THE HOWLING WOLF RUGBY CLUB NEWSLETTER . NOVEMBER 2012 Message from the Chairman The season is now in full flow and an exciting one it is proving to be. The 1st team are unbeaten in ten league matches and we are not only top of our own league but also top of the National Raptor League, meaning we have the best record of any club in the country outside of the Premiership! If we include the pre-season warm-up matches it is now a 23 match unbeaten run – a club record. With the Wolves and the Rovers also going very well, the senior side of the club is stronger than it has been in many years. As you will see from the youth report, most age groups are also having a good start to the season. Congratulations to Ollie Deeming, Louis Hicks, George Turner and Sam Bixby who were all selected to play for Eastern Counties. The minis have just had their annual festival which was a massive success. We received many compliments about how well the festival was run and how much people enjoyed it. Well done to all involved and to all our minis teams who played some high quality of rugby on the day. At the beginning of October we had our first club party and curry night which, although did not generate the numbers we were expecting, was a really enjoyable evening for those who turned up. The annual fireworks display last Friday, renowned for being the best in the Bury area, proved a big hit with good numbers attending, generating another big fund-raising night for the club. I need to draw your attention to our “Buy a Brick” scheme. We are still some 100 bricks short of our target so we must all re-double our efforts to sell these bricks and raise the remaining funds required to pay off the loans. There are competitions and prizes for age groups that sell the most bricks and, with Christmas coming, what could be a better present for that hard to buy for relation? Talking of Christmas coming, we have some great new products and special offers available in the club shop with some superb quality training kit, casual wear, kit bags and accessories suitable for players, supporters and the whole family. Full details are shown further on. Good Luck to all teams in the run-up to Christmas. We look forward to more exciting and high quality rugby throughout the club. Mike Robinson Chairman
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THE HOWLING WOLFRUGBY CLUB NEWSLETTER . NOVEMBER 2012
Message from the Chairman
The season is now in full flow and an exciting one it is proving to be.
The 1st team are unbeaten in ten league matches and we are not only top of our own league but also top of the National Raptor League, meaning we have the best record of any club in the country outside of the Premiership! If we include the pre-season warm-up matches it is now a 23 match unbeaten run – a club record. With the Wolves and the Rovers also going very well, the senior side of the club is stronger than it has been in many years.
As you will see from the youth report, most age groups are also having a good start to the season. Congratulations to Ollie Deeming, Louis Hicks, George Turner and Sam Bixby who were all selected to play for Eastern Counties.
The minis have just had their annual festival which was a massive success. We received many compliments about how well the festival was run and how much people enjoyed it. Well done to all involved and to all our minis teams who played some high quality of rugby on the day.
At the beginning of October we had our first club party and curry night which, although did not generate the numbers we were expecting, was a really enjoyable evening for those who turned up.
The annual fireworks display last Friday, renowned for being the best in the Bury area, proved a big hit with good numbers attending, generating another big fund-raising night for the club.
I need to draw your attention to our “Buy a Brick” scheme. We are still some 100 bricks short of our target so we must all re-double our efforts to sell these bricks and raise the remaining funds required to pay off the loans. There are competitions and prizes for age groups that sell the most bricks and, with Christmas coming, what could be a better present for that hard to buy for relation?
Talking of Christmas coming, we have some great new products and special offers available in the club shop with some superb quality training kit, casual wear, kit bags and accessories suitable for players, supporters and the whole family. Full details are shown further on.
Good Luck to all teams in the run-up to Christmas. We look forward to more exciting and high quality rugby throughout the club.
Mike RobinsonChairman
Forthcoming Events please see club website for more information www.bserufc.co.uk
Friday 16th November Presidents DinnerSat 24th November Pre-Match Lunch Fri 30th November Madness Tribute NightSat 15th December Pre-Match LunchSunday 16th December Minis Christmas PartyWednesday 19th December Carol Singing, 7.30pmSat 22nd December Club Christmas Lunch – bookings still taken26th December (Boxing Day) Over 30s vs Under 30s match – from 11.30am. Bring a plate of food to share
Membership for the 2012-2013 season is now overdue. Forms can be downloaded from the club website under More Club Info/Documents.
POLITE REMINDER – We have a ‘No Dogs On Site’ policy
Grateful thanks to Saxon Fire who supplied the fire extinguishers for the mini’s festival and fireworks night.
