Shelford show yet more resilience to bounce back with Regional 1 South East victory over Sidcup

Shelford once again displayed their high levels of resilience during last weekend’s 28-19 victory over Sidcup.

The Peacocks went into the encounter versus the bottom-of-the-table visitors from Greater London on the back of a defeat – just their second of the campaign – against league-leading Westcombe Park.

But they responded at the first time of asking against the Regional 1 South East’s basement side, which ensured that they have still not lost back-to-back games since director of rugby Will Cotterill arrived at the club in 2019.

He said: “Whenever we’ve lost a game we’ve been really good at hitting the reset button straight away and bouncing back.

“Our philosophy is that if we’re going to lose a game then we’ve got to learn the lessons from that and it’s got to motivate us to bounce back.

“It’s something we do a lot of work on and we pride ourselves on it.

“We’ve got a resilient group and some really good leaders out on the pitch that are starting to challenge each other.

“Having leaders helps you become more accurate in the key moments. At times this season we haven’t been accurate enough when it has mattered but we showed on Saturday we’re getting there.

“It’s not always going to go right and we’re still learning but the lads are really receptive to it.

“They’ve got the right mindset, they want to get better and they’re a real pleasure to have in the squad.”

On Saturday (November 12) Shelford will head over the Suffolk border to renew acquaintances with Sudbury.

The two sides went head-to-head for the London 1N title last season – a battle Shelford eventually edged, thanks in part to their 35-15 victory at Whittome Field in late March.

And Cotterill believes his side will have to be wary of a home team looking to gain some revenge.

“It was a very good contest between us throughout last season,” he added.

“They’re a very good team, we were consistently at the top and it all really came down to that one away game at Sudbury.

“It was a fantastic day and it ended up being our best performance of the season.

“There is no doubt Sudbury will be keen to reverse the score from that day, so we’ll have to be ready for that.

“They’ve had a little bit of a slow start to the season, but they know us and they know how we like to play.

“I’m sure they’ll have a plan for how to combat us but it’s the same for us because we know their strengths and weaknesses.”

After winning three of their first four encounters at a higher level, Sudbury have struggled for form in recent weeks and go into the encounter with Shelford on a five-game losing streak.

Coles makes senior England debut

The result may have been disappointing but Alex Coles will forever remember England’s Autumn International defeat to Argentina on Sunday.

The visitors ran out winners by a narrow 30-29 margin at Twickenham in a contest that marked the former Perse School pupil’s senior debut for the Red Rose.

It was not only a proud moment for the Coles family, but also Shelford Rugby Club, where the lock spent some of his formative years before linking up with Northampton Saints.

The 23-year-old had moved on by the time that Cotterill arrived at Davey Field in 2019, yet Coles remains a key part of the club.

Cotterill said: “Alex started at Newmarket but players tend to gravitate to either Shelford or Cambridge, clubs with bigger youth set-ups, and they go from there.

“Alex is a lovely lad. He comes back at least a couple of times a year to do some coaching sessions with the juniors and charity events.

“It’s been great to see him go on to bigger and better things, he really deserves it.

“The club is very proud of him and it shows the juniors what can be achieved with ability and hard work.”