Maidenhead pay the price for a slow start at Hammersmith & Fulham

Photo credit: Paul Morgan

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Having produced one of their best defensive performances in recent seasons to beat Camberley the previous week, Maidenhead were a little more slip-shod in defence as they were beaten 35-26 by Hammersmith & Fulham.

On their first ever visit to Hurlingham Park in Parsons Green, Maidenhead found themselves 21-0 down before they managed to wrestle back control and make it more of a contest.

After that Maids played well and had the better of the closing stages, however – just as they did against Bournemouth on the opening day of the season – they left themselves too much to do to claim victory.

They did, however, bag a losing bonus point for scoring four tries and the result leaves them eighth in the table with eight points to their name heading into Saturday’s home clash with London Welsh.

“We started poorly, and we were 21-0 down before we were really in the game,” said head coach David Mobbs-Smith. “After that it was a pretty good game and we lost 35-26. They scored a couple of good tries, but we leaked a few soft tries on the road.

“It’s a difficult venue for us because we hadn’t been there before, but we just didn’t perform to our best.

“We worked really hard to get a try bonus point out of the game.

“Well, if you add wins to losing bonus points, they can make a difference. If you can pick up points from 90 per cent of the games you lose, you’ll be well positioned, providing you also win matches.

“We’ve played three games and we’re already equal or above all the other sides who’ve lost two games and that’s because we’ve picked up points while losing. That’s all you can do when you’re in trouble.

“Sometimes you can’t win a game, but you can take something from it. It’s hurt us a lot in the last few years because we’ve lost a lot without picking up those bonus points.”

For whatever reason, Maids have struggled to assert themselves on their opponents playing away from home this season in the same way they did to Camberley at Braywick Park.

Analysing the reasons for it, Mobbs-Smith added:

“We are having to score a lot to win (away from home). There is a difference between playing at home and away. There’s also that difference in perception, that players might go into games at home thinking they’re the favourites.

“We didn’t see ourselves like that against Camberley, so it will be very interesting to see how we do this Saturday against London Welsh, who’ll also probably come into this game as the perceived favourites.”

Maids crushed Welsh 56-17 at Braywick Park in the very first game of last season, however, the sides finished next to each other in the standings – separated by only eight points – at the end of the season.

With Welsh having now found their feet at this level, Mobbs-Smith is expecting a far tougher test for his side this time around.

“This is a side that have done really well on the road, they’re winning games away from home,” he said.

“It’s going to be a tough game for us. Last year we played them three times and there was nothing in the last two games, it was so tight. It should be very similar this time.

“There won’t be much in it. They’re a good side who are well drilled.

“They’re very athletic and physical and they enjoy playing at our place.”

He added: “They finished just behind us in the league, and they beat us at their place. They’re looking good and will have a full complement of players, but we want to win at home.”

W Marlow have won their first game since being promoted to the Regional 2 Thames league last season as they overcame Chobham at Riverwoods with an impressive attacking display.

Rory Greenslade-Jones’s side have suffered a couple of setbacks at the start of the season as they adjust to their new level, losing at home to Old Priorians (12-34) and away to HAC (Honourable Artillery Company) 38-22.

However, they demonstrated in those games they can be competitive at this level and took that confidence into Saturday’s clash against Chobham.

The hosts collected a bonus point win thanks in part to a hat-trick of tries from Apisai Deucu. Deucu touched down twice in the first half while Matthew Saunders, and Charlie Cotton also got their names on the scoresheet before the break.

Samuel Tuckerman added a fifth try just after the restart while Dean Whiteley and Deucu completed a very satisfactory afternoon for the hosts.

The result lifts the side to ninth in the table ahead of Saturday’s home game against fifth-placed Belsize Park.