Match Preview

This week, the Firsts face the long trek up to deepest, darkest Lancashire to play another historically powerful club, Fylde.

Rather surprisingly, the club was formed only one year before Stortford (1919), but that's where the historical similarities end. In their pre-professionalism heyday they produced many internationals, the most famous of which (and still heavily involved with the club), is Bill Beaumont. He would almost certainly been at the game, had his role as IRB boss not required him to be in Dubai for the sevens!

More recently, the club had a spell in National 3 North but regained level 3 status in 2010/11, when they were able to draw on some coaching input from Brian Ashton. After 3 solid seasons in National 1, the last two seasons have seen them slip into the lower reaches of the league and this season again is proving a challenge. This does not mean though that they can be taken at all lightly - their last home match saw them lose only 19-26 to Blackheath, whose match report described them as "feisty Fylde. As a club which, according to their website has "reasserted itself as a community-oriented, members' club, basically amateur", it is not surprising that they should be showing such spirit and we will take them lightly at our peril.

Unfortunately, no recent match reports have been posted on their website, so no real insights into their playing strengths, though the impression gained from the last two reports on opposition sites is that they like to run the ball and scrmhalf, Mike Gregory must be pretty lively, having run back a kick from his own 22 to score a try in their heavy defeat last time out at Esher.