Old Yardleians - Latest News

TIME TO RECOVER AND THEN TO REGROUP

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:21:12 GMT

Not the greatest season in our history
Without being too negative, this has not been the best of seasons particularly as our first team finished the season in a relegation position. The Development team have been highly unpredictable with some excellent performances but some dire ones thrown in as well. Meanwhile the more senior players, the Vandals, continue to win a lot more games than they lose.

Starting at the younger end of club we are pleased to see that a very good number of under 6 players have been turning up for training on a sunday morning which is a good sign for the future. The under 7, 8 and 9 teams are showing great promise and are looking forward to next season. The under 11s have a lot of potential, have played some great rugby but are in need of a few more players to provide a good sized squad. The under 16s have been the major success story of the season gaining in strength and playing an exciting brand of open rugby.

PRESIDENT'S DAY
Last saturday saw the climax to the season and as you can guess it was a January day weather wise transposed into early May. In other words it was cold.
The day began with our younger players putting on a series of exhibition games.
The under 16s welcomed Five Ways to be our opponents. Earlier in the season we had played them twice losing narrowly on each occasion. Briefly, the game was a fascinating contrast in styles with Five ways keeping it tight and using the driving maul as their main means of attack. The Ys however, like to play a more open game bringing their dangerous back division into play at every opportunity. The game was closely fought but in the second half the visitors began to tire and the Ys took full advantage and went on to outscore the opposition by 4 tries to 2. The final score being 24-13 to the hosts.
A very big thank you to our visitors who always provide a stern test for our boys and it must be said that the man in the middle, the referee, Jim Looney officiated superbly,

At around 3 o clock the senior teams entertained the vast crowd that had gathered. Our 2nd team played the Edwardians 2nds and although Chicken in front of his under 16 team demonstrated how to miss tackles we won fairly comfortably with new prop, Shane, looking like a first team player of the future. A big thanks to the Eds for giving us a game and to John Kelly, the Peter Pan of referees. It is worth noting that John played a couple of seasons for us but felt that he was being led astray (just like most Old Yardleians of that era) and left to join a convent or something like that. Thanks again John.
Not too far away, our 3rds were playing a Kings Norton select XV and without anybody to kick their conversions, the Ys lost by a single point. 'Honest' Mark Baldwin reports in that he scored a try. He also told me that Martyn played for a full 80 minutes so believe it if you want. Again, thanks to our guests for taking part in our programme.

A special mention to the entertainment for the evening. That one time Ys front rower, Eds star and Society Referee, Craig Fleming, for perforrming his own brand of magical show and also to our very own Steve Price for supporting Craig so enthusiastically. To those up and coming young players, you could always ask Craig to teach you the full version of 'Pass the Parcel'

The A.G.M.

With the club bursting at the seams, which is even more surprising considering our first team's lack of success, friday night saw the start of the fightback that will inevitably take place, and in fact, already is being planned with a determination that will surely leads to success both on and off the pitch. The elected Officers for the next 12 months are as follows.
President is Steve Painter (Dip FD)
Chairman is Steve sidwell
Hon Sec is Jan Collins
Hon Treasurer is Mark Higgins
Hon Fixture Sec is Mark Baldwin
Hon Match Sec is Shannon Killarney
Hon Creative Story Teller is Dave Adams
General Committee Members are Steve Price, Luke Harris, Phil Painter, Pat McDaid, Robbie Dixon, Kim Hemmings, Tom Power, Mike Hughes, Terry Wales and Andy Killarney.

Brian is still chief groundsman and Bill Collins is i/c car parking.
With a group of this quality great things are anticipated.

And Finally

It won't be easy getting 3 points at West Brom but remember Mr Wenger knows best.
Wishing my readers a good summer, there will be news over the closed season but probably not quite so much.

TIME TO LOOK BACK AND THEN TO LOOK AHEAD

Tue, 01 May 2012 13:24:36 GMT

Whilst watching our vets in action at The Eds last saturday it was fascinating to join in a conversation with Robbie D., Don Deneny (one time Trinity Guild star full-back) and former Holy Trinity RC Schoolboy, Peter Butler. Peter 'The Fridge' informed us that it was that time in the rugby season when the ancient God Janus sprang to mind. Robbie, impressed by his front row colleague's depth of knowledge went on to explain that Janus was two headed and looked into the past as well as the future. The only link with Janus that I was aware of was the bitterly cold weather but our academic tight-heads had enough protective flesh to keep out the elements.

So where is this taking us?

Peter is thinking about his contribution to the non-playing aspects of the club and he reminded us that the AGM was to take place this friday 4th May at the club, doors open 7.00 pm and the meeting starting at 7.30 prompt.

Robbie, who had a brief but impressive career as a destructive tight-head prop, then reminded us that this saturday was President's Day at the club. The action begins at around lunch-time and includes rugby matches for our younger teams as well as the seniors and with refreshments available throughout the day and entertainment of a vocal style it should be worth an hour or two of your time. Tom our weather forecaster promises fine weather and Bill (car park maestro) Collins will let you park for free. Our President, S.W.Sidwell will engage you in conversation (unless you see him approaching) and it will be a great opportunity for Old Yardleians, young and not so young to enjoy a feast of rugby.

Now what was that reference to Janus all about? Peter says that the President's Day is when we look back (does that include our first team's successful attempt at relegation?) on many positive achievements. He then explains that the AGM is where the future of the club is planned.

So now we know.

And finally,

Manchester City or Manchester United ? in all honesty who cares?
Sorry Harry but it was never meant to be.

LET'S HEAR ABOUT THE STARS OF THE FUTURE

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:46:58 GMT

Our younger players did us proud again as did their team managers who have reported in to me. The real concern to me now is that they might be snapped up by the major newspapers or other media agencies. Thanks for the prompt responces as well as for the work you do with our teams.

In the penultimate game of the season the U7's hosted Woodrush. We took the opportunity to play a number of the younger players with only 4 boys who who were actually genuine U7's.

We played one long match and the boys acquitted themselves very well. The older lads looked after the younger ones and made sure they had a turn with the ball when we had possession. Harley set the tone and scored a great try to open the scoring for the Yards. As seems to be the way the scores see-sawed and by half time we were 6-5 up and we managed to take 6 tags in defence on at least one occasion. Other try scorers in the half were Adam (1), Frankie (3), George K (1).

During the second half we changed the sides round a bit and some of the younger lads such as Riley, Charlie S, Harry, Max and George G all made good runs. The game finished 14-14 which was a very creditable performance given the age of some of our boys. The older lads are playing some great rugby, tagging well in defence and supporting each other in attack. The younger boys also all did well and are really learning the game which bodes well for next year. Try scorers were as follows:

Ben 5

George K 2

Frankie 5

Harley 1

Adam 1

Well done boys.

As the season draws to a close, the under 8s hosted a match against Woodrush. The team for the day was Charlie, Damon, Dan E, Dan G, Ellis, Lewis and Presley. Thanks to Cedric for stepping up to coach the boys on the field against my random refereeing.

Charlie stepped forward to captain the first match and led the side to victory. Dan G scored a whopping 4 tries and Ellis added to 2 to score. As a result the boys won by 6 tries to 5. The quality of tagging continued into this match with the boys managing to turnover possession through taking 6 tags. You could also see the boys starting to think more strategically and offloading the ball before being tagged making it harder for the opposition to accumulate tags.

Charlie continued his captaincy into the second match. The boys continued to play well, but Woodrush showed a little more resolve this time and narrowly won by 5 tries to 4. Dan G gathered a further 2 tries and Dan E and Lewis took a try a piece. Dan G was clearly keen to prove himself in his last matches of the season and was almost untaggable when he had the ball.

With both sides having won one a piece the final match was to be the decider. Both sides were keen to win this last game so the only fitting result was a draw with both sides ending up with 4 tries. Damon, Dan G, Ellis and Presley shared the tries. Damon led the side well and as one spectator commented they had never seen his dad, Cedric, run like that to score a try.

Another memorable day. The boys have played well all season and continue to do so. We look forward to their last match on President's day.

Old Yardleians Under 9s welcomed Woodrush for the home leg of their annual contest following a close but well earned victory for our boys earlier in the season.

Both sides have made huge progress during the season which they regularly demonstrated throughout the matches, for example Woodrush' second try, scored by their star player Grace, who burst through from the restart taking the crash ball at full speed only sowing to touch the ball down for the first of her three tries of the morning. Yards responded in truly impressive style recycling the ball through no less than 8 genuine phases, using the ruck to their advantage, distributing the ball with thought and precision to set up Jake for his first try in his debut match, a very impressive breakout from the rolling maul, which showed great awareness and his eye for the line. Ollie D added a second which meant we were all square with Woodrush after the first half. A very tight second half saw Josh T play his best match of the season, scoring the first of his 3 tries (with a further two very close efforts denied by the touch line and desparate defence by Woodrush). Shane made many hard yards, (despite running into touch a few times) and ran some excellent attacking lines, setting up Yards next try, a first of the season for Archie. We always said if Archie caught the ball in space he is uncatchable, and he proved it, crossing the line for his first well deserved try of the season.

The first game ended all square at 3 tries each, with both teams up for another contest, but it had come at a cost to Woodrush who were down to 8 players through injury. We asked for volunteers from the Y's squad to swap sides, 5 hands were raised, so we offered the choice to Woodrush, who went for brawn and good lucks, selecting "that big one" pointing at Master Lonie. The fact that he decided to open his try scoring account at this stage we will discuss with him in training next week!! However Josh T and Ollie D both enjoying some excellent possesion added two more for Yards with Ayden, Dan, Sam and Jake all tackling well and just as impressivly passing the ball accurately and Toby, Shane, Josh H and Archie all running some excellent attacking lines resulting in a result 2-1 in Yards favour. In a tight final contest that saw tries disallowed for both sides, the final half went Woodrush' way 2-1 which meant the overall score was 6 tries each, (2 ties and a win each) in the 4 periods of play.

Yards U9's are making a habit of making us proud, and seem to lift the bar each time they run onto the pitch. Keep it up boys, and keep the smiles on your faces whilst you are doing it!

Our Under 11s travelled to Droitwich to play in a 3 way event. Team manager Marcus was very pleased with his team as they defeated Camp Hill by a considerable margain and then went on to beat the Droitwich Development squad in a tight encounter

Now as you know, I keep a watchful eye on the progress of our under 16s and their management team. I was actually looking forwards to the return match with Tamworth as earlier in the season the game between the sides was an epic encounter which we narrowly won. However, She who likes surprises, had organised a cultural and historical weekend family visit to York. Well, there were more old trains than Robbie can drink pints and the walk around the city walls was on a par with watching the Villa playing at home to Bolton. Weather conditions in York were similar to Tamworth. How did I know? Arks and Chicken kept me informed about the progress of our boys. The game ebbed and flowed first one way then the other and ended in a 27-27 draw. Nick Perrin was very exciterd by Jack Molloy's try but he can't be certain whether skill or luck was the main factor.

Dates that you need to know and remember

Mick Bloxham says that you should keep these dates in your filofaxes and refer to them on a regular basis.

Friday 4th May
AGM at the club, (your club!) 7.30 prompt start.

Saturday 5th May
President's Day which features playing action involving as many of our Minis, Juniors and Seniors as possible. End of season presentations for the junior players will be included in the programme and the usual social interaction will be freely available helped by the availability of appropriate refreshments.

Friday 6th July
At the club 7.30. A Quiz Night presented by Dave, Luke and Sharon.

And Finally

How could I ever want Chelsea to win? but in all honesty I was glad to see them turn over Barcelona.

NOT LONG TO THE END OF THE SEASON

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:10:53 GMT

Sitting at the last committee meeting, our chairman painted a picture of gloom and doom, suggesting that the First Team were heading in a downward direction and how that was certain to affect morale throughout the club.

Now I think differently. The Development team, although a little inconsistent, have produced a number of good results and with a group of young players who will be pushing for first team places very soon. If you ever visit the club on a sunday morning you may well see some pleasing rugby from our young Yardleians Last sunday the under 16s played hosts to Birmingham Exiles, a side noted for their powerful pack of forwards. Well it was a joy to watch as our forwards won plenty of possession from scrum, lineout and broken play. The entire team defend effectively when required and in attack the speed of our backs and some very shrewd kicking opened up the opposition defence. The final score of 36-0 in our favour is not due to weak opponents but is down to the improvement shown by our boys. Thanks go to Mr David Hanson for refereeing. What a nice shirt!

Fixtures

Seniors on saturday, all playing at home, 3.00 kick offs

First XV       v    Old Leams   (league)
Dev XV       v    Tamworth
Vandals         v    Alcester

Mini/Juniors   on sunday 11.00 kick offs

U7, U8, U9    v Woodrush (all at Home)
U11    v Droitwich Development (away)
U16    v Tamworth    (away) Tamworth RFC Wiggington Park, B79 8ED

A QUIET EASTER SO IT SEEMED, BUT WAS TORBAY AS CALM AS EXPECTED?

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:04:55 GMT

The Easter Tour
There are many reports coming to me at the moment, mostly anonymous, and whatever the rumours going around suggest, I will not print anything about Messrs Purdy, Walker or anyone else that might seem unkind. However, some of the photographic evidence is hard to ignore, but boys your secrets are safe with me at the moment.

On the playing side, we were just a little too strong for host club, Paignton, who fielded a blend of 2nds, 3rds and vets. For once we had plenty of bench warmers who turned into impact replacements. Martyn, with the help of his abacus, noted our points scorers as Adam Walker x2, Lee Purdy x2 , Chicken, Kendo, Kevin Coles, Phil O'Painter and conversions , 3 each for Ben Honey and Lee Purdy. Final Score 52-5 to us.

Not long to go !

As the season heads towards a climax (perhaps that's where we went wrong ?), it would be the ideal moment for you as players, past players, friends of the club etc.to give some thought to the contribution that you could give to the Old Yards. With the AGM approaching, what could you offer in terms of blood, sweat and tears? How about helping our groundsman with pitch preparation, flags and post ptrotectors? what about half an hour of help cleaning the changing area or bar area? a stint of bar duty, not just on saturdays and sundays but being available at private club bookings whch we need as it brings us much needed income. Give it some thought and if you want to know more, then feel free to ask one of us. When you are old and grey you will be able to tell your grandchildren that you were truly an Old Yardleian, (that is if they don't fall asleep first).

And finally
It just shows, money doesn't always buy you success. They took away Toure, Clichy and Nasri, but we ended up having the last laugh and what a goal by Arteta. As you probably know by now, Mr Wenger knows best.

DANGER ON THE ENGLISH RIVIERA

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:49:24 GMT

Danger on the English Riviera sounds a little like the title of an Agatha Christie book. However, in this case it refers to the exotic choice of venue for a selected group of ambassadors of the Old Yardleians who will be making the easter pilgrimage to the milder climate (so they hope) of Torquay. There used to be a saying along the lines of, 'what goes on tour stays on tour' but if there is anything of great amusement then sometimes it is in the common interest to share it. Boys, enjoy yourselves but don't get locked up.

A brief look at last weekends rugby.

First XV
There are times when watching our boys play that I, along with many of our loyal supporters, get really frustrated. Playing hosts to a decent but far from unbeatable Kings Norton side, I find it difficult to know how we lost. The set pieces were dominated by our forwards with Billy throwing in with accuracy and Matt Spence (Crouch) cleanly winning his ball and much of the oppositions as well. Our scrum had their's in all sorts of trouble and at scrrum half, young Tom was a constant threat with his sniping runs. The return of Ben Honey gave us added drive around the fringes Our backs, particularly Adam, Andy and Jamie looked dangerous when running at the opposition. Leading for much of the game due to three well taken tries but no successful kicks at goal, we somehow collapsed to a 15-32 defeat. Touchline experts felt that first-up tackling was not halting their momentum and was allowing them to keep possesion far to easilly. Also, that we should take the opportunities when they arise, especially kicks at goal. A common factor seems to be the collapse or loss of concentration in the final 10-15 minutes of the game. It might be that we are not correct in our observations but the feeling is that we have the potential to perform really well, but muscle, skill and brain are all required.

Dev XV and Vandals XV
With our scheduled opponents not having enough players, we were able to take two sides across to Handsworth. With a mixture of players, my reporter mislaid his pencil and notebook but thinks that the scorelines were a defeat by 7-20 and a victory by 10-5.

Under 16s
It is a good test of a team's ability to play against sides from clubs considered to be strong and Stourbridge certainly fit that description. With both of our regular props missing and with coach and motivator Dave (Chicken) Hanson taking on the sun and scenery of Derbyshire in the family caravan, we expected a difficult game of rugby and that was what we got. Our boys have shown great character this season and they don't give up the cause as easily as they used to. Tre'rail, with pace that reminds me of my own early rugby playing days, is now developing the skill of catching the ball and when it sticks in his hands a try is often the outcome and he scored twice, Cameron P. James, Josh and someone else got one each and the final outcome was a win for us by 36-25. Thanks to Andy and his team from Stourbridge who were a threat right up to the final whistle and thanks also to referee Mr Ian Jackson from the N. Mids society and to Pete Morgan who was on standby.

Fixtures
Being Easter all mini/junior teams have no games or training.
Saturday should feature some sort of game for a ' club xv'. More detail to follow.

And Finally
Man City, they took our star players away but will they take the three points they need? Let's see what happens on monday.

FROM MUD WRESTLING TO CAMEL RACES

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:10:26 GMT

Before you get carried away this week's title refers to the condition of the pitches as a result of climatic (weather) conditions. Anyway down to business.

First XV
The fixture pool came up with an interesting game as we played hosts to Malvern 2nds/Dev squad. Although we played with plenty of spirit, Malvern had very well organised backs displaying lines of running and support play that kept us on the defensive and under pressure for much of the game. We eventually lost by 5-21 and we look forward to this saturday's league match, 3.00 at home to Kings Norton.

Development XV
With a number of new faces in the team, a dry pitch helped our talented runners express themselves. When I consulted The Fridge about the final score, he counted his fingers and toes which made 20, so far so good, and after looking in the changing room mirror, decided that we had scored 42 points (how did he work that one out?). Final score Old Ys 42 Handsworth 7.

Vandals XV
With all three senior teams playing at home, our maturing Vandals team played a very experienced Redditch outfit who have proved to be tricky opponents in the past. The excursion from the changing rooms to our all-weather pitch was enough for some of our lads. However, the old saying that there is no substitute for pace was partly reflected in the try scoring efforts of Nick L. x2, Former Chairman Fitz x2, Nathan x2, Nick Barrell x1 and Robin Sadler x1 with either Ralph or Nev converting some of them, (Fridge, can you help with the maths?). Final Score 52-7 to Ys

Under 7s
Our talented little ones crossed the ocean (or at least the ford) to play at Kings Norton. The comprehensive match report informed me that 'we won!'So now you know.

Under 8s

Spring (Summer?) arrived in force on Sunday. The under 8s travelled to Costa del Kings Norton to top up their tans. The event was a four way tie against two Kings Norton sides and Chaddersley Corbett (not the easiest name for an under 8 to shout at the end of the match). The match was hosted at the Kings Norton ground at Hopwood Park. The under 8s were slightly depleted in numbers due to birthday parties, but were ably represented by Alex, Charlie, Dan E, Ellis, Lewis and Presley.

Ellis was still stressed by the responsibility of being captain at Sutton Coldfield so requested not to be captain this week, but with five other willing volunteers Dan E stepped up to shoulder the responsibility for the first match. The first match proved to be a fairly even competition mainly because we were gentle on the opposition, because of some confusion over where the try line was. We had the moral victory as a result of the two lost tries, but the actual score end 3 tries to 4 to Kings Norton. The tackling from the previous week at Sutton Coldfied continued and possession was regained several times, but ceded because of the dropping the ball or putting the ball down for a try too early! Two of the tries were scored by Presley with the other falling to Ellis.

Charlie was keen to take the role of captain in the second match against the other Kings Norton side. The strength of play continued from the first match - lots of tagging and some cracking runs. However, the great thing to watch in this match was the improving passing play of the boys. They are now starting to look for the opportunity to offload prior to the tackle so that they put their teammates into space. There was one scorching run involving Presley, Charlie and Dan E that was a sight to behold as the boys left Kings Norton standing in their wake. The score ended 7 tries to 6 in favour of Old Yards. Alex and Dan got 2 tries each and Presley, Ellis and Charlie all scored a try.

The final match of the day was against Chaddersley Corbett. This was against the backdrop of the boys having no subs unlike the other sides. However, they're getting used to this now and they looked the fitter team despite the length of play they had during the day. I must say it is an absolute pleasure to see the boys match fitness increasing week on week. Alex captained the final match and led the team to a another victory of 4 tries to 2. Once again the team regularly turned over possession as a result of stringing the necessary tags together. At the start of the season the team rarely completed the series of tags to turn over possession and when we did it was highlighted in the match report. Nowadays they do it regularly! The tries in the final match fell to Alex with a couple and Presley and Lewis with one a piece. The award for self-sacrifice of the week went to Dan E. In the first play of the game the boys charged passed the opposition with a series of passes. Dan was so keen to put Lewis into a scoring position that he gave up his own scoring opportunity.

Overall, the boys continue to play fantastically. This week the most exciting thing was to watch is how they start to operate more and more like a team. They recognise each other strengths and support each other. It is truly wonderful to watch.

Under 9s
Our boys also travelled to Kings Norton and the match report tells me that we drew one game and lost one game. As I hear more news of the game I will pass it on.

Under 16s

Travelled across to the Sahara aka Aston Old Eds Sunnybank Avenue home where they faced one of the stronger teams at this age group in what turned out be a hard fought and competitive but clean game. A hard playing surface combined with the heat wave made for an interesting game which ended in a 14-14 draw which was probably about right even though our lads looked the most dejected afterwards. Our tries were scored by Adrian and by young Sam Arkell with both converted by Cameron L. It was good to see Pete Morgan refereeing but I think the pace of the game surprised him a little especially as his health has not been too good in recent times. It was good to see top players from the past Pat Groark and Paul Smillie watching the game and providing me with an analysis of the team's performance. For those who don't scare easily I have been informed that the Aston web site has some action pictures of the game but don't say you weren't warned|

This weekend's matches
Saturday 31st March            First XV       v       Kings Norton   (League) Home
                                            Dev XV       v       Handsworth                     Away
                                            Vandals XV   v       Kings Norton                   Home

Sunday 1st April                   Under 7, 8, 9, 11   training at home
                                             Under 16      v       Stourbridge    Home

Help our heroes
Come and support Lee Cupples as he raises funds for a very worthwhile cause. Lee brings to you two live bands, a quality DJ and a charity auction.

At the club this saturday (31st March) from 8 p.m. till late Tickets only £5 each.

More details from Lee on 07794764470

And Finally
Just to show that we can still score goals from others apart from RVP. However, the Boys in claret and blue really made us work for the win. As a point of clarification especially for 'She who knows so much about the game,' our under 16s played Aston Old Eds and Arsenal played Aston Villa, but my Villa mate could well be correct when he says that our under 16s would probably beat the Villa as well.

There seems to be a spring in our steps

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:20:37 GMT

Have we become warm weather players?

It might be risky to be too excited but the weekend provided a much brighter picture than previous weeks

Results.

First XV        v       Old Sils 'A'         won       37-19
Dev XV        v       Woodrush 'A'     lost        16-38

Under 7s        v       Sutton                 lost 10-11, won 9-7,   lost 5-8
Under 8s        v        Sutton                lost 5-6,    won 8-5, drew 8-8
Under 16s v Birmingham Exiles won 34-7

First XV

Having been on student collection duty I missed the rare experience of our boys actually winning. However, I knew something good must have happened when Tommo sent me a match report that made Martyn Slow's Vandals masterpieces look brief. With editing complete, let's have a read.

Old yardleians season of doom and gloom was brightened significantly on saturday with a performance which belied their current league position.
With the opposition turning up with enough subs for 2 teams, yards stepped forward to take on the challenge with the best rugby seen at tilehouse lane all season.
The rout was started by captain Tom Thompson linking up with the centres to crash over for the first try. This seemed to spur the team on to score from every opportunity. Our stand in scrum half was next to cross the line and whilst Old Sils repiled with 2 tries of their own this just made the home team perform to greater heights. The old yards scrummage took every chance to push the oppostion backwards and then wing Andy Pearce came to the party with a brace of tries of his own, one a stunning 60 yard run with the Sils defence barely laying a finger on him. Even though Sils replaced most of their team at half time the yards pressure continued and with additional tries from Adam Walker and Carl Bucknall sils were gifted their third try of the afternoon. With conversions and penalties the final score was 37-19.

The Minis

No, we have not converted to Tennis, when you look at the scorring system it indicates that instead of playing one match our young stars play 3 shorter games. That clears that up.

Lets take a look at the under 7s

On a wet March morning the U7’s travelled to Sutton for an away match missing several regular players due to Mother’s Day commitments. The U8’s had no such problems and Charlie Dickson manfully agreed to help out the younger lads in the U7’s alongside a couple of kids from Sutton. The OY team consisted of Charlie D, Ben, George, Charlie Saunders and Harry, the latter 2 being only reception age but very keen to play in the matches.

The captain was Charlie Saunders, playing in only his 3^rd match and he did excellently, organising the older lads in defence. The game ebbed and flowed and all of the boys did superbly, tagging well and always going forward in attack. We just lost narrowly in the first game 11-10 which was a really good effort. Try scorers were Charlie D (3), George (3), Ben (2) and Harry (2).

In the second game Harry captained the side and we really kicked on from the first game. All of the boys were exceptional, in attacked they ran forward, no-one went into touch (which was an area we have been working hard on) and they all supported each other in attack. We ran out winners by 2 try’s at 9-7 with George again scoring 3 and Ben, Harry and Charlie D crossing twice.

By the 3^rd game our lads were exhausted, Sutton had fresh legs to bring on and it was a big ask for our U7’s. Ben skippered the team and led from the front scoring 3 tries supported by George and Charlie D who scored one apiece. A few of the boys picked up knocks, including young Charlie who showed great fortitude in getting back on the pitch. Despite our efforts we were well beaten 8-5.

I have to say despite the loss in the last game the boys were fantastic and they should be very proud of themselves. They tried their hearts out and managed to win one and only narrowly lose another game despite missing a number of key players and having some quite young boys in the team. The boys are really improving and learning the game of rugby. They know how to defend and tagged well, there were also very few handling errors, forward passes, or instances of players going into touch. This is pleasing as we have worked hard on these areas. Their attacking play is also really good, they have got the hang of making sure they always run forward and we scored a number of tries with the ball going through several pairs of hands.

Well done U7’s.

Followed by the Under 8s

This week the under 8s travelled to Sutton Coldfield. Eight boys were give a pass out from Mother's Day duties to represent Old Yards. Charlie volunteered to make up the numbers in the under 7s which left Alex, Damon, Dan E, Dan G, Ellis, Lewis and Presley to form the side.

The boys played 3 matches and built on the skills they have been developing all year. In the past two weeks we have played 7 matches and for some quirk of fate we have failed to guess which hand the ref is holding the leaf in for any of them. So for all 3 matches we started off in defense.

Dan E captained the first match and taking well to the new role developed an ingenious system to ensure everyone in the side got a turn to receive the ball. The boys played well and ended up being narrowly beaten by 6 tries to 5. Damon managed to score two tries. Dan E, Lewis and Presley all turned in a try a piece. The lads also managed to put in some determined tagging to turnover the ball.

In the second match, Old Yards stepped up a gear. Damon stepped up to lead the side. The tagging was ferocious with the boys completing lots of tagging to turnover possession on a couple of occasions. The running with ball in hands was excellent. The match ended with victory by 8 tries to 5. Alex, Dan E and Damon all ran in a couple of tries each and Dan G and Presley both added a try.

The boys were tiring as they entered the third match, but their determination was amazing. Sutton Coldfield had the advantage of enough players to call on to have a new side for each match whereas all of the Old Yards side played every match. Therefore, to turn in a score of 8 tries all in the final match was wonderful. Presley captained the match and scored two of the tries. Dan G also scored two. The remaining tries were spread across Alex, Damon, Dan E and Lewis.

Overall, this was the best I have seen the boys play all season. Having been at Twickenham the day before, I was more impressed by the performance of the boys although England were excellent. I was very proud to coach the boys and hope that both Stuart Lancaster and I am allowed to continue in our roles. I am honoured to be involved with such a wonderful team. Well done all. I look forward to next week against Kings Norton.

The Under16s visited the Exiles located very close to the landing strip of Birmingham Airport. It was a game of contrasting styles that Kevin said was fascinating to those with an insight into the game of rugby. Well, that rules out most of our lot! The Exiles had a very strong pack and based their game on scrum and driving mauls, which in fairness they were very good at. As we woke up our boys worked it outt that moving the ball wide would be a good idea. Now, there are moments which cause mild amusement and stick in the mind. I was standing on the touchline when a home supporter reminded me about how they beat us last season. He then asked if we had a game plan and I replied that we try to play an expansive game. He suggested that our backs would not be able to beat the home team's wingers who were lightening fast. As I watched Jordan and Tre'rail, our wingers, sprint in for two tries each, I smiled just a little bit and left it at that. A good team performance.

Weekend fixtures

Saturday 24 March

First XV    t.b.a.
Dev XV       v       Essington     home 3 p.m.
Vandals         v       Handsworth home 3 p.m.

Sunday 25 March

U7        v      Kings Norton      away     10.30
U8         v     Kings Norton       away     10.330
U9         v     Kings Norton       away      10.30
U11         t.b.a.
U16       v     Aston Old Eds     away       11.00

Remember clocks go forward by one hour so less sleep.

The wonderful social scene at The Ys

Saturday 31 st March sees a night dedicated to the 'Help our Heroes' campaign.

From 8 pm,

Two live bands, a quality D.J., a charity auction,

A welcome home to Millie and celebration of her Kilmanjaro success

An evening not to be missed and only a fiver each.

More details from Lee Cupples (07794764470)

And Finally

Well done Wales, The quality was obvious for all to see. Shame about Scotland.

A win at Everton in midweek came as no real surprise but I am worried about Saturday as the Villa often play above themselves when they visit. But, we all know that Mr Wenger knows best.

The only Hope we've got is Marcus Hope !

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:22:50 GMT

Latest Fixture News
Saturday17 March
seniors   Firsts, Dev and Vandals all at home v Birmingham Medics

Sunday 18th March

Juniors

U7 and U8 v Sutton   Away
U9       training
U11     awaiting news
U 16   v Birmingham Exiles away

If we search hard enough I am confident that some positive news will appear, not just The Gunners giving teams a start and then cruising to victory.

Senior Rugby

A win at home to fellow strugglers, Evesham might have helped us avoid the drop but it wasn't to be. A defeat by 15-25 was not good enough on the day. If you want a balanced report of the match, go to the site of the Evesham Observer.

A 'social' XV took the Hagley Road to Old Halesonians and judging by the long faces that returned I suspect that only the silver medal place was achieved.

Minis and Juniors

The under 7 and under 8 squads took the M42 North to Tamworth and I have received a match report from the management team.

On a lovely spring day the U7's played a 3 way tie at Tamworth against sides from Tamworth and Walsall.

In the first game against Tamworth we were excellent, Ben stood forward to captain the side and did a great job organizing our defence and making sure all were involved in play. We talked before the game about the importance of not going into touch and the boys all took this on board. We tagged really well and following on from previous games the support play in attack was excellent, particularly Frankie who was always on hand to take the pass. The boys are all improving and this was shown in the scoreline, with the Old Yards winning 12-5 with tries from Frankie (8), Ben (3) and Harry (1).

After a big effort to beat Tamworth the boys then played a strong looking Walsall team. Our boys began to tire as the match progressed, and at times we were caught out with Walsall taking a quick re-start before we were quite ready and they ran in some tries. Despite this the boys realized this was happening and then acquitted themselves well. Frankie captained the side and led from the front, scoring 3 tries. Also Harley scored 2 and Ben and Lewis also got over the line. It ended up being pretty close but Walsall just sneaked the win at 9-7. The boys tried exceptionally hard and both Harley and Alfie deserve special credit. Harley fell awkwardly in the tackle and despite being in pain (and on the back of a lost tooth last week) quickly got back on the pitch and Alfie put in a massive effort, playing through a nasty flare up of asthma. Also, Charlie and Harry, both reception age boys, played through both matches and competed well against boys who were 2 years older.

Well done to all the boys and thanks also to Gavin for stepping in and refereeing both matches.

The under 9 team meanwhile travelled west to take on a bleend of Old Halesonians under 9 and under 10 squads. Yet again I have receeived a report from the management.

Match Report Old Yardleians U9’s vs Old Halesonians U9’s / U10’s

After a hastily arranged match we arrived at Old Halesonians to find that we would be playing a mixed team made up of U10’s and U9’s, which would prove to be a tough test for our boys on the back of their seasons best 11-0 win over Old Eds.

The first half was extremely well contested, a tight & physical match with Dan and Ollie D particularly showing their defensive skills from the off putting in some excellent low tackles to help stop Halesonians breaking through our defences. The pressure had to give somewhere though and Halesonians ran in three first half tries. At half time we pointed out to the boys the hill they had been playing up, and what an advantage that would give them in the second half, which put the spring back in their step.

Sure enough Ollie L, Ollie D, Josh H and Aiden (who had now warmed up from the big freeze of a week before) showed the way and used the hill and some great lines of running to set up the first response try set up by Ollie L, scored by Oliver D. Ollie L was getting into the grove and again took route A up the middle of the park and set up Josh T to add a second. Ollie D worked tirelessly both in attack and defence, along with Dan they both put in some crunching and try saving tackles. Chased down hard by Sam and Dan a late breakaway try from Hales sealed the win (4-2) for them, but considering we were up against a much more experienced side, another stellar performance from the Y’s U9’s.

Ollie Lonie lead by example, receiving the ball from the start of the second game, and surprised himself when he was finally brought down just 5 yards short, but that didn’t stop him from recycling the ball, setting up Ollie D for his second in the corner, and an early and deserved lead for Old Y’s. Sam went very close for a second but was just kept out, and Josh H kept the pressure on being held up just short of the line, in a 5 minute sequence of attacking phases that Stuart Lancaster might have liked on his CV. Against the run of play, Halesonians broke for a trio of tries using two of their older players down the wing which sealed the second game for them, we did touch down for a consolation, but a tight and well fought contest (3-1) was reward for the coaches who have seen huge steps forward in this strong unit. Worthy of note was the penalty count, 4-1 against Halesonians, proving Y’s take home the fair play award, particularly singling out Ollie L who in a heated exchange resisted retaliating, but stood his ground and let his rugby do the talking.

The under 11 squad played Droitwich in a keenly contested game that was entertaining but which we narrowly lost. This team of ours play some very good rugby but need some more players as illness and injuries often leave us short on the day.

The Under 16 boys took on the very successful Old Sils, widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, in the region, and we gave them plenty to think about. The game was eventually lost by 3 converted tries to 1 (7-21) but in terms of possession and territory there was nothing between the teams. Our scrummage was solid, line out reasonable, ruck and maul productive and in my opinion the end result was down to making the most of any opportunities that came along. Our thanks to the Sils for providing us with strong opposition and to referee Mr Les Smith who had a very good game indeed.

Some highs and some lows but it's never dull at The Ys

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:56:47 GMT

The Young Ones

Chronologically, ( for front rows that means in order of age), we look at our very young stars. The Under 7s travelled down the road to the Edwardians and won in style by 10-3 on a very cold morning which made ball handling far from easy. Well done !

The Under 9s produced a high quality performance to defeat the Eds by 11-0.   A report is on the way so watch this space.

The Under 11s, missing some of its players also played the Eds but on the day, the hosts gained a deserved victory which I am sure they enjoyed.

Seniors
As the reporters are a little slow with their news, I will bring you the results and any more information will be added later.
First XV    v Earlson     Lost heavilly
Development XV   v    Evesham     Won
Vandals XV    v    Tamworth     Lost

Fixtures

Saturday 10th March

First XV             v       Evesham      Home   (League)
Development XV v      Old Halesonians     Home
Vandals XV          v      Old Halesonians     Away

Sunday 11 th March

Under 7          v       Tamworth       Away
Under 8           v       Tamworth    Away
Under 9           v      Old Halesonians Away
Under 11         v       Droitwich      Home
Under 16         v       Old Sils         Home

And Finally

What can I say, We gave Liverpool a start but RVP did the trick.
Giving Milan a 4 goal start was possibly rather generous but the 2nd leg was much more like it. We could have won by 5 goals but Mr Wenger had his reasons and still knows best.

Two great games for all to enjoy

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:02:03 GMT

Which two games am I thinking about? I'll tell you shortly.

Last weekend's action

First XV v Southam Lost 10-32
Dev XV v Claverdon Won 24-19

Under 7/8 A v Old Sils Lost 6-7
Under 7/8 B v Old Sils Lost 4-9

I decided to have a look at our Development XV playing against a determined Claverdon team who are performing well in the league below us. Early domination by the Ys saw a substantial lead witth forwards and backs working well as units and linking well. Luke informed me that he scored a try but in Wenger-speak, 'I didn't see the incident'. During the second half the loss of Captain Barstool as well as Paul Gower from the back row disrupted our fluency and in the end we did well to hang on for a narrow victory.

A report from our younger teams.

On a lovely spring like morning we played a hurriedly arranged game against the Old Sils U8’s. We fielded a mixed U7 and U8 team against their U8’s. The squad comprised: Alex, Presley, Ellis, Lewis, Isabel, Harley, Ben, Frankie, George, Charlie & Dan E.
After some initial confusion due to the green touch lines our team did very well against a decent Sils team who had some large and quick boys. 2 games were played. In the first game we were excellent and were leading 6-5 with minutes to go, but Sils nicked 2 late tries to take the game. Our try scorers were Dan E with 3, Ellis, Charlie & Presley.
In the second game we were on the back foot from the start as Sils scored with almost the first play of the game. They also had an incredibly well organised defence and turned us over several times and pushed us back when we ran sideways or backwards. Having said that we never gave up and tried to the end. The second game ended 9-4 to the Sils with four of our lads getting over the line ( Ben, George, Charlie and Dan E).
We were very proud of how our young team competed against a really good Sils outfit. There were no forward passes and very few handling errors, the kids are all coming on well with the team supporting the player with the ball, running forward in possession and working very hard in defence.

Well done lads and a big thank you to Christopher, Tim and all those who are supporting our stars of the future.

Fixtures for this coming weekend

Saturday 3rd Maarch

First XV          v        Earlsdon       Away (League)
Dev   XV          v        Eversham      Home
Vandals XV       v        Yardley &D Away

Sunday 4th March

Under 16 v Telford postponed, training at Old Ys
Under 7,8,9,11 v Edwardians Away

Social Activities at the Old Ys

Graham, thanks for organising a great night. Cheese and wine evenings might sound a little unfashionable to our younger members but it was pitched at the right level with the 'Mr and Mrs' game being a great laugh with no individuals being subject to ridicule or divorce procedings.A great night but a little low on numbers and with Graham already planning the next one, it is a must for your social calenders. She who drinks wine effortlessly is ready to sample a drop of the 'vin rouge' and 'vin blanc' while the Fridge will do a job on the cheese.

Richaard Walker does not look 70 years old to me so I reckon that his party on saturday was just an excuse for Eve to provide a supreme curry, for Tony to croon, for Bert and Blox to get out and for Richard to have a good time and to prove that he still has staying power. Nice one!

And finally

Will he or won't he?

RFU qualified referee Peter Butler has promised to take charge of his first match. Will he 'bottle it' or will he be show real bravery? What do you think? Let's wait till sunday!

I mentioned earlier two great games frrom last weekend.

Six Nations international what a thriller. Congratulations to Wales for a just about deserved win.

Never in doubt. A few weeks ago we gave Villa a 2 goal start and cruised to victory with ease. This time, sorry Harry for spoiling your weekend but we gave Spurs a 2 goal start but instead of stopping at 3 goals, Theo took it to 5. Never in doubt, Mr Wenger knows best!

What can you offer your club?

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:35:34 GMT

Don't ask what your club can offer you, ask what you can offer your club.

This might sound a little bit like another famous quote but think on. Are you proud of your club? Do you want our visitors to think highly of us? Do you have any skills that might be useful or could you offer your time and labour for an hour or two each week (or even every now and again)? Are you a player, friend, parent, male or female young or old?

At present we rely on a small core of brilliant people who keep the club in place by giving their time, energy and goodwill. However, we need more people to join in.Think of the jobs that need tackling. Pitch maintenance, the kitchen tasks, can you cook a snack for hungry youngsters on a sunday morning? could you give half an hour or so to sweep/mop the changing room areas, the clubhouse or the patio area? Do you have admin skills, could you help with social events, would you be able to assist the team captains or managers on a saturday or sunday? It does not need to be a long term commitment but if you are keen and willing then have a word with any of our committee and see what happens, you might even get to enjoy the opportunity.
If Shannon and myself have any ICT skills then there might be a few photos of some of our 'willing helpers.'

Graham invites you to his cheese and wine evening.

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:11:38 GMT

Graham Davies invites you

to join him this friday 24th February at the club to enjoy fine wines, tasty cheeses, good company and social intercourse. Bottles uncorked from 7.30.
There will be the option to join in a game of Mr and Mrs (a considerable risk at the Old Ys) and a mini quiz prepared by yours truly. For those of you who thought that the club lacked a little in terms of culture etc.come and see if you are right or not! Tickets at a very reasonable £6 per head from the club.

News from last weekend

First XV        v        Pinley          Lost 5-32
Development XV    v    Kings Norton    Won 48-7
Vandals XV                 v        Stourport                Won 57-0

Under 7s                    v         Tamworth               Drew 7-7
Under 11s                  v         Tamworth               Won   19-12
Under 16s                  v         Woodrush               Won   42-0

Fixtures this coming weekend

Saturday 25th Feb

First XV                    v         Southam        Away (League)
Dev XV                    v         Claverdon      Home
Vandals XV               tba

Sunday 26th Feb

Training for all age groups

Random Reports

Good to see 'Slow' back on the scene with some basic details of the Vandals home victory against Stourport. In many ways our opponents were similar to our boys, in other words a team of mainly old (or experienced) players with a sprinkling of younger (naive?) boys who were expected to do all the leg work. The Yards superior fitness won the day with tries scored by Steve Roberts (a jugfull), Max x2, Nev, Phil Evans, Nick Palmer and young Alex with his first try for the club. Ralph got some conversions but not sure how many. Thanks to International panel referee Mr Gary Robinson.

Our under 16s made the short trip to Woodrush (some of us still get lost on the way) to play a team that we usually win against but who always make us work very hard in the process. Playing up the slope or down it, and nobody is really sure which way the slope runs, our boys played far more effectiveely than in recent matches. A special mention to our front row of Sam Arkell, Josh Purdy and Tyrell Aldred-Jevons. Their scrummaging is solid, mobility very good and handling combined with intelligent support play that is second to none. Jack Molloy controlled the game with excellent vision from fly-half. However, it was only in the last quarter of the game when we really put points on the board. I would like to thank Woodrush for the style and determination that they display in their approach to our games against them.

Our weekend fixtures

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:17:35 GMT

Weather permitting the club fixtures look like this

Saturday 18th Feb

First XV   v       Pinley       home   (League)
Dev XV   v Kings Norton     away
Vandals XV      v       Stourport            home

Sunday 19th Feb

Under 7      v      Tamworth              home
Under 11    v      Tamworth             away   (B79 8ED)
Under 16     v       Woodrush            away

Sunday matches 12th Feb all cancelled

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:41:53 GMT

Due to current state of pitches along with local weaather forecast, all mini/junior games against Woodrush have been cancelled. The early decision will, we are certain, be appreciated.

This Bard's from the Yards

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:10:02 GMT

With the Arctic weather wiping out most of the action at the moment, former Old Yards, Coventry and North Mids super-flanker and crap kicker, Robin Sadler has selected his favourite poem for your enjoyment.

Why We Played The Game

When the battle scars have faded
And the truth becomes a lie
And the weekend smell of liniment
Could almost make you cry.

When the last rucks well behind you
And the man that ran now walks
It doesn't matter who you are
The mirror sometimes talks

Have a good hard look old son!
The melons not that great
The snoz that takes a sharp turn sideways
Used to be dead straight

You're an advert for arthritis
You're a thoroughbred gone lame
Then you ask yourself the question
Why the hell you played the game?

Was there logic in the head knocks?
In the corks and in the cuts?
Did common sense get pushed aside?
By manliness and guts?

Do you sometimes sit and wonder
Why your time would often pass
In a tangled mess of bodies
With your head up someones arse?

With a thumb hooked up your nostril
Scratching gently on your brain
And an overgrown Neanderthal
Rejoicing in your pain!

Mate - you must recall the jersey
That was shredded into rags
Then the soothing sting of Dettol
On a back engraved with tags!

It's almost worth admitting
Though with some degree of shame
That your wife was right in asking
Why the hell you played the game?

Why you'd always rock home legless
Like a cow on roller skates
After drinking at the clubhouse
With your low down drunken mates

Then you'd wake up - check your wallet
Not a solitary coin
Drink Berocca by the bucket
Throw an ice pack on your groin

Copping Sunday morning sermons
About boozers being losers
While you limped like Quazimodo
With a half a thousand bruises!

Yes - an urge to hug the porcelain
And curse sambuccas name
Would always pose the question
Why the hell you played the game!

And yet with every wound re-opened
As you grimly reminisce it
Comes the most compelling feeling yet
God, you bloody miss it!

