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Saturday preview: Get set for a huge day at Raven Park!
Doug Boulton9 Oct - 13:23
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By Edward Marriage
Raven Park promises to be a busy place on Saturday with three of the club’s four senior men’s teams in action on home ground.
The first team continue their National 2 East League campaign with a match against Henley Hawks (kick-off 3pm) while The Ravens play Norwich in Eastern Counties 1 (3pm) and the 4s are home to Mistley 2s (3pm).
Colchester are finding life in level four of the English game a challenge, but there are plenty of positives to build on. While they came up short in their last outing at Bury, head coach Craig Burrows insisted they were always “in the game” and there were plenty of compliments from their opponents after the match.
“The spirit the boys played with was phenomenal,” said Burrows.
Henley are ninth in the league with two wins and a draw from their opening five matches, their latest outing saw them beaten 5-34 by high-flying Dorking at home, an injury-weakened Hawks side conceding five tries in the first half.
Henley have an impressive history, especially from the time Clive Woodward took over as first team coach in 1990, sparking a rise up the league pyramid to the National Leagues in 1994.
By the end of the nineties, Henley were playing in level 2 – what is now the Championship - finishing seventh in that league in 2001. After yo-yoing between National 1 and 2 in the intervening years, the Hawks have played in Nat 2 since 2016.
Notable past players include Wasps and England centre Ayoola Erinlie and lose head prop Alex Hepburn, who went on to play 180 games for Exeter Chiefs and made international appearances for both England and Scotland.
The Ravens had the weekend off last week and may well still be smarting after their extremely unfortunate defeat at North Walsham at the end of September when the game was halted just after the hour mark following an injury to the ref, but the score stood.
Unbeaten at home, the 2s are seventh in the league but face their toughest test yet against table-toppers Norwich, who have a maximum 20 points from their opening four matches.
There is a cracking match for Colchester 3s too, as they make the short trip to Sudbury 2s (kick-off 3pm). The sides are first and second in Eastern Counties Greene King Division 1 South, both having secured maximum points from their opening two games.
Another top-of-the-table clash sees the 4s – third in division 2 – entertain league leaders Mistley 2s.
A reminder that entry to 1st team games costs £10 this season (£5 for members) and if possible, please book tickets in advance online as it speeds entry to the ground. The link can be found on the club website and socials.
On Sunday, Colchester Iceni are at home to Crusaders Women in NC Midlands East (kick-off 1.30).
The first team continue their National 2 East League campaign with a match against Henley Hawks (kick-off 3pm) while The Ravens play Norwich in Eastern Counties 1 (3pm) and the 4s are home to Mistley 2s (3pm).
Colchester are finding life in level four of the English game a challenge, but there are plenty of positives to build on. While they came up short in their last outing at Bury, head coach Craig Burrows insisted they were always “in the game” and there were plenty of compliments from their opponents after the match.
“The spirit the boys played with was phenomenal,” said Burrows.
Henley are ninth in the league with two wins and a draw from their opening five matches, their latest outing saw them beaten 5-34 by high-flying Dorking at home, an injury-weakened Hawks side conceding five tries in the first half.
Henley have an impressive history, especially from the time Clive Woodward took over as first team coach in 1990, sparking a rise up the league pyramid to the National Leagues in 1994.
By the end of the nineties, Henley were playing in level 2 – what is now the Championship - finishing seventh in that league in 2001. After yo-yoing between National 1 and 2 in the intervening years, the Hawks have played in Nat 2 since 2016.
Notable past players include Wasps and England centre Ayoola Erinlie and lose head prop Alex Hepburn, who went on to play 180 games for Exeter Chiefs and made international appearances for both England and Scotland.
The Ravens had the weekend off last week and may well still be smarting after their extremely unfortunate defeat at North Walsham at the end of September when the game was halted just after the hour mark following an injury to the ref, but the score stood.
Unbeaten at home, the 2s are seventh in the league but face their toughest test yet against table-toppers Norwich, who have a maximum 20 points from their opening four matches.
There is a cracking match for Colchester 3s too, as they make the short trip to Sudbury 2s (kick-off 3pm). The sides are first and second in Eastern Counties Greene King Division 1 South, both having secured maximum points from their opening two games.
Another top-of-the-table clash sees the 4s – third in division 2 – entertain league leaders Mistley 2s.
A reminder that entry to 1st team games costs £10 this season (£5 for members) and if possible, please book tickets in advance online as it speeds entry to the ground. The link can be found on the club website and socials.
On Sunday, Colchester Iceni are at home to Crusaders Women in NC Midlands East (kick-off 1.30).
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