Chinnor still control their own destiny as they enter the final three weeks of the National 3 South season.

But they will need an effort at least equal to that produced in back-to-back wins over Dings Crusaders and Ealing to avoid relegation.

Chinnor cannot simply hope others in the mire fail to win, as there are four remaining matches where teams in the bottom five play each other.

And with Rugby Lions, Richmond and London Scottish to play, Chinnor will be underdogs in each game as they bid to stay out of the bottom two.

“It is having that resolve for the last few games,” said assistant coach John Vaughan.

“Realistically we are not going to get anything out of London Scottish, maybe a bonus point at best.

“So next week at Rugby and at home to Richmond at Easter are especially crucial games.

“The league is much stro-nger than two years ago, but we are much stronger.”

Chinnor finished bottom on 23 points two seasons ago, but already have 35 this time.

Last year, 41 points were enough to survive in National 3 South, but the bar is likely to be higher this time.

One straw Chinnor may want to clutch at is the position of Mounts Bay in National 2.

After rising swiftly up the leagues, the Cornish club are now in financial difficulty.

Their relegation is almost confirmed, but they may opt to drop down further, which could possibly reprieve Chinnor.

Mounts Bay chairman Arthur Edwards says on the front page of their website: "We fully intend to play on next season and the season after that.

"But at the moment we don't know what's around the corner, so it could be in National Three or it could be in another league.

"Of course, we want Mount's Bay to play at the highest level possible and we have achieved an awful lot since forming in 1999.

"At the end of the season we need to take a good view of things and decide where we go from there."

  • OXFORD Rugby Partnership finished runners-up in the RFU President’s XV Recognition Awards.

They were second in the ‘More Than a Game’ category for keeping 18 to 24-year-olds in the sport, receiving £100 and a trophy.

Their work will be featured in a ‘Models of Good Practice’ booklet.