18
Saddlebacks Fixtures 2015/2016
Date Opponent Score Notes
Thurs 27th Aug 2015 Avon (H) 33-12 W Trial match
Sat 5th Sept 2015 Thatcham (A) 22-5 W Pre season Friendly
Sat12th Sept2015 Wimborne (H)
Sat 19th Sept 2015 Dorchester (H) League & Cup Double
Sat 26th Sept 2015 Bradford On Avon (A)
Sat 3rd Oct 2015 D&W 1st XV Cup Qtr Final Devizes or Dorchester v Royal Wootton Bassett
Sat 10th Oct 2015 Frome (H)
Sat 24th Oct 2015 Marlborough (A)
Sat 7th Nov 2015 Walcot (H)
Sat 14th Nov 2015 North Dorset (A)
Sat 21st Nov 2015 Royal Wootton Bassett (H)
Sat 5th Dec 2015 Sherborne (A)
Sat 12th Dec 2015 Dorset Dockers (H)
Sat 19th Dec 2015 Midsomer Norton (A)
Sat 9th Jan 2016 Dorchester (A)
Sat 16th Jan 2016 Bradford On Avon (H)
Sat 23rd Jan 2016 Frome (A)
Sat 30th Jan 2016 Marlborough (H)
Sat 13th Feb 2016 Walcot (A)
Sat 20th Feb 2016 North Dorset (H)
Sat 5th Mar 2016 Royal Wotton Bassett (A)
Sat 19th Mar 2016 Sherborne (H)
Sat 2nd Apr 2016 Dorset Dockers (A)
Sat 16th Apr 2016 Midsomer Norton (H)
Sat 23rd Apr 2016 Wimborne (A)
POSITION NAME PHONE E-MAIL
Club Chairman ROD BROWN 01380 738669 [email protected]
Vice Chairman MARK HILL 07812 724199 [email protected]
President CHRIS COMBE 07971 215983 [email protected]
Club Secretary ROSS PAGET 07966248455 [email protected]
Club Treasurer PETE BULLOCK 07828 651186 [email protected]
Fixture Secretary RYAN
WALLBRIDGE [email protected]
1st XV Captain JULIAN TAYLOR 07966 746 058 [email protected]
1st XV Manager
JAMES GAIGER/MATTY
HOLLORAN 07884 490943
2nd XV Captain CHRIS HISCOCK [email protected] 2nd XV Manager & Club Disciplinary
Officer CHRIS CONWAY 07813 760932
3rd XV Captain MATT BISHOP [email protected]
3rd XV Manager PAUL NAISH 07768 533455 [email protected]
Players Membership
Secretary ANDREW WEBB 07764 929847 [email protected]
Sports Club Liaison JOHN THOMPSON 07802 940814 [email protected]
Junior Chairman [email protected]
Chair of players sub-committee JORGE WADMAN 07581 286274 [email protected]
Ladies Liaison ANGELA CONWAY [email protected]
Sponsorship Coordinator JAMES GAIGER 07884 490943 [email protected]
Chair of Selectors MARK HILL 07971 161100 [email protected]
PR & Marketing Manager SEB HUTCHINGS 07889 929 168 [email protected]
WORDS FROM THE CHAIRMAN… Good afternoon people, Well, here we are again at the start of a new season and hoping it will be another one of good Rugby at the newly re-re-vamped Chivers ground. I hope you have all enjoyed your summer and that you will once again be coming along regularly to give your greatly appreciated support to the teams. Sadly, after just a couple of seasons up in South West 1 East and thoroughly enjoying the experience, we have dropped back into Southern Counties again where we are hopeful of mounting another challenge for promotion. After our success of the previous season at the higher level, injuries to some key players and the problems with the main pitch saw us struggle during the mid-season, but we did finish with a flourish to win our last 4 home games. The pitch is now hopefully sorted and looking good (although I did say this at the same time last year!!!), and there have been good numbers at pre-season training, the benefit of which has been shown in the couple of good wins in our 2 pre-season warm up games against Avon from Bath, and Thatcham from Southern Counties North. This Saturday we welcome our old adversaries from Wimborne, when we will be having our first VP’s and sponsors lunch which I hope you will all have enjoyed by the time you read these words of wisdom!!!. The success of these functions has been a highlight of the last few seasons and the dates of further lunches are detailed in the handbook. Wimborne are traditionally one of the stronger teams in Southern Counties so we know that it will be a tough one to start with, but hopefully we can get our new campaign up and running with a strong performance. I would like to thank you all for your continued fantastic support and hope that you carry on enjoying the delights served up at the Chivers ground, both on and off the pitch. The club has moved forward with huge strides over the past few years, and now with this being Rugby World Cup season we are raising the profile at the club, the new audio visual system with big screens hopefully drawing in still more people to watch the games. The tournament starts on Friday the 18th with the opening ceremony and the England versus Fiji match so keep your eyes peeled for all special events, and also the forthcoming touch tournament. Once again many thanks on behalf of the players and the committee and I look forward to seeing you all up at the club, hopefully for the lunch and Wimborne game ! Best regards Rod
