Bleater's Blog
  1. The Season Run In
  2. It’s Six Nations Time!
  3. 2024 Has Arrived
  4. It’s Nearly Here…… January
  5. Countdown to Chri….. January!
  6. RWC 2023 - The Final Approaches
  7. Rugby World Cup 2023 Plus
  8. The Rugby World Cup Approaches
  9. The Summer Break
  10. The Final Countdown
  11. The Summer Tours Up Next
  12. Rugby Continues Thankfully
  13. The Six Nations - Happy Days
  14. 2023 Has Arrived
  15. The Halfway Point of the Season
  16. The Season Continues into Autumn
  17. Here we go! A new season
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Season is Nearly Over
  20. The Six Nations and Some
  21. The 6 Nations Begins
  22. 2022 and All THAT!
  23. Christmas is nearly upon us!!
  24. We’re Still Waiting
  25. The Season Progresses
  26. At Last - We are back
  27. The New Season is Nearly Here
  28. Lions Tests are Here!
  29. The Lions Up next
  30. Now It’s Europe
  31. 6 Nations Beckons
  32. 2021 at last! A year of renewed hope!
  33. A New Premiership Season
  34. Still NO Grassroots Rugby!!!!!
  35. It Continues - NO GRASSROOTS RUGBY!!
  36. No End In Sight To The Madness
  37. Autumn Internationals BUT Still NO Crowds
  38. We're Back - In Part At Least
  39. The Restart is Still a Long Way Away
  40. When will we play again?
  41. Time for a beer and a haircut!!
  42. It's easing apparently???!!!
  43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
  44. Lockdown or not to lockdown
  45. The Debate Continues
  46. Yet another new page
  47. The Nightmare Continues - the blog
  48. The Season Grinds to a Halt
  49. The Season Moves On
  50. It's Official - The Drought is Over
  51. 6 Nations Starts
  52. Another New Page - Sorry
  53. 6 Nations Beckons
  54. Welcome To A New Decade
  55. It'll soon be over. Xmas that is
  56. Xmas is Coming
  57. Back to the Grassroots Game
  58. Bleater in Japan
  59. The Grassroots Season Starts
  60. Not Long Now!
  61. Japan Still Beckons
  62. Japan Beckons
  63. Nearly Time To Look Ahead
  64. The Summer Break is Here
  65. The Final Countdown
  66. Yet another section of drivel
  67. The Season Continues for a Little Longer
  68. The 6 Nations Continues
  69. Six Nations and More
  70. It's RWC Year!!
  71. Its Definitely Winter
  72. Winter is here. Brrrr!!!
  73. Its the Autumn, soon to be Winter
  74. We Are Off And Running
  75. The New Season Approaches
  76. Still the Summer Tours Go On
  77. The Summer Internationals Plus, Plus
  78. The Season Climax Approaches
  79. Summer is Coming
  80. Another Section, More Drivel
  81. 2018 Already!!!! It'll soon be Xmas
  82. The Season Approaches the Half Way Point
  83. The Season Takes Shape
  84. The Season Starts
  85. More Pre-Season Build Up
  86. Pre-Season and Other Stuff
  87. The Lions Tested
  88. The Lions Roar
  89. We Are Still Counting Down
  90. It's All About The Lions
  91. The Countdown to Season's End
  92. The Season Continues Apace
  93. It's Time for the 6 Nations
  94. 2017 - Let The Fun Begin
  95. The Big Man Will Be Here Soon
  96. Let's Countdown to You Know What
  97. It's Time For Europe
  98. The Season Is Well Underway
  99. At Last Let The Competition Begin
  100. Not Long to the New Season
  101. Not So Much Rugby Now
  102. Still Plenty of Rugby to Debate
  103. The Summer Break
  104. Here Comes Summer
  105. They Think It's All Over
  106. Jones - A New Era
  107. It Was A Grand Slam!!!!
  108. 6 Nations - A Grand Slam??
  109. Six Nations 2016
  110. A New Captain, A New Start
  111. Welcome to 2016
  112. The Countdown to Christmas
  113. Winter Has Arrived
  114. November Movember
  115. The World Cup Is Over
  116. Rugby World Cup Quarters
  117. Rugby World Cup into the knockout stages
  118. Rugby World Cup Day 9 to Day 24
  119. Rugby World Cup Day 1 to Day 8
  120. Sept 9th to Sept 17th
  121. August 24th to September 7th
  122. August 11th to August 23rd
  123. July 16th to August 9th
  124. July 1st to July 15th
  125. June 17th to June 29th
  126. June 2nd to June 16th
  127. May 19th to June 1st
  128. May 7th to May 17th
  129. April 28th to May 6th
  130. April 22nd to April 27th
  131. April 13th to April 21st
  132. March 13th to Aprill 11th
  133. March 5th to March 12th
Bleater's Blog
  1. The Season Run In
  2. It’s Six Nations Time!
  3. 2024 Has Arrived
  4. It’s Nearly Here…… January
  5. Countdown to Chri….. January!
  6. RWC 2023 - The Final Approaches
  7. Rugby World Cup 2023 Plus
  8. The Rugby World Cup Approaches
  9. The Summer Break
  10. The Final Countdown
  11. The Summer Tours Up Next
  12. Rugby Continues Thankfully
  13. The Six Nations - Happy Days
  14. 2023 Has Arrived
  15. The Halfway Point of the Season
  16. The Season Continues into Autumn
  17. Here we go! A new season
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Season is Nearly Over
  20. The Six Nations and Some
  21. The 6 Nations Begins
  22. 2022 and All THAT!
  23. Christmas is nearly upon us!!
  24. We’re Still Waiting
  25. The Season Progresses
  26. At Last - We are back
  27. The New Season is Nearly Here
  28. Lions Tests are Here!
  29. The Lions Up next
  30. Now It’s Europe
  31. 6 Nations Beckons
  32. 2021 at last! A year of renewed hope!
  33. A New Premiership Season
  34. Still NO Grassroots Rugby!!!!!
  35. It Continues - NO GRASSROOTS RUGBY!!
  36. No End In Sight To The Madness
  37. Autumn Internationals BUT Still NO Crowds
  38. We're Back - In Part At Least
  39. The Restart is Still a Long Way Away
  40. When will we play again?
  41. Time for a beer and a haircut!!
  42. It's easing apparently???!!!
  43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
  44. Lockdown or not to lockdown
  45. The Debate Continues
  46. Yet another new page
  47. The Nightmare Continues - the blog
  48. The Season Grinds to a Halt
  49. The Season Moves On
  50. It's Official - The Drought is Over
  51. 6 Nations Starts
  52. Another New Page - Sorry
  53. 6 Nations Beckons
  54. Welcome To A New Decade
  55. It'll soon be over. Xmas that is
  56. Xmas is Coming
  57. Back to the Grassroots Game
  58. Bleater in Japan
  59. The Grassroots Season Starts
  60. Not Long Now!
  61. Japan Still Beckons
  62. Japan Beckons
  63. Nearly Time To Look Ahead
  64. The Summer Break is Here
  65. The Final Countdown
  66. Yet another section of drivel
  67. The Season Continues for a Little Longer
  68. The 6 Nations Continues
  69. Six Nations and More
  70. It's RWC Year!!
  71. Its Definitely Winter
  72. Winter is here. Brrrr!!!
  73. Its the Autumn, soon to be Winter
  74. We Are Off And Running
  75. The New Season Approaches
  76. Still the Summer Tours Go On
  77. The Summer Internationals Plus, Plus
  78. The Season Climax Approaches
  79. Summer is Coming
  80. Another Section, More Drivel
  81. 2018 Already!!!! It'll soon be Xmas
  82. The Season Approaches the Half Way Point
  83. The Season Takes Shape
  84. The Season Starts
  85. More Pre-Season Build Up
  86. Pre-Season and Other Stuff
  87. The Lions Tested
  88. The Lions Roar
  89. We Are Still Counting Down
  90. It's All About The Lions
  91. The Countdown to Season's End
  92. The Season Continues Apace
  93. It's Time for the 6 Nations
  94. 2017 - Let The Fun Begin
  95. The Big Man Will Be Here Soon
  96. Let's Countdown to You Know What
  97. It's Time For Europe
  98. The Season Is Well Underway
  99. At Last Let The Competition Begin
  100. Not Long to the New Season
  101. Not So Much Rugby Now
  102. Still Plenty of Rugby to Debate
  103. The Summer Break
  104. Here Comes Summer
  105. They Think It's All Over
  106. Jones - A New Era
  107. It Was A Grand Slam!!!!
  108. 6 Nations - A Grand Slam??
  109. Six Nations 2016
  110. A New Captain, A New Start
  111. Welcome to 2016
  112. The Countdown to Christmas
  113. Winter Has Arrived
  114. November Movember
  115. The World Cup Is Over
  116. Rugby World Cup Quarters
  117. Rugby World Cup into the knockout stages
  118. Rugby World Cup Day 9 to Day 24
  119. Rugby World Cup Day 1 to Day 8
  120. Sept 9th to Sept 17th
  121. August 24th to September 7th
  122. August 11th to August 23rd
  123. July 16th to August 9th
  124. July 1st to July 15th
  125. June 17th to June 29th
  126. June 2nd to June 16th
  127. May 19th to June 1st
  128. May 7th to May 17th
  129. April 28th to May 6th
  130. April 22nd to April 27th
  131. April 13th to April 21st
  132. March 13th to Aprill 11th
  133. March 5th to March 12th
2022 and All THAT!
Bleater's Blog 22 of 133