From the first time that you laced a boot
And tightened every stud
That virus known as rugby
Has been living in your blood

When you dreamt it when you played it
All the rest took second fiddle
Now you're standing on the sideline
But your hearts still in the middle

And no matter where you travel
You can take it as expected
There will always be a breed of people
Hopelessly infected

If there's a teammate, then you'll find him
Like a gravitating force
With a common understanding
And a beer or three, of course

And as you stand there telling lies
Like it was yesterday old friend
You'll know that if you had the chance
You'd do it all again

You see - that's the thing with rugby
It will always be the same
And that, I guarantee
Is why the hell you played the game!!

Thank you Rob, lets hope that the weather improves.

Warm Weather Players

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:25:50 GMT

This is just a theory at present, with no scientific evidence to support it but whenever I watch our teams play in near-arctic conditions they just do not perform. On a bitterly cold saturday afternoon I decided on two coats, hat, scarf and gloves and travelled due west from home to Tilehouse Lane to watch our relatively inexperienced first XV take on high-flying Shipston. She who knows all about shopping offered me the alternative and with hindsight I think I might have taken the wrong option as we were on the end of a comprehensive stuffing.

The Development squad travelled over to Spartans, somewhere near the Belfry (a golf club?) and when asked for a match report, my athletic friend who plays on the wing or full-back told me that he takes full responsibility for losing a game that should probably have been won. If you really want to know the full story then see Chicken and listen to his summary.

The Vandals seem to be back in the winning mood and I have a Mark (Eddie Butler) Baldwin version of their trip to take on Spartans Vets.

The Vandals travelled up past the Belfry to battle against the Spartans. Two sides named after historic waring tribes with players in both teams old enough to have been around all those years ago. Short of forwards Ralph had to play on the flank where he had a great game and later on Nick "The Assassin" Levey played hooker in contested scrums while Barrel joined on the flank. The Vandals played the first half up the hill and against the wind. Spartans put plenty of pressure on the Vandals line but never really looked like they would score. Strong tackling repelled them on all fronts. Meanwhile when the Vandals ventured up the hill they scored twice with tries from Bobo and Barstool. Ralph converted one. In the second half the Vandals used the hill to ensure the result was never in doubt. The continually pummelled the Spartan line which cracked with more tries scored by Max, Phil Painter and I think Ralph. Max also added a penalty. A good win with the Vandals passing 500 points for the season so far.

The Young ones

It was training for all our young stars except for the Under 16s who travelled to the winter wonderland of Water Orton to play the Salts. There was some fascinating scenery that included electricity pylons and high voltage cables. Just as shocking, it could be said, was the sight of Tyrell and Jordan in their tights. There are rumours that Adrian is going to bring his handbag if they persist in such style. Very similar to their previous match our lads did very little for the first half apart from giving the home team a generous start. When the time starts running out we played some very good rugby but the clock beat us in the end. A special mention for Josh our hooker for his dazzling try!. I think I understand how it goes but our lack of discipline has let us down for the second week in a row and the boys will be told in no uncertain terms, if you're in the bin, then you are letting your own team mates down and retaliation should be avoided even when it's difficult to do so. However, I also believe that the man with the whistle can make a big difference. Penalising the minor offences is good as long as you don't miss the more serious ones such as head-high and swinging arm tackles because that is often when bad feelings creep in.

Fixtures

Saturday 4th Feb

First Xv v Southam away (League)
Dev XV v Veseyans away
Vandals v Harborne home

Sunday

Under 8 v Harbury v Old Laurentians at Harbury
Under 9 v " " "
Under 11 v " "

Under 16 v Bromsgrove away

Social Occasion (not to be missed)

Graham, Sharon, Pat and co. are inviting you to a cheese and wine evening at the club. Graham has gone to France (another warm weather fan) to purchase fine wines and Sharon has gone to Iceland (Stratford Road, Shirley not the North Pole) for a selection of cheeses. Pat is preparing a game of Mr and Mrs for additional entertainment. Details are £6 per person which includes 3 bottles of fine wine per table of 6. It all starts at 7.30 pm and most importantly, the date is Friday 24th Feb.

And Finally

We give you a two goal start and how long do we need to forge ahead? seven minutes.
remember Mr Wenger knows best.

A PRESSURE-FREE SATURDAY (EXCEPT FOR TONY FITZ !)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:14:39 GMT

Every now and again, the league fixture set up allows for a league-free saturday. It gives the players carrying injuries a chance to rest and gives Peter a chance to do some calorie-loading to build up his strength for the next match. It also gives the team selectors a chance to experiment.

We welcomed Old Griffs to play an Old Ys 'A' team and will post a match report as soon as it arrives.

The 'B' team, similar in appearance to our Vandals entertained Harborne 3rds and althoughMartyn has dropped out of the literary group of match reporters, we seem to have found an able replacement in Eddie Butler or is it Mark Baldwin? Here we go.
In celebration of Tony Fitzgerald's 50th Birthday, Match Secretary, Tom Power arranged a home game for the Vandals as part of the 50th celebrations. Against a very young Harborne XV the big Vandals pack lost one of their major weapons when the visitors said they could only manage uncontested scrums. This was despite Old Yards offering them front row players. To counter this the Vandals used catch and drive lineouts whenever in the Harbrne twenty-two. With Phil Goldbourne dominating as usual, good ball was secured and early on forward drives lead to a brace for loose head prop Gary "Bobbo" Robinson. Further pressure lead to tries by scum half Sean Byrne and the Birthday boy himself Tony Fitz. Ralph added two conversions. Then another driving maul lead to the first try of the season for hooker Mark Baldwin. Half time arrived with a 29-0 lead. For the second half a number of changes were made that initially unsettled the team and Harborne managed a score. Then business as usual returned. Bobbo score another brace to give him four in the game. Prop Tomo scored meaning all the font row scored in the same game and new Welsh centre Nick Saunders scored for the second week running. Ralph again added two conversions. Final score Vandals 53 - 7 Harborne 3rds

Minis and Juniors

Our stars of the future played Bournville on sunday. I support the old saying, 'why keep a dog and bark yourself?' so here we go with the team managers' reports.

After playing Bournville away from home in the early season (on astroturf), we knew they would be another solid test after the last fixture against Bromsgrove. The team consisisted of Adam, Alfie, Ben, George, Harley, Harry & William.

In our first game, bolstered by the return of William after a few weeks layoff, we started well with a try early doors from Ben. The conditions were very windy and the lads passed well under the circumstances with very few handling errors to leave us 1 try up at half time. In the second half we began to dominate with some great defence, managing 2 turnovers and also forcing Bournville into touch on more than one occasion. The attacking play was excellent with all of the players making contributions and having some great runs. William, Alfie, Adam, Harley and Harry all made several line breaks to pass to Ben and George who supported superbly and were able to get over the line. We finished the game with a win at 7-4 with 3 tries each from Ben and George plus one from Harley. Overall this was a really pleasing result against a good side.

In the second game we continued as we finished the first and played some good stuff. As the game wore on Bournville were able to bring on fresh legs, a luxury we didn’t have, and towards the end of the game the boys began to tire, getting caught offside a few times. Despite this they all stayed focused and tried their best, with all of them wanting the ball in attack and tagging mightily. After some desperate defence at the end to keep Bournville out we finished the game with a draw at 5-5 with 4 tries from Ben and one from George.

Well done boys!

A windy day greeted the under 8s for their first match of the season as home against Bournville. We fielded a team of 7 players: Alex, Charlie, Dan E, Dan G, Ellis, Lewis and Presley. Alex took the role of captain and made sure that everyone got their turn to receive and organised the defensive line. The side played well throughout, but were a little rusty in their first match. As a result running sideways and dropping the ball cost them possession a few too many times, but the tackling was magnificient. They manage to take six tags successively from Bournville on a number of occasions, but then gave back possession cheaply when they dropped the ball. They were one try behind by the end of the first and finished up losing 6-3. Alex scored one try and Dan G got two.

They put it all back together in the second match and spread the ball round the team. As a result they emerged winners by 6 tries to 4 with two tries from Presley and a try a piece for Charlie, Alex, Dan G and Lewis. The lads had their second match of the season against Bourneville back in October. At that match it was Bournville who dominated. These matches were an entirely different story. This all goes to show the wonderful progress that the boys have made during the season. Well done lads. Keep it up!

Match report for the U9's vs Bournville

It was a cold and blustery January morning and for one reason or another U9 numbers were down to 8, but undeterred by the sight of 19 lads from Bournville our boys were in great spirits.

Although late in the transfer window we were bolstered by two players on loan from Bournville, so happily fielded a full strength side and what a great recipe for a Sunday morning.

Ollie Lonie captained the first game and both teams were quickly out of the blocks, each battling hard in mid field to keep the ball changing hands. Bournville were stronger in the maul, stealing the ball from us on more than one occasion, but our boys recycled the ball very well through the ruck, and on one occasion went through 5 phases of play without losing possession. So, 1-0 to Bournville soon became 1-1 as one of our 'on loan' players took advantage of some napping at the restart.

Aydon again put in some great tackles but for the first time this season was outshone by Ethan as tackle monster, Ethan was outstanding and saved several strong attempts to breach the old Y's line. Shane, Josh, Samuel, Ollie & Toby all carried well and may be learning that going forwards makes sense, supported by Dan who showed very good awareness to distribute the ball well to get us out of trouble on more than one occasion.

After a very hard fought first game, a credible 5-3 deficit was testiment to a close, well played game.

Did I mention that Bournville brought 19 boys? Fatigue evident, the second game was a little more 1 sided with Bournville crossing 8 times in succession, but with both sides singing along to 'we wish you a merry Christmas' in the dying moments, (despite a warning from the ref that unseasonal singing would result in a penalty) showed the boys enjoyed their outing and could walk away happy that they had put in the effort and had represented old Yardleians with pride and passion, and so deserved a bit of a sing!

Under 16s v   Five ways

With some of our key players missing we travelled to Hopwood to challenge the hosts to a game that is always tight between the two sides.With gale force winds swirling all over the place and on a very cold day, the last thing we wanted was a referee who blew for every little technicality in the Law Book and would not let the game flow. But guess what ! Anyway Fiveways had a goal kicker who bi-sected the posts when required. The old cliche about a game of two halves certainly applied. We didn't turn up until half-time having conceded a couple of soft tries and some penalties for reasons only known to a man in pink. The seceond half was a different story. As frustration increased, especially in the front row, a difference of opinion took place and one of our props who shall remain nameless, made his feelings known to his opposite man with considerable expression. We looked by far the better team at this point in time but although we finished level on 3 tries each, the game was won 25-15 by the home team, the difference being the success rate of the goal kicks.

Thanks to Five ways for another cracking game. I guess we will have to educate our lads regarding some of the finer laws of the game, but boys, 'think what you want about the officials, but don't make it public or you will find that many of the 50/50 decisions go against you'. Ask some of the older guys at the club about John McConell to discover what I mean.

The weekend fixtures

Saturday 28th January
            First XV     v         Shipston         Home     (league)
            Dev XV     v         Spartans        Away
            Vandals       v         Spartans         Away

Sunday   29th January
             Under 16    v        Old Saltleians Away at Watton Lane, Water Orton B46 1PH
              Under 7,8,9,11,    Training

Social

When asked about Tony (the bagpipe man's) 50th bash, my reporter, who asked to be nameless and that the name of a famous racehorse would not be too easy a clue to his identity, commented that there was good music, good food, good beer and good night!

WE HAD TO WIN AND WE DID. A GOOD WEEKEND FOR ALL OUR TEAMS.

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:39:23 GMT

Senior Rugby

As most of you were aware, saturday's match at Redditch was a crucial game with the losing side having very little hope of avoiding the drop. This report is a combination of our captain, Tommo, the home team's reporter and myself adding a creative touch seeing that I was back at the home of the Hillbilly watching the Devs.

In a game that would signify almost certain relegation for the losers, Old Yards travelled to Redditch with a confidence that has been lacking in a disappointing season so far. With only 5 minutes played the Ys pocket-sized scrum half Tom Grocott darted through a static Redditch defence to score a try to give his side a 5 point lead. However, as is often the case the hosts fought back almost immediately with a converted try to give them a 7-5 lead. The Ys looked to have the edge but penalty kicks were squandered until eventually Ys fly-half Adam Walker hit the target. Walker then exposed a gap down the blind-side to score an individual try to give the visitors a 13-7 lead. The try of the match came when a Redditch attack broke down in the Yards 22 meter area. Two quick passes saw the ball moved wide to powerful winger Andrew Pearce who sprinted 80 meters, supported closely by Peter Butler, to widen the gap to 18-7

Credit to the home side for not giving up as they scored an opportunist try to offer them some hope but the talented yet inconsistent Walker sealed the victory as well as a bonus point by scoring an individual try and conversion the final score being 25-12 to the Ys.

Meanwhile back at the club, our young lads were waiting for the Dixie Band. The referee, who was very good indeed arrived early enough having travelled from Chaddesley Barker or was it Corbett, and with the visitors dozen brave men we added some of our bench players including Joe Patrick as well as the 'Gas Man'. For a cold day it was not a bad performance as we took control up front with Dave Langley back in action. The Dixies tackled like demons and kept the score down to a respectable level, with the Ys winning 15-0.

Back at Stade Redditch our senior citizens were renewing acquaintances with the home clubs pink shirted Veterans. The match reporter is anonymous, but I bet you can guess who it is.

Redditch Vets 12 - 32 Vandals

The Vandals completed the double over Redditch Vets, a team that has a high win percentage. Redditch took the field in their traditional pink jerseys and performed the Hokey Kokey. Vandals meanwhile were a changed side from the previous week with three players new to the Old Yards - Nick Saunders a Welsh Centre plus Back Rowers Rob Taylor and Richard "Billy" Bilson. Playing up a steep slope the Vandals were quickly into their rhythm. The scrum was rock solid on our own ball while Phil Goldbourne dominated our own lineout ball. This gave good ball to stand in scrum half Ralph Rollins who linked well with the newly married Nev at Outside Half. With good ball the backs scored four first half tries with both Max Gimson and Nick Saunders getting a brace. Two of these were exceptional, the first being Nick's weaving run for 60 yards to score very Gerald Davies like. The second was great inter-passing again from our own half that saw most of the backs touch the ball with Max making the touch down. Ralph added two conversions and a penalty. In response when they had possession Redditch worked two good tries of which one was converted. Half time Redditch Vets 12 - 27 Vandals. I the second half the Vandals did appear to take their foot of the gas a bit. Despite lots of pressure they only managed one further score when Ralph worked a bit of magic to score in the corner. The forwards did up their game with Rob Taylor pinching lots of ball off Redditch at the front of the lineout and the pack driving Redditch back on their ball in the scrum. The Vandals did however keep Redditch pined back in their own 22 for much of the half helped by great tackling lead be The Barrel. However tackle of the match came from Tony Fitzgerald who snuffed out the one promising Redditch break with a Fitzy special. Next week the Vandals are at home and are celebrating Tony Fitz's 50th Birthday. Please come down and watch or even have a part in the game. Then in the evening there is Tony's 50th Birthday Party to which everyone is welcome.

Junior Rugby
Too cold, frosty pitch, risk of injury etc. so all mini/junior games were called off last Sunday.

Weekend Fixtures

Sat 21st Jan

First XV       v    Wolverhampton     away
Dev XV        v    Wolves                 home
Vandals         v    Wolves                 away

Sunday 22nd Jan

U7, U8, U9   v   Bourrnville   home
U11              v   Bournville    away
U16              v   Fiveways     away   Ash Lane (B48 7BD)

Memory Lane

Whilst having a quiet drink (not really possible with Dave Jenkins as company) and some form of pub grub at The Fieldhouse in Solihull last friday, she who spots special offers chose the venue, we came across a star player from the late 70s/early 80s who goes by the name of Bob Adams, a full back with incredible tackling skills for a bloke of 5 feet in height and 8 stone in weight. His SAS training has been on-going in the jungles of Earlswood and other strange areas. He remembers quite a few of his one-time team mates, but unlike others under similar pressure, Bob made no promise to return for a game as his boots fell into a canal, somehow.
On leaving the pub, we had a close shave for as we left by one door we saw John Kitchen enter through the other door.(only joking John)

NEW YEAR HANGOVERS STILL EVIDENT

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:37:17 GMT

Senior Rugby

New Year, Same old story. Arriving 5 minutes before kick off (a bad habit picked up from Chicken) meant parking on the grass which is not a good place to park. With 3 home games the large crowd was spoilt for choice. In my case watching a bit of each seemed the decent thing to do.

I began with a look at our First team playing a league match against local visitors Woodrush. Two early tries, the second by Adam Walker being particularly good filled me with hope as I departed to the top pitch to watch a sort of 3rd team take on Old Salts and while I was watching we seemed to be comfortably the better team. Also watching and keeping to Chicken's timekeeping was one of my old mates from the Referees' society, Mr Peter Morgan. Not in the best of health it is good to see Pete still very much involved in local rugby as an 'advisor'. I will offer the ref some hope for the future and that is that you will almost certainly improve considerably (think about it). Next was a stroll to the Development team also playing Woodrush. Individually, we have enough talent to beat most teams but the ever changing line up makes life a little more difficult. While I was watching the all-round skills of Ian walker were clear to see but not quite enough to bring us victory.

Final scores

First XV   lost 10-34
Dev XV   lost   14-26
Third XV lost    11-18

Under 16 Rugby

With the younger teams on a training date, the under 16s welcomed Tamworth and what a game we saw. The Ys were forced to defend for much of the game as a strong and well-drilled Tamworth pounded away at us. But our defence was determined and organised. Time and again the visitors were held up over or just short of the try line, which combined with some impressive clearance kicking kept us in the game. Not for the first time, our opportunism led to three good tries. The speed and awareness of Tre'rail scored the first try and, I think, Charlie and Alex got the others to earn us a hard-fought win by 15-12. A big thank you to our visitors and to referee Mr Sidwell.

Fixtures this weekend

Sat 15th Jan       First XV    v   Redditch (League) away
                          Dev XV    v Redditch                  home
                          Vandals      v   Redditch                  away

Sunday 16th Jan   U16         v Stratford on Avon      away (CV37 7DP)

Social Stuff

This time last year the weather forced the extended closure of the club and with that went financial problems. But this year, New Year's Eve saw the club firing on all cylinders as Tom Collins and his band got everybody dancing or bar diving so the rumour has it.

The Quiz to beat all quizzes made over £400 for the chosen charity, 'Soft Power Education' a British registered charity that provides access to education to rural communities in Uganda by the building, decorating and resourcing of new schools, with much of the work being done by British students who are required to raise £600 each towards the purchase of materials.

With 15 teams taking part and coming from as far away as Ireland, the battle was on. The lead changed hands many times and the final score saw 5 teams in equal 2nd position but the winners were the team led by the Thomas Aquinas wonder teacher, Clare Jordan and reinforced by Haydn Rees and his better half.
My thanks go to Luke and Sharon, Mike and Jackie on the bar and Shannon for his P.A.system skills.

She who knows all the answers (but still didn't win) enjoyed the evning and cannot imagine what happened to the three bottles of wine that were on the table in front of her.

And Finally

Who wrote the music to, 'here comes the bride' ? The first correct answer given to Graham Davies wins a pint.

Remember, Mr Wenger know best. What a story and Villa in the next round.

WILL THE NEW YEAR BRING A CHANGE IN OUR FORTUNES ?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:05:47 GMT

Greetings for 2012 and let's hope that our first team can play to their full potential and string together some decent wins, starting with a home local Derby against Woodrush in this saturday's league match.

Other weekend fixtures

Saturday 7th Jan    Dev XV v Woodrush 2nds     home
                             Vandals    v Old Salts 3rds      home

Sunday 8th Jan     Under 16s v Tamworth          home

Quiz Evening

This Friday 6th Jan at the club starting at 7.30.
£3 per player, up to a maximum of 6 players per team.
Bar open throughout
Amazing prizes
Questions cover a range of subject areas.
Surprise yourselves, you might know more than you realise

SEASON'S GREETINGS

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:27:26 GMT

Results

First XV    v   Old Coventrians      Lost 20 - 27

Under 16    v   Alcester                 Won 33 - 12

With the appeal of christmas shopping too much to resist, the teams scheduled to play against our Dev. XV and our Vandals XV both cried off at fairly short notice. I sorted out my layers of clothing in order to watch our first team in their search for league points and to be honest the game could have been ours. We looked good enough for significant spells of the game to have come away with a win and again, our back rower turned stand-off was in good form with the boot. However, we leaked points due mainly to our poor first-up tackling allowing the Covs to get over the gain-line and score the tries that won them the game. We cannot blame the referee this week as he had a very good game.

As I woke up on sunday morning and saw the ground covered by frost, I thought no chance of a game but 2 hours later and the thaw was sufficient to play against our Warwickshire visitors, Alcester. It was not a good day to be a winger and cold fingers did not make handling the ball easy and if you don't believe me then ask Jordan or Tre'rail. We won the game eventually by scoring 5 tries to their 2 tries and that is very much a result of being alert and taking the half-chances that came our way. In ideal climatic conditions our front row of Tyrell, Josh and Sam were very strong in both scrum and loose play and it was good to see Josh score his first try of the season. (your Dad is proud of you!). Alcester ran us closer than the final score suggests and I would like to thank them for the game.

Forthcoming Games

Saturday 31st January        Two matches v Willenhall        'A' XV at home, 'B' XV away

Sunday 8th January           Uner 16    v    Tamworth     home

Sunday 22nd January        Under 7, 8, 9, v   Bournville home
                                           Under 11         v   Bournville away

Social Events at The Club

Boxing Day     Watch and/or take part in a social game of rugby. It might help you to burn off some of those additional calories that most of us seem to acquire.

New Year's Eve    See in the new year at the club with live music, buffet, etc. as The Collins Family arrange the night for your enjoyment, all for only £7.50 per person.

Friday 6th January   Dave's Quiz Evening from 7.30 . £3 per player,usual format, come along and surprise yourself how clever you are.

and finally

Wishing a relaxing retirement to Mr Haydn Rees, who over the years has coached many of the young rugby players at St. Thomas Aquinas School, including a good number of our present youth teams.

Who needs defenders when you are only playing the Villa. 2-1, you got away lightly. Remember, Mr Wenger knows best.

Was it the right option?

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:21:24 GMT

What a dilemma faced me last saturday afternoon. The former players club under the guidance or influence of the much travelled Robin Sadler were meeting for a Babycham or two in town at lunchtime and beyond. 'Two tries' Fagan, would still be standing at midnight but would Jan Ullah get to 3 o clock? The other choice for me would be to watch our first team in action at Kings Norton. I decided to take the back lanes to Hopwood which was another wrong option. Arriving 20 minutes after kick off I passed Mark Higgins leaving and I soon realised why. Our boys with plenty of potential but very little experience of first team rugby were struggling against opponents who were far from title prospects but still too good for us on the day. Furthermore, it was a very cold afternoon. So the question again, is, 'Did I take the right option?'

Results

First XV         v          Kings Norton           lost
Dev XV          v          Kings Norton           lost
Vandals           v          Shipston                   lost

Under 7s         v           Bromsgrove            drew
Under 8s         v           Bromsgrove            won one and lost one
Under 9s         v           Bromsgrove            won one and lost one
Under 11s       v           Harbury                  won one and lost one
Under 16s       v           Old Halesonians       lost

News from the Minis

Team: Ben; George; Alfie; Frankie; Adam; Harry

Our U7’s, 2 of whom has turned out for the U8’s the previous day, started well against a very well drilled Bromsgrove outfit. Bromsgrove had brought 22 U7’s so lent us 2 to make 8 a side and our lads played continuously for 90 minutes (against rolling Bromsgrove teams with fresh legs) in near freezing temperatures and were well ready for a hot dog at the end.

The boys did really well, the match ending 10-10 (we think). Ben, Frankie, Alfie and Adam all had spells as captain and marshalled the team superbly, particularly in defence making sure we kept some shape and cutting down the space that Bromsgrove had to play in. The most pleasing aspect was the support play, when the boys were tagged they nearly always had support in good positions and we scored a number of tries with the ball going through several pairs of hands. All of the boys had some great runs and most were able to get over the line.

Overall it was a very good display from an improving team against excellent opposition.

The under 8s had a heavy schedule this weekend with two matches. One against Old Edwardians that included a half time display match in front of the crowd gathered for the Old Edwardians top of the table tie against Telford and the second match as part of the normal fixture list against Bromgrove.

The background to the match against Old Edwardians was a cold December day. Seven players turned out for the match: Alex, Ellis, Lewis, Presley, Dan E, Dan G and Harry. Harry was drafted into the team at the last minute making his first appearance in the under 8s having just turned 5 during the week! The boys tackled with ferocity and repeatedly managed to run through the opposition's line. As a result they triumphed in both halves of the match and the display match. The team made sure that everyone scored a try during the match. They racked up a total of 17 tries during the two matches against the 8 from Old Edwardians. Presley and Alex bagged 5 while Dan G notched up 3. Dan E, Lewis, Ben and Harry all took one a piece. Dan G captained the side well. Well done to Lewis for scoring his first try and similar for Harry scoring his first try on his debut. Thanks to Old Edwardians for giving the boys a chance to play in front of a crowd.

The boys knew they were likely to be in for a challenging session against Bromsgrove when their opposition arrived over an hour early with two sides having sent half their squad to another fixture. We had slightly less manpower and had to borrow two players from our opponents to field a team of 8. The Old Yardleians players who turned out were Presley, Ellis, Lewis, Dan G, Dan E and Alex. Five of whom had tired legs from playing the previous day. Despite all of this and a slightly more physical match the boys played the best they had all season. In the first match they looked like they were going to run away with it and ended up winning 5 tries to 2. Alex scored twice and Ellis and Dan G also scored. Alex captained the side. The second match was a little more challenging in the first half, but the boys regained their composure in the second half. The final score was 7 tries to 4 to Bromsgrove. Alex again scored twice and Presley and Dan G also added a try a piece to their tallies. Ellis led the side for the second match.

This was the last fixture before the Christmas break. The boys have gone from strength to strength this season and I look forward to more in the new year. The boys have scored over 80 tries in their matches so far this season and tackled like demons. They have managed to defeat all except one of the opponents they have faced. Most pleasing of all they play as a team and thoroughly enjoy each match. Roll on 2012!

Old Yardleians U9’s vs Bromsgrove U9’s - 11^th December 2011

Match Report

In a week where Manchester United were knocked out of the Champions League and Leicester were dealt a blow by defeat to Clermont Auvergne in the Heineken Cup, could Old Yardleians U9’s make the trip to Finstall Road and cause Bromsgrove similar problems?

Arriving at Finstall Road with Bromsgrove in full swing is a daunting prospect for players and coaches alike, but we found ourselves changing under an oak tree and readying ourselves for the back to back matches that lay ahead.

Bromsgrove had sent 20 boys to an away game and kept 15 at home to play against our 10 boys from Old Y’s. Game 1 got underway with debutant Ethan Hart joining us for the first time and getting straight into the action. A really bright start saw Y’s take the lead through Oliver Lonie, followed by a second try in short succession, the boys heads were up and the confidence began to show. What Ethan lacks in time on the training ground, he made up for with enthusiasm, tackling like a seasoned pro, only to be upstaged in that department by Aiden Gaffey, tackler of the match without any doubt, yet again proving technique and commitment over size will get the job done.

Everyone wanted to get stuck in at this point in a physical contest, Archie and Aiden both requesting first receiver positions, Shane employing the shirt grab technique with great effect, and keeping out two certain tries literally by the fingertips.

Ball distribution was again good, as Sam and Dan both looked to spread the wall wide with both Josh’s and Ollie’s looking to take the ball forward(ish) in support. Bromsgrove did, as we expected wake up after the early Y’s onslaught but all too late and we finished up winners by 4 tries to 3, well done boys.

The victory had come at a cost though, we lost Ollie Lonie to a knee injury, Josh T was wrestling with a dodgy tummy, Archie took a knock to both head and toe, and the second game was fairly one sided with Bromsgrove running in too many to count!.

Sharon has persuaded her young son, Jack, to consider a career as a sport journalist and this is his first attempt.
On Sunday, the u11s old yards faced a tough task against a well set up Harbury side. On the day, old yards proved themselves a worthy winner against a good opposition. Two tries from Jack, with a try each for Hayden, Diego, Billy and Sebastian, yards ran out winners, 36-21. Well done to the team for the hard work you put in to earn the victory and to show that on our day we could give any team a run for their money.

The under 16s visited Old Halesonians and the truth is that you discover your strengths and weaknesses when you play teams with a successful playing record. With four of our first-choice forwards missing due to injury we had to reorganise positions at short notice.A competitive first half saw us claim three tries and two cons which meant there were only a couple of points in it. However, a big pitch meant tired legs and with us having a very sparse bench, the hosts were able to bring on over half a team of fresh players which took them clear of us on the scoreboard. When we return to full strength and can also call on a bench of replacements , we will see some more high quality rugby. Well done boys.

Fixtures for the coming weekend

Saturday 17th Dec

First XV          v     Old Coventrians       Home       (League)
Dev XV          v     Evesham                  Away
Vandals XV     v    Tamworth               Home

Sunday   18th Dec

Under 16s       v      Alcester      (at the Portway 11.00)

Social Events for your diaries

Sunday 18 th Dec   at the club Children's Christmas Party, not to be missed.
Saturday 31st Dec at the club New Year's Eve Party, live music, eat, drink and be merry all for £7.50
Friday 6th Jan at the club    General Knowledge Quiz at 7.30.

And Finally

She, who is far too busy doing everything, has no time for us this week (probably sulking because the Sky Blues are bottom of the Championship).

Robin Van Persie, Absolute Genius, and remember, Mr Wenger knows best!

Improving but still much to do!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:20:41 GMT

Late fixture change

Saturday (today 10th Dec)
Kings Norton have cried off the 3rd team game.

Luckilly, Shipston on stour have agreed to play us at Tilehouse Lane

All other games still on and as per schedule.

Results from last weekend

First XV     v     Keresley    lost    16-22
Dev XV     v     Stourport   won   51-0
Vandals       v     Stourport   won   32-29

Under 11s   v     Worcester 6-6 on tries, but lost 42-40
Under 16s   v     Camp Hill   won     12-10

Fixtures this weekend

Saturday 10th Dec

First XV     v       Kings Norton   (League)   away
Dev XV     v       Kings Norton      home
Vandals v Kings Norton    away

Sunday    11tth Dec

Under7 v    Bromsgrove home 11.00
Under8    v    Bromsgrove home
Under 9 v    Bromsgrove    away
Under 11      v       Harbury       home
Under 16 v    Old Halesonians away

Senior Rugby

Just like the good old days! No names because we all make mistakes once in a while but on a cold December afternoon in frront of a small crowd (mind you I personally think that it's still better than shopping with she who likes to search for alleged bargains) we managed to turn victory into defeat. Against a Keresley side for whom their number 10 set up attacks frrom all areas of the pitch we soon found ourselves behind. However, with Steve Grainger on weekend leave and with the return of Ben Honey, we managed to get our noses in front by 16-15 with the clock running down. With a one point lead a chip and catch from inside your own 22m line that falls nicely into the hands of your opposite man is possibly not the best option. Never mind the only way is up but if Ben can maintain his impressive goalkicking, the rest of the team stop this habit of kicking without thinking and our 'first-up' tackles are less flimsey, we can still play our way out of trouble.

The Devs and Vandals embarked on a journey over to Stourport where the scores speak for themselves. New winger, Gary Robinson stood out as he offered that little extra in comparison to our regular wingers (according to Arkell).

Junior Rugby

Marcus and his troops travelled a little aprehensively to sixways to meet Worcester Under 11s. However, a game that featured 6 tries for each team ending in a draw left manager Mr Hope feeling very proud of his lads. Congratulations Marcus, claim your manager of the week prize of an Old Ys burger from chairman Graham Davies whilst they are still fresh. An up to date check with Billy Wizz, son of Sharon indicates that we drew 6-6 on tries but that worcester got one more conversion than us. Sounds familiar.

The Under 16s travelled all the way to Shirley Park to play Camp Hill who hve never been easy to defeat. Although we controlled much of the game, the final pass often went astray (cold hands?) and the game was decided at 2 tries each by the goal kickers. Our tries came from Charlie and Tre'rail and the winning conversion from wide out was kicked by Cameron. Thanks to NMRFU referee Mr Ian Jackson and to the hosts for their hospitality.
It was interesting to see Joshua the home side's winger, performing a lap of honour in only his speedos and opting for a wash with a bucket of water rather than the more traditional hot shower. Happy birthday to you and best wishes to your family.

Social News
Kids Christmas Party at the club on sunday 18th of December.

New Year's Eve Party at the club, with live music from Tom Collins and his Band. A top quality buffet (so Pete tells me) and tickets are only £7.50 each.

Quiz Night at the club Friday 6th January 7.30

From the past

Two stars from the 80s send their regards to those who might remember them.
From the Bloxham, Dixon era that dynamic prop Tony Mahon has been checking on the quality of the nursing staff at one of our local hospitals using Gall stones as his password. He is now back at home but is denied two of his favourite pastimes, lager and curry, at least for a while.
Whilst shopping with she who knows Touchwood only too well when who did I spy displaying his retail sales techniques but the former player with the best dummy ever seen (apart from Shannon) Brian Wood. Brian would very much like to buy any of his old team mates a drink, all you have to do is catch him at the club and remind him of how good a player he was!

A slightly better week

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:12:38 GMT

Fixtures for 3rd / 4th Dec

Saturday 3rd Dec      First XV   v     Keresley   at Home (League)
                                 Dev XV    v     Stourport   away
                                 Vandals     v     Stourport   away

Sunday 4th Dec       Under 7, 8 ,9    training
                                 Under 11   v Worcester away (WR3 82E)
                                 Under 16    v Camp Hill   away (B90 2EF)

Last weekend's senior results

First XV   v    Claverdon     won 24-5
Dev XV   v    Old Salts IIs drew 24-24
Vandals     v    Old Salts IIIs won 34-22

Match reports will hopefully follow when the captains get over the shock.

I made the regular journey to the club to watch, this week, the young stars of the Development team take on a Salts 2nd team which is never an easy challenge. In a pulsating match both teams were prepared to play an attacking style of rugby and the lead changed hands regularly. Both teams wasted easy chances by over-elaborating (in other words being too clever when basic rugby would have resulted in scores). A draw was about right on reflection and I would like to thank the referee but the saying about a good ref hardly being noticed didn't seem to apply at times.
It was good to see an old pupil of mine from the hotbed of rugby that was once known as The Arcchbishop Grimshaw School still playing for the Salts. Full back, winger, whatever, well done Adrian Butler. Also at the game was Mike Barnes, former youth development officer at the Salts, and the present day success of the club suggests a god job was done.

Minis and Juniors

The Under 16s played hosts to a very useful Spartans team and although we played some very good attacking rugby with tries coming from Cameron as well as Tre'rail with a length of the pitch run. The team that made the fewest errors claimed the win and that was not us. Next excuse was that our pack of forwards was full of backs as a result of 5 of our regulars being unavailable but well done to those of you who changed position at short notice.
It was good to see Jordan making a comeback and hope that he soon regains his match fitness.
A big thank you to 'Poacher turned gamekeeper' Kevin Grant for refereeing.
Thanks also to Paul from Spartans for enquiring about the welfare of Simon from our Vandals XV who suffered a serious injury in a game against Spartans a few weeks ago.

Thanks also to Adrian and Seb's mother and sister for their culinary skills in the kitchen. Any help from parents in the burger production process would be appreciated, just make yourself known to Sharon in the clubhouse.

Christmas

The Old Yards Childrens Christmas party is scheduled for Sunday 18th December. More details to follow.

Mark's Plea

'Guess who Mark bumped into outside the opticians?'   answer, 'Everybody'
Mark Baldwin would like some glasses.
Apparently, it is a plea for any half-pint or small glasses that you may have at home but never use. The club would be grateful for any donations.

And Finally

She who thinks that she is full of good ideas was reading an article about 'Mid-season breaks' when, for example, the weather becomes difficult. She thinks that rugby could do from such a break and her idea would be for it to last around 52 weeks. Darling, stick to suduko!

Mini and Junior teams, should we know the score?

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:20:55 GMT

Let's start at the begining or begin at the start

I always assumed that in a game such as rugby that the score meant everything and that grown men would go to almost any extreme (artificial blood capsules, taking a dive, etc) in order to accumulate more points than the opposition by the end of the match. Recently, my philosophy on this issue has been challenged and, I think that there has been food for thought.

I shall try to keep it simple. Whenever I ask the mini/junior team managers/coaches, parents etc for their match results, scores, and reports I tend to hear responses such as, 'We won but I lost count', 'We lost but played really well', 'I'm not sure who won but the boys really improved since the last game'. And so on. The question I ask is, 'for the youngsters just starting in the exciting world of rugby, what is the most crucial aspect of the sport, is it enjoyment from playing and improving, is it the social element, such as running around the club with orange squash and hot dogs flying everywhere or is winning the only thing that counts. The thinking behind my deep introduction coincides with the arrival of match reports from our younger teams with particular thanks to Tim for his observations.

Mini and Junior

On sunday our under 7, 8,9,and 11 teams travelled all the way to Kings Norton for a triangular fixture which also included Claverdon. Over to Tim.

Sunday saw the under 7s and under 8s sides take on Claverdon and Kings Norton in a round robin match at Kings Norton. The chilly morning and foggy day didn't put either side off their stride and both continued their successful starts to the season.

The under 7s beat Claverdon 7-5 and drew with Kings Norton 4-4. Ben captained the match against Claverdon and Alfie led the side against Kings Norton. The tries were spread around team as follows: Louis 2, Harley 2, Ben 3, Frankie 3 and George 2. Alex and Matthew played in their debut.

The under 8s lost to Claverdon 7-1 despite some of the best tackling I've seen them do all season. The first minute of the match saw them get a rapid turnover from Claverdon as a result of their inspired tackling, but it proved difficult to convert the turnovers into tries. Dan G scored the consolation try in the second half and Dan E captained the side. The team raised their offensive game in the second match and beat Kings Norton comfortably 4-2. Presley was passed the captaincy as he promised to run straight. He proved good to his word and as a result scored all 4 tries. An excellent performance from a player new to the side this season.

The under 9s are one step ahead as their report covers more than just last weekend's news so well done Richard. Here goes.
Old Yardleians U9's

The Squad this year includes: Shane Desnos, Oliver Dickson, Aiden Gaffey, Samuel Gilmour, Toby Good, Archie Harrodine, Daniel Hayes, Joshua Hull, Oliver Lonie, Joshua Tallis and Louis.

Moving up from tag to contact is a big step in a young players career, there is a lot to learn and the Old Yards under 9's are making giant leaps forward each week.

After less than a month of contact rugby we welcomed Old Edwardians for the opening game the season. Old Y's put up a fine first performance but were still a few steps behind Ed's who ended the game as comfortable winners. Some good tackling from Old Y's and some phases of play with the ball being recycled showed signs of good things to come.

After a lot of hard work in training we made the familiar trip over to Woodrush for 2 back to back games. What a difference a few more weeks of training can make, all the same faces but Y's looked like a different team. In the first game, Oliver Lonie, Oliver Dickson, Joshua Tallis, Joshua Hull & Toby Good all scored as Y's scored 9 tries with just 3 in response from Woodrush, our tackling making all the difference in keeping Woodrush from crossing the line, with Aiden Gaffey tackling well above his weight in a fine performance. The second game was much tighter with great rugby being played by both teams, and after a string of lineouts Woodrush pushed over the line to score the decisive try. Woodrush narrowly won 2 tries to 1. Our boys walked away with their heads held high after two great performances as well as a confidence boosting win.

Old Y's were then invited to join a mini tournament at Kings Norton in a triangular series with Claverdon. The home side started with a convincing win over Claverdon and followed that with an equally convicing win over Old Y's, but there were positive signs, Archie Harrodine linking up with Josh Tallis making good ground and Oliver Lonie scoring a fine break away try to register Y's on the scoreboard. Claverdon vs Old Yardleians was a much tighter encounter with Oliver Lonie again adding to his try count and Oliver Dickson sneaking in too. In possibly our most physical contest yet, we rucked well to win the put in to the scrum on several occassions and even started to move the ball down the line with Josh Hull and Samuel Gilmour distributing well from the line out.

We think that the under 11s played Kings Norton and came away with a win by 19-12 but hopefully more news will follow, and here it is straight from the pen of the Shark, Marcus the manager,

Brief summary!

After slight mix up with teams present, game eventually got underway Yards opened very strong played first 15min in K.N half pressure finalising in Sam scoring from a driving maul. Try converted.Yards had most possession but strong defence kept out attack.Scrum in second half saw Hayden (scrum half) pick up & side step 2 K.N defenders to score. Try converted.K.N came back & made a good break & long run to score. Try converted.Final play saw good hands & between forwards & backs with Seb scoring in corner. Try unconverted.Good hard tackling game

The Under16s had a training week and 20 boys took part, first teamers think about that! Spartans should prove to be a real test in this sunday's game.

Senior Rugby

The firstXV were well beaten in a league match at Evesham.
The Development XV with a number of late changes lost at Old Sils.
The Vandals XV beat an enthusiastic but somewhat inexperienced Harborne by 34-0

Fixtures

As things stand at present, Saturday 26th November

First XV    v    Claverdon      away/friendly
Dev XV    v    Claverdon      home
Vandals XV v Old Salts        away

Sunday 27th November

Under 16s   v   Spartans     (Portway 11.00)
U 7,8,9,11     training at Old Yards

News

A very important diary date, Dave's Quiz at the club on Friday 6 th of January, the usual format.

Return of the brothers Allen. With sentences completed we look forward to the return of Nick to action. Not sure what Greg is planning but he was seen flirting with the Edwardians, something to do with nice blazers we have been told. My advice mate is to use your common sense.

And finally

She who was brought up in Keresley when asked about her thoughts on next saturdays league clash informed me that her memory of my days playing for them was the day I dislocated my elbow when playing at Broad Street and I was driven at top speed to the Cov & Warwick in the back of a builder's van. Who needed ambulances or helicopters.

Looking at the European Champions group tables, it would appear that Arsenal are in a fairly good position unlike certain other home teams who have spent rather a lot of dosh on their squads. Also, I just wonder what the market value of RVP is at the moment. Oh well, Mr Wenger knows best.

Are the Yards as gloomy as the autumn weather?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:59:15 GMT

Is there a connection? Just as the weather becomes miserable so does the rugby on a saturday afternoon also become dark, dreary and unpredictable? On arrival at the club on saturday, I was unsure if the half empty (or half full) car park was due to the quality of our First Team performances or due to our Development team being let down late in the day by their Black Country opponents. To be honest, it was due to both of these suggestions. Individually, the skills are in place but our unit skills and tactical awareness are not really visible and that can only be put right on the training pitch.

Senior rugby

First XV were well beaten by league leaders Earlsdon.
Dev XV are still waiting for their opponents to arrive.
Vandals XV visited Dudley and won, by 21 - 7 but since Martyn resigned as skipper, our match reports have gone from one extreme to the other.

Junior Rugby

Under 16s   played at home to Kings Norton, yet another team that never gives in and credit to their boys as well as Chris their coach. Pressure told and we won a lot of ball and tries eventually came and our victory, in the end, was convincing. A special mention to our front row star, Josh, who played his first game since breaking his leg earlier in the season and it looked like he had never been away
The other teams had training.

Fixtures

Saturday at 2.15      First XV   v    Evesham   (away) League
                               Dev XV   v    Silhillians
                               Vandals XV v Harborne (home)

Sunday   at 10.15    Under 7, 8 , 9, 11   are all playing a triangular at Kings Norton with the third side taking part being Claverdon.
We are waiting to hear from possible opponents for the under 16s and if there is no game for them, training will be at Old Ys not the Portway as previously stated.

Well Done
to Debs and her team for the successful bonfire party.
Also to Dave Hanson (once known as Chicken) for refereeing his first game last sunday in our under 16 v Kings Norton. Dave managed quite well in his switch of communication medium from voice to whistle. With Sid doing the previous week that just leaves Pete, the Fridge, Butler to get his second career started. Remeber Pete, just like other skills you might have once possessed, 'use it or lose it'.

From the past

On my recent fact-finding mission to another local club I spotted a couple of ex-Yards players. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to chat to Steve, now a proud Grandad, Rabone, but did chat to one of our best ever forwards, Will Hart, who might come and offer his vast experience to the club, especially as Kevin Grant is now part of our coaching / management team on a sunday morning.

Also seen at the Old Ys last week was that punchbag of a scrum-half Jan Ullah. It could be coincidence but his local, The George, has recently shut down!

And Finally

Having recently visited Leeds for my youngest child's birthday, She, for whom time is endless, decided that shopping was essential. One and a half hours later as they emerged from the same shoe shop, during which time I had sat outside reading a newspaper from front to back and top to bottom a debate began regarding time. Well, would you believe it, an average game of rugby lasts for about 90 minutes and which is more valuable a visit to a quality shoe shop or a silly game of rugby. Well, what do you think? answers on a shoe box.

Three generations of Painters

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:35:21 GMT

More details in a while.

Minis and Juniors

We should probably start with the success stories frrom last sunday. Playing against Woodrush is never easy which tells us that we must be performing well to get the success that we did.

The Under7 & 8 teams played for 3 periods in their match and came through successfully by a try count of 15-12 and the word is that Harley Painter scored 2 tries, which would be a 5 year haul for either his dad, Phil or grandad Steve (Dip F.D.). News from family historian Mrs Lyn Painter, yes, the Painters do partly originate from County Down in Ireland but Phil says it might need clarification!

