Tynedale v Cinderford (Sat 29 Sept – National 1 – KO 3:00pm)

Following a week of torrential rain, Cinderford RFC travels north to Tynedale RFC who, ahead of the National 1 battle, have endured flooding in their car parks and on the junior pitches. Thankfully the water has drained well, although the First XV pitch remained largely unaffected from the deluge and is just a bit soft!

Proudly sitting in second place in the table Cinderford following a 38-19 win over Macclesfield last weekend, the Foresters travel in good form after impressing in the league with three wins and a draw in their first four fixtures.

Ed King returns to the second row after recovering from a groin injury and Dave McKee moves to the bench. Joe Garner comes off the bench to replace Adam Nicholls who sustained an ankle injury last Saturday. Sam Caven is replaced by Nev Codlin on a squad rotation basis.

Said Andy Deacon, director of rugby: “We have had a tough week in training with a focus on defence and game pattern. We expect a hard battle against a Tynedale side that is always difficult to beat on their home soil. But I feel that if we retain the performance and form we have shown in our last four games we can be confident of making the long journey home with another four points in the bag.”

Other rugby on Saturday sees the strong Cinderford United side play Luctonians 2 at the Beavis Memorial Ground (KO 2.30pm) and on Wednesday 3rd October Cinderford holds a mid-week fixture against Hartpury BUCS at Hartpury (KO 7.15pm).

Cinderford RFC Team v Tynedale

Backs
15. Mike Wilcox
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. Ben West
5. Ed King
6. Joe Garner
7. Will Foden (C)
8. George Evans

Replacements
16. Stuart Bailey
17. Joe Smart
18. Dave McKee
19. Stef Hawley
20. Sam Caven