Filtering by: RFU Championship
Bedford Blues vs Ampthill (Boxing Day)
Dec
26
3:00 PM15:00
Rugby Union, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA, Away Match

Bedford Blues vs Ampthill (Boxing Day)

  • Bedford Blues Rugby & Venue Hire (map)
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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.”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

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Bedford Squad

  1. Sean McCarthy

  2. Robbie Smith

  3. Henry Paul

  4. Jordan Onojaife

  5. Will Carrick Smith

  6. Dan Temm​

  7. Joe Atkinson

  8. Alafoti Faosiliva

  9. James Lennon

  10. Will Hooley

  11. Dean Adamson

  12. Oskar Hirskjy-Douglas

  13. Matt Worley

  14. Pat Tapley

  15. Rich Lane

  16. Jacob Fields

  17. Joe Wrafter

  18. Alex Penny

  19. Ed Taylor

  20. Huw Worthington

  21. Grayson Hart

  22. Sam Leeming

  23. Ryan Hutler

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Ampthill vs Bedford Blues
Dec
14
1:45 PM13:45
Rugby Union, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA, Home Match, Championship Cup

Ampthill vs Bedford Blues

  • Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

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Match Gallery: Match Report

Bedford Squad

  1. Sean McCarthy

  2. Robbie Smith

  3. Henry Paul

  4. Jordan Onojaife

  5. Will Carrick Smith

  6. Josh Buggea

  7. ​Joe Atkinson

  8. Dan Temm

  9. James Lennon

  10. Will Hooley

  11. Ryan Hutler

  12. Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas

  13. Matt Worley

  14. Pat Tapley

  15. Joe Green

  16. Jacob Fields

  17. Joe Wrafter

  18. Andrew Boye

  19. Oli Curry

  20. Alafoti Faosiliva

  21. Grayson Hart

  22. Sam Leeming

  23. Charlie Reed

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Ampthill vs Jersey Reds
Nov
16
2:15 PM14:15
Rugby Union, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA, Home Match

Ampthill vs Jersey Reds

  • Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

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Jersey Reds Squad

  1. Roy Godfrey

  2. Antonio Harris

  3. Alec Clarey

  4. Charlie Beckett

  5. Rory Bartle

  6. Conor Joyce

  7. Josh Bainbridge

  8. Janco Venter

  9. Luc Jones

  10. Greg Dyer

  11. Brendan Owen

  12. James Newey

  13. George Spencer

  14. Alex Morgan

  15. Auguy Slowik

  16. Nic Dolly

  17. Harry Morley

  18. Lee-Roy Ata'Lifo

  19. Kyle Hatherell

  20. Jake Upfield

  21. Max Argyle

  22. Will Homer

  23. Jack Stapley

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Ampthill vs Hartpury
Nov
2
2:15 PM14:15
Rugby Union, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA, Home Match

Ampthill vs Hartpury

  • Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

Match Gallery: 20191102 Ampthill vs Hartpury

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Ampthill Squad

  1. Soane Tonga’huiha

  2. Dave Ward

  3. Aleki Lutui

  4. Jon Kpoku

  5. Shay Kerry

  6. Will Allman

  7. Joe Bercis

  8. Sam Hudson

  9. Darryl Veenendaal

  10. Sam Costelow

  11. Sam Baker

  12. Rueben Bird-Tullock

  13. Cameron Anderson

  14. Josh Gillespie

  15. Karim Lynch

  16. Syd Blackmore

  17. Matt Collins

  18. Ben Christie

  19. Billy Johnson

  20. Maama Molitika

  21. Gavin Williams

  22. Louis Grimoldby

  23. Sam Hanks

Hartpury Squad

  1. Dan Murphy

  2. Will Tanner

  3. Alex Gibson

  4. Justin Clegg

  5. Joe Batley

  6. Akapusi Qera

  7. Sam Graham

  8. Seb Nagle-Taylor

  9. Harry Cochrane

  10. Joshua Bragman

  11. Toby Fricker

  12. Luke Eves

  13. Charlie Powell

  14. Nick David

  15. George Simpson

  16. Will Crane

  17. Des Merrey

  18. Mike Flook

  19. Tom Everard

  20. Kieran Curran

  21. Jack Preece

  22. Luke Carter

  23. Mike Wilcox

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London Scottish vs Ampthill
Oct
26
3:00 PM15:00
Rugby Union, Away Match, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA

London Scottish vs Ampthill

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”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

