Canterbury Rugby Club may still have seven fixtures left this season, but Chairman Giles Hilton feels it could take just three to win the title.
He has seen his side all nineteen of their National League 3 London fixtures thus far this season and believes that the next three could well see them promoted starting at Gravesend this Saturday:
“We are probably three games away now. We’ve got Gravesend away and that will be tough, as it always is being a Kent derby, we go to Havant the following weekend and the big one will be Ampthill who are second, although they are still eighteen points behind us. That could be the decider on the 10th of March.”
All Kent derbies are renowned for being difficult games and Hilton believes his side will face a stern test this weekend with Gravesend keen to end their unbeaten run:
“I don’t suspect this one to be any different. They’ll be wanting to do us over and a Kent side would love to be the ones to do it.”
Winning the league may well be in Canterbury Rugby Club’s grasp, with Hilton stating how the next three games will determine how the season pans out:
“I think we’d like to get there and then we can refocus again. That will determine whether we can go the whole season unbeaten and that will be a massive feat.”
Winning the league may well be the objective, but for Canterbury Rugby it is about building a culture of success on and off the field and Giles believes his side shouldn’t rest on their laurels:
“I don’t think so in many respects. It’s not just what’s happening, but it’s what’s bred through the club as well. The second team remains unbeaten and the senior sides including the ladies have only lost twelve games between them all year.”
“It’s having a rub off through the rest of the club with the number of spectators coming up, the number of people wanting to get involved, the new members, the new playing members and our under 19’s are through to the quarter finals of the national colts cup against Wetscliff on Sunday.”
“It’s had a real knock on effect from the junior members through to the most senior members.”
Being relegated last season could well have had an adverse effect on any side, but for Canterbury seem to have used it as a positive with Hilton adding:
“I think it’s given us a good opportunity to regroup, look at where we think we need to be, restructure and get everybody behind it again and start blowing the bubble up again.”
Going back up to National League 2 South level is the realistic starting point for Canterbury Rugby next season, but for Hilton it’s all about succeeding in the league above and not just treading water:
“Without a question that will be the case and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be aiming for top five. All said and done, we were third for two consecutive seasons and we should be aiming to repeat that.”
With the success of an unbeaten run has come attention from the people of Canterbury and the club have seen the numbers through the door to reflect that success:
“I think attendances have been exceptional to be fair. Even Tuesday night against Sheppey in the Kent cup there were one hundred and fifty people up here watching the game under floodlights” said Hilton.
“The two pre-match lunches we’ve had have been full with people ringing up to see if we can make the marquee a bit bigger. They are wanting to come through the gate, they are getting here earlier and they are spending more money over the bar, so there is real good feel good factor at the moment.”
To make it twenty games unbeaten this weekend, Canterbury Rugby first need to beat Gravesend and although Hilton doesn’t believe it will be an easy task, he expects his side to go there full of confidence:
“We’ve got strength in depth at the moment and the second team haven’t got a game, so we should be ok.”
Play gets underway at 2:30pm on Saturday at Gravesend if you fancy watching the game with Canterbury’s next home fixture against second placed Ampthill on Saturday 10th March.
For more info, please visit www.cantrugby.co.uk
For details on how to get to Saturday’s game, visit www.gravesendrfc.co.uk