Maids keen to turn over Tunbridge Wells
Maidenhead RFC return to Braywick Park for the first time in four weeks when they take on one of the league’s form sides, Tunbridge Wells, this Saturday.
David Mobbs-Smith’s side have limited aspirations this season after their disappointing start to the campaign, however, their form has improved since the end of November and vital home wins over Hammersmith & Fulham, CS Stags, Horsham, and Marlborough have lifted the side to eighth in the table.
That’s as far as they’re likely to rise this season, with seventh-placed Brighton 14 points above them with only three matches to play, however, at least they’ve all but starved off the threat of relegation and can look forward to taking this season’s experiences to make themselves a more competitive outfit next season.
Mobbs-Smith will expect an improvement from his side as his youthful side gets to grips with what is required to compete at this level. But they’ve also shown their ability to adapt during the season, with those vital home wins hauling the side away from the bottom of the table. At one stage in late November, it looked very much like Maids would become embroiled in a battle for survival, however, with 10 points separating them from second bottom Bournemouth – who they still have to face at Braywick – that now seems an unlikely fate.
With two games to come at Braywick, a stronghold in the second half of the season, Maids will hope and expect to put a few more points on the board. However, Tunbridge will prove stubborn opposition this Saturday. They sit third in the table behind Camberley and leaders Havant and pushed the leaders extremely close in a 28-34 home loss to them a few weeks ago. They also got the better of Camberley 17-22 away from home and defeated Maidenhead 31-15 back in November, so they won’t be short of confidence coming to Berkshire.
After Tunbridge, Maids visit Brighton on Saturday, March 23 before rounding off the campaign at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, April 6. After that the season moves onto the Regional 1 Shield Pool matches against Bournemouth, Hertford, and Westcliff with Maids looking to reach the knock-out stages of the competition. Last season, they made it all the way to the final of the Plate competition where they lost to Macclesfield in a thrilling final at the Sixways Stadium in Worcester.