Round-up: Maidenhead aiming to finish on a high against already-relegated Bournemouth

Maidenhead will take on already relegated Bournemouth at Braywick Park on Saturday as they bid to round off an encouraging second half to the season with another home win.

Maidenhead were one of several teams staring relegation in the face at the end of November, however, five home wins on the spin – the most recent being their crushing 67-26 win over fourth-placed Tunbridge Wells – has lifted David Mobbs-Smith’s side well clear of danger.

Mobbs-Smith’s improving side got their act together just at the right time as well, with the likes of Horsham, Bournemouth and Marlborough all finding some form in the latter weeks of the season.

Home wins over CS Stags and Hammersmith & Fulham have come too late to save Bournemouth, who will finish the Regional 1 South Central season either second from bottom or bottom depending on Horsham’s final day result.

Maids have been in imperious form at Braywick Park since just before the Christmas break when they got the better of Hammersmith & Fulham 32-7. Since then, they’ve swatted aside the likes of CS Stags, Horsham, and Marlborough, before picking up their biggest win of the campaign at home to Tunbridge Wells. They ran in nine tries that afternoon, with Drew Prince scoring two of them in a man of the match display.

Bournemouth and Maidenhead kicked the season off with a thrilling clash that went the way of hosts 40-36.

Following the conclusion of the league season, Maids will see out the spring with the hope of lifting silverware in the Papa John’s Regional Shield. They’re set to take on Bournemouth again at Braywick Park on Saturday week (April 13) before travelling to Westcliff and hosting Hertford in their final pool matches. Last season they defeated league rivals London Welsh enroute to reaching the final of the Plate competition, where they lost in the final to Macclesfield.

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Windsor will be keeping their fingers crossed they’ll be one of best placed runners-up at their level, as they look to finish their campaign with a rousing performance against champions Beaconsfield.

Beaconsfield have so far had a flawless campaign, winning all 21 of their matches so far. However, their closest challengers all season have been Windsor, and their record of 16 wins from 20 matches should put them in with at least a shout of victory at Home Park.

Beaconsfield are in line to claim the Counties 1 Tribute Southern North’s one promotion spot, however, there is still a chance Andy Symons’ side could join them as the best-placed runner up at their level across the regional divisions.

Windsor head into the showdown off the back of their biggest win of the season as well, a mammoth 62-6 win over Chinnor 3rds on March 23. They currently have 81 points from 20 games and a plus 442 points difference.

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Marlow will also be in league action for the final time this season as they travel to fourth-placed Old Priorians.

Having wrapped up survival with a few weeks to spare, Rory Greenslade-Jones’s side had been hoping to finish the campaign with a bit of a flourish.

They came within a handful of points of doing just that, as they went down to a thrilling 30-32 defeat to Hemel Hempstead in their last game at Riverwoods a couple of weekends ago.

They can also afford to go to Old Priorians and play with the handbrake off this Saturday as they cannot now be caught in ninth place.