3RD XV TEAM NEWS
The annual visit of their accountant and a hard look at the books has always provoked an uneasy atmosphere in the board room of Gaiger Bros, as Mike and Vince clearly demonstrate.
The 3rd XV won the Andy Quinn Memorial trophy, as new captain, Matt Bishop and his men won a hard fought match 26-12. Although it was quite a scrappy affair, there were some great phases of play which saw Devizes come out on top. A hat-trick from young Lewis Dodds put Devizes on the road to victory, however there should have been more tries, were it not for the odd knock on with the try line in sight. Today, the 3rd XV welcome Corsham IIs to Devizes RFC this afternoon as young, old and the new to the game look to improve on a 2nd placed finish last season. The league is very much open this year for anyone to take the spoils. As always we are looking for players, young, old, beginners, those getting back into rugby after years out to run out for us. So if you fancy a social run out, please contact Bish or Naishy (details on club contacts page).
Check out all the latest stats, news and match reports on: www.devizesrfc.org.uk
DEVIZES RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
WE ARE ALSO ON:
@DevizesRFC
CROSS MANUFACTURING COMPANY (1948)
LIMITED
Hopton Park Industrial Estate
London Road
DEVIZES
Wiltshire
SN10 2EY
Tel: 01380 722421
Fax: 01380 722405
Website: www.crossmanufacturing.com
2ND XV TEAM NEWS
The IIs had their first official pre season fixture last week away at Thatcham Iis where they comfortably won 45-10 with some great performances and a young squad to boot, with nine of the fifteen below the age of 19. A hat-trick from George Smith, a brace from the returning Nav and tries from Harry Mahoney and Ollie Lavis put the IIs on the road to an impressive victory. It was young hooker Kieran Hiscock however who exemplified the commitment from the side throughout making a number of significant tackles, offloads and kept going until the end – something that the former Colt has been doing in pre season training all summer! Today the IIs travel away to Greenbridge Road to face Swindon IIs who will no doubt provide a tough test. However, the IIs are looking to build on their most successful season last year, where they finished 4th in Dorset & Wilts North 1, and as the highest second team in Wiltshire. Many of the lads have been training all summer during pre-season so this will no doubt stand them in good stead as they face old foes Corsham, and the likes of Melksham, Combe Down, Fairford and Pewsey – all 1st XV’s.
Sponsoring 1st XV winger Jorge Wadman:
Sponsoring 1st XV fly half Andy Thompson:
Sponsoring 1st XV centre, Rory Brown:
(Devizes Newsagents) 58 Northgate Street
Devizes Wiltshire SN10 1JJ
01380729365 07525181375
•Computer Repairs •Networking •Custom build PC’s •Basic Web Design •On-Site Repairs
Newspaper delivery service also available
Sponsoring 1st XV back row, Josh Gould:
Sponsoring 1st XV front row, Toby Randall:
Devizes RFC (The Saddlebacks) WIMBORNE RFC
Head Coach: John Kimberley Head Coach:
15 Luke Rapson 15
14 Sam Jones 14
13 Mark Carter 13
12 Travis Orwin 12
11 Jorge Wadman 11
10 Andy Thompson 10 NOT AVAILABLE AT TIME OF GOING TO PRINT
9 Calum Conway 9
1 Tom Reed 1
2 Seb Hutchings 2
3 Toby Randall 3
4 Will Paviour 4
5 Lewis Paget 5
6 Craig Bryant 6
7 Josh Lewis 7
8 Josh Gould 8
Replacements Replacements
16 Alex Pattle 16
17 Tim Alchin 17
18 Hamish Quigley 18
Volunteers are not paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.