22. 2022 and All THAT!


Monday 31st Jan: 08:55

Good morning all. Another splendid day at Steel Cross for our Colts yesterday beating Lewes 29-21 in what sounds a tremendous game of rugby. Over many seasons for this group of lads Lewes have often put us to the sword so this win is a great result for them. What pleased me most was at the top of the mail I received was reference to the great spirit and sense of camaraderie the game was played in. Well done all.

A quick whizz around the leagues as grandparent duties beckon. Dartfordians beating Beccehamian albeit narrowly, Charlton Park having to pull out of the game with Old Colfeians and Deal & Betteshanger losing at home to Beckenham enabled us to move up into 7th spot in the table. Our next opponents Gravesend beat Old Alleynians 20-0 to stay top but Colfs have a game in hand. In the other fixture Thanet Wanderers beat Folkestone 28-8 leaving Folkestone rooted to the foot of the table.

For the record our good friends at Charlton Park had to withdraw as a result of having no fit front row forwards available. This is a real shame and indicative of the player availability problems plaguing our game.

In the South West Hove’s challenging season continues losing at bottom placed Twickenham. Hove are 8th in this ten team league.

In London 3 South East Heathfield & Waldron enjoyed a comfortable win over Southwark Lancers and with games in hand are still in the hunt for top spot. Pulborough got back to winning ways beating Gillingham Anchorians. Sadly Crawley’s losing run continued this time at home to Maidstone. Bromley are well clear at the top of the table.

In the big Sussex 1 game East Grinstead left Uckfield with the spoils but this was no walk in the park. Final score 19-21. In the other games Hove II cried off again, Hellingly lost heavily to Lewes and Eastbourne beat Burgess Hill in a high scoring game.

In Kent 1 Hastings & Bexhill beat Brockleains by 92-0. Wow! In Hampshire Premier Bognor scraped past Gosport & Farnham.

Up in London 1 South Horsham beat London Irish Wild Geese and now sit in 8th spot. Camberley beat London Welsh to move to within one point of table topping Welsh. Chichester didn’t play and now have two games in hand over the clubs around them.

The Premier Inn table now shows Sevenoaks in 2nd spot after what looks a comfortable win at Brighton. Tunbridge Wells suffered another defeat this time over at Sutton & Epsom. Hertford top this one with only the hapless CS Stags keeping Tunbridge Wells off the bottom. Brighton are now down to 12th

In the rarefied National Leagues Worthing came home from Rochford Hundred with a fine win. No such luck for TJs who were roundly beaten by Cinderford.

Three other results of note. Leeds Tykes lost to Sale FC, Bridgnorth won at Dudley Kingswinford and Salisbury lost at Wimborne.

Elsewhere the Sale v Leicester game was a game of two halves. Sale certainly put on a show in the second 40 minutes. Good game. Wasps beat Saracens, a game that I will catch up on tomorrow probably.

In other sport the Super Bowl will be contested between the Bengals and the Rams.

Rafa Nadal and Ash Barty won their respective Australian open matches.

England lost the T20 decider in what was an entertaining contest.

Attention now turns to the 6 Nations. More on this tomorrow.

Lots more guff in the papers about partygate. Yawn. Saved Javid bites the bullet and scraps the mandatory jab for NHS staff. I know opinions are divided on this subject but I think it makes sense.

Sunday 30th Jan: 09:35

What a splendid day at the club yesterday and not just because of the result. Actually things kicked off during the week with Drew our Head Groundsman and his elves getting the pitches into a superb condition. Next up came the wonderful Damper and the Friday Club who created a significant number of extra parking spots and got the place looking neat and tidy for our guests.

The pre-match lunch was excellent with the club looking a picture. Well done Jacqui, Louise and staff and of course Judith for the raffle. A splendid intro to the main event; Crowborough v Ashford.

This turned out to be a cracking contest played at speed with a high degree of skill at times despite the very blustery conditions. As has been the case pretty much all season we gave our visitors an early lead conceding unnecessary penalties in kickable positions. We were galvanised into action with backs and forwards playing some excellent rugby. Tommy Kent back from a long spell out with injury led the charge with Dave Bennett, Andy Kidd and Andrew Orchard often in support.

It wasn’t all Crowborough as Ashford belying their lowly league position played some excellent rugby too. Our defence remained solid with Ollie Clinch, Callum Main and captain Alex Purnell all putting in bone crunching tackles. The game ebbed and flowed but it was us who were on top and when we got it right it we served up some impressive free running rugby. Newbie Tom Simmonds came on at outside half and instantly made an impression. His excellent decision making; passing and kicking when it was right to do so kept us on the front foot. Ashford’s defence was equally robust which kept the scoreboard static for long periods.

As the game approached the final whistle we could not put the icing on the cake with a try bonus point. In fact it was Ashford who played the better rugby during the closing stages as they were desperate to get at least a losing bonus point for their efforts. It wasn’t to be and the game finished 25-13. With other results going our way we move up into 7th place.

I’ll do a full league round up tomorrow and The Bard will be posting the match report shortly.

A few postscripts. Firstly a negative. Whilst we played some amazing rugby our penalty count is totally unacceptable. We have to improve our discipline in the contact area. Our defensive tackling is excellent so let the opposition have the ball and defend across the park. The second point is much more positive in that yesterday’s referee Nick Edmonds was excellent. He kept the game moving. He whistled when he had to but was thoughtful with his decision making which allowed the game to flow when advantage was the best option. It came as no surprise that he had played at a good level so was empathetic from start to finish, He was also full of praise for both teams but also the whole Crowborough RFC experience. Well done CRFC.

Just a couple of comments about the Premiership and URC. Whilst it wasn’t a classic Bath v Quins was entertaining stuff on Friday. Bath at last have a “W” on the board and thoroughly deserved it in the end. Early on it was the same old Bath but eventually they got the upper hand especially as Quins were without their international contingent.

Last night I watched Newcastle v Gloucester game and was pretty impressed with how Gloucester played. They really have turned a corner from last season when they were pretty ordinary at best. London Irish beating Exeter is the lead story on most rugby pages. Cardiff beat a 2nd string Leinster and Ospreys beat a 2nd string Edinburgh, both the losing teams supplying a substantial number of players to their respective international squads.

Sale v Leicester this afternoon but Wasps v Saracens could be the game of the weekend. I’ll pick up the highlights of that one.

In other sport the T20 cricket from Barbados was entertaining with England levelling the series making tonight’s contest a decider. It seems the women’s Ashes series served up a classic yesterday with England hanging on for a draw when at one point they were cruising to an improbable win.

