Nottingham Outlaws 100% winning start to their 2025 league campaign came to an abrupt halt on Saturday when they were on the wrong end of a 56-6 to reigning champions Telford Raiders at Lenton Lane on Saturday.

The Outlaws went into the game sporting several changes to the line up that won at Coventry last week with Haz Ashby, Jacob Butler and Jack Jonson coming back into the starting seventeen along with a late call up for debutant James Chubb who started on the bench.

There was little sign of what was about to unfurl in the opening fifteen minutes with the match evenly balanced and the nearest either side came to scoring fell to the Outlaws when Michael Adeyemi won a foot race to the ball after a smart Whitfield grubber but the referee chalked off the try for a knock-on during the grounding.

After a fairly even opening the Raiders began to cut loose and on the back of a penalty they marched into the Outlaws red zone and promptly opened the scoring at 0-6.

The Raiders were now starting to move the ball at pace and in a stunning twenty minute period they blew the Outlaws off the park with a superb display of handling and powerful surges that punched huge holes in the Outlaws defence.

The scoreboard was now ticking over at an alarming rate as the Raiders began scoring at will, notching no fewer than four more trys, a blistering series of scores that stretched the visitors out to an unassailable 0-32 lead  when the half time whistle sounded.

The second half started pretty much as the first one had ended with The Raiders dominating field position and possession with the Outlaws well and truly pegged back in their own forty for most of the second stanza, rarely troubling the visitors line.

The visitors were in no mood to let up and they began racking up more scores as the Telford score passed the half century at 0-56 with ten minutes left to play.

To their credit the Outlaws did finally manage to mount a late charge, and they finally crossed the Telford whitewash. The late try came from Michael Adeyemi touched down after a well-weighted kick by Whitfield into the Telford in goal area to cut the visitors lead down to 6-56.

When  the final whistle went there was a feeling of disappointment mixed with resignation to the fact that the Outlaws had been beaten by a Telford side that put in a superior performance  in every aspect of the game.

Man of the match deservedly went to Captain Coryn Ward who put in a great defensive display despite the odds stacked against him.

Nottingham Outlaws kept their 100% start to their 2025 Midlands Premier League campaign alive with a hard-earned 28-20 victory over Coventry Bears at Earlsdon on Saturday. However, they did it the hard way, having to overturn a 14-6 deficit to eventually run out 28-20 victors and in doing so, return to the top of the table.

The Outlaws went into the game with a somewhat depleted roster, missing no fewer than eight players from the squad that turned out against Sherwood in the previous league fixture. The changes disrupted pre-match preparations with a revised halfback pairing and captain Coryn Ward moving into hooking duties. They were joined by Cei Ridout, Dan Brown and Harry Watts who all came in for their first hit-out of the season.

The opening exchanges were relatively even with neither side looking like scoring but after ten minutes of stalemate it was the Outlaws who opened the scoring when Sam Andrews latched onto a quick play the ball following a line break by Coryn Ward and the powerful prop charged over the line from ten metres out despite the attention of two defenders. Whitfield added the extras from bang in front to settle the Outlaws nerves with the scoreline at 6-0 in their favour.

As the first half progressed the Outlaws found themselves more and more on the back foot, dropping or losing the ball in the tackle with alarming regularity. Add in a slew of penalties and repeat sets to the recipe and the result was a thirty minute period in which the Outlaws were pinned back in their own forty, having to repel attack after attack.

With the Outlaws under the cosh they were now working overtime but thankfully their scrambling defence kept the home side scoreless when it could have been a lot worse. However, with less than five minutes of the first stanza remaining the Bears did eventually got a try that their dominance deserved and they levelled the game at 6-6 as the half time hooter went soon after.

Half time talk from head coach Joe Shepherd was all about protecting the ball and set completion but the straight forward message didn’t seem to sink in during the opening exchanges following the re-start as once again the Outlaws found themselves repelling attack after attack, unable to get their hands on the ball and when they did, losing it in the tackle to invite the home side back into the Outlaws red zone.

With twelve second half minutes played it was the Bears who opened the second stanza scoring with a try under the posts and a quick-fire penalty stretched the home lead to 14-6 on the 65 minute mark.

At this stage the Outlaws had not been into the Bears forty and they desperately needed to find some inspiration from somewhere and they found it in the shape of fullback Gaz Whitfield. The sure-footed sharpshooter put in a superb downfield kick into the Bears twenty and a good defensive follow up saw the home side cough up the ball to give the Outlaws head and feed. Buoyed by the outcome, big Sam Bradley took the ball straight from the scrum and used his footwork and strength to crash over the try line from fifteen metres out. Whitfield converted and the Outlaws were now back in a game at 14-12 in a match that was very much slipping away from them!

