The runners and riders are starting to settle out across the regional rugby scene and, in Nottinghamshire, there’s certainly plenty of action going on, with two of the four of the regions’ clubs in the Regional 2 Midlands North sitting nicely in the top half, with similar scenarios further down the leagues.

Despite defeat at the weekend, just their second of the season thus far, West Bridgford are perched in fourth, eight off leaders Lichfield, after a lost (40-29) at home to second place Melbourne; Newark meanwhile, with a bit breathing space in sixth, picked up a narrow (42-39) success when at Ilkeston.

An early brace of tries from Benjamin Goulding afforded Bridgy hope before falling short in their continued challenge at the top, whilst in Ilkeston there was a third win of the season for Newark in a game which saw thirteen tries registered with George Leeson opening and closing the scoring for the victors.

Paviors won for only the second time this season, picking up a 29-24 success away to lowly rivals Mellish, the pair sitting in the bottom three with William Taylor bagging a brace for the victors.

Despite defeat at home to free-scoring leaders, Hinckley IIs, in the Counties 1 Midlands East (N), Southwell sit in fifth place with that gap widened to nine points; Nottingham Moderns, in eighth, are just a handful of points off the top five following their 32-17 success away to bottom of the table Burton IIs.

Mansfield meanwhile are third bottom following their fourth defeat in seven as Market Rasen & Louth closed the gap on their opponents with a 31-7 score, whilst in the Counties 2 Midlands East (N) Keyworth are third following their win at Derby IIs.

It’s tight at the top in that division as well, there now being just two points splitting a top five of Ashby, Ashbourne, Keyworth, Mosborough, and Nottingham Casuals, with Melton Mowbray, in sixth, narrowing the gap on the fifth placed Casuals, to just two points, following their 30-16 win in Nottingham.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, both Ashfield, and Newark IIs are joint-bottom, on four points each, a point behind third bottom Boston, and just the four off Derby IIs; Ashfield, they picked up their second win of the season with a 20-12 success at home to Boston, whilst Newark IIs were beaten 55-24 at home to high-flying Ashby.

The top three of the Counties 3 Midlands East (C) are all Notts clubs, with West Bridgford IIs holding a three-point advantage on second place Bingham, and Southwell IIs another two back in third following a high-scoring afternoon which seen the top two register big, shut-out success.

Bridgy’s second string knocked off bottom club Nottingham Moderns IIs 67-0, whilst Bingham won 66-0 at home to second bottom Spalding IIs, the pair currently on a matching, 6-0-1 playing record, whilst in the middle of the table, there’s three-way tie, on 21 points, for Nottinghamians, sandwiched between Melbourne IIs and Long Eaton IIs, the trio sitting within touching distance of the top three.

Of those, Nottinghamians welcomed Long Eaton IIs, and the pair battled out a 31-31 draw, the Notts club moving to a 3-2-2 record this season; Mellish IIs meanwhile are third bottom after they suffered a 36-0 shut-out loss away to fourth place Castle Donnington, and Nottingham Moderns IIs, adrift at the bottom, suffered a seventh straight loss in that, afore-mentioned, top-versus-bottom clash.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @BinghamRUFC action from Bingham’s win over Spalding.