Survival bid going to the wire
HAYWARDS H AYLESFORD
PW D L F A Ps Pulborough ... 21 17 1 3 681 376 86 Haywards H .. 21 18 1 2 567 226 85 Thanet Wdrs . 21 16 0 5 658 345 80 Folkestone .... 21 14 0 7 620 452 72 Lewes........... 21 13 0 8 536 441 63 Sheppey ....... 21 6 1 14 459 658 39 O D’stonians . 21 9 1 11 549 592 38 G’ham Anch .. 21 7 0 14 451 555 36 Aylesford B ... 21 6 1 14 373 572 34 Park House ... 21 6 1 14 337 550 33 Eastbourne ... 21 6 0 15 358 529 28 Ashford ......... 21 5 0 16 357 650 18 Results: Ashford 44 Sheppey 31, Folkestone 65 Eastbourne 10, Haywards Heath 43 Aylesford Bulls 13, Lewes 34 Gillingham Anchorians 12, Park House 20 Pulborough 20, Thanet Wanderers 50 Old Dunstonians 22. Fixtures: Ashford v Thanet Wanderers, Aylesford Bulls v Sheppey, Eastbourne v Park House, Gillingham Anchorians v Haywards Heath, Old Dunstonians v Folkestone, Pulborough v Lewes. Aylesford know only a bonuspoint win against Sheppey on the final day of the season will guarantee London 3 South East survival.
Defeat at Haywards Heath last weekend means Bulls’ survival bid goes to the wire and with Park House picking up a surprise draw against leaders Pulborough, they’re only a point clear of their drop rivals.
Bulls coach Jay Jenkins is friends with Sheppey counterpart Rob Dengate but expects no favours on Saturday.
He said: “Rob’s a good friend of mine. We have a weekly catch-up but we agreed we wouldn’t talk to each other this week.
“He’s a good coach and he’ll be bringing the best side he can. The main thing is we can control our own destiny.
“If we get the bonus-point win we’re safe no matter what Park House do at Eastbourne.
“We need to go out and play, believe in the things we’ve done well at times this season, be patient and work hard.
“I said to the players after we lost on Saturday the whole season comes down to two training sessions and one game of rugby.”
Aylesford were well in the game at high-flying Haywards Heath, trailing 20-13, until injuries took their toll. They lost Michael Jackson, Ben Ridout and Simon Hollister and also had a man sin-binned.
Tries came from Jake Lott and Pete Webdale while Will Kelly added a penalty but Heath pulled clear in the last 20 minutes.
Jenkins said: “We had a couple of injuries and a rush of blood with the yellow card and that was the turning point.
“Haywards Heath showed why they’ve only been beaten twice this season. They played well and scored a few tries.
“The small consolation for us was their coach and players said we were the hardest team they’ve played at home.”