The week off arrived at the perfect time after a difficult block of games including Yorkshire Carnegie and Hartpury away in a six-day time frame which utilised nearly every member of the playing squad.
#CommunityRugbyClub #CommunityRugby #ChampRugby
After an unexpected rest weekend due to Storm Ciara and events off the pitch this week, the boys are raring to get out on the field and play some rugby.
New signing Michael van Vuuren will make his debut from the bench – we’re sure the #Mob crowd will give him a warm welcome! It’s @LSFCOfficial first competitive visit to Dillingham Park for what will be a great example of #ChampRugby – let’s hope Storm Dennis doesn’t spoil the day!
Ampthill won this fixture 53-22 back in October but they are facing a very different Carnegie with a changed coaching team and several new players on the field and expect a tough challenge.
#AmpthillRUFC #CarnegieRugby #ChampRugby
Ampthill make four changes to the starting line-up and three on the bench for the first visit of the Knights to Dillingham Park.
Matt Collins comes in at tighthead and Shay Kerry returns in the second row. Kevin Barrett takes over the nine jersey in a rotation of the scrum-half pool with Serafin Bordoli returning to the starting fifteen at inside centre.
On the bench, Syd Blackmore and Will Allman are among the forwards replacements with Will Foster covering the back three.
“We were all very disappointed with last week’s effort against a good Ealing side and if we play like that against a very experienced Doncaster Knights it will be a long afternoon.
I’m looking forward to welcoming Clive Griffiths back to Dillingham Park where he used to help out with the coaching. Clive has built a very good side that has had a dreadful run with injuries but they are now getting most of those players back. They did a really good job on Nottingham last week and thoroughly deserved the win.
The Knights have a very big and experienced forward pack and a backline that play a flowing and attacking brand of rugby. They have been in the competition for a long time and understand how to win on the road – we will need to be at our very best if we are going to get anything out of the game.”
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Doncaster Squad
Robin Hislop
Ben Hunter
Colin Quigley
Morgan Eames
Matt Challinor
Tom Calladine
Wian Conradie
Ollie Stedman
Tom James
Sam Olver
Tyson Lewis
Charlie Foley
Lloyd Hayes
Howard Packman
Cameron Cowell
George Edgson
Andrew Foster
Joe Sproston
Rory Pitman
Fotu Lokotui
Sam Pocklington
Kyle Evans
Jack Roberts
Ampthill make just one change from the side that won at Goldington Road against Bedford on Boxing Day with Kevin Barrett replacing Leon Fukofuka.
Ampthill are pleased to be able to welcome one of the most senior officials in the country, with International and Premiership referee Matthew Carley being given the whistle for the afternoon on his first visit to Dillingham Park.
“We have played all the contenders with the exception of the Falcons, and Coventry are definitely the best side we have played this season. They have recruited a lot of experienced players from the Premiership and the Pro 14 so the challenge couldn’t be any bigger.
It’s great to be able to name a side with only one change to the starting fifteen so we will look forward to the Mob fans being our sixteenth man and hope to make it a more competitive game than the last two games we have had against Coventry”
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Coventry Squad
James Gibbons
Joe Buckle
Phil Boulton
James Voss
Alex Woolford
Ben Nutley
Luke Wallace
Ryan Burrows
Tom Kessell
Tony Fenner
Max Trimble
Will Owen
Rob Knox
Andy Bulumakau
Henry Purdy
Jimmy Stevens
Toby Trinder
Luc Jeannot
Adam Peters
Nile Dacres
Pete White
Rory Jennings
Andy Forsyth
Ampthill make the short trip to Goldington Road on Boxing Day in the Greene King IPA Championship in our final game of 2019 and what has been a fantastic year for the club.
Bedford Blues have already announced that Goldington Road is sold out for this game so if you don’t already have tickets don’t travel to Bedford as you will be disappointed.
Ampthill’s line-up sees a few changes from the cup team with Serafin Bordoli replacing Sam Hanks at inside centre and Tongan international Leon Fukofuka starting at scrum-half this week. In the forwards, Soane Tonga’uiha starts against his old club alongside Syd Blackmore, with Billy Johnson partnering Shay Kerry in the second row whilst Jac Arthur retains the 6 shirt after an impressive debut two weeks ago.
“It’s obviously a massive game for both clubs in front of a capacity crowd at Goldington Road and I’m sure it will be a Christmas cracker.
We have made a number of changes to the team that narrowly won in the Cup at Dillingham Park. I thought our defence functioned well, but the lineout and attack were both very poor and if we are going to get anything out of today’s game then we will have to show significant improvements in those areas.”
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Match Gallery: 20191226 Bedford vs Ampthill
Bedford Squad
Sean McCarthy
Robbie Smith
Henry Paul
Jordan Onojaife
Will Carrick Smith
Dan Temm
Joe Atkinson
Alafoti Faosiliva
James Lennon
Will Hooley
Dean Adamson
Oskar Hirskjy-Douglas
Matt Worley
Pat Tapley
Rich Lane
Jacob Fields
Joe Wrafter
Alex Penny
Ed Taylor
Huw Worthington
Grayson Hart
Sam Leeming
Ryan Hutler
When the Championship fixtures were announced in July, the first one the Mob supporters looked for was the Blues at home. Ampthill now face them twice in 12 days, starting with the final round of the Championship Cup, before heading to Goldington Road in the Greene King IPA Championship on Boxing Day.
