Henley Hawks vs Westcombe Park – Saturday, January 6th, kick-off 3pm
Henley Hawks welcome newly promoted side, Westcombe Park to Dry Leas this coming Saturday, kick-off 3pm. The game was originally scheduled for December 2nd but the widespread frost throughout the country put paid to any hope of the fixture taking place.
As it is, the Hawks will be very keen to get back out on the pitch having had their recent run of good form ended by Old Albanian just before Christmas in a 27-24 defeat. The Hawks lie in 5th place in National 2 East in what is proving to be a very congested top half of the league.
Westcombe Park have surprised many with their form having been crowned champions of Regional 1 South East last season. They were edged out by league leaders, Esher, 43-36 in their last fixture before the festive break, so Henley will need to be wary of the threats they possess, particularly with their excellent set piece. They currently sit in 9th place with 4 wins, a solitary draw and 8 defeats to their name. Although 5 of those losses have been by 7 points or less, which gives an indication of how close they have been to upsetting more teams in the league.
The two sides last met in the 2011/12 season with the Hawks doing the double over the South East Londoners. A resounding 50-20 triumph at Dry Leas in October 2011 was followed up with a 41-21 win at Goddington Dene in January 2012.
In terms of team selection, Director of Rugby Luke Allen names a settled starting XV for the visit of Westcombe Park. Ryan Crowley returns to the team at outside centre with George Wood moving back to his usual position on the wing. Istok Totic starts at hooker in place of Tom Emery who reverts to the bench. Debutant, Louis Bailey (prop) is also named amongst the replacements and could be in line for his first starts in Henley colours having impressed for the 2nd XV.
The provisional Hawks side to face Westcombe Park on Saturday is as follows;
1. Dave Manning, 2. Istok Totic, 3. Rory Mason, 4. Marcus Lowe, 5. Sam Lunnon, 6. Will Benning, 7. Tom Vooght ©, 8. Zack Taylor, 9. Leo Webb, 10. Max Titchener, 11. Lailand Gordon, 12. Adam Hakimian, 13. Ryan Crowley, 14. George Wood, 15. Toby Evans
Replacements: 16. Tom Emery, 17. Louis Bailey, 18. Omar Ellaboudy, 19. Scott White, 20. Will Crow
Elsewhere this weekend sees Henley Hawks Women travel to Newbury on Sunday, January 7th for their latest Championship South clash. Kick-off is 2.30pm at Monks Lane. Ollie Perry’s side will be looking to continue their fine run of form which saw them finish 2023 in an excellent fourth place.