Match Gallery: 20191026 London Scottish vs Ampthill

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Ampthill Squad

  1. Soane Tonga’huiha

  2. Dave Ward

  3. Aleki Lutui

  4. Jon Kpoku

  5. Shay Kerry

  6. Will Allman

  7. Joe Bercis

  8. Sam Hudson

  9. Kevin Barrett

  10. Louis Grimoldby

  11. Sam Baker

  12. Rueben Bird-Tullock

  13. Jarryd Sage

  14. Josh Gillespie

  15. Karim Lynch

  16. Syd Blackmore

  17. Matt Collins

  18. Ben Christie

  19. Billy Johnson

  20. Maama Molitika

  21. Darryl Veenendaal

  22. Sam Costelow

  23. Cameron Anderson

London Scottish Squad

  1. Jonny Harris

  2. Billy Harding

  3. Kyle Whyte

  4. Matas Jurevicius

  5. Luke Frost

  6. Matt Eliet

  7. Lewis Wynne

  8. Mark Bright

  9. Josh Barton

  10. Harry Sheppard

  11. Jonas Mikalcius

  12. Matt Gordon

  13. Elliot Creed

  14. Harry Barlow

  15. Luke Hibberd

  16. James Malcolm

  17. Jordan Brodley

  18. Phil Cringle

  19. Hugh Tizard

  20. James Tyas

  21. Charlie Gowling

  22. Danny Barnes

  23. Bobby Beattie

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Ampthill vs Yorkshire Carnegie
Oct
19
3:00 PM15:00
Rugby Union, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA, Home Match

Ampthill vs Yorkshire Carnegie

  • Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

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.”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

Match Gallery: 20191019 Ampthill vs Yorkshjire Carnegie

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Ampthill Squad

  1. Soane Tonga’uiha

  2. Dave Ward

  3. Aleki Lutui

  4. Jon Kpoku

  5. Shay Kerry

  6. Billy Johnson

  7. Joe Bercis

  8. Facundo Dominguez

  9. Kevin Barrett

  10. Louis Grimoldby

  11. Nigel (Sam) Baker

  12. Sam Hanks

  13. Jarryd Sage

  14. Josh Gillespie

  15. Karim Lynch

  16. Syd Blackmore

  17. Matthew Collins

  18. Ben Christie

  19. Maama Molitika

  20. Will Allman

  21. Darryl Veenendaal

  22. Mickey Waters

  23. Rueben Bird-Tulloch

Yorkshire Carnegie Squad

  1. Flynn James

  2. Benjamin Sowrey

  3. Gareth Smith

  4. Jacob Brady

  5. Alexander Humfrey

  6. Thomas Smith

  7. Henri Lavin

  8. Guy Graham

  9. James Elliot

  10. Joseph Ford

  11. Thomas Varndell

  12. Daniel Lancaster

  13. Joseph Carlisle

  14. Ryan Shaw

  15. Timothy Bitirim

  16. Louis Musetti

  17. Alexander Reid

  18. Conor Davidson

  19. James Seabrook

  20. Callum Bustin

  21. Trystan Lloyd Dafydd

  22. Elliot Turner

  23. Lee Smith

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Ampthill 1st VX vs Nottingham
Oct
12
3:00 PM15:00
Rugby Union, Away Match, RFU Championship, Greene King, IPA

Ampthill 1st VX vs Nottingham

  • Ampthill & District Community Rugby Club (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS
“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.”
— Alex Radley, Club Chairman (Ampthill)

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.”
— Paul Turner, Head Coach (Ampthill)

Match Gallery: 20191012 Ampthill 1st XV vs Nottingham

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Ampthill Squad

  1. Soane Tonga’uiha

  2. Dave Ward

  3. Aleki Lutui

  4. Henri Williams

  5. Shay Kerry

  6. Billy Johnson

  7. Joe Bercis

  8. Maama Molitika

  9. Darryl Veenendaal

  10. Louis Grimoldby

  11. Nigel (Sam) Baker

  12. Jarryd Sage

  13. Serafin Bordoli

  14. Kwaku Aseidu

  15. Karim Lynch

  16. Syd Blackmore

  17. Matthew Collins

  18. Ben Christie

  19. Jon Kpoku

  20. Facundo Dominguez

  21. Gavin Williams

  22. Joshua Sharp

  23. Sam Hanks

Nottingham Squad

  1. Aniseko SIO

  2. Luke COLE

  3. Oisin HEFFERNAN

  4. Llewelyn JONES

  5. Tom HOLMES

  6. James CONNOLLY

  7. Will OWEN

  8. Josh POULLET

  9. Murray MCCONNELL

  10. Tommy MATTHEWS

  11. Ben FOLEY

  12. Luke PETERS

  13. Harry STRONG

  14. David WILLIAMS

  15. Sean SCANLON

  16. Jake FARNWORTH

  17. Jamie JACK

  18. Ben BETTS

  19. Cameron JORDAN

  20. Sam LEWIS

  21. Alex DOLLY

  22. Tom STEPHENSON

  23. Kyran BUNGAROO

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