Excitement for this game at Dillingham Park has been building during the past few weeks, and expectations are for the biggest crowd of the year if not ever. In contrast, the smallest crowd of the season witnessed the best performance at Level 2 last week in a narrow defeat to Ealing Trailfinders. Momentum is key in sport and the boys will look to build on that performance tomorrow.
Ampthill’s line-up sees a few changes from last week’s side with German international Jörn Schroder making his debut at loosehead; Shay Kerry returns to partner Carl Burgess in the second row and Jac Arthur makes his debut for Ampthill at 6. In the backs, Kevin Barrett takes the 9 jersey, captain Louis Grimoldby shifts to fly-half and Spencer Sutherland replaces Josh Gillespie on the wing.
“The first visit by Bedford Blues to Dillingham Park, for the first competitive fixture between our clubs at home, is a truly historic day for all the members and supporters of Ampthill RUFC and I am sure we will see a truly super game of rugby befitting the occasion.
We make a number of changes to the side that ran Ealing Trailfinders so close last weekend and we look forward to seeing how the team acquit themselves in what I’m sure will be a red hot local derby.”
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Bedford Squad
Sean McCarthy
Robbie Smith
Henry Paul
Jordan Onojaife
Will Carrick Smith
Josh Buggea
Joe Atkinson
Dan Temm
James Lennon
Will Hooley
Ryan Hutler
Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas
Matt Worley
Pat Tapley
Joe Green
Jacob Fields
Joe Wrafter
Andrew Boye
Oli Curry
Alafoti Faosiliva
Grayson Hart
Sam Leeming
Charlie Reed
Ealing are looking to retain the trophy this season, and are certainly in fine form – they come into this game with a record of Played 4, Won 4 in the Championship Cup and currently sit second in the Greene King IPA Championship. News of further reinforcements to their squad this week underpins their ambitions.
By contrast, Ampthill had a bad day at Coventry last Saturday and the starting fifteen will be looking to rectify last weeks performance.
“Ealing as the current Championship Cup holders represent a massive challenge for a club of our size, and we are honoured to host such an ambitious club visiting Dillingham Park this Saturday.
After a poor day at the office last Saturday, we have given most of the squad the opportunity to put right a number of wrongs from last week’s performance and we hope they take the opportunity afforded to them to make a substantial improvement on last week’s performance.”
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Ealing Squad
Jordan Els
Matt Cornish
Elliot Millar Mills
Ben West
James Cannon
Kieran Murphy
Andrew Durutalo
Rayn Smid
Jordan Burns
Craig Willis
Reon Joseph
Harry Sloan
Jack Tovey
James Cordy Redden
Tommy Bell
Alun Walker
Josh Pieterse
Craig Trenier
Dave McKern
Oli Robinson
Craig Hampson
Steven Shingler
David Johnston
After what seems a long break since Ampthill's narrow defeat to Jersey Reds at Dillingham Park in the Greene King IPA Championship, the 1st XV resume their RFU Championship Cup campaign with an away trip to Coventry Rugby Club.
Ampthill were given a rude awakening to Level 2 Rugby when Coventry visited Dillingham Park in September with a 17-47 defeat. Having finished the first block of cup fixtures with a record of Played 3, Won 1, Lost 2. Coventry, by comparison, finished with a record of Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1. Ampthill's highlight was a surprise away win to Bedford Blues whilst Coventry's only low point has been a narrow defeat to Ealing Trailfinders (Current Cup Holders).
With most of Ampthill's dual-registered players being recalled this week for Premiership Shield duties, the squad will be more familiar to the traveling Maroon and Gold supporters, with Sam Hanks and Jarryd Sage returning from injury in the centres. Leon Fukofuka and Luvuyo Pupuma make their full debut for Ampthill. Louis Grimoldby assumes responsibility of Captain with Dave Ward, Darryl Veenendaal and Billy Johnson on the bench.
“It’s been a long first block of the season and the squad have enjoyed their week off. We have chosen to make a number of changes to the side that were maybe unlucky to come out of the Jersey game with only a losing bonus point, and to give a number of others a chance to stake a claim for a place in the starting side going forward.
Coventry have had an excellent start to the season, and it will give us a chance to see how far we have progressed since we played them at Dillingham Park in our first ever game at level two.”
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Coventry Squad
Toby Trinder
Joe Buckle
Luc Jeannot
James Voss
Alex Woolford
Ben Nutley
Jack Ram
Senitiki
Will Flinn
Tony Fenner
Henry Purdy
Will Owen
Rob Knox
James Martin
Dan Lewis
Jimmy Stevens
James Gibbons
Gareth Denman
Nile Dacres
Ben Adams
Pete White
Will Maisey
David Halaifonua
Jersey Reds arrive at Dillingham Park in a very similar position to Ampthill, mid table and two losses a piece. Despite both teams currently ranking higher in the league than Nottingham, Ampthill didn’t share Jersey’s success at the meeting. The position Ampthill now hold a testament to their efforts and success since that early encounter. Both teams will also be looking to re-establish their confidence and record after having met with the league 1 and 2 last week for hard matches.
