RUGBY
Heartbreak for Oakham By Jeremy Smithson-Beswick
T
HE GOOD NEWS this month is that the ever-popular Oakham versus Stamford derby will be taking place again next year – the bad news is that it’s not going to take place in the division either had hoped for. Oakham were relegated on the final day of the season at Long Buckby despite having defiantly overcome Huntingdon in their last home fixture the weekend before by 46-24. Two early tries from Callum Crellin followed by a third from Ollie Moore settled the early nerves before a lack of discipline led to a yellow card which let Huntingdon back into the match. Indeed, they were to score a try after a mis-placed Oaks pass to bring the score to 19-10 and a second yellow card for Oaks’ Ben Turnbull for a high tackle didn’t help matters, as a second score from the visitors then brought them almost level. By now Oaks seemed to have lost the art of ‘referee management’ and also had penalties moved forward by 10 yards for dissent on more than one occasion. The next try was going to be critical and it went to Oaks as Crellin’s kick through was picked up by Tom Easson, earning both the bonus point and a half-time lead. They were to go further ahead after Ryan Corner went over in, well, the corner, but a third yellow for Oaks – this time for the ever-pivotal Crellin – again yielded a chink of light for the away side and they were to take advantage to score again and make it 32-24, filling the watching supporters with angst before Tom Moxon and Will Armstrong – “intercepting a pass and faced with a 90-metre run... desperately looking for someone to pass to and finding no takers” according to the club’s Andy Williamson – both scored to see them safely home. That the victory was ultimately to no avail after defeat the following weekend was also
partly down to discipline, with Oaks suffering another two yellow cards at Long Buckby. A bonus point win would have been enough for them to survive but the tries scored by Buckby while down to 14 men proved to be the difference. Ex-club president Keith Crellin said: “I think the players and coach know where we failed and hopefully we can bounce back.” Crellin went on to point out that Stamford’s experience should mean they shouldn’t be complacent about an early return, although Matt Albinson’s men can count themselves desperately unlucky not to have achieved a top two place in Midlands 3. Only two points separated the top three with the gap to fourth being a massive 34, so there were only ever three teams in it. Indeed, Stamford finished level with second-placed Northampton Casuals and ahead of them on points difference but, alas, it’s the number of games won that counts first according to league rules and Casuals shaded that stat by one. At least they began to say goodbye to retiring coach Albinson with an away win against Birstall in their last league fixture, the tries coming from Oli Winspear (2), James O’Shea, Jack Jones and Sam Hillary. The final farewell is in early May when they have one last shot of glory in the form of the final of the Lincolnshire Cup against Lincoln. As a result of Stamford’s near miss they and Oaks will play each other next year in Midlands 3 – as well as Bourne. The latter remain in that division thanks to a spectacular improvement in form over the second half of the season, having looked odds-on for relegation at Christmas. That progress was underlined by their last
“Oakham were relegated on the final day of the season at Long Buckby despite having defiantly overcome Huntingdon”
fixture against a St Neots team who had narrowly beaten them to top spot in the league below last year. They not only won but ran in countless tries in a crushing 73-7 result that was a fitting farewell to another retiree, player-coach Dave Maudsley. He will soon be 40 and is therefore stepping down from the playing side, although I suspect we will see him in a new role at the club before long. So, it wasn’t all doom and gloom locally, especially over at Market Harborough where they secured a play-off spot for promotion to Division One by finishing narrowly behind winners Olney – and a comfortable fourteen points ahead of third-placed St Ives. They sealed that second place with a 59-12 win away at Huntingdon which included what the club’s David Nance called a “fantastic second-half display” as they ran in six of their nine tries in total; Chris Bale with a hat-trick. The following weekend saw their last home fixture, against a much-improved Long Buckby side. Bale was to go on to land a second consecutive hat-trick as they were eventually able to emerge victorious by 29-20 and therefore finish the season with an unblemished home record. This was in spite of a plucky performance by Buckby – who were at that time not yet fully sure of survival and had started the match by going into a ten point lead. The home club’s Caroline Miller reported the scoreline was “a little harsh on the visitors who had performed well for long periods of the match”. They finished the regular season with a 45-20 win at Market Bosworth and we wish them well for the play off. Should they win it they’ll be meeting Oundle next season who finished a creditable sixth having looked, in the early stages, as if they would mount a challenge for promotion of their own to the dizzy heights of the Midlands Premiership before falling away a little in the new year. Elsewhere, Stamford College Old Boys finished above the bottom two in Midlands 4 but they will have been disappointed to lose to arch-rivals Deepings in their final game. Deepings also had the better season of the two overall with a mid-table finish.
60 May 2019 / theactivemag.com
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