A STORMING win over local rivals Marlow clinched the South West 2 East title and automatic promotion for Maidenhead Rugby Club on Saturday.
The victory was particularly sweet for coach Simon Edwards, who presided over Maidenhead’s demotion in 2002.
After the match he said: “I coached them down out of South West 1 and now at least I’ve coached them back up.
“I took the relegation very personally, as did the players.
“But now we're back where we should be. In fact, in my opinion, we're still a league below where we should be.”
However, Edwards is not underestimating the size of the task ahead and is already busy looking for players to bolster his growing squad.
He said: “Coming off a season of winning every game bar one and averaging 40 points a game you can't say you're not confident going into the league above. But we're very aware of the strength of South West 1. I think it's the strongest league in the country at this level.
“The two sides that are coming down, Barnstaple and Truro, both beat us twice last time we were in that league.
“And the last two teams to get promoted from our league (Marlow and Oxford Harlequins) came straight back down
“We're a far better side than the one that came down, but let's have no doubts, we'll need two or three more forwards by next season. It's not just about the first team. It's about building a squad to support the first team.
“I'm looking to strengthen the team, not replace anyone, but we're probably looking for a player in each row.”
Not that Maidenhead are guaranteed a place in South West 1, as league restructuring means they could yet find themselves in London 1.
But Edwards believes Maidenhead will be in the South West leagues and is already checking out some of next year's opposition, beginning with a trip to the West Country on Saturday to watch the play-off between Swanage and Penryn.
He is also having Cinderford’s play-off game videoed in preparation for the big push.
He added: “We'll hit the ground running. My ambition is to get us into National 3 within two years and that has to be the players' ambition as well.”

CHAMPIONS: Maidenhead celebrate victory over local rivals Marlow and promotion to South West 1 at Riverwoods on Saturday. Ref:85020/8.

Marlow were ‘outclassed’ (23.04.04)

Maidenhead coach Simon Edwards had a simple explanation for his side’s victory over Marlow on Saturday.
He said: “Put quite simply, when we needed to, we outclassed them. The game was over by half-time.”
However, Edwards admitted the stress had begun to get to him in the week leading up to the game, when he had been almost impossible to live with.
He said: “This game was still hanging over us.
“After an incredible season, this one team could stop us going up.
“It was a game that could have gone wrong but it didn’t, and we've won.
“It was huge relief to convert a fantastic season into a brilliant one.”
He was also pleased the game had given the crowd some entertainment value, adding: “It was a good end of season derby and I thought Marlow contributed to making it a very interesting and enjoyable game.
“They scored as good tries as they've scored all season.
“If they had backed themselves a bit they might have scored a lot more this year.
“If they address certain weaknesses they will be a force in the league next year.”
Victory apart, there was a distinct hint of the anticlimax after the game, which Edwards attributed to his players’ pride, saying: “They've got used to really thumping sides.
“We should have done that to Marlow and we didn't.”
“They are the most professional amateurs I have ever worked with and in their opinion they finished the season poorly.
“They saw it as a loss. That's credit to the players. They expect so much of themselves.”

Although disappointed with the result, Marlow coach Mark Weedon was relatively happy with his side’s performance, saying: “I thought it was a good game.
“Quite a few tries were scored and it was good way to end the season.
“I was disappointed to be beaten, but realistically it was just nice to score a few good tries.”
He was also very impressed with the opposition, adding: “They are looking really good and playing really well.
“I was impressed with them and I'm sure they'll do well in South
West 1.”

Lies, damn lies and statistics (23.04.04)

Maidenhead’s total dominance of their league is highlighted by the season’s statistics.
The raw scores read won 21, lost one, drawn none, which is only marginally better than runners-up Swanage & Wareham.
However, it is the points scored by position that really shows Maidenhead’s strength in depth.
Formerly renowned for their powerful pack, this season’s tally of 119 tries indicates a significant shift in power, with 75 of those scores coming from the backs.
The fullback and halfbacks chipped in with a relatively modest 15 tries between them, but the centres and wings have set new standards for the club, running in 25 and 32 tries respectively.
No.8 Piers Morgan carried the flag for the pack this year, running out Maidenhead’s and the league’s top scorer with 16 tries, while his fellow forwards managed to score another 28 tries between them.
However, winger Simon Cripps was only one score a drift of Morgan in second place, hotly pursued by fellow winger Alex Greer on 13 tries, inside centre Stuart Mackay on 12, and lucky No.13 Jonny ‘Hot Dog’ Hammond on 11.
This gave Maidenhead five of the division’s top eight try scorers.
Meanwhile, Rob ‘Hawkeye’ Hawkins continues to impress with the boot, with his individual tally reaching an impressive 249 points, comprising six tries, 66 conversions and 29 penalties – not bad for an old boy.
This all adds up to an amazing 825 points in total, almost 200 more than Swanage and highly impressive by anyone’s standards.