The weather is expected to be dry but cold which should leave the Ampthill pitch in excellent condition for a fast-paced game. With Jersey Reds having a reputation of ‘summing up what the championship is all about’ this will be a good test for Ampthill and measure their progress since promotion.
So far Ampthill have shown they can defend and make points when allowed, can they now regularly create their own opportunities and finish too?
“We have always had a good relationship with Jersey, going all the way back to our first and only competitive game between our respective first teams in the now defunct Champions Cup Final at Twickenham nine seasons ago.
Our second teams have played each other regularly, and Jerseys hospitality when we have travelled to them has been nothing short of outstanding. Jersey Reds are now a well-established and very good Championship side who I think we be pushing for a top three finish this season.
We are obviously disappointed with our performance last week at Cornish Pirates and we hope to improve on that this week”
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Match Gallery: 20191116 Ampthill vs Jersey
Jersey Reds Squad
Roy Godfrey
Antonio Harris
Alec Clarey
Charlie Beckett
Rory Bartle
Conor Joyce
Josh Bainbridge
Janco Venter
Luc Jones
Greg Dyer
Brendan Owen
James Newey
George Spencer
Alex Morgan
Auguy Slowik
Nic Dolly
Harry Morley
Lee-Roy Ata'Lifo
Kyle Hatherell
Jake Upfield
Max Argyle
Will Homer
Jack Stapley
On the face of it Ampthill arrive at the match this week with an advantage of 3 places in the table and 3 points too. Hartpury however beat Nottingham last week, a task that Ampthill did not accomplish when given the same opponents earlier in the season. Is the numeric points advantage to Ampthill merely down to the vagaries of selections or were Hartpury luck last week?
“It great to welcome our old friends from Hartpury to Dillingham Park again this Saturday. We’ve had some great games against each other in the past and I’m sure this weekend will be just the same. Hartpury had a great result last weekend with a very solid win against Nottingham so they are in really good form.
We have picked the same forward pack that started the game against London Scottish last weekend but we make a couple of changes to the backline with player-coach Darryl Veenendaal rotating in at scrum-half and debuts for Sam Costelow ( Dual Registered – Leicester Tigers ) at fly-half and Cameron Anderson ( Dual Registered – Wasps ) at outside Centre, getting their first starts at Dillingham Park.
It is another historic day for the club playing Hartpury for the first time in the Green King IPA Championship and the small matter of the World Cup Final between England v South Africa ( Clubhouse open from 8.30 am ) to start the Day”
Match Gallery: 20191102 Ampthill vs Hartpury
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Ampthill Squad
Hartpury Squad
Dan Murphy
Will Tanner
Alex Gibson
Justin Clegg
Joe Batley
Akapusi Qera
Sam Graham
Seb Nagle-Taylor
Harry Cochrane
Joshua Bragman
Toby Fricker
Luke Eves
Charlie Powell
Nick David
George Simpson
Will Crane
Des Merrey
Mike Flook
Tom Everard
Kieran Curran
Jack Preece
Luke Carter
Mike Wilcox
London Scottish have yet to gain a win in the championship league this season but still sit only a few places below Ampthill in the table. Despite the lack of victories so far, they held both Newcastle and Nottingham to much closer scores than Ampthill have done each time collecting a bonus point for their efforts. With Newcastle and Nottingham sitting second and third in the table it could easily be argued that London Scottish hold their current position in week 3 almost entirely due to circumstances: the ordering of the draw.
Ampthill have adapted to Championship life quickly and secured a notable Cup win away to neighbours Bedford Blues, plus a victory against Yorkshire Carnegie in the League last week. The question remains as to whether Ampthill are on a flip-flop scoring cycle or indeed adapting and progressing well.
With both teams keen to prove themselves and establish their positions away from the relegation zone and a hopeful buffer before the Christmas break the chances are that this will be another big contest.
“I was pleased with large parts of last week’s performance, hence we only make three changes to the starting line up with Will Allman and Sam Hudson refreshing the back row and Rueben Bird-Tullock (Dual Reg from Northampton Saints) getting the start at inside centre.
The bench made a real impact last week and we hope they can do the same again this week”
Match Gallery: 20191026 London Scottish vs Ampthill
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Ampthill Squad
London Scottish Squad
Jonny Harris
Billy Harding
Kyle Whyte
Matas Jurevicius
Luke Frost
Matt Eliet
Lewis Wynne
Mark Bright
Josh Barton
Harry Sheppard
Jonas Mikalcius
Matt Gordon
Elliot Creed
Harry Barlow
Luke Hibberd
James Malcolm
Jordan Brodley
Phil Cringle
Hugh Tizard
James Tyas
Charlie Gowling
Danny Barnes
Bobby Beattie
Whilst both teams enter into this match with a single loss each Carnegie have a small points difference advantage. To counter this though Ampthill have a home pitch advantage and hopefully a supportive crowd to at least even things out.