The Bradley try clearly breathed new life into an Outlaws side that immediately upped the ante and in a blistering five minute spell they notched three more trys without reply!

The first came straight from the restart following the Bradley try, with big Sam Andrews registering his second of the game with virtually a carbon copy effort to his first as the big prop carried three defenders over the line with him for yet another try borne from sheer power!

Two minutes later the Outlaws went over again following a marvellous solo run from Captain Coryn Ward who went on a scintillating twenty metre run to the line, handing off the Coventry fullback before planting down over the try line.

Next up in this blistering spell was winger Michael Adeyemi who chased down an inch-perfect kick from Gaz Whitfield which sat up in the in-goal area and the speedster won the foot race to the ball to stretch the Outlaws to a 28-14 lead having been looking down the barrel less than ten minutes before the try avalanche!

As the game entered the last ten minutes the Outlaws once again found themselves on the back foot and a spirited Coventry side registered a late try but it was too little too late and there was a mixture of joy and relief when the final whistle went with the Outlaws registering their third win on the bounce with a 28-20 winning margin.

After the game the Outlaws squad waited eagerly for the man of the match award. There were plenty of players mentioned in dispatches, with Sam Bradley, Coryn Ward and Sam Andrews all having solid games in the engine room of the pack and Michael Adeyemi putting in some great defence as well as a fine try. However it was full back Gaz Whitfield that took the trophy. The wily fullback orchestrated proceedings superbly for the Outlaws, barking orders on attack and defence backed up with a masterclass of field kicking and four out of five conversion attempts finding their mark!

Next Saturday all roads lead to Lenton Lane where the Outlaws will entertain a Telford Raiders side that also sport a 100% winning record in what promises to be a titanic struggle!

Nottingham Outlaws entertained local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Lenton Lane on Friday evening looking to build on last week’s opening round victory over Birmingham. In hard fought encounter the Outlaws found themselves 12-4 in arrears after a first half in which they were well and truly under the cosh but they rallied with a magnificent second half performance that saw them notch four trys without reply to end up deserved 28-12 victors.

The Outlaws went into the game with a few changes to the side that beat the Bulldogs last weekend, in the pack forwards Sam Bradley and Jacob Rigby came in for their league debuts and they were joined on debut by Nial O’Kane on the wing. Haz Ashby also made a welcome return to the side, slotting into the center berth.

The Outlaws started brightly, and they soon began to ask a few questions of the Sherwood defence and with less than ten minutes on the clock halfback Tom Wigglesworth darted over from short range for a well taken try that nudged the Outlaws 4-0 in front.

Despite further pressure the Outlaws couldn’t add to their tally against a Sherwood side that was beginning to ask more and more questions of the Outlaws defence.

Indeed as the match progressed the Outlaws found themselves more and more on the back foot, not helped by a string of penalties and infringements at the play the ball that starved them of possession and kept them continually on the backfoot. Indeed, Sherwood soon began to turn the screw and on the 30 minute mark they went in front at 4-6 after the Outlaws failed to hold out after conceding back to back sets.

The match was in danger of slipping away from the Outlaws when Wolf Hunt scored again and with the ten first half minutes remaining the Outlaws were trailing 4-12. Not only were they behind but they were in danger of conceding more points as they continued to be starved of possession and field position. However to their credit they dug deep and some good scrambling defence from Coryn Ward and Adam Ward in particular kept the visitors at bay until the first stanza drew to a close.

The Outlaws desperately needed to reverse the flow of the game and coach Shepherd brought on fresh forwards in the shape of Hemmingway, Page and Bradley along with young hooker Jacob Rigby in an effort to breathe new life and legs into the side.

When the second stanza began things didn’t appear to be going well for the Outlaws with their Captain Coryn Ward sent to the bin for a high shot reduced them to 12 men on the paddock.

Despite this short term disadvantage  the effect of the half time changes soon became apparent with Bradley in particular making big inroads into the Sherwood line with a series of powerful surges.

With the Outlaws on the ascendancy it was Sherwood’s turn to be on the back foot conceding a string of penalties in favour of the Outlaws and with this advantage the home side began to cut loose!