The NFL should be good tonight with the Bengals at Kansas City and San Francisco at the Rams. The big story is the imminent retirement of NFL legend Tom Brady. An all-time Hall of Famer without question.

OK that’ll do except to say it is a disgrace that the Sue Gray report is delayed and the Met Police are now involved. The Met should be fighting real crime including the knife crime epidemic plaguing London and stop interfering with political process. The Gray report should be enough to clear or more likely damn Boris so get on with it.

Thursday 27th Jan: 09:10

Absolutely no-one is happy that Owen Farrell’s ankle injury will keep him out of the game for several weeks. On the other hand it might prove to be a blessing in disguise for England. Eddie Jones will have to find a new centre partnership to play outside Marcus Smith and find a new captain. Courtney Lawes is the obvious choice to lead but he is doubtful. Maro Itoje might find himself in that role as a result. The centre partnership is the interesting challenge. Henry Slade will be one and I would go with Luke Northmore who has been in fine form for Quins. Joe Marchant is the other option but I’d have him on the wing. The Exeter mob will be baying for Jack Nowell at this point. Not for me however.

I think Chris Foy has gone a bit over the top when he says England 6 Nations hopes are in turmoil with a third of the team missing. Yes there are plenty of players absent but some are out of form anyway and as an objective observer I think it is a good thing. Jones will be forced to think differently. He won’t be able to fall back on the tried and tested, he will have to be bold with his selection which if the conversations I hear on a Friday are anything to go by that is what the fans want.

I’m thinking April Fools has come early when I read Alun Wyn Jones might play some part in the 6 Nations. It has to be some form of psychological motivation by Wayne Pivac to inspire the others to rise to the task ahead.

Ireland might be without Ian Henderson which on one hand will be a blow but Ireland have such strength in depth now it won’t trouble Andy Farrell for too long.

One other piece of news is Leeds Tykes DoR is heading to World Rugby as Director of Rugby. That is a substantial leap. He will oversee the growth & development of the game on & off the field “whilst helping to ensure welfare continues to be at the heart of World Rugby’s law review process”.

What is happening locally. You know about us hosting Ashford. Kick off 14:00. It will be another tough day for the boys but I am sure they can rise to the occasion…. Again!

Here are a few of the key fixtures from around the leagues. Starting with ours Folkestone take the short trip to Thanet who have been in good form of late. Beccehamian host Dartfordians. That won’t be easy for the home side. At the other end of the table Gravesend welcome Old Alleynians and Old Colfs take on our friends Charlton Park. The final game sees D&B take on Beckenham.

Elsewhere Hove travel to Twickenham, H&WRFC will expect to beat Southwark Lancers, Pulborough welcome Gillingham As and Crawley host Maidstone. Crawley could win that one. In Sussex 1 Uckfield v East Grinstead is the game of day. Hellingly v Lewes could be close, as could Eastbourne against Burgess Hill. Of the other Sussex clubs Hastings & Bexhill play Brockleians and Bognor travel to Gosport & Farnham

As we go up through the leagues we find Horsham v London Irish Wild Geese. Chichester have the day off. Without doubt Brighton v Sevenoaks is worthy of note. That should be a cracker. Tunbridge Wells are at Sutton & Epsom. Worthing go to face Rochford Hundred (and I thought it was just 15-a-side game). TJs travel to Cinderford who are riding high in the table. In essence plenty of rugby for the locals to get their teeth into.

Before looking at other sport I must mention our 2nd XV are due to be playing Midhurst at Steel Cross. Great news. On Sunday the Colts host Lewes, that’ll be tough, the 14s welcome Heathfield & Waldron and 12s travel to Lewes. Good luck to all of them.

The cricket was pretty good last night but England fell away when it really counted. Rovman Powell scoring 107 off 53 balls was something to behold.

The report into the Downing St / Whitehall party scene should come out today and as a consequence it is possible Boris will have no choice but to go. In my mind the news about evacuating dogs from Afghanistan in the midst of that nightmare and allegedly lying about it is the straw that will break the camels back. The problem is who will replace him. They’re all out for themselves and heaven help us if we have an election and that most uninspiring of limp lettuces Starmer were to get in. Is it time for us to try a government of national unity? Get the very best from across the political scene and see what they can do. I guess their all on the gravy train so what difference would it make. Perhaps Corowborough’s fabled Friday Club should take charge.

Talking of which back on Sunday but watch this space for any late announcements regarding the games ahead.

Wednesday 26th Jan: 09:15

Brighton was a hive of activity last night with a fire at the England hotel causing them to be relocated. On top of that England have suffered another blow with Joe Marler, who has been in fine form for Harlequins, testing positive, again, for covid. This could mean he will miss the opener in Scotland in ten days time. Yes the 6 Nations is that close.

As an aside the RFU spent millions on a state of the art training facility with full accommodation options. Why isn’t it being used?

Covid has also caused a disruption to the Welsh preparations with the promising young Exeter player Christ Tshiunza testing positive. It was a good bet he would have been on the bench for Wales opener in Dublin.

I know I have taken a stance on Covid that has irritated many so my question might be considered naive but why on earth are we continuing to mass test the population and in particular why are top flight sports teams still being tested almost hourly. It is madness. With the vast majority now vaccinated it simply doesn’t make any sense.

Rugby is slowly but surely going down the same awful road as soccer with coaches being sacked half way through a season because the results are not what the owner wants. Manchester City and Chelsea have proved you can buy success but it takes a huge amount of cash. Rugby doesn’t have that amount of cash thank goodness and with the salary cap you simply can’t buy every superstar on the planet. Someone has to lose. Jonathan Thomas has been removed from his role at Worcester Warriors and replaced by Steve Diamond. Diamond will take complete charge when Alan Solomons retires at the end of the season. Diamond is an abrasive character and no stranger to the naughty step at Twickenham but he did do a good job at Sale and Worcester do have a fine crop of young talent. There are question marks about how Diamond operates off the field but that is something I will not go in to.

For those who don’t follow Bath but follow England might be interested to read the piece in the Daily Fail about Orlando Bailey. He is in the England squad, primarily for the experience but with injuries and covid who knows.

Wales are getting their excuses in early with Thomas Francis suggesting Wales are relishing their underdog status. Basically when Wales get hammered in Dublin on Feb 5th it is because of the injury ravaged squad. Yep, I can buy into that with my red tinted glasses on.

The Leinster v Connacht Champions Cup game will be moved to the Aviva to accommodate a much bigger audience. This like most of the last 16 games looks a cracker, especially as Connacht are no longer the poor relation in the Irish set-up.

Nothing really leaps out from Saturday’s Premiership fixtures but it will be interesting to see if Mr Diamond can spring an early surprise with a win at home over Northampton. In the URC Connacht v Glasgow would normally be tasty but this will be a second string Glasgow outfit as most of their first choice players are with Scotland.

I will draw your attention to Scottish National 1 where Cartha Queens Park play Biggar. I have very fond memories of playing CQP whilst on tour in the 80s. God, that makes me feel old!

Those regulars at The Stoop will be delighted Tyrone Green has extended his contract with the club. As an objective observer some of his defensive work can be less than perfect but he is amazing with ball in hand.

In other sport England play the 3rd of four T20s in Barbados tonight. Might watch that.

The tennis continues but I’m fairly ambivalent about that.

Newport County won again and go into the top three in League Two.

The Middlesex Cricket Chairman bumbled his way through a grilling during a parliamentary hearing yesterday. What is sad is in MY opinion there is a degree of validity to the point he was making. There is ethnic bias when it comes to preferred sport and we need to recognise that. By doing so we should be able to find the trigger to get more people from the broadest possible range of backgrounds into sport across the board.

Another day of Boris baiting. His only supporter seems to be Jacob Rees-Mogg and his silver spoon upbringing means he represents 0.00000001% of the population me thinks.