Yorkshire Carnegie quite publicly have had a change in fortunes since last season and a big reduction in budget means that they are closer to Ampthill’s operating model than a number of the other clubs in the Championship. They do however bring a wealth of experience and talent to the game so things should even out and provide a fitting battle for the crowd.
“It’s a big day for the club hosting the former Premiership side Yorkshire Carnegie in what is an important game for both clubs. Yorkshire are on record saying that they are clearly targeting this game and that should lead to a good contest.
We make a number of changes to the matchday squad with Jon Kpoku and Facundo Dominguez starting in the forward pack and Kevin Barrett, Sam Hanks and Dual Registered, Northampton Saint Josh Gillespie starting in the back Division. The bench sees Will Allman, Mickey Waters and Northampton Saints Dual Reg Centre Rueben Bird-Tulloch make their debuts in the Green King IPA Championship for the Maroon and Gold.
The players selected to play in this match will go down in club history as the first Ampthill Team to play in the Green King IPA Championship and that’s a huge honour for these 23 players. I’m sure it will be a great occasion.”
Match Gallery: 20191019 Ampthill vs Yorkshjire Carnegie
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Ampthill Squad
Yorkshire Carnegie Squad
Flynn James
Benjamin Sowrey
Gareth Smith
Jacob Brady
Alexander Humfrey
Thomas Smith
Henri Lavin
Guy Graham
James Elliot
Joseph Ford
Thomas Varndell
Daniel Lancaster
Joseph Carlisle
Ryan Shaw
Timothy Bitirim
Louis Musetti
Alexander Reid
Conor Davidson
James Seabrook
Callum Bustin
Trystan Lloyd Dafydd
Elliot Turner
Lee Smith
“This is arguably the biggest day in Ampthill Rugby Clubs History playing the club’s first game ever in the Green King IPA Championship at Dillingham Park against Nottingham Rugby.
It has taken many years of effort to take the club from level seven twelve years ago to level two and the Green King IPA Championship and I would just like to personally thank all our members volunteers, Coaching staff medical team and management team for all their efforts over the past twelve seasons.”
Paul Turner names a starting fifteen with three changes to the side that won against Bedford Blues last Saturday at Goldington Road.
Soane Tonga’uiha returns to the side at loosehead prop for his first start of the season and Club Captain Billy Johnson returns at blindside flanker. Former Nottingham Scrum Half Darryl Veenendaal starts for the A’s.
“It’s good to see Soane and Billy back in the side but we know Nottingham rested a number of starters in last week’s game against Cornish Pirates so we are expecting a really tough game.
The players selected to play in this match will go down in club history as the first Ampthill Team to play in the Green King IPA Championship and that’s a huge honour for these 23 players. I’m sure it will be a great occasion.”
Match Gallery: 20191012 Ampthill 1st XV vs Nottingham
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Ampthill Squad
Nottingham Squad
Aniseko SIO
Luke COLE
Oisin HEFFERNAN
Llewelyn JONES
Tom HOLMES
James CONNOLLY
Will OWEN
Josh POULLET
Murray MCCONNELL
Tommy MATTHEWS
Ben FOLEY
Luke PETERS
Harry STRONG
David WILLIAMS
Sean SCANLON
Jake FARNWORTH
Jamie JACK
Ben BETTS
Cameron JORDAN
Sam LEWIS
Alex DOLLY
Tom STEPHENSON
Kyran BUNGAROO
Bedford and Ampthill are both in Pool 1 of the Championship Cup this season. Saturday marks the third game of the pool and half way through. Bedford are also in the position of having lost to both Ealing Trailfinders and Coventry but with a strong attacking score they start the game with a 28 point difference advantage compared to Ampthill.
Both clubs have played one another many times in the past but this is the first time they meet in competition as peers. Always an entertaining competition this is looking to be a match of two determined teams.
“It’s a massive day for the club with the first competitive game against Bedford Blues in the club’s history. From a personal point of view it will be an emotional day to take the A’s to my former club Bedford at Goldington Road. The journey has been incredible so far taking us from level seven to level two and it’s obviously a huge honour for Ampthill to be involved in such a big game at the Blues this weekend.
The Blues fans are very knowledgeable, and I hope we will get a warm if partisan welcome from the Bedford faithful.
We’ve had a tough introduction to life at level two and it doesn’t get any easier when you have to go away to Bedford. The squad is adjusting to life and I hope we continue to show progress this weekend. Whilst it’s a big ask to get anything at Goldington Road we will give it our best shot.
The squad shows eleven changes to the side that lost at Ealing and a number of the boys who are going to Richmond with the 1881s (Ampthill 2nd team ) will be in contention for the start of the Green King IPA Championship against Nottingham at home next week at Dillingham Park”
Match Gallery: 20191005 Bedford Blues vs Ampthill 1st XV
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Ampthill Squad
Bedford Squad
Sean McCarthy
Robbie Smith
Henry Paul
Will Carrick Smith
Jordan Onojaife
Dan Temm
Josh Buggea
Huw Worthington
Grayson Hart
Ed Coulson
Ryan Hutler
Lewis Robling
Matt Worley
Charlie Reed
Rich Lane
Ewan Kingdon
Joe Wrafter
Andrew Boye
Ed Taylor
Joe Atkinson
James Lennon
Fraser Strachan
Pat Tapley
Last season Coventry recorded a Played 22, Won 8, Drawn 1 record to finish 8th, higher than any other promoted Club since the 12-team format was established.