With their forwards laying the platform, the Outlaws playmakers began to orchestrate proceedings on the pitch. Led by scrum half Tom Wigglesworth and his partners in crime Jacob Rigby and Clarke Squires they opened up a series of chances and they deservedly went into the lead when Ali Waring powered over from short range after Bradley had laid the platform with another powerful burst. Whitfield added the extras from the touchline to reduce the deficit to 10-12 and with only ten second half minutes played it was game on!

The Outlaws were now taking a stranglehold of possession and field position, and they once again got the scoreboard ticking over when a raking Wigglesworth pass found James Hood who drew the Wolf Hunt winger before unleashing Ashby for a fine try. With Whitfield again converting the Outlaws were back in the lead at 16-12.

It was a lead they were destined to keep for the remainder of the game!

With the Outlaws halfbacks finding more and more space to run the Sherwood defence continued to leak points and the next try came on the 65 minute mark with Tom Wigglesworth putting in a superb crossfield kick that was collected by Harry Hemmingway to open his account for the night and stretch the Outlaws lead to two scores at 22-12 with another touchline conversion by Whitfield.

The Outlaws continued to suffocate the Wolf Hunt attack and things looked like boiling over when a heated exchange of views between the forwards saw Wolf Hunt reduced to twelve men. However things soon settled down and the game was put to bed in the dying minutes when Harry Hemmingway completed a fine brace with a short range effort that Whitfield again converted to close out the scoring with the Outlaws sporting a healthy 28-12 winning margin.

After the game the ebullient players waited eagerly to see who had taken the man of the match award. It was a difficult one with so many Outlaws putting in strong performances. Tom Wigglesworth had his best ever game in an Outlaws shirt and Jacob Rigby on league debut proved a huge handful for the visiting defence. However it was an all action display on attack and defence by Luke Wadding that secured him a well-deserved man of the match medal!

Nottingham Outlaws travelled to Birmingham Bulldogs on Saturday to kick off their 2025 Midlands Premier League campaign against the team they beat in last years semi-final play-off. In a see-saw game the Outlaws saw a healthy first half lead disappear in a second half battle for survival but they hung on to record a hard-earned 26-22 victory. Continue reading “Birmingham Bulldogs 22 : Nottingham Outlaws 26” →

Continue reading “Nottingham Outlaws 14 : Royal Artillery 46” →

The men’s pre-season schedule has been confirmed ahead of the club’s 2025 Midlands Premier Division campaign. Continue reading “Men’s 2025 Pre-Season Schedule” →

Nottingham Outlaws will once again be holding their popular Christmas Fayre at Lenton Lane on Sunday 8^th December 12.00-3.00pm.

The Fayre will, as usual, feature a traditional range of exciting goodies on sale, including:

Outlaws stash

Christmas Cards

Novelty items

In addition there will be snacks and drinks available throughout to add to the festive flavour!

We very much want to encourage families to bring their children down on the day and there will be a range of activities available for children including games, cookie decorating and colouring.

2024 holds a new event – can we make a PAPER CHAIN that runs the full length of the pitch??

AND OF COURSE SANTA HAS ONCE AGAIN PROMISED THAT HE WILL TAKE TIME OUT FROM HIS BUSY SCHEDULE AND POP DOWN FROM THE NORTH POLE FOR A COUPLE OF VISITS TO SEE HIS OUTLAW FRIENDS!

Please make sure you come along and support our event

Christmas is fast approaching, so time to get organised and buy some Outlaws gifts for your nearest and dearest! This year’s gifts can be viewed and ordered via the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1D-Rby6PhjvGFfVmeQtR6OqhcO2bo4TMY7u0Vjpenb6Y/viewform?edit_requested=true

Order now to get the Early Bird prices. Deadline for orders is Monday 11th November. Once you have submitted your order, the club will contact you directly to arrange payment. For your order to be processed, payment must be made prior to the deadline. Your items will be ready to collect from Lenton Lane on Sunday 8th December at the Outlaws Christmas Fayre.

Nottingham Outlaws attempt to win the Midlands Premiership title ended in disappointment when they fell to a narrow 28-24 defeat against rivals Telford Raiders in Birmingham on Saturday. In a hugely entertaining game, the Outlaws led for half the game and almost stole a victory on the last play of the match but they ultimately fell just short of the silverware. Continue reading “Telford Raiders 28 : Nottingham Outlaws 24” →

Nottingham Outlaws are through to the Midlands Premiership Final after a hard fought semi-final victory over Birmingham Bulldogs at Lenton Lane on Saturday 3rd August. The win takes the Outlaws into their first final appearance since 2015!