What’s on this month
Pre-Match LunchesCome and join us for a pre-match lunch. £20 per head for a starter, main course, cheese and biscuits and a glass of wine. Home Fixtures 2012
• 24th November vs. Beaconsfield – sit down @ 12.30 • 15th December vs. Diss – sit down @ 12.15 – FULLY BOOKED • 22nd December – Club Christmas Lunch – sit down @ 12.15
Home Fixtures 2013
• 19th January vs. Letchworth – sit down @ 12.15 • 9th February vs. O. Haberdasher – sit down @ 12.30 • 2nd March vs. Eton Manor – sit down @ 12.30 • 23rd March vs. Chingford – sit down @ 1pm • 13th April vs. Luton – sit down @ 1pm
Games Played Won Lost Drawn Points for Points Against Bonus points
1st VX 10 10 525 60 10
Wolves 9 7 2 553 107
Rovers 10 5 4 262 172
Update from Playing ChairmanSenior Teams
Since my last report the 1st XV have remained unbeaten in our league campaign and currently have a record of 10 wins with 10 bonus points. This success is a product of the hard work and dedication of the players, the coaches namely Gavin Hogg, Andy Herlihy and the guidance and planning of Terry Sands and team manager Mark Williams.
The Wolves are 11 points clear at the top of the Greene King Super Premier League. It is encouraging to see a number of the young Wolves players moving up to 1st XV such as Sam Bixby, Josh Borley and Jake Thurlow while others such as Matt Briggs and Jamie Cooke offer great promise for the near future.
The 3rd team led by the evergreen Tim Silk are currently 7th in the Suffolk Merit league and they continue to offer a great pathway for the clubs youth into senior rugby.
Offering a structured pathway for all players to reach their full potential is something that I personally feel very passionate about. I believe that as a club there is none better at doing this in the Eastern Counties.
Ladies RugbyLadies rugby has been well attended with 14+ consistently at training. The girls have been introduced to full contact rugby and hope to play their first contact fixture in mid-November against Norwich medics.
ColtsThe Colts have played 8 fixtures recording 5 wins. But, more importantly, as a squad the Colts continue to develop and benefit from the great coaching from Ben Clarke, Ben Radmall and Neil Walker. Although disappointed to lose in the National Cup, the Colts will now be in the National Plate competition where their hard work and dedication will reap rewards.
Join us for the Double Header at the Haberden - 24th NovemberI hope you can join us for a Double Header at the Haberden 24th November. First up are the Wolves V Cambridge University U21’s, kick off at 11.30am. This is a great opportunity to see the Wolves pitch themselves against players bidding for a Varsity start. This match is followed by our unbeaten Ist XV against Beaconsfield, kick off at 2.30pm.
What better way to spend a Saturday? The are a few places still available for sit down lunch in the clubhouse. Alternatively food and drinks available all day.
Andy SpetchPlaying Chairman
Youth Focus
Thank you to Burnett Barker Solicitors who are the U16s new sponsors for this season.
So far we have had a mixed bag of results including wins over Newmarket and Cambridge and defeats at Swaffham and Ely. In addition, there have been two narrow losses to Colchester - in the Brentwood Golden Boot semi-final (12-7) and in an away friendly (15-14). At the Suffolk 7s, the A team lost the Trophy semi-final and the B team the Plate semi-final – both to Colchester! Revenge will be sought in the Suffolk Cup later this season.
The large squad has enabled us to provide players to the U17s with Ed Spetch, Sam Hunt, James Copping and Jack Deeming joining them recently at Shelford. All four boys played well, contributed plenty and gained valuable experience – well done!
Another well done goes to Max Ellis who made his official referee debut at recent Suffolk 7s tournament. He did a great job all day capped off with refereeing the U14s final.
Will Horsnell, Ewan Evans and Andrew Devoy all put in solid performances for Suffolk in a close fought recent game which Cambridgeshire just edged. And as our Chairman mentioned in his report, Ollie Deeming, Louis Hicks and George Turner (pictured) played in their maiden games for Eastern Counties winning 34-22 against Essex
Our U15s boys have had a mixed start to the season with injuries, including a broken foot for Alfie Godfrey, affecting squad numbers. Those injured have been supportive from the touchlines and we wish them speedy recoveries. The Boys displayed great team spirit during our match against Shelford, pulling together well which was reflected in the result, a convincing win for Bury. Depleted team numbers meant we took a knock score-wise playing against Cambridge but the lads played hard and to their credit came off at full time smiling and positive. Despite the difficulties faced by the squad so far this season its fair to say the Under 15s are enjoying their rugby!
Minis Focus – a look back at our festival
October has been a busy month for the Mini Section with teams off to various festivals across the region as well as our own festival.