SOUTHERN COUNTIES SOUTH Bradford On Avon RFC Coached by former Bath, Leicester, Lions and England International flanker Lewis Moody, Bradford on Avon consolidated their Southern Counties South status finishing third from bottom last year. BoA will be looking to improve on that this season so expect them to move up the table!
Dorchester RFC Familiar foes Dorchester had a poor season by their usual high standards, finishing 9th and winning only six of their 22 matches. Former Bournemouth coach Paul Dunne has been appointed as Head Coach, so expect improvements from ‘Dorch’ this coming season.
Dorset Dockers RFC The newest and most unknown of the teams in Southern Counties this year. ‘Dockers’ have won two successive promotions and in 2014 defeated Dorchester II’s 212-0 – a UK record. Impressive results last season indicate that the league’s newest club will be a force to be reckoned with.
Frome RFC Frome’s 6th placed finish last year did not highlight their improvement from the previous season as Kevin Moggridge’s men made dramatic improvements on their 7th placed finish the year before. A Bath Combination Cup defeat to Trowbridge last year highlighted their improvement as the Somerset side fell to an close fought 29-12 loss.
Marlborough RFC Former Exeter, Northampton and Army prop Chris Budgen has overseen an improvement from Marlborough where they were the best in Dorset & Wilts North 1 last year, despite our 2nd XV beating them!
Official Senior Match Photographers for Devizes Rugby Football Club
DEVIZES RFC JUNIOR NEWS
Devizes juniors and mini’s kicked off the season last Sunday on a beautiful later summer’s morning. The morning was a great success, with the evening before also a success, with a Rugby World Cup themed float looking absolutely fantastic in the Devizes Carnival parade. Many thanks to Nick Green, Chris Dyer, Chris Jones and anyone else who helped greatly to get the club float out for the carnival. The Colts played a friendly against Frome, but lost narrowly before they go into the season proper this coming weekend.
THATCHAM 5 V 22 DEVIZES
LAST TIME OUT…
MAN OF THE MATCH 7. JOSH LEWIS
Devizes completed their pre season fixtures with a 100% record with a second win on the bounce against Southern Counties North Thatcham last Saturday. Thatcham, who finished 5th last season provided a stern test throughout for John Kimberley’s men, however, in the end the experience of playing at a higher level and overall fitness of the squad proved crucial on the road to victory. Devizes found it hard work getting going, with the home side on top early on, however when phases were put together, the Saddlebacks looked a real threat and finally after the first quarter, openside flanker Josh Lewis stormed over after a neat offload by fellow back rower Craig Bryant. The second half saw Devizes start slowly again, only to compose themselves and play their best rugby of the match, dominating territory, possession and in doing so scoring two quick fire tries, one from centre Rory Brown, the other from Lewis again for his brace. Thatcham hit back with a try of their own, but Lewis grabbed the victory and the fourth try with a fine third to complete his hat-trick. A good workout, but lots to work on for the Saddlebacks, however there were a few absentees which will only bolster the squad in the coming weeks.
WIMBORNE RFC Devizes will renew their famous rivalry with Wimborne today after 2 seasons away from each other. The season Devizes got promoted, the Saddlebacks did the league double over
the ‘Minstermen’, with the game at home securing the Southern Counties South title in April 2013. Wimborne since then have endured a couple of disappointing seasons where they looked to have pushed on considerably in the higher echelons of the league, which culminated in a Dorset & Wilts 1st XV Cup triumph in the 2012/2013 season, coincidentally dispatching the Saddlebacks at Leigh Park in a 42-20 thriller in the semi-final. Wimborne finished 8th last season some way off the top four, however three 1st XV players were selected for the Twin Counties Senior Squad, in the shape of Tyler Adams (prop); Rob Best (second row) and Steve King (number eight). The Leigh Park outfit will certainly be looking to move up the table this campaign. Devizes RFC would like to welcome all from Wimborne RFC to today’s game.
