Maids motivated for trip to Camberley after bonus point agony against Bracknell

Maidenhead’s Chris Gill. Photo: Paul Morgan

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Maidenhead had a crucial bonus point snatched away from them at the death of their derby clash with Bracknell in their final game before the Christmas break.

Chris Gill had just crashed over for his second try of the match in the final minutes to seemingly earn them one losing bonus point with the score at 28-32.

But a knock on from Lucas Norton from the kick-off gave Bracknell the platform from which they could pressure Maids’ defence one more time, and O’Connor managed to steal in at the corner to steal this lifeline away from them on the very last play.

Despite the galling nature of the defeat, head coach David Mobbs-Smith felt his side played pretty well and showed character to fight back in the closing stages. With 20 minutes to play they also led the game 16-15, so at home at least, they’ve shown they can compete well with the better teams in this division. Now, they face a crucial test against one of the teams in the bottom two, Camberley. A few weeks ago, Maids managed to go to bottom club Hammersmith & Fulham and beat them by one point (33-34) and a similar result and performance on Saturday would go a long way to ensuring they’re a Regional 1 South Central Division team again next season.

Reflecting on how they rounded off 2025, Mobbs-Smith said: “Well, I think it was a good game.

“There was a flow to it. They built a bit of a lead. They were 10-0 up and it put us under a bit of pressure. We clawed our way back into it at 10-10. And then it was 10-15 at half-time but we were very much in the game.

“Until in the hour mark, we were leading. We were leading 16-15 and it was a to-and-fro game. But they just got a couple of tries and it took them away from us.

“It made it look like they were gone. But then we got a try at the end, to get what we thought would be a bonus point.

“Unfortunately, the kick-off we dropped, and they scored from that scrum, which took away our losing bonus point.

“It was 28-32 at that stage. It would have been an okay day for us. We don’t know what would have happened if we’d held onto the ball. But that just gave them the platform to attack us and they got that try.”

Mobbs-Smith added that Maids had been punished for a series of tactical and technical mistakes over the first half of the season, something they must cut from their game if they’re to finish outside of the bottom two, or perhaps even close the gap to the teams in eighth and above. They’ve won four matches to Camberley’s two this season but are separated by only three points in the table. On too many occasions they’ve failed to hold onto crucial losing bonus points and that could prove costly when the season reaches its conclusion.

The stats don’t make for particularly pleasant reading either. Maids have managed only 306 points this season, with only bottom club Hammersmith & Fulham having managed less in the opening 13 matches. Camberley (565) are also the only side to have conceded more than their 523 points, so, in theory at least, Saturday’s clash could be high scoring if the teams can exploit the other’s defensive weaknesses.

“Sometimes it’s been tactical mistakes, sometimes technical,” said Mobbs-Smith of Maidenhead’s problems this season. “We’re quite a young side playing against men’s teams. “Sometimes adventure can hurt you as well. But those are also the things that can help you win a game like we did at Hammersmith & Fulham.

“We do better if we try to attack usually. Because of the players we have and the size of our players.

“Usually, moving the ball around does suit us. Our record at home, and the brand of rugby we play at home is usually better.

“When we go away to the likes of Farnham and Tunbridge Wells, if the pitch is very muddy, it’s a tough ask. Hopefully it won’t be too muddy at Camberley this weekend.”