Victory in the Archers’ final home game of the 2024/25 Championship season was perhaps just reward for the tough couple of months Craig Hammond’s side have endured.

Since returning to league action, after the Premiership Rugby Cup Pool Stages had finished earlier in the year, the Archers have gone on to lose seven of the nine matches played; Hammo’s side though have been floored by injuries.

Granted Sebastian Ferreira returned for the win under the Friday Night Lights against Hartpury University, but he has been one of some eleven players in the medical room during recent times.

Ferreira has been joined by that of Matthew Arden, Nathan Tweedy, Kegan Christian-Goss, and Marcus Ramage, among others as the Lady Bay side have suffered, a point brought to the fore in recent showings.

Friday’s win though, over fourth place Hartpury, was relief after a three-game winless streak, and saw the Archers register their biggest comeback since 1998, some 27 years; that deficit was a 26-point margin in which the visitors had inside the opening sixteen minutes.

Both Ethan Hunt and Alex Morgan crossed twice for the visitors, with Harry Bazalgette kicking three of the four conversions, as they threatened to run away with the contest; James Cherry laid the ball off for Will Yarnell to cross for Nottingham after twenty-four minutes as Tom Threlfall converted, before Michael Austin restored Hartpury’s advantage.

Nottingham though kept themselves in the hunt when first Harry Clayton, then Harry Graham, both crossed, the former after numerous offloads in the build-up, and the latter after Yarnell and Threlfall combined, and Threlfall added the extras on one of those, as the deficit at the interval stood at a dozen points.

Following a hectic first forty minutes, the second forty was pretty much one-way traffic, in favour of the blistering hosts, they running in five, unanswered tries, three of which arrived in a devastating, ten-minute spell.

A succession of penalties led to David Williams cutting the deficit to five off a line-out, before Williams found a gap for James Cherry to cross, within a couple of minutes of each other early in the second half, Threlfall adding the extra on both.

Now two points to the good, the Archers’ sails were blowing beautifully before Harry Graham received the ball after Hartpury missed a penalty, he laying it off for Ryan Olowofela to “dance through the whole Hartpury side.”

Two more tries were added after the hour as Jacob Wright went in over the maul, before Graham breaks and releases to Javiah Pohe to score, again Threlfall converting, as the Archers took their try tally to eight, with six conversions, in a 54-33 victory.

NOTTINGHAM (Starting XV vs. Hartpury University) Archie van der Flier, Harry Clayton, Ale Loman, Jay Ecclesfield, Sebastian Ferreira, Sam Green, Jacob Wright, James Cherry, Will

Yarnell, Tom Threlfall, Harry Graham, Javiah Pohe, Jack Stapley, David Williams (capt), Ryan Olowofela

(Replacements – Jack Dickinson, Kai Owen, Dan Richardson, Jack Shine, Michael Green, Josh Goodwin, Jamie Annand, Sam Mercer)

Additional news for the Archers has seen plenty of contract announcements of late, although there has been the disappointment in the enforced retirement, through medical reasons, on club captain Nathan Tweedy.

The first, major announcement, in mid-April, was that HC Craig Hammond had signed a new, two-year contract with the club, taking him through to 2027; a number of other Archers stars have also signed on for next season with David Williams amongst them, he having recently made his 150th appearance for the club, the first to do so in a decade.

Other players to sign new contracts over the past few weeks are Dan Richardson, Kegan Christian-Gross, Aniseko Sio, Jack Dickinson, Josh Goodwin, Jay Ecclesfield, Harry Graham, and Michael Green.

With Number Eight, James Cherry, collecting a hat-trick, the Archers, this Saturday (24 May), announced their awards for the 2024/25 season, they were as follows –

Hard Working Good Bloke Award – James Cherry

Players’ Player of the Season – Kegan Christian-Goss

Supporters Player of the Season – James Cherry

Young Player of the Season – Ale Loman

Neil Hannah Player of the Season – James Cherry

Try of the Season – David Williams (vs. Ealing Trailfinders)

Hammo’s charges now prepare for the final game of the season, and the long trip to Penzance, and the third place Cornish Pirates, 3pm kick-off on Saturday 31 May.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @NottinghamRugby the Archers have one more match at Cornish Pirates to play.