Marlow seek response after Aylesbury thriller while Windsor eye survival boost

Marlow and Windsor will go head-to-head at Riverwoods on Saturday week (February 28) with both teams looking to bounce back after narrow defeats.

Having been comprehensively been put to the sword by league leaders Brunel University in a 99-7 defeat at the end of January, Andy Symons’ side responded in competitive fashion against the league’s third best side Belsize Park on Saturday.

The Royals have had to make Home Park their fortress this season as they bid to get out of relegation trouble, and they gave visitors Belsize a bloody nose before succumbing to a 21-37 defeat.

Belsize Park have been one of the division’s most consistent performers this season and would have been favourites for a relatively comfortable away win at the weekend. However, this was anything but as the second bottom side pressed them all the way to the finish in a bid to claim crucial points. In the end they fell just short in this endeavour with the result leaving them four points behind 10th placed London Wild Geese.

Wild Geese were beaten 31-12 on the road at second placed Beaconsfield. With five matches to play both Windsor and London Irish Wild Geese will feel they can finish out of the bottom two.

Next up Windsor travel to neighbours Marlow on Saturday, February 28. Marlow got the better of the Royals 19-31 at Home Park and will be favourites for another positive result, however, Symons’ side have shown they have the character and quality to cause teams at this level trouble if they’re not quite on their game.

They follow that trip to Marlow with critical games against potential relegation rivals. Their home game with bottom club Oxford Harlequins 2nds on Saturday, March 7 feels like a must-win, while they may also feel there’s a chance to pick up crucial points from their trip to ninth placed Grasshoppers – themselves not yet out of the woods – on Saturday, March 21.

They then round off their Regional 2 Thames campaign with games against top five sides Old Priorians at home (March 28) and Teddington away (April 11).

League rivals Marlow slipped back to seventh in the table on Saturday after losing 45-40 away at Aylesbury 1sts.

The visitors missed out on maximum points in this entertaining clash, despite leading 26-21 at the interval, as the home side fought back for a thrilling win.

The result saw Aylesbury leap back above Marlow in the standings, however, the visitors did claim two losing bonus points for their efforts.

That will be of some consolation, but the visitors will feel they were too open defensively in this game, giving away six tries to the hosts in a momentum-changing affair. James Phillips and Garin Nicholls both touched down twice while Ben Amos ran in another try. Marlow also conceded a penalty try shortly after the interval, the first of three second half scores which tipped the scales in Aylesbury’s favour.

With five games left to play, Marlow will finish somewhere between eighth and fifth with the top four sides having pulled too far clear and the bottom four teams unlikely to catch them.

Marlow have struggled for consistency all season, leaving them entrenched in mid-table. They’ll want a response at home to Windsor on February 28. They follow that with a trip to Harpenden on March 7 and are then home to London Irish Wild Geese on March 21.