Having strengthened their squad in the close season with 8 former Premiership or Pro 12 players and a brand new artificial pitch installed at Butts Park, their target will surely be finishing higher in the league table.
“We have completely restructured the rugby programme and this has led to a major upheaval to the Coaches and Playing Staff. However, pre-season has been good but it will take some time for the new systems to bed in and we are still a couple of players short to complete the squad.
We haven’t played any pre-season games so this is the first run out for the squad which will give us the chance to look at the number of the new players and combinations in a competitive match.
11 new signings make their debuts including Loose Head Prop Ben Christie on Dual Registration from WASPS. I think it’s important that our members and fans get behind the new boys on their first appearances at Dillingham Park. I am sure it will take a while to come together but I am confident that we are building a foundation to compete in the future.
Coventry recruited strongly this summer bring in a lot of Premiership and International experience into their playing group. I’m sure they will be challenging for the Championship Cup and I predict they will finish in the top 4 of the Greene King IPA Championship this season given the improved quality of their squad.
This is the first game Ampthill has played at the level in our history and it doesn’t get any tougher than Coventry”
Match Gallery: 20190921 Ampthill vs Coventry
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Ampthill Squad
Tom Foulkes
David Ward
Matthew Collins
Henri Williams
Billy Johnson
Robert Langley
Joe Bercis
Maama Molitika
Darryl Veenendal
Josh Sharp
Nigel Baker
Sam Hanks
Jarryd Sage
Kwaku Asiedu
Serafin Bordoli
Sydney Blackmore
Aleki Lutui
Ben Christie
Facundo Dominguez
Shay Kerry
Gavin Williams
Louis Grimoldby
Will Foster
Coventry Squad
James Gibbons
Darren Dawidiuk
Gareth Denman
James Voss
Alexander Woolford
Adam Peters
Jack Ram
Ryan Burrows
Thomas Kessell
Rory Jennings
Ratu Bulumakau
William Owen
Heath Stevens
Ratu Jonasa Bulumakau
James Stokes
Scott Tolmie
Toby Trinder
Philip Boulton
George Oram
Senitki Nayalo
Peter White
William Maisey
Robert Knox
Loughborough Students were the first opponents of the season for Ampthill and the return leg is one of equal anticipation. Ampthill need only a single point from this fixture to assure their place as winners of the National One league this year which would earn the club a promotion to the Championship league and the highest ever ranking in their history.
Conversely Loughborough site at the other end of the table after a difficult year in National League One. Traditionally Loughborough suffer from high player turnover and this has not helped their game this season, with a rally toward the end of the season Lougborough now tie with Esher for points at the bottom of the table: a bad game for Esher against Blackheath with a good result for Loughborough would see them out of the relegation zone at Esher’s expense.
With both teams fight at opposite ends of the table this should be a match of importance for both side with the expected harsh weather only serving as a perfect backdrop to the conflict expected on the field!
Match Gallery: 20190427 Lougborough vs Ampthill 1st XV
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Ampthill Squad
Loughborough Squad
Ben Christie
Jamie Cox
Andrew Boye
Cameron Boon
Thibaud Flament
Ogwenesuvwe Obano
Maximillian Hill
Adrians Van Der Ploeg
Callum Watson
Mark Dixon
Austin Beckett
Harry Priestner
Matthew Edwards
William Brown
Charlie Reed
Jamie Harding
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Jarrod Leat
Samuel Bailey
Thomas Ffitch
William Attfield
Sale Football Club was founded in 1861 by a team of enthusiastic sportsmen drawn mainly from Sale Cricket Club. The fifth oldest surviving rugby club and the most prominent in the history of the North West.
Promoted as Champions of National 2 North last season Sale lie 10th in National 1 with a played 28 Won 12 record. Last week Sale defeated Plymouth Albion at home 31-22 to secure another season in National 1. They have two players Connor Doherty and Christian Taylor who have been rewarded this season with England u19 and England Students call ups.
Last week Ampthill 1stXV secured a bonus point win away at Moseley despite a strong second half comeback from the home side, promotion rivals Old Elthamians failed to secure the 4 try bonus point restoring Ampthill’s lead at the top of National 1 to 5 points. OE’s have another tough game this week away at Bishop’s Stortford, it is possible that Ampthill may secure promotion to the Championship this weekend, be there or you’ll regret it.
“It’s Sale FC’s first visit to Dillingham, they play an exciting brand of rugby which is really entertaining to watch so I’m sure it will be a good contest.
We played well in parts last week but we didn’t put an 80 minute performance together so we are hoping to improve on that on Saturday.
Regrettably Richmond can not fulfil the 1881’s fixture so we only have two games at home this week with the 1sts and 5ths both kicking off at 15:00 on the top pitches.”