Oh, and at last people are coming out of the woodwork to state what some of us have been saying for some time. That is we were led down the garden path by dodgy data and dodgy scientists. I like the quote “never before has so much harm been done to so many by so few ….. based on dodgy data”. Of course it was Prof Ferguson they used as the perfect example.

Tuesday 25th Jan: 11:20

Sorry for the delay. A slight technical hitch with the website

So, how was the journey to Bridgnorth? Remarkably free flowing. Despite the insistence that WFH was over the M25, M40 and M5 were all pretty quiet. Was quite surprised to see fuel was even more expensive in Bridgnorth than in Crowborough BUT the excellent news was the beer is 50p a pint cheaper. Hoorah for that.

Anyway I am sure you not vaguely interested in any of that so lets look at a few of the rugby headlines. Johnny May is out of the England squad and Courtney Lawes is a serious doubt. For what it is worth I wouldn’t pick the out of form May anyway as Max Malins and Joe Marchant are way ahead of him in terms of form right now. Lawes absence would be a blow. He can be a liability but since the Lions he has been a tower of strength at inconsistent Northampton Saints. Elliot Daly and Nick Isiekwe have been called into the squad as replacements. With both Farrell and Lawes absent Maro Itoje could find himself thrust into the limelight as captain. Not a bad call in my opinion.

Nathan Hughes who has been surplus to requirements at Bristol of late is heading to Bath on a short term deal. Not a bad move for both him and Bath.

One piece of good news: Thomas Young has been released from hospital after what looked a very serious head injury sustained in the contest with Munster. Youngs heads to Wales to join his old man at Cardiff next season.

Jamie Roberts is leaving the Dragons early. He hasn’t played that frequently but when he has he has made a very positive impact. He is off to Sydney where his Australian partner is expecting their second child. He will link up with the Waratahs for the Super Rugby season. He must be coming to the end of his rugby career and I’m sure as a qualified doctor the Aussies will snap him up for their health service.

A couple of stories out of the Emerald Isle. Firstly Josh van der Flier is a doubt for the 6 Nations opener. He has been in fine form and will be missed. That said Ireland have amazing strength in depth. The second story is found in The Irish Times where Owen Doyle is particularly critical of referee Mike Adamson. The headline reads: “Adamson altered the outcome in Castres controversial defeat”. Couldn’t agree more.

Hidden away in The Guardian is where we find out that Antoine Dupont has been named the rugby writers personality of the year. Personality? Player of the year? Absolutely.

Crowborough v Ashford is Saturday’s offering at Steel Cross. The game at their place in my opinion was Crowborough’s lowest point of the season. They weren’t that great, we were terrible, the refereeing was poor and the antics of some on the side was disappointing, including some from the ‘Borough I’m embarrassed to say. Fingers crossed for a much better game this time around. Kick off 14:00 and yes there is a lunch pre-match. Contact Louise.

Domestic rugby is back with Bath v Harlequins on Friday. Could be another evening of watching Bath standing behind their posts watching kicks at goal after a plethora of tries……. But who knows. Dragons v Benetton and Ulster v Scarlets are the United Reform Church offering. You’ll have to wait until Sunday for the pick of the weekend but I’ll look at those tomorrow.

England have redeemed themselves with a one run win in the second T20 in Barbados.

The Australian open continues. With local favourite Ash Barty doing well no-one is missing Djokovic.

A grim story coming out of the Africa Cup of Nations with at least eight people killed in a crush at Cameroon stadium. The BBC carries the story but in essence Covid restrictions meant a reduced capacity but clearly the locals were going to ignore that. The scramble to get in caused the fatal crush. Terrible news.

The clock is ticking down to leaving day. That is the day Boris will be leaving office as Prime Minister. If the latest partygate revelations are true I cannot see how even the most sychophantic of acolytes can support the notion of him staying on.

The tension on the Ukraine borders continues to rise to worrying levels. There is plenty of sabre rattling and hopefully plenty of diplomacy but I fear Putin will simply stroll into the country and take what he wants with impunity.

The chickens are finally coming home to roost. Lord Agnew, Lords Treasury Minister quits as a result of the “indolence, arrogance and ignorance that has allowed covid fraud to cost the equivalent of 1p on income tax”. What have been I saying about dodgy deals throughout this mess?

Finally my grandson has been playing with his Lego. Not sure about the backs alignment but he is loving the game and really enjoying junior rugby at Salisbury RFC. A very well run club very reminiscent of Crowborough RFC.

Monday 24th Jan: 09:30

We stay in 9th spot after our hard earned win over Folkestone. We are closing in on the teams above us but with the vagaries of this league that means little. Next week we host Ashford who stay in 11th after losing to Beccehamian, but not by many. That will be another bruising encounter. Beckenham v Old Colfeians was abandoned. As of yet I don’t know why but fingers crossed it wasn’t for a serious injury. As a consequence Gravesend go back to the top after their 43-8 win over Deal & Betteshanger. Old Alleynians lost at home to Dartfordians as did our good friends Charlton Park to Thanet Wanderers. Still much to play for.

In the 2 South West version of the league Hove were second best to Reeds Weybridge losing 17-55.

Back over to the South East and our friends The Greenies. They travelled home from Gillingham Anchorians with a 17-15 win in the bag. Not such a good day for Pulborough who lost at Aylesford Bulls nor Crawley who were downed at home by Vigo. Bromley continue to storm ahead and are now 10 points clear with a game in hand.

In Sussex 1 Lewes lost to table topping East Grinstead, sadly Hove II pulled the plug again leaving Uckfield with a HWO, Burgess Hill lost by a point to visiting Seaford and Eastbourne came home from Hellingly with the spoils.

For the record Bognor lost to Havant II

Up in London 1 South Chichester’s game at KCS Old Boys was postponed. Horsham beat bottom placed London Cornish 27-20.

Further on up in the Premier Division another disappointing day for Tunbridge Wells losing at home to Maidenhead 14-45. Sevenoaks on the other hand scored a fine 33-10 win over Sidcup and are now 2nd in the table. Brighton didn’t fare as well losing at Sutton & Epsom.

With TJs resting all eyes were on Worthing in the National Leagues. A fine 31-7 over Old Albanians for them. By the way in National 1 Leeds Tykes beat Rams. Hoorah for that!

The European games produced some remarkable rugby and some tremendous games. I’ll certainly be catching up on all the highlights. I understand Ulster v Clermont was a cracker. Stade v Connacht was another that produced fireworks and sadly some outrageous referee abuse. Yesterday Munster put Wasps in their place and Sale eventually strolled past a very much weakened Ospreys outfit. Montpellier did what they had to do against Exeter and looked mighty impressive too. How can Eddie Jones not select Sam Simmonds. Another amazing performance yesterday albeit on the losing side.

Whilst the initial format has been criticised and is somewhat complicated it has thrown up some excellent ties in the round of 16. They all look tasty but the Paris derby and Exeter v Munster leap off the page. We’ll have to wait until April for these however. The BBC Sports website carries an excellent summary of what happened and what’s next.

Next week the Premiership and the URC returns but more on this later in the week.

Attention now turns to the build up to the 6 Nations. The big story but actually for many is the good news is Owen Farrell being forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury. Nobody is happy Farrell is injured but many of the Red Rose loving rugby aficionados want to see a young and exciting new look England with Marcus Smith at 10. George Ford has been recalled as a consequence of Farrell’s injury.

Looking at the European results and thinking back to the Autumn Internationals France have to start as favourites but Ireland will be there or there abouts. The performances from all four Irish provincial sides has been superb with all of them making the last 16 of the Champions Cup. You never can be sure about England and they are always the team everyone else wants to beat. The squad looks the best it has for some time and if the youngsters are given a decent chance and not just thrown on at the end for show England could be in the hunt for top spot. Forget Wales, this will be a tournament of testing out the depth of the squad. Scotland will be the team to watch. They could sink England’s hopes in week one. Only time will tell.

Lots of guff in the news today but there is only one story to keep an eye on and that is Ukraine. I am a natural pessimist but the Russians massing on the Ukrainian border is of huge concern. We should all be worried.

