Actual week 12 fixtures

I am sorry I was unable to visit Doncaster........a tiring pre Christmas schedule left me knackered and boxing day was spent asleep. However thank you for your kind words about Caldy.

Everyone associated with Caldy is loving the Championship and I can say that all the Championship clubs I have visited or who have visited Caldy have been warm, appreciative of our achievements and have been proper rugby people. The Championship experience has been far better than I imagined it would be and if in the end it is just a one season visit it still will be the best of experiences.

Our visit to the RAG for the first game against Richmond was a delight. We were hosted brilliantly by Chairman John Heaton who gave us the welcome we try and give others and Nick Royle's worldy set us on the path to an inaugral Championship win. 

At Ampthill the Mob were huge fun and although we let a commanding lead slip away Paul Turner gave us some of the most prescient and sound advice. "You have to realise before April that you are capable of beating 9 out of the other 11 teams in this league"

The visit to Bedford was something else. It was Bedford's ladies day and we all wore pink and travelled in a pink coach and arrived suffused with 3 bottles of pink fizz. We were brilliantly hosted by David Gunner and his wife and despite a pasting it was an upliffting day out.

I missed the Scottish and Donny games because of work committments but I know those who travelled to Doncaster very much enjoyed the hospitality. The trip to Scottish was blighted by travel woes which very much marred the views of those that travelled but we will look forward to welcoming the Jocks to Paton Field. Do the Jocks wear kilts as part of their post match dress?

In the league we have hosted, Hartpury, Nottingham, Jersey, Coventry, Cornish Pirates, Ealing and Richmond. They have all brought their own rugby model and from talking to their supporters have enjoyed the Paton Field experience........it isn't ritzy or glamorous but it is passionate and hopefully welcoming and fair. 

The Championship is a wonderful league and the pinnacle of what I consider to be rugby as I played it and knew it. It is sport at its best and in my view needs to be run professionally but should never be considered as a for profit business.......it doesn't work and is never likely to work.

That’s my understanding. And wondering whether Cov should have had a player binned yesterday when a PT was awarded to Jersey yesterday with 1-2 mins to play. Not saying it would have made a difference, but perhaps a tiny bit more room against 14 to snatch the most unlikely of wins