Match Gallery: 20190430 Ampthill vs Sale FC
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Ampthill Squad
Sale Squad
Dan Birchall
Chris Taylor
Simon Griffiths
Matthew Postlethwaite
Stone Priestley-Nangle
Andrew Hughes
David Seymour
Thomas Ailes
Matt Bradley
Kieran Wilkinson
Paolo Odogwu
Jack Moorhouse
Connor Doherty
Edward O'Keefe
Robert Povey
John Blanchard
Adam Aigbokhae
William Davies
Kieran Dunne
Emiliano Calle Rivas
Birmingham Moseley Park was founded in 1873 by members of the cricket club that wanted a winter sport. Early successes include being the first team to defeat the New Zealand Native Football team in 1882, the All Blacks have probably learnt a few things since then though so a rematch might have a different result. From the mid 1960’s until the late 1980’s Moseley enjoyed a huge run of success and regularly supplied players to the national teams of England and Wales. Originally based at the Reddings they moved to their current ground (Billesley Common) in 2005. After a few years of moving between divisions Moseley gained promotion to National Division One in 2006.
Birmingham Moseley currently occupy the number 12 slot in National League One sitting between Sale FC and Cambridge. Ampthill are currently sitting at the top of the division but are acutely aware that Birmingham Moseley are more than capable of causing problems for their promotional hopes, especially with the home advantage.
Match Gallery: 20190406 Birmingham Moseley vs Ampthill
Store: 20190406 Birmingham Moseley vs Ampthill Store
Ampthill Squad
To Be Announced
Moseley Squad
To Be Announced
Rosslyn Park was founded in 1879 by a group of young men looking for winter sport. Having played ad-hoc cricket in the grounds of Rosslyn House, part of the Rosslyn Park estate, they set up a cricket club and took the name Rosslyn Park subsequently adding a football club which took the same name. Surprisingly, neither the cricket club nor the rugby club ever played within Rosslyn Park.
Originally based near Hampstead Heath at Southend End Green they first moved to nearby Gospel Oak (1881), then in 1885 to Gunnersbury Lane, Acton before becoming tenants at Old Deer Park, Richmond where they remained until 1956, moving to Roehampton where they became landlords.
In 1892 Park travelled to Paris to play Stade Français becoming the first English to club to play in Europe in the process. In 1912 Park played the first ever games of rugby in Prague, Budapest & Vienna.
Match Gallery: 20190330 Amp 1st XV vs Rosslyn Park
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Ampthill Squad
Jon Kpoku
Sean Reffell
Elliot Obotoyinbo
Rosslyn Park Squad
Paul Doran-Jones
Thomas Vaughan-Edwards
Stewart Maguire
Adam Frampton
Gregor Gillanders
Henry Spencer
Arthur Ellis
Hugo Ellis
Ben Williams
Harry Leonard
Ben Marfo
Joe Munro
Henry Robinson
Bamidele Fadahunsi
Oliver Grove
Owen Hughes
Alistair Wade
Hugh Tizard
Jack Gash
Charlie Amesbury
Ampthill face the league leaders and title rivals Old Elthamians RFC at Dillingham Park for what is likely to be the big crunch match of the season.
Four changes from the team that beat Rotherham last weekend: Club Captain Billy Johnson reverts to Lock in place of Henri Williams with Sam Hudson returning in the back row, Aleki Lutui returns from injury at Hooker and Gavin Williams replaces Kevin Barrett at Scrum Half.
We are expecting big crowd at Dillingham Park, with a number of our mini & youth players attending in addition to local school children so get there early and enjoy what should be a great game.
The Mayor of Ampthill (Cllr Stephen Addy) will be attending the match and meeting members of the club.
Match Gallery: 20190309 Ampthill vs Old Elthamians
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Ampthill Squad
Jon Kpoku
Ralph Adams-Hale
Sean Reffell
Old Elthamians Squad
Lewis Brown
Nathan Morris
Stef North
Fred Hosking
Charlie Self
Harry Ledger
Hamish Barton
Ben King
Ollie Claxton
Joe Carlisle
Geroge Perkins
Max Wilkins
James Golledge
Dom Lespierre
Tom White
Alex Rogers
Jay Rudland-Thomas
Michael Kovacic
Rhys Morgan
Charlie Dockery
This weekend sees the return leg to Rotherham with the Titans hosting Ampthill at Clifton Lane. Rotherham are historically one of the most successful clubs in English Rugby in terms of promotions earned. Having had a mixed season of results Rotherham currently sit fifth in the National League 1 table between Blackheath and Chinnor.
Ampthill have had a fairy-tale run in the past few weeks with a succession of decisive wins meaning they are chasing at the heals of league leaders Old Elthamians leading in all statistics other than the number of games won. Ampthill need to maintain their form this weekend before their league deciding meet with Old Elthamians on the 9th March.