Back tomorrow when I can give you a rundown on how the journey to Bridgnorth went. At the moment the roads look busy, busy, busy!

Sunday 23rd Jan: 09:45

A slightly slow start this morning (sorry Steve) as last night’s evening with my mate Mal Bec was particularly good. Anyone who was at Steel Cross yesterday supporting Crowborough would have found it a “hard watch”. Without doubt a Curate’s Egg of a game. Very good in parts and pretty poor in others. On top of that it was a game punctuated way too often by the referee’s whistle.

Folkestone would be quite justified in questioning on the journey home how they didn’t win. In the first half they looked like a table topping side and definitely not a side adrift at the foot of the table. They played some excellent rugby tearing Crowborough open like they were a cheap paper bag. We were on the back foot for long periods and behind on the scoreboard for equally long periods. The magnificent defence of last week was missing but sadly the penalty count was still there in abundance. An Andrew Orchard try brightened proceedings and kept us in touch.

I am not sure what Dan, Stuart and Stuart said at half time but the team was transformed. Passes started to stick, decision making was much improved and the kicking was more productive. We were still far from perfect but at least we had our fair share of ball and used it productively. Andy Walters scored a wonderful solo effort, a penalty try helped and a push over try gave us the bonus point.

Folkestone weren’t done as they continued to put us under pressure but we managed to cling on for the all important win, and five points to boot. We stay in 9th but Beccehamian do have a game in hand on us.

On the positive side of the balance sheet the team spirit is excellent, they have discovered how to win and defensively (in the second half) were very good. On the debit side our penalty count is unacceptable, we need to do the basics better and stop trying to get the miracle pass away. Oh, and the tactical kicking needs to be exactly that and not a panic measure. A win is a win and on balance the scoreline was about right.

As a footnote it must be said Folkestone were not helped by injuries to key players as the game developed. Also whilst on the losing side I thought William Abel at outside half was man of the match. The Bard is back so if you want the finer detail it is on the website.

Our 2s were at Crawley yesterday but came away with a loss. The good news is we managed to get a second XV out which is something we have struggled with pre and post-Xmas.

I’ll do the full round-up of the local games tomorrow as normal. I watched the Harlequins v Castres game on Friday. A good game but I for one think Castres were robbed by questionable refereeing decisions. I am sure the Quins faithful would say differently.

Bath were given a lessen by Leinster yesterday. Some of the Irish play was magnificent and most sides would have struggled to keep them at bay. It was a stronger Leinster side than I expected which reinforces the point that Ireland must be strong contenders to lift the 6 Nations trophy.

Despite the scoreline the Scarlets v Bristol contest was another packed with exciting and dynamic rugby. For 60 minutes Scarlets were in it and playing some great stuff. Bristol however finally got into top gear and tore Scarlets apart during that final quarter.

Several cracking games this afternoon. Sale v Ospreys and Munster v Wasps are my picks.

What a shambles. England T20 defeat to West Indies. We watched England’s abject performance before realising Mal had got the better of us. Looking at how the WIndies knocked off the 104 runs for one wicket in 17 overs I am glad bed was the option.

In the NFL the Bengals and 49ers progress. Two more play-off games tonight, if bed doesn’t beckon, which it surely will as we are spending lunchtime and the afternoon with Rose!!

Ok, that’ll do for now except to say keep your eye on the Ukraine situation. If Putin invades then the Covid pandemic will start to look no more than a heavy cold. Boris could be gone by the end of the week. Also gone by the end of the week could be mass testing of school kids and the requirement for NHS staff to be vaccinated. I would be delighted with the first and ok with the second. What isn’t going away is the pathetic wokery that is plaguing society. It is simply beyond my comprehension and it is without doubt leading us toward a very, very beige and uninteresting society.

Thursday 20th Jan: 09:50

Both Scotland and Ireland have now announced their 6 Nations squads. The Irish squad in particular looks packed with talent but also experience. There is also a sprinkling of as yet untested youth. Gregor Townsend has included a number of uncapped players and whilst a lot of the names will be unknown to you it looks a well balanced group. It might be early to be predicting the outcome but France must start as tournament favourites. Ireland will be strong challengers. Scotland will again be my dark horse. As for England who knows. With the resources and funds available to Eddie Jones they should win every season. Wales will struggle and you know where Italy will finish.

Looking ahead to Saturday we host Folkestone. They have had a very tough season, even tougher than ours; they sit at the foot of the table. We will be without a number of key players so this is absolutely not a foregone conclusion. In fact I fear the opposite. Kick off is 14:00. Oh, and by the way, Jacqui is doing a family style lunch for £7. A jacket potato with a choice of fillings plus a cake. Let Louise know if you are planning on going along.

There are some interesting match-ups in our league with Ashford facing Beccehamian. Can Ashford do us a favour? Old Colfeians travel to Beckenham. That won’t be easy. Our friends Charlton Park host Thanet Wanderers. Gravesend host Deal & Betteshanger and the game of the day could be Old Alleynians v Dartfordians.

Looking at the challenges Sussex clubs face H&WRFC are at Gillingham, Crawley host Vigo and Pulborough travel to Aylesford. Elsewhere Hove host Reeds Weybridge, Bognor are at Havant II and Hastings & Bexhill are resting darling.

Four matches, we hope, in Sussex 1: Lewes v East Grinstead, Burgess Hill v Seaford, Hellingly v Eastbourne and Uckfield v Hove II.

Finally above us is where we find Horsham v London Cornish and Chichester at KCS Old Boys. It could be a good day for the “local” clubs in the Premier with Sevenoaks hosting Sidcup, The Wells facing Maidenhead and Brighton travelling to Sutton & Epsom. Finally Worthing welcome Old Albanians. TJs are resting this weekend.

The final round of the pool stages in Europe sees Halrequins v Castres on Friday evening. I like the look of Ulster v Clermont on Saturday but my game of the day is Scarlets v Bristol. I don’t expect Scarlets to worry Bristol but both sides play with aplomb so this could be an entertaining encounter. Leinster have already qualified so do Bath have a chance in their match-up? No! Right now Leinster 3rd XV could trouble Bath I think. (Sorry Damps. Harsh but probably true). Plenty of great contests on Sunday but I’ll look at them on Sunday morning.

On this gloriously sunny morning someone at Premiership Rugby has woken up, smelt the coffee and done a deal that is good for our game. From next weekend ITV will show four games live during the season plus the final and will air a weekly round-up show. It is better than the nothing we have now.

Andy Bull in The Guardian hits the nail on the head in MY opinion when he writes “Eddie Jones has pushed his affinity with an out of form Owen Farrell too far”. There will be howls of derision from the Fez Haeds but I think he is spot on.

The Mighty Foxes are back to their most generous by gift wrapping three goals, two of them in the 90 something minute. If you support Leicester City you can expect nothing less.

The tennis continues with Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu playing right now.

The Women’s Ashes is under way and in my mind will make much, much better viewing than the men’s version.

Finally from the sports pages the contest between Boris and all-comers continues unabated.

The crossing of the floor yesterday by Christian Wakeford was a disgrace. Not because he was disillusioned with his erstwhile leader but because it is an act of cowardice and self preservation. If you are that disillusioned then resign and force a by-election and stand properly for the opposition where it matters, at the ballot box.

Are we finally to be freed from tyranny as Boris mandates WFH is over, masks are off and vaccine passports assigned to the drawer where you keep all those old charging cables and batteries.

On this beautifully crisp winter’s day suck in he clean crisp air, unless you live in London, and don’t let what is happening on the borders of Ukraine worry you. It is VERY MUCH something to worry about but perhaps not today.

Wednesday 19th Jan: 09:25

It is becoming increasingly clear that Owen Farrell obviously has some hold over Eddie Jones because as expected he is included in the 36 man training squad ahead of the 6 Nations, and as captain. Matt Dawson writing for the BBC says “I struggle to see where he fits in”. Yep, nor do I. Chris Foy in the Fail takes a different tack but his sentiment is the same. He believes the best fly half in England right now, George Ford, has been excluded and making matters worse is the selection of uncapped Orlando Bailey ahead of him.