The Under 9 boys played 2 sessions, winning the first 9-3 but slipping up in the second by 1-2. Overall that comes to 10-5 to us.

The under 11s with their speed men playing won convincingly but the final tally varies from our managers, but it was described as an impressive performance.

The Under16s playing at home produced a strong all-round display against a well organised and 'never say die' Woodrush side. The fact that our opponents were a good side reflects on how well we played in all aspects of play. A hat-trick of tries from Tre'rail showed what genuine pace can do. Tre'rail, you can collect your can of Diet Coke from the Chairman on sunday! It was good to see Alister playing again after his arm injury. A special thanks to North Mids Referee, Mr Steve Sidwell. A big thanks also to Woodrush who were much better than the scoreline of 53-12 suggests.

Seniors

In a non-league weekend our teams were mixed into the pool but in terms of success came away empty-handed. The Development XV were well beaten at Wolverhampton by 0 - 42. The 'A' team lost at Harborne by 10-19 andd the Vandals slipped up in a niggly game against Walsall by 8-32.

Fixtures this weekend

Saturday 12th Nov. First XV   v     Earlsdon (league) Home
                                Dev XV   v    Dudley K       Home
                                Vandals XV v Dudley K      Away

Sunday   13th Nov    Under 16    v     Kings Norton Home
                                 Under 7,8,9,11 training

And Finally

It was good to be honoured by the visit to our club of Mr Richard Beckett, Chairman of Lancs/Cheshire Club, Old Parkonians and his wife Paula. On a fact finding mission to see how a successful club operates, he somehow dropped into the Old Yards. She who enjoys a weekend of rugby talk was more than happy to act as chef, taxi and Ladypool Road tour manager.

O.K. it was only West Brom but a win is a win or as Mr Wenger might say, 'C'est la Vie'

REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 5th OF NOVEMBER

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:41:21 GMT

Debs invites you to join her
This saturday Debs would like you to join her at the club to celebrate Guy Fawkes night in the traditional manner with pyrotechnics followed by drinks and hot dogs etc.and a good deal of social interaction. It is recommended that you arrive by 6pm.

Senior Rugby

Results are still disappointing but who knows what the wet and heavy muddy pitches might bring. Winter is on the way!
Last saturday saw     First XV v Pinley   lost   7 - 26
                                 Dev XV v Veseyans   lost   18 - 42
                                 Vandals    v   Handsworth   won   38 - 22

This saturday sees some interesting fixtures, with kick offs now at 2.30

                                  First XV     T B A
                                  Dev XV     v   Wolverhampton   (away)
                                   'A' XV        v    Harborne (away)
                                  Vandals        v   Walsall (home)

Junior Rugby

Last weekend was set aside for training so let's hope it proved to be of value as this sunday our youngsters take on local rivals Woodrush. The under7, under 8, under 9 and under 11 teams all play away witth the under 16s playing at home.

And Finally

She who has finished her interior decorating (a bit of painting) arranged a small gathering of her former work colleagues with their partners to attend (compulsory). Anyway, I was in conversation with Stuart and Rachel from the depths of Shropshire who told me that their daughter had played rugby for Cleobury Mortimor Ladies and that their coach was a very nice chap by the name of Hilton Smith. My memory of Hilton was a smooth talking, highly fashionable bloke who taught us many valuable things whilst in the very trendy Robin Hood. Hilton, I don't know if they are as smooth as you down in your part of the world but who would ever forget the white shoes, the tight red trousers, white shirt/blouse unbuttoned to the navel and gold ingot. What style!

For those of you that ever had doubts, Mr Wenger knows best. Chelsea at the Bridge, no problem. Just the three goals for RVP. Not bad I would say.

TURKEY, TOUR KEY, or TORQUAY ???

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:01:56 GMT

Arkell's 'Club Tour Easter 2012

A little bit of clarification for the boys in the front row.

Peter, the Turkey you were thinking about (apart from your Christmas dinner) with very hot climate and where a lot of the blokes allegedly wear Tommy Cooper hats known as 'Fez'. That ain't where Arkell's tour is going.

Pickle, man of many romances in the rural world of Meriden, the 'tour key' that lets you in and out of your hotel room is nothing to do with Arkell's Easter cultural and sporting excursion.

The Torquay that is the venue for the Old Yardleians 2012 Easter Tour is the one in Devon on the 'English Riviera'.

So lads make a note of the details (see Alan Arkell to reserve your place) and in the meantime don't plan anything as wild as a wedding or pregnancy that would clash with the date of the tour.

DEB'S BONFIRE PARTY

Think of a 'Guy'. Not Guy Smith , not even Guy Shears, but the one in mind is Guy Fawkes and as tradition demands the club is celebrating Guy Fawkes night on saturday 5th of november with a bonfire, fireworks and all the usual Old Ys activity such as eating, drinking and social intercourse. Debbie wants you there so be there.

MINIS AND JUNIORS

The young stars of the future were performing last sunday. The under 7/8 went to Bournville and Chris, our manager. was pleased with the boys. The age groups were mixed and played two games, winning one and losing the other.

The under 11s played hosts to a well-organised Bournville side and with our two speedy try scorers both on holiday we lacked the finishing power even though we enjoyed plenty of possession and the visitors took their chances very well indeed. A special mention to the mother (I won't name her at this stage) of a new player to the club who left home at 8.00 a.m.to make sure that she found us in good time. Make yourself known to our mini/juniors chairman, Graham, and he will treat you to a cup of tea.

SENIORS

The first XV played their second home league match of the season against a Southam team that we would usually expect to have a close game with. However, with a back division with defensively more holes in it than a tea bag and with woeful kicking from the hand, we got what we deserved, a stuffing. The only real plus was the return of the inspirational Steve Grainger to our back row from where he scored our only try. I hope that their player who held up Luke and so prevented a try has recovered. His imprint can still be seen in the ground under the posts.

The Development XV with the help of a couple of 'oldies' entertained Harborne and showed their class in winning by 50-7. Shannon jnr. and snr. both starred and it was good to see Matthew aka Crouchy making a comeback.

FIXTURES THIS WEEKEND

Saturday            First XV        v     Pinley (away)   League
                          Dev XV       v     Veseyans (home)
                          Vandals         v     Handsworth (away)

Sunday Training at Old Yards for under 7/8, 9 , 11 (day off for under16s)

AND FINALLY

She who is painting the bathroom ceiling is too busy to report to us. She says that she bets nobody ever interupted Michaelangelo when he was busy with his brushes.

The recovery has started. Mr Wenger, we never doubted you. And didn't it hurt to watch Man U get stuffed, oh the pain!

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:45:40 GMT

She who has a brother (Hi there Mick !) living in The Emerald Isle decided that it was time to pay a visit so a flight was booked from Birmingham to a place built into the clouds of Western Ireland that goes by the name of Knock Airport. Galway City is a fine place where you are made very welcome. Cloonfad, somewhere in Roscommon is much different. A village of one shop and two pubs in a remote area means that the pub is the hub of social activity. Dougal, the young barman with a good mop of red hair, did his best. When asked if they had music on offer (i.e. live band,) he scratched his head and after considerable thought offered to put the radio on. Nice thought Dougal, that should bring in the crowds.

Early on the sunday afternoon I thought that I would see how the youngsters got on in their matches against the Eds. So, I sent a text to a Lady who I won't name, but it rhymes with Karen or Baron, enquiring as to how things went, (in other words what the scores were). However, her text reply informed me that there were a lot of tries and the Barbecue was a success. Ah well, that's the important thing.

MINS AND JUNIORS

Eventually, I discovered the results that I was looking for. The Eds are never easy to win against with local bragging rights up for grabs.
Nobody was certain but the concensus was that we won at under 7 and 8 levels but lost at under 9s. Our under 11s with new coach, Rob, proving an inspiration used their speedy runners to give a slightly inaccurate slant to the way the game went but if you have got it then use it (so they say). In yet another competitive and close game our under 16s just about deserved their 17-10 win. Well done to all our young stars of the future.

DEBBIE'S BONFIRE EXTRAVAGNZA

Not to be missed, come and see the spectacular show of fireworks (no, not our first team!) on Saturday 5th November. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Further details are available from Debs or Bobo.

SENIORS

Information received so far is that our first XV lost to Wolverhampton but that the Vandals XV defeated their thirds. I will add further news as it arrives.
Our best wishes go to Simon from the Vandals who received a serious leg injury the previous week in the Vandals win against Spartans.

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES

Saturday      First XV     v   Southam (League) at Home 3.00
                    Development XV    T.B.A.
                    Vaandals    v    Harborne at Home     3.00

Sunday         Under 7 and Under 8   v   Bournville (away) 11.00
                     Under 11                      v   Bournville (home) 11.00

STUNNING PERFORMANCE BY THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:20:53 GMT

SENIOR RUGBY

As seems to be the fashion, we'll pretend that first XV mishaps are removed from history.
However, the boys in the dev.team faced a strong and experienced Spartans second XV, the sort of fixture that tends to fill you with apprehension. My mathematics indicate that if you removed Chicken, Goose, (sounds like old McDonald's farm) and Steve Cunningham from the squad, then the average age of those remaining would be around the 19 mark. Well, we watched with fascination as our lightweights and our heavyweights tackled effectively, controlled the breakdowns, attacked with speed and supported impressively.
Tries came from Nathan, Shannon jnr. Chicken, Luke H. and Ben x2 and he also kicked some conversions. Lads, well done to all of you.

JUNIOR RUGBY

Starting with the under16s, it was good to see Jake making his comeback, but get into the back-row asap, it's where you are at your best. Anyway, on a hard pitch ( I blame the weather not Brian ) we entertained a solid Five Ways team and it was great to watch a game that was neck and neck for the entire game. Half -time was reached with no score, not due to lack of attacking ability but as a result of strong defending by both sides. The visitors won in the end by two points with both teams scoring one try each but one conversion made the difference. A big thank-you to Mr T. Power who excelled yet again as referee. Jack, your dad, George, is correct, you can play as full-back, some superb catches from up and unders.

Our apologies to the under7, 8, and 9s. Your opponents cancelled the games because, they had too many players. That's a new one!

FIXTURES THIS WEEKEND

First XV      v    Wolverhampton Cup   Home
Dev XV      v    Willenhall                     Away
Vandals       v     Willenhall                     Home

Under 7,8,9,11   v   Edwardians           Home
Under16             v   Edwardiaans         Away

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?
It won't be England or Ireland ( She who wears her green shirt was stunned into silence) so with Dan Carter out, I had a dream (about rugby) that the two finalists were Australia and Wales and next week I'll tell you who will win it.

Winning ways rediscovered

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:18:44 GMT

After a disappointing start to their season in Midlands 3 west which saw two away defeats, the Yards opened their home programme with a hard fought victory against a gritty Redditch side.

On a very hot afternoon the Yards scored the first points of the game when powerful winger Andrew Pearce cut in off his wing at speed to break all the attempted tackles on his way to scoring under the posts. Adam Walker converted to open up a seven point lead.

The Yards had selected a pack of forwards that contained a blend of physical strength and youthful mobility and as a result dominated possession both in open play and set pieces. From some scrappy possession the visitors caught the Ys by surprise with a smart counter attack for a try to bring the scores level As half time approached both teams scored penalties with all to play for in the second half.

The home side continued to control the game and kicked two more penalties through Walker However, Redditch were not giving up and scored another converted try to take them into a one point lead. The Ys kept their patience and gradually turned the screw with Pearce claiming his second try with an unstoppable run and finally prop forward Peter Butler sprinted over from at least five meters and with Walker converting , the final whistle went to give the Yards a well-deserved victory by 28 points to 17. Next Saturday see another away game, this time at Shipston.

Thanks to all who contributed to this report!

Vandals

In brief, the Vandals and Co. faced one of the stronger sides on the circuit. Having performed their own version of the Haka, i.e. The Hokey-Cokey the visitors looked impressive but were no match for a determined Vandals side. Tries were scored by Shannon junior, Kevin, Chairman Sean x2 and Max who also kicked some points to bring victory by 36-0. Thank you to International Panel referee, Mr D. Collingwood for stepping in at short notice.

Under16s

The learning process continues. If the opposition only have 13 players and you agree to match their numbers by not having flankers, you will be exposed by a speedy set of midfield backs who are smart enough to realise where the empty channels are. Never mind, we played some very good rugby with Tre'rail and Adrian looking particularly sharp.

Social

What a quiz! The Painters were looking for victory, Rob and Andy were up for it but the winners were my old mates from the seat of learning in Erdington, St Edmund Campion School. Dave (Spartans RFC), Mary, John Mac, Pat Groark and the Burgesses. Well Done. She who knows most things didn't know quite enough but I guess you can't win 'em all.

A special thanks to prize donors including The Westley Hotel, W.H. Painters, Simon Brown, Two tries Fagan, Rick Thorne, Steve and Lyn Painter, The Rochfords, The Killarneys and Sharon F.
Well done to quiz man Luke, and marker Sharon and thanks to Team Hughes for running the bar and to Shannon for setting up the PA system.

Attitude, Loyalty, Determination, Commitment.

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:11:12 GMT

Select any of the above words and consider their importance in becoming a successful rugby team. Weddings on match days, lovers in Wales, wives having babies during the rugby season, holidays abroad etc. Not a good start boys and you could even say it is a little embarassing so lets stop messing about. We have the talent so lets make use of it.

Now on the Mini and Junior front things are looking good with numbers increasing. Not only of players but of coaches and helpers getting involved, even young Cederic. Most of our youngsters play their first game next week (Oct 9th) but the under 16s played a warm up game against the Birmingham Exiles and showed a lot of skill and determination, winning against a very decent side by 30 points.

The Quiz

Fridge tells me he has been collecting information but more likely, in my opinion, he thinks that there will be a buffet. This friday 7.30 at the club, teams of up to 6 (more than 6 you divide into two teams). Dave's quiz is not to be missed, open to non-members as well as our regulars. Profits shared between charity and mini/junior sections of our club. Super prizes and you don't need to be highly intelligent, as you may recall Steve Painter and team won a previous quiz.

Referees

Well done on gaining your refs badges to Shannon, Sid, Fridge and Chicken. Staggering when you think about it!

Stars from the past take a day out

Ex coach Rick had an idea. Why not take a day trip to watch a premiership match? So, the purchase of 8 tickets at over £30 each to watch Leicester 2nd team (first team nearly all in world cup) get torn apart by South Africa (aka Saracens) was in motion. She who thinks anything less than the Millenium Stadium as being unsuitable for her to appear at had set up a girls night out so I guess that means another place will have run out of 'Pinot Grigio'.
Anyway, the full set of 8 got to New Street in time to catch the 11.22 to Leicester. As the nominated sober one, it was interesting to watch the boys in action. Too old to chase women the activity cards were designed to drink without moderation, eat any crap that could be bought and inform the rugby followers what was going wrong.
Staying at the stadium to replace fluids lost through snoring or dribbling, yours truly spotted a door that had been left unlocked and surprise it led onto the pitch. One of our senior ex-stars ws busy telling us how he had played there already as well as at the Stoop, Bath Rec and probably the stadium on the Moon (only joking Rob). Brownie, two-try Fagan and Bob Anderson thought the playing surface was the best they had ever trodden on but me, I know that Brian Collingwood produces the ultimate carpet of grass. Just in case you thought I had forgotten him, our ex-hooker with a welsh heritage attempted his bit of one upmanship by giving £1 to a young lad (should I continue?) to borrow his rugby ball in order to kick a conversion in front of the posts. Now you know mate it ain't so easy is it! Steve (Dip. F. D.) said he never kicked the ball anyway. Maybe not the ball but most of your team mates as far as I recall.
Rick, excellent day, well done. Even the Gunners won and bring on the Spurs next and we'll do the same to them.

Firsts start season with win in Shropshire

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:17:41 GMT

Finally the season kicked off on Saturday as the Old Yards first xv travelled to newly promoted Cleobury Mortimer for a North Midlands Shield match. The selectors made the tricky decision to leave out of the starting line long established stalwarts Steve Grainger, Ben Honey, Pete Butler and Phil Painter and although their strength and experience were certain to be missed it was considered the right time to blood younger players. Mike Brennan and Chris Rhodes won a lot of good lineout ball and Luke Harris ensured that the scrummage ball was secured. As would be expected the home team fresh from winning promotion played with great desire in front of a large crowd and probably edged the first half. However, the Yards made 3 changes at half time including player-coach Gary Robinson, who as an impact player is well worth his weight in gold. Superior fitness combined with speed and mobility ensured that the visitors would come out on top. Tries for Andrew Pearce and Adam Walker with 2 conversions and a penalty from Max Gimson were enough to give the Yards victory by 19 points to 11.

The Ys Vandals xv played at home against Tamworth. Full match report below. Last season’s success story continued as Lee Coates with 3 tries led the way to a win by 43 points to 5. The return to the club of Tony O’Keefe from Doncaster and John Kitchen from West Midlands Police will make the competition for places even fiercer, starting with this Saturday which sees the First XV begin their league programme at Old Leamingtonians, the Development XV entertain Aldridge Firsts and the Vandals are also at home against Yardley and District.

On Sunday 18th of this month the club are inviting any interested youngsters from age 6 upwards to an open day at the Tilehouse Lane club starting at 10.30. Newcomers to the game as well as more experienced players are welcome to come along and to have a go at some basic skills or even just to have a look at what goes on, and remember we are only 4 years away from the next world cup!

Social stuff

Not everone likes Welsh front row players but personally I think Mark Baldwin is a good bloke and when he invited me (and she who knows how to leave the club dry of wine) to his 50th birthday bash I felt privileged (o.k. I had nothing else to do). The bar take must have been massive and it's a shame that we didn't have the vision to put on breakfasts. One or two mentions, Junior, you are a better scrum-half than you are a dancer and what a thorough job was done by Peter (the Fridge) Butler of 'Buffet demolition services'. Thanks Mark, the Peter Pan of props.

Old Yards Quiz Evening

Friday 30th September, at the club, 7.30 start, teams of up to 6 players, cheating not allowed, £2 per player, super prizes, bar open etc, previous winners 'The Erdington Educationists' (a contradiction in terms I would suggest). Open to members, players and friends of the Old Ys.

Friends of the club

It was good to see Pembo at the game last saturday. Nice suit mate, Blox said he thought it was your Demob special
What a great bloke Bill Burrows is. Why don't you get mentioned too often? simple reason Bill, you are a prop! But we do think you are a good lad and You can impress us all at the quiz.

Vandals v. Tamworth - 3rd September 2011

Very much as case of business as usual on a cool Autumnal Saturday with the Vandals' first game of the season against our old friends Tamworth who must be quite frankly, sick to death of seeing us, this being the eight meeting in 2.1 seasons. The Vandals this season under new ownership in the form of Steve "Sid" Sidwell took the field though under the captaincy of Mark "Gethin" Baldwin who on the 31st August notched up his 18,250th day on this mortal coil (and no I can't be ar5ed to factor in leap years).

Anyway with the digital voice recorder consigned to the kitchen drawer, it'll be just scores on the door from now on....so the Major's never gonna get a f**king mention!!

Starting line up then Shannon "Steps" killarney, Steve "Sid" Sidwell & Mark "Gethin" Baldwin, Andy "trained all Summer" Killarney & Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn in the engine room, with a back row of Marcus "Shark" Hope, Nick "the Assassin" Levey on the flanks and Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby at No.8.

Halfbacks Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half and Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, with Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Lee "Coatsey" Coates in the midfield, with Egg Male on one wing and rugby debutant Alex Mears on the other with Dave "Ralph" Rollins directing traffic at the back.

Large bench in Rick "Swing" Lowe, Chris "Golf ball" Rowe, John "Casper" Lonie, Peter "Fridge" Butler, Nigel "Boothy" Booth, Kevin "Bolt" Coles, Mike "Nearly" Neary, "Tattooed" Tim Russell and Bob's mate Cedric Farrell, plus two former Old Yards in Tony O'Keefe & John Kitchen

We opened the score with, yes a penalty despatched cleanly by Dave "Ralph" Rollins 3-0, before Coatesy opened his season's account with a try close to the sticks, making Ralph's job that much easier for a 10-0 lead. Shortly after Coatesy doubles his account, again giving Ralph the easiest of conversions 17-0. At which point Sid swaps with Rick, and after about twenty minutes in Shannon and Alex make way for Fridge & Boothy.

Just before half time Coatesy's monopoly is finally broken when he puts Egg in for one close to the posts after doing most of the hard work and Ralph goes three for three and a lead of 24-0 at which point Coatesy comes off muttering something about competition and Kevin "Bolt" Coles comes on to partner Barrel in the centre. The younger than usual Tamworth side begin to chat destructively amongst themselves.

Halftime 24-0 Mike comes on for Ralph, as does Cedric for Egg.

Boothy rolling back the years opens our second half account going over in the corner increasing our lead to 29-0 but it's a little too wide out for Nev. Casper comes on for Andy K.

Nick "the Assassin" Levey goes over next under the posts following a neat sleight of hand Roger the Dodger, Nev makes no mistake this time 36-0 Coatesy swaps with Nick and goes onto the flank, Barrel comes off, Boothy moves into centre with Bolt and John K comes onto the wing. Rog makes way for Tony, as does Gethin for Tim.

Tamworth's plucky youngsters finally & deservedly get on the score sheet with a drive over try wide out right, much to their delight 36-5

Coatesy rounds off his hat trick late on which Nev converts 43-5 and Slow comes on for the last two minutes, and immediately the General tees Slow up with a flat pass, he bulldozes through two and promptly falls over, forward rolls and is pinged for holding on...game over 43-5

This notched up the Vandals' 38th win on the trot, we know it ain't gonna last forever but it's some achievement for any side.

No idea of final age sorry, will work it out shortly.

Slow

THE SEASON BEGINS FOR OUR MINIS AND JUNIORS

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:33:55 GMT

This sunday (4th September) marks the start of the rugby season for our youngsters. We would like to see you all arrive by 10.00 a.m. in order to set the tone for the season. Please bring kit suitable for training and don't forget a gumshield or you might lose those good looks! As you move up through the age levels the laws of the game change so be ready to learn.

The registration process takes place after training so allow yourself time, make sure you know your postcode etc. If you know that you will be unable to come along on sunday then please contact your coach/manager so that they know your intentions. If you have any friends who might like to give rugby a go then bring them along to training before the matches begin.

While the action is happening, refreshments will be available from the bar and/or kitchen. You will be able to chat to old friends but do not mention last sunday's football results. A plea to parents etc. we need help with a number of small tasks such as serving behind the bar, cooking the post-match food, setting up pitch flags and post protectors and bringing them in after the game, looking after the water container bottles and so on. Even if you volunteered for just an hour every now and again it would be doing the club and your child a big favour.

Senior teams

Last saturday a mixture of our First, Development and Vandals team players took part in a trial game against a youthful but plucky Harborne side. The visitors, fresh from promotion last season, played with a lot of enthusiasm (and warmed up in similar mode) and displayed an expansive style of game. However, the experience and physical power of the Yards team was a little too much for the visittors as the home side gained a reasonably satisfying win by 30-14. The many handling errors form the Ys need to be eliminated or wins will turn into defeats as we have previously discovered to our cost. Harborne, keep up the flowing rugby and consider a high-protein diet for your pack.

Fixtures for this saturday (3rd Sept)

At the moment the games are kicking off at 3pm as follows
First XV v Cleobury Mortimer (away in the cup)
Vandals XV v Tamworth (home)

And a message from she who knows most things

Doesn't time fly. Its amazing how quickly the new season comes around.
Cleobury is a really nice place to visit and she has a friend called Rachel who lives there. (How really interesting)
To show her knowledge of sport, she suggests that you take her advice and put a few quid on Coventry getting promoted. (keep dreaming darling!)

Quiz evening

At the club on friday 30th September from 7.30. Details to follow soon but organise your teams, max of 6 per team. General knowledge and the questions are easy, its just the answers that are tricky.

WOLVES WIN 15 A SIDE COMPETITION

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:13:46 GMT

The rugby season got under way with the annual Moss Goode 15 a side Tournament held at Tilehouse Lane.

A good deal of toil, glimpses of skill and a competitive spirit are what was seen and what was expected.

This popular event enables the club coaches to assess the progress made by their players in pre-season training with time remaining for fine tuning if and where required.

In the opening game Wolverhampton defeated the home club by the only try of the match and remained unbeaten on their way to the final where they met and overcame Droitwich by a score of 15 – 5 and in doing so received the Moss Goode trophy.
The plate competition was won by visitors from Leicestershire, Ashby.

Yards skipper Anthony Thompson suggests that he didn’t want his side to peak too early with league matches still a couple of weeks away but he is determined to produce an improvement in this Saturday’s friendly at home to newly promoted Harborne, kick off 3.00.

ANNUAL MOSS GOODE 15 A SIDE

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:53:21 GMT

She of celtic origin had decided that we would visit the Millenium Stadium for a combined wine tasting and rugby weekend. Lucky really that we went with the burial man as he was on hand to witness the imminent death of English rugby. With considerable possession and visits to the welsh 5 metre line, you might have expected a try or two but nothing happened and the southern hemisphere sides have every right to smile, just as the wine bar owners of Cardiff do when She who gets loud and her friend in vino get going. It was good to see Lee, our utility forward / soldier in the stadium and also, sat right in front of us, Ann-Marie.

This meant that I missed the other big rugby event of the day the 'Moss Goode Annual 15 a side' that was taking part at the Old Ys on the same day. In an attempt to see how things went I phoned Mark Baldwin on saturday evening but got the same alcohol driven reply that Wales had won. I knew that Mark because I was actually there. Never mind!

Anyway, in order to get some sense, I contacted Shannon,who made a massive contribution to the day by putting together 360 ham and cheese baps. I thought it kind not to come out with sayings such as 'an army goes to battle on its stomach' or something along those lines.

Now for the rugby. Congratulations to tournament winners, Wolverhampton, who not only beat the Yards in their opening game by the only try of the match, but who also beat Tamworth and Sils on the way to the final where they met and defeated Droitwich.

The plate honours went to Ashby via a system that makes 'the Duckworth Lewis' look simple. But well done Ashby who turned up with 30 players, which was 30 more than Kidderminster managed on the day!

What about the Ys? Well, a mainly young squad including a number of lads from the Development side represented the club on the day. We lost against wolves, beat Tamworth and lost in the semis against Droitwich.

How do we judge the success of the day as a whole? Our club president, himself a businessman of note, has the view that you judge the level of success by the takings over the bar. In that case the day was a success and the club is grateful to all of those who made a contribution in one way or another.

Thanks to the North Mids referees, Tony, Rob, Jim and Craig, to the visiting teams and their supporters, to Moss Goode's sister, Jane for sponsoring the day and to Martyn and Mark for organising the day. For Phil Painter for producing/printing the programmes which were brilliant and for Super Dave for publicity both in the local press and on this website. More thanks to the 'Jamie Oliver lookalikes' on the BBQ,i.e. Sid, Tom and Pricey. To Pat for the raffle and many other bits and to the family, friends and neighbours for their help. Steve C. cheers mate for setting up the flags and post protectors and then working behind the bar for most of the day. More thank you's, this time to Brian for producing high quality pitches and to Robbie for providing high quality beer, to Mike and Jackie particularly for their shopping expeditions, and to Jan and Bill for car parking, and to Kim and young Jack for helping everywhere. Shannon and the club would like to thank all of you and apologises if he has missed you off the list.

It was good to see visitors from across the planet including Blox from Erdington, Houghy from Sheldon, Bert from Malvern and Tex and Maggie all the way from Hall Green.

Congratilations to Jackie Jenkins (wife of highly rated former hooker, Dave) on her birthday today.

Finally, don't be fooled, the Frenchman knows what he is doing. It just doesn't always look that way.

The Moss Goode Old Yardleians Annual 15 a side competition.

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:44:21 GMT

The nights are drawing in, the leaves are falling off the trees, Fabregas is after a pay rise and caravans clog up the roads and motorways. Yes, it is that time of the year when we see club rugby kicking off with 'The Moss Goode Old Yardleians annual 15 a side competition'.

The date is Saturday August 13th, the venue is Tilehouse Lane and the rugby kicks off at 12.30.

For those of you without the knowledge Maurice (Moss) Goode was a very average rugby player but a great administrator for both our club and for rugby in a wider sense. His sister donated, in his memory, a trophy to be played for each year.

The competition is now regarded by many local and increasingly more distant clubs as the starting point of the season where the coaches can assess the effectiveness of their summer and pre-season training schedules. Just in case you hadn't been told before, the first year in which the competittion took place was in 1980 when a fresh-faced but handsome young school teacher playing in his first season for the Old Ys won the trophy for his side with a well-struck penalty kick that turned out to be the only score of the match. If you can name that young rugby star then claim your free pint from Brian Wood or Peter Butler before the end of the final.

A plea to club members not actually playing in the competition from the committee. Please offer your help as we need bar staff, glass collectors, BBQ chefs, car parking personnel etc. etc.

We also welcome spectators who will be pleased to know that admission is free and refreshments will be available throughout the day.

The competition is planned to cater for 8 teams but may have to expand due to popular demand. The exact format will be annonced nearer the time.

Finally, for now, my thanks to local newspapers the Solihull News and the Solihull Observer for carrying news of our event in their sports pages.

A message from the captain (Tommo's Vision)

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:01:03 GMT

Newly elected First XV skipper, Anthony Thompson, sends out his message in no uncertain terms.
He is not prepared to lurk near the bottom end of the league as the squad surely has the potential to achieve promotion. Having studied his sun-dial he has made it very clear that as we are now in july all players should be training on Tuesday evenings and saturday afternoons under the direction of our coach Bobo. No excuses please but contact Tommo or Bobo if you have a genuine reason for not attending training.

I want this to be clear to you, I am not checking up on any of our players as to why they are not training but there are one or two points that have to be explained. Someone told 'She who is nearly always right and when she isn't right its because you were not listening properly' that she would look good in boots. So out she goes to the outdoor pursuits shop and spends a small fortune on a pair of walking boots. This means that they have to be used so on saturday afternoon 3 blokes, 3 wives and a dog (Fluke), went for a stroll, armed with umbrellas etc. Well, as we passed through Dickens Heath it was considered important to check a well known bar and who did we spot but that law enforcement officer,'Acting Sergeant Lurch' and his drinking partner, who else but his grandad. Nick's excuse for not training was that he has a rather lengthy delay to the start of his playing season. Remember Nick, that the referee is always right!

The walk was coming to an end as Fluke decided that a swim in the canal would be a good idea. I am not certain that Mrs Brown agreed judging by the change of facial expression. Anyway, our final destination was the pub, now more of a steak house, formerly known as The Pickwick. As we were tucking into our salads out of the corner of my eye I happened to spot the two Dai's, Baldwin and Langley. I don't think either were following the club guidelines on nutrition judging by the double sized mixed grills on their plates. Boys, your secret is safe with me! and if you think a pink shirt is o.k. then that is your choice as we do live in a free country.

Minis and Juniors appoint new chairman

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:54:58 GMT

MR GRAHAM DAVIES

We are very pleased to welcome Graham to the chairmanship of our Minis and Juniors section. Graham, sundays will never be the same again. As the saying probably goes, 'one volunteer is better than a hundred press-ganged men.'

Graham has vast experience as a leading teacherof Physical Education and I also remember him as a player for the club a few years ago with his own unique style of play.

We would like to thank Shannon and Pat for their fifty or so years in the job (well, a long time anyway) and if you really think you will be resting on a sunday morning then think again.

At our first meeeting of the M/J section, a good range of ideas were put forward and the main areas targetted for action would be school liaision, player recruitment, to increase the number of parents and senior club members gaining qualified status as coaches and/or referees and to encourage senior players to become more involved and supportive of our younger players.

NEW PLAYERS

If there are any young players reading this who would like to consider joining our club whether you have rugby playing experience or not, then get in touch with us and discover a potentially brilliant game as well as agood social life.

PAUL GOWER

Well, would you believe it, first Simon Brown plans his comeback and next is Paul Gower. Congratulations on your appointment as player coach with particular responsibility for Cedric's Hawks XV.

AND FINALLY

It is quite a test of our nerve as well as our loyalty. Clichy gone, Cesc and Nasri possibly to follow, things look grim but remember, as Eddie Kelly said to me not that long ago, 'Mr Wenger knows best.'

Pete Smith Old Moselians RFC

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:23:18 GMT

Sad news reached us a few days ago from Steve Smith a friend of our club who played for our local rivals the Old Moselians, telling us of the death of his father, Pete, himself a one-time player for the Moselians, aged 69 years.

When their club broke up a good number of their players joined the Old Yards yet retained in their hearts an affection for their previous club. Steve would be happy for you to contact him for funeral details etc. on either phone 07875384904 or by e-mail steve@ameliabond.co.uk.
Steve, our thoughts and sympathy go out to your family on the loss of your father. May he rest in peace.

The real work is done off the pitch

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:06:15 GMT

Although the playing season is still a log way off there is still much to be done behind the scenes. A glance in the 'photos' section of this site, (if Shannon has done his stuff) tells its own story as Sid, Pricey, Brian, Tom and guest strimmer operative, Snake, put in the effort needed to ensure that the clubhouse and drive are still visble to all of us except for the very vertically challenged.

It was good to see Darren the 'snake' and impressive that he travelled from Canada just to clear our drive. Nice one Daz!

A real bonus for the club was the decision of Gary (Bobo) Robinson to continue as club coach. Highly respected by our players, Gary wishes to inform you that training starts on Tuesday (28th june) at 7 pm and on saturdays from 2nd july at 2.30 pm. Please show your respect by arriving in good time for these sessions.

A reminder for all of you involved in mini/junior rugby at the club. You must ensure that you are CRB checked. It won't cost you. For details contact Pat (via Shannon if you wish)

Finally, you should have received a letter from the newly elected First team captain, Tommo. It was a tough decision not to nominate Anthony for the Nobel prize for literature but we know exactly what the message is. Every one of us, players and supporters must do our very best to back him up with the real commitment needed to drive us on to the promotion that we are surely good enough to achieve.

Our weekly message from she who understands rugby as much as I understand ironing. Why are the players you see on television so fit looking but those at thee Old Ys and most teams you play are so grim?

Meetings, meetings and even more meetings

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:56:16 GMT

We even have meetings to decide when to have more meetings!

The messenger (or it might have been Shannon) asked me very politely, and it makes it difficult to say no, if I would like to attend a committee meeting on saturday afternnon. She who allocates jobs around the house was caught unawares and so off to the club I wandered.

New chairman Sean takes the chair and is immediately under fire for not answering his texts or e-mails. Good job you are not trying to convince Alan Sugar of your ability mate but we will give you time to get things sorted.

Main topic, team captains for the coming season.

1st xv     as already announced, Tommo

Development xv       Robert (Barstool) Bastock

Vandals         Stephen Walter Sidwell

Hawks        Cedric Farrell supported by Fred Bhatti

As a one time player who has been in the same team as these blokes I predict an exceptional season coming our way.

Club finance was on the agenda just for a change. Our money man, Mike, informed us that our gross income for the last year was down on the previous one. It must be remembered however, that the weather over December and January was bad enough for many of our home games to have been cancelled as well as the 'kids christmas party' and private bookings. It is not all doom and gloom financially but our main source of income is our bar, so come and support it and if you are considering having a party of some description then see what Mike has to offer.

We also talked about our mins and juniors and any offer of help whether from club supporters, players or parents would be appreciated. Furthermore, if you know of any budding rugby stars of the future, whether they have previous playing experience or not then please get in touch with us, ideally Shannon in the first instance.

I think that will do for now as Simon Brown, one time rugby superstar, is coming round to borrow my bike as he is planning to shed a few pounds in weight in readiness for his comeback in the'Kestrels'.

And finally, Mr Wenger knows best and who he buys and sells is down to him. Newcastle away, I think that means 3 points for the Gunners from the first game of the season.

Still only June but the club is preparing for next season

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:47:01 GMT

Good-bye last season, Hello next season

Looking ahead to the coming season, welcome to our new chairman, Sean Byrne. With a name that suggests an Irish background, he has an accent from somewhere between Shirley and Lapland and a playing ability that makes you glad that he is moving into administration. Seriously, the club is very pleased with the overwhelming vote in favour of Sean's appointment and will be supporting him all the way to promotion on the playing side and to even greater things on the social front.

We are also very excited with the club captaincy going to Antony (Tommo) Thompson who will as ever lead from the front. He did show signs of things to come when he took over the role from Dean Brain when injury curtailed his season.

At the packed out AGM it was a shrewd move not to appoint captains for the other sides until we decide on how to organise our teams, e.g.Development, Vandals, Hawks or whether to revert to 1st XV, 2nd XV etc. A decision will be made shortly so Sean informs us.

League status

Those who make such decisions have decided that we will be placed into Midlands Division 3 West (south) where we meet many of our old friends as well as one or two new ones.Our opponents will include the following.

Earlsdon, based somewhere near Warwick Uni on the outskirts of Coventry, I recall some very frenzied clashes with them a few seasons ago. A vivid memory is the promotion decider at our place which we won in style. However, their enthusiastic sing -song and cabaret was outstanding. I can only imagine what would have happened if they had won.

Evesham, a very pleasant Worcestershire town and the rugby club close to the river. Last season we beat them at home and they reciprocated when we travelled south to play them.

Keresley, where she who must be listened to was brought up. No more pit ponies, no more front-row grief dished out by Benny and The Jets (getting carried away, I meant the Freemantles), no more McNally boys, Housey, Damage or Fisher. I must own up to having enjoyed my two seasons with Keresley and as a half- back I had the armchair luxury that few others ever enjoy. Having watched your lads at the Eds it was fascinating to see the change of emphasis from forward play to backs.

Kings Norton, not too far to travel, they have worked hard to improve their playing performances to match their quite impressive facilities. We beat them well enough at home last season but slipped up over at their place.

Old Coventrians opposite the bingo hall used to be a regular fixture in the past but times change and what we used to consider to be a 'big club' has slipped a little in recent times.

Old Leams with their impressive facilities have always given us a good close game. Last season we beat them by 15 points at home and they beat us by 15 points at their place. They will be our hosts for the opening league match of the coming season.

Pinley, a club from the Coventry area gained promotion last season and in doing so trounced our local friends from the Eds. Apart from that they are an unknown force to our club.

Redditch, as I view it, is the place of work for all failed road planners and it seems to rain non-stop every time we go there. Games between us are usually tight with only a couple of points separating us last year.

Shipston is a popular community club in the small Warwickshire town. Apart from one well-publicised exception games between our clubs have usually been keenly competitive yet played in good spirit. Last season we edged a win at home and drew down there.

Southam are a workman like team who, if you don't play with total commitment, will beat you just like they did to us last season.

Woodrush are as I see it the least predictable team in the league. At their best they have a good set of backs and use them effeectively with the added bonus of a kicker who will punish you anywhere in our own half. Their forwards work hard but tend to be a little light-weight but then I guess most are compared to our juggernaut. We make that marathon trek to play them in our second league match.

A positive end to the season.

Tue, 10 May 2011 13:22:00 GMT

First XV

For their final league (Midlands west/south div 3) game of the season the Old Yards travelled to Newbold-on-Avon to play in front of a large home crowd who were there to celebrate their club's promotion success. However, a determined Yards spoiled the party. Magnificent defence kept the hosts out whilst Y's youngsters Lee Purdy and Joe Patrick each scored a try and fly half Max Gimson kicked two conversions to take the visitors to a well-deserved 14 -12 victory. Next season's newly elected captain, Anthony Thompson, must have been impressed by the character shown by this young Y's team as he looks to lead the club into a promotion challenging outfit.

Vandals XV

The success story of the year surely goes to the Yards Vandals XV which could be described as a veterans team but which includes one or two younger players from time to time as a learning experience. The Vandal's playing record this season is played 30, won 30. The 100% record was sealed with the final match of the season which was a 33 - 14 win against Tamworth.The team scored over 1300 points with top individual scorers being wingers Phil Watson with 35 tries, Lee Coates with 34 tries and prop Bill Burrows not too far behind. As the expression 'retire at the top' suggests, both team captain Martyn Cartwright and top scorer Phil Watson have decided to hang up their boots and the club hopes that they will bring their vast experience to support the coaching of the clubs younger players. Full match report below.

Just one weekend to go!

Friday night at the club is the annual dinner. Tickets available from the committee.

Saturday evening at the club is the annual Minis and Juniors presentation evening. Any support from the senior players would be appreciated.

New Committee

Following the recent AGM new officials have been elected. The full list will be published as soon as the Publicity Officer, i.e. me gets the details. However, I can tell you that Northern Bloke, Sean Byrne, is the new Chairman. I have played rugby with him and I feel certain that he will make a better chairman than a player. Only joking mate!
A big thanks to outgoing Chairman Tony Fitz who was the driving force behind the transformation of the clubhouse into it's present splendid facility.

Vandals vs. Tamworth Vets - Saturday 7th May 2011 - Presidents Day

Well it all boiled down to this, President's Day and game 30 of a long old season against our old mates Tamworth, and two fairly comfortable victories earlier on in the season meant skipper Graham Hakes and his friends wouldn't make it a third. Thankfully the heavens had opened in the proceeding 36 hours meaning the wide expanses of the First team pitch had softened up a touch bringing some welcome relief for our aging joints.

In the forwards this week Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at loosehead, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker and Mark "Gethin" Baldwin at tighthead, in the boiler room John "Casper" Lonie alongside Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn with Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks with Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby returning at No.8.

In the backs Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half, alongside Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald in midfield, with wings Phil "Horse" Watson and Lee "Coatesy" Coates with the multi-purpose Simon "Slippery" Singleton at fullback.

Given the occasion virtually a second XV available on the bench Shannon "Steps" Killarney, Gary "Smokin" Williams, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Rob "Barstool" Bastock, Iain "Johnno" Johnson, Andy "Fred" Killarney, Mike "Nearly" Neary, Billy "Wishbone" Hendon, Ed "Forrest" McDonald, Tim "Nemo" Russell, Chris "Golf Ball" Rowe, Steve "Grainge" Grainger & bringing up the water bottles for the last time Captain Slow.

Rashly Captain Slow flips the coin this week and Tamworth's Graham Hakes calls heads and heads it is and Tamworth elect to play towards the Clubhouse in the first half, unwittingly giving us the scent of beer in the second.

It's very nip and tuck and after 23 minutes the scoreboard (if we had one) remained untroubled, the only light relief of a tense opening twenty minutes being provided by our referee for the day Mr Ian Armitage (who tells me he reads these) who whilst taking evasive action from a Tamworth kick inadvertently collides with the bony hip of big Phil and his nose erupts in crimson. A few minutes later the former Eds prop forward, his nose bunged up with Vaseline returns to the park to rousing applause from the modest crowd.

A few additional older heads for Tamworth this time out, at No.8 (not that he was ever really joined to the scrum at any point), at prop and at inside centre have added steel to that already provided by Hakesy and big Andy and in fairness were probably worth the opening score on 24 minutes. When following a scrum about five metres from our line Tamworth are awarded a penalty for offside, they opt to go for another scrum, and following last week's successes Rick decides to go fishing and is unlucky not to pinch it. The ball comes back and their No.8 picks & goes but he's held up on the line by Rog and a few others, the ball goes to ground they manage to get it back. Sir's looking like he's wanting to give another penalty, which eventually he does as we impede the ball's progress. Hakesy tries to take it quickly but Sir wants a word with Casper, no doubt the word persistent & red zone being uppermost in his mind.

Tamworth thinking they have us on the rack go for the scrum again, five metres out from our line, they get the drive on, Roger sneaks round onto the Assassin's shoulder to cover the break, but we can't prevent them from scoring the push-over close to the posts 5-0. Simple conversion for a 7-0 lead.

It's a low trajectory restart from Nev which ricochets of a pair of Tamworth shins and Shark's first to the rebound, Bilbo picks and his pass back to big Phil is almost intercepted by Rick! We spin, the General out to Nev who sees a gap over the top and kicks for position the ball going out one or two metres inside the Tamworth twenty two. They throw it short and just about come away with it, scrum half to fly half who kicks it downfield where it's taken by Slippery at fullback, he looks to open it out but then decides to chip ahead, and a Tamworth player collects, plays it safe and kicks to touch.

Quickly taken lineout, we secure and the ball finds Horse who brings it in field. He's stopped and we recycle, General digs it out, to Nev to Fitz, who's held up and the ball illegally held in and we get the penalty. Nev kicks for touch the ball going out about five metres inside their twenty two. Gethin's throw despite Hakesy's best efforts hits BMT at four and we set then drive, so Hakesy takes to tunnelling instead and nicks the ball from our midst, and Tamworth get the nudge on before the scrum half gets it and box kicks over the top, but straight to Coatsey who lights them up and sets off on the diagonal towards the opposite corner, but you know he's never gonna pass to Horse, instead he gives the inside pass to Barrel at the last minute and he goes over about six or seven metres in from the touchline for his 13th try of the season 5-7. It's a great conversion from wide out by Nev to give us parity at 7-7

The game becomes tight again for a five minute spell after our equaliser with tackles coming in from both sides. Following a forward pass we are awarded a scrum midway between the Tamworth ten & twenty two, Tamworth get a big shove on but we survive it and the General picks & spins to Nev who finds Barrel who breaks the first couple of tackles and gets behind the line of the Tamworth scrum before he's gang tackled and the ball spills forward. Sir plays good advantage as Tamworth look to run but then decide to kick their advantage away, Coatesy chases after it, collects, turns, sees the gap and sets off through the now broken field. Someone manages to get a glove on him and the pill spills, but it goes backwards and Casper's first to it. He pops it up and we spin to Nev, he kicks over the top, but finds their winger instead of touch, he comes back inside, beats Nev and it's Fitz who makes the tackle and the ball pops free and it's Fitz who reacts the quickest and finds Horse who sets off and the cries go up "feed the Horse" and the big man thunders down the tram lines to go over wide out 12-7. It's a cracking kick by Nev who's obviously brought his kicking boots with him today 14-7.

