By Tom Little.
January 13 2013
Results:
Blackheath 27 32 Old Albanian
Esher 64 20 Wharfedale
Fylde 23 19 Blaydon
Loughborough St 6 27 Coventry
Macclesfield 35 24 Cinderford
Richmond 32 13 Sedgley Park
Rosslyn Park 104 5 Cambridge
Tynedale 22 25 Ealing Tfs
No less than 7 of the 8 games provided bonus point wins, only Coventry Rugby lost out, although their performance did not deserve so. There were wins for three of the top four with leaders Ealing, Rosslyn Park and Esher, with only Blaydon missing out but they did gain a losing bonus point. A win that gives Ealing a 7 point cushion and still keeps the top four at least 8 points ahead of the chasing pack. This is led by Old Albanian in 5th place 5 points ahead of a group of 5 teams separated by just three points.
The relegation zone saw losses for both Cambridge and Sedgley Park, but a win for Macclesfield brought a lifeline for themselves as they are now only 2 points behind Sedgley Park, but still 14 points from safety.
Leaders Ealing Tfs proved once again that they can never be written off coming from 15 points behind to defeat Tynedale with a later winning penalty from leading points scorer Tom Wheatcroft, a win that puts Ealing 7 points clear of Blaydon.
Blaydon lost their 11 games winning run away at Fylde, always behind they couldn’t cope with the evergreen Paul Arnold’s 2 tries, and it was only a last minute try that earned the visitors a losing bonus point. Fylde with a game in hand over their nearest rivals move up to 7th place just 6 points behind Old Albanian in 5th.
There was embarrassment as a rampant Rosslyn Park ran in 16 tries over a demoralised Cambridge side now just awaiting the death throes of their continued presence in National League 1. Leading try scorer former Wasps No 8 Hugo Ellis grabbed another 7 tries, setting up a mouth-watering clash with Coventry’s Jacques Le Roux next week. A win that moves Rosslyn Park just 5 points behind 2nd placed Blaydon.
Esher’s 10 tries over Wharfedale keeps them in the top four. Three tries for winger Andy Wright helped them on their way Wharfedale were not helped by being down to 13 men after injuries shipping three late tries, but they must be anxiously looking over their shoulder at the bottom of the league.
Old Albanian keep on re-writing the history books in their first year in this league as they came from behind with a last minute try to beat Blackheath. For the 2nd week running outside centre Terry Adams proved the star of the game with his incisive running. A win that moves OA clear in 5th place with the chasing pack now 5 points behind.
A confident and dominant Coventry side gave Loughborough Students little space with a series of immense tackles, leading them nowhere to go. The pacey Coventry team then scored three excellent tries. A win that although keeping Coventry in 8th place moved them to just 2 points behind 6th spot.
Equal on points with Coventry are Richmond, who as expected were too strong for a Sedgley Park side short of confidence and staring at relegation together with Cambridge.
There was better news for Macclesfield, who are showing the better form of the three bottom sides, as they had a justified bonus point win over a fading Cinderford side. This win brings them to just 2 points behind Sedgley Park and 3 wins behind Wharfedale in 13th place.
A full preview of the Round 19 fixtures on the 19th January together with a more detailed Coventry Rugby v Rosslyn Park match preview will be published shortly.
Tom Little
Coventry Rugby press office
13th January 2013