On Sunday 14th October a number of minis teams attended the Woodbridge Festival which proved to be a successful day for our teams. Congratulations to the Under 8s who won the Plate Final. The Under 9s were triumphant in the Shield competition and well done to the Under 11s who won the Plate in their age group.
The Bury Mini Festival took place on Sunday 21st October and was a great success, both on the pitch and off with many positive comments from visiting teams. The day went really well with a great atmosphere around the ground, despite it being unusually drizzly for the first time in years for the festival!
There was some superb rugby played across the age groups with the U7s, U8s and U9s really testing the new RFU rules. The players seemed to enjoy the sponsor, CARRS of Bury St Edmunds’ MINI competition to guess how many rugby balls were in the MINI coupé with the winning number of balls (49), kindly donated by Samurai, going to Southwold. Lucky winners of the raffle also walked away with Northampton Saints match tickets, Leicester Tigers signed ball, Leicester Tigers signed programme, a years family membership for Culford School Leisure Centre and tickets to Go Ape.
The U13s are embracing the step up from minis to youth and seem to be flourishing. Whilst we initially lost a few players, the numbers have slowly crept up again to around 32 as the local schools introduce the game at school. Hopefully, if the numbers rise further we’ll be able to field two teams and give more boys game time on a regular basis.
It’s been a mixed set of results so far with good wins over Shelford and Newmarket, a disappointing defeat to Ely despite having 75% of possession and territory and a tough defeat against a very good Colchester side. Coming up, the boys have challenging fixtures, away at Cambridge and Wymondham.
We welcome new coach Gene Macdonald, who, though Kiwi born, has been selected to play for the GB touch rugby team and also, Josh Flowitt and James Watson from the U17s, who have been helping out too. Two of our squad, Harrison Stabler and Toby Alkhersan are currently out of action with injuries and we wish them speedy recoveries.
The club will be hosting, in partnership with Bury St Edmunds Academy Trust ‘Sport for Life’ event this Wednesday 7 November. The event, arranged by The Trust as part of the Olympic legacy, will involve year 10 pupils from four Bury Schools. Gavin Hogg, his coaches and sports staff from the schools will run a day of fun activities and challenges designed to promote a healthy, active life style and demonstrate the benefits of sport and good nutrition. The programme includes a nutritious pasta-based lunch prepared by club chef Zee and will culminate in a non-contact tag festival. West Suffolk College, who already have a strong partnership with the club, will also be supporting this event which has been kindly sponsored by Churchill Catering.
The Mini Section would like to thank all parents and volunteers for their efforts on the day and with organising this event, including baking cakes, collecting and selling sweets as well as set up and clear up.
We would especially like to thank Olly Jackson and Nigel Packer for their tireless work in getting the festival up and running, Rebecca Haywood for doing such a wonderful job in co-ordinating so many teams and producing the festival programme and Mike Robinson for securing the sponsorship of CARRS of Bury St Edmunds.
Neil IrelandMinis Vice Chairman
Bury Festival Roll of Honour U7s U10sTrophy Winner Saffron Walden Trophy Winner SudburyRunner up Woodbridge Runner up SouthwoldPlate winner Ipswich YM Plate winner Ipswich YM Plate runner up Ipswich Plate runner up Woodbridge
U8s U11sTrophy Winner Bury Saints Trophy Winner Ipswich YM Runner up Bury Wolves Runner up ShelfordPlate winner Ipswich YM Plate winner SudburyPlate runner up Sudbury Plate runner up Bury U9s U12sTrophy Winner North Walsham Trophy Winner Ipswich YMRunner up Newmarket Runner up Bury GreenPlate winner Bury Wolves Joint plate winner :Plate runner up Ipswich YM Bury Gold and Ipswich YM
Ewan Sherrell U12s
A big thank you also to Neil Ireland for all his hard work - Olly Jackson
Sponsor of the month -
Our sponsor of the month is Bury hairdressers ‘Hairburys’. They have kindly offered some special deals for club members,
on production of club membership cards.• Players haircuts - £8.95
• Players’ family discount - 25% off all hair service• 10% off any other products/services
Unit 2, Barton Road Retail Park, St Edmunds IP32 7BE
Tel. 01284 767610www.hairburys.co.uk
Member Interview - Jane BowieOur November feature member is Jane Bowie, a long term supporter of the club and in previous years, the club’s social secretary. Alongside her husband and former player Dave, and son and current player Graham, Jane and her family are active and passionate supporters of the club.
