DESPITE an unbeaten run-up to their league campaign, Maidenhead Rugby Club got their promotion push off to the worst possible start on Saturday, losing 24-20 to Swanage & Wareham.
The two clubs met last week in the Powergen Cup, when Maids squeaked through via a Rob Hawkins penalty in extra-time, extending a long series of last-minute wins for Maids in this fixture.
However, having both been demoted from South West 1 last season, and both hoping to bounce straight back up, this week’s result was by far the more important.
More worrying though is the way in which Swanage achieved it.
Trailing 20-5 at the beginning of the second half, the visitors stormed back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, with a try in the last minute of play – a trick they managed to pull off in both halves of last week’s game.
Unfortunately, to gain promotion from this ultra-competitive league, teams can only afford one or two defeats in the season, leaving Maids with no margin for error.

Maids have drawn Rosslyn Park in the 1st round proper of the Powergen Cup, the match taking place tomorrow (Saturday) at Priory Lane.