The penultimate round of action in Phase 1 of the 2023 ACE League takes place on Wednesday and it will be a crucial one for qualification for the top pools in Phase 2.
The top four teams from each conference will go into two pools of four, with first and third in the north pooled with second and forth in the south, and vice vera, with the top sides from those mini pools playing in the ACE League Final in early December.
Meanwhile those finishing in the bottom 3 of these stage 1 pools will also go into phase 2 mini pools but they will remain split North/South.
Northern Conference
Gosforth Academy are the only side with a perfect record in either conference and have sealed a place in the Top 4 with two games to spare. They had a bye last week and return to action this week with a trip to Bishop Burton College, for whom this is the final game of this initial stage. Sitting just a point clear for Stourport, who are in fifth, Bishop Burton will be desperate to claim the points a secure a top 4 finish and after a staggering victory last week they will be feeling confident.
Stourport themselves are also in action at home and face Oaklands College, who lie in sixth. Both can still reach the top four and the winner will feel they have a great chance of doing so. It could be the game of the conference this week.
The final game sees City of Oxford College, who sit in third, host bottom placed Myerscough College. Qualification is close to out of reach for Myerscough, but of City of Oxford a bonus point win would guarantee a top four finish, and a win would almost certainly be enough,
Southern Conference
Gordon’s winning streak game to an end last week in a stunning 43-43 draw with Truro College. Gordon’s have a bye this week but qualification is already secured. Truro meanwhile host Bishop Wand, and it is a crucial game for qualification, a Truro victory guarantees them a Top 4 finish but a Bishop Wand victory opens this section right up – despite Bishop Wand being yet to record a victory, remarkable from their four games they have collected a whopping six bonus points in defeat.
As important is SGS Filton College v Exeter College, the bottom two in the league but if results go their way they could yet stay in position to be able to sneak into the Top 4 in the final week. Exeter will be reeling after meeting a Hartpury College side that was in staggering form against them, while Filton picked up a win at Bishop Wand and will be feeling confident.
Hartpury College, meanwhile, after that stunning seventy points against Exeter last time out are qualified already but will want to overhaul Gordon’s and to make a point. They will have to be sharp though, the host a Beechen Cliff side that currently sit in third and could seal qualification with a victory.
Round 6 Fixtures (Wednesday 18th 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 5 Results (Wednesday 11th October)
North
Brooksby Melton College 27-34 City of Oxford College
Myerscough College 15-20 Stourport High School
Oaklands College 24-61 Bishop Burton College
Gosforth Academy – Bye
South
Bishop Wand 24-31 SGS Filton College
Exeter College 21-76 Hartpury College
Gordon’s 43-43 Truro College
Beechen Cliff – Bye
Tables
North
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | BPs | Points |
| 1 | Gosforth Academy | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| 2 | Brooksby Melton | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 17 |
| 3 | City of Oxford College | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
| 4 | Bishop Burton College | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 5 | Stourport High | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Oaklands College | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | Myerscough College | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
South
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | BPs | Points |
| 1 | Gordon’s | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 22 |
| 2 | Hartpury College | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 21 |
| 3 | Beechen Cliff | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 4 | Truro College | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | Bishop Wand | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | SGS Filton College | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Exeter College | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Further Fixtures
Round 7 (Wednesday 1st November, unless stated otherwise)
North
Gosforth Academy v Stourport High (25th 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
Past Results
Round 4 Results (Wednesday 4th October)
North
Bishop Burton College 38-3 Myerscough College
Gosforth Academy 41-7 Oaklands College
Stourport High School 36-41 Brooksby Melton College
City of Oxford College – Bye
South
Beechen Cliff 38-12 Exeter College
Hartpury College 38-27 Bishop Wand
SGS Filton College 14-42 Gordon’s
Truro College – Bye
Round 3 Results (Wednesday 27th September)
North
Brooksby Melton College 32-12 Bishop Burton College
City of Oxford College 31-7 Stourport High School
Myerscough College 12-52 Gosforth Academy
Oaklands College – Bye
South
Bishop Wand 28-33 Beechen Cliff
Gordon’s 26-19 Hartpury College
Truro College 18-8 SGS Filton College
Exeter College – Bye
Round 2 Results (Wednesday 20th September)
North
Bishop Burton College 5-26 City of Oxford College
Gosforth Academy 24-7 Brooksby Melton College
Oaklands College 34-5 Myerscough College
Stourport HS – Bye
South
Beechen Cliff 20-22 Gordon’s
Exeter College 21-20 Bishop Wand
Hartpury College 29-0 Truro College
SGS Filton College – Bye
Round 1 (Wednesday 13th September)
North
Brooksby Melton College 54-24 Oaklands College
City of Oxford College 20-24 Gosforth Academy
Stourport High School 19-17 Bishop Burton College
Myerscough College – Bye
South
Gordon’s 33-14 Exeter College
SGS Filton College 19-54 Hartpury College
Truro College 38-24 Beechen Cliff
Bishop Wand – Bye
