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Banbury Rugby Club |
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Oxford Road Banbury Oxon OX15 4AF UK Main Rugby Club Website Contact Person: Clubhouse Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The season just gone has, at all levels, been a year of real achievement for the Senior Section. The Colts brought the County Cup back to Bodicote Park after a tremendous & nerve-jangling victory over Henley; our 3rd XV became a much more permanent addition to the fixture list; the 2nd XV stormed to the league title in Bucks Berks & Oxon 2 North in the most emphatic fashion & the First XV rounded it all off with a comprehensive play off win at Lutterworth to earn a thoroughly deserved promotion.But these are just the headlines that barely scratch the surface of the continued growth & development this season has witnessed. Firstly the Colts have become a much more integral part of the Senior section, with their on-going participation beyond the age group much better assured through a significant number of Colts playing a very active part in the successes of the other senior teams while maintaining the distinct identity & history of the Under 19s age group. The likes of Josh Eborell, Ian Isham & Keith Steptoe all featured heavily in the Second teams success, while Josh Deegan, Colts captain Nick Pratt & Liam Stratford all went further & made their league debuts in the First team. This is the most critical age group in the club for keeping people playing this fantastic game and 31 of the players who represented the First team this year have come through our Colts section over the years.Much of this development is down to the hard work of Andy Thompson & 2nd team skipper Andy Oddy, who worked with Mark Woodward to identify those guys that were available & at the right place for the step into post 19s rugby and gave them the confidence to fully contribute from the off. The importance of this work cannot be underestimated. A key driver through the game is around player retention, but it boils down to creating a positive environment and identifying the two way benefit for player and club that will bring real success & that takes time and effort from people. Initiative is easy, sustainment is the key and the latter has been wonderfully served & illustrated by the work done to ensure the 2nd team & 3rd teams are providing that opportunity for the club and the wider community of Banbury & the surrounding North Oxfordshire area. The promotion to Midlands 2 for the First team is a case of potential being realised, but by no means exhausted. It is testimony to the growing maturity of a young group of players that they learnt from the disappointments of last season and moved on a level. Despite being pipped by Ampthill for the league title the record wins against Mens Own & Bugbrooke showed that the squad was ready to go up. The team conceded on average less than one try a game from Christmas - key contenders Towcester; Leighton Buzzard & Wellingborough managed just one try between them - & Defence isn't an area we waste any time on in training. But the nagging question was whether when we arrived at the crunch we could control the nerves & play with confidence & discipline. The answer was provided at Lutterworth in the most explicit manner. We dominated a hugely physical encounter & won comfortably. But the stats and results only go part of the way to showing the growth seen here. 42 players represented the first team in the League & Cup due to injury. That is a huge number but shows that breadth & depth has been put in place & real competition for places will happen as soon as people start staying fit. And it was in critical positions where we were hit by injury. Eight of the first choice team that finished last season played less than 40% of the games this year, 3 didn't feature at all. To be without the likes of Cummings, Bannister, Court, Brooks, Purnell, Hurst & Allwood for so much of the season would, to most clubs, mean you were without any chance of success. But everyone that came into the side played their part, testimony to a strong second team but also people putting the work in at training, particularly in the forwards with Bodger, and then expressing themselves on the pitch without fear of failure.Next season should hold no fears for any of our league sides, and my role in the preparation for that I am placing into the very capable hands of Grant Holmes as I stand down as Coach. As this has been a "voluntary" and unpaid position I have had to give in to increasing career demands & the ultimately much more important responsibilities of a growing family. Combining these with living in Swindon means the decision, as painful as it is, is pretty straightforward.I am also confident that the Senior section is now in a much better place, certainly than 5 years ago, for someone else to pick up and build on the work that has been put in, able now to concentrate much more on "just" the rugby. A squad of teenagers is now a squad of experienced young men, who are increasing in maturity so that they can fulfil their potential even further, boosted by the never-ending stream of players produced by the Clubs Youth Section while attracting players from a wider area to swell the playing numbers.I have a number of thank you's to run through - all of whom have supported me greatly during the last 5 years. Presidents Shaw; Taylor; Phillips & Frost; Monty; Steve Carter; Will Brooks; Steve Mascall; Andy Thompson; Terry Humphries; Jim Field; Mark Woodward; Trina; captains Ed Cummings, Andrew Collett & Andy Oddy; Jacko; the players for whom it has been a privilege (despite the odd frustration!!) to attempt to provide a structure in which they can improve their skills and continue to realise their potential but more fundamentally who have given me so much loyalty & support both on and off the pitch. And last & perhaps most of all, Bodger.I look forward to seeing the club continue to move on at all levels, but now "merely" as an "ordinary" member. I hope to see both sections of the club become much more integrated; both are in a place now to move on to "Thrive" as opposed to "Survive", which will be made all the easier as they come closer together. To maximise that, positive, pro-active leadership is required; greater ownership taken on at all levels; respect earned through actions and not demanded by "status"; co-operation & a "can do" mentality to the fore. It is World Cup Year, and we need to be ready for the upsurge in interest this event always brings, even when Wales shatter the slenderest English hopes!! Thank you for your time & I wish us all the best of luck in the future!! Club Colours: Navy White and Red |
| Date added: 2008-04-10 22:56:17 Hits: 46 |
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