TELEVISION presenter John Inverdale, who is chairman of rugby at Esher, once said of Threshfield's most famous sporting venue: "To be among a large crowd at a National League match at Wharfedale Rugby Club was to have found sporting nirvana.

"If there’s a more wonderful sporting venue in the country for serious competitive sport, I’ve yet to visit it.”

Ahead of Esher's visit to The Avenue on Saturday, the attraction of the ground and its surrounds is not lost on Wharfedale's Jon Feeley either.

He said: "It may have been dark and raining at training on Tuesday, but it is still a privilege to be head coach of Wharfedale. It is a beautiful place to ply your trade.

"Mind you, although John Inverdale enjoys watching rugby here, I don't think he has enjoyed the results. The last time they played here he took his frustration out on his dog!"

As for the visitors, Feeley said: "They are one of those clubs who are ambitious and have played in the Championship a couple of times but they aren't finding it easy to get out of National League One and have seen other London clubs such as Rosslyn Park and Ealing Trailfinders overtake them.

"But I know that with former Rotherham player Mike Schmid as chief executive officer, they will be well-drilled opponents."

Wharfedale, who hope to have Phil Woodhead available after playing Sevens in Dubai, won 32-24 last Saturday at bottom-of-the-table Macclesfield.

The Greens trailed 17-12 at half-time but scored 20 points in the second half when the Cheshire hosts were twice short-handed.

Feeley said: "The point that spectators miss about those yellow cards is that they came about from our pressure and the pace that we were playing at.

"What we need to do now is turn that 20 minutes of pressure into 80 minutes. Then we will be a match for anybody."

The Macclesfield game was another where back-rower Josh Burridge shined.

Feeley said: "Josh is not a shouter or a talker but came to us as a fresh-faced pupil from Prince Henry's Grammar School with a real desire to prove himself as a rugby player, and he is doing that."