Match Gallery: 20190302 Rotherham Titans vs Ampthill 1st XV
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Ampthill Squad
Jon Kpoku
Henri Williams
Ralph Adams-Hale
Rotherham Squad
Dan Richardson
Jack Bergmanas
Will DennisDan
Preston-Routledge
Jamie Ure
Luis Ball
Zak Poole
Seb Nagle-Taylor
Connor Dever
Joe Barker
Connor Field
Harry Dunne
Jamie Cooke
Dan Leake
Tom Allott
Ali Thomson
Jessie Williams
Rikki Stout
Tom Cotterill
Alex Dolly
Caldy currently lie 13th in National One with a played 22 won 9 record. In the reverse fixture earlier this season Ampthill lost a tight game 19-18 at Paton field.
Last week Ampthill’s 1st XV defeated Bishops Stortford at Dillingham Park 34-24 securing the bonus point to remain 2nd in National 1 5 points behind leaders Old Elthamians.
Ampthill’s squad sees a few changes this week, up front Billy Johnson moves to lock, Will Allman & Maama Molitika start at openside flanker and eighthman respectively. The backs see Kevin Barrett return at scrum half, Josh Sharp at fly half and Will Foster on the wing. The bench sees Joe Bercis rotate to cover the back row.
“After another tough game last week Ampthill’s run into a team with arguably the best back three in the division and to whom they lost before Christmas. It will require another consistent performance for Ampthill to maintain their title challenge”
Match Gallery: 20190223 Ampthill vs Caldy
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Ampthill Squad
Henri Williams
Caldy Squad
Rob O'Donnell
John Whittaker
Derek Salisbury
Jack Collister
Tom Sanders
Callum Ridgway
Nyle Davidson
Josiah Dickinson
Jake Squirrel
Rhys Hayes
Ben Jones
Mike Barlow
Gavin Roberts
Nick Royle
Rory Hardman
Mark Williams
Stuart Cross
Ciaran Booth
Luke Hibberd
Michael Cartmill
Bishops Storford have played 21 games, won 8 to lie 11th in the National 1 table but they are the form team in the league having won their last 5 games on the trot including last weeks demolition of Plymouth Albion.
Ampthill 1stXV secured a bonus point victory 20-26 on the road at Caldy last week with a performance of two halves, leading 3-21 at half time they conceded 17 unanswered points in the second half only to secure the win and bonus point with a last move of the game try.
“After a good 50 mins last week we conspired to nearly lose the game at Cinderford through a combination of our own unusual calls and a great fight back from the hosts.
If we don’t apply ourselves for 80 mins against the form team in the division Bishop Stortford, who are fresh off a complete mauling of Plymouth Albion last week, we will find ourselves in trouble.”
Match Gallery: 20190216 Ampthill 1st XV vs Bishops Stortford
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Ampthill Squad
Jon Kpoku
Henri Williams
Bishops Stortford Squad
Seb Brownhill
Lec Caulfield
Tom McCrone
Jon George
Matt Tomlinson
James Apperley
Dan Elsom
Steve Ball
Tom Banks
George Cullen
Jimmy Rea
Jack Scantlebury
Sam Winter
Rob Duff
Nick Hankin
Harrison King
Ben Harrison-Price
Baxter Wilson
Will Simmons
Manu Vunipola
This season Albion have a played 17 won 8 record to lie 7th in the National 1 table 12 points behind our 4th placed 1stXV. After a difficult start to the season Plymouth have hit a rich vein of form winning 4 games on the bounce including defeating Blackheath away last weekend. The reverse fixture against us in September saw the visitors win at home 17-5, games between the two sides are always physical and close, rarely being decided by more than one score.
After their Boxing day heroics at Bedford Blues the 1stXV came back to Earth with a bump at Esher last week, trailing 35-5 after 25 minutes and 49-22 after 60 minutes they staged a mighty fightback to close to 49-48 with 2 minutes to play before a miss-understanding saw the ball kicked dead after time had expired. The 15 try thriller which Ampthill edged 7 tries to 8 was wonderful festive fare for spectators if not for both defence coaches!
“Albion on current form are the best team in National 1 taking 18 out of the last 20 points available to them and winning four out of four including a massive win last week away at second placed Blackheath. Challenges don’t come any bigger, both teams know each other well and matches have always been exciting.
Ampthill would rather forget about last week, conceding 7 tries for the first time this season and frankly looking like a team of schoolboys in defensive terms. However there were some positives after twice coming back from 30pt deficits and, with a little more composure at the death may even have snuck the win.”
Match Gallery: 20190112 Ampthill 1st XV vs Plymouth Albion
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Ampthill Squad
Henri Williams
Plymouth Squad
Will Norton
Paul Davis
Dan Pullinger
Lewis Pearson
Dan Collier
John Kelly
George Mills
Herbie Stupple
Cam Setter
Connor Eastgate
Matt Shepherd
Dean Squire
Seta Raumakita
Josh Skelcey
Dan Powell
Jamie Salter
James Kenny
Kieran Westlake
Dan Mugford
Jack Arnott
Chinnor RFC was formed in 1962 and played their first game the following year. The 1970s saw the club expand to include junior and youth teams and in 1976 the club won the Oxfordshire Cup. When the English league system started the club was placed in Bucks and Oxon Division 1 and have progressed through the Southern Counties section to gained promotion to the National Leagues in 2006. Last year Chinnor were runners up to Cinderford in National 2 South winning promotion to National 1 via the playoff.
