Head coach expects clash of styles as Maidenhead target first away points

Maids in action against Wimbledon earlier this season. Photo: Paul Morgan

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Head coach David Mobbs-Smith is expecting a clash of styles when his Maidenhead side travels to Farnham for their Regional 1 South Central clash on Saturday.

After resting up last weekend for the autumn internationals, Maids are back in action and looking to build on their encouraging, if nail-biting 41-38 win over Worthing at Braywick Park two weeks ago.

Maids managed to build a commanding lead at the interval, clinically taking the opportunities which came their way and managing to thwart their visitors when they had possession and territory. The hosts then managed to keep their opponent at arm’s length in the second half, through to the very final minutes when Worthing - relegated from the league above - were pushing for a winning try that - mercifully for Maidenhead - never came.

The result saw Maids rise to ninth in the table, above Camberley, Hammersmith & Fulham and bottom club Wimbledon, but all of the 15 points they’ve accrued so far this season have come at Braywick Park.

Away from home it’s been an altogether more disheartening experience. They’ve lost all four matches and were only competitive in one of those, a 26-14 loss at Bracknell in their third match of the season. In the others they’ve been comprehensively beaten by CS Stags (67-0), Jersey (60-12) and London Scottish Lions (50-7) but the hope is that better availability - and emerging squad depth and talent coming through from the second team - can make Maids a more competitive outfit on the road in the second half of the season.

They’ll need that to be the case if they’re to lift themselves out of the bottom four - with the teams finishing ninth and 10th set to face off against each other in a relegation play-off. The loser will then take on a side from the level below where they will either retain their place in the Regional 1 South Central Division or be demoted to the league below.

The bottom two teams in the division will be relegated as usual.

Speaking last week, head coach Mobbs-Smith said he felt Maids had the tools and style of play to hurt Farnham, who themselves come into this game off the back of consecutive defeats.

Should those losses to Tunbridge Wells and Worthing have knocked confidence, Maidenhead will have to surely take advantage of it, as they seek to collect their first points on the road this season.

Farnham will be no pushovers, especially on their own ground at Wilkinson Way. They’ve won four of their eight matches - and picked up a couple of losing bonus points which place them six points above Maids in the table.

So far this season, they’ve defeated London Scottish Lions 35-27 at home - an impressive display against an in-form side, while they’ve also gone away to Wimbledon and beaten them 43-44.

Tunbridge Wells (29-7) and Worthing 33-14) managed to get the better of them as they lost consecutive away matches, but they’ll expect better from the visit of Maidenhead on Saturday.

In contrast Maids will be hoping to close the gap to the eighth placed side to just one point with a bonus point victory.

Mobbs-Smith said: “There are two away matches in our next run that you could highlight.

“Farnham are flying but it’s a clash of styles and we must believe we can go there and get something from that game.

“And then Hammersmith & Fulham is a key clash, if you don’t want to be in the basement you have to beat them. We haven’t been able to do that in the last two years; we’ve lost both times away to them so that’s something we must turn around and try to get that victory at their place.”

Saturday’s game marks an intriguing pre-Christmas run for Maidenhead. After Farnham, Maids are back on the road at second placed Tunbridge Wells on November 29 before welcoming Old Alleynians to Braywick on December 6. A key clash at Hammersmith & Fulham follows that on December 13 before Maids round off 2025 with a derby match at home to Bracknell - looking to avenge their early season defeat.

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In the Regional 2 Thames Division this weekend, Windsor travel to the team who were promoted alongside them as champions last season, Oxford Harlequins 2nds.

Both sides have struggled for form this season, and sit in the bottom two places, but it’s Windsor who are higher by just a point thanks to their one, unexpected victory away to the London Irish Wild Geese.

Harlequins have lost all their eight matches, but have managed to pick up six bonus points, and will fancy their chances of breaking their duck when Andy Symons’ side visit this Saturday.

Seventh placed Marlow are also back in action at home to eighth placed Harpenden at Riverwoods this Saturday, looking to build on their 31-19 win over Windsor two weeks ago.

Marlow have won four of their eight matches so far and will be confident they can add the name of Harpenden to their scalps so far this season.