MATT Williams believes his injury-hit Chinnor side will need an underdog mentality when they travel to Bishop’s Stortford tomorrow.

The Thame-based club head into the National League 1 clash with up to five of their regular forwards unavailable.

Jack Ramshaw (calf) has been ruled out for the rest of the season, while George Oliver (broken finger) and Will Bordill (broken hand) face spells on the sidelines.

Ben Thomas (ankle) and Joe Dancer (elbow) are subject to fitness tests, forcing Chinnor to leave it until the last minute to name their 20-man squad for the trip to Silver Leys.

The side have a poor record against Stortford, losing seven of their last eight matches.

And director of rugby Williams knows fifth-placed Chinnor will have to dig deep to get a result, despite their opponents languishing at the wrong end of the table.

He said: “Bishop’s Stortford are our bogey team.

“At home, they’re a very good outfit and we’ve never won there.

“But the quality of a team is based on what it can do in adverse moments like this.

“We’re very much going there as the underdogs and it’s about us putting in a performance.”

Oxford Mail:

  • Henley Hawks, pictured celebrating a try last week, take on Dings Crusaders tomorrow Picture: Steve Karpa

Luke Allen says Henley Hawks are full of confidence ahead of their trip to Dings Crusaders in National League 2 South.

The south Oxfordshire club returned to winning ways when beating Old Redcliffians 42-31 at Dry Leas as they closed to within two points of second-placed Canterbury.

Hawks were forced to dig deep to fend off a second-half comeback from their visitors.

But head coach Allen, who has picked an unchanged starting XV, was pleased with what he saw.

He said: “We’re confident.

“The players are in a buoyant mood and I’ve told them to take what we did last week into this game and it will be fine.

“We have to work for these wins, we can’t sit back and relax, it’s a very tight league.”

Oxford Mail:

  • Banbury head coach Matt Goode has set his side the target of winning all nine of their remaining games Picture: Ric Mellis

Matt Goode has challenged his Banbury side to win all nine of their remaining fixtures as they chase South West 1 East’s play-off spot.

Bulls host second-placed Old Centralians tomorrow bidding to avoid a third successive defeat in the sixth tier.

Victory would also help Banbury, who sit fifth, close the nine-point gap to tomorrow’s opponents, who occupy the division’s solitary play-off place.

But, after defeats to runaway league leaders Newbury Blues and fourth-placed Marlborough, Bulls have another tough test on their hands against a side they lost 21-12 to in September.

Head coach Goode was encouraged by Banbury’s showing last Saturday and is hopeful of a first home win of 2019.

He said: “Obviously results are important, but for me it’s about performances.

“I was really disappointed at Chippenham (a 42-41 win in the first week of January), but I’ve been really impressed with the way we’ve conducted ourselves in the past few weeks.

“We’ve had a tough run of fixtures, that’s not helped.

“We’ve still got some difficult games ahead, but I’d like to try to win every game until the end of the season.”

Witney begin life under new head coach Adam Copperwheat with a home fixture against basement boys Stratford-upon-Avon.

The 32-year-old replaced Richie Craig on Wednesday after the side slipped 11 points adrift of safety.

Witney lost to Stratford in October, but Copperwheat is not planning on using the 22-17 defeat to motivate his players.

“I’m trying to draw a line in the sand – what’s happened has happened,” he said.

“Saturday is a fresh start and we have points to pick up.

“Our last four home games are against teams in the bottom half, they’re winnable, and we have to be getting maximum points.

“If other teams start losing and slipping up around us, then it’s possible to stay up.”

Witney are boosted by the return of Ted Landray, Callum Godfrey, Matt Clarke and Alex Foggett.

Sixth-placed Oxford Harlequins are bidding to bounce back when they make the trip to Wimborne.

A 36-20 defeat at home to Trowbridge ended their three-match winning run.

Matt White is handed a start at hooker and Pete Alston returns at No 8.

TOMORROW’S TEAMS

Henley Hawks (v Dings Crusaders, away): Bolster, Wood, Andre, Barnes, Griffiths, Giles, Webb, Cook, Emery, Manning, Lunnon, Hyde, Hall, Lowe, Bradley. Reps: Primett, Stubbs, Parkins, O’Neill, Goodfellow.

Oxford Harlequins (v Wimborne, away): Henderson, Turetta, Stacey, Nutt, Crowe, Jones, Garrett, Cashman, White, P De Lange, Myall, Purchase, Nalewabau, Todd, Alston. Reps: Fairburn, O’Brian, Head.

Witney (v Stratford-upon-Avon, home): Foggett, Fisk, Clarke, Godfrey, Morgan, Landray, Lambourne, Dore, Harris, Nobbs, Webb, Mortimer, Clothier, Campbell, Caffekey. Reps: Wakeman, McPherson, Birks.

Grove (v Walcot, home): McCarthy, Tokelove, Hull, Coombs, G Nicholl, Wiltshire, O Nicholl, Hales, Dixey, Walsh, Gratwohl, Miles, Horrocks, Lambourn, B Nicholl. Reps: Hook, Monks, Ponting.

OTHER FIXTURES

Southern Counties North: High Wycombe v Bicester, Littlemore v Aylesbury, Marlow v Wallingford.

Southern Counties South: Grove v Walcot.

BB&O Premier: Gosford All Blacks v Bletchley, Hungerford v Wheatley, Oxford v Risborough.

BB&O Championship: Abingdon v Winslow, Harwell v Berkshire Shire Hall.