Windsor give survival hopes a boost with thrilling 27-21 win over Grasshoppers

Windsor 27, Grasshoppers 21

Windsor lifted themselves seven points clear of the automatic relegation places on Saturday with an entertaining 27-21 win over Grasshoppers.

Andy Symons side lifted themselves to within a point of their rivals in Regional 2 Thames after winning a tight and exciting game at Home Park.

The home side didn’t have things all their own way, but they did manage to get their noses in front and claimed another much-needed bonus point win.

Windsor were promoted to the division as one of the best runners up in the region last season, and initially they struggled to find their feet at the new level - going down to three straight league defeats against Teddington Aylesbury and Beaconsfield.

Since then though they’ve been much more competitive, winning three of their next six, and crucially picking up victories over teams in and around them in the table.

Windsor will be looking to finish out of the bottom two first and foremost but will need to overhaul Grasshoppers and Harpenden above them if they’re to avoid being caught up in a relegation play-off match at the end of the season.

Having overcome Oxford Harlequins 2nds 18-14 away from home two weeks ago, the Royalists claimed back-to-back league wins with Saturday’s success at Home Park. The result lifts them to within a point of ninth placed Grasshoppers and seven points clear of second bottom Quins, heading into Saturday’s tough looking trip to sixth placed Old Priorians.

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London Irish Wild Geese 10, Marlow 19

Seventh placed Marlow take on league leaders Brunel University at Riverwoods this Saturday, but they head into the game in excellent spirits off the back of four straight league wins.

Aylesbury, Windsor and Harpenden have been swatted aside by Marlow in recent weeks, and they managed to grind out another victory on Saturday away at bottom club London Irish Wild Geese.

Marlow were far from their fluent best, but they managed to finish more than a converted try ahead of their hosts, who’ve now lost all their matches this season.

Marlow couldn’t claim a bonus point however, and they remain a couple of points behind Old Priorians in sixth and four points adrift of Teddington in fifth and Aylesbury in fourth. All those teams they’ll be confident of reeling in over the second half of the season, given their recent form, however, they’ll have their work cut out against Brunel University on Saturday, a team who’ve won nine of their 10 league matches this season.

Brunel’s one defeated came at the weekend though as they lost 27-20 at home to second placed Belsize Park.