League Leaders Cinderford Away to Rosslyn Park (SSE National 1)
Saturday 15 September – KO 2.30pm
Topping the table with two 5 point wins upbeat Cinderford RFC travels to Rosslyn Park with confidence for its third game of the season and high hopes of continuing its winning ways.
Commenting on what will be another competitive game against opponents who have won one/lost one, Andy Deacon, director of rugby said: “We have some areas to work on certainly but we have the belief to take the win and this has made the difference from the onset, placing us at the top of the table as compared to this time last year where we were at the bottom. There were areas in our game we have focused on in training this week.”
“New skipper Will Foden suffered a knock to the head but after resting in the second half and in training has passed full fitness test. The squad for Saturday remains largely unchanged but Nick Selway replaces the injured Tom Heard at tighthead and Leigh Green comes in for Joe Smart on the bench on a squad rotation.”
Off pitch is looking good too said Deacon earlier in the week: “Nearly 100 people sat down for a corporate dinner before our enthralling win over Coventry on Saturday, and with entertainment afterwards formed one of our biggest crowds (470) for a while. Like many other clubs in our league, Cinderford has embraced and evolved its hospitality facilities allowing corporate guests and individuals to enjoy food and entertainment around a game of rugby – all making for a great day out. In the closed season we made improvements to the kitchens and our function rooms to ring the changes and provide a new, improved dining package. It is all about building awareness, increasing our profile and attracting even more people to watch a good brand of rugby that proudly put us at the top of the National League One table at this early stage in the season.”
“It all helps to fund our rugby and the club operations which is critical and reliant on a solid supporter base and sponsorships. We need the fans that come to watch and buy a pint and a programme as well as the corporate guests that bring their customers and guests to be entertained. And this season we have made great progress in this area. We see this across all the teams in the national leagues and now even in the lower leagues too. Saturday put a marker in the sand for our match day off-field activities that complemented our success on the pitch.”
Backs
15. Stef HAWLEY
14. Nev CODLIN
13. Jack ADAMS
12. Rob WINCHLE
11. Lloyd STAPLETON
10. Mark DAVIES
9. Sam ARNOTT
Forwards
1. James BROOKS
2. Tom BOZZARD
3. Nick SELWAY
4. Dave MCKEE
5. Ben WEST
6. Adam NICHOLLS
7. Will FODEN (C)
8. Joe GARNER
Replacements
16. Stuart BAILEY
17. Leigh GREEN
18. George EVANS
19. TBC
20. Sam CAVEN
Picture: CRFC V Coventry – Mark Davies, Tom Bozzard