Nick Levey eventually takes the bouncing ball from the restart on the deck between our ten & twenty two and Tamworth come tumbling over the top and Hakesy seems to have pinched it, but not for the first time this season Casper manages to get his toe to it and it comes firing out the back and into midfield. Tamworth collect the loose ball and start to bring it back and Nev makes the first up tackle, Barrel's next in and it looks at first like we've turned it over, but at the last minute it squirts out the side and Tamworth come away with it and link a good series of passes together and get into our twenty two and it's Symes who makes the tackle, but the ref's whistle goes, what he's given we're not so sure, but the Tamworth No.8 is and takes it quickly, confusion reigns as he gets almost to the line before he's held up, but the ref's whistle goes again, not retreating I guess and we come back for another penalty for Tamworth about five metres out. Again they opt to take the scrum, the first one goes down and we have another go, their powerful unit gets on the move once and it's their No.8 who goes over close to the posts 14-12. Straight foward conversion and all square at 14-14. Game on.

It's another low restart that reaches the Tamworth twenty two before it's gathered and big Phil makes the tackle and Roger's first to him but they set then spin, Nev makes the tackle, and they recycle and go again via big Andy in close, Nev's in there closely followed by Rog, but again they get it away and a Tamworth player spots the gap and it's the General who looks to close it, but they get past him so the next tackle's off Coatsey as Tamworth start to cleverly string the short pop & drives together. Hakesy's next to have a go, he's tackled and goes to ground, they recycle and this time they go wide and their youngsters create space and set off, Horse is beaten, then Symes and it's Coatesy who has to get back to make the final tackle, the ball comes free and Fitzy wellies it into touch to bring the half to a close

Halftime 14-14 & a drop of Port for a change, shares in Sainsbury's isotonics plummet and some stern words off Johnno. Four changes at halftime, Johnno comes on for the General, Barstool for Roger, Shannon for Bilbo and Smokin' for Tony Fitz.

It's a very long restart by Nev and the Tamworth fullback is forced to field it about five metres from his line, he looks to bring it out and Shannon's straight into the action with the tackle, and we drive over and we're pinged as Barstool neglects the gate and climbs over the fence instead. They kick to clear finding a good touch a few metres from the halfway line, but the Tamworth throw's deemed not straight so we get the scrum. Steady ball, Johnno picks but his pass doesn't find Coatsey, but Nev scoops it up and chips ahead and catches his own work, so then tries a dummy chip, but they don't fall for it and he's driven into touch around the halfway line for a throw to Tamworth.

They just about win the linout but the ref's whistle goes and we get a free kick, which Johnno takes quickly, sells a dummy and heads for the corner, he gets to within a couple of metres of the goal line before he's held up, the Assassin's first to him (not bad for 50) he secures it then spins out blind and goes over to score a great try in the corner 19-14 Nev is desperately unlucky as his conversion attempt comes back off the far upright.

The Stepmiester calls for it, but it's a bit too high and it passes through his hands and big Phil picks up and he makes his customary few metres before looking inside, but goes to ground instead and we drive over. Barstool pops it up off the deck to Johnno who chips ahead and makes a crunching tackle on the catcher before bundling him into touch. There's a few minutes delay for a Tamworth injury before we take the lineout. Gethin wangs it in, but Hakesy beats BMT to it, but whistle goes anyway and Tamworth get a free kick, which they take quickly through their No.8. He takes the tackle and they all pile in and drive it on, but we stall it first, then drive it back a yard so they take it to ground, recycle and go close but the ball comes loose and big Phil's on it in a flash and we turn it over. Johnno spins to Coatesy who chips ahead for Horse to run onto but it cannons off his fetlocks and goes into touch for a Tamworth lineout, but ref decides it's come off more than his knees and they get the scrum instead. Nick Levey comes off and the Colt Arkell comes on.

Ball comes in, the Tamworth the scrum half decides to stand his ground blocking Johnno's progress to the ball so Johnno unceremoneously dumps him on his backside. Penalty Tamworth and a few words off Mr Armitage. Tamworth kick for touch the ball going out on the halfway line but the resulting throw is not straight and we get the scrum. Barstool picks up at the base and goes, he's snagged so offloads inside to Marcus who takes it to ground and the 677 pile in. Johnno picks up short pop to Shannon who sells his customary dummy and breaks the line before offloading to big Phil who drops it. Scrum Tamworth.

The No.8 picks up and goes and Rob makes the tackle, cue minor unpleasantness, but they manage to get it away into midfield where Arks manages to hold the man up and the ball in and we get the put in at the resulting scrum on the Tamworth ten metre line. Steady ball comes to Barstool's feet, Johnno picks up and feeds to Nev, dummy scissors Barrel, to Smokin', gets held but breaks free and makes another metre before off loading to Barstool in support but it's adjudged forward, scrum to Tamworth about five or six metres outside their twenty two.

The scrum half comes blind but the Colt has him, and we turn it over and Coatsey comes away with it steps in steps out, starts looking for his fellow backs, finds Barrel, to Smokin' and it's a great timed pass to Horse, massive hand off heads to the corner, crosses the line and brings it all the way across to the posts...great try 24-14 Nev drop kicks over the conversion 26-14.

Casper comes off and Andy K comes on. Brother Shannon calls for the restart, catches and dummies Andy, makes a yard before giving Andy a real pass and he takes it into contact as we start to warm to the task, we go to ground. Johnno picks up passes to Nev who puts it up & over, the Tamworth winger collects and brings it on and Johnno puts in another great tackle but is quickly penalised for not rolling away, penalty Tamworth. They kick to touch the ball going out on our ten metre line.

They take at two and drive, making some good yardage before the massive holds them up, they go again, it goes to ground, Sir spots something, penalty advantage Tamworth, they spin Barrel makes the tackle in midfield, then Johnno finishes the job and upends him and Barstool strips him of the ball, before the ref decides no advantage gained..at least we got some tackle practice in. Scrum half takes it pops it to Hakesy and it comes loose, Rick picks it up offloads to Johnno who kicks ahead and gives chase. The Tamworth winger brings it out and they spin and Coatsey makes the first tackle and Barrel the next and it goes forward in the tackle and we get the scrum. Shark comes off on Steve Grainger comes on, Gethin makes way for Billy Hendon.

The first one goes down, the second a lot more steady Barstool picks up & goes, he bounces off Hakesy and keeps on going, he finally goes to ground and we set over, referee calls ruck but the Tamworth hands remain in and we get the penalty and we kick for position. The lineout's messy and the ball goes forward off a Yards hand, and after another long injury stoppage Tamworth get the scrum.

The No.8 picks up at the base & goes, and Johnno makes a great tackle and earns a scrum for a knock on; but we squander the opportunity as they take it against the head, though the wheeling scrum prevents them from taking any immediate advantage. Scrum Tamworth, we have a couple of goes at it before their No.8 picks up and it's sent out and Coatsey & Grainger make the tackle in midfield. Arks joins the party and we look to have contained it, before Hakesy tries to take it through the middle. He gets isolated as we pile in and Barstool comes away with it and pops it to Johnno, to Coatesy who kicks and gives us something to run onto, Horse is first to the catcher but his tackle is deemed high and Tamworth get the penalty at which point Wishbone comes off for a bloody head wound and a dollop of Vaseline.

The ambitious kick doesn't make touch and finds Slippery instead who looks to come up the touchline, but he's driven into touch. Tamworth secure their ball and take it round the fringe and Steve Grainger makes the tackle, and they have to recycle and go wide where Barstool makes the next tackle in midfield, they go short then via big Andy, but we stand firm and then drive them back. Going nowhere they kick ahead but it goes dirct into touch. Tim Russell comes on at tighthead, Wishbone moves across to hooker and Rick takes a hard earned bow.

With just under ten minutes to go a deep kick into our territory from the Tamworth fly half finds Slippery who picks the ball up inside our twenty two, makes a typically searing mazy break, beats the outside centre and gets to the halfway line where he finds Coatesy in support, who lights them up and he gets to within about ten metres of the Tamworth line, refusing to pass it back to Slippery (apparently) despite his repeated requests, instead Lee finds Smokin' who cuts back inside and takes the scoring pass to go over 31-14 Nev steps up and slots his fourth conversion of the afternoon 33-14.

With five minutes to go Slow comes on for the final time with Barrel giving way, Mike Neary comes on for Slippery at fullback, and Ed McDonald comes on for Coatesy.

Even with time running out Tamworth refuse to give in and pressurise us to the last, with some final belligerent defence from Grainger & Barstool to the fore

Job done, Mr Armitage blows his whistle, Slow gets something in his eye.

Final Score 33-14 Final Age a spritely 629 and an unbeaten season.

Thanks to Tamworth for a very good game played in an excellent spirit throughout.

30 games 30 wins 1310 for, 261 against, 217 tries.......not bad for "a bunch of fat old b*stards"

Man in the dirtiest shirt goes to all who participated this season.

Lots of photos on the Orphan's Facebook page and our fixture list on our website is now on view for all the world to see.

This has been a hard one to write.... thank f**k I don't have to do another one LOL!

This is Slow signing off.

PS: As you may have heard Eds are playing HAC RFC in the Junior Vase final in a few weeks, should anybody be curious, as I was, it stands for The Honourable Artillery Company, who have just won back to back promotions, so tough prospect in sight for Eds.

Almost there, one more fence to jump!

Thu, 05 May 2011 20:46:30 GMT

First XV

The team has to play a game that was postponed earlier in the season. Although it has no effect on league positions it would be good to finish the year on a positive note at Newbold the runners-up in our division.

President's Day at our club

The focus will be on our Vandals team who have performed superbly all through the season. The opposition will be a very useful side, Tamworth. Kick off at the club will be 3 pm. Come and cheer them on.

As you know, the tradition on this end of season day is that the club president, currently Uncle Sid, will be more generous than usual and if you tell him how good he was, and still is, as a rugby star then it's highly probable that he will buy you a drink

Minis and Juniors

Your presentation evening is on saturday 14th May at the club from 6.30pm. Not to be missed, refreshments available and parents are warmly invited to join us.

Other important dates

Friday 6th May Club AGM 7pm. It is your club so offer your support to it.
Saturday 7th May Presidents Day followed by an Evening of sophistication.
Friday 13th May Players annual dinner at the club with guest speaker Martin Corry.
Saturday 14th May Minis and Juniors Presentation Evening at the club from 6.30.

Congratulations
Firstly to Mr Wenger's Boys who defeated Man U with considerable ease.

Also, well done to the Edwardians who have booked a place at Twickers in the Junior Vase. Good luck lads and I actually mean it. However, no promotion this year. It's a funny old world really.

Vandals vs. Redditch 2nds - full match report

With no scheduled fixture our penultimate game of the season found us in the Pool initially with Harborne 3rds but after their late Friday night cry off Tom had to go fishing again Saturday morning and invited a combined Redditch side over to Fort Tilehouse, from the look of it mostly seconds with two or three first teamers and the odd Vet.

In the forwards this week Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at loosehead, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker and Mark "Gethin" Baldwin at tighthead, in the boiler room John "Casper" Lonie alongside Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn with Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Chris "Golf ball" Rowe on the flanks with Rupert "the Major" Young at No.8.

In the backs Lee "Coatesy" Coates at scrum half, alongside returnee Barry-John "Baz" Cole at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Simon "Slippery" Singleton and Dave "Chicken" Hanson and Dave "Ralph" Rollins at fullback. A modest but brutal looking bench at our disposal this week, with Gary "Bobo" Robinson, Peter "Fridge" Butler, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, newcomer Paul McGlynn & Captain Slow.

On another unseasonably warm day with a bone hard pitch Stunt skipper Lonie again kept up his recent run of success and wins the toss and elects to play towards the beer in the second half.

Their pinked shorted scrum half kicks off and despite their first team No.8's best efforts Bilbo makes the catch and we set round, Redditch sneak round offside, Roger the ref spots it and signals advantage, but none comes as Coatsey's Dambuster comes bouncing out to Barrel in midfield. Smokin' takes it quickly gives it to Chicken whose onwards pass takes a deflection off a Redditch player and goes into touch. Gethin's throw is deemed not straight and we come back for the game's first scrum. (I was told on the touchline by their third team prop that their front row had a combined weight approaching nearly sixty stones!! Hardly surprising seeing the enormous first team prop they'd slipped in). They take it comfortably and the number eight tries his luck but gets no change as Golf ball makes the tackle, he does manage to offload it to his scrum half who kicks ahead and Ralph fields it inside our twenty two and kicks down field the ball landing around their ten metres line. Their young winger brings it back and passes to their No.8 who sends a wild one out, but gets away with it but the catcher is hit by Slippery, Baz picks up and pops it to big Phil who takes it into contact and we drive over.

Coatesy sends it out to Baz who finds Golf ball who goes up the middle and breaks the gain line, we set again, Coatesy to Baz who changes the direction of the attack and sends it back across the grain to Smokin' who finds Barrel, to Chicken who's pass back inside goes loose and forward, scrum Redditch. They take without fuss, scrum half whips it out the fly half, he dummies goes through a bit of a gap, offloads to his centre who kicks ahead but straight to Ralph who still nursing his pelvic injury from the Woodrush game is forced to meekly chip it into touch and has to admit defeat. He comes off and debutant Paul McGlynn latterly of Kings Norton, who arrived an hour earlier looking for a game comes onto the wing.

There's a knock on at the line by Redditch and we get the scrum as a result just on our twenty two; they put the wheel on and turn it 180 and they get the put in. This time we have a go, put the wheel on, whistle goes and we get the all back. At the third time of asking the ref decides they're deliberately pulling it round...d'oh and gives us the penalty. Coatesy puts in a great touch finder the ball going out on their ten metre line.

Big Phil takes it cleanly and we drive it on a couple before Coatesy sends it out, Baz taking it around his knees, he pops it back inside to the Assassin, but it goes forward but no matter as ref's been playing penalty advantage for an infringement at the line. Coatesy puts it out on their twenty two, but it's overthrown and slightly off course and the ref awards Redditch the scrum back on the twenty two.

Steady Redditch scrum, the scrum half plucks it out from the base and spins to his fly half, Coatsey's breathing down his neck and has to clear to touch. Gethin hits BMT at four and we set then drive a metres before Coatesy sends it out to Baz who brings Barrel in on his first scissors of the day, he cuts through, finds Paul on his inside shoulder. He goes to ground and the Green Machine drives over and Barrel steps in at scrum half, snipes and makes half a yard before he too goes to ground. Bilbo picks up passes to Swing who shows a dummy and gets past the first man, is tackled by the next, but the ball comes safely back and Coatesy spins to Baz but whistle goes for offside. Coatesy takes it quickly, to Baz to Barrel who knocks it on on the excitement, scrum to Redditch. From which we get a free kick, and we go quickly and Redditch are pinged for not being ten. We go again this time Coatesy gives it to Casper who takes it into contact and then to ground and we pile over, but are rather harshly penalised for holding on (not that we would in the red zone mind!). The Redditch fly half clears to touch the ball going out a metre or so beyond their twenty two. The Major steals it at two and we spin quickly through the hands, Baz misses Barrel, straight to Smokin', to Chicken to Slippery who sprints in and goes over in the corner almost minus his head for our opening score of the afternoon 5-0. Conversion missed.

In Shannon's absence Casper takes the restart, and their obviously very fit No.8 is first to him, but he lays the ball back successfully, Coatsey picks up and passes to Baz who kicks to touch, but we fall foul of one of those reasonably recent law changes, having passed back into the twenty two, so the lineout takes place just on our twenty two. They take cleanly, quickly organise and drive towards the line using their weight advantage to good effect. We finally halt their progress about five metres out from our line, the ball goes to ground and appears to come back normally but the referee signals penalty advantage to Redditch for hands in, but they don't need it as their No.8 picks up and spins it out and one of their backs gets through to score the equaliser 5-5 Conversion missed .

It's a bit nip & tuck for the next five or so minutes until we're awarded a penalty well inside our twenty two, Coatesy kicks to touch the ball going out just shy of the half way line. Redditch compete well at the line but despite the pressure it's the Major who eventually comes away with it and finds Rick, but the ref's spotted something (don't they always) and awards a penalty to Redditch. They opt to run but the first pass is wayward but eventually collect and one of their young centres makes the break but he's tackled by Rick on our ten metre line, big Phil's first to the breakdown but Redditch manage to recycle and go blind and Nick Levey makes the tackle and Redditch have to set again. This time their big bulldozer of a lad has a go and makes good yardage before offloading to some poor unfortunate as Chris Crash puts in one of his dump specials just on our twenty two. Referee blows, calls Chris & Casper to him, and a long chat ensues no doubt about what goes up must come (safely) down and then awards us the penalty...go figure.

Coatesy rifles a massive kick down field the ball going out on their twenty two. Redditch knock it on in the line and we get the scrum. Good steady ball from our hard working pack and Coatesy picks up from the base and decides to take matters into his own hands, lights up the afterburners breaks the first couple of tackles and simply gasses the rest to restore our lead 10-5 Conversion missed.

Bilbo takes the restart and the Vandal massive gather round and just about see off the Redditch player who's infiltrated his way through the middle, ball goes to the deck Coatesy picks & spins to Baz he breaks the line, gets caught but stands it up, super fit BMT is first there, Baz goes to ground big Phil builds the bridge and we set. Ball comes back to Baz, he's on his own so he steps the first man, then a second before passing to Coatesy and he sets off. It takes a great tackle to bring him down just shy of their twenty two but our other speedster Slippery is there in support, picks up and kicks ahead for the line and is tackled so late it hasn't happened yet...penalty to Yards.

Baz takes it quickly and admittedly we get a lucky break as the ball appears to go forward, but it's not spotted and Barrel comes in on one of his trademark runs and carves his way through the middle to score 15-5 Conversion missed.

But that's the last bit of meaningful action of the half, other than some handbags being thrown (thinking of Saturday, more clutch bags really) and Slippery's last ditch try saving tackle on their big unit when the score looked certain.

Halftime 15-5 New recipe isotonics taken on board, and Casper lectures the boys on not being bullied and fronting up. Just the one change, Gethin comes off and Fridge comes on at tighthead.

Not the best start as our kick off doesn't go the ten and within five minutes after a spell of sustained pressure we're pulled in field, and the young Redditch wing forward (also 1st team I believe) rounds our flank, evades Chicken's last ditch tackle to go over in the corner 15-10 Conversion missed, Slow muses not a game for kicks then.

Our restart goes straight out so we come back for a scrum to Redditch on the centre spot, but Rick and the boys have other ideas and we take it against the head, we go blind Coatesy finds Baz who pops it to Paul who makes good ground before being driven into touch by sheer weight of numbers just on the halfway line. We get hands in at the line, and their scrum half knocks on, ref looks to play advantage and BMT picks up the loose ball and takes it on and then to ground, and we drive over but Redditch are pinged for the tackler not rolling away. We opt for touch the ball going out five metres inside their twenty two. We shorten the line, trying to be experimental and then throw it to them...Slow mutters some obscenity. Rupe tries to dig his way in but they drive on regardless and reach their twenty two before we halt their progress and they lose it for not using it.

But the ref gets a bit precious and pings Fridge for engaging too early and Peter looks a little bemused. They take it quickly and try to run it out of their twenty two, Nick Levey makes the tackle, the ball goes to the deck and their scrum half picks up and flings a bit of a wild one out missing most of his backs and a Redditch player is forced to stand it up as he's floored by big Phil and Paul showing his back row credentials steps in ans strips out the ball and passes to Coatesy who brings it out feeds Barrel on the scissors, he's tackled so lays it back, Coatesy picks up passes to Baz who feeds big Phil five metres out and he barges through the smallest bloke on the park, their scrum half to score in the corner 20-10 Coatesy then puts a screamer over from the touchline to increase our lead to 22-10 and to you Vandals scholars the point of no return for our opposition.

Chris and his troublesome Achilles comes off, the Major moves onto the flank and Bobo comes on at No.8

We knock on at the restart and Redditch get the scrum inside our ten metre line, despite a good nudge the ball reaches their No.8 and he picks up and feeds their live wire young flanker who gets to within a few metres of our twenty two before offloading to their big unit who runs into Bobo and they must of felt the shock wave of that collision in Fukushima! Gary's impression of a tank trap though does just enough to stall the big fella and the ball goes to ground and I think it's Lee who's pinged for hands in the ruck. Their No.8 takes it quickly, we're not ten, he feeds his winger no advantage, ref blows, No.8 takes it quickly again, whistle goes again and Smokin' tries to engage the referee in some deep philosophical discussion. The ref seemingly peeved calls Captain Casper over and after a long discussion, rather curiously Redditch opt for a scrum rather than the penalty about ten metres from our line. It's a good scrum and the scum half picks up and the Assassin picks him up and they've lost best part of ten metres in the process, but they manage to recycle and their behemoth takes it close, but there's been an obstruction in the process of the pass and the ref gives us the penalty.

Chicken takes it quickly, they've not retreated the ten but the ref seems happy to let them get away with it, and eventually we cough it up and the ball goes forward and Redditch get the scrum. The No.8 picks up and he's clattered then driven back by the Major, he offloads but we press and they lose more yards, finally the fly half gets the ball and Fridge and then Barrel and we turn him and steal it and out it goes to Baz to Slippery who takes it over his shoulder and it goes marginally forward, scrum Redditch.

The Assassin comes off and the Colt Arkell trots onto the flank and creates probably one of the heaviest eights we've had all season. We get the shove on and Rick goes fishing and we take it against the head, Coatesy picks up and makes the initial break, he's tackled, Baz picks up and spins it to Barrel, who finds Smokin' who steps the first man, then gets gang tackled and their winger comes away with it but Smokes shows great fitness as he hunts him down and makes the tackle, and Lonie the next, and then Chicken as our defence drives them wide and eventually into touch on the far side just outside our twenty two. Big Phil takes it cleanly at four and sets off making his customary ten metres, Coatsey's in there, passes to Bazza who puts in a great kick down field and their winger's forced to run it into touch just inside their ten metre line.

It's a great throw by Rick who hits Casper at two, Fridge is in there and we drive it on a yard before releasing it, Coatesy to Baz, double dummy in midfield, pass to Chicken to Slippery but it's knocked on, for a scrum to Redditch on the halfway line. The No.8 picks up and passes behind his fly half and the centre is forced to pick it up and we snaffle him up and it goes to ground. They recycle and come blind via the young flanker, he breaks the first tackle but not Barry-John's, Barrel makes the next tackle and the ball goes to ground, and they recycle as we stand off and let them have it, they come blind again and we cover across, they come back inside and we turn it over. Coatesy finds Baz, he sees a gap and he's gone, then sends a great timed pass to Chicken who puts it back inside to Barry-John who's a bit isolated so hurls one into space and Slippery picks up and puts it back inside to Smokin's but it goes to ground with only the line to beat. Scrum to Redditch about 15 metres from their line but they contrive to knock it on at the base and we get the put in. Some old school French named cleverness is called by Bobo and he picks up feeds it inside to Arks, who pops it back to Bobo who takes it into contact but we're pinged for something and Redditch get the opportunity to clear their lines the ball going out just inside their half. Big Phil steals their ball and the ref blows and gives us the scrum!!!!!

Steady ball, Coatsey to Baz, Barrel comes in on the scissors, breaks the line and gets all the way to the Redditch twenty two, looks inside finds Coatsey on his shoulder he steps on the gas, steps in, steps out, looks, but backs himself and goes over for his second try of the afternoon 27-10 Conversion missed.

We knock on at the restart and Redditch get the scrum just inside our ten metre line, but Rick goes fishing again and we take it against the head, Bobo has it secure at his feet and Coatsey plucks it out, to Baz long miss pass straight to Chicken, run round by Smokin' to Paul, back inside to Chicken to Simon in off his wing, who after a season of earning dodgy nicknames finally does like the song and goes straight down the middle to score under the posts 32-10 Lee adds a second conversion 34-10

And with that the ref blows for full time.

Final Score 34-10 Final Age a spritely 621 and our 29th victory of the season.

Man in the dirtiest shirt goes to Bilbo this week for sticking with his behemoth in the set pieces.

We wish a safe voyage to Paul McGlynn who's game was his first & last (but hopefully not for too long) as he's off to fight the pirates and wish him a safe return.

Saturday President's Day, our 30th and thankfully our final game of a very long season against Tamworth before donning our gowns and taking Moseley by storm.

Finally would 1300 points be too much to ask for??

Slow

Flat as a pancake (that Peter has sat on)

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:48:39 GMT

The end of the season gets nearer. The ground would be hard and dry enough for cricket if anybody actually wanted to play the game.

I even watched some rugby on the box. Wasps planned a big day out at Twickers with all kinds of acts for the fans. Trouble is they forgot to play as Bath's runners destroyed the London side with style.

If they were horses in the national you would say they had fallen at the last fence. Still playing 'beautiful football' but also letting in soft goals and trying to make ten passes in the box before scoring. Can Wenger go, 'no', can Cesc go, 'yes' - at a price.

Rugby

Tour, as promised, no news to tell.

This coming Saturday 30th April

1st XV v Exiles away
Dev XV v Wolverhampton home
3rd XV v Harborne 3rds home

Social etc.

Dates for your diaries, phones or, in Sid's world, your filofaxes.

Friday 29th April: Royal knees up (or p_ss up) adults only, disco and buffet all for a fiver.

Friday 6th May: AGM at the club 7pm. Give it a go, experience not essential, thick skin vital.

Saturday 7th May: President's day. Details to follow but likely to include drinking and rugby.

Friday 13th May: Annual Dinner at the club, guest speaker Martin Corry who I feel sure will provide controversial tales from behind the scenes at Leicester, England etc. Tickets from anyone on the committee.

We all make mistakes

Captain Slow spotted a score error on the website of a local club who play in green/white. In a recent game at their place our Vandals XV (3rds) defeated their 2nds - not the other way round. Probably a typing error.

Apathy rears its ugly face as the season's end approaches.

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:07:51 GMT

On the time I set aside to transfer my thoughts on Old Ys rugby on to Old Ys website the sun was shining and rugby was not really driving my journalistic skills forward. Then just as I was about to log on, She who knows where to acquire free tickets for National Trust places of interest informed me that in a few minutes time that we would be on our way to a place called Packwood House. Not being a regular enthusiast for such fascinating places I guess it was not too bad for a couple of hours but the mind was starting to drift on things like how could some referee allow Liverpool to score an equalising penalty in the 111th minute when only 8 mins of stoppage time was indicated. As I listened briefly to the guide, something he said helped me to refocus on rugby again. 'At this time of year we get a lot of walkers coming out of the woodwork' This got me thinking. More in a moment but next comes a review of last weekends matches.

First XV

With the threat of relegation seemingly removed and promotion never really a realistic hope, a somewhat dead match at Old Leamingtonians, who we beat 15 - 0 earlier in the season, was our penultimate league fixture. The story might seem familiar. Plenty of possession but without the powerful strike running of Steve Grainger we were not as effective as we might have been. 12 - 7 ahead at half time with the question being asked by Ys followers along the lines of would that be enough and deep down most of the answers suggeested that we would tire and struggle to hang on to the lead. Totally correct. Final score 34 - 19 to the hosts. For Old Ys tries were scored by Adam Walker x2 and Big Andy P (good to see you playing again) with Max converting two. The Bobo man of the match award goes to Adam Walker.

Development XV

Our young hopefulls hosted an Alcester team comprising of a mix of their first and second team players. A comfortable winning score of 24 - 15 makes it look easier than it actually was as Alcester moved the ball well but also defended well for much of the game. Eds two tries and one for James Walker along with some kicks proved to be enough. Luke awards his man of the match award to James Walker.

Vandals XV

Having lost my way a couple of times I eventually arrived at Woodrush 10 minutes before kick-off. A strange sight caught my eyes, our boys were warming up but the home side were not to be seen. When the game eventually got going it looked very much like a case of our strength and experience againsst their second team youthful enthusiasm, pace and stamina. A fairly close first half saw the Y's turn around with a narrow lead. To keep it simple our wingers did the job required. Phil runs directly and takes the shortest route to the try line with nothing stopping him. Lee takes a variety of routes but with pace and change of direction such that he rarely gets stopped.
A final score of 44-19 to our boys saw tries from Lee x3, Phil W x2 Tony Fitz x2 and Rob B with Ralph and Lee getting a con each. Full report below.

Mini/Juniors

Nigel Walker reports that his under 14s lost at Aston Old Eds last sunday. I remember Nigel as a second row player who was always determined to do his best on the pitch and expected the same from the rest of the team. He still has this approach as a coach and the improvement shown by his team over the course of the season is clear to see. Well done lads.

It has been said by many experts that you can only find out how good you are by taking on the very best. The under 15s have really come on this year and victories at places such as Bromsgrove and Camp Hill have shown this to be true. However, Lichfield taught us that there is still much to be done before we can claim to be a 'top side'. They ran at us with pace and precision, rarely wasting possession and although our boys defended well it was very much a learning experience.

My reporters this week seemed to be impressed by anyone with the name 'Walker'. Well, in my early Old Ys playing days there was a 'brick wall' back rower by the name of Richard Walker and a second row called Nigel Walker and they were sound rather than spectacular but the sort of player you were glad to have in your team. The nomination by the captains as their 'Man of the Match' was awarded to Walker and Walker. Add to that another promising Walker in the under 14s made for an interesting coincidence. Well, I thought so anyway.

Tour Approaching

Enjoy yourselves lads and remember 'what goes on tour stays on tour', so don't expect a tour report from me.

Have a good Easter.

Woodrush 2nd XV vs. Old Yards 3rd XV/Vets (The Vandals)

With the current trend of opposition crying off continuing apace with Claverdon going the way of Droitwich et al Tom found us a nice local fixture in Woodrush 2nds, a very tricky fixture on paper given last season's encounter and having already played our Development Side twice this season having won one and lost one by a two point margin in each case.

In the pack this week Shannon "Steps" Killarney at loosehead, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker, and Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at tighthead, in the boiler room John "Fingers" Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn with Chris "Crash" Rowe and Rupert "the Major" Young on the flanks with Rob "Barstool" Bastock at No.8.

In the backs scrum half Phil "the General" Evans reunited with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, a return also for the Chairman Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald partnering (eventually) Gary "Smokin'" Williams , with wings Phil "Horse" Watson and Lee "Coatesy" Coates and Dave "Ralph" Rollins at fullback .

A small deckchair this week, with Mark "Telecon" Baldwin, Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby returning after a lengthy spell away following ear surgery & Captain Slow

Stunt skipper Lonie again guesses correctly and opts to receive and play towards the Icknield Road, the pitch sloping side to side this week and offering no real advantage for our second half gravity drive system.

With Woodrush obviously hearing of our exploits they're out there nice & early like Oldfield & Bournville going through the drills as we casually roll up in twos & threes, get changed and have a fag or two. We take to the pitch a man short as we wait for Smokin' to arrive, so Slow first engages the referee young Andy & then Leachy the Woodrush fly half in casual conversation to string things out for a few minutes while Gary gets changed and joins the rest of us (shades of Shipston here). Gary if you were any more laid back with regards to meet times you'd be f**king horizontal!!

All present then and Shannon the ball magnet takes the kick off, big Phil's first to him and then the rest of the 677 gather round, and the green machine rolls forward before Barstool takes it blind, he's held up and has to go to to ground and we drive over despite the young Woodrush Eight trying to do much the same. The General picks up and spins to Nev, he does a step, looks to kick, then tries to run his way through, evades the first tackle but not the second and has to go to ground and we all pile over. The General digs it out and pops it to Barstool on the burst who takes it into contact and we clear them out, the General goes blind and feeds the Horse but he's little or no space to work with and puts a foot into touch for a lineout to Woodrush.

Big Phil takes their ball and sets off through the gap, he makes good yards before he's stopped, he turns offloads to Bilbo, to the General to the Major who goes to ground and we clear them out, the General pops it up to Barstool who goes route one, as we play it close & personal for a couple of phases. The General looks for his runners, but spins to Nev instead who pops it back inside to BMT but he's caught behind the gain line and we have to set and go again, the General scoops it up passes to the Major, who finds Horse who looks for space & bounces a couple in the process, a Woodrush spectator yells "put him on his ar5e" easier said than done my friend as he keeps on going. He's eventually hauled to the ground but Shannon picks it up off the deck and pops it to Rupe who makes another couple, Bilbo's next to have a go, he offloads to Lonie who goes to ground and Woodrush are pinged for coming over the top. We take it quickly and Barstool goes and boshes a couple and gets to within ten metres of the line, we recycle and Shannon gets in his first dummy of the day and the youngsters buy it, he offloads to Lonie, we're within five metres of the line. We set again, big Phil picks up as the General's otherwise engaged, ball comes back as the referee signals penalty advantage as Woodrush infringe as they try to stem the green tide and we drive it into the corner, and it's a good advantage as we go short and Barstool bulldozes his way over for the afternoon's first score 5-0 Ralph's conversion attempt sails over 7-0 and it's the best start to a game for a long time, and the Woodrush youngsters look a little shell shocked.

Shannon calls for the restart but it sails though his hands, and the General gathers and pops it to Horse who heads off down his wing making good ground before passing inside to Lonie, he's held up so we set then spin wide for the first time, but it goes forward in midfield for a scrum to Woodrush. At which point Barstool comes off seemingly with a golf ball growing out of his knee and Roger comes on at No.8 for his first game in twelve weeks. So the game's first scrum is about five metres outside our twenty two, we get a good shove on but the ball reaches their No.8 and with both of their flankers standing up we get pinged for a binding offence in the front row...go figure.

They opt to kick for touch their fly half putting it out ten metres from our line. Looks a mite crooked but the ref gives them the benefit of the doubt, and their scrum half comes away with it, makes a small break but is tackled eventually by Roger, ball looks to have gone forward but it goes unseen and they spin to their fly half who dummies his inside centre breaks our line and sends a long one out to his wing, who promptly drops it. Scrum Yards, steady ball, General picks up sends it back to Ralph who puts in a good clearance kick the ball going out on our ten metre line. Woodrush put one of their several lightweight ones up and he takes it cleanly and they spin and their winger who's cunningly come in off his wing comes through the middle and it's the General who makes the tackle, but they recycle quickly and go blind. The tackles go in but we're pinged for not rolling away, and again seemingly following Vandals doctrine they kick into the corner. Again lots of movement in the line, the first time this season someone's tried something vaguely different to counter big Phil, they take it cleanly and spin and one of their big units comes through the middle and it's Coatesy who makes the tackle and strips the ball, he passes to the General who finds Nev who clears to touch the ball going out just inside our twenty two.

The Major gets in a great swipe and windmills it straight to the General who finds Coatsey who puts it long into their half, they field and start to bring it back but underestimate Lee's speed as he brings down the ball carrier on the halfway line, and he looks to have turned it over for the second time in succession, but ref decides unfairly and blows again. They go for the corner again the ball going out metres seven or eight from our line, they take cleanly and their scrum half snipes, but he's collared by the General and Chris strips out the ball, passes to the General who finds Coatesy who sends one back even further, the fullback having to play it from his twenty two, he steps Rick and kicks it to Roger who stands it up and waits for his friends to arrive, then we go to ground, penalty advantage as Phil spins it to Smokin', to Ralph, to Horse and he sets off, opens his legs and heads for the corner with space running out he pops it back inside to Smokin' who looks to have gone over, but the ref decides Horse has put a foot in touch and brings us back for the lineout about five metres out.

The ball comes in and Woodrush try to take it off the top, and our back row pour through and they are forced to ground it in goal for an attacking scrum to Yards. The first one goes down, and we have another go (Slow's words to the referee about it not being in our interest to pull it down hopefully ringing in his ears), we turn it slightly Rog picks up and we go blind, offloads to the General, who swiftly passes to Horse and their winger doesn't want to know and Horse goes over in the corner 12-0 Ralph's kick drifts just past the upright.

Big Phil takes the restart amongst a lot of traffic and Chris is first to him, General sends it to Nev who's short pop to Roger is almost intercepted by a Woodrush player, but he knocks it on instead and we get the scrum with Roger's feet on the twenty two. Ref sees something I couldn't and gives a free kick to Woodrush which they take quickly and the General makes the first up tackle, Roger's in there on the deck pinches the ball gets up and sets off and makes ten quick yards before passing to the General who finds Ralph who puts it down the park. One of their centres collects on their ten and again their passing lets them down again as it goes forward in midfield, the ref looks for advantage as Fitz picks up, passes to Smokin' to Nev, to Rick to Coatesy and he comes wide and collides with Horse on the touchline, cue some small amount of amusement between the two top scorers.

They take cleanly at four, as their well drilled technical lineout functions well against our more conventional approach, the ball comes out and their fly half does a step and kicks ahead, Horse collects and kicks to touch. Big Phil does enough to steal their throw and Rick tidies up and we set. The General sends it short and Chris takes it into contact, and we go again this time with Shannon, he makes a yard and we go close a third time this time with the Major. Ball comes safely back, Phil spins to Nev and he goes for the kick pass to Coatesy, but it's a little long and it's fielded by a Woodrush player but his onward pass is forward, so we get the scrum just behind the halfway line. Steady ball, the General ships it out to Nev, dummies Fitz, passes to Smokin', long pass to Coatesy but he's driven into touch.

They throw to two, Rupe tries to turn him but they get it back and it goes to ground and we're penalised for hands in. The fly half kicks for position the ball going out about twelve metres from our line. They shorten the line again, down to four this time and take it cleanly, scrum half puts a flat pass into the bread basket of their big second row, no one picks him up and he goes over for a bit of a soft try two or three metres from the posts 12-5 Simple conversion 12-7.

The General takes Nev's restart, sadly because it's only gone five and we go back for a scrum on halfway, steady ball for Woodrush, scrum half to fly half, miss pass, but the next one sails over the wingers head and he knocks it on as they continue to squander good possession with poor execution. Scrum Yards, the General's almost caught at the base but still manages to get the ball away to Nev, in turn to Tony Fitz who hits the gap, offloads to Smokin', to Ralph, to Horse, big nasty hand off, and literally runs over his own man, before a well timed pass back inside to Smokin' who's tackled but offloads off the deck to Fitzy in support and he crashes over to restore our two try advantage 17-7 Conversion unsuccessful.

One of the Woodrush forwards makes a great catch of his fly half's restart and passes it back, unfortunately though back to Rick who's deemed offside, and they get the penalty. The fly half puts it out ten metres from our line. They go again with the four man, and secure, but it's a wayward pass out and the fly half has to pick up off the deck and go it alone and it's Horse who finally stops him & drops him and the 677 drive over and Chris secures it and passes to BMT, penalty advantage as Woodrush come offside, non gained so Nev gets the opportunity to clear our lines, the ball going out just on our twenty two.

Big Phil takes it at four, but it's not straight and Woodrush opt for the scrum. The ball comes shooting out the back, the Woodrush scrum half manages to get it under control and out to probably their best player at ten (and our Nemesis from Halesonians) who takes it on again, and with the General hareing after him, he opts puts it up but Ralph safely takes the mark. Ralph takes a couple of steps and kicks into touch the ball going out about eight metres from our twenty two.

Another shortened line, five this time and they take cleanly then spin and they're allowed to slip a couple of tackles before they're halted, but they go again fly half, centre and again another loose pass proves their undoing as it goes forward, scrum Yards. Chris Rowe has to admit defeat and limps off and Slow comes onto the flank for the closing minutes of the half. During which time we manage to cough up the ball in midfield and it's fly hacked on by Woodrush, Ralph chases back and drops on it, too heavily as it happened tacking a heavy knock to the hip in the process, the ball squirting free and Woodrush fly hack on again and score under the posts & convert 17-14 With Ralph still prone, Lonie persuades the ref to blow a couple of minutes early. Slow overhears the youngsters make some rash comment about the chronologically challenged thick waisted orphans and blowing out of their ar5es in the second half and Slow muses that we may only have one gear but it does stay the course as many a sprat have found out to their cost.

Halftime 17-14 Isotonics left in my fridge and possibly our closest half time score of the season. Barstool like Lazarus has risen, his swelling subsiding a bit comes back onto the flank, and Slow comes back off.

Our restart is a bit of a low trajectory affair and is allowed to bounce giving us time to arrive on the scene by the time Woodrush get it under control and Bilbo inveigles his way in and we get the scrum as they fail to use it. Roger picks up, goes blind and gives it to Coatesy but the General is unable to take his inside pass and the ball eventually finds its way into touch just on their twenty two. Big Phil takes at four and we drive it on a yard before the General gives a short pop to Barstool on the crash, he's held and Roger's first to him, and we spin again, Phil to Nev, Fitz comes in on the scissors, he offloads inside to big Phil who's tackled but Woodrush are penalised for hands in.

The General takes it quickly, passes to Coatesy who gets almost to their line, he's tackled, ball comes back and it's another penalty for tackler not releasing. We take it quickly and from where I'm standing it looks like Barstool's gone over, but the referee decides it was held up, so we come back for an attacking scrum five metres out. First one goes down, what was that I said about not being in our interest, and we go again, this time Roger picks up and gets almost to the line, ball comes back, Bilbo has a go as ref signals penalty advantage, Rupert's up next he offloads to Coatsey who makes the space, pops it to Fitzy who goes over for his second...and what a great smile 22-14. With Ralph on one leg Nev's steps up but his attempt goes wide, but as our frequent readers know history says that's enough.

Shannon calls for the restart but it overshoots and it's Rick who tidies it up and the green machine gathers round and it trundles forward, Roger extricates their recently arrived humungous prop and as we reach halfway, Bilbo passes to big Phil just as Woodrush have a Squealer of their own and ref goes safety first and blows. After a lengthy break the youngster (they all are to us) is carried off with a twisted knee and the ref restarts the game with a scrum just inside halfway but if I was honest in a better position in midfield. And then a moment of the sublime in a pre-planned move (I kid you not) the General picks up at the base and puts a high kick pass out to Horse on the wing who takes it above his head without breaking his stride, hands his man off once then twice and goes over about ten metres out from the posts 27-14 Nev's conversion narrowly misses. Of all the 206 tries we've scored that has to be way up there..cracking try. Bilbo comes off, and with the wheels of the logistics industry firmly in place Gethin comes on.

Shannon calls for it but Lonie comes away with it, he passes to BMT but he's driven into touch. Woodrush secure their ball with one of those very scientific lineouts, and scrum half comes away with it, sees Barstool looming and kicks it direct into touch. Rick hits Big Phil and we set, the ball safely at the back with Gethin and we drive, but the ref's seen something and awards us a free kick. The General takes it quickly and pops it to Barstool, and he bounces the first one and goes looking for more. He's stopped and goes to ground and the Vandal massive drives over. The Major digs it out passes to Phil who pops to big Phil and he has to go from a standing start so only makes a yard before laying it back. General to Nev going blind to Horse who sets off collecting players on his way, too many as it happens and the ball comes free and one of the players brings it back only to be held up and John with Rupe's help rips the ball free and we start to maul it forward. Rupert has a little bit of afters off the ball as the General finds Nev, who cuts out Fitz and goes straight to Coatesy, who gets caught but puts it back inside to Smokin'. But whistle goes as a punch is thrown followed by some finger pointing but it all comes to nought, and ref restarts the game with a scrum to Yards in midfield. Steady ball sees the ball at Roger's feet, he picks up, pops to Phil, to Nev who chips ahead into touch.

It's a messy line and we get enough hands in to prevent it going anywhere and we get the scrum not far off their ten metre line, the scrum goes down and we get the penalty (maybe he was listening then) and Nev puts it into the corner. It's a great take at four by big Phil but the whistle goes and it's a new one on me, seemingly for crossing in the lineout, Woodrush are awarded a penalty and their accomplished fly half puts in a long kick going out on our ten metre line. Another shortened line with Mark, Rupe, John, big Phil and Rob at tail gunner, and again their complex line functions well and the scrum half sends it out, fly half, centre and Fitz makes a great tackle on his man who's then pinged holding on as big Phil tries to strip him of the ball. Nev makes an equally good touch the ball going out on their twenty two. It's one off the top by big Phil and the General does well to get it under control, before making a great initial break. He's tackled, he lays it back and Roger picks up and goes, good pass out to Nev who dummies Fitz, then Smokin' and spins to Coatesy, who looks for the gap, spots it, then lights up the afterburners and scores under the posts without anybody getting even close and then casually drop kicks his own conversion 34-14

Coatsey then takes the restart and passes inside to Smokin' as we start to put a good series of passes together before we're tackled in centre field. It's looks like they've turned us over on the deck, but we wrench it back just as the whistle goes for Gethin' giving one of their players a slap. They take it quickly and I think it's their fullback who shows plenty of gas and runs across the face of our defence, rounds the corner, straightens up and goes over in the corner for their third try of the afternoon 34-19 Kick unsuccessful.

Nev's restart finds one of the youngsters and big Phil makes the tackle, and holds him up and the Vandal massive closes in on his undeveloped arms, and it's Gethin who comes away with it and passes to Roger who makes good ground up the narrow side before being driven onto touch just outside their twenty two. The throw's not straight so it's a scrum to Yards. Roger picks up makes a yard, offloads to Coatsey who's come off his wing and he gasses the cover to go over in the corner 39-19 Horse has a pot at the posts but his attempt is wide.

