The 2023 ACE League begins this Wednesday as Hartpury College seek to retain the title that they have won on all but two occasions since the league’s inception back in 2008.

As ever, the fourteen teams competing are divided into Northern and Southern Conferences, each consisting of seven teams. There are three games in each conference per round with one side from each having a bye.

Every side plays every other side in their conference in this first place, meaning there are seven rounds of action with six games per team. That takes us through to the first week after half term, and then the conferences split. The top four from each conference are then redrawn into two Cup Conferences, first and third from the North alongside second and fourth from the South and vice versa.

The bottom three from each of those original conferences also go to new mini conference but they remain split North and South.

Following all of those mini conferences come the play offs – Top vs Top from the Cup conferences meet in the final, second v second for third place, and so on.

Before all of that though, we start on Wednesday with Round 1.

Round 1 Fixtures (Wednesday 13^th September)

North

Brooksby Melton College v Oaklands College

City of Oxford College v Gosforth Academy

Stourport High School v Bishop Burton College

Myerscough College – Bye

South

Gordon’s v Exeter College

SGS Filton College v Hartpury College

Truro College v Beechen Cliff

Bishop Wand – Bye

Northern Conference’

Gosforth Academy were the Northern Conference’s highest finishing side last year and they begin with a tricky test away at City of Oxford College, who had a turbulent year last year with the collapse of Wasps but are looking comfortable against as part of the RFU Midlands Academy.

So too are Stourport High School, who looked good at the Hartpury Pre-Season Festvial and will begin at home with a game against Yorkshire Academy’s Bishop Burton College, it promises to be a fascinating and close-fought exchange.

Brooksby Melton College had a good year last year and will begin their campaign at home against Oaklands College. A game that always has a top end feel for its Leicester Tigers v Saracens connotations, not a game to be missed.

Southern Conference

Hartpury College are, as so often, the reigning champions and they are surely going to be the side to watch once again this year. They begin with a tricky away game though, heading to SGS Filton College who are going to be in determined mood after a tough campaign last time out.

Hartpury’s opponents in last year’s finals were Beechen Cliff, they too begin the campaign away from home against a side that ended up in the lower section last season, Truro College. Expect a strong Truro response from that campaign, they came close and will be hugely keen to be in the upper echelons this year.

Truro’s fellow Exeter Chiefs affiliates, Exeter College, have a bit of an away trip on their hands as they head to Gordon’s, who really do seem to be building year on year. It should be a really interesting game to see where things lie in these early stages.

Further Fixtures

Round 2 (Wednesday 20^th September)

North

Bishop Burton College v City of Oxford College

Gosforth Academy v Brooksby Melton College

Oaklands College v Myerscough College

Stourport HS – Bye

South

Beechen Cliff v Gordon’s

Exeter College v Bishop Wand

Hartpury College v Truro College

SGS Filton College – Bye

Round 3 (Wednesday 27^th September)

North

Brooksby Melton College v Bishop Burton College

City of Oxford College v Stourport High School

Myerscough College v Gosforth Academy

Oaklands College – Bye

South

Bishop Wand v Beechen Cliff

Gordon’s v Hartpury College

Truro College v SGS Filton College

Exeter College – Bye

Round 4 (Wednesday 4^th October)

North

Bishop Burton College v Myerscough College

Gosforth Academy v Oaklands College

Stourport High School v Brooksby Melton College

City of Oxford College – Bye

South

Beechen Cliff v Exeter College

Hartpury College v Bishop Wand

SGS Filton College v Gordon’s

Truro College – Bye

Round 5 (Wednesday 11^th October)

North

Brooksby Melton College v City of Oxford College

Myerscough College v Stourport High School

Oaklands College v Bishop Burton College

Gosforth Academy – Bye

South

Bishop Wand v SGS Filton College

Exeter College v Hartpury College

Gordon’s v Truro College

Beechen Cliff – Bye

Round 6 (Wednesday 18^th October)

North

Bishop Burton College v Gosforth Academy

City of Oxford College v Myerscough College

Stourport High School v Oaklands College

Brooksby Melton College – Bye

South

Hartpury College v Beechen Cliff

SGS Filton College v Exeter College

Truro College v Bishop Wand

Gordon’s – Bye

Round 7 (Wednesday 1^st November, unless stated otherwise)

North

Gosforth Academy v Stourport High (25^th October)

Myerscough College v Brooksby Melton College

Oaklands College v City of Oxford College

Bishop Burton – Bye

South

Beechen Cliff v SGS Filton College

Bishop Wand v Gordon’s

Exeter College v Truro College

Hartpury College – Bye