THIS has not been the best of seasons for Drybrook – though they saw off the strong challenge of their Bristol opponents on Saturday, they may still have to face up to the chop from the Western Counties League.
Another league restructuring is in the pipeline and Drybrook, still with two games to play, may not finish high enough to maintain their place.
They will probably play in a new league to be called the Gloucestershire Premier next season with all their games on a home and away basis.
But, says club official Paul Mason, they have plenty to look forward to. The team includes a promising crop of young players and they are expected to form the foundation of the team for the campaigns ahead.
"There are some promising young players. The Western Counties has been a good grounding for them and they should be the backbone of the club next season," he said.
Among them is lock forward Dale Critchley and there are high hopes for flanker Lee Ward and centre Danny Griffiths.
It has not been all bad news for the club. They reached the semi-finals of the County Cup and have lost the majority of their league games by only a point or two.
"We feel we have under-achieved," reflected Mason.
"We have had a lot of narrow defeats in the league and it is something of a puzzle. One week we can be outstanding and the next week we can be dreadful. We have been very inconsistent and that has been the root of our problems," he said.
With two games to go Drybrook could clamber up the table but they face tough opponents in Cheltenham North (home) and Old Redcliffians in Bristol.
Saturday's victory was well deserved. Drybrook scored tries through Greg Kiernan and Chris Thomas with Mike Johnson making a conversion and kicking four penalty goals.