End of season grades

As my old friend,  Eric Morecombe, would say: “What do you think of the show so far?” As for my club, Cambridge, might say: “Rubbish!!” Earlier this year, acontributor suggested we should spend more money on players, but as Mr Micawber would say: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty-pound ought and six, result misery.” That’s enough literature.

It has been a challenging season for Cambridge, their victory over Pirates gave me hope but it was not to be – indeed most of the recent National One promotion teams are in the bottom half of the table with the exception of Hartpury (2016/17) who have nudged Nottingham into the lower half this season.

In my opinion, there have been two key over achievers – newbies Chinnor and one of rugby’s stalwarts, Bedford.  Budge Rodgers and my former schoolmaster, Pat Briggs, must be delighted. Chinnor’s success and Cambridge & Caldy’s comparative failures are a discussion point – funding, coaching, desire to succeed? Nottingham must be looking at their peformance with a similar view - what happened.

Let’s not forget a selection of movers and shakers from prior years who were top of the National One  table. Coventry promotion 2017/18, Birmingham & Solihill 2009/10 (ceased trading), London Welsh 2010/11 (ceased trading), Jersey 2011/12 (ceased trading), Ealing 2012/13, Doncaster 2013/14, Richmond 2014/15, 2019/20 & 2024/25, London Irish 2015/16 (only team to go on to the Premiership, but then ceased trading).

It's almost as it you could split Prem II in two: Prem - IIa (professional) and IIb (semi pro) – one half of the season within IIa and IIb and two teams promoted/relegated within those mini leagues at Christmas.