On the positive side of the commentary both Sir Knowitall and the excellent Robert Kitson applaud the culling of some of the old guard and being bold with the inclusion of several in form young guns. Alfie Barbeary, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Olllie Chessum, Tommy Freeman and Luke Northmore are all uncapped and included alongside Bailey. Saracens trio the Vunipolas and Elliot Daly all miss out, this despite the Vunipolas being in good form for their club.

The general consensus is this is an exciting looking England squad with a good balance of youthful exuberance and experienced old heads. My fear for those who follow the Red Rose, based on what we saw in the autumn internationals, is Jones will field very tried and tested match day squads rather than being bold and throwing the youngsters into the fray. This is his golden opportunity as next autumn and 2023 Six Nations will be the time to hone is squad to perfection ahead of the World Cup.

No real surprises in the Welsh squad. Wayne Pivac has basically picked who is fit. The list of top flight players currently unavailable is almost as long as the squad itself. Dan Biggar has been chosen to captain the squad. He is in good form at the moment but even with all his experience he can still be irritatingly petulant. Adam Beard is the nominated vice captain. That is not a bad shout, especially as he came back from The Lions series with his reputation enhanced. Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and James Ratti are the uncapped players who Pivac has included.

Despite the injuries Wales will still be able to field a very strong match day 23 with bags of experience and plenty of players in fine form. Will they be strong enough however to compete against a brilliant French outfit, a resurgent Scottish squad, a winning Irish outfit and of course Jones’ England squad. That I am afraid is the $64,000 question with the answer possibly being “no!” The Welsh regions are bottom of the pile in the European stakes as an indicator of the challenges to come.

One byline is to congratulate Alex Cuthbert for his return to form and the bold decision to move from Exeter back to Wales. His inclusion in the squad could be short lived as his high tackle in the game for the Ospreys against Racing 92 has piqued the interest of the citing commissioner.

It seems the Irish government will follow the example of the Welsh and Scottish autocrats and open up the Aviva Stadium in time for the tournament’s opening stanza.

Cardiff’s Ollie Robinson is heading to Leicester on loan. Ulster’s Jacob Stockdale’s only destination is the rehab table. His ankle injury is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season.

Talking of which I have seen the x-ray of our Will Creasy’s dislocated elbow. Four to six months before he is back.

In other sport Leicester City host Spurs tonight at the King Power. In the absence of anything else I might just watch that. The Australian tennis open continues today.

Talking of which I have been sent a press release: In a shock move the English Cricket Board have announced tennis world No.1 Novak Djokovic as temporary batting coach. The statement says “we acknowledge he doesn’t have a background in our sport but we couldn’t overlook the fact it took the Australians two weeks to get him out”

Across the papers it could be D-day for Boris. The siren call for him to go is almost deafening.

The pictures coming out of Tonga show the incredible devastation the island nation has endured.

Finally my words of the last 24 months are being stated by others. Dodgy data, dodgy predictions from dodgy scientists took this country down a road we didn’t need to go down. The waiting list for non covid related ailments is now above 6m and getting worse. People are dying as a consequence. I could go on but I wont.

Back tomorrow with a look ahead to Crowborough v Folkestone and all the other weekend’s important games.

Tuesday 18th Jan: 10:00

I’ve got to start at Steel Cross and junior rugby. Our 12s, 14s, 16s and Colts all played on Sunday with the 16s winning at Eastbourne, 12s winning at East Grinstead, both quite comfortably but in all honesty the result doesn’t matter. Did both teams have a good time with their mates? Yes! I don’t know the 14s result from Lewes.

The Colts scored a fine 42-19 win over Brighton at Steel Cross. This is a great result over a team whose seniors play two leagues above us. I am told the boys played some great rugby, especially in the first half. We now have a squad big enough that allows plenty of rotation and equal game time for all. Despite a big half time lead Brighton came back in the second half and put us under some pressure. Yes at Colts level winning is important. Life is a competition and you’d better start getting used to it. However, for me, the best comment is found here: “a good atmosphere between the teams and the game played in a great spirit”. That is what our great game should be about.

Not a great deal in the rugby pages other than reviews of the weekend’s games. The build up to the 6 Nations starts and a couple of stories did catch the eye.

Eddie Jones has been given the green light to select a 36 man squad for the period of the tournament, and he has been told he can select unvaccinated players despite the fact neither Italy nor France will allow them to participate. Henry Slade is the most high profile vaccination sceptic. With England declaring they previously reached the 85% threshold there might be more.

The second piece of note indicates despite having been injured and only returning to play this coming weekend Owen Farrell will be selected in the squad, and as captain. With Marcus Smith on fire and George Ford not far behind I find it bizarre that Farrell is Jones go to man. Many a wag has said perhaps it is because Farrell is the equivalent of Dominic Cummings and has a dodgy dossier on Jones. As I said previously right now I’d stick my neck out and play Harry Randall at 9 with Marcus Smith at 10. A bold selection but if your objective is to lift the RWC in 2023 the bold moves are required.

The other story of note is the terrible devastation of Tonga following the eruption of the volcano. It is not yet known what the death toll might be but it is sure to be high. Several high profile former All Blacks, including Malakei Fekitoa, who are Tongan have launched fundraisers to help those who have survived what surely will be serious damage to homes and infrastructure.

Tomorrow I will bring you news of the Welsh squad which Wayne Pivac announces later this morning. Who will replace Alun Wyn as captain? My money is on Ellis Jenkins but then again what do I know. It is brilliant Comrade Drakeford has graciously allowed full stadiums but the WRU are now faced with a race against time trying to sell all the tickets.

What else is in the sports pages. Andy Murray gets through the first round of the Australian open. Rafa Benitez is giving the Evertonian order of the boot. The England cricket team despite being abject failures were booted out of a Aussie bar in the early hours following a raucous drinking session. The LA Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals to progress to the next round of the NFL play-offs.

In other news Boris is under increasing pressure with clear and unequivocal statements that he has lied. Not bent the truth or twisted the facts, out and out lied.

Prince Harry is turning into a spoilt brat who thinks he deserves special treatment despite treating Her Majesty and the rest of the royal family with distain.

The BBC is under serious threat with the Rottweiler Nadine cutting their budget and putting them on notice. The BBC has increasingly become left leaning but in my opinion and more important wasteful and profligate with taxpayer funds. Too many overinflated egos and too many overpaid nonentities.

Has covid finally turned a corner. Cases are dropping, numbers in ICU are falling and are even below pre-Omicron. There are a high number in hospital who have tested positive but this is dropping and please remember many are in hospital for other reasons only tested positive after admission. Oh, and surprise, surprise, the drop in cases coincides with a drop in testing. I say again STOP MASS TESTING.

I have scoured the papers for a good news story but couldn’t find one. I will compound the misery therefore by saying I’ll be back tomorrow.

Monday 17th Jan: 08:20

Our win on Saturday takes up one place into 9th. The caveat is that Beccehamian’s game against Folkestone was postponed. Beccs therefore have a game in hand over us. Ashford losing at Dartfordians puts some distance between us and them. Old Colfeians go top after beating Gravesend 13-7. Beckenham are still in the hunt for top spot after their win at Thanet Wanderers. In the other game in our league Deal & Betteshanger lost to Old Alleynians. There is still much to play for and if we can replicate the form from Saturday and tighten up on discipline we shouldn’t fear anyone.

In London 2 South West Hove lost at Chobham. They remain in 8th in this 10 team league. They have played more games than the anyone else to compound the challenge.

In London 3 South East it was a good day for Heathfield & Waldron narrowly beating high flying Aylesford Bulls. Not such a good day for Pulborough losing at Old Dunstonians. As expected Crawley lost at Dover but by a smaller margin than many would have expected. Bromley stay top.
Vigo beating Maidstone 55-3 stands out.

It is disappointing to see East Grinstead with HWO against their name. Hove II crying off this time. Uckfield beat Burgess Hill, Eastbourne beat Lewes and Seaford lost to Hellingly in the other games.