DEVIZES SPORTS CLUB
Great venue for special events – wedding receptions, birthday parties & conferences.
Great facilities including fully licensed bar; in house catering service and function room for hire.
Great place to watch live sport.
http://www.devizessportsclub.org.uk/
Call 01380 729652 or 07938538133 to make a booking now!
SOUTHERN COUNTIES SOUTH Midsomer Norton RFC Not much is known about Somerset side Midsomer Norton, however our 3rd XV have had some tricky matches in Somerset in the past against their 4th team! ‘Norton’ finished 7th last year, but finished the season strongly, indicating a strong campaign ahead perhaps?
North Dorset RFC North Dorset finished 4th and 17 points from playoff promotion contention, but had some fine wins last year, notably an 18-17 win at home against Sherborne and 39-7 victory against Frome. Steve Ashfield has taken over as Head Coach in what promises to be a strong season for our rivals.
Royal Wootton Bassett RFC Despite some excellent form last year, it was not enough to secure a playoff spot for promotion in Southern Counties North. Despite this, Bassett’s transition to SC South will be seen as their intention to go one better this year with Alan Low continuing at the helm
Sherborne RFC Sherborne finished 3rd last year and will no doubt be there or thereabouts this season. A hugely youthful and physical side, there are never any easy games against these lads from Dorset.
Walcot RFC Walcot finished 5th last year and will therefore be a tough nut to crack this campaign. Impressive home wins over the likes of Frome, North Dorset and Wimborne highlighted a decent side, however they did struggle up against the top three last year losing all six meetings.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO VIRIDOR CREDITS ENVIRONMENTAL COMPANY; CONTINUED SUPPORTERS TO THE CLUB FOR THE ASSOCIATED GROUNDWORKS.
Providers of the DRFC Steel House and Strength & Conditioning Programmes
Wednesday Banquet Night
Home Delivery & Takeaways Tel: 01380 727697 or 01380
727119
Bengal Bite Tandoori Contemporary Indian/Bangladeshi Cuisine
www.bengalbite.co.uk
1 Sheep Street, Devizes
LADIES TEAM NEWS
Do you know who it is ? After years of anonymity and speculation as to his real name we can finally reveal the true identity of this young rascal. Though the ravages of time have taken its toll you can still clearly see through those glazed pebble glasses the impish choir boy looks of a present day DRFC VP whom went onto greater stardom as an accounts assistant. Yes Barny Beddow "the Milky Bars are on you "
Perhaps every DRFC club member’s worst nightmare! Rod, Rod, Rod, Rod, Rod, Rod, Rod, Rod and Rod get to grips with their new selfie toy on holiday in Rod’s favourite location, Skegness.
Devizes Ladies kick started their pre-season with a tough match against Supermarine Ladies who ply their trade two leagues above Devizes. The Devizes Ladies battled exceptionally well, working on new things which had been introduced during the summer by coaches Andy Patterson, Leon Sheppard and Luke Cador. The Ladies fell to a 43-0 defeat but will take lots of positives against a side playing at a much higher level. Tomorrow, Devizes Ladies travel to rivals Chipping Sodbury for their first league game of the season. Chipping Sodbury were a real tough opponent for the Ladies last season, winning both matches, however both matches were fraught with intensity and a real desire from both sides to get the win. Tomorrow will be no different! The Ladies first home league fixture is against St Mary’s Old Boys Ladies on Sunday 11th October. Please come along and support the Ladies as they look to push for a top four finish this coming season. The Ladies were also involved in Devizes Carnival last weekend, where they supported the junior section with the float decorations and promoting the game during the parade. Thanks to all the Ladies who made the effort.
