READING RFC 1ST XV FIXTURES 2018/19
Reading’s second season in Southern Counties North starts with a bang with matches against local rivals Marlow and Windsor at home and Reading Abbey away. Last season Windsor came very close to promotion and they will be looking to win the league this time while relegated Marlow will be looking to return to where they feel they ought to be. And Abbey away is never an easy fixture!
Those three fixtures could have a defining influence on how the season will go in a league where there are few ‘easy fixtures’. The fourth game is against Slough, promoted last year. Congratulations to them. It will be the first time the teams have met in the league and there is no doubt they will be fully motivated for the game. Last season they ended as champions of the league below, the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Premier. They won their first 13 matches before losing narrowly at Tadley. By the time they lost again, against Chesham, the league was as good as won; wins against Hungerford and Littlemore ensured they did this comfortably. They finished 16 points ahead of the league’s second-placed team, Littlemore.
Littlemore are therefore now in our league, as are Bicester. Littlemore are based in Oxford and their web-site reveals that they have signed Oxford University’s Lewis Anderson, a prop forward who has six Oxford Blues to his name.
Bicester were, last season, in the league we came from, South West One East . They endured a season much like the one we did when we were last there. They won three of their first six games and then lost the rest – all 21 of them, including a defeat at Old Patesians of 109-7. No doubt, like us, they will be anxious to put such memories behind them.
Marlow were the other team relegated from South West One East to come into our league. Last season they made a dreadful start to the season, losing 12 and drawing one of their first 13 games. A mini-revival, when five games out of eight were won, gave them hope but they then lost the last five matches and ended third from bottom, 14 points below the next team up. Grove were the other team relegated. They have gone into Southern Counties South as have Thatcham.
It looks as if Southern Counties South may be somewhat less strong than Southern Counties North, so it could be that Grove and Thatcham might be the dominant teams – could be famous last words!
Ted Goodhew

08 09 18 MARLOW HOME
15 09 18 WINDSOR HOME
29 09 18 READING ABBEY AWAY
06 10 18 SLOUGH HOME
20 10 18 STOW-ON-THE-WOLD AWAY
27 10 18 WALLINGFORD HOME
03 11 18 AYLESBURY AWAY
17 11 18 BICESTER HOME
01 12 18 BUCKINGHAM AWAY
08 11 18 HIGH WYCOMBE HOME
15 12 18 LITTLEMORE AWAY
05 01 19 WINDSOR AWAY
12 01 19 READING ABBEY HOME
19 01 19 SLOUGH AWAY
26 01 19 STOW-ON-THE-WOLD HOME
09 02 19 WALLINGFORD AWAY
16 02 19 AYLESBURY HOME
02 03 19 BICESTER AWAY
09 03 19 BUCKINGHAM HOME
23 03 19 HIGH WYCOMBE AWAY
06 04 19 LITTLEMORE HOME
13 04 19 MARLOW AWAY