Thatcham on the up after Swindon win

Thatcham RFC moved off the bottom of the Counties 1 Tribute Southern North table after a hard-fought win over Swindon College Old Boys at a wet and windy Henwick on Saturday.

Thatcham were behind after 15 minutes after a series of penalties kept conceding ground to a determined Swindon side.

In previous games with bad starts this would have been a signal for the Thatcham side to implode, but they dug deep and, despite a yellow card, they held out and went in at half time leading 7-5.

The second half was a close encounter. Hard running from the visitors was met with a dogged defence by Thatcham and eventually Swindon ran out of steam.

Thatcham made good use of the conditions and a much more powerful, albeit depleted, pack wore them down to secure a 21-5 victory and move off the foot of the table.

Thatcham welcome fourth-placed Wallingford this weekend.

Thatcham is developing into a club for the whole community, hosting an Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club on the first Saturday of the month as well as other free-to-hire sessions for local groups.

The children’s section – minis – number almost 100, up from about 20 pre-pandemic thanks to an outreach programme to local schools, while an under-12 girls team has also recently formed and is thriving.

The club also boasts a second team, who are second in the Counties 4 Tribute BBO South table.

A large projector screen has recently been installed to complement the six TVs for watching live sport. The clubhouse is also available for hire

The club welcomes everyone and no membership is required. For more details email thatchamrfcchairman@gmail.com