ASHFORD

Ashford will take another step towards playing again when they resume contact training.

The double promotion winners have been back on the training ground since the second lockdown finished but can now step things up.

“We got back to training last week,” said chairman John Norman. “We’ve only had one session since coming back from the second lockdown, and we managed to do quite a bit of fitness and stuff.

“We’ll start to do a bit of contact this week, the first since March, which will be quite nice.

“We’re not doing huge amounts before Christmas but hopefully in the new year we’ve got some friendly fixtures coming up. “It’s still slightly strange times but we’re heading in the right direction. Being in Tier 3 doesn’t help us a great deal but we’re doing what we can.

“We’re can’t open the clubhouse or the bar but at least we’re back on the pitch and the minis and juniors are all back at training.

“Numbers are good and hopefully after Christmas they will build right up.

“So it’s more positive than it was but who knows what the new year is going to bring?”

Ashford have enjoyed backto-back promotions from Kent 1 to London 2 South East. There’s no league rugby this year, the RFU moving early to cancel the season, but friendly matches should give Ashford a chance to play. Norman said: “It’s still funny times and with no competitive league it’s always going to be different than normal.

“We do what we can to try and keep people interested and when we can do some stuff in the clubhouse, we will do.”

Finances were never the issue for Ashford, a point Norman made in the summer. They just want to be playing rugby.

“We were in a reasonable financial position at the end of last season,” said Norman. “We don’t pay players, and we’ve done what we can to save money. We’ll be all right, we’ll survive this year quite easily, but the sooner we can get back to playing rugby, the better.”