Big Phil takes the restart and it goes forward off a Woodrush hand in the following mêlée, for a scrum to Yards. Roger picks up offloads to the General who in turn finds Horse, who puts it back inside to Long John Rollins who goes to ground. BMT picks up and the green machine sets round and moves it on a yard before the General plucks it out spins it to Nev who puts a long one over the top and we chase it down. It's collected and the Woodrush player tries to go through Smokin'...no chance and the ball is knocked forward in the tackle, advantage Yards. Nev scoops it up offloads to Fitz who finds John, but the ref decides to come back for the scrum. Slow engages the parent of the lad who'd obviously upset Gethin in conversation, ever the diplomat. It's a good scrum and the General whips it out, slicks hands finds Coatesy and he goes over for his hat trick 44-19 Kick unsuccessful.

Ralph also has to admit defeat and comes off, Fitz switches to fullback and Slow comes on for the last five or so minutes at inside centre, during which time Coatesy & Horse both go close again each getting held up on the line, but that's the last of the meaningful action as we close the game out.

Final Score (contrary to both Woodrush & the Referees' version but the tape doesn't lie) 44-19 Final age 676 (our fourth highest of the season averaging a shade over 45 and against largely a very young opposition)

A game in which we passed another couple of milestones in 206 tries and 1243 points scored......something special

Some 28 players have now played 10 or more games which has no doubt contributed to the Vandal's strong team ethic (please let me have your votes for Vandal's Vandal if you haven't already asap as I have to book the all expenses paid trip to the World Cup in New Zealand and the name needs to go on the ticket........yerrright!)

Slow

A better performance but another narrow defeat.

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:20:53 GMT

First XV

Club coach Gary Robinson (aka Bobo), a loyal club member from junior through the sides to first team captain and then on to Director of coaching and still a valuable player from the bench deserves more credit than our current match results suggest. In his feedback to me a couple of days after the most recent match it is still possible to sense more than a little frustration.

In a home fixture against promoted opponents, Newbold, the Ys held the lead for a considerable part of the game. Another powerful performance from the pack resulted in tries for Billy B, Steve Grainger and that smooth talking prop Peter 'the Fridge' Butler. Max converted two of the tries. It was with only 8 minutes left on the clock that Newbold took the lead but credit to them as their record over the season cannot lie and we wish them well next season. The final score of 19-23 was disappointing but as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, when we lose it usually is by a narrow margain. Coach Gary has nominated Joseph Patrick as his man of the match. Joe, collect your prize pint from Pete Butler at your earliest opportunity.

Vandals

Old Yardleian history was made in the match against Stourport on saturday with, at one stage, four members of that magnificent rugby family 'the Killarney's playing together for the club. Shannon snr. who took over as chairman of our min/junior section for a 2 year stint and is still in the job 10 years later was joined by his second row brother Andy who is, he claims, younger than Shannon snr, but doesn't really look it. Joining the fun were Shannon's two lads, Callum and Shannon jnr. The only question to ask is, 'where were you Pat?'
The actual game was yet another success for the Vandals against a plucky Stourport but tries flowed with two each from Young Simon and Phil the Horse and one each from Nev, Rick, Rob B, Phil G, Arkell and so he claims Martyn (slow) Cartwright. Ralph got a few kicks over and the final score was 62-5 in our favour. Full report below.

Minis and Juniors

As she who knows best booked a weekend away for us both it meant leaving Dave (Chicken) Hanson to look after the under 15 lads against local rivals Kings Norton. With glorious weather and school holidays the number of players from both teams fell sharply. With a couple of our boys playing for KN on a rota basis, a fast flowing game without flankers meant that speed merchants like Tre'rail were going to flourish and Old Ys went on to win in a high scoring game. Thanks to Ron for bringing his team across to play us.

The under 14s lost to Spartans but Bill and Nigel are pleased by the progress their team has made considering it is their first season playing together.

Weekend of April 16/17

At present, the fixtures are as follows

First XV     v      Old Leams     away (league)

Development XV    v    Alcester   (home)

Vandals XV      v Claverdon    (away)

Under 14s v Aston Old Eds    (away)

Under 15    v Lichfield

Old Yards Vandals vs. Stourport 2nds - Sat. 9th April full report.

With the current trend of opposition crying off and Droitwich doing the double for the season, closely followed by Griffinians Tom had to cast his net a little further afield for willing (or unknowing) opposition finally enticing Stourport 2nds of Midlands 5 West (North) to make the journey to Fortress Tilehouse.

Firstly a big thanks to Mark Baldwin for agreeing to referee the game.

In the trenches this week Shannon "Steps" Killarney at loosehead, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker, and Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at tighthead, in the boiler room John "Fingers" Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn with tackle twins Marcus "Shark" Hope and Nick "the Assassin" Levey on the flanks with Rupert "the Major" Young returning at No.8.

Amongst the Gods Iain "Johnno" Johnson back from the piste alongside Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, the versatile Rob "Barstool" Bastock partnering Simon "Slippery" Singleton in midfield, with wings Chris "Crash" Rowe and Phil "Horse" Watson and Dave "Ralph" Rollins making up the beds.

A very large bench at our disposal this week, with a trio of Killarneys Andy, Callum & Shannon Jr, Gary "Smokin" Williams, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Dave "Chicken" Hanson, Tom "Pickle" Mead , Billy "Wishbone" Hendon & Captain Slow

Stunt skipper Lonie keeping up his recent run of success wins the toss and following Slow's shrewd advice opted to play towards the beer in the second half.

Shannon takes the kick off and the 677 gather round and we roll it forward, we approach our ten metre line and Bilbo takes us left and we keep going gathering Stourport moss, before Johnno sends it out and Barstool comes immediately on the crash ball and runs straight through the first couple of tackles, just about survives a tap tackle, but eventually has to stand it up as he's left everybody behind. He goes to ground and we drive over but we're pinged for hanging on to it. Stourport opt to kick and rightly so as the ball goes out a couple of metres in front of our twenty two. The throw comes in and the Major makes sufficient contact with it for us to steal and we roll it forward a yard before Johnno sends it out to Nev who cuts out Barstool to Symes to Ralph in the line, he takes it into contact and big Phil's to him, and then the rest of the big lads join in but we nudge it forward and Stourport reply in kind and we go back for the first knock on. Not the straightest of put ins but they get away with it and we put the wheel on but they survive and spin it through the hands out to the wing where Chris makes the tackle. Barstool's too him and he comes away with it and we set, then roll.

The ball comes out and Nev chips over, and the a Stourport player knocks it on as he attempts to pick it up and we get the scrum. Steady ball Johnno to Nev, he dummies Barstool and passes to Ralph who finds Crash who takes it on and goes to ground, the Assassin's to him first and we spin again, Nev to Shannon who's on his own so he sends a long pass out to Horse who sets off and hands off the first one, but the ball spills forward and Stourport get the scrum. We get the shove on a bit too early and Mark has a word. We have another go and try to turn them and Johnno harries his man as he goes to pick up and ball goes backwards, it's picked up but the Assassin has him and BMT tidies it up and plays it and the Major takes it on. We're ten metres or so from the Stourport line, but the pass that comes out misses everybody and it's Ralph who finally collects it and pops it to Nev, to Horse to Symes but the onward pass goes between Chris' hands and Stourport recover but are driven into touch.

Stourport don't compete at the line but Rick's throw is not straight and they get the scrum. Rick makes up for his curve ball as he takes one against the head and Rupe picks up but he's tackled, turned over and the Stourport scrum half obligingly kicks it into Horse's hands and he sets off breaking through the first tackle then after acumulating a couple of Stourport players he offloads to Rick but it goes to ground, and Barstool picks it up and finds Johnno who looks for the gap; he finds Marcus who takes it into contact, we recycle Johnno finds Ralph on the narrow side and then in the game's comic moment Ralph kicks ahead and the ball ricochets back off a Stourport player which in turn ricochets back off Ralph and with the line begging Ralph simply can't pick the blessed thing up despite having three goes at it, Slow cracks up and Stourport get the put in about ten metres from their goal line.

At the scrum Johnno is pinged for offside and Stourport clear their lines the ball going out just on halfway. The throw's knocked on by Stourport in the line and Big Phil pinches it and Nick Levey tidies up, but Mark decides no real advantage is gained and we get the scrum. Johnno's caught at the base and it's nudged forward and Stourport get the scrum. But again we drive them off it and Rupe picks up and feeds Johnno, to Nev who weaves his way to the gain line before passing back inside to Nick who in turn finds Marcus who's held up and Rupe and Nick clear it out, Rick takes it close, and then Johnno comes away with it, dummies Barstool and passes to Symes who brings it all the way back the long way before spotting the gap, cutting through and going over under the posts for the afternoon's first score 5-0. Simple matter for Ralph 7-0.

The restart, being kind, only goes about five metres, and we come back for the scrum, steady ball and Johnno sets off and passes to Barstool but the ball cannons off Rob's manly chest so we have another scrum moreorless back on the halfway line. We innocently wheel the scrum and it goes 180 and we have another one, this time the Major picks & goes, he breaks through the first tackle and Marcus is first to him and we all set round and drive them on a few more yards the ball safely at the with Rick, before Johnno sends it out to Nev, who's onward pass goes through Barstool's hands but backwards but it's swept up by Ralph. He has to stand it up and wait for the green machine to gather round, the Assassin digs it out and passes to Lonie. Johnno opts for the short pop to Barstool who bulldozes his way through three or four before offloading to big Phil, then Rupe has a go and takes it into contact as Mark signals penalty advantage. Slippery steps in at scrum half and sends it out, dummy shout by Shark, ball finds Ralph, he passes to Chris on the wing who makes good ground, Mark deems advantage over just as the ball finds its way into touch for a lineout to Stourport.

It's not straight, but Mark plays good advantage as it goes loose and Nick pounces on it and flips it up off the deck to BMT but he knocks on, Mark again playing advantage allows Stour to try and counterattack but the ball carrier is halted in his tracks by a big hit from Barstool, and we come back for the knock on a metre inside their twenty two. Rick pinches it and Rupe picks up, he offloads to Johnno, who finds Nev who looks at first to stand it up, then decides to go looking for friends, sells a couple of dummies, keeps going and scores a great individual try in the corner 12-0.

It's a long deep restart and it's Johnno who collects in our twenty two and passes to Ralph who puts in a great kick to touch the ball going out on the halfway line. Shark does enough to deflect the Stourport throw and Johnno spins it to Nev, dummy scissors on Barstool, and pass finds Simon, to Ralph to Crash who takes it at pace and makes ten metres before being driven into touch.
It's another great steal by Marcus and Rick pounces on the tap down and Stourport pounce on him, but we manage to get the ball back and It's Shark who eventually comes away with it, dummies the Assassin, puts in a couple of those effective hand offs before giving Nick a real pass who in turn finds the Major, the back row working well. Rupe takes it into contact and having outrun the support we hang on to it a little too long and Sir blows for not releasing. Stourport kick to touch, the ball going out between the ten and halfway line.

It's a long throw and Nick does enough to put their No.8 off and Johnno picks up and distributes, Barstool taking the crash ball and Nick's to him but the ball comes loose and a Stourport forward fly hacks it forward and Slippery picks up,kicks ahead and gives chase, the ball landing in their twenty two and rolls towards their line. Their fullback is forced to play it as Simon shadows him and he's forced to kick short as a result the ball going out just inside their twenty two. Shark takes at two but Sir blows for not straight and Stour get the put in, but fortune smiles as the Stourport scrum forgets to take the ball with him and knocks on at the base. Scrum Yards, the Major picks up but Stourport have come round offside, penalty Yards. Johnno takes it quickly, to Nev to Ralph, long pass to Horse who cuts back inside and nobody wants to know as he goes over under the posts 17-0 Easy one for Ralph 19-0.

The restart evades every body's attention drops finally into the twenty two and it's left to Horse to take responsibility and he wellies it into touch for a lineout to Stourport. Rupert manages to get his hands in and disrupts the Stour throw and BMT jumps on the loose ball, but whistle goes Sir deciding it's gone marginally forward off the Major. Scrum Stourport, we put the wheel on, but the scrum half picks up, comes blind and chips straight into touch, lineout Yards. Nick Levey ends up with the ball at the lineout, and the Major digs it out, Johnno calls "chaos" and Bilbo takes it blind, offloads to Shannon who takes it into contact, Johnno calls "chaos" again and Rick has a go next and he goes to ground, big Phil makes the bridge, Johnno sends it out to Nev who pops it to Nev on the inside pass and breaks into open field, he finds Barstool who passes to Lonie in support, he crosses the twenty two, looks for someone to pass to finds Slippery who takes a great catch (or does that say something about John's pass) and Symes burns the remains of the cover to score his second 24-0 Ralph adds the extra points 26-0 and the stats say game over as we pass the magic 22.

Big Phil takes the restart, and offloads in the tackle to Swing, he takes it on a yard before going to ground and Stourport are penalised for coming over the top. We try to take it quickly but Sir's having none of it so Nev opts to clear but his kick doesn't make touch instead it stands up nicely on the hard ground and the Stourport fullback collects and kicks for touch but takes a deflection off big Phil's hands on the way out, the ball finally going out just inside their ten metre line. Marcus takes their ball almost as if it was thrown to him and we set, Johnno calls "chaos" and we go tight, first up is the Major, then Rick as we attempt to soften up the fringes but Sir decides that Swing's hung onto the ball a little too long and blows, the Stourport scrum half, probably their best player certainly their most lively takes it quickly goes inside then outside doing a number on the first two would be tacklers and heads off towards the corner where finds one of his wingers in support and he goes over wide out to open their account 26-5 conversion missed and with a couple of minutes to go that's the last of the half's meaningful action.

Halftime 26-5 Not much to say all going according to plan. The Assassin struggling with his knee comes off, Crash nursing his Achilles rather reluctantly moves onto the flank and newly arrived Smokin' goes onto the wing.
It's a clean catch by Stourport and they set but their attempted kick for position cannons off Nev, and Shark chases down the loose ball, snaffles it up and offloads it to Barstool at pace who finds Rick in support and Swing goes over to score our season's fastest try from a kick off as I made it 15 seconds from start to finish!!(I kid you not) 31-5 Ralph converts to increase our lead to 33-5 if only we could do that sort of thing from the start. Crash has to admit defeat and comes off and Shannon Jr replaces him on the flank.

The Stepmeister takes the restart catch and sets off into traffic, and we set, Johnno to Nev who puts one over the top and into touch for a lineout to Stourport. It's a long over the top, but Gethin adjudges it's not straight and we get the scrum. But they take one against the head (did they?) and their No.8 picks up and goes but he's felled by Shark and the ball comes free and we turn it back over, Smokin' gathers and sends a long one out to Ralph who's perfectly timed pass finds Slippery who sets the Horse free, he burns the first would be defender, then a second and heads for the line and goes over for his second of the day 38-5 Ralph's conversion is unsuccessful.

At which point the Colt Arkell comes for the Major, Wishbone for Bilbo and Killarney No.3 Callum for Johnno.

It's a big shout from Shannon the Younger at the restart not realising that it's his dad's job so he defers to Shannon the elder, who offloads to the Colt who makes great ground before popping it to BMT, he makes another few yards before we set, Callum finds Nev who chips ahead the ball going out just outside the Stourport twenty two. They secure good ball and spin, the fly half takes it on a yard before passing to their tall centre, but he's hunted down by Slippery and Horse strips him of the ball and flips it off the deck to Simon who finds Barstool who goes route one, he's finally held up about six or seven metres out, and Callum whips it out to Arkell who bludgeons his way over...now that's what you call an impact substitution 43-5. Kick unsuccessful.

Slippery comes off obviously saving himself for his upcoming holiday and Smoking moves to centre, Chicken replaces him on the wing and Horse canters off and Sapper Pickle comes on.

Shannon Sr takes the restart catch and Callum sends it out to Nev and he puts a good one over the top and Chicken gives chase, it's a real worker and the full back has no option but to clear to touch. Big Phil takes the catch at the second attempt and the green machine mauls it forward the ball secure in Rick's sweaty palms, Callum decides to call a halt to proceedings and sends out a long one, so long it flies past Nev and bounces past Barstool and it's left to Smokin' to tidy it up along with a couple of defenders. We set but we fanny about a little too long and the ball goes to ground and a Stourport boot hoofs it forward and Pickle has to cover back and put it into touch.

Both catchers are up nice and early first Stourport then Shark so we have another go, ball sails long and the No.8 takes the catch and he's dumped by Shannon Jr. They manage to retain possession and their scrum half sends it out to the fly half who's miss pass finds the outside centre who in turn finds his winger and again Shannon Jr makes the tackle and we turn it over, brother Callum finds Ralph who finds Nev who kicks to clear just inside our twenty two. The Stourport jumper's up at least an hour early and Gethin's whistle goes, Shark's first to the ball and follows Mark to the spot to take it quickly but Nev takes it in the end and puts a high one up Shannon Jr's under it first but it's a tricky bounce inside the Stourport ten and it ricochets off his head and Stourport try to mount an attack but Barstool makes the tackle and strips it and passes to Billy Hendon who finds Callum and the ball comes wide to Arkell who grubbers ahead (apparently expecting Chicken to run onto it) and the ball goes out just outside the Stour twenty two. Then history is made as Andy Killarney comes on for John Lonie and all four of the Killarney rugby dynasty are on together.

We fluff our lines and the ball goes forward at the subsequent lineout, Gethin plays advantage and Stourport promptly kick it away Ralph leaves it to Smokin' and Gary lets him have the pass instead Ralph kicks but it's charged down but Pickle collects the ricochet and takes it into contact and then to ground and Big Phil takes it on next; he's tackled and Andy clears the way for nephew Callum to pop it to Barstool who finds Chicken looking for trade. He's tackled and we recycle Callum brings it out wide looking for his strike runners but finds Rick instead and he takes it into contact, we set and Callum spins it out again to Nev to Shannon Sr, to Chicken back inside to Wishbone, but it's forward and whistle goes but Gethin's slyly being playing advantage for a Stourport offside. Nev takes it quickly but a touch too quickly for Sir and we have to have another go, Nev looks to kick but pops it to the Colt who boshes through a couple and gets almost to the line, Rick picks up and has a go himself (now suffering from white line fever) and he's tackled and Sir deems he's not releasing and is pinged.

Stourport clear to touch the ball going out between their twenty two and ten metre line; they throw long and their nippy scrum half comes away with it and goes, evading Pickle's less than convincing tackle and heads for the corner and it's left to Chicken to head him off at the pass and in doing so saving a certain try, and for Ralph to clear to touch. Big Phil pinches their ball and breaks through their lineout and makes ten yards, fifteen, twenty keeping them long legs pumping, he passes to Shannon Jr and we set. Callum zips it to Nev, to Marcus back to Callum, back to Nev who chips it over the top the ball going out between the Stourport ten and twenty two.

The throws not straight and we get the scrum with thirteen minutes to play, steady ball Callum to Nev and he brings Rob in on the scissors and boshes his way straight through and scores under the posts 48-5 Ralph converts and we pass the fifty mark for the eighth time this season
50-5.

Ball goes over the heads of the elder Killarney brothers and we have to set just on our twenty two and Callum sends it out to Nev, to Barstool to Smokin' to Chicken and he sets off, burns his man, then puts it back inside to Smokin' who has to stand it up, he keeps the legs pumping and waits for help to arrive, first is Shannon Jr, he takes it on a yard then goes to ground. Callum out to Nev, dummy Barstool pops it to Shark but it goes forward in the tackle, scrum to Stourport, ten minutes to go. Looks a bit crooked but Sir's feeling generous, scrum half picks up looks to go one way has to come back the other and finds his fly half, he puts a long loopy miss pass out to his winger who gets Smokin' too, Gary turns him then strips him, pops it to Barstool who finds young Shannon and we set again. Brother Callum spins it out to Nev over the the top of their loitering No.8 to Chicken to Ralph to Shannon, back to Chicken as we start to play a bit of sevens keeping the ball alive, but finally we knock it on for a scrum to Stourport.

Slow swaps places with Shark for the final 7 or 8 minutes, time enough to pinch the ball off Andy K at a maul about five metres out from the Stourport line and to rather theatrically dive over for his maiden try of the season 55-5 Ralph steps up and slots his sixth conversion of the afternoon 57-5.

Big Phil scores our final & tenth try of the afternoon after a bit of solo magic from Smokin' who sidesteps and burns his way to within inches of the line only to get held up but is able to offload in the tackle to BMT to topple over like the big Redwood he is 62-5 Kick is unsuccessful and Mark brings proceedings to a close.

Final Score 62-5 Final Age a youthful 602 (still over forty even with Pickle, Shannon Jr & Callum)

Man in the dirtiest shirt goes to Nev for a consumate display of the fly half's dark arts.

Our ten try haul bringing us our 27th victory of the season and puts us within touching distance of two hundred tries and 1200 points.

Good to see Squealer on the sideline especially given the serious nature of his injury.

This week on the menu with Claverdon going the way of Warley, Eds, Droitwich, Exiles & Griffinians will be Woodrush 2nds at Woodrush.

Slow

Games this weekend (April 9/10)

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:19:44 GMT

The sunshine has driven my reporters to alternative activities, probably of a liquid type so for the time being I will bring you news of the coming weekend games.

First XV   v   Newbold   at home in what is looking like a crucial league game for both clubs.

Development XV    v Droitwich    away

Vandals XV     v      Stourport 2nd XV     home

Sunday Mini/Junior so far

Under 14 v   Spartans    home

but I am still waitng for confirmation from other clubs of matches. Watch this space!

News arrives !!

Under 15

In no way due to admin errors, the under 15s decided to play a triangular fixture on sunday.
The quality of the matches and the enthusiasm of the teams was good to see.
A narrow defeat against Spartans was followed by another close game in which we beat a plucky Kings Norton

Use of statistics (I should have been a politician !!)

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:46:51 GMT

As our 757 flew homewards from some windy islands 60 miles off the coast of Africa,at 36,000 feet or whatever the pilot might have told us, I must have had a content smile on my face because she who is beautiful and must be obeyed asked me the predictable question 'what are you thinking about?' and for once in my married life an answer containing some elements of truth were to follow. I replied to the often suspicious one, 'Our first team were playing Kings Norton in a league match and I bet that we lost by just a couple of points.' My answer did the trick as she returned to her book. On arrival in the cold-air of Shirley I went straight to the RFU results web site and lo and behold, KN 14 Old Ys 12. I said to the 'knowledgable one' that I was correct with my forecast and she immediately checked to see if this was a regular thing or an unusual happening.
She said that she had analysed our league results and discovered that of our 19 league matches to date, that we had lost 11. Of these defeats 8 were by the margain of 6 points or less and that of these 8 setbacks 5 of them were by 3 points or less.If we had won the games with a 3 points or smaller loss, we would not be dropping down into the relegation zone but would be in 3rd position in the league.

So, what am I thinking? How is it that when games are won or lost by such small margains that we always seem to be the losers? Answers written on a five pound note to be sent to my missus or, better still, to me.
Seriously, is there a common reason? Suggestions from the touchline include missing kicks at goal, failure to convert pressure into points, giving away penalties in kickable positions, upsetting refs by too much backchat and that old favourite, running out of gas in the last 15-20 mins. I am not suggesting that any individual reason is the only answer, but boys, it is not my imagination, these facts are reality and need urgent attention.

If you want a match report have a look at The Redditch Observer or the Kings Norton website.

Development XV

Played and defeated Harborne 2nd XV by 22-14. Well done to Steve Painter (Dip FD) still playing with no worries about getting to the game as he is able to use his free bus pass

Vandals

No game as Eds couldn't get a second team out.
Good luck to the lads on a mini tour to Bath this weekend to play Oldfield Old Boys.

If only games were won on penalties given away!

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:23:08 GMT

First XV

Although I was lucky enough to be away for the weekend, my 'spy on the touchline' informs me that it was not an impressive performance. We did score the only try, and an impressive try it was, but 3 kicks from the Southam visitors was sufficient to give them a 9-5 victory. Without needing to go into detail, a penalty count of 30 conceded by Ys to only 6 by Southam should point to reasons for our downfall.

Vandals XV

Our 'mature' gentlemen travelled to Bournville, a club that has made huge progress in recent years. A reinforced home side provided our biggest test to date with the Ys twice falling behind before the familiar tale of victory could be told.
There might well be a link between success on the pitch and attending club functions on the night before. Celebrating the feast of St Patrick I noticed were President Sid and Mini/Junior Chairman Shannon and, guess what, they both scored tries against Bournville. Other try scorers were Iestyn Baldwin and Young Simon with two. Ralphy got a couple of kicks to make the final score 29-21 in favour of the Ys.

Minis and Juniors

With a number of regular players missing, the under 15s took on Birmingham Exiles in an entertaining match. Credit must be given to the referee from the North Midlands Society, Mr D. Collingwood, for allowing the game to flow. End to end rugby kept the crowd on their toes and a late score by the visitors enabled them to sneak a win by 21-15. Well done both teams.

Fixtures

Saturday 26th March

First XV     v    Kings Norton   (away) League
Development XV    v   Kings Norton 2s (Home)
Vandals        v   Edwardian's     (Home)

Sunday 27th March

Under7/8      v   Woodrush    (home)
Under9/10    v   Woodrush     (home)
Under 15      v   Woodrush     (home)

Don't forget to put your clocks forwards.

Social Life at the Old Ys

A massive thanks to Sharon, Pat and Shannon for organising the St Patrick's Day do at the club. As is tradition with anything Irish (and most things Old Yardleian), it starts slowly / late and then picks up nicely. Jackie J. and Anne a good display of Irish Dancing, Luke amazing cabaret, and I suspect that there is a taxi driver somewhere wearing a silly Guiness hat!

Basic errors cost us the game

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:51:08 GMT

First XV

Disappointingly, we lost to a try in the 45th minute of the second half but we cannot really offer excuses as we should have sown the game up much earlier. There were moments of excellent individual play, particularly from Steve Grainger and Ben Honey in the back row but the general feeling from the crowd (well Myself, Andy and a couple of blokes from Ambridge, or was it Harbury), was that the visitors wanted the win more than us. The Harbury website makes interesting reading.

On the day our first line tackling was not effective enough to halt their momentum and the kicking from hand was often without direction. If we adopt the kick and chase tactic then, to be honest, somebody should do a bit of chasing. My last observation is about goal kicking. We seem to kick some from the touchline but struggle with the simpler attempts which in this game cost us dearly.. Now, as a one-time goalkicker myself, a couple of cliches spring to mind as we all agree that it can be a pressure situation so yes it can be 'a hero or villain' moment but to make it easier my other suggestion is along the lines of 'practice makes perfect' Lecture over.

This saturday sees the return visit of Southam for a home league match. Brian, please make sure that the undersoil heating is turned on before you go home.

Development XV

We think that the vapours from low-flying aircraft got the lads in their game at Exiles. When the skipper recovers there will hopefully be some match details but all the news we have so far tells of an epic 5-5 draw.

Vandals XV

In honour of club president Sid reaching bus-pass age, the team travelled to one of his favourite clubs, (no not lap dancing clubs) but Tamworth rfc. No change to the pattern produced so far this season as tries came from Horse x3, Slippery Simon x2 and one each for Big Rob, Chris and Ralph who also got some kicks over. Final score 49-3 to Old Ys

Minis and Juniors

Another good weekend for our youngsters and their coaches/managers.

The very little ones, under 7s went to Bromsgrove and won one and drew two of their three games.

The under 9s hosted Wednesbury and won a close fought encounter by 4 -3 tries.

The under 13/14s continued to improve and beat Kings Norton convincingly. Team Manager Nigel Walker tells me that their style of flowing rugby reminds him of his own days as a player. Can any of his contemporaries support this claim? (only joking Nigel keep up the good work)

The under15s visited Alcester (pronounce it how you want) and played in a triangular against the home team and against Cheltenham. Excellent team spirit combined with determination saw us give the lads from Gloucestershire a run for their money before losing narrowly. In our second match we played well again and defeated the home club.
This sunday the under 15s are at home to Exiles with an 11.00 kick off.

My kicking tee

Sadly my need for a bright red lump of plastic which, as we all know, can win or lose matches has diminished and so it has been given a new home. There were many of our players considered to be in need including half the first team, many of the Dev. boys as well as Ralph and Nev from the vandals, although it tends to not matter so much for them. However, on sunday down at Alcester it was presented to under 15s outside half Jack Molloy (famous for his helicopter ride) who went on to succeed with every kick at goal. George, his dad, has promised to bring it to every game and let's hope that it does the trick!

Have boots will travel

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:19:35 GMT

Development XV

Unfortunately our scheduled opponents called the game off too late for us to find a suitable pool fixture. When I worked out that there was no home game to watch I decided to get on my bike and pedal down to the Eds on Streetsbrook Road to see how good they really were. Well, to be honest, the quality of opposition made it difficult to assess the Eds first team who won without having to break sweat. Anyway, good luck on your cup run with Twickers now well within sight.

While I was there my curiosity took me to the swap-like far pitch where Eds 2s were playing host to Camp Hill. As I looked closely I noticed our Development XVs leader Luke playing for the Eds. Apparently they were a little light on players so well done Luke for being a good neighbour. Looking even more closely I then spotted 'play anywhere' Greg in an Eds shirt, Adam Walker, Chris Rhodes, Egg and Steve Cunningham with his dog. Now, here comes a coaching point for the Eds number 10, if every time you make a break you lose possesion and if you have got better or faster players outside you, then give them the ball. It ain't rocket science!

First XV

Travelling to Evesham for the return league fixture against a decent team but a team that we beat comfortably at home, our performance was very disappointing. In the view of one of our more experienced players 'we didn't turn up'. I think he means that our reading of the game was below-par. The league table looks less than satisfactory and we really do need a strong performance next saturday against lowly Harbury.

Minis and Juniors

Sunday 13 March

Under 7 v Bromsgrove   away
Under 8     Ashby Festival
Under 9/10 v Wednesbury   home
Under 14     v Kings Norton away
Under 15   v Alcester v Cheltenham   at Alcester in a 3 - way contest first game at 10.30 and the host club putting on a feast after the game (don't tell Fridge!).
Alcester 's club is located on, Birmingham Road, Kings Coughton, Alcester, B49 5QF and we need you to get there in good time please

Social events

St Patricks +1 at the club.
A brilliant laugh (watch Brian perform an Irish dance), a quality Irish band, and for more information just look on the home page of this website.

Friends of The Old Yards

As I mentioned earlier I called in at the Eds on saturday and when I got to the second team game bumped into some regular villains. Jan Ogan, Cleggy, Steve Jacks, Horse and Tall Bloke who can't catch. When I asked why they weren't playing they started with the usual tosh about injuries but eventually the truth came out. Their Captain thought the lads from the Old Ys who had their came called off might be better players than them. Harsh but probably true to an extent. My memory might play tricks but I do recall most of these guys playing for the Ys at some time or another. Boys, you are not that bad. Buy your Captain/Coach some beer, turn up training and who knows what might happen?

Oldfield Old Boys 3rds vs. Vandals - Mini Tour match report 2nd April

Saturday 2nd April 2011 found us on our season's second "mini tour" down in the picturesque city of Bath to play Oldfield Old Boys 3rds, a Level 7 club whose first team ply their trade in the Southern Counties South, South West Division where they currently lie second in the table (we being Level 8 should you be wondering).

With a few of the usual subjects missing, Nev living it up in Las Vegas, the General being down a manhole, Ralph nursing his rubber band, Mike similarly his ankle and Johnno on the Piste this meant a slightly rejigged starting fifteen, with a debut handed to "young" Lee Purdy and a return to action for the experienced trio of Chicken, Bobo & Fridge.

So starting in harness this week Shannon "Steps" Killarney at loosehead, tour virgin (so I'm told) Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker, and Mark "Gethin" Baldwin at tighthead, in the boiler room John "Fingers" Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn with tackle twins Marcus "Shark" Hope and Nick "the Assassin" Levey on the flanks with the ever eloquent "you're a f**ing prick you are" Rob "Barstool" Bastock starting at No.8.

In the attendants Lee "Purds" Purdy at scrum half alongside Gary "Smokin'" Williams at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Simon "Slippery" Singleton in midfield, wings Dave "Chicken" Hanson and Welsh Ryder Cup legend Chris "Crash" Rowe and Sean "Squealer" Byrne at fullback .

A colossal bench then with Bill "Bilbo" Burrows, club coach Gary "Bobo" Robinson, Pete "Fridge" Butler and bringing up last night's chips Captain Slow, together with the Vandals own sports psychologist and Bob's mate Cedric and team paparazzi Ali "Spasm" Gouldbourn.
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Unlike Lymington thanks to Bath's excellent taxi service we arrived on time and in good order and were able to enjoy Oldfield's plush surroundings and unseasonal sunshine before getting down to the task in hand. As we took to the very large pitch the rocket scientists amongst us quickly noticed that probably two thirds of the opposition were old enough to be love children and that the wide open expanses of North East Somerset were going to be more of an advantage to their younger legs.

A small slope on the pitch however marginal made it an important toss then for stunt captain Lonie to win and he duly obliged opting to receive and play up the slope in the first half.

A fairly forgettable error strewn first half I think we'll all admit where we were simply unable to get into our stride or able to string any meaningful phases of play together, so I don't propose to go over it in detail. Some fairly generous refereeing (a former Oldfield player in only his seventh game incidentally) allowed the opposition youngsters to live predominantly offside throughout the first half stifling our creative department, who were unable to manufacture any real space in the midfield or out on the flanks, and compelling us to force the play more often than not.

Oldfield were first to open the scoring after about five minutes; Oldfield having being awarded a scrum Rick and the boys took it against the head, Purds sets off from the base, spins to Smokin' who passes to Barrel who takes it off his toenails but is enveloped before he can really gain control of it (that would be offside then) and he's turned over and Chicken has to make the first up tackle but is unable to stop the pass getting away to their tricky little winger and it's Barrel who makes the next hit. They recycle quickly and spin, their young three quarters running largely at our forwards, Barstool & Smokin' make the next two tackles but Oldfield keep it alive and come left and their centre carves through our defence with a well taken cut back to go over close to the posts 0-5. Oldfield convert the simple kick to increase their lead 0-7 and they don't look bad for it either in fairness and are probably justified in thinking they are going to score a boatload in the Spring sunshine.

But as our regular readers know the Vandals don't ever roll over but it takes the best part of another gruelling thirty minutes of stop start rugby before we open our account. Following a knock on Oldfield were awarded a defensive scrum a few metres from their line, Steps & Gethin put on the squeeze (not sure who was up against the 61 year old) and the pip squirts out the side and the Assassin's on it like a flash, the ball comes back to big Phil and we secure it and drive it forward Vandal style, Chicken giving plenty of technical advice on body positions as we roll towards the posts. Eventually Swing breaks off with it and takes it into contact and we clear them out, Purds whips it out to Smokin' who's been setting up their defence with dummy scissors after dummy scissors and he finally unleashes the Barrel on a real one and he cleaves his way through the defence to score virtually untouched under the under the posts 5-7 Smokin's conversion attempt agonisingly comes back off the crossbar.

Barstool catches the restart and sets off in typically robust style making some good yards before he's stopped, the 677 gather round and the ball comes back cleanly to Purds who ships it to Smokin' who rifles a long one up field.The ball sits up nicely for the Oldfield fullback who collects and bangs it up end over end down the park where Nick Levey clears up the loose ball. In the resulting mêlée the ball goes forward off an Oldfield hand and we are awarded the scrum just inside our half. Our Eight now beginning to exert some muscle secure steady ball for Purds who spots a gap behind their midfield and chips over the top, the ball bisecting their winger and fullback and he has the gas to collect his own kick to go over to score 10-7. Gary's conversion goes just wide, Oldfield look a bit nonplussed at their sudden reversal in fortunes and the ref's whistle goes to bring the first half to a close.

Halftime 10-7 A forthright halftime chat where we highlight the areas where things are going wrong, but realising that despite this, we are in the driving seat, and history shows like a good port we only get better....especially downhill. In international style fresh legs come in the front row in the form of Bilbo & Fridge for hardworking Shannon & Mark.

It's only a few minutes after the restart that we increase our lead further following a penalty for an Oldfield player not releasing the ball from the tackle; Smokin' puts the ball out on their twenty two. Big Phil takes a messy ball at four and we set then drive, the ball safely in the clutches of Rick in the van. We're held up and Purds spins it out to Smokin' who looks over his shoulder for Barstool, but he's gone the other way so settles with an offload to Fridge instead who takes it into contact and we set. Purds makes the initial break, is tackled and we drive over and Barstool picks up and goes. He's held up, the ball comes back and Bilbo has a trundle, then Rick has a go as we start to soften them up a bit, but Purds sees a gap and he's gone, scoring between the sticks 15-7. Gary makes no mistake 17-7.

This third unanswered try finally spurs Oldfield into action and a few minutes, a poor clearance kick and a couple of forward passes later they go over for an unconverted try 17-12. Slow snarls on the touchline.

Smokin's restart gets held up in the wind and we go back for a scrum on the halfway line, but the replacement Oldfield scrum half is pinged for feeding and we get the free kick. Purds takes it quickly, passes to Smokin' who kicks ahead into space, it's gathered by Slippery who offloads to Fridge in support as we cross their twenty two, he in turn pops it to the Assassin and a great run sees him get to within seven or eight metres of their line before he's finally held up. We set and Lee sends it out to Smokin' who has to take man and ball (that would be offside again) he stands it up and the 677 pile in and drive it on, we can see the line as the ball comes out to Symes who scythes his way through the defence to score our fourth 22-12. Kick unsuccessful, but it's still a two score lead. Nick Levey comes off, Barstool moves onto the flank and Bobo comes on at No.8.

Big Phil takes the restart and we set and we seem to take an age to present it to Purds, who sends it out to Smokin', he steps his man and chips ahead, Chicken's onto it and pops it up to Fridge who sets off for glory and gets to within five metres of the line before he's stopped and we set, Barrel's in there first he passes to Chicken who pops it to Bobo who takes it on the crash and gets almost to the line. We set and are teeing up the pass to Fridge when Oldfield aggressively counter-ruck and turn us over and to add insult to injury the ref gives them a penalty, which they take quickly whilst the referee is still engaging us in conversation and try to play their way out of their twenty two. Barstool makes a great tackle, but they manage to offload and give it some width but Chicken drives his opposite number into touch for a Yards lineout between the ten and the twenty two as a small scuffle breaks out and Barstool's vents his spleen with some choice Anglo-Saxon and the referee decides to call the captains together for a chat.

The ball goes loose at the tail of the line and is knocked forward for a scrum to Oldfield, and our Eight promptly drive them off it and Barstool picks up and goes and we start to string some good phases together using our big lads as Oldfield's younger forwards start to struggle with our old fashioned physicality and rolling maul as Bobo, Lonie, Fridge & Bilbo each take turns in grinding out the hard yards but it's big Phil who's finally driven into touch well inside their twenty two. They throw long and after a couple of attempts Rob comes down with it and we secure and the green machine moves forward again, then Bobo goes blind finds Fridge who's unstoppable from this range and he goes over in the corner for a great forward try 27-12. Kick unsuccessful but game in the bag.

Oldfield switch the kick at the restart but Crash takes it cleanly over on the far side and runs it back to the halfway line where he is driven into touch. Shark gets a hand to the Oldfield throw and Swing tidies up the knock down and off we go the fat boys working in concert, with Bilbo at the back, but Purds decides he's had enough and he sends it out to Smokin', to Barrel who knocks it on, ref plays advantage but none comes so scrum to Oldfield. Bobo pauses to stretch off those hamstrings. Ball comes in and straight out the other side and Shark picks up and goes but the ref decides to have another go. We try to unintentionally wheel the scrum, but they manage to get it away and Slippery makes the tackle; they recycle and go again and Barrel makes the next one and it's adjudged to have gone forward off Nick, for another scrum to Oldfield.

Our weight advantage beginning to tell as we take another against the head and Bobo picks and goes and bulldozes his way through the first couple, unloads to Shark in support, he pops to BMT who takes it on another couple of yards before we set. Purds peels before sending it out to Smokin', to Barrel, to Slippery, he ducks under the first tackle and goes, before sending a bit of bouncing bomb out to Sean who opts to fly hack it ahead. Oldfield collect and try to run it back out and Barrel makes the first tackle, they recycle and punt it forward and Crash gives chase. He picks up reverses course and goes through two or three tackles before he's finally stopped, and we set, ball comes out to Barrel who bundles a couple over before passing to Chicken but Swing makes the interception and knocks on!

Again our Eight put the squeeze on and again the Oldfield nine is pinged for feeding. Chicken's first to it and he takes it quickly, jinks past the first couple (makes Slippery look like sandpaper), offloads to Lonie who's a little less subtle and goes route one, he passes to Marcus in support who takes it into contact and then to ground and we clear them out, but a pair of amber & red hands reaches in and pinches it and they have a go at the rolling maul. But they're not as good at it as we are and it collapses and the ref calls ruck and it's Barstool who finally secures it, Chicken takes the pass sees a gap, breaks through the attempted tackle and he's away, outsprinting the cover to score under the posts 32-12 He drop kicks over his own conversion 34-12

Nick Levey & Mark Baldwin back on for Marcus & Rick respectively for the final ten.

Our final try is a gem, the ball is spun wide through the hands to Chris on the far side wing who gives a great timed inside pass to Fridge who sprints in from about twenty yards to score his second 39-12. Slippery this time drop kicks the conversion (show off) 41-12.

With about five or so minutes to go Slippery comes off with some minor muscular ailment, Barstool rumbles into the centre and Slow comes onto the flank for just the one scrum, for as the ball is spun out Sean joins the line, is tackled and goes down awkwardly and dislocates his ankle and a new nickname is born as he lets us all know he's done for the afternoon. With Squealer refusing the offer of an ambulance it is agreed between Lonie, the ref and their skipper that it's a good point to end the afternoon's proceedings given the serious nature of the injury.......and the score line.

Final Score 41-12 Final Age 652

We all retire to Oldfield's excellent wine bar like Clubhouse to enjoy Chris's excellent golfing skills before hitting Bath's All Bar One and beyond for those who managed to stay awake.

Housekeeping:

Anybody lost a pair of black rubber undershorts?

Slow

The Big Man returns!

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:43:27 GMT

One of rugby's giants makes a comeback. More to follow.

First XV
With scheduled opponents having to play a previously postponed match there was no suitable pool game to be found. So did the boys come training or did they take their wags shopping? A headcount suggests the latter. Back to action at Evesham in an away league game this saturday.

Development XV

With Luke leading from the front (row), our inconsistent but highly promising youngsters (apart from Paul Gower), faced a real challenge at home to Evesham 2nd XV. Considering the state of the weather and the heavy pitch, there was some very good rugby played by both sides. Tries for the Ys from that man of many talents, Purdey, as well as one each from Jonty and Adam in addition to some kicks from Son of Billy led to a narrow victory to the Ys by 22-15. This week it's a home game against Pershore 2nds .

Vandals XV

Against a very useful outfit, Evesham 3rds and in tricky conditions, our seniors (i.e ancient) stars played some superb rugby after the initial surge by opponents who had some very strong runners. Having worn them down the Vandals scored at regular intervals to secure a victory by 48-0. Tries came from; Phil W. x2, Smoking x2, and one each for Ralph, Greg Allen, Ali G. and Nick. Ralph and Nev managed some of the easier conversions. Thanks to the ref who I believe was Ivor from the Bournville club.
My memories of Mark Higgins are of those days when he was used primarily as a psychological weapon, i.e. stand him outside the opponents changing room and hear the panic created. When I saw Mark on Saturday on the touchline with kit on, I assumed that whilst in the gym somebody must have stolen his clothes. However, when introduced into the game during the second half certain things came to mind. Firstly, Mark is still big, but also he is physically fit and significantly his handling skills were in fine order. So, that means good news for us but this weekend's opponents, Berkswell and Balsall Vets be warned. This match is part of their President's day celebration.
Full report below.

Minis/Juniors

Well done to the Walker/Hendon management team. Second win in a row. Opponents Uttoxeter are in the early developmental phase. They showed touches of individual skill and a lot of enthusiasm but lacked a little in terms of group/whole team skills and tactics, which, of course, takes time. Thanks to the referee, Mr Darren Collingwood.

This weekend the only scheduled match sees the Under 15s take on Droitwich on a hopefully drier pitch at the Portway (A435/M42 junction 3). For Satnav users B94 5LH
The other M/J squads should be training but check with your team managers.

Tom's funeral

The chapel at Yardley cemetery was packed as we said a sad farewell to Tom Guise. Many players from the past through to the present day were joined by family as well as by friends from other clubs. Many fond stories were told of days gone by and some of them might well have included a little bit of fact as well as considerable exageration. Beer was flowing and I was told that one of our former props fell over, but after 20 pints who wouldn't.
It was particularly good on a personal basis to see Tony Meades who introduced me to the club many moons ago. Also it was good to have a chat with a youthful looking Keith (Bert) Black, now residing in Malvern. I recall my first team debut a long time ago when Bert was captain on the day. He made it clear that as fly-half that I must not for any reason pass to either of my centres, Tom Guise or Sid. They are there for defensive duties only as they can't catch, pass or make a break. To be diplomatic, we won that game but I can't remember if I passed to them or not. However, I do recall the taking of snuff and I fully understand why it has never caught on!

