RECRUITING decision makers will be part of Dan Jeffries’ summer plans after Trowbridge confirmed their spot in South West One East for next season following a 35-34 win over Beaconsfield on Saturday.

The win avoided what would have been a nervous final fixture for Trowbridge, after now relegated Witney defeated Oxford Harlequins away from home.

Tasked with a trip to Chippenham in this weekend’s season finale, coach Jeffries hopes to make a mark of history by guiding his men to victory over their Wiltshire rivals for the first time.

Proving their consistency will be key for Jeffries, though, who admits he has lacked decision makers on the pitch this season.

He said: “No Trowbridge team has ever defeated a Chippenham first team, so we still have a bit to play for.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that haven’t played at Level Six before, so getting to where we are now has been good. But we need to learn how to convert more games into wins.

“We’ve got a lot of young players coming through, and we have a stable squad – I’m really happy with that.

“Injuries hit us hard, so I will be active and look to bring in fresh faces – particularly decision makers.

“Sometimes we’re a bit light in that department. Our front five have been tidy, but we need to find ways of getting the ball into their hands.”

Following promotion from Southern Counties South last year, Jeffries accepts no game can be viewed as a ‘gimme’ at step six.

Relegated Witney provide a prime example of Jeffries’ view – the relegated club has won three of their last four games to run Trowbridge until the penultimate weekend of the season with regards to their survival.

“For a lot of the teams, the difference between step six and seven is the consistency of the opposition,” said Jeffries.

“In Southern Counties, you perhaps have two or three games that are really difficult, and that can make a team a bit sloppy.

“At step six, every team is capable of beating everyone – and that includes the teams that go down.

“We’ve developed our ability to be consistent.”

Elsewhere, Marlborough remain in with a chance of a runners-up finish following a fourth successive win at the weekend.

The Common side roared to a dominant 51-19 success away at bottom side Stratford upon Avon to stay fourth in the table.

However, they are just four points adrift of second-placed Old Centralians – and one shy of Banbury in third – heading into Saturday’s final round of fixtures.

Marlborough can overhaul that deficit and finish second behind champions Newbury Blues with a bonus-point win over county rivals Swindon, although they will also need both Old Cents and Banbury to lose on home turf.

Chippenham lost a thrilling encounter away at near neighbours Swindon, going down 41-40.

Chippenham led 33-17 at half-time, but the hosts upped the tempo in the second half to mount a brave fightback before snatching the win with a penalty in the closing stages.

Brad Doggett ran in a brace of tries for the visitors, with Charlie Palmer, Ben Riley, Conor Beer, Jacob Unwin also getting over the whitewash, while the latter also added 10 points with the boot.

Finally, Royal Wootton Bassett lost for the sixth game in a row when they were beaten 24-17 at home by Old Centralians.