Pizza and beers raise Maidenhead's morale ahead of Tunbridge Wells test

Photo Credit: Paul Morgan

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Maidenhead’s coaching team attempted to lift the morale of their men for the run in with some pizzas and beers in town after training on Thursday last week (March 12).

Maids had a big win to celebrate, their 26-24 victory over Farnham at Braywick Park the previous Saturday lifting themselves out of the automatic relegation places with just three matches to play.

Max Thomas’ late try, from almost the final play of that game, may yet see Maids finish 10th this season and go into a relegation scrap with either Woking or Wimbledon, though Wimbledon looks the more likely destination for that game.

Lose that and they’ll face off against a promotion hopeful from the level below, a straight shootout to determine which division they play in next season, though much better than the finality of automatic relegation.

But last week’s pizzas and beers were also about lifting morale for a run in that includes home matches with third placed Tunbridge Wells and fifth place CS Stags, with a trip to fourth placed Old Alleynians sandwiched in between. They’ll go into all those games as underdogs, looking to snatch a precious bonus point here or there but also dreaming of landing the kind of win which would make it very difficult for second bottom Camberley or bottom club Hammersmith & Fulham to catch them.

Their lead over them remains precarious. Just two points separates Maids in 10th with Camberley in 11th, while Hammersmith are five points back from Maids, but both will be believing they can still catch them. 

Speaking ahead of last week’s bonding session, head coach David Mobbs-Smith said: “We’re having a training session tonight and then we’re all going into town for a pizza.

“The boys will be relaxed and we’ll have some fun. And you can still enjoy these battles, because that’s what sport is all about.”

This has been a campaign that’s defied expectations - not just for Maids but for most of the teams in the Regional 1 South Central.

Wimbledon and Camberley - both big hitting and big spending outfits in previous seasons have been used to bossing games and challenging at the other end of the table. That hasn’t been possible this season due to the unexpected competitiveness of the teams above them. Who would have expected promoted London Scottish Lions to win 15 of their 19 matches so far. Only champions Jersey have been able to match that kind of consistency, with Tunbridge Wells also not far behind.

The likes of CS Stags and Old Alleynians - lower half teams in previous years - have also raised their level beyond the likes of Maidenhead, Wimbledon, Camberley and even Worthing - demoted from National 2 last season.

Maidenhead are surprised and disappointed to find themselves in the bottom four, but that’s nothing to how discombobulated Wimbledon and Camberley must feel.

Mobbs-Smith said: “If you look at the bottom four. Wimbledon and Camberley are in there. And just above them are Worthing who’ve come from National 2.

“Those are historically quite big spending clubs and they aren’t safe yet. Worthing aren’t safe yet because they could find themselves in a play-off match, they don’t want to play.

“If it all comes down to the last day, you have no idea. We’ve all got tough games on that last day. Camberley are away to London Scottish and Hammersmith are away at Farnham.

“Farnham have won nearly all their home games. They’ve only lost to Jersey at home. They don’t lose at home, and they recently punished Tunbridge Wells at home. They are a big physical side, and it might change as the pitches dry up but on a muddy pitch, they are a handful at their place. Of their 10 victories, eight have come at home.

“Next week when we play, nothing will be decided I reckon. We’ll be going into those last two games having the same conversation.

“But Camberley might be above us, or we’ve extended our points difference by one. I still think we’ll be talking in the same vein about what happens next, because it’s that close. we’re standing on a tight rope, but we’ve lost our balancing rod.”