May 23, 2007

EASTERN COUNTIES can erase the painful memories of their last County Championship final appearance by beating Durham this weekend.

The Counties were hammered 58-5 at Twickenham by North Midlands in 2004.

But coach Nick Greenhall believes the current crop are the best he's ever worked with ahead of this season's County Championship Plate final at Hartlepool Rovers on Saturday.

"There are quite a few survivors in the side and for those guys with good memories this is a chance to go one better," he said. "We probably underestimated North Midlands that day but now we can go one better."

Eastern Counties reached the final with a 25-16 win over HAMPSHIRE at Diss, with North Walsham wing Tom Holt striking twice in the opening 15 minutes before prop Tim Groom ploughed over from close range. Saffron Walden fly-half Tom Hughes added a conversion and three penalties.

Hampshire replied through prolific Portsmouth wing Oge Ofuasia and Havant prop Tom Wells with English Universities fly-half Chris Ashwin adding two penalties.

The win means Eastern Counties will play in the second tier of the three division competition next year, while Hampshire stay put in the Shield.

Greenhall is likely to make only two changes to the side for the final with Norwich centre Adrian Ball unavailable and Newmarket flanker Craig Hunter injured.

Cameron Cain (North Walsham) and teenager Peter Clifford (Hartpury College) are the candidates to come into midfield and Nathan Howden (Bury St Edmunds) likely to take over at open-side.

Durham are strong in the set-piece but Greenhall hopes his experienced front-row of Groom, Gideon Rossouw (North Walsham) and Des Brett (Blackheath) will lay the foundations in the North East.

"So far our set-pieces have been solid, we've got a decent front-row and compete well at the lineout," he said.

"They've given us a good platform this season and our counter-attacking play has created lots of opportunities for us.

"We know the way we want to play and it'll take a good side to beat us."

MIDDLESEX keep their place in the top tier of county rugby by beating HERTFORDSHIRE 18-16 at Staines.

Esher's Bevon Armitage - the younger brother of London Irish stars Delon and Steffon - scored their opening try with London Welsh's Dan Collier also touching down and Richard Mahony adding a conversion and two penalties.

Herts led briefly in the first-half after Tring prop Toby Prescott forced his way over.

But they were unable to overhaul the home side despite a conversion and three penalties from Hertford's Kieran Davis.

The defeat means Herts are relegated after two competitive seasons in the top-flight and they will take part in the County Championship Shield next season.

They will be joined in the second tier by Eastern Counties, who have already secured promotion after reaching the Plate final.

But SURREY drop out of the Shield after finishing bottom of their group following three defeats, the latest a 60-22 mauling at the hands of Cornwall.

Coach Hugh McHardy has been hamstrung by unavailability and the aftermath of a gruelling league season and his side mounted a spirited but ultimately short-lived revival at Camborne.

Skipper Duncan Cormack, his Esher team-mate Mike Blakemore and full-back David Charles scored their tries.

Next season's Plate competition will involve Surrey, Kent and Essex as well as beaten semi-finalists Sussex and Hampshire.

SUSSEX went down 39-13 to Durham who won the forward battle at Hartlepool to reach the final.

A penalty from Rob Parry (Bognor) and a try from Mike Marsh (Esher) kept them in the game at 10-8 down shortly before half-time but a consolation try from replacement Scott Patto (Lewes) was all they could manage in the second half.

Results
Bill Beaumont Cup, North: Cheshire 33 North Midlands 14, Lancashire 27 Yorkshire 17. South: Devon 13 Gloucestershire 8, Middlesex 18 Hertfordshire 16.
County Championship Shield, North: Cumbria 34 Notts, Lincs & Derbys 19, Warwickshire 23 Northumberland 17. South: Cornwall 60 Surrey 22, Somerset 60 Oxfordshire 27.
County Championship Plate, semi-finals: Durham 39 Sussex 13, Eastern Counties 26 Hampshire 15.

Fixtures
May 27: County Championship Shield final: Warwickshire v Somerset (Coventry 3pm), County Championship Plate final: Durham v Eastern Counties (Hartlepool Rovers 3pm)
May 28: Bill Beaumont Cup final: Lancashire v Devon (5pm).

Experimental Law Variations
This season’s County Championship is being used as a laboratory by the International Rugby Board to experiment with some new variations of the laws of the game.
The Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) consist of modifications to the Maul, 22, Breakdown and Off-side laws that will be trialled in 47 games in the Bill Beaumont Cup, County Championship Shield and County Championship Plate over the five weeks of the tournament from April 28 to May 28. The ELVs being trialled are as follows:

• The maul can be pulled down without penalty, players may break away and be bound in front of the ball-carrier and joining a maul from behind the back foot will be strictly enforced
• If the ball is passed or taken back into the 22 and kicked into touch, the lineout is in line with where the ball was kicked
• Entering the breakdown ‘through the gate’ will be rigidly enforced, a tackled player must play the ball immediately and must not be prevented doing so by any player off their feet
• The offside line at a scrum will be 5 metres back from the hindmost foot of the scrum.

ends