meet expectations by not winning the Grand Slam. They will on currently form supply the bulk of The Lions next summer. Scotland, the perennial under achievers. Scraping a win against a woeful Wales, being robbed against France and losing to Italy after their demolition of England speaks volumes about their erratic form. There is a sense of justifiable optimism for those who follow the red rose. The performance against Ireland and then again against France would indicate the tide is turning in terms of playing structure and tactical approach. Picking the best players on form has to be Steve Borthwick’s priority. Forget trying to shoehorn players into a tactical approach. Italy were superb, with two wins and a draw, a draw which should have been a win. Their new coach has made an immediate impact and the support for their two URC teams is paying dividends, seven of the starting pack against Wales came from Benetton Trevino. Wales, despite all the rhetoric, were awful. Yes, this is a rebuilding phase, but as my esteemed brother has just told me, it is like the blind leading the blind. The coaching staff must shoulder much of the blame. Warren Gatland did the honourable thing and offered to resign but the question is a) who is there to replace him, and b) who in their right mind would want to replace him? In my opinion overall this has been a very poor tournament. With a few exceptions the games have been poor, the officiating patchy and the TV coverage less than perfect.
The Six Nations isn’t quite over as the ladies kick off this weekend. England will win, France will be second.