Vets v Evesham 3rds - Full Match Report

Saturday 26th February and Game 22 saw us in a Pool fixture at Fortress Tilehouse against Evesham 3rds, Warley having cried off early in the week...no surprise there then.

In the trenches this week Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at loosehead, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker and Mark "Gethin" Baldwin at tighthead; in the second row John "Fingers" Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn, with the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks and Robbie "Barstool" Bastock at No.8.

In the air corps Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Phil "Horse" Watson and Sean " Bean" Byrne, with Dave "Ralph" Rollins sweeping up the leaves at fullback.

An embarrassment of riches for Slow this week with the season's largest bench in Chris "Crash" Rowe, Andy "Fred" Killarney, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Mike "Nearly" Neary, Iain "Johnno" Johnson, Kings Norton leg end Billy "Wishbone" Hendon, Ali "Spasm" Gouldbourn, Greg "the Knife" Allen and a return to playing after nearly 12 years to Mark "Tiny" Higgins. (Captains Note: Mark & I first locked horns competitively at school 37 years ago & he was f**king big then!)

Apologies (or you might be relieved to know) for a shorter than usual match report....technical issues...I believe they're called batteries

With the First team taking the weekend off Evesham suspected that we might indulge in loading the side with ringers and both Tom & I had to give guarantees before kick off that we wouldn't resort to subterfuge...and if you're reading Evesham we don't have to! Having won 28 games on the bounce without their help. Their skipper Colin did apparently groan however, when he was informed that their Nemesis of last season Horse was playing.

With the recent heavy rainfall we opted for a very heavy pitch Two (in truth I couldn't be arsed to inspect our beloved pitch Three) in very overcast and breezy conditions. Stunt skipper Marcus got the call wrong this week and rather surprisingly Evesham opted to play with the elements in the first half giving us the kick off towards the Clubhouse.

Nev's kick is fielded and immediately Evesham look to run it and Shark makes the first tackle; they set & recycle, the ball coming out to their Polish behemoth playing at No.8 this time (having been introduced to his nuts last season playing at prop against Bilbo). He shows a remarkably good set of hands and flings it straight out to his outside centre and he's brought down in midfield by Barrel. They secure and go close, their big lad taking it again but he's held up by Lonie, but they get numbers round and drive him on and over the halfway line. He extricates himself as the maul becomes a ruck and the No.8 has another go before wanging another high level pass out and again it's Barrel who makes the tackle in midfield. Evesham recycle and spin but bring it back in close, we spread the line as we absorb the early pressure, the ball is spun out to the inside centre and the Assassin has him. Again Evesham go route one with the No.8, again he's stopped but being six & a half foot tall is able to get the pass away and Barrel again takes the receiver. Same old as the No.8 goes again but goes straight this time and gets over our twenty two where he's gang tackled, they recycle and the No.8 goes again (beginning to sound one dimensional aren't they) this time it's big Phil who wraps him up but Barstool is penalised for coming in from the side...well at least it broke the monotony! They opt to kick for points but miss and we touch down for a twenty two drop out. So this week's warm up lasts eight or nine phases and a solid two minutes of defensive duties.

The General manages to weave his way in amongst the forwards to take the restart catch, but nudges it forward in the process, and the ref plays good advantage, the organised Evesham eight secure the loose ball, take it short before spinning it wide and Nev takes a hand off that leaves him on his backside, but that said we're comfortably holding them in midfield and even pinch it at the next breakdown, at which point the ref decides not enough advantage was gained so we come back for the knock on, and the first scrum of the game to Evesham. But Rick does his thang, picks the boys up and we drive them off their ball, the General whips it out to Nev, to Barrel who puts one over the top, their peroxide winger takes it cleanly and sends it back over, but Barrel anticipating this cunning ploy is back to take the catch and clear to touch.

They win the line at the tail but we turn the catcher and pinch it, the General sends it out to Nev, to Barrel who powers up and goes, he passes to Smokin' who takes the catch but loses his footing in the process and goes to ground. Barrel's first to him in support and we spin, to Nev to Barstool on the cut back and he boshes his way through the first few tackles and we set. Phil sends it out straight to Smokin' to Ralph to Horse who cuts back inside and gets all the way to the Evesham twenty two before getting stopped, the General pops it to Bilbo and the 677 gather round. Ball comes out to Nev and he sells a superb one to Barrel, they all buy it and Nev glides through the gap and gets to within ten metres of the line before getting stopped. Bean's first to him, but the ball is ripped out by an Evesham defender but it goes forward for a scrum to Yards. They get the drive on and pinch it and the No.8 picks up but Nick's to him, but the big fella gets the ball away and their 13 kicks for touch, but fails to find it and Sean does a Dervish and comes inside and we set, Rick ships it straight out to Nev, to Ralph in midfield to Sean and he takes it into contact and we set again. Nev gives a show and go to Barrel but Evesham don't buy this one and Nev goes to ground and we all pile over, a little too over, as the ref's whistle goes for a penalty. It's a good long kick which gets all the way into our twenty two but it fails to find touch and it's fielded by Sean who sends it back the ball going out just inside their half.

Evesham take it cleanly at two but it's a crap pass out to the fly half, who has to stand it up and gets Nick for his trouble and we turn it over but they come over the top, penalty Yards. Great kick by Nev into the corner ball going out about ten metres from their line. Gethin sends a low one into Marcus at two, just about head height in fact, Marcus taking it in his midriff and we set and drive it on, Barstool stands off and comes in at pace and takes the short range pass and gets almost to the line before getting stopped, Nick's there in support and it's a flick off the floor from him to the General to Ralph who goes it alone (that's Slow speak for should've passed) and gets caught, Smokin's first to him then BMT, we're right on their line, but struggling to get anywhere, finally it comes out loose and Horse gets the pass and does the simple thing and goes over in the corner 5-0 Ralph's kick is unsuccessful, but that was a quick eight minutes.

The Evesham restart finds the General's knees, he regathers and puts up a high one and it's the Evesham skipper who takes it and Bean shortly after and scrags him to the deck. Evesham manage to recycle despite our token Northerner's best efforts and their No.8 takes it on close and the Assassin fells him and the ball spills forward, referee playing good advantage as Smokin' scoops it up, passes to Ralph who chips one over for Horse to chase. It must be quite frightening for their winger as he collects knowing that Horse is on his case (at which point on the commentary Slow pisses himself laughing) as Horse literally picks his man up like a rag doll and carries him toward touch, the "professional" winger (or so he told us) does manage to drop the ball onto his foot to gain his side a few more yards, only for the General to slip the pass away to Nev and Barrel comes in on the scissors, all a bit static but still manages to get a good hand off in on the former third ranked Polish heavyweight boxer (kid you not) before we set. Swing's in there but they counter ruck well and turn us over, but in trying to retrieve the situation we compound our sins and concede a penalty between their ten & twenty two. They kick for touch the ball going out just inside our twenty two. It's a four ball and BMT poaches it but ball comes out loose and Horse picks it up and he's driven into touch for another throw to Evesham. They just about secure it despite BMT's best efforts and look to spin short but go to the fly half and he's clattered by the Assassin and we get the penalty for not releasing. Ralph puts it out just on their ten metre line.

We're pinged for a technicality at the line but their skipper opts for another lineout and not the scrum and Shark immediately pinches their low throw at two and we set, General sends it out to Nev who dummies Barrel and goes straight through the gap again between the centres, he's tackled offers it up to BMT, he offloads to the General to Ralph to Bean, he cuts back inside and hits traffic, we set again, Nev to Smokin', makes inroads, dummies Rob, gets caught, Sharks to to him but ball is nudged forward. Scrum to Evesham, under pressure from our Eight it collapses and referee blows and gives them a penalty which they kick to touch.

BMT takes their ball at the front of the line as we start to dominate in the set pieces, the General comes away with it, to Nev and it's a flat crash ball to Barrel who bulldozes his way through and gets all the way to their five metre line where he's held, it's all a bit messy and someone sends out a bouncing bomb which is collected by Smokes who sends a long one out to Sean, he goes through his man, but is driven into touch by the Evesham cover. They guff the lineout and we are awarded a scrum, it's slow ball so Nev punts it forward, they field it and punt it back, Sean takes it around half way and he has a go, the ball finding a spot to bounce midfield just inside their twenty two, and to their credit they try to run it out but Barrel makes the tackle and the ball goes loose and the General scoops it up finds Horse who puts Ralph over in the corner 10-0 Ralphs conversion just falls short.

They attempt a quick restart and big Phil shows off his footballing skills as he traps it, before picking up and setting off on a run, he pops an inside pass to Shark who hands off the first would be suitor before going to ground, but the whistle goes as the ref doesn't like Shark's effective hand off. Evesham try take to take the penalty quickly, but the ref calls them back as he's still talking martial arts with Shark so they kick for position, but it fails to find touch only Bean who punts it back and forces them to bring it back out from inside their half. Sean makes the follow up tackle on one of their big lads, but he gets it away to the big No.8 who looks to have broken the line but Nick's clinging on to one of his legs again and down he goes and we turn it over, Phil to Nev to Smokin' great timed pass to Barrel to Ralph to Horse who cuts back inside looking for space but ball gets knocked on in the tackle.

Scrum to Evesham, looks like their flanker who picks up Barstool nabs him, ball goes to ground and their fly half picks up, Nick gets him, they recycle, ball finds their No.8, he breaks the first tackle but not the second and the ball is nudged forward so the ref plays advantage but none comes so scrum to Yards. Barstool picks up from the base and goes, evades the first one, is caught by the second and his pop off the deck is harshly adjudged to have gone forward, scrum Evesham. It's a great drive by our Eight and with their scrum under pressure the ref spots a hand trying to help it out, penalty Yards. Nev looks to take it quick but ref's still marking out the ten so Nev puts it into the corner the ball going out about six or seven metres from their line. Big Phil takes a clean catch at four and Swing's round to tidy it up and we drive it on, the General's in there somewhere so it's Gareth Baldwin who ships it out to Nev and it's a long miss pass to Smokin' but it's too low & hot to handle and it goes forward (and I'm assuming here it struck one of our support players) as ref gives a penalty (for accidental offside)?

Their young fly half puts a high one up which bounces infield in our twenty two and Ralph clears to touch. BMT then takes their ball at four and it's spun out to Nev who punts it forward and it dies a death as it hits the whitewash intersection and their winger scoops it up and chips ahead and in one of those rare occasions Shark calls for the mark. He tries to take it quickly but their "professional" winger having overshot his own kick tries mug him from behind, penalty Yards, but the winger decides to have a chat with anybody who'll listen. Eventually Nev kicks to touch ball going out just outside our twenty two, we take it at two Rob comes round on the peel on the narrow side but he's driven into touch. Again we take their ball as Marcus deflects it at two and BMT takes it at four, moreorless off the top the General whips it out, great hands by Nev as he takes it down by his boot laces, to Barrel to Smokin' to Ralph who's in the line, goes over the twenty two, over the ten, looks for support, spots Smokin' on his inside and Gary's away, he looks for support and it's a difficult one to take off the deck for Sean and it goes forward.

Rick takes another one single handedly against the the head...what a guy and the General snipes, he makes good ground and gets into midfield Smokin' takes the pass off the deck as we keep it alive, we're into their twenty two and Barstool picks up about five or six metres from their line, we recycle again the General looks for options, and spins it out to Smokin' who does a bit of a step, is taken high but stands it up, we set, the General brings it left to Nev to Horse who rather than head for the left hand corner comes back in field to build up a head of steam, boshes a few and goes over a couple of metres to the right of the posts 15-0 Ralph's effort sails over 17-0

Bit of a repeat of the last restart as BMT flicks it up off his feet and sets off on a gallop, he's tackled, we recycle and the General pops it to Barstool who takes into midfield and we set and go again this time to Nev who pops a neat inside ball to Lonie who bludgeons his way through a couple before going to ground, but they pinch it, but ref decides on a scrum to Evesham before they can use the turnover. Scrum's midway between the halfway line and their ten and we get a shove on and the No.8's forced to pick it up but the General grips him round his ankles so he has to ship it out to his fly half who puts one over the top which Sean fields, but a good chase by the Evesham winger leaves him with no choice but to pop it into touch.

No matter as we pinch their ball at the lineout and spin to Nev who kicks for position but it doesn't find touch and they bring it out and the ball finally finds their No.8 but whistle goes for offside. The No.8 takes the quick pass and goes but Nick's round his ankles again and down he comes, they recycle and come left and Barrel makes the tackle and looks to have stripped the ball carrier but the ref blows again and awards Evesham a scrum 15 metres out from our line. No surprise as the No.8 picks up but the General's round his socks again and he's forced to pass, they try to run but it's all very lateral as our drift defence stays with them and they're forced to set and the No.8 tries again (Captains note I get the impression he does this week in week out, but he's getting no change from our 8 point a game defence as we demonstrate time & time again how to stop a big one in his tracks) this time it's Shark who makes the tackle on our twenty two, he gets a few metres further only for Nick to steal the ball and that's the last play of the half as the ref's whistle goes.

Halftime 17-0 Drinks all round. Andy K comes on for Lonie, Chris Crash for Shark and Ali G for Barstool.

From the restart Andy's soon into action and he takes it into traffic, then big Phil has a go, gets tackled and we drive over but the ref's seen a nudge forward so awards Evesham a scrum. Rick's taken a knock so he comes off and Greg trots on and we put their scrum under pressure and the Pole has to pick up and go lateral and he's felled by a great tackle from Crash and the ball goes loose, it's picked up by their ten, but he's held so they have to set and again the No.8 has a trundle and again is stopped in his tracks so has to pass and the receiver is taken by both Barrel & Smokes so they recycle just outside their twenty two, the pass comes back to their scrum half who puts one up but it's held up in the wind giving Bean the chance to take it but he nudges forward. Ref plays advantage as Evesham gather and cross the halfway line but their eventual kick is blown direct into touch and he brings us all the way back for the original knock on. Scrum on the ten metre line, good pressure from our Eight but the ball is steered back by the flankers hand, and the No.8 picks up and the General's snapping at his heels so he's forced to ship it out and Nick Levey makes the next tackle in midfield, they recycle and go again as our tackles keep coming and Smokin' steals the ball and pops it to Horse who eludes their No.8 and offloads to Barrel, who's a bit isolated so goes for the gap then offloads to Ralph on the loop around who in turn tries to put one inside to Sean but it's intercepted but he's driven into touch.

We're pinged at the lineout, and they take it quick and Chris levels the scrum half, they recycle and the No.8 takes it close and Alistair takes his opposite number, Nick's unlucky not to steal it as they manage to get it away, but only as far as the next breakdown where just as we've looked to have turned it over, the ref blows for an attacking scrum just as the General was digging it out. Time for a few more changes as Wishbone comes on for Gethin, Johnno for the General, and Nearly for Ralph.

Johnno's straight into action on their No.8, but again using his height he manages to get it away but only for Barrel to clatter the next man, they're lucky to come away with it as they keep it tight and Spasm makes the next tackle on their scrum half as they continue to accumulate the phases approaching our ten metre line, at which point they kindly cough it up and we turn it over but they have hands in trying to pinch it back, referee spots it and blows for a penalty and there is time for some minor handbags on the deck but nothing serious. Nev kicks for touch and puts it out five metres from their twenty two, at which point their vocal winger decides to talk about yellow cards and the ref takes the hump and sends them back another ten, and another ten and Nev puts it into the corner.

Throw comes in and it's tail gun Killarney who takes it at the back and Johnno sends a bit of a worker out and Nev takes it on the deck and wisely stays there as his opposite number comes flying over the top. We set as the No.8 strays round offside (how'd you miss a bloke that big?) and we get the pass away and Horse looks to go through the middle of them, he's finally held and we all pile in and the ref sees something and gives Evesham a penalty. Their fly half is having a lie down having taken a knee to the temple (he was very specific) and he has to come off and for the second week in a row Ralph comes on to help the opposition.

The scrum half takes a quick tap and offloads to you know who, who runs into Andy K and he flings it out aimlessly and Crash picks up the loose ball, and we take it on, Wishbone has it at the back and he pops it to Spasm who makes good ground despite having the No.8 attached. Alistair finally goes to ground and Wishbone tidies up and Bilbo pops it to Greg on the wing who beats his first man, but his cunning return reverse flick to Bilbo is intercepted by Evesham and it's left to Ralph to clear their lines.

We fluff the lineout and it's Evesham starlet Ralph who comes away with it, and they set it on their twenty to and try to run it out, their skipper makes a good break until he's tackled by Crash and they set again, then spin and it comes to their vocal winger who chips it over Horse, but Mike's there and does the Neary two step on the winger (to great cheers on the touchline) leaving him tackling fresh air and then kicks deep, the ball being fielded by their skipper inside the twenty two, he tries a sidestep but Mike following up his kick is having none of it and brings him down. We turn it over at the breakdown and Spasm takes it on then offloads out the back of his hand to Smokin' who steps two making five or six metres in the process, he finds Johnno, who passes to Alistair who takes into contact, Johnno spins it out to Nev who dummies Barrel and pops it back inside to Knife, to Andy K, to Smokin' but unluckily the ball goes forward and Evesham get the scrum.

Their No.8 picks up and has to make another high pass to Ralph who puts the winger into space but he chooses to kick ahead and Mike takes the catch and we gather round, Johnno puts the box kick up but the ref's seen something untoward and awards Evesham a penalty. They take it short and Andy K's first to react and they have to set and the No.8 takes it close and Chris makes the tackle, he offloads and Alistair makes the next, and the ball comes out to Ralph who kicks ahead which Bean just about gets away with, and we then proceed to have a mad 30 seconds of silly passing mostly without catching, some real daft stuff in parts but we survive and even get a scrum just inside our half.

Steady scrum, Johnno gets it to Barrel who takes it off his toes and has no option but to kick ahead, and Evesham clear to touch. Slow sends on the Colt Arkell & Higgsy for Nick Levey & BMT, as if we needed anymore weight in the scrums! We cough up the ball in the lineout and Evesham spin then kick ahead and this time it's Horse who shows of his footballing skills as he traps it then picks, kicks and gives chase. The Evesham defender dives on it and Horse patiently waits for him to get up, before turning him and we strip the ball and Higgsy gets his first touch of the ball in twelve or so years and rumbles into contact like a Tiger tank. We set and the ball comes out and Greg manages to give it to the now second largest player on the field, their No.8! Barrel makes a great ankle tap, followed by a series of fine tackles by Sean & Smokin' and the Evesham attack stalls, so they regroup and go close and Wishbone makes the tackle and it goes to ground and we're penalised for going over.

They take it quickly and Chris makes the tackle but a metre or two early, so Evesham get another go...............

And that's where technology failed me, but in the last quarter we finally broke their resistance and we ran riot scoring another five unanswered tries, a classy brace from Smokin', one each from Alistair, Barrel & Greg best remembered for Johnno's slight of hand in the final pass. Nev adding three conversions.

Final Score 48-0 Final Age 640

Bit of a cheap shot from Evesham at the end with their skipper calling "three cheers for Old Yards ex first team" again if your reading probably half a dozen former first teams actually but all from twenty years ago!

According to our independent adjudicator Tomasz O'Power this week's man in the dirtiest shirt was Nick Levey, who spent the majority of his game welded to the big Pole's ankles. Best supporting actress was Barrel who apart from his trademark scissors did an awful lot of work off the ball and in defence.

Slow

Everyone's a winner!

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:05:03 GMT

Well, what can you say? Barcelona no problems, Leyton Orient need a replay but we wait nervously for sunday and the Carling cup. Can the Blues achieve what Barcelona couldn't? It's all on the day, maybe a cruel deflection, a dodgy referee's decision. Enjoy the game anyway!

On to rugby. Success all round for our teams last weekend. Heavy pitches were the order of the day which suit some but not others.

First XV

Playing bottom of the league side Cov. Welsh was not as easy as it might have appeared as our opponents showed plenty of grit and determination. It was good to see that our lads kept their composure even when the inevitable errors crept into the game. Ben Honey scored our first try but then the youthful boys took over with our other tries coming from Tom Growcott, Lee Purdy and James O'Donnahue. Ben kicked two pens and Max a conversion. This weekend coming sees a break from the league programme but a testing visit from DKs Development squad.

Development XV

Some thought it was Kings Norton, some thought it was Five Ways and Pickle thought it was a home game. Luke, the skipper, says it was Five Ways but whoever it was we put a lot of points up them and kept a clean sheet as well. Try scorers included Carl (Billy's Boy) x3 and some conversions, Phil Williams x2, Egg x2, Jonty x2 and a conversion, Luke, Mark, Kevin Coles and Dave Simpson all with one apiece. Well done fellas. Evesham at home this weekend.

Vandals

Could Harborne break the sequence? No. Martyn's boys travelled across town to meet a club that is now on the verge of putting out 4 sides. However, it's quality that counts and even without Shannon who was allegedly taking some beer therapy down in Devon, we still won by a clear distance. Tries came from the Lode Heath superstar x 3, Nick P., young Simon, Sean B, and Basher Baldwin. Ralph and Nev managed some conversions. Well done again especially to big Mark.
Full match report below.

Minis and Juniors

The very young ones continue to produce exciting rugby to the extent that Andy loses track of the score. Well done anyway.

The under 9s proved just a little bit too strong for Kings Norton. We will try to persuade Lonie to write a match report in our next game.

The Billy Boys (Hendon not William of Orange) came away from Berkswell and Balsall or it could be Balsall and Berkswell but whatever the geography we won. Well done to Billy, Nigel and the lads.

On an adjoining pitch in a new fixture for us, our under 15s played The B&Bs and gained another hard-fought victory. Taking our chances and dogged defence saw us ease home. Try scorers included Alister, Callum H. and Big Adrian but well done all of you!

This coming sunday, 27th Feb, at the moment sees our under 7/8s training, the 9s at home v Bournville and the under 13/14 at home v Uttoxeter.

Friends of the club

Recently met up with that silver-haired speedster from the 80s, Brendan Fahy. Now based in Colchester he still follows our progress but also, I think he was serious, enjoys ballet, fine wines and reading classics. Just like the rest of us!

The Chairman of Cheshire / South Lancs club, Old Parkonians, Richard Beckett, is visiting our club on a fact-finding (not fat-finding) mission this weekend. Be warned, he enjoys a conversation.

Harborne 3rds vs Vandals - full report

Saturday 19th February and Game 21 saw us on the road over at Metchley Lane playing fields to play Harborne 3rds; a side whom we'd despatched reasonably comfortably in mid November but only after some considerable effort on our part, so all looked set for another interesting encounter.

In the Agricultural Department this week the multi-functional Rick "Swing" Lowe at loosehead, the venerable soon to be sixty El Presidente Steve Sidwell at hooker & back from international duty (on the pi**) Mark "Grogg" Baldwin at tight; in the second row John "Fingers" Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn, with the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks and wannabe prop & closet Gooner Robbie "Barstool" Bastock at No.8.

In Black Ops Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Simon "Sideways" Singleton, and Sean " I do 15k before breakfast" Byrne, with Dave "Ralph" Rollins directing operations at fullback.

In the bleachers this week rising Welsh starlet Chris "Crash" Rowe, Andy "Fred" Killarney, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Mike "Nearly" Neary and Captain Slow.

After some considerable pre-match fannying about in the changing rooms, with a dozen or so teams trying to get changed in the same pavilion including Oxford University's ultimate frisbee side...what the f**k is ultimate frisbee?; losing both our referee and pitch to the Birmingham University v Hartpury College Freshers fixture we were forced to play on a pitch churned up up only thirty minutes earlier, and that resembled freshly mown Bluetack, but still a slightly silver lining in our own Tomás O'Power volunteering to officiate.

Marcus gets the flip of the coin correct and we opt to play up the considerable slope in the first half allowing gravity to bring us home in the second.

Our first try is scored about eight minutes in when we are awarded a scrum following a Harborne knock on about ten metres out from the Harborne line; Barstool territory and he doesn't disappoint as he picks & goes, but is held up about a metre or so from the line, we recyle and spin short to Symes, he gets held up and we gather round. Barrel goes in to rip it out which he does, presents it, ball comes out to big Phil who takes it on the gallop and gets to within inches of the line; we recycle and the General whips it out to Nev, to Ralph and he sends a long one out to Bean in space who goes over about five metres in 5-0 Ralph's conversion is unsuccessful.

Harborne unphased equalise a few minutes later when awarded a scrum on halfway, their young No.8 picks & goes, beats the initial cover defence and ultimately it's a two on one with Bean, who takes the No.8 but not in time to prevent the pass putting their winger over about ten metres in from the touchline 5-5 Kick unsuccessful, but lots of whoop whoop from the young Harborne side and game on.

Our lead was restored about three minutes later, when Bean chips a neat one over the top forcing his opposite number to bundle it into touch for a lineout five metres out. Big Phil takes it cleanly at four and drops it down to Mark who tidies it up, and we drive but Mr O'Power spots something he doesn't like and blows; Nev takes it quickly does a run around the ref and pops it to Barstool who bludgeons his way over to restore our lead 10-5. The tee's gone missing, so Slow suggests Ralph dig a hole, and maybe it's too deep as the kick misses.

Our third try starts with a lineout following the Harborne scrum half box kicking it direct into touch, BMT takes it cleanly again at four and we drive it on towards the posts, we splinter infield, I have no idea who's got the ball at this point, but ball goes to ground, the General scoops it up and we go wide, to Nev to Smokin' (Barrel having gone AWOL), Gary comes back in steps two, passes to Sean who offloads to Symes, some great interplay from our wingers, Simon's held, so we recycle and it's a long spin out to Barrel to Rick in midfield, he takes a high one around his ears, but takes it into contact, we set in front of the posts. General to Nev to big Phil, he gives it to Smokin', back to Nev, he sees a gap and cuts through, finds Nick he makes a couple more before going to ground. Ball finds its' way to the back, General picks up dummies to big Phil, and goes, he's held up Symes goes in, but it's Barrel who finally digs it out and goes over short range 15-5 Ralph makes no mistake with this one
17-5. Seven minutes till halftime.

But again Harborne come back when following several good phases of the play they camp on our five metre line and their big Venezuelan (I kid you not) second row goes route one through the middle to go over for an unconverted try on the stroke of halftime.

Halftime 17-10 Isotonics & despite the late score with the considerable slope in our favour the Vandal massive are confident.

And it's not long after halftime that we do increase our lead, all starting with Ralph sending one deep which the Harborne fullback obligingly knocks on for a Vandal scrum five metres from their twenty two. Nice steady scrum and the ball comes to the base and Barstool picks up & goes, he makes a couple before going to ground, Symes is in their and flicks it up of the deck, and we spin, Nev brings Barrel in on the scissors and he hits their young fly half who in fairness stands Barrel up and we have to go again, General to Nev who puts one into the corner but Tom's seen a knock on and we come back for another scrum on the twenty two. Harborne put the wheel on and the General has to ship it out to Nev, who dummies Barrel, dummies Smokin', passes to Ralph who brings it back in, he gets over the twenty two, gets tackled, the Assassin's first there he flips it up to Barstool who sets off in characteristic fashion and goes over for his second close to the posts 22-10 Ralph converts for a 24-10 lead and Slow knows we're past the point of no return for Harborne as no one's achieved more than 21 points this season.

Time for some fresh legs Andy Killarney comes on for John Lonie, Mike Neary for Dave Rollins and Chris Rowe for Nick Levey, Barstool moves to loosehead, Rick takes a breather and Ali " Spasm" Gouldbourn comes on at No.8.

Shortly afterwards Nev bangs the first one down really deep into the corner, this is where we want to play, a tactic Harborne were unable or reluctant to use in the first half, but Tom stops the game mid play for a neck injury to their South American lock; Slow & Smokin' ponder on how he intends to restart the game, and Slow postulates a drop ball maybe. Eventually the big man gets to his feet and has to come off, and Harborne's only replacement, a winger is press ganged into second row, and Tom restarts with a scrum to Harborne on just shy of their ten and we immediately drive them off their ball and Shark tidies it up. We really start to crank it up now sensing the game is ours.

Our fifth try was a real team effort, starting with Nev selling an outrageous dummy in midfield, and he goes right through the middle before offloading to Barstool, it's an underhand pass to Smokin' to Sean, he cuts back inside and breaks the half tackle before setting, ball's out quickly to Mike at pace but he's held up five metres out, we recycle and ball comes out to Nev, not much outside him so he fakes the drop goal attempt and heads back indoors and gets close before looking for his friends, Barstool's next to have a go and is held up just short. The General decides to go long to Smokin' but the pass goes to ground but backwards, he picks up does a couple of steps and a spin to give himself some space to operate and goes into contact and the 677 gather round and drive relentlessly towards the line and over we go and it's Mark Baldwin who emerges from the bottom of the pile
with his season's maiden try having pinched it off Sid with a yard or two to go 29-10. Nev makes it good 31-10

Another long break shortly after sees one of the Harborne wingers going off and Ralph sportingly goes on for them at fullback.

Our sixth try was scored by Sideways following a punt through traffic along the deck which became a straight foot race between our speedster and the cover defence, still lots of work for him to do as he outsprints the cover to chip ahead and regather right on the line and dots it down against the post 36-10 Another straight forward one for Nev 38-10

The restart goes dead and we come back for a scrum on halfway, Spasm picks up and offloads to the General, to Nev who chips over the top and Ralph takes it well but gets Symes for his trouble but still manages to offload it, but the receiver gets creamed by Andy K and big Phil moves in to strip the ball, and Shark comes away with it, dummies Sid and heads for the line, but his pass is adjudged forward for a scrum to Harborne. No matter as we put their eight under all sorts of pressure and the General harries his opposite number and they are literally forced to kick it along the line and Chris is an agonising fingertip away from a pick up and certain score. The tackles rain in as the ball evades the Harborne hands and finally it's a great pick up off the deck by the biggest man on the park BMT, who feeds his namesake, who pops it to Nev, to Barrel, who straightens it up, finds Simon, to Smokin' who's finally driven into touch about five metres out.

Harborne retain their possession and kick to touch, but keeping up the tempo Sean takes the quick throw to Mike who makes good ground before taking a high one and Tom awards the penalty. It looks though as if we opt to take a scrum instead, and secure steady ball, General sends it out to Nev, who dummies Barrel, flat pass to Smokin' but it goes to gound, Tom plays good advantage and one of their quick lads sets off with it but is hauled down by Smokin'. They spin again, Shark makes the tackle, Spasm the next, as Harborne put a couple of phases together and reach halfway, but the tackles keep raining in from our midfield and finally a Harborne pass goes loose which Barstool gratefully picks up and goosesteps his way in from about the halfway line to score under the posts 43-10 Nev makes it three from three 45-10

Still time for a last few changes the Colt Arkell comes on for BMT, Nick returns for Marcus, Slow comes on at inside centre and Rick replaces Sid at hooker. We close the game out with Harborne still pressing for a consolation score.

Final score 45-10 Final age a healthy 668.

Big thanks to Tom for stepping into the breach.

This week Evesham 3rds at home, Warley having cried off again.

Slow

U8s & U7s Combined v Redditch away

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The growing strength of the squad was demonstrated as we fielded eleven players against Redditch away from home despite the half term holidays. Two teams were formed with some players floating to allow us to field 2 seven a side teams. The A side stepped forward first under the captaincy of Dan H. Redditch were able to manage the exuberance of the half term holiday slightly better in the first half as we came up against a team who were a little more organised. As a result they won the half by five tries to two. Some excellent team work put Josh H into score both of the tries for Old Yards. The B side came to the field determined to push Redditch a little harder. They succeeded by closing the gap on Redditch. Josh T scored the first, Samuel a second and Ellis the third. All three tries came from some excellent running from the team. Redditch scored four tries by carefully avoiding the touch line. On their return to the pitch the A side put it all together to win the half by three tries to two. Frankie captained the side. They team put together the best defensive session of the day and manage to turn the ball over by taking six tags in succession. Josh T scored the first two tries and Josh H the third. Josh H captained the team for the final half. Josh T scored a wonderful try when he showed how to run the length of the blind side of the pitch through the narrowest of gaps. He added another three tries to his tally in the half and Ellis scored early in the match to tie the half with Redditch at five tries all. Overall it was a wonderful display with the play improving half by half despite increasingly numb fingers from the cold. It was a real delight to see a number of debutants getting to grips with the game. This gives us every confidence that we can field two sides for the end of season rugby tournaments. A very determined display by all!

Bournville vs. Vandals - 19th March 2011 - match report tucked away

With, as predicted by Uncle Tom, Birmingham Exiles crying off Saturday 19th March our twenty fifth game of the season saw us in a Pool game against Bournville 3rds over at Metchley Park Road. The last game being one of the season's tightest encounters so far finishing 23-12, this being only one of five games Bournville have lost all season. At the coal face this week Shannon "Steps" Killarney at loose, Steve Sidwell & Rick "Swing" Lowe job sharing at hooker, and similarly Mark "Gethin" Baldwin & Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at tighthead, in the warp core the brothers Gouldbourn "BMT" and "Spasm" with Chris "Crash" Rowe and Nick "the Assassin" Levey on the flanks with Rupert "the Major" Young at No.8. In the garden Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half alongside Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Sean " Bean" Byrne and Simon "Slippery" Singleton and Dave "Ralph" Rollins sweeping up the leaves at the back. With international call ups not so much a bench more a milking stool this week with just the two & Captain Slow. . Arriving in what was good time for us, it was gratifying to see the Bournville lads taking us seriously, and not only being all changed but all out on the park doing drills in the unseasonal Spring sunshine, with what looked like two or three first teamers, including one of their big Southern Hemisphere lads, no doubt all recovering from injuries I'm sure, and the fact that their first team were having the day off being purely coincidental. With the considerable slope it was an important toss to win, and as you know tails never fails, so I picked heads and struck lucky, and then rather confusingly (for me anyway) their South African skipper opted to give us the kick too. Going uphill then in the first half we started with Sid & Balders in the front row , Slow having some vague notion of using youth & mobility off the bench in the second half (that'd be you Rick & Bilbo in that order)! Nev's kick off sails into the heart of the Bournville forwards where it is caught cleanly and immediately post their intentions by spinning the ball out and Barrel puts in a thumper on his man and dislodges the ball forward, our referee for the day Adrian Pembleton looks to play advantage but none occurs and we are awarded the game's first scrum just inside their ten. Slow ball forces the General to box kick one over, and Bean gives chase, it's an awkward bounce for Bournville as it stays infield inside their twenty two and they try to run it out. They're stopped just on the twenty two and we almost turn it over, but they manage to get it away and their fly half hoofs it down the slope where Ralph takes it, steps the first chaser then chips ahead but the ball goes direct into touch for a lineout back between our ten & twenty two. They secure a messy ball, set and then spin and their big Islander takes it on a yard before shipping it to his partner where it's spilled forward, then grubbered ahead, but the ref's seen the knock on and we get another scrum with the Major's feet just about on their ten metre line. We have a couple of goes at it as the scrum clock ticks over before the ball finally finds the General who ships it out to Nev, as Slippery starts to move off his wing, Barrel comes in on the scissors and breaks the gain line before being hauled down but pops it off the deck to Nev who finds Smokin', to Ralph to Sean who's stopped by one of their big units and it goes to ground and we drive over. The General digs it out and passes to Nev who puts it up, and the Bournville fullback fluffs his first one but it goes backwards and he regathers off the deck and runs it out but not that far before he's stopped by Chris, and the 677 drive him back towards the line, and then go one better and turn it over. But the the ball comes out the back messily and misses the General altogether so Alistair has no option but to pick up and drive it forward, but he's brought down and we're pinged for hands in at the ruck. Bournville through their Islander take it quickly and literally runs over our first couple of would be tacklers and sets off into open field and they go onto score under the posts 5-0 and their slight fly half drop kicks over the conversion 0-7. Not the best of starts though it's not the first time we've conceded the first try and Slow idly wonders to himself whether cheats do prosper. Nev's restart is taken well by one of the Bournville forwards and he sets off and finds Shannon waiting and manages to give away a penalty almost immediately. Shannon takes it quickly and offloads to the General who sees space up ahead and chips for the corner and gives chase, and he's up quickly on the fullback and charges the attempted clearance down the ball going out right on the corner flag. So lineout to Bournville five metres out from their line which they take without much fuss and drive it on a couple before shipping it out to the fly half who bangs it down the hill. Ralph takes it cleanly and sets off back up the hill, passes to Smokin' who finds Slippery in support who beats his man and cuts infield. He's stopped and we recycle, the General to Nev to Smokin' who beats his man but is eventually forced into touch about twenty metres from the Bournville line. Rupert steals brilliantly at two and the General sends it out to Nev, dummy scissors Barrel, pass to Smokin' whose onward pass is knocked forward by Bournville as they try the interception, scrum to Yards. The ball comes straight out the back and the General scoops it up and wings it out to Nev who finds Sean who escapes a couple before having to stand it up and we drive him on. The ball comes safely to the back and the General has a snipe, he offloads to Chris Crash who's tackled pops it off the deck to big Phil who takes on the Antipodean and we set again. Ball comes out to Nev, he gives the dummy and has a go and we set and go a couple of times before the referee decides the Antipodean's definition of a tackle on BMT differs to his. We try to take it quickly but the ref's having none of it so Ralph bangs it into touch on the Bournville twenty two. Big Phil takes it at four and it's a quick set, drive and spin out by the General to Nev who brings Barrel in on another dummy scissors, passes to Smokin' who steps his man, who's then hit late, and ref looks to play advantage, but none comes, penalty Yards. The kick doesn't find touch but kindly bounces back towards the chasing Chris who scoops it up but is driven into touch about fifteen metres from the Bournville line. They take it at two and the scrum half looks to go and sells Nick the dummy but gets the old man instead, then Chris makes the next tackle but finally Bournville do the sensible thing and kick pass to Ralph downfield. He puts it up in the air and the fullback makes a complete mess of it and it's one of his centres who saves his blushes, but he's tackled well by Bean and looks like he's turned over as he picks up the loose ball, but ref brings it back and awards us the scrum about five metres inside their twenty two centre field. Shannon comes off briefly to powder his nose. Nev splits the line, Ralph & Sean right, Nick, Gary & Symes left. The Major picks up and finds the General at his side who cuts inside and makes good ground before it's knocked on in the tackle, and ref blows for a scrum to Bournville. El Presidente inspires his men on and we drive them off their ball and Rupe picks up and takes it into contact and then to ground and the 677 drive over and the General sends it out to Nev, who improvises one over the top of Barrel's head to Smokin' who spins it to Symes who comes the long way round and takes it into contact and we gather round. It looks like we've lost it as someone in maroon appears to be being very "industrious" but then out pops Sid rather nonchalantly with it and the ball is chipped ahead, the ball going out in the right hand corner for a Bournville throw on the five metre line. The windmill at two that is the Major gets one of his dish plates in to disrupt their throw and BMT wraps up the catcher and we gather and the General barks "everyone drive" and our Eight oblige their scrum half and the catcher is driven into touch for another five metre throw. Sid's throw is straight as a die and big Phil takes it at four, comes down with it and we drive it over for the score and it's Gethin who marches eleven places up the scoring table with his second try of the campaign 5-7. Ralph's conversion attempt goes just a half a metre shy of the right hand upright but we're up and running again. At this point my gadget gives up the ghost, but quite honestly I just want to watch, so the rest is from memory (& in the case of Sid's try all Gethin's as it was too far away for my failing eyesight). It's not long after when more pressure earns us another attacking lineout five metres from the Bournville line and cub reporter Baldwin takes over . "Hooker Sidwell threw in, a lofted throw over the out stretched grasp of the defenders' front jumper. Just behind the ball landed in the safe and reliable shovels of the Vandals lineout king Phil Gouldbourn. He towered above all, held securely in the air by the Herculean lifters, his brother Ali and Bilbo. At the same time Gethin Baldwin came round from the front of the lineout to secure the ball, receiving it from Phil and cradling it beneath his mighty torso. The maul was set and the Vandals moved forward towards the Bournville line. Gethin started to sweat, getting excited about scoring his second try of the game when the maul started to falter. Not to worry as the General was there to operate Plan B. He accepted the ball and went left. Just outside him was the ageless club President Sidwell, who caught a short pass from the General. Two metres out, with nobody in front of him, Sidwell jumped and dived across the line to become oldest ever Vandal to score a try." 10-7 Another difficult conversion attempt for Ralph from the corner and it's achingly close but just misses. Halftime 10-7 Isotonics all round, including one for the ref ;o) and boy did we need them. Sid & Mark take a bow and Rick & Bilbo come on for the downhill leg. A few minutes after halftime we increase our lead when swift hands and an even swifter Slippery goes over and under the posts to score 15-7 Ralph makes no mistake 17-7 But about five minutes later we concede what is by our standards a really soft try as Bournville take a quick penalty between their ten and twenty two and their diminutive but talkative fly half streaks up the touchline and despite Chris Crash's best attempt from the other side of the pitch to head him off he dots down under the posts 12-17. The conversion a formality 14-17. Bournville now hit a purple patch as we begin to tire a touch, and following some crisp interpassing their big dreadlocked winger runs it up the middle from just outside our twenty to go over underneath the posts for another converted try 21-17. This is the first time anybody has managed to score twice in succession against us all season and things are looking a mite grim! But we're not quite done yet as the Vandal Massive draws on previously untapped reserves of stubborness and following slick handling by Nev & the boys Simon is again unleashed out on the wing to score his second 22-21 (how they must miss him at his old Club...oh that would be Bournville) And we're back in the lead, which Ralph increases when his conversion sails over 24-21. Spasm who's stoically been carrying a shoulder from the first half, tucking his hand into his collar for support at every breakdown finally has to admit defeat and Slow comes on at No.8 for a couple of scrums until he comes up with a better idea, substitutes himself, moves Bilbo into the second row and brings Gethin back on at tighthead. Our tails are up and it's left to the Stepmeister to sell a bit of magic to the Bournville youngsters from about ten metres out and go over with about ten minutes to go to seal what is without doubt our hardest fought victory 29-21. It's some relief as the ref's final whistle goes, our back row of Nick, Chris and Rupe are pretty much out on their feet having tackled themselves pretty much to a standstill, similarly our midfield duo Barrel & Smokin' and the back three of Symes, Sean & Ralph having coped with pretty much relentless attacks in those closing few minutes. Final Score 29-21 Final Age 681 Incidentally our starting age was a new record of 693!! And yes you'd be right that's mostly Sid's extra 15 years, which works out at a 46.2 average, 681 is still our 2nd oldest final age, the forwards' average age was at the start 50.4 and still 48.5 at the end. Perhaps Simon you could pass these numbers onto the Bournville's whinging Chairman when you see him next!!! Three tries from the front row, now how often does that happen?! And looking at Bournville's three, all essentially breakaway tries by younger lads especially the one from the young whippet of a fly half in the second half, whereas all five of ours were based on solid teamwork and good hands in both the forwards & the backs. So Man in the dirtiest shirt this week goes to Shannon, Sid, Rick, Bill, Mark, Phil, Alistair, Nick, Chris, Rupert, Phil, Nev, Nick, Gary, Sean, Simon & David, you all deserve it for balls to the wall defence & plain old belligerence. And Bilbo remarks to me after the game imagine how good we'd be if we trained!! The last try was our 181st, still time to reach 200 which would be a real achievement, last year we only managed 107 Slow

The rugby carries on but our thoughts are for Tom

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:42:58 GMT

The rugby is overshadowed by the sudden death of Tom Guise but we feel sure that he would want us to get on with the sport through which we all knew him.

First XV

In some games the luck has gone against us and we have been narrowly defeated when it was not deserved but our win at Harbury has balanced the books so to speak. Taking an early lead we then eased up allowing the home side to snatch the lead with very little time left. For a change the opposition lost their discipline with two of them sin-binned at the end as we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Our coach nominates himself as our man of the match for his two tries. Well done Gary! Adam Walker got our other try with Max Gimson adding 2 pens and a conversion. This weekend sees the visit to Tilehouse Lane of Coventry Welsh who must not be taken lightly as they beat us on their own patch earlier this season.

Development XV

Communication problems saw our rising stars travel to Aston with only 13 players and that was reflected in the result. Captain, Luke, led the way with our only try. This weekend sees the lads at home to local rivals Five Ways Old Eds.

Vandals XV

An unfortunate incident resulting in a serious injury to one of our players led to the game against Aston being abandoned with our lads leading by 29-5. . Full match report below.

Minis and Juniors

The under 7/8s continue to develop successfully with a strong performance at Old Saltleians.
Meanwhile, our newly reinforced under 15s travelled to Bromsgrove and were in top form opening an early lead with 4 tries and then defending strongly to ensure victory. Jack, our captain and fly-half suffered a serious looking injury and was airlifted to hospital as a precaution. Jack informs me that he is fine but not looking forward to the statutory minimum 21 day recovery time.

Fixturess this weekend

First XV   v   Coventry Welsh    home league
Development Xv    v    Five Ways   home
Vandals XV   v   Harborne   away

Under 7/8    v   Redditch away (to be confirmed)
Under 9/10   v   Kings Norton home
Under 13/14 v   Berkswell and Balsall Common    away
Under 15       v   Berkswell and Balsall Common   away

Berkswell and Balsall play at Honily rd. Meer End CV8 1NQ

Match Report - Vandals v Aston Old Eds 3rds

Our twentieth game of the season on Saturday 12th February 2011 found us at Fort Tilehouse against Aston Old Edwardians 3rds a side who up until last week had occupied the honour of running us the closest in a 22-10 win over at Perry Common in early November.