As we head up towards London 1 South can I mention Hastings & Bexhill losing at home to Park House and Bognor strolling past Millbrook in their respective leagues. Horsham put up a decent fight at table topping London Welsh losing 38-26. Chichester on the other hand had a bad day at the office losing 7-55 to 2nd place Camberley. Out of interest our friends at Medway beat Hammersmith & Fulham to stay 3rd.

The result of the day is found in London Premier with Tunbridge Wells coming away from Brighton with a 23-25 win. I hadn’t expected that so very well done to the boys from St Marks Recreation Ground. A much easier day for Sevenoaks coming home from Havant with a 41-24 win in their pocket. Dorking continue to top this table.

In National 1 TJs suffered a big defeat losing at Sale FC 66-10. A long way to go to be beaten quite so soundly. In National 2 South Worthing beat Canterbury and sit nicely in 4th in this very competitive league.

Rounding things off Stourbridge beat Chester, Bridgnorth won by a point at Burton and stay top and Salisbury won at Swindon College OBs and stay 2nd but with a game in hand.

Going back to our result it was no less than the boys deserved. I have said over and over, except for a couple of occasions, we have played some good rugby and should be higher up the league. On Saturday we had luck go with us but we were worthy winners. Our defence was magnificent. Some of the tackles were bone crunching. Well done boys.

Some of the European stuff over the weekend was excellent. Leinster v Montpellier became a training exercise for the Irish province. Saints v Ulster was pretty good as was Clermont v Sale rounding the weekend off. Much to play for next weekend and with the world now getting back to some semblance of normality it should be cracking weekend of rugby. Remember we are AT HOME to Folkestone on Saturday and not away as per the fixture list.

The 6 Nations beckons so next week’s European games is another opportunity for players to strut their stuff in front of their respective coaches. Wasps Alfie Barbeary is one who has moved to front and centre in the selection shop window.

Not much else in the rugby pages so lets look at other sports.
Cricket. Moving swiftly on….. a bit like England’s batsmen. Don’t bother shaking it all about it is just “in” then “out!”
The NFL play-offs continue with wins for Kansas City, San Francisco and Tampa Bay.
Yes the Australian Open has started today minus one Novax Djokovic.

In other news little has changed so I’m off to prepare for the arrival my granddaughter. Back tomorrow hopefully with news on how our Colts did on Sunday.

Sunday 16th Jan: 10:45

Good morning. Sorry for the lateness but the match report took precedence. This can be found in the news section. The brief précis would state it was a great game with Crowborough justifiably running out winners. The 20-18 scoreline was an accurate reflection of the balance of play. I must say having a large contingent of our friends from Charlton Park present added to the thoroughly enjoyable, good spirited game and afternoon. One massive downside is Will Creasy sustaining a dislocated elbow. He has been in fine form and will be missed. I must thank and congratulate Matt Botterman who was called into the side just that morning. He stepped up to the plate with some aplomb playing superbly throughout.

A couple of negative comments. Overall the referee had a very good game. Consistent and precise. However, not every scrum should result in a penalty. Yes we were under pressure in this department and yes we were going backwards but please let the game develop. The whistle strangely was often of little advantage to our guests. Letting the game flow would have been more advantageous.

It is truly annoying and frustrating when both sides clap and cheer every decision. Every turnover or collapsed scrum or penalty is greeted by players screeching like demented banshees. Stop it.

Finally as I was keeping notes for the match report I have to say I was totally bemused when the referee played an extra 10 minutes beyond what I was tracking as full time. Look, he had a good game otherwise, we won and many of the Park supporters I spoke to were happy to concede the better side won.

I’ll do a full round-up tomorrow.

What a cracking game in Cardiff on Friday night. Cardiff were excellent but Harlequins have a new found belief that means you never write them off. Marcus Smith is some player. Him and Harry Randall in tandem, now that would be something to see. Talking of Randall the Bristol v Stade game was throughly enjoyable too. If Eddie Jones goes with Youngs and Farrell in the 6 Nations he should be sacked. You have to go with the two youngsters. You are one year away from from the World Cup. Take a chance for heavens sake.

Haven’t seen the Wasps game yet but it is recorded. Exeter put Glasgow to the sword. This was Exeter back to their very best and Glasgow are good side. I am led to believe Leicester Tigers also showed why they are doing so well in the Premiership coming from an 18 point deficit to win at the death. Bath lost again but I understand that their second half performance showed the potential they have going forward.

Four cracking ties today starting with Montpellier v Leinster. Bordeaux Begles v Scarlets is interesting but the game of the day could be Northampton v Ulster. Only time will tell.

Elsewhere it is looking likely that England will suffer a fourth Ashes defeat. The NFL play-offs are underway with Bills stunning the Patriots. Football is being embarrassed by rows over postponed games. Serious allegations of flouting the rules that allows games to be postponed are flying around. Arsenal have played the “can’t field a team” card so the North London derby is off. Talking of off Djokovic is on his way back to Serbia. This has been an unedifying, poorly managed situation but I believe they have arrived at the right decision for the wrong reason. Forget all the guff about the vaccine and the threat to law and order. He lied on his visa application. If you watch Nothing to Declare about the Aussie Border Force any other mortal would have been out of the country before you can say “g’day mate” so lets move on.

Lots in the news to get excited about. Prince Harry demanding state funded protection when he flies in from the US. No my good friend. You use the money from all your commercial activities which must be netting you a small fortune.

Finally the paranoia around covid is giving way to common sense which should have prevailed from day one.

Partygate rumbles on. I cannot see how Boris can hang on. That said what are the alternatives.

Ok that’ll do. I have the vegetables to prepare. Roast lamb today with home made pickled red cabbage. Yummy.

Thursday 13th Jan: 09:30

What a beautiful way to start the morning, a bit of a lie in then throw back the curtains to see a clear blue sky and a wonderful sunrise. The sharp frost enhances the romantic feel. Bleater this a blog not a Barbara Cartland novel. Get on with it.

Ok, so we kick off on Saturday at 14:00. Despite what looks a slump in form Charlton Park will be no push over. The game at their place was a cracker so finger’s crossed for the same this weekend. With the weather set fair for a few days the pitch should be in cracking condition. Our 2s travel to Horsham.

In our league Folkestone travel to Beccehamian and Ashford to Dartfordians. Both tough fixtures for the two teams below us. The game of the day is definitely Old Colfeians v Gravesend with Thanet v Beckenham a close second.

Interesting set of fixtures in 3 South East with H&WRFC hosting Aylesford Bulls, Crawley travelling to Dover and Pulborough to Old Dunstonians.

Full set of fixtures in Sussex 1 this weekend. East Grinstead should coast past Hove II, Uckfield v Burgess Hill looks tasty as does Eastbourne v Lewes and Seaford v Hellingly could be the closest game of all.

Elsewhere Hastings & Bexhill host Park House, Bognor host Millbrook and in 2 South West Hove travel to Chobham. That’s a toughy!

Horsham have a tough challenge on their hands as they travel to table topping London Welsh. Chichester host Camberley which will be no less taunting as they are second in the table. In the Premier Inn Brighton v Tunbridge Wells leaps out of the fixture list. Sevenoaks travel to Havant. That should be a close one. In the ether TJs you know about which leaves Worthing who welcome Canterbury.

The European fixtures in France are still hanging by a thread, which is leaving it very late me thinks. Only time will tell.

Jonathan Davies had to bite his tongue yesterday when asked about playing the 6 Nations behind closed doors. He like most of us thinks it is madness. It is an ill founded, ill judged and totally unnecessary diktat from the power crazed megalomaniac who just happens to be big mates with Comrade Corbyn. Remember him? The man who wanted to take us back to the Dark Ages. The same socialist power hungry rhetoric will eventually do for Comrade Drakeford.

The boys who were on the naughty step this week; Rory Sutherland and Alec Hepburn, have both been given three week bans and so are free to play in the 6 Nations.

That’s it for rugby news except to say Jackson Wray is recovering quickly from his broken jaw which is good news.