When did you first get involved with the club? 1976 - 1977 season when I started going out with David Bowie
What is your earliest rugby memory? Going to watch David play at Haverhill and having to run the line on a very muddy pitch. I ended up falling over in the mud in front of everyone, but still ended up marrying David.
What is your greatest rugby memory? England’s 2003 World Cup Final win
What couldn’t you live without? My car.
Who would you like to be stuck ina lift with?David Beckham and the Pope.
If you could have one super powers what would it be and why?To fly so I could go where I liked.
What would you like to achieve this season? Promotion and to see the unity we have in club get stronger and stronger.
What do you feel are Bury’s 3 best assets?1 The club house2 Great team spirit3 One happy club.
The Haberden Trust
The Trustees of the Haberden Trust, Andy Gray and Martin Peacock, would like to inform the Rugby Club members that Phil Torkington (past Club Chairman) has joined them as the 3rd trustee, acting as the Secretary. As you will be aware, the Haberden Trust has enabled the purchase of the club land through the “Buy a Brick” campaign. The Trust has been able to claim Gift Aid relief on the donations made to buy the bricks, through its charitable status. The club members and friends have so far contributed over £22,000 through the Buy a Brick Campaign, and the Trust has so far obtained a further £4,975, through the Gift Aid scheme. The overall figure received to date, of £26,975 is a great achievement.
We now need to raise a further £8,000 to reach the target of £35,000, which will enable us to repay the three lenders by next March, cover the cost of the bricks, and pay all associated costs plus legal fees.
So a big thank you to those who have purchased a brick and for those wanting inspi-ration for a special person for Christmas, look no further!
Pitch UseAs everyone knows, we have some of the best pitches in the region, the envy of most clubs that visit us. In order to achieve this, the club spends thousands of pounds each year maintaining them, not to mention the countless unpaid hours by Andy Spetch tending them. The club does this so all our players can enjoy the very best surface it can provide and to reduce the number of games cancelled due to waterlogging.
However, the wet and cold weather is well and truly here and in order for the pitches to be maintained in tip top condition we have to be mindful when using them.
To that end, please take a moment to read the following rules which the club asks that coaches, players and spectators abide by:
• Do not train in one spot. Coaches - move players around the pitch when coaching so that you do not compact or damage one area. • Do not warm up on pitches. Coaches and managers must ensure that all visiting teams are directed to use dead ball areas and off pitch space. • No walking across pitches. • Training spaces. Coaches should, wherever possible when training, use the far side of pitch 2 and the bottom end of pitch 3, especially for drill as these get much less wear. • Check pitch allocations for the weekend. These are made on a Thursday night. Make sure you know where you are due to play and stick to it. • Bad weather inspections. Team Managers are responsible for making pitch inspections either the night before or early morning if weather is poor and make an early call. Playing on and damaging the pitches badly is more likely to lead to further cancellations later on in the season.
We are trying to find mobile lighting towers so that we can light the mini pitches and use those for training to avoid so much wear and tear on the main pitches. If anyone knows of the availability of any portable lighting towers please let us know.
If we look after our pitches EVERYONE benefits, its up to you !
With Christmas fast approaching check out the great deals and superb quality
products that are sold in the Club Shop, many of which will make fantastic
Christmas presents.
Christmas is comingspecial offers in the club shop
The shop is opening between 10.00am-1.00pm on Sundays.
For example: • Fleeces… from £15.00 • Howling Wolf Hoodies - £35.00 • Tempest Training Jackets from £30.00
There are also plenty of items to consider as stocking fillers such as beanie hats, t-shirts, gloves and balls, not forgetting a match day kit bag to carry it all in.
Personalised items or, for sizes are not currently in stock require a 3 to 4 week lead time, so please bear in mind when placing orders.
Buy a Brick
Two years ago we had a once in a life time chance to buy our grounds. We now need to finish paying off the loans we took out to do it. £25,000 has already been raised by club members purchasing a brick on the Haberden wall in the club house for £100 a go. We need to sell another 100 bricks to achieve our aim.Buying a brick represents your chance to have your name, or that of your child’s, immortal-ised for ever more on the club’s walls and be part of the clubs history.
Like last season, the club is running a competition to see which age groups in both Youth and minis can raise the money to purchase the most bricks. Every player from the winning age groups will win a prize of a fantastic Samurai Kit Bag!
And finally ….
With no response last month’s picture caption competition of Ben Radnall tackling the posts, Howling Wolf has decided to enter its own caption. ‘He should have gone to Specsavers!’
Want to get your message out to your customers or industry? Or maybe you need to re-visit your corporate brochures or draft website copy but don’t have the time?