Doing the hard graft this week loosehead Shannon "Steps" Killarney, Rick "Swing"Lowe at hooker & Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at tighthead, in the second row the brothers Gouldbourn, Spasm & BMT and the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks with Robbie "Barstool" Bastock at No.8.

In the creative department this week Iain "Johnno" Johnson at scrum half with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Barrel" Palmer partnering Tony "Grassy knoll" Fitzgerald in the centres and a back three of Phil "Horse" Watson, Simon "Sideways" Singleton and Dave "Ralph" Rollins.

On the couch this week Phil "the General" Evans, Chris "Crash" Rowe, Gary "Smoking" Williams, Sean "Bean" Byrne and after making a quick trip to Harbury to collect his kit out of Lonie's car Alan "the Colt" Arkell. (Apologies Alan for thinking it merely a ruse to go speed drinking with John)

Arriving in good time a big, very different looking and well organised Aston side took the field, together with a youthful looking back division in resplendent in their fluorescent boots. This weeks stunt skipper Marcus guesses wrong and we get kick off towards the club, but wind and low sun in their faces second half, good enough for me.

Nev drops his kick off short (that a first?) and Aston get the scrummage on the centre spot. A big Aston eight get no change out of ours but Johnno gets pinged for coming round. They opt to kick for touch the ball going out about five metres outside our twenty two. The Aston scrum half knocks on from the lineout, but the ref Jigger (coincidentally a former Aston player) plays advantage but the pop to Spasm is deemed forward so we come back for the original offence and a scrum to Yards, a few metres in front of our ten metre line. We get the nudge on, Johnno to Nev and Barrel comes in on the first scissors of the day, and takes it into contact, and we recycle, and Johnno tries to put one over but it takes a deflection, and is fielded cleanly by Aston who look to spin, but their fly half opts to put one instead into Ralphs bread basket, and he sends it back over the top landing just in front of their twenty two where it is collected by the Aston fullback who sends it back with interest going out four or five metres outside our twenty two.

Big Phil takes it at four and we drive it on a few metres, Rick at the back, who splinters off and takes it infield, he offloads to Barstool, passes to Johnno to Nev to Barrel to Fitz to Ralph in the line, he gets caught, Fitzy offloads him to Simon and he gets driven into touch. They try to take the quick throw but Jigger's having none of it and they have to do it properly this time. It goes forward off one of our heads, it looks like, and the Aston scrum half gathers and spins it out to his fly half who gets creamed by the Assassin and they have to start again, they get a drive one before releasing it on the ten metre line to the fly half who pops it to their big No.8 who breaks the line and it's Barrel showing great technique who finally brings him down and the ball goes loose; Sideways scoops it up, shrugs off the first tackle and offloads to Horse who gives the first big hand off of the day and it takes a great tackle by an Aston defender to bring him down on their twenty two, where we're harshly pinged for not releasing.

They kick for touch, the ball going out a couple of metres inside their own half. Big Phil pinches their ball and breaks through the line and has a gallop, before popping inside to Shark in support who in turn feeds Spasm who nudges it forward for a scrum to Aston. But Rick lifts up Bilbo & Shannon and once again single handedly drives Aston off their ball and Barstool picks up from the base and takes it into contact. We spin and BMT looks to go through the middle, but is held, we recycle, Johnno collects goes lateral and brings Horse in on the inside track and he carves his way through the defence to score just to the right of the posts 5-0 Very uncharacteristically Ralph misses what is in his eyes a sitter and probably in Heather's from Eastenders too, to be honest.

Nobody takes responsibility for the restart and Aston regain possession and it's a short pop to their No.8, he Lomu's the Assassin and goes through a couple more, gaining about ten metres before he's mugged by Spasm. They look to recycle then spin it as they start to put three or four good phases together, not that Rick would know as having also been Lomu'd he's having a lie down near the ten metre line. Aston make it all the way to our goal line before using skulduggery & magic we turn it over and kick to clear but it fails to find touch. Johnno chasing up his own kick makes the tackle on the receiver and the ball goes to ground and it makes like a bar of soap as nobody can seem to scoop it up cleanly. Aston finally put us out of our misery and spin it out but Fitz takes their fly half and ball bobbles forward.

We take the opportunity to fetch the woozy Rick off and after he remembered where he's left his rubber hat Crash comes on at hooker and scrums become uncontested while Rick clears his thoughts and thinks about writing his memoirs "I scrum alone". First uncontested one goes to Aston and they look to spin, their centre making a break but he's hauled down by Barrel and we get penalised I presume for one of those many laws around the tackle area. They take it quickly and Shark steps up, they recycle and their No.8 goes route one (they're beginning to look a little one dimensional here) and he gets hammered, and we turn it over, Shannon pops it out to Nev, feigns to kick but gives it to Horse, who puts in a grub hunter forward, and they run it back and Horse makes the tackle, ball looks like it's gone forward, referee signals advantage, but not enough is gained and the ref blows and decides to give us a penalty instead. Nev puts it out on their ten metre line, and the suitably refreshed Mr Lowe jogs back on and our newest stand in hooker comes off to little or no applause.

Big Phil takes it at two (did we really mix it) and we set and drive with Lucid Lowe at the back, we take it on a few, before Spasm takes in on then BMT has a go, as we reach their twenty two, we look to recycle but referees whistle goes for hands in by Aston and Nev puts it into the corner. So lineout back on their five, Horse nonchalantly drifts infield. Big Phil takes it with relative ease comes down with it and Bilbo tidies up at the back and we drive forward, Lucid has it now at the back, but their No.8 comes round, ref spots it, penalty Yards. Ball comes out to Horse, to BMT and he hits traffic, we recycle Johnno steps in flicks it out to Nev, he cuts inside, tries to find Fitz but in the process the ball is deemed to have been deliberately knocked forward by an Aston defender. Penalty Yards right on their line, we take it quickly, perhaps too quickly as the ball sails past the hands in midfield and it is left for the Assassin to scoop it up and head for the line, he makes it to within four or five metres, we regroup and it's a short pop to Alistair who crashes over 10-0. No mistake this time as Ralph slots it for a 12-0 lead.

Shannon takes the restart, spills it but it goes backward so we set and Johnno box kicks it over, the Aston fullback fields it and whistles goes as the referee deems that Shark set off on his chase a little too early, Wednesday probably, so we go back for a scrum to Aston a few metres in front of our twenty two. Their No.8 picks up and goes, he's held up in midfield so ball comes back and their fly half chips over the top and it's Horse who fields it over his shoulder, he turns and goes looks inside for support finds Ralph, but ball goes to ground for a scrum to Aston spanning our twenty two. So Lucid does his stuff and we win another against the head, ball comes to the back and Johnno's simple dip of the shoulders is enough as he draws the flanker offside, penalty Yards and Nev puts in a cracker against the breeze the ball going out on their ten metre line.

Great take by big Phil at the lineout, Johnno sends it out to Nev, who cuts out Barrel, straight to Fitz to Ralph up in the line, to Simon who lights them up and goes, plenty of work to do, and has to both hurdle the fullback who rather than tackle decides to lie down in his path instead, and duck under the winger's despairing effort, before flipping inside to Ralph on his shoulder who dots down to the left of the posts 17-0 but who fails to improve on it as the kick goes awry.

The Aston fly half decides to try something clever at the restart and his kick makes a few metres at best and obviously thinking no one's watching tries to dribble it over the ten. Scrum back on the centre spot, Nev's thinking it could happen to anyone. We split the line Nev, Fitz, Ralph Simon, one side the former Solihull duo of Barrel & Horse on the other. Scrum squeaks a bit and Barstool is forced to pick up & go, he offloads to Shark and he takes it into contact, their big lad tries to come over and it all becomes a bit messy, but we manage to get it back and Fitz punts one forward and gives chase, but the sniper on the grassy knoll hits him in his good leg just as he's about to make the tackle on the catcher. Smoking gets the call to disrobe as their scrum half weaves his way through and it's left to Barstool to save our blushes, and we all pile in, but whistle goes, penalty to Aston for going over/not releasing, take your pick.

The fly half takes it quickly and goes through the first tackle, they set and spin wide and only a good tackle by Horse driving the winger into touch in the far corner stops them from going over. Lineout to Yards on our five metre, the always sartorially elegant Smoking trots on and slots into outside centre. Marcus takes it at two, we set and drive it on until their No.8 makes a nuisance of himself and they turn it over and spin, the industrious Horse makes the tackle this time in midfield, and it goes to ground but he's penalised for handling on the deck. They take it quick, we defend as they build a couple of phases and imaginatively use their No.8 to good effect, but he's held up, they set and he has another go and again we hold him up, it's great goal line defence as they're forced to give up route one and go wide but only as far as their prop who again drives to the line and again we refuse to budge, so the referee steps in and gives them a penalty. They go wider this time and we tackle again, they have to recycle and their little prop has another go for glory and again he's denied. The ref gives another penalty and again they go short and again we hold firm, in fact from the touchline it looked to have gone forward but the ref has decided they've had enough chances doing it their way so he gives them a penalty try instead 17-5. But justice prevails as he misses the kick in front of the posts, and somewhere in amongst there we are penalised for not going back ten six metres from our line, go figure eh?.

It's a deep restart landing in their twenty two and their winger brings it out into midfield where he's scragged and we turn it over and Symes gets clothes lined into touch on their twenty two and Slow starts giving the referee advice on high tackles. Alistair's back at this point decides to go into spasm, but we're a bit short on boiler room so he has to soldier on. Again big Phil pinches their ball and he makes good yards through their line and we all pour through & pile on and spin it out; Barrel comes in on the scissors, but it's a bit static and he has to stand it up so we set. A little known fact this, Slow has given Symes carte blanche to come off his wing whenever he wants in order to burn off that boundless amount of energy he possesses so he comes in takes the pass off Johnno and using his speed goes in field and finds his fellow wingman Horse who cuts back across the grain and again carves up the middle to score under the posts 22-5 Ralph gets this one 24-5.

Both Stepmeister & BMT call for the restart, but BMT defers to his more senior colleague who promptly knocks it on. Steps obviously has a word in Lucid's ear and we drive them off their ball for a third time, but the ball gets knocked on as we takes it forward, Symes tries to clean up but ref's seen it and awards the scrum to Aston. That one goes down, so we have another go, and they spin, Johnno makes the first up tackle, so they recycle and their big fly half has a run, breaks through a couple of tackles and reaches our twenty two, where Barrel in stealth mode comes from nowhere and mugs him of the ball, but his pass to Smokes is deemed to have been deliberately knocked on by an Aston player. Penalty Yards, we take it quick, and we get another one in short order. Nev bangs it down deep and it goes out on their twenty two. Shark takes it cleanly at two, and Johnno snipes forward and gets through, he offloads to Rob who makes more yards and takes it into contact. Johnno digs it out and sends a great pass out to Nev, who dummies Barrel, passes to Smoking, he's held up, Nick takes it on and we all pile in and we spend a minute camped on top of their line, but Aston survive our onslaught as the ref blows for half time.

Half Time 24-5 Water all round, the elements now in our favour; Slow rings the changes and the General comes on for Johnno, Bean for Ralph, and Crash for the Assassin. Some great talking in the huddle as we sense this is now in the bag. The Colt Arkell & Simon "the Timelord" Davis both turn up on the touchline.

Within minutes of the restart we march it up into their half on the far side, where Shannon finds some space in which to work, he cuts inside, Shark takes the switch pass and heads for the line, straight arms the winger and goes over in the corner 29-5. Nev goes close but not close enough but we know it's game over as far as we're concerned.

Shortly after we all know what happened off the ball, and game was rightly abandoned.

Final Score 29-5 (Pools panel result 46-5)

A first half where we largely dominated throughout, with some of the best rugby we've played all season, with Aston hanging in by the skin of their ref's fingernails but ultimately a game marred by the unprovoked violence of the Aston No.8 and I hope that his Club Disciplinary Committee do the right thing.

Here's a very unscientific fact, six of our socks will require repairs due to stud damage, which I think demonstrates the physical nature of the forward battle; so a special mention to our Eight who drove their opposition off their own ball three times in the first half, and who provided such good ball for the Creative Department to work with.

Remember Annual Club Dinner tickets are available from me though already I only have seven left of my allocation, where hot food and an opportunity to see that well known herbalist and thin lipped orator Martin Corry awaits.

Also we have the Beer & Balti night on the 26th February please try to attend, the curry's being made by proper chefs, with lots of poppadum smashing, bring the wife, girlfriend or lover, we need your money, and you'll still be home in time to see Match of the Day . Please try and support Chris Rhodes in this one he's put a lot of work into organising it. Tickets are £8.00 from me.

Slow

Under 8s & 7s Away match against Old Salts

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

A wet and windy morning provided the backdrop to our visit to Old Saltleians. Old Salts have had an impressive run of form so far this season, so we knew it was going to be a difficult challenge for us. The twelve boys available for selection were formed loosely into an older more experienced A side and a less seasoned B side with some interchange between the two. We then played 4 halves of 10 minutes alternating between the A and B side. The A side were up first and boy were they up for it! With in the first few minutes they had scored two tries and taken six tags from the well-drilled Old Salts. As both Yards and Salts parents commented this was the best rugby we had seen all season. The half ended 3-2 to Old Yards with tries from Josh H, Ollie and Alex. The B side took over and continued the try scoring. However, Old Salts started to regain some of their composure and ended the half ahead by 4 tries to 3 with Ellis, Alex and Charlie taking the tries for Old Yards. The A side returned. The scoreline was once again 3-2 to Old Yards with jinking runs leading to tries from Josh H and Ollie. The third try went to Archie with his greyhound-like run leaving Old Salts standing. Cold and tiredness were starting to take their toll in the final half, but the boys were enjoying themselves making it hard to find volunteers to leave the pitch. The score ended 4-2 to Old Salts with tries from Ollie and Josh H. Overall, it was a marvellous performance against the toughest opposition we have faced this season. We won one of the matches and Old Salts the other so a fantastic result. The quality of rugby is going from strength to strength. The Old Salts coach commented that Yards were the best opposition they had faced all season, our win being their first loss of the season, well done all!

Tamworth 3rds v Vandals - 12th March 2011 - hidden match report

Saturday 12th March and our twenty fourth game of the season saw in in action over at Wiggington Park to play our third match of the season against Tamworth 3rds.

In the mere mortals this week a welcome return to Shannon "Steps" Killarney, birthday boy, sexagenarian (yes that is a real word) & Club President Steven Walter Sidwell, with Rick "Swing" Lowe switching to tighthead, in the second row Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn & Rupert "the Major" Young, with Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Chris "Crash" Rowe on the flanks with Rob "Barstool" Bastock tying the bums together at No.8.

Amongst the Gods Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half alongside Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, Nick "Blind Date" Palmer partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Phil "Horse" Watson and Sean " Bean" Byrne, with Dave "Ralph" Rollins tidying up the rubbish at fullback.

A compact & bijou bench this week (with both Ones & Twos calling on our experience) in Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Simon "Sideways" Singleton & Captain Slow
.
As a birthday present Sid took the metaphorical captain's armband and won the toss and decided to play against the slight breeze and up the gentle slope in the first half.

Tamworth's kick off evades all our hands and they secure possession, and immediately a familiar face in their second row big Andy takes it on close, breaks the first tackle, offloads to their flanker who again takes it close. We defend as Tamworth build the phases and again the second row comes through, then one of the youngsters and finally we stop them on our twenty two and we counter-ruck aggressively and the ball dies, the whistle goes for an attacking put in at the scrum. It's a bit of a feed but they get away with it then spin fly half to his inside centre (& someone our age) Andy Jones who has a go and breaks the first tackle, but is felled almost immediately by Nick Levey and Barstool gets it off the deck and goes on a trundle and makes good ground before being tackled. Barrel scoops it up but his onward pass is deemed forward.

Scrum then to Tamworth a few metres midway between our twenty two and ten metre lines, they get away with a knock on at the base and the young No.8 picks up and goes, he offloads to big Andy, then former skipper Graham Hakes then has a go as they get inside our twenty two, he offloads back to his partner in crime Andy but he's tackled by Chris Crash. Again they recycle as our warm-up continues as they build up the phases before spinning it out into midfield where Smokin' makes the tackle and Barrel strips away the ball and passes to the General who box kicks over the top and Sean gives chase. The Tamworth youngster takes it cleanly and just about evades Barstool but is double teamed by BMT & Horse instead and it's Smokin' who steals it and goes, he gets through a couple but he's finally brought down though the Gods smile as Tamworth are penalised for not releasing in the tackle.

Ralph takes the kick and reaches the halfway line. Big Phil takes it cleanly at four and Rick tidies up and we drive it on, it's a good one as we cross their ten metre line, and then Rob splinters in field and is mugged and Tamworth turn it over and kick ahead but it goes straight into touch for a lineout to Yards just a few metres outside their twenty two. We throw to two, it goes a little awry but we manage to secure it and Phil sends it out to Nev he brings Barrel in on his first scissors of the day and he goes clean through the middle, he's finally stopped but again we are fortunate as Tamworth are penalised for coming over the top. We kick to the corner, the ball going out about twelve metres from their goal line. The throw goes to the back and drifts off course and ref decides for a scrum to Tamworth, at which point one of their youngsters appears to walk off in a strop. When asked by Slow he confides that it was because as a flanker he was being asked to play centre, mind in fairness I wouldn't like Barrel running at me either.

We put their scrum under pressure and it starts to turn and the nine puts it up and not for the last time in the match finds Horse and off he goes, cuts lateral, passes to Smokin' who goes into traffic, Barrel's there to him offloads and Horse takes the pass and makes a break, passes back to Barrel who takes it to ground, we set, the General sells a great dummy and goes, gets through the first couple and it takes a fine tackle to stop him with the line only six or seven metres away, we look to recycle but Tamworth infringe and come offside.

Captain Sid for the second time this season opts for the kick at goal, Slow goes mental, the air turns blue and Ralph bangs it over 3-0.

Big Phil takes the restart and sets off in characteristic fashion and reaches the halfway line before he's held up, we drive over and Crash gets the opportunity to have a run and he makes good yards before going to ground, ball is locked in there so we get the scrum. Rob picks up and goes blind finds Sean but he's driven into touch by the cover defence. In what turns out to be their only real potent set piece weapon they take the ball at two, set and drive, then spin but Nev makes a great interception and sets off for glory, but has an attack of self doubt en route and chips ahead but it goes over the try line and the Tamworth defence dot it down for a drop out twenty two.

From there they kick it direct into touch, so we go back for a scrum on the twenty two, ref doesn't like the first attempt and we have another go, and Rob picks up and goes, he makes progress in the manner of Singleton before passing to Barrel who finds BMT who gets held up on the Tamworth line. We recycle and go again but the Tamworth defence holds firm and we go in a somewhat southerly direction losing a few metres before Tamworth concede a penalty for offside and we kick to the corner the ball going out about six metres from their line. Sid's throw goes over the top and it's taken by that renowned jumper Levey, but the ref decides it wasn't straight and the birthday boy looks on in disgust.

So scrum to Tamworth about five metres out from their line. A good strong shove from us puts the Tamworth Eight under pressure and it starts to wheel, the scrum half passes to the fly half as they try to run from behind their goal line but he's forced to dot down under pressure from Chris Crash and the General. So scrum to Yards five metres out, they try to spoil it and Rob has to pick up and go, he only makes a metre or so before weight on numbers bring him down and we try to recycle but ref's whistle goes as Tamworth come over/hands in/tackler not releasing, take your pick. We line up in what looks like a practised penalty move and Shannon takes the short pass off the General and goes through the middle of them to "score", but the whistle has gone the referee deciding that his own positioning has given "Steps" a bit of an advantage (possibly Shannon brushed him on the way through) so we have to settle for an attacking scrum.

Rob picks up again and offloads in the tackle to Chris, we recycle and the General comes away with it and offloads to an unsuspecting Rick, who returns the favour to an equally unsuspecting General and the ref blows and gives a scrum to Tamworth for something I've obviously missed. The first one looks to have gone down, but ref seems happy until Barstool points something out to him and whistle goes and this time we get the put in, shove on and turn it slightly as Chris or Rob picks up (sorry couldn't see) and takes it into contact. Ralph comes in at scrum half and ships to Nev, he does a step and comes round the back, pops one out the back of his hand to Rick, way too clever for Rick but it doesn't go forward and he regathers and passes to Shannon who sells one (oh how we've missed the theatre) not many takers so we have to set and Barstool steadies the ship the ball protected under his not too inconsiderable a frame. The General relieves him of the ball and passes to Nev, to Barrel to Smokin', who tries to go himself, gets tackled but still manages to pop it off the deck to Horse who rumbles over from close range about five or six metres in from the posts 8-0. Then something I can't recall ever seeing before as one of the Tamworth whipper snappers hares out and manages to get a hand to Ralph's conversion attempt and it's deflected wide.

The restart comes to Shannon via the floor, and we set and drive, five metres then ten, with good body positions then we spin, General to Nev to Barstool on his shoulder and he bounces a couple before he's stopped and the General sends it out again to Nev to Barrel to Smokin' to Ralph in the line, to Horse and he's finally driven out by one their seniors just outside their twenty two. They shuffle their line backwards, we watch admiringly on and the ball goes long and straight in to the hands of Barstool who takes it to the deck and the Major digs it out for the General who ships it to Nev, to Barrel and it's a long pass out which goes to ground. Ralph's on it but a Tamworth player's on him and the whistle goes, we think for not letting Ralph get up but no, the ref's seen something else, possibly a forward pass and awards Tamworth the scrum. The No.8 picks up, it looks like someones tried to take Chris off the ball, but he hasn't seen that either and gives Tamworth a penalty on their ten metre line.

They kick for position the ball going out a few metres outside our twenty two. They secure at two and drive it on a few metres at which point Rob's penalised for coming in from the side. Hakesy takes it quickly and they get another ten for not retreating quickly enough, this penalty putting them five or six metres from our line. They put it in the corner, and take it at two but we get a good nudge on and stall their advance, Chris and Rob standing guard. the ball goes to ground and Tamworth are forced to move it via their big second row but again or defence is firm and it goes to ground and then Rob goes mountaineering and he and the ref have a little chat. Again they put it into the corner and go with a shortened line, they take at two and drive again and get over the line and it goes down, but he can't give it if he can't see it and they have to settle for a scrum on the five.

The No.8 picks up and he's hit first by Nick and then Rob and the ball goes to ground, at which point the whistle goes and the ref has a chat with Barstool and one of their guys who appear to be having some fun and games. Rob protests his innocence. But it's another scrum to Tamworth, but the ball squirts out and the General picks up, but we have to go again as it's come out the side. This one Sid wins against the head, and the General ships it out to Nev in the in goal area, who tries a step but is caught and has to dot it down and we're back to square one, scrum five. We wheel it round 180 and we get the put in. The ball comes shooting out the back and their No.8's on it like a flash and the General makes the tackle, but they recycle and Nick Levey makes the first up tackle, then Sid as we refuse to budge, finally the monotony is relieved when the General disagrees with the ref as to what's out at the back. Thankfully Tamworth take the pot at goal 8-3

Nev's restart finds Hakesy's shin pads and he gathers and pops it to his mate big Andy who's brought down by Chris and they set then spin, we spread and it's Rick who takes the ball carrier a little high and Barstool finishes the job and we turn it over. The General digs it out and ships it to Shannon, to Chris Crash, to Horse who sets off and goes over to score his second wide out 13-3 Conversion missed, but that's the last real meaningful action of the first half.

Halftime 13-3 Sid has some stern words (as leadership has clearly gone to his head) then Slow has his two penneth worth, mainly about over complicating the essentials and slowing things down a touch .

We start the second half with fourteen men Barstool having dislocated his thumb, and he has to await the man from the St Arkell's Ambulance to go get some insulating tape from the changing rooms.

Nev's restart goes deep dropping in front of the Tamworth twenty two, evades any contact and bounces into touch for a Tamworth lineout. Nurse Arkell arrives and Rob's running repairs begin, but we have to continue to compete with a man short.

Tamworth take it cleanly at two and drive it on a few metres before we decide they've had enough forward progress and mysteriously the maul goes to ground and they're forced to spin and their inside centre comes in on a scissors and Nev takes a nice hand off but still gets enough of a tackle to bring him down but we're quickly penalised for my hands in the ensuing ruck.

Tamworth opt to kick for touch the ball going out on our ten. Again they take it at two despite the Major's best efforts and they set and drive but with good body positions we stall their forward momentum and they have to spin, ball comes out to the fly half, to inside centre who pops it to another one of their seniors popping up in the line and Ralph puts in a cruncher and the ball comes free and Bean picks up and goes and makes good ground before getting stopped. Smokin' and Barrel are to him first and Nick Levey's in at scrum half and he takes in on a yard before getting stopped and their skipper is pinged for not releasing, and Nev puts it into touch the ball going out on their twenty two. Sid being more than generous throws it over the heads of the Tamworth line and big Phil has to stretch over their side to take it, but the ref decides this is not straight, despite the fact in my mind that we have given them more than enough of a chance of catching it than BMT.

No matter then, scrum to Tamworth on their twenty two, scrum half picks up but goes lateral, then opts for the kick pass to Horse who powers up and from the touchline it looks like none of the youngsters are interested as they make like the Red Sea and it's left to Hakesy I think to finally make the tackle but Horse pops it of the deck to Crash who takes it into contact and we set. General ships it out to Nev to Smokin' to Barrel (yes in that order) to Ralph as we hit their twenty two. He's held and it goes to ground and the Major goes short, makes a metre gets tackled and then someone comes in (sorry didn't see) and clears two Tamworth forwards out completely, the General passes out to Smokin', he's on his jack so does a step to buy some time, passes to Rick who more by luck than judgement finds Sean who takes it on.

We set, Barrel comes in at scrum half and passes to Nev and he kicks ahead, but it's a club or two too heavy as it goes dead for a twenty two drop out. Luck's on our side though as two Tamworth players are in front of the kick and we come back for a scrum to us on the twenty two and in front of the posts. Barstool picks up and goes, he's held by Hakesy but he gets the ball away to Phil and he sends it out, Barrel goes through the middle. He's stopped, short pop by the General to Chris and he's keeps the legs pumping and makes good ground, before presenting the ball back, where the General picks up but there's no one outside and has to back himself but is forced to go to ground, and the referee spots something and awards Tamworth a scrum.

So scrum to Tamworth five metres inside their twenty two we go for the wheel and the General harries his man but he manages to get it away to his fly half who punts down field and Ralph takes it on the hoof and breaks through the first tackle but is brought down by the next, he presents it and BMT picks it up and goes, he's stopped ball goes to ground and whistle goes as Tamworth come in from the side. Ralph takes it quick offloads to Barstool who takes it into contact but it's spilled and goes loose, and eventually a Tamworth player decides on another kick pass to Horse and he winds it up gives a hint of a dummy and goes over five or six metres in from the touchline 18-3. Ralph gives it a good go but is unsuccessful.

The restart cannons off Rupert's manly chest but he takes it at the second attempt and then goes to ground and we drive over, the General's seen there's nobody at home and he puts a neat box kicks over for Bean to chase but it bounces cruelly and goes into touch for a lineout to Tamworth just on their ten metre line. They take at two (probably the best part of their game getting their young stripling aerial) and spin and the ball finds their mature but quick inside centre Andy (who reminds me of Kendo) who takes it on a yard before passing to his younger partner who runs into Smokin' & and is dispossessed by Barrel. Ball comes out Nev sees that his midfield duo are hard at it so comes blind and finds Ralph who pops it to Horse, back to Ralph, to Smokin' who 360's his man passes to the General who feeds Barstool and he goes over under the posts for the best try of the day 23-3 Ralph gets the easy conversion (no conversions are easy I hear Rick & Balders say) 25-3

Sean Byrne comes off and Sideways whose been moaning, muttering and champing at the bit since kick off finally gets his opportunity.

It's a deep restart from the Tamworth fly half and he finds Big Phil who sets off and breaks through the first couple of tackles before getting stopped, and we set, ball comes to the back with Chris and then Rupert and we spin, General to Nev to Barstool, to Barrel who makes the break before wanging a long one out to Ralph who chips a great kick into the corner and forces them to play it virtually on their goal line, which they do, Symes is there tracking his man and Tamworth are forced to kick deep. It drops over Nev's head who misjudges it brilliantly, but still has the time to collect, regain his composure and weigh up his options, essentially just the one and he passes to Smokin' who has to do the hard work and stand it up (does the phrase hospital pass mean anything?).

The General relieves him and puts one up and over the top, and they take it cleanly and try to come forward and Barrel makes the tackle. They recycle, spin and one of their youngsters makes a few yards before he's tackled by the General and Barrel, they set and Tamworth's big Andy takes it close, we tackle then stand off, Hakesy's next to have a go, and he runs into Sid. They set and spin but it's a poor pass out and they opt for another kick pass to Horse who takes it just outside our twenty two, he skips his man and passes to Simon playing sweeper, he breaks the first tackle and pops inside to Barrel, who flattens his man, then offloads to Crash who finds Symes inside who evades the first tackle, looks like he's felled by the second, but is not held and up he gets, gasses what's left of the cover and goes in to score under the posts 30-3. Ralph makes it a seven pointer 32-3.

Barstool comes off and the Colt Arkell comes on and Rupe's not daft and sticks him in the second row.

Shortly after the restart we secure good steady ball from a scrum and Nev calls a "suicide" (that forwards is one of those clever pieces of trickery that sadly the clever intricacies I cannot divulge over the air) but ball eventually finds Ralph who draws his man before passing to Sideways who gasses the fullback, ignores the support and goes under the posts 37-3. Straight forward conversion for Ralph 39-3 (I will give you Simon's original version of his second try in his own modest words "ran past lots and scored at three quarter pace with a couple of mesmeric sidesteps and acceleration of an extremely fast rugby player") what a guy!

The flood gates well and truly open now as the young Tamworth heads start to drop and oddly take off their two combative olduns Graham & Andy and our seventh try is scored in fairly short order after the restart by Ralph wide out , following a flowing move involving in Ralph's words "slick hands by many and I had the ball to score" 44-3. C onversion missed.

Nick Levey comes off to begin his journey down to Twickenham, which ends in a "lock in" in a nice Irish bar until three in the morning, and Slow finally comes on just in time to chase Horse over the try line for what looks like his fourth of the day but he unselfishly offloads over the Tamworth try line to Chris in support who dots it down to cap a fine display 49-3. The conversion and chance to pass the fifty mark is fluffed by Rick .

On the walk back Tamworth have a quiet word in the ref's ear, they've had enough and he blows for time about ten minutes early , just as Slow's starting to get going...bloody typical.

Final Score 49-3 Final Age 664.

Please no more disrespecting the opposition by unauthorised pots at goal by unelected kickers with a number on their back of less than 8 (and before you say anything Barstool has a couple of conversions to his name already this season)!!

Man in the dirtiest shirt this week goes to Chris Crash who appeared to take Slow's advice on board and ran with it a bit more rather than trying to tackle everything that moved .

Tom Guise

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:36:01 GMT

Tom Guise

Reports are coming through of the death of Tom Guise, a popular former player and club member. As more news arrives we will do our best to keep you informed. May he rest in peace.

Match reports

These seem to be of less importance but I will give a brief review of last weekend's games.

First XV

Making the trip to unbeaten Upton our boys could not spoil the host clubs 100% record. Even the eventual arrival of Pete the fridge failed to stem the tide and the final result was a defeat by 8-41.

Development XV

Also on the Upton trek, our young lads with a number of players missing were soundly defeated with Luke and Tom T. being our only points scorers in a heavy defeat.

Vandals XV

With much tougher opponents in Spartans 2nds our more senior lads were fully tested but still won, but by a much smaller margain than normal. Tries by Phil W., Rob, the secret Arsenal fan, Bastock and Young Simon plus 2 cons by Ralph were just about enough to see us win by 19-10

See the full Vandals match report below.

Minis and Juniors

Our minis were on training and the under 14s played host to Spartans. In a short comment manager Nigel Walker suggested that although the lads lost, the overall performance was much improved.
Our under 15s faced the prospect of a much tougher encounter than normal when they made the short journey down Haslucks Green Road to our traditional rivals, Camp Hill. It doesn't happen very often but our lads richly deserved their away victory by 29-16. Although Camp's fly-half Ben Love, another product of tthe STA rugby academy was in supreme goalkicking form, he could do little to prevent our boys from scoring 5 excellent tries. Particularly outstanding for the visitors was the front-row of Tyrell, Josh Purdy and Sam Arkell for their work in the scrums and in open play.

Fixtures

This coming weekend provisionally features the following matches,

Saturday (2.15)

First XV   v   Harbury away   league
Dev XV   v   Ason Old Es   away
Vandals    v   Aston Old Eds home

Sunday (11.00)

Under 7/8s   v   Old Saltleians   away
Under 15s    v   Bromsgrove    away

Friend of the club

Down at Camp Hill last sunday saw the last game as the home team under 15 coach of Andy Carry. With his son Reece moving on to a higher level, Andy also felt it was time to move on. Good luck mate with your touch/tag rugby and our best wishes to you, Nat and Reece. If ever you are passing the Old Ys drop in and see us and who knows, there might be a drink for you.

Vandals v Spartans 2nds

Saturday 5th February 2010 and a whole calender year since our last defeat found us up against (as it now transpires) Spartans 2nds, having originally accepted the challenge of their unbeaten Vets side at Tilehouse Lane and with Spartans playing in the division above our own a very tough prospect indeed. With conditions best described as wet 'n wild, and following advice from our resident meteorologist Ralph we opted for the vast expanse of the first team pitch in order to move our younger opponents about a bit!!

A new look front row in ever present loosehead Shannon "Steps" Killarney, Greg "the Knife" Allen and Rick "Swing" Lowe at tighthead, in the second row stunt skipper John Lonie and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn, and on the flanks Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Rob "Barstool" Bastock on the flanks with Alistair "Ali G" Gouldbourn at No.8.

Out in the Turkish Bath this week Iain "Johnno" Johnson at scrum half partnering Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, with centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer & Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald; on the wings Phil "Horse" Watson & Simon "Slippery" Singleton with Dave "Ralph" Rollins at fullback.

On the sofa this week Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Andy "Fred" Killarney, Dave "Squealer" Howlett, Gary "Smoking" Williams, Chris "Crash" Rowe, Captain Slow and having been abandoned by the Development side Sean "Bean" Byrne.

Captain Lonie wins the toss and implementing Einstein's unified beer theory opts to play towards the Clubhouse in the second half.
So Spartans kick off and it's a deep one into our twenty two, it's fielded off the deck by Johnno who pops it to Barstool and he goes searching for traffic and bludgeons his way through the first three would be tacklers before we set and Johnno puts a wind assisted box kick over the top and it goes out a metre or so outside the Spartans twenty two. Lineout Spartans, they throw to two and come down with it, their scrum half snipes down the narrow side but he's caught by BMT, and they have to set, ball comes out to the fly half who kicks to touch. But Mr Ian Roberts our referee for the day, resplendent in his baseball cap (a first for me) spots that he took it back into his twenty two so what little ground he made is erased, and we are awarded the lineout on the twenty two line.

Knife hits BMT cleanly at four, we set and then we drive, Barstool peels off infield and takes it into contact, Steps is up next and he gets to within six or seven metres of the Spartans line, we set and Johnno looks to spin, but the ref blows for hands in/coming over right in front of the posts. Most teams would opt for the sitter but not us and Johnno takes it quickly to Nev and out it goes through fast hands to Slippery and he goes over in the corner 5-0. In the howling gale Ralphs conversion goes wide.

Restart again finds Johnno, who feeds the Horse who puts one over the top, and it's fielded at the second attempt by their hooker who sets off into midfield, then spins it and the receiver is brought down by the Assassin and we all pile in, but we're pinged for not releasing. They try to take it quickly, but the ref's having none of it, and with the element of surprise gone they elect to kick to touch, but make little progress in the head wind the ball going out a metre or so inside our half. Greg's up at two and tries to spoil but Spartans come down with it, ball goes to ground and they have to set again. We spread out, then counter ruck but we're pinged for coming in from the side. They kick but it doesn't find touch but Horse instead and he sets off, hands off the first couple, comes into midfield and passes to Ralph, he's tackled but pops it up off the deck to Nev who has to stand it up, so the 677 gather round, Barstool peels away with it and goes through the first couple and big Phil takes it on next and breaks through the line, gets held, Johnno gets it away to Horse standing at centre, who finds Shannon but ball goes to ground, looks like it's gone backwards but Mr Roberts disagrees and gives the game's first scrum to Spartans midway between the halfway line and our ten. Steady scrum by Spartans, ball comes out scrum half and fly half go blind but the fly half knocks it on into touch for a throw in to Yards.

We fluff our lines and the Spartan's hooker takes the errant flap down, and they set, drive and the scrum half spins the ball out to their big fly half who pops an inside pass, but Barstool takes the runner and they knock it on as they try to set. Scrum to Yards just inside our ten metre line, we hold firm and Johnno whips it out to to Nev who fires one down into the half; the fullback looks to have knocked on but gets away with it and he starts to run, and cuts through our midfield and it's Barstool who scrags him in the end and we all line up in defence, they look to recycle and scrum half chips over the top and the ball goes out seven or eight metres from our line, for a throw in to Yards. Lonie takes it safely at two and we set, before Rob splinters away with it and creams the Spartans scrum half in the process, Nick's first to the breakdown but ref's whistle goes for the tackler not releasing (meanwhile the scrum half's taking a while to get back on his feet). Ralph puts the kick long the ball going out just on the halfway line.
Ball comes in evades big Phil's hands but it's cleared up by Rob at the back, and we all go on the trundle first right then left as we counter Spartans' efforts to halt our progress, the ball's safe at the back now (unlike when England do it) and in Rick's hands as we change the direction of the maul to counter the defensive effort. Rick hands over to Ali G at the back and Barstool standing off takes the short pop, he offloads to Lonie who takes a great catch off his size twelve's and we all pile in as do they, but again we are undone by the ref who gives Spartans a penalty midway between their twenty two and ten metre lines. The fly half though just about makes the halfway line. Big Phil's unlucky not to pluck it out the air, as Spartans come down with it and spin straight it out into midfield where the Assassin takes the inside centre and we pile in and this time Spartans are penalised for coming over the top. Great kick by Ralphy the ball going out about ten metres from their line, and the Knife hits BMT at four and Johnno takes it off the top and wangs it out to Nev and barrel comes on his first pair of the day and breaks the gain line and takes it into contact, we set round him and Horse comes and lends his weight to it, Johnno digs it out and looks to spin but there's nobody at home so he has to go it alone, gives a flea flicker out the back of his hand to Ali G who gains more yards, and keeps on going he goes to ground and Spartans come over, penalty Yards. We take it quickly but the pass to Alistair is deemed forward so scrum to Spartans about fifteen metres out from their line. And the first wounded Spartan trudges off. Looks like foot up but they get away with it but we "unintentionally" wheel the scrum round the 180 whistle goes and we get the put in.
The pressure of our eight begins to tell as Spartans intentionally wheel and concede a penalty about twenty metres out in front of the posts and once again they turn their backs expecting us to take the easy option but Barstool has other ideas as he retrieves the ball, jogs back to the mark and takes the quick one in front of Mr Roberts and runs through the middle of them with Shannon & Lonie in hot pursuit to score just to the left of the posts 10-0 Ralph makes no mistake 12-0 (this one's on Facebook).
One restart, two quick penalties and a couple of scrums later Spartans are awarded a penalty about five metres from our line for collapsing the last one; they load the right hand side side (Captains note: that's a hint) and with only Shannon & I think one other opposite them, strangely enough they come that way and score about a metre in from the corner 12-5 The kick goes no where near, but still game on.
It's a good long restart which drops inside their twenty two, they bring it forward but we hold them on their twenty two, with tackles coming in from Greg & Nick, they continue to try and play themselves out of it, as we counter ruck and John showing his footie skills for the second week running manages to get a foot to it, kicking it through, the Spartans player doesn't make much of an effort to get off his arse with it, but ref allows play to go on as they recycle and spin and continue trying to bring it out the hard way, Nev makes the next tackle then Barrel and we turn it over, Nick takes it and gets a real fizzer and has a lie down for a bit to collect his thoughts and lungs. The ball goes forward off the tackler so we get the scrum, ball comes out we go blind but Slippery knocks on.
Scrum Spartans five metres outside the twenty two. Again our eight put the wheel on but their scrum half digs it out and is forced to box kick it over, Ralph traps it with his feet and puts his own sand wedge over the top but it's too long and is dotted down for a drop out to Spartans. They look to take it quickly but change their minds, they look to kick long towards the 2nd team pitch but then kick short right, clever bit of play in fairness, but undone by a knock on almost immediately after. Scrum Yards, our turn to feel the squeeze as we go back half a yard, their scrum half comes round, whistle goes, looks like offside but bizarrely the ref gives the penalty to Spartans.They take it quickly into midfield and Fitzy cleaves his man in half and gets a Brucie Bonus as the ball goes forward in the tackle.
So it's a scrum midway between the ten and the twenty two, and again the Spartans eight put ours under pressure and Ali G is forced to pick up at the base, and gives a big loopy pass to Ralph, which gives the defence plenty of time and Ralph knocks it on in the tackle. (Captain's note: did I not mention loop passes!). Scrum Spartans, the first one breaks up, and we have another go, steadier this time, scrum half to fly half he does a step but it doesn't fool the Assassin who nails him, Alistair's net to him, Spartans look to set, as the "enthusiastic" Barstool is pinged for coming in from the side.
The wind is now howling into the face of the fly half as he kicks for touch, the ball going out just inside their half. Greg's up an hour early, but it obviously puts the Spartans' hooker off as Lonie takes it, and we all drive over; Johnno picks up and Shannon takes it on the burst, bish bash, Alistair clears them out, then Rob takes it on and makes more yards, Rick picks up, offloads to big Phil, he takes it into contact and again Alistair clears them out, Barrel's snook in there somehow and he takes it on another yard, Johnno looks to go short but he gets clobbered but manages to offload it, then carries on having a cuddle with his tackler. Barrel stands in at scrum half, and he takes it on again. Lonie's to him, then Nick and we set, short pass to Rob, he breaks the line, and we're about twenty metres from their line, he pops it to BMT, does a step and comes inside, looking for his brother as he goes into contact and they come tumbling over, penalty Yards. We take it quickly and Horse would have scored, had the ref not decided to come back for injured Spartans.
We have another go but get turned over, they run a couple of phases before getting a penalty from which they kick to touch the ball going out about fifteen metres from their line. They look as if they've secure their own ball but Barstool comes away with it wannabe scrum half Barrel's in there again but he's overruled by Johnno, and we spin wide to Horse and he gets to within ten metres of their line before getting tackled but we're penalised for handling on the deck. Spartans look to clear but only as far as their twenty two. Greg's up at two tries his best to spoil but they come down with it and we're done again for coming in from the side. Again with the wind in his face the Spartans' fly half only makes seven or eight metres. The throw comes in and Greg makes contact and Rick clears up, but whistle goes again for a scrum to Spartans. Then we get pinged for a deliberate wheel, Spartans simply grateful to eat up the clock with each of our misdemenours, again it's the fly half making seven or eight metres. At which point Mr Lonie & Mr Roberts have a deep & meaningful conversation. Spartans opt for a three man line which initially confuses us somewhat, so Shannon, Phil & John line up, and pile through and the Spartans' scrum half knocks on in the tackle. Ref plays advantage, we recycle and ball finds Ralph who kicks over with pinpoint accuracy the ball going out a metre from their line.
Spartans don't panic and secure it at two and drive the jumper on, we give them some space and the ball goes to ground at which point the ref's baseball cap finally gets blown off, and the scrum half digs the ball out and punts it into touch, ref blows for half time in order to retrieve his cap.

Half time 12-5 Drinks all round and just the one change young Arkell coming on for the younger Barstool. Still much to do now as the breeze is in our faces, and one of the Spartans remarks it's a twenty point wind. Lots of chat in the huddle all with a differing view but all realising that the penalty count is killing us.

Its a steady scrum Johnno ships it out to Nev who brings Barrel in on the scissors and he carves straight through, looks like he going all the way, but get's brought down about fifteen metres from the line, pops it up but his searing break has also left the support for dead and the Spartan fly half hacks it forward but only in to the arms of Nev, who seeing nothing on puts in an excellent kick that goes out on the Spartans twenty two. The throw comes in and it's the Colt Arkell who takes it at five or six and we set, Johnno sends it out to Nev and Slippery comes in off his wing and cuts in field, but it goes loose in midfield and their speedster centre picks up and sets off and makes great ground evading tackle after tackle, gets past our ten metre line before spinning it out to his centre partner, who finds their fly half but it's a poor pass and with our cover arriving he has no option but to welly it into touch. They win our ball and it comes out to the fly half who pops one back inside, but they make no real ground and we all pile in, they set, they're midway between the halfway and our ten metre line, its all gone a bit static and their nine puts an excellent box kick over the top and it goes out just in front of our line. Chris Rowe comes on for the industrious Nick Levey and Gary Williams comes on for Tony Fitz.

