Archers Reach Midway Point

After a start that saw them register four wins from their opening five games, Champ Rugby outfit, Nottingham RFC have stumbled somewhat in recent months.

Now, heading into the second half of the season, Craig Hammond’s Archers find themselves in mid-table (seventh) with a 6-1-6 playing record, picking up just two wins since the early November success at Cambridge.

That was the game in which captain David Williams claimed his hundredth try for the Archers, saying afterwards that: “It feels really, really good.

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about the 100 tries before the game but it was great to get over the line early doors.

“I didn’t have to do much for it, which is testament to the boys inside me. It’s awesome to be in that select group of people.”

The back end of November would see the tied game, a 28-28 score as Bedford Blues visited Lady Bay, the Archers running in four tries from Harry Graham, Jack Dickinson, Sam Green, and Daniel Richardson, with Gwyn Parks kicking through the conversions.

That, and the narrow, low-scoring 11-6 success away to Chinoor (Oxfordshire) the following week, stemmed the (losing) tide; the game with Chinoor being decided by hit-and-miss penalties.

George Worboys registered for the hosts with two penalty scores, whilst in reply for the visitors, alongside a Jack Dickinson try, Gwyn Parks registered two penalties, whilst missing both a penalty and a conversion.

After the cracker with the Blues, Parks said: “We know in our group how good we are.

“When we get our stuff right and we focus on us we can definitely be a top four team.

“We’re a young squad and tight games like this, and versus Worcester (last time out) will help us grow and that will show come the end of the season.”

Meanwhile, relief was on-show after Chinoor, with Cherry saying: “We’ve been on the wrong side of a few close ones so it meant a lot to us at the end, with the boys piling in and celebrating.

“The boys today, like Arthur Allen and Wilf McCarthy on debut, coming on and adding massive value, especially in that last set where we saw the game off.

“I think that’s one of the best team wins I’ve been a part of in my time at Nottingham Rugby.”

A pair of narrow losses followed before a Boxing Day victory run against visiting Hartpury, the Archers pulling out a 38-24 Christmas Cracker at Lady Bay, in front of a 2,000-plus crowd, with a half dozen tries being ran in by the hosts.

Levi Roper eventually put the Archers on the board, after a somewhat sloppy opening to the contest, with further scores coming from Dickinson, Graham, and Richardson for a 26-5 interval lead; (Michael) Green then ran in the fifth after combining well with James Cherry before Aniseko Sio added the sixth on sixty-five minutes as the Archers held on for the win.

Meanwhile, last time out, Hammond’s Archers were edged 36-27 when at Ampthill, on 3 January; James Cherry and Michael Green crossed in the first half, Jack Dickinson and Alexander Garrett (bonus point try on debut on the right wing) adding two more late on, before Cherry’s second at the death wrapped up the scoring – Charlie West converting just the once.

Meanwhile, after Ampthill, Cherry spoke to the club website saying: “Any game we go into we look to get four or five points but massive credit to Ampthill, they did a really good job in tricky conditions.

“They exploited our mistakes and we’ve got to be better as a group.

“We’ll go away and review that then, after a bit of time off, try and right some wrongs when we play London Scottish at home in three weeks’ time.”

Those three weeks are now, all but up, and the Archers have been preparing to go again, in the second half of the Champ Rugby season, in a foot-race for the playoffs.

Hammond’s side will close out January with a home clash against thirteenth place London Scottish, at Lady Bay (23 January), before travelling to Caldy, who are currently eighth (to Nottingham’s seventh) a week later (31 January).