Currently placed 6th in National 1 with played 15 won 8 record, Chinnor are just 2 places and 3pts behind Ampthill. Last week Chinnor defeated Esher at home 24-18.
Match Gallery: 20181222 Ampthill 1st XV vs Chinnor
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Ampthill Squad
Henri Williams
Chris Muncaster
Chinnor Squad
Jake Elwood
Dan George
Jack Gilding
Jack Ramshaw
Ben Thomas
Joe Dancer
Will Bordill
Tom Burns
Greg Goodfellow
Craig Holland
Josh Hodson
Alex Dancer
Danny Barnes
Reon Joseph
Kieran Goss
Ben Betts
George Oliver
Ben Manning
Edward Hoadley
Orisi Nawaqaliva
Moseley have recently been a stalwart of the Championship, built a new stand and clubhouse complex but, after a number of close shaves, they finally succumbed to relegation at the end of season 2015/16.
The club’s first season in National 1 saw them record a 5th place finish with played 30 won 20 record. This season they lie 12th in the table with a played 13 won 4 record.
“Our unbeaten run came to a halt last week when we were outplayed by a better Rosslyn Park team at the Rock. It’s important we bounce back against an inform Mosley team who’s position in the league is completely false. They are gaining momentum and pushing up table”
Match Gallery: 20181208Amp 1st XV vs Moseley Park
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Ampthill Squad
Henri Williams
Chris Muncaster
Jack Nay
Moseley Squad
Josh Poole
Chris Brightwell
Laurence Cowen
Buster Lawrence
Lewis Bean
Joe Wrafter
Adam Caves
Jay Tyack
Rob Lewis
Ollie Allsopp
Louis Roach
Ravia Fatiaki
James Williams
Alex Hearle
Nick David
Geore Newman
Tom Fidler
CJ Osazuwa
Sam Pointon
Sam Hayward
Mowden Park are welcomed back again to Dillingham Park. Mowden Park sit roughly mid table at present with the same number of wins as Ampthill to their credit but one more loss showing just how much difference a single match can make to a club’s standings!
Mowden Park arrive at the match on the back of a victory against Plymouth Albion last week so expectations of their normally fun loving supporters is raised even higher!
Always a great effort from Mowden Park on the pitch and with an enthusiastic bunch of supporters as well it should be a great day.
Match Gallery: 20181125 Ampthill 1st XV vs Mowden Park
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Ampthill Squad
Jon Kpoku
Samson Ma'asi
Alex Coles
Mowden Park Squad
Alfie Barron
Jordan Poole
Ignas Darkintis
Tailiti Vaioleti
Jake Brady
Dave Fisher
George Stokes
Joe Craggs
Matt Dudman
Warren Seales
Brandon Asher-Wood
Garry Law
Callum Smith
Callum Mackenzie
Christian Georgiou
Ralph Appleby
Chris Wood
Franco Lamanna
Dave Fisher
Shaun McCartney
This weekend Ampthill host Rotherham Titans at home on the Oakley Fields. Rotherham are historically one of the most successful clubs in English Rugby in terms of promotions earned. Having spent a couple of spells in the english premiership in the 1990s and 2000s this season sees a team only just relegated from the Championship at the end of last season and sitting second in the National League 1 table with the tightest of margins away from 1st place.
Ampthill have had a mixed start to the new season and currently sit around the mid table. With two successive wins in recent weeks hopes should be high that they are regaining their form with a chance of providing an upset as they did with Coventry last season.
Match Gallery: 20181103 Ampthill 1st XV vs Rotherham
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Ampthill Squad
Rotherham Squad
Dan Richardson
Ali Thomson
Rikki Stout
Tom Cotterill
Jamie Ure
Luis Ball
Zak Poole
Seb Nagle-Taylor
Connor Dever
Joe Barker
Connor Field
Ellis Abrahams
Jamie Cooke
Henry Roberts
Callum Irvine
Jack Bergmanas
Will Dennis
Conor Keys
Eru Smith-Wano
Alex Dolly
Ampthill welcome Cinderford to Dillingham Park on Saturday for the first time since season 2015/16.
Founded in 1886, the visitors lie 7th in National 1 with a played 7 won 4 record having defeated Plymouth Albion at home last week 15-12.
Relegated to National 2 South at the end of season 2015-16 their promotion as last year’s Champions of National 2 South has been marked by very competitive performances having secured a losing bonus point in all three of their defeats this season.
Match Gallery: 20181020 Ampthill 1st XV vs Cinderford
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Ampthill Squad
Alex Coles
Shaun Reffell
Cinderford Squad
George Porter
Nathan Taylor
James Elliot
Jack Shields
Ben So’oialo Chan
Harry Hone
Joe Mullis
George Evans
Alex Frame
Danny Pointon
Jake Morris
George Boulton
Ed Bogue
Sam Smith
Dominic Coetzer
Tom Heard
Tim Brockett
Aaron Ryan
Matthew Bennett
Reuben Norville