The Djokovic saga rumbles on. He has been named in the draw but the evidence of wrong doing seems to be mounting. If it is proven he has lied on his Visa application then there would be an outcry if he he was given an exemption. This is NOT about his views on vaccination this now about Australia’s often petty entry requirements.

It was work was it Boris? In a strange way I can see that being a valid excuse BUT not in this case. I can say we at the Friday Club when we were genuinely working on essential maintenance thought of that ruse but instantly dismissed it as blatantly wrong and totally unacceptable. Boris has to get a grip or go. This continuum of deception, I won’t say lies just yet, must stop.

More woke nonsense in the papers. More covid nonsense in the papers. More celebrity c**p in the papers. I’m off. Friday Club tomorrow so back on Sunday unless anything of serious importance needs voicing on Saturday.

Wednesday 12th Jan: 10:30

Let me start with The Guardian. No I’m haven’t turned totally to the left. Basically Robert Kitson knows his onions when it comes to our great game. He has written an excellent piece that gets to the heart of the current dilemma facing clubs the length and breadth of the country. Waning interest at the grassroots thanks to fewer players due to work/family pressures, covid and many more reasons. Financially clubs were finding it hard pre-covid but for many the pandemic could be the last straw. The other problem is with a smaller pool of players those clubs with rich backers and high ambition are constantly looking to maintain their squad numbers. That drains talent away from the “smaller” clubs.

He also talks about the under investment in the Championship. This is where I disagree. I don’t believe rugby can sustain two layers of professional teams. I believe a ring-fenced 14 team Premiership could work and as you go down the pyramid have more and more clubs working in partnership. Rather than the survival of the fittest (wealthiest) have a mutually beneficial approach. It is a good read.

I watched the highlights of the Premiership games yesterday. Some excellent match ups and some excellent officiating. Wayne Barnes certainly helped Bristol and Sale deliver an exciting contest. Two red cards, one at Quins the other at The Rec. No complaints with either. In fact Sam Simmonds can count himself lucky for his part in the tip tackle on Joe Marler. I still think the Ellis Genge yellow was worthy of review but the citing commissioner saw it otherwise. If Alex Dombrandt doesn’t start in the 6 Nations there is something wrong. It was good to see old fashioned sportsmanship when he immediately got up and told the referee not to bother referring his effort to the TMO as he had dropped it. I know they won but Bath really are awful right now. Some of their defending was dire and the Ojomoh try, well fortunate to say the least. Really good to see packed grounds but disappointed with some of the booing of the kicker at Saracens.

The previously postponed European games are now deemed cancelled. Each game resulting in a 0-0. They were never going to fit the games into an already (ridiculously) packed schedule. There is still no decision on whether this weekends games for those travelling to France will go ahead. That said I did read that there is a strong possibility that Napoleon will open his borders to Brits “within days”.

A couple of games that will go ahead are Cardiff v Quins on Friday and Exeter v Glasgow on Saturday, both should be crackers. If it goes ahead Bristol v Stade Francais on Saturday evening is my pick.

I’ll do a deeper dive into the local fixtures tomorrow but Sale FC v TJs caught the eye. That is a 240 mile, 5 hour journey. No wonder the RFU want to restructure the leagues to reduce the travel. We are hosting our friends from Charlton Park. There is a league lunch and places are still available. Our 2s are also due to play Horsham III.

I see Chris Boyd is set to leave Northampton Saints. Whilst Saints have blown hot and cold this season, and more cold than hot in Europe, Boyd has brought them success in his time at Franklin Gardens.

The Women’s game in Wales is moving slowly into the 21st century with the WRU announcing the first 12 players to be given professional contracts. Happy days. I say this because the women’s game is the one area of our sport that is actually growing and having watched the Quins v Wasps game from Twickenham it is a pretty good offering too.

Talking of Wales the list of confirmed absentees for the 6 Nations is sizeable. These are not bit part players these are players that would be 1st choice week in week out. Wales strength in depth will be tested to the max.

It is sad to read across the rugby pages the arrest of an England international on suspicion of rape. The story is in most papers.

Elsewhere the Djokovic saga rumbles on, as does the party in the garden debacle. Both are unedifying and it appears that lies and deception feature prominently IF the papers are to be believed. Boris might be looking to redecorate a different abode shortly.

A blog wouldn’t be a blog without a nod to covid. Several scientists have at last come out and stated what many of us have known for some time: “the biggest scandal that could come out of the pandemic is the dodgy data and fundamentally flawed forecasting”. Hoorah! I have been bleating on about this for two years. Prof Ferguson (ass) stated we would see 500,000 deaths in the first wave thus plunging us into a totally unnecessary lockdown. Two years later we have reached 150,000 and many of those are “with” covid and not “from” covid. Q.E.D.

Tuesday 11th Jan: 10:00

Here I am on a Tuesday as granddaughter duties have been moved to a Monday. The day has started with the first telephone scam call of the day. The Postcode Lottery, which I am not in by the way, tells me I have won. Well, after I asked the pushy Indian guy for his credit card details before I would answer any of his questions he put the phone down on me. Happy days.

I must start at Steel Cross where on Sunday despite the biblical amount of rain that fell on Saturday the A pitch hosted our girls under 15s vs Horsham under 15s. I don’t know the score, I don’t care about the score. What is important is two good Sussex clubs are getting a girls side out and based on the photos all of them seem to have had an amazing time. Brilliant stuff.

Well done to Sharon and Dan and the team for their hard work and persistence. Thanks must also go to the Exec for having the cohones to invest in pitch maintenance and to Head Groundsman Drew and his elves Gus, Max, Damper, Adrian and the rest of The Friday Club for all their hard work. Three or four seasons ago that game would have been postponed after such a drenching.

Before I get into the fiasco which is cross border rugby can I draw your attention to an excellent article in The Guardian about Sara Cox the Premiership’s only female referee. It is a fascinating read about someone I have admired for some time. The dinosaurs that often run our game are slowly but surely becoming more and more enlightened. The time has to come when Sara, or Joy Neville or Hollie Davidson take charge of a 6 Nations game. It has to be about being the best for the task rather than what gender you are. Quite frankly without naming names a number of the male referees at the top of our game are turning into show ponies and need to be brought down to earth.

I think it was only yesterday that I said a solution to the French border/covid situation had been found. Well, I was wrong. It hasn’t. This morning there are murmurings that the English and Welsh clubs could refuse to travel unless they are given cast iron guarantees about exceptions to the quarantine rules. Scarlets have already fallen foul to rules thanks to the snap decision by the South Africa and British governments and they don’t want to be in that position again. Newcastle and Bath are leading the way with Sale also involved. Sale have the added complication that their big South African contingent have to face the complexity of obtaining a Schengen travel visa. It is a mess. It is driven by illogical, politically motivated jingoism. Napoleon has an election coming up and this is driving many of his draconian decisions and his erratic behaviour. Who said the Djokovic thing was complicated. That said rules is rules no matter how much we dislike them. The alternative is all out anarchy.

The WRU are, thanks to Comrade Tovarishch Drakeford’s obsession with trying to make himself look like a national leader of standing and pushing his nationalist agenda, between a rock and a hard place. It is unlikely that Drakeford will relent on the no crowds rule regardless of the damage to his popularity or the massive effect on the Welsh economy. As a consequence it is either move or play behind closed doors. Moving without doubt is the best option. Twickenham has been ruled out because of the exorbitant cost. Spurs ground is possible but there are many fixture clashes as obstacles.

As an aside megalomania rules in Scotland. Or should I say a megalomaniac rules in Scotland. Wee Jimmie Sturgeon has suggested Scots will have to continue wearing masks long into the future. This is no longer about fighting a virus, Sturgeon is waging psychological warfare on her countrymen and women. This is about control and nothing more. Will she relax the crowd restrictions. Good question.

Back to rugby. Two fly-half’s are in the news. George Ford might get a reprieve and be called into the England 6 Nations squad. Eddie Jones is seeking permission to extend his squad in the face of the need to continually test for covid