Week 18 National League 1 results round up...
By Tom Little
January 12 2015
...Saturday 10th January 2015 including Coventry Rugby v Blaydon
Results Week 18 - Saturday 10th January.
Blackheath 33 8 Old Albanian
Coventry Rugby 34 15 Blaydon
Darlington Mowden Park 43 12 Richmond
Ealing Trailfinders 78 12 Wharfedale
Fylde 48 17 Esher
Hartpury College 54 10 Macclesfield
Rosslyn Park 38 17 Loughborough Students
Tynedale 5 10 Cinderford
A Saturday of 7 bonus point home wins with no change at the top with all 5 top sides winning, no change either in the bottom three but the Cinderford win has closed the gap between them and safety to just 2 points.
Ealing Trailfinders clinically despatched visitors Wharfedale, bringing to a halt their 4 match winning run, in a 12 try demolition with the bonus point earned by 23 minutes. Debutant Luke Daniels making his long awaited start after signing from Esher pre-season scored a hat-trick as the home side had too much power and finishing prowess against a Wharfedale side who now must face Coventry Rugby next week.
Coventry Rugby exorcised one of their bogey teams with their first win over a Blaydon side for 4 seasons in another bonus point win before a record 1938 BPA crowd .Coventry held the formidable Blaydon scrum and stopped their famed driving mauls and if in the first half their game was a bit too loose giving Blaydon chances to counter-attack, the second half saw Coventry Rugby take control, a win that still keeps them in sight of Ealing.
Third placed Rosslyn Park kept their own pressure on Coventry with another home try bonus win over a Loughborough Students side who are now only 2 points ahead of the third relegation place. Led by the dominant scrum-half Luke Carter ,Park were ahead 19-0 by half-time, a late second half fight-back saw the Students get 3 tries but Rosslyn Park powered on for the win keeping them within 4 points of Coventry.
As expected Fylde kept their unbeaten home record with their own try bonus win over Esher. Another master class by Oli Brennand saw Fylde home with the home side scoring three tries in the first quarter. Despite a brace of tries from Spencer Sutherland Fylde always had the upper hand and remain 6 points behind Rosslyn Park.
The relegation battle between Tynedale and Cinderford was as close and as tense as expected, being just 5 all at half-time. Despite playing against the elements in the second half the increasing influence of the Cinderford pack and scrum proved decisive with a late try sealing it for them. Although Tynedale are still 14th and still one place ahead of Cinderford and equal on points, although more importantly are only 2 points behind Loughborough Students and Old Albanian and thus safety.
Darlington Mowden Park did their chances of survival a boost with a home bonus point win over Richmond. Sharper in the backs and more powerful up front Darlington always had control of the game, a win that sees them move up a place ahead of Blaydon and importantly 9 points from danger.
Blackheath maintained their fine form with another home bonus point victory over Old Albanian. Fine finishing by the home side proved the difference despite the return of Richard Gregg to the OA side. A win that leaves Blackheath in 5th place, but drops Old Albanian to just two points ahead of the final relegation place.
The final game saw the expected large defeat of bottom side Macclesfield ,surely now resigned to relegation by Hartpury College, whose 8 tries summed up their dominance, especially in the second half as the introduction of fly-half Matt Protheroe took the plaudits in his burgeoning reputation. A win, that take Hartpury up to 7th place ahead of Esher.
Tom Little
Coventry Rugby press office
11th January 2015.
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