So it's a lineout five metres from our line, throw comes in and it's knocked forward by us and then by them. Scrum Spartans same distance, balls at the back and Johnno's over their nine like a rash, he's tap tackled by Johnno as he makes the pass, it's a loopy one and Chris "Crash" makes an immediate impact and we drive them off it, we spin comes to Nev he's caught and we're pinged again for coming in from the side Ali G this time. They take it quick and again Chris bladders the fly half, but he manages to offload to one of the second rows so Barrel gets him, they're centre field ten metres so out they shift it wide, looks a certain score but Horse is there to save the day and ball goes out, though deflected off a Yards player. Throw to Spartans, they throw short, too short and we get the free kick to clear our lines. The wind keeps it in and it drops around halfway their fullback takes it and sends it back with interest, Symes goes back for it turns the corner and sets off with it, he's almost clothes lined, so we set and BMT takes it on with first Crash in support and then his little brother Al and going forward we win the scrum. Alistair picks up from the base and goes, looks for someone to pass to and it's Symes who cuts inside, and does a step, gets over halfway before he's stopped, Arks clears the Spartans scrum half out the way as only he can, BMT's there, Johnno sends it out to Nev, does a step, looks for support, and comes back to the relative warmth of the forwards.

There's a bit of pushing & shoving between the grown ups and the ref takes the easy option and blows up and awards us a scrum. Difficult ball for Johnno to take as it comes rifling out, he spins to Nev and our mercurial fly half dummies first Barrel then Smoking and gives the perfect flat pass to Horse at full tilt moreorless on the halfway line and he carves his way through the Spartans defence to score under the posts 17-5 Still a tough kick for Ralph given the gale blowing in his face, so he gives it a real leathering 19-5.

Long deep restart finds big Phil he takes it a few yards and his brother comes to him, and the 677 gather round but somehow we lose it forward, and ref plays advantage and Spartans come away with it, the ball comes to their fleet footed young centre who makes good ground before his pass to the winger finds touch instead. They steal at the line and ball comes out to the fly half who tries to cut back inside and gets Chris Rowe again, they recycle and ball comes out into midfield where it gets knocked forward in the tackle by a Yards player. Spartans scrum just inside our ten metre line, they spin their two quick centres again make good ground before big Phil makes the tackle about five or six metres from our line; and again we're penalised for coming in from the side. They spin quickly and the fly half not having the best of days throws a forward pass, scrum Yards about twelve metres out. Steady ball and Ralph puts one over the top, doesn't find touch but doesn't bounce either and Smoking's first to it, he gets up Ali G in support, we recycle, Dewi Palmer in at scrum half and he goes route one, goes to ground and we drive over, Rick picks up and goes but the whistle's gone.

Andy comes on for hard working John, and Shannon assumes command. Ball comes out cleanly and we clear to touch. Spartans throw comes in, but it goes to ground and Rick's in like a flash and toe pokes it forward and their winger obligingly knocks it on, and we make ten metres in the process. Scrum Yards, Alistair picks up and goes but loses it in contact and they spin, but Smoking clatters his man in midfield and the ball spills loose, Horse picks up and tries to get moving, but there are too many around him. Referee sees something and blows, penalty Yards close to the ten metre line and not for the first time the ref has a word with the No.16.

Ralph doesn't find touch, but the fullback does his impression of the dying fly and whilst making no real attempt to get up Symes & Smoking are the ones penalised about eight metres from their line. They kick to clear their lines, and a couple of lineouts and scrums later they've worked their way up the touchline to a position just outside our twenty two. Barrel makes way for Dave Howlett in his first outing in a couple of seasons. The game's becoming a bit of a war of attrition now as Spartans look for a way though.

Scrum yards, we're under pressure and Johnno improvises and flips it between his legs to Simon who sets off on one of his mazy specials from inside our twenty two, and keeps going past the ten before hoofing it further up field and it's a foot race, their fullback goofs it and Squealer's to him first, we're deep inside the Spartans twenty two, but whistle goes I think for not releasing. They try to run it out from their twenty two, we spread and defend, they get to just inside their ten metre and ball goes to ground, penalty, we feel their No.16 is all over it and vent our spleens as does the touchline, and we're marched back ten, then another, and another, Mr Roberts gleefully giving the verbal gesture all the way.

The final ten minutes becomes a trial of defensive strength for both sides in deteriorating conditions as Spartans press hard to get back into the game; and whilst Spartans did manage another unconverted try to bring the score to 19-10 it was only a consolation as they never really threatened to overtake our lead.

Final Score 19-10 Final age 641 maintaining our average of an average age of 43.

Captains note: one thing we got pinged for throughout the game was for coming in from the side, I've got at least four or five on tape, you bigger units go through the gate and not over the bloody fence in future please!!

Man in the dirtiest shirt this week goes to one of our usually unsung ones, Rick, after being pitched in at tighthead and despite admitting to being up against a real handful, he stuck with it and competed with his man throughout the game and also for his tireless work in the loose. And apologies to Sean who through my own ineptitude didn't get on.

Our 19th win of the season, and by a margin of three points now our closest game this season, and a mark of how just a tough a fixture it was, the first occasion our offensive machine has been pegged to less than twenty points. That said now only 145 points away from the magic 1000.

This Saturday sees us up against the previous holders of the closest game 22-10 Aston Old Edwardians at Tilehouse Lane.

Slow

Shall we play or shall we go home?

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:43:14 GMT

The pitches were a little firm at the weekend and there were some doubts regarding safety, (why play rugby in the first place if you can't accept the odd bit of pain and discomfort). Confusing? then read on.

First XV

According to my sources, the home team were changed and on the pitch going through warm up routines, the referee was ready for action and then our visitors thought the pitch to be rather firm so got in their cars and returned, presumably, back to Southam. I am sure that our lads enjoyed every second of their training session.

Development XV

With the return of some of the regular players our young side travelled south in order to beat the freeze to the rural tranquility (if you are front row that means peaceful) of Alcester. The hosts put out a blend of youngsters and experience and performed with enthusiasm. However, it was the boys from Tilehouse Lane who were on top for much of the match. Tries from Sean Byrne, Tom Thacker and Chris 'the curry' Rhodes and two cons from the younger Bucknall gave us a 19-5 victory.

Vandals XV

Risking life and limb the game against Claverdon 2s went ahead on our all-weather pitch. Claverdon, with a large squad ready to perform were certain to be a real test for our well-drilled and, so far, successful team of oldies. Lads, I will offer you an excuse. A very cold day meant cold hands which explained the many handling errors, mainly by the home team. To keep it brief, we gradually took control of all aspects of the game and tries came from Phil Watson x2, Mike Neary, Young Simon, Lee Coates, Ali G, Alan Arkell and Nev who also kicked a conversion. Ralph got two cons and the Chairman (Mr Fitz) for some reason attempted and was on target with his drop goal effort. Final score was in the region of 53-5 in favour of the Vandals.
See the full Vandals match report below.

Minis and Juniors

Steve from Woodrush and myself decided to make a late decision on sunday morning as the weather forecasters hinted at a frost-free morning. This proved be a good call and three of our teams made the short journey and got some action. Marcus is very impressed by his under 10s who have shown some excellent form so far. The under 15s are now looking strong and with the new players linking well with their new team mates, we were a little too good for our opposition on the day. A big thank you to Woodrush for their hospitality.

This weekend's fixtures
Saturday 5th Feb
First XV v   Upton away in a league game
Development XV    v   Upton away
Vandals    v Spartans Vets   home

Sunday 6th Feb
At this moment under 7/8s training
                         under 10s training
                         under 14s   v   Spartans at home kick off 11.00
                         under 15s   v   Camp Hill   away kick off 11.00 For new parents with satnav B90 2EF

Club Social Events

You are warmly invited to our social events and it helps generate funds which in turn enables us to do more for you so please give your support. Families of Minis/Juniors give it a go as you are part of the club. You never know you might even enjoy yourselves.

The Six Nations Internationals will be shown on the big screen and refreshments will, of course, be available.

Family Quiz on Friday February 18th (7.30 to 9.30)
This is aimed at our younger club members with their families and also at our senior club members with their families. It is not the same style as Dave's slightly more adult based quizzes. Curry and Pizza can be bought. Entry is £5 per adult and free for youngsters in full-time education. Please let Shannon or Pat know if you plan to attend.

Beer and Balti Evening on Saturday February 26th
£8 per ticket starting approx. on the final whistle of the 5pm kick off international between England and France. More details can be obtained through Chris Rhodes (Club Social Sec.) who informs me that the caterers are of a high quality.

St. Patrick's Day +1 Celebration on Friday March 18th
You don't have to originate from the Emerald Isle and you don't have to be RC but you will be blessed anyway if you come along to enjoy the craic! Sharron of the Mini/Junior section of the club is planning the event and it should include a live band witth a caller to prevent you from looking like a complete fool as you dance. Remember, if Sid and Brian Collingwood can manage a dance then the rest of you should be more than able. Refreshments wiill be available, more details to follow.

Friends of the club

Mr Peter Johnson
   It has been good to see the iconic, long serving member of the teaching staff at Alderbrook School, watching the Ys. Pete, if my memory serves me correctly, was once a player for the Shirley Park bunch. He also had the dubious honour of educating my three kids. Nice to see you at our place Pete, you got it right in the end. On the ex-Alderbrook front, Richard McC. feel free to bring your kite with you again. As they say, you're never too young!

Mr Simon Brown

Just a short 'tail' about one of our favourite club vice-presidents and former Old Ys flanker/centre/winger. I could be barking up the wrong tree but I shall lead on without paws.
The question is, what might happen if you go out for a while and leave your lounge door open, fountain pen and ink on the table, you have a white carpet and suite and you have left the dog at home?
A pint from Simon for the first correct answer he receives, not by phone or text or even by e-mail, the answer must be written in black ink on a white background.

Vandals v Claverdon 2nds - full match report

Saturday 29th January 2011 and Game 18 found us at home against Claverdon Lions 2nds; on paper a very tricky fixture, with their First team currently unbeaten & atop of Division 5 West (South) and a game last season remembered for the coining of the term "attendants" and probably one of our best team performances over at Ossetts Hole Lane in the pouring rain before finally running out winners 24-0.

In the front row this week loosehead Shannon "Steps" Killarney, Rick "Swing"Lowe at hooker & Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at tighthead.
With Big Phil Gouldbourn at the pantomime (I kid you not) younger sibling Alistair partnered John "Fingers" Lonie in the second row with the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks and recently returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos the Rupert "the Major" Young at No.8 (sorry meant on the pi** in Courmeyeur).

Out in the attendants this week Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, and with Barrel being loaned out a "new" centre partnership in Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald and top scorer Lee "Coatesy" Coates; on the wings Phil "Horse" Watson & Simon "Sideways" Singleton with Mike "Nearly" Neary sweeping up the leaves at the back.

On the banquette this week Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Iain "Johnno" Johnson, Dave "Ralph" Rollins, James "Hughesy" Hughes, new recruit Chris Rowe and the entire first team, Southam having wimped out of their game upon finding some stiff blades of grass in the dead ball area of the first team pitch.

Shark wins the toss and picks field position with our backs to Highgate United, so Claverdon kick off with an old mate of mine Rich Gray and former first team centre partner of mine at the Sils (yes that's where I really used to play inside centre) taking the kick off which doesn't make ten but Lonie still decides to show his footballing skills by kicking it out on the half volley for a throw just on halfway. Claverdon secure their own ball at the lineout and spin it out to fly half Gray and he kicks ahead but Mike takes it cleanly and clears to touch the ball going out between Claverdon's ten and twenty two metre line.

We steal the lineout and ball goes through the hands of Phil, Nev, Fitz, & Coatesy to Simon, who gets snagged. We recycle and the General ships it out to Nev who puts one over the top for Horse to run onto, difficult ball on the floor so he opts to grubber it out on the Claverdon twenty two metre line for a throw to them.

They overthrow and it's the General of all people taking it at the tail but it's a big long loopy pass in the midfield which goes marginally forward, for a scrum to Claverdon centrefield midway between the ten metre and halfway lines. But our eight get the shove on and put the Clav scrum under pressure and the No.8 is forced to pick up at the base and the General's over him like a rash followed by the Assassin; they stand him up and the 677 gather round and we turn him over, Alistair takes the short pop and offloads to the General who crosses the twenty two, passes to the Major who takes it into contact. We recycle crisply and Nev chips over the top but ball crosses the try line and the defence dot it down for a twenty two drop out.

Horse takes the restart, it's a customary bit of bish bosh from our Phil as he drives it over the the twenty two before popping it to Nev, to Fitz to Coatesy, long pass to Sideways who looks to cut back inside, looks for support, ball finds Rick, to Nev who gets caught, Rupe helps him out and we drive it on a couple of metres before we spin again, and ball comes out to Fitz who thinks he's in the pocket in the Telstra Stadium and he calmly slots over a drop goal (albeit a bit of a worker) for a 3-0 lead and the crowd go wild!! Not quite as bad as a penalty so we'll let him off and at least we have the complete set now to go with our lone penalty.
Shannon takes the restart and takes it into contact and we drive it on, Rick takes it a little further, Nick Levey clears up and passes to Rupe who takes it on a yard, we set and it's short pop to Alistair as we soften them up around the fringes; and then we spin it wide, Phil to Nev to Fitz to Coatesy, he stands his man up makes the break passes to Symes who lights them up and cuts back inside and is hit by the sniper on the grassy knoll and promptly falls over to huge guffaws on the touchline but has the presence of mind and some slight embarrassment to pop it up off the deck to Mike Neary in support who slices through the defence to go under the posts 8-0. Easy one for Ian Neville 10-0.

It's a bit scrappy from the restart and we take it on but we concede a penalty on our ten metre line. They kick to touch but only find Nev who sends it back with interest, their winger takes it, evades a couple and cuts into midfield and is promptly felled by Chairman Fitz, ball goes forward in the tackle for a scrum to Yards, but the war is over for the Major as he comes off with a twisted back. The Colt Arkell comes on a bit sooner than he'd like obviously, with enough professionally applied tape on his knee to sink a battleship (See Mr Baldwin's Facebook footage). Arks packs down alongside his bosom pal Lonie and Alistair switches to No.8
Soon after we are camped just outside the Claverdon twenty two, scrum to Yards ball comes out Fitz scissors on Nev but he's caught and a Claverdon hand knocks it forward in the tackle, for another scrum to Yards. Steady scrum, the General picks & spins to Nev, dummy scissors Fitz, difficult pass for Coatesy to take and has to improvises a flick onto Horse but the ref deems it's gone forward, denying us a certain score. So scrum to Claverdon, Rick decides to take matters into his own hands, picks up Bilbo & Steps and drives them off their own ball, the General spins it out to Nev who sells some double glazing and breaks the line but is unable to get the ball away to Horse in support, and the move comes to nothing.
Play soon shifts back to midfield and Claverdon are awarded a penalty on the halfway line, they opt to kick and the ball goes out about five or six metres in front of our twenty two metre line. We steal it at the back of the line and set and Nick Levey comes in on the crash and breaks through, looks for support, finds it in Shannon he clears it out, we recycle, Alistair's next up keeps the legs pumping, the 677 gather round and we press on forward in a huddle obviously trying to keep warm in the bitter conditions, Arks lend his weight to the maul as we tie them in and then the General decides the time is right and we spin. Nev to Fitz, to Coatesy, he's caught round the collar by our old friend Les Battersby (playing for his other Club) so we set and spin again, ball comes to Horse and it takes three to stop him and the ball is knocked on (Slow thinks deliberately) by Claverdon, but ref awards just the scrum to Yards. We drive them back, somehow ball squirts loose and it's kicked into touch by a Claverdon player.
From the lineout Rick hits Shark towering above the rest at four, and we set and drive towards the line, Arks in front, a one man impeneterable shield, we split the pod and peel towards the posts, the General emerges from the middle, we regroup and drive it on, the General looks right sees Horse, goes into retrieve the ball and has to duck under John in order to pop it out to Horse (you can watch this too on Facebook) and from a couple of metres Horse barges through his much smaller man to score a metre or so in from the corner 15-0 (watch the video the pack look really nonchalant after we score, they just turn and trudge back to the halfway line...job done). Nev misses with the difficult conversion.
Our next try a few minutes later is a "classic" involving our three top try scorers, we secure good ball and the General sends it out to Nev to Fitz to Coatesy who puts Horse into space, customary big hand off, runs thirty odd metres to the line, Coatesy on his shoulder all the way; Horse crosses the line unopposed and decides to generously pop it to Coatsey who runs it behind the line and under the posts before he himself pops it to Symes who's come the long way via Knowle and he dots it down to increase our lead to 20-0. Easy conversion for Nev 22-0.

Nev takes the restart catch on his knees and clears to touch just outside our twenty two for a lineout to Claverdon which Shark takes easily at four. We set and decide to spin, Nev to Fitz to Coatesy who still has work to do but uses his speed to get away and puts in a great long clearance kick which goes out near the halfway line. The Assassin makes a nuisance of himself at the tail of the line, but Clav manage to get it away as far as Rich Gray at ten, but he's forced to stand it up and Clav have to work hard, the scrum half puts a box kick over, bit aimless really but Sideways collects it, gets caught round the collar but gets away and punts it up field and gives chase. The Clav player looks to have taken it right on their twenty two if not in front when he clears it into touch, referee consults touch judge the right honourable Billy Bucknall and they give Claverdon the benefit of the doubt, lineout where the ball went out. It's a double whammy for us as we lose the lineout but the Claverdon fly half gets an "unsympathetic" pass (he's a mate) and he kindly knocks it forward for a scrum to Yards on the twenty two moreorless midfield. Its' a steady scrum with Bilbo & Shannon exerting all manner of pressure and it starts to collapse as Ali G picks up from the base and goes, good hand off, he offloads to the General who ships it out but it's knocked on in midfield (that'd be you Coatesy) for a scrum.
They win the scrum and it's a kick over the top and Mike gathers it and passes to Coatesy who sets off, looks like he's going all the way as he ghosts past the first couple, looks to be held but keeps the legs pumping and breaks free again finally gets stopped, and we look to recycle about ten metres out from their line but we knock on in the excitement. But it's a great tackle by the General on his opposite man at the back of the scrum and he knocks on, but to no avail as we lose one against the head but again the God's smile as the clearance kick goes out about five metres from the Claverdon line. Attacking lineout to Yards then, it's a bit scrappy but we get the ball away and it's a floater to Fitz who gets man & ball at the same time and it's knocked on in the tackle for a scrum to Claverdon from which they kick to touch to relieve the immediate pressure.
Not long after however, we are awarded a scrum a few metres inside their twenty two, we split the backs, ball comes to Coatsey, inside pass to Horse who does well not to collide with Alistair, almost accidental offside, but we get away with it, Horse takes it into contact, and we set, the industrious (read fit as f*ck) Coatesy standing in at scrum half passes to Rick, the 677 pile in, ball comes out and Coatesy uses his speed to go over in the corner 27-0. Nev goes close but not close enough.
Halftime 27-0 really too cold for isotonics, cocoa would have been better!! Slow rings some changes to get everybody on, Johnno comes on for the General, Hughesy for Coatsey, Smoking for Fitz and Ralph on for Mike Neary. Claverdon take the opportunity to introduce their own version of the big wing who lines up against Simon for the second half.
It's a long deep restart into their twenty two, and their big winger has his first trundle, but he's brought down but then proceeds to crawl along the deck, before getting pinged, probably for attempted tunnelling. Nev puts it into the corner about ten metres from their line. The throw sails over both jumpers and is taken by Lonie at the tail, and we drive it towards the posts, John feeds it back to Rick and in turn to Shannon and we peel off right, heading inexorably towards the line before John breaks free, he gets held up just short, he flips it back, Johnno can't take it but it's gone backwards and Bilbo tidies up, then Alistair and we set it, ball comes out, misses Nev ends up at Smoking's feet who does a great step, passes to Hughesy, back to Smoking to Horse, who offloads back inside again to Smoking, who sends a wider one out to Ralph who flips it back inside to Simon. We're camped on their line, we recycle, Johnno looks up spins it to Nev to Hughesy who shows off his ball juggling skills in midfield, the Colt Arkell's first to him and takes the ball, peels away and drives to the line, ball comes backwards, Nick Levey cleans it up and we set, Johnno looks to spin, but sees Alistair who takes the crash ball and goes over for a great team try 32-0. Nev converts taking the score to 34-0.

Shannon takes a great catch from the restart, we set Alistair comes inside but throws an interception to my mate Rich at fly half, the ball comes out, they recycle and look to run, but their scrum half goes for the box kick but it's too long and it harmlessly crosses our try line and Ralph has plenty of time to dot it down for a drop out twenty two. Nick Levey comes off and debutant Chris Rowe comes on.

It's a good long drop out by Nev and the 677 give chase, the Claverdon forwards bring it back and we engage and turn it over, we take the ball on a few metres, Johnno spins to Nev who passes to Hughsey and it's a good drive by him, Chris Rowe into the action straight away is to him first, Smoking picks up passes to Sideways back to Nev who uses his sand wedge to put one over the top, doesn't find touch and they punt it back over and into the arms of Horse, he passes to Smoking, he sidesteps one, burns another, nice wide pass but referee deems we've had no real advantage from an earlier Claverdon infringement and brings us back for a penalty. Johnno I think takes it quickly, tries to weave his way through gets stopped, Bilbo sets it and we drive it on, making good yards before it gets knocked on/turned over/give a penalty away (and no that's not multiple choice we did all three) and they clear to touch the ball going out on the halfway line. They win the lineout and again they go for the box kick and again it goes harmlessly dead for a twenty two drop out to Yards.

Smoking looks to take it quickly, decides against it and gives it to Nev who puts it up and it doesn't cross the line so it's a scrum centre field on the twenty two, Rick's pinged for foot up (live by the sword....) they take it quickly spin it wide to their big winger, Symes gets wrapped round a leg but it's not enough and he goes over on the corner for an unconverted try 34-5.

It's a great long deep restart which they try and run out, and get as far as the twenty two before getting stopped but we're pinged for not releasing. They hoof it downfield their big winger hurtling on after it, Ralph makes a great catch (just about) and steps the big unit and he goes sailing on by, ball is spun but cold hands and it goes to ground in midfield for a scrum to Claverdon.

Shortly after an attempted clearance finds Ralph, he traps it with his feet, picks up and sets off into the heart of the defence, he's stopped about five metres short and the 677 set and Johnno looks to come blind and it's a great show & go that unlocks the defence and he puts Nev in for our sixth try 39-5, bit of a shocker though as the excitement gets to him and he misses the conversion.

One of the Claverdon players has gone down with what looks like a broken/dislocated ankle, and an ambulance is called, but he is only one of three lying prone on the park as their "balls to the wall" defence starts to take its' toll. Slow offers to abandon the game to the Claverdon players but to their credit they decide to play on. (The unfortunate player Ross Cameron has had to have some extensive repairs to his ankle and was only discharged from the QE midweek..we wish him well and a speedy recovery)

The restart goes straight out so scrum back on the halfway line, steady scrum Johnno pops to Nev and loops round to take the return pass and breaks the line, looks for support, but the pass is knocked on; Andy Wigley the young ref plays good advantage and Clav bring it forward, but we turn it over, Bilbo to Johnno, to Nev, to Smoking to Ralph, who cuts back inside chooses not to go with Horse but pops to Smoking who cuts back inside and finds Simon who looks to plot a way through, he gets tackled and goes to ground but Clav are penalised for not releasing/coming over the top.

Nev pops it into the corner. We catch and drive towards the line, ball comes out eventually, Chris takes it on this time, gets tackled and we have to set again lots of Claverdon hands in, but ref decides the penalty's for not rolling away. We take it quickly and spin it, Hughesy takes it on in midfield, he's stopped Johnno's there, pops it to Rick who rotates towards the posts, Alistair drives him on, then Johnno, Bilbo pops the ball out from the back to Shannon, trademark dummy then offloads to Horse who goes over in the corner, great try made by our two passing props 44-5. Up steps Ralph for this one and it sails over (c'mon Ralph even you were surprised despite the clenched fist salute) 46-5

Alistair comes off and occasional Vandal Steve "monkey hanger" Cunningham comes on for the last fifteen at No.8 as a reward for staying to watch when all his team mates have all gone back into the warm.

Soon after Claverdon are awarded a scrum between the ten and our twenty two, they pick up at the base, flat pass from the No.8 to their big wing but our even bigger wing Horse drives him into touch, but referee brings it back for a penalty for not binding at the scrum. They kick for the corner valiant effort by Horse as he tries to catch it but it ends up coming off his back and it goes dead for a scrum to Clav five metres out, great defensive scrum by our eight as we get the drive on causing carnage at the base and we turn it over and Nev kicks long for touch, their winger fields it just inside the line but he's driven out just by Symes & Horse just inside their ten. Excellent defence.

Cunning stuff by Swing as he throws it short Lonie and we drive it on, Johnno spins short to Chris great pass to Smoking, to Hughesy to Ralph coming into the line, to Simon but frostbite gets the better of him and it goes to ground. Scrum Claverdon.

Nick Levey comes back on for the hard working Marcus.

Our final try of what was probably a very long afternoon for Arks who, following a great run by Horse, picked up the loose ball and from just inside the Claverdon twenty two and set off on a long diagonal run, with plenty of bish bosh rumbled in under the posts 51-5 Try converted by Ralph 53-5

Mike Neary comes back on for the last few minutes for Horse (sufficient enough time for Mike to collect a bloody nose) .

Shannon takes the restart and we all know what's coming and he doesn't disappoint to a large cheer from the remaining crowd, and Steve Cunningham takes the pass and takes it into contact, we set and Johnno boxes one over, the fullback takes it and is tackled and the ball spills into touch.

Final score 53-5 Final age 631

Another big performance from 1-22, the bitter cold making our usually crisp handling difficult at times, but that said another eight tries and our seventh highest win of the season (yes another six times over 60!)

Sadly having cancelled our scheduled fixture with Old Salts to take up the challenge of Spartans, a side like us unbeaten this season with eleven straight wins they withdrew their offer early on Thursday morning due to lack of players so at present we're in the Pool.

Some general housekeeping can we please have a look in our kit bags for a pair of club socks and the duplicate No.9 shirt.

Slow.

Catch up rugby week 2

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:58:23 GMT

What a weekend. I popped down to the Emirates to watch some supreme footballing skills including a hat-trick from RVP and some amazing skill from Cesc. However, what is wigan known for? its pier, its casino and probably its rugby league side, but on what I saw it certainly ain't its football team. As a bonus we had to share a train carriage with some ladies from Wolverhampton. I hope they enjoyed their picnic and I'm sure that they are safe from starvation for another week or two.

'I spy' badges for those of you who have noticed new bus stops outside of the club, allegedly for the S7 bus route. A free drink from Pete Butler for the first person to place the details of this route on the club noticeboard.

First XV v Shipston on Stour

In similar style to last week our boys are now perfecting the art of charitable rugby. Shipston, a more than decent team, didn't really need a 12 point start but that's what we gave them. We think that they had inside information regarding our tactics as they moved off their first team pitch onto a mini-rugby area which made our plan to run the ball wide a lot more difficult to achieve so we had to be a little tighter in our game plan. Anyway to cut a long story short, forward dominance resulted in a lot of pressure and eventually a try for young scrum half Tom Growcott converted by Adam Walker. Even more pressure followed and resulted in a try for back row James O' Donnahue. At 12-12 we camped in their 22 and amazingly there were no more points scored even though a series of attacking 5 meter scrums collapsed. Another interesting scoreline in a league in which, apart from the leaders, all the other sides are capable of beating each other on the day. The question on everyones lips is how many points start will we give Southam in saturday's home league game. Watch this space !

Development XV v Tamworth

More details to follow when our skipper sends his report in. The grapevine suggests that we came in second place but considering the first team injury situation that resulted in the changes to our development squad, the defeat was not a massive surprise. I have a feeling that we will see a much improved display at Alcester on saturday.

Vandals XV v Old Sils

The mean machine grinds on with Sils Saints this week's unlucky opponents. To beat the Sils is never easy but we managed to do so in style with tries coming from Phil Watson x4, young Simon x2 and one each for Alan Arkell and Mick Neary, plus one conversion each for Ralph and Nev for a final score of 44-0. This coming saturday's game is at home to Claverdon. Admission is free but you have to get yourself out of the mud/car park. See longer report below.

Minis and Juniors

The only game last sunday was our under 15s v Five Ways, a team that beat us by 50 odd points earlier in the season. With our new recruits fitting in nicely we managed to turn the tables by winning 32-19 which included two tries by Jack Molloy on his return to action. A big thank you to Mr Tom Power for an excellent display of refereeing.
This coming sunday sees us make the short journey to our friends at Woodrush for matches at under 7/8, under 9/10 and under 15. Under 14s contact your manager/coach to confirm your arrangements..
Vandals v Silhillians main report

Short one this week chaps (thank heavans I hear you all say....mind you want to try typing the detailed thing!)

Game 17 of the season found us up against Silhillian 3rds at leafy Copt Heath, one of the five sides that defeated us last season albeit with the help of their Civil Service friends. Having been pre-warned earlier on in the week of a lack of a competitive front row, it didn't look too promising for the homeside when Sils took to the field with just twelve players.

With Roger "The Dodger" Lazenby & Rick "Swing" Lowe sportingly offering to shore up the Sils front row, our starting fifteen comprised an experienced (read old) front row in loosehead Shannon "Steps" Killarney, Steve "Sid" Sidwell at hooker and Bill "Bilbo" Burrows starting at tight (having sold Gethin to the Development side), the brothers Gouldbourn in the second row, and in the back row the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks and the combative Rob "Barstool" Bastock at No.8 (the Major apparently being lost in time & space).

The glory boys this week Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half & Ian "Nev " Neville at fly half, with centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer & Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald; on the wings Phil "Horse" Watson & Simon "Sideways" Singleton with Mike "Nearly" Neary at fullback.

On the couch this week Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Iain "Johnno" Johnson, John "Fingers" Lonie, Dave "Ralph" Rollins and Captain Slow.

Other than a period shortly after half time where the game developed into a forward dog fight (literally at one point, wth Barstool & Sils' Rich Miles swapping handbags) where we found ourselves on the defensive for about ten minutes, we scored fairly frequently throughout, with Horse scoring four, Simon a brace, Mike & Arks one apiece, with Nev & Ralph sharing the two, yes just two conversions.

A logistical nightmare from my point of view, with Arks also having to go on in the first half for Sils following a nasty finger dislocation for one of the Sils youngsters, and then it was all change at half time with Sid & Shannon changing sides with Roger & Rick, similarly Slow finally getting on the park for Sils and swapping places with Arks, before finally getting his Vandal shirt back on in exchange for Simon. The second half also saw the introduction of Lonie, Johnno and Ralph.

Special thanks to Sid, Rick, Shannon, Arks, Simon, Roger for playing for the opposition and to John for slotting at prop and getting sunburnt on his neck.

Final Score 44-0 Final age 653

Our 17th win of the season, a fifth shut out, taking us to 783 points for the campaign, the 1000 point season now well within our grasp. We've scored 132 tries in the process averaging nearly eight a game with Sideways & Horse now tied on 18 apiece hot on the heels of Coatsey with 25 (watch that hamstring improve!)

Next week possibly a tricky one Claverdon Lions 2nds at Fortress Tilehouse then off to Moseley for our postponed Christmas sherry & sherbet I suggest we meet at Weatherspoons 7.30-8pm.

The Vandals go to Rome is now looking likely for Saturday 2nd April, originally the Ashby game, and before you ask in preparation I have asked Tom to look into cancelling the Kings Norton midweek evening game earlier on on the week.

Slow

Let's play 'catch up' rugby!

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:27:05 GMT

First XV

In the good old days we used to build a lead and then test our fitness by hanging on to the final whistle. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Now last saturday in what should really have been a straightforward game for us we tried a new approach. In the time it took to park the car and put on some boots the boys managed to give the visitors from Redditch a nice start of 17 points made up of 3 tries and a conversion. Simple enough really we had the rest of the game to catch up! With a lot of graft we almost got there. Our pack gradually took control and we came within a whisker of winning, clawing back 14 points. Redditch just about held on to win by 17-14. We seem to camp in opposition territory but fail to convert pressure into points. When we get it right some team or another will feel the backlash we hope.

Development XV

With captain Egg taking time out to sit exams, young front-row star, Luke has taken over the reins. There are times when youth wins the day and other times when experience counts and over at Veseyans 2nds we fell victims to the latter. Dave Hanson (Chicken) informs me that the score flatters the hosts but that's often the way it goes. A special mention for Dave Langley for yet another try from our powerhouse second row.

Vandals XV

Like night follows day then win follows win, well so far it has been the case. Against a more than decent Civil Service 2nd team we had our work cut out and it was only when our visitors tired in the second half that the points started to accumulate. Tries came from Nick Palmer x2, Ralph(aka Peter Pan), Phil Goldbourn and a couple of our equine friends, Alan Arkell and Phil the horse Watson. Nev stroking over 5 conversions. The final score being 45-7 in our favour.

See full natch report below.

Minis and Juniors

Sunday saw all of our youngsters playing at home against the Eds.Marcus and John are very chuffed with their under 10s who played with 2 players short but still did the business. It's good to see the very young under 7s and under 8s developing nicely. Well done to Andrew Pemberton. The under 15s lost by 2 points in a game that could have gone either way. The under 14s were well beaten.

Fixtures this weekend

Saturday      First XV away to Shipston (league)
                    Dev XV home to Tamworth 2nds
                    Vaandals   away to Sils 3rds

Sunday        Under15    home to Fiveways
                    Under 7, 8, 10, 14   training

This week's special mentions

VPs Dinner and Gathering

Last saturday saw the opportunity for our vice presidents to gather together for a meal, a drink, a chance to watch the present-day players hopelessly trying to match the talents of previous old Yardleian teams and, most important of all, to put right the many ills of the world in general. Thanks go to Terry (Tex) Wales for coordinating the day, to his good lady, Maggie, for allowing him out, to Pat, Barbara Kim and the catering/bar staff for feeding them, a challenge in itself and a big thank you to anybody who I have overlooked.

Craig Fleming

Thanks go to Craig of the North Mids Referees Society for taking control of our under 15 match on sunday. As a former player at both Ys and Eds it was a good gesture and Craig we were amazed at how your fitness has improved and the new, slim former prop was barely recognisable. Sorry that you had to take some abuse from a couple of ignorant idiots on the touchline but the vast majority who actually know a little about the game appreciate your help. Well done and thank you.

Chris Watts

Congratulations to Chris on being accepted into the University of the Third Age. You fully deserve the honour which is bestowed on only the most intelligent and special individuals. This makes you the third Old Yardleian to receive the call following in the footsteps of Tex and some other smart bloke! Chris, as you might or might not know has captained our First and Second XVs and as Head of P. E. at Yardleys School, was responsible for introducing many of you to the game of rugby and to the Old Yards club. Well done Chris ( that is if you understand the internet!).

Vandals v Birmingham Civil Service 2nds

With Birmingham Barbarians 2nds going the way of Warley Vets the previous week this Saturday saw us at home in another Pool game versus Birmingham Civil Service 2nds. Having played for them the season before last I know a couple, including their Les Battersby lookalike (who also played against us last season for Claverdon, if you're reading this sorry I don't know your real name) who told me they were hoping to play our thirds and not our Vets, because apparently our Vets are scarier than our thirds!

Starting fifteen this week loosehead Shannon "Steps" Killarney, Rick "King of Swing" Lowe at hooker and Mark "What's Appertaining" Baldwin at tight, with Lonie given a week to recuperate from his nasty broken pinkie Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn was harnessed to his shorter (and even tardier) kid brother Alistair in the second row. With the Assassin visiting Tin Tin in Belgium Marcus "Shark" Hope had a new but equally lethal partner in Simon "Sideways" Singleton on the flanks with our business guru & drinking game aficionado Rupert "the Major" Young at No.8.

In the attendants this week Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half & Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, with centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer & birthday boy Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald; on the wings Phil "Horse" Watson & Mike "Nearly" Neary with Dave "Ralph" Rollins as last man standing.

On the chaise long this week Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Iain "Johnno" Johnson, and the surviving member of Right said Fred, Andy Killarney.

With our beloved tundra of pitch Three incorporating a new water feature we took to a moist pitch Two, and with stunt skipper Shark losing the toss Civil Service elected to kick towards the Club (not realising they'd played into our hands allowing us to play towards the beer in the second half)
The kick off evades catchmeister Shannon but eventually finds big Phil, we set and the General ships it out to Nev and he rifles one ahead which goes out on the Service ten metre line. The line out's a messy affair, lots of bibble bobble and knock ons but the referee Alex Nock (Nocker to his mates at Five Ways) decides on a scrum to the Service. The Service scrum half starts as he means to finish with a crooked feed, not quite into the second row but seemingly not far off, but he gets away with it, collects at the base and goes on a bit of a run, popping it to their winger & Les Battersley (Corry...no I don't watch it either) stunt double but he's quickly driven into touch for a lineout to Yards.
We take a quick throw and Sideways comes away with it, he feeds Barrel who cuts through, breaks the first tackle but gets caught and Nocker penalises him for holding on. Service choose not to run and it's a decent kick with the ball going out just on our twenty two. Everybody is up in the air but the throw's not straight and it's a scrum to Yards which we secure nice & easy and the Major guides the ball to the back where the General picks up and spins to Nev, he makes a little step just to make some space then puts it over the top.

The Service full back slips but manages to scoop it up and sets off down the tramlines, Nearly lets him go believing he's stepped into touch (their linesman that side) but no matter as he runs into into traffic, we promptly turn him over & the General box kicks it back from whence it came and we all run on.

The General takes the catcher and the pack drive the pair of them into touch for a lineout to Yards. Big Phil secures good ball and we set and Phil sends it out to Nev, he brings Barrel in on his first scissors of the day and scythes straight through, looks for support, is tackled, (more of a forward roll really) gets up and sets off again, Simon's in support, he pops to Fitz and he goes to ground. The Major dives on and we set. The General pops it to Shark, to Steps who sells his first of the day, passes to Ralph, he cuts back inside, we realign, but the whistle goes for offside (probably all of them), penalty to Yards. Going with doctrine Nev puts a great one into the corner for an attacking lineout to Yards about five metres out. Throw's not straight (mind it was blowing a gale) and it's a scrum to Civil Service. Pressure comes on from our unholy trio of Steps, Swing & Gethin and it goes down, but they get to have another go and the Service scrum half feeds again, and gets away with it again, but the ball pops out the side, Marcus scoops it up and goes over but the whistle's gone for yet another scrum.

We reset, Service put in, ball goes to the back, No.8 picks up, but everybody's on top of him & he drops it over the line so its an attacking scrum five metres out. Its a good drive by Service and the General gets sucked in at the base and knocks on, scrum to Service. They get the nudge on & its a good kick by their fly half, the ball going out just inside the halfway line.Gethin throws in, it's gets tapped down, Gethin's round to secure it at the back as we all pile in. The General gives a short pop to his bigger namesake who takes it on the crash. He goes through the first couple, gets held and we're all in. Out it comes, Nev dummies Barrel, then Fitz, goes through the gap, sells another, and offloads to Ralph who's come into the line, who feeds the Horse who still has work to do, thirty metres and a couple of big hand offs later he goes over in the corner 5-0. Nev's conversion unluckily comes back off the post.
Its a streaky restart which we fail to deal with and Service come away with the ball. Their fly half puts it over wide out and Mike Neary takes it in his stride and finds Ralph, who wellies it up field, it bounces over their ten before they try and run it out. They evade Ralph's attentions then Simon's and its Fitz who makes the final tackle, they set and spin the ball and the pass goes right over the top and Barrel takes man and ball and turns him our side and the General digs the ball out, and Alastair takes the short pop right through the middle, we set again, Phil pops it to Nev but it's knocked on. Shannon limps over, and Arkell says to me he's not going on yet. Shannon's okay to scrum which is a couple of metres from our ten metre line. It's a good steady shove from Service and there's a scissors in the midfield, Marcus takes the incoming player but they recycle, and they get a penalty advantage, and one of the Service flankers comes away with it and takes it in to contact making a few yards, but whistle goes as no real advantage gained. They elect to kick & it goes out for a lineout to Service on our twenty two. Shark's up nice & high to put them off a bit, but they retain possession and peel round on the narrow side, they set and the ball comes out and they spin it back wide and the fly half puts a little chip through, but Ralph is first to it. Ralph flips it to the General and he puts into touch.

It's another good take at the lineout from the Service, but the Major's through the middle and looks to have stolen it, but Service get the drive on. It becomes a bit messy and the whistle goes & Simon has his first chat of the game with the referee. It's an equally messy scrum & it starts to wheel all over the shop (Slow mutters rubbish). Scrum resets and their scrum half brings in Les off his wing but he knocks on & runs into one of his own players and its an accidental offside. Nev takes the kick, the ball going out just past their twenty two. There's a knock on by Service in the lineout, so it's a scrum to Yards. Clean possession from our hard working eight, the General lets it go to Nev, dummy scissors Barrel to Fitz, makes the break but gets caught, ball squirts loose and Horse fly hacks it on, but Nocker adjudges it's gone forward, so scrum back to Service. Steady ball comes out to their fly half, surely he's knocked it on, but gets away with it but does collect our back row marauders instead but the referee deems someone has hung on a bit too long & its a penalty to Civil Service.

Their kick goes out on our ten, ball comes in, Rupert's really unlucky not to get to it, and we look to have got away with a knock on as their scrum half picks up and runs right through the middle of us. Big Phil knocks him over and they recycle as Sideways tries to get hold of it, but ref had spotted the earlier infringement, it's no advantage so it's back for a scrum on the ten metre line. But Swing comes to our rescue picking up both Gethin & Steps under his arms he single handedly drives the Service pack off the ball as he takes one against the head and Rupe picks up, takes it on a metre, confusing the crowd by wearing number 9 shirt (apparently he thought he'd put 19 on). We set, again the two Phils work in tandem with BMT making the hard yards, we set again and Barrel's to him first, the General whips it out to Ralph who puts one up, their centre fields it cleanly and sends it back with the General just about making the catch (it went backwards). Nearly tidies up for him and puts a chip over the winger's head but it goes out just on the half way line, ping the ref has seen an offside and was playing advantage.

Nev takes it quickly to Ralph who puts a chip over & Horse runs on to it, has time to gear down and collect and takes it on, he's tackled, but pops it off the deck to Fitz, to Ralph, to Simon who breaks through and passes to Alistair who passes a neat one out the back of his hand to brother Phil. High tempo stuff, BMT's stopped we set again and the General goes old school and uses his feet judiciously to extract the ball, he ships it to Ralph, to Rupe who takes it back into contact. We set again, then spin it out, dummy by Nev, he gets clobbered, we recycle and Ralph puts a chip over the top and their winger takes it, but it's another penalty to us for offside, Nev puts it into the corner, five metres out from the Service line. Amongst all that Symes has suffered a dead leg and he limps off temporarily, and we're down to 14. It's a good catch and drive by the 677 (despite the ref not noticing they'd an extra man) and we drive all the way to the line and Gethin is unlucky not to get his maiden try of the season and even more unlucky when for reasons known best only to the referee, he awards a drop out twenty two to Civil Service.

Mike Neary takes the catch from the twenty two, and puts a lovely kick over into space, gives chase & takes the catcher & drives him out, lineout Yards; we try to take a quick one but the referee's having none of it. Sideways still suffering the effects limps back on. It's a poor one, but Alastair manages to rescue it and we set. Mike Neary comes in off his wing and feeds BMT, to the General who takes it into contact, ref blows, penalty Yards Alistair takes it quick and gets right to the line, we set, the Major under orders from the General is told to dig it out, but they come right over the top and its another penalty five minutes out (should've been a yellow card shown at some point)
We look, to take it quickly, Steps comes hurtling in but the pop is too hot to handle and it goes to ground and it's a scrum to Civil Service five metres out from their line. Steady scrum but the General's round the back ready to poach, but the Service scrum half manages to get it away to the fly half who clears, the ball going out about 20 metres from the line. Big Phil takes the throw cleanly, we drive on making great ground. Ball's at the back cradled safely by Gethin, he pops to Phil, to Nev and Barrel comes in on the scissors, goes through the line and offloads to his partner in crime Fitz who goes over under the posts...great try 10-0 Easy one for Nev 12-0

Its a long restart, the General gathers it up and passes it to Nev, who puts a nice high one up, it's caught cleanly and the Service player brings it back evading the first couple of tackles, but not Ali G and the ball goes forward in the tackle, scrum Yards. Good scrummage despite the Service's best attempts to disrupt it. Phil gets it away & Nev puts it up in the air and the Service fullback fluffs it, Barrel's first to him but the whistle goes, penalty to Yards for an accidental offside.

We take it quickly, but the ball's knocked on by the General, scrum to Service on the twenty two. Their No.8 picks up at the base, Marcus is first to him, followed by Symes but they recycle and the ball finds the fly half who hoofs it down the park & the ball goes out midway between the half way and ten metre line. Despite Gethin's throw not being the straightest the referee allows play on, we secure and spin it, Phil to Nev to Barrel, he looks to pass, doesn't and takes it on a metre, finds Fitz to Ralph to Horse who runs the next twenty metres his hand attached to their outside centre's head looking like a sort of human catamaran, Horse finally pops it back inside to Ralph who goes over midway out 17-0. Great kick by Nev 19-0.

The restart comes to Nev, who takes it cleanly and kicks to clear the ball going out just inside the halfway line. They catch and spin and the scissors in the midfield only finds Barrel and the ball carrier is pinged for not releasing. Nev puts in a great kick going out about 30 metres from their line. Another 'wind affected' throw finds the Major and he drives into the twenty two before the rest of the 677 gather round, Swing's got the ball at the back, passes to Shannon who does his thing, but gets caught so has to drive on with it, BMT's first to him, Rick picks up and goes he gets another couple of yards. The General takes it, pops it to Alastair who feeds Symes and he jinks his way through before offloading to big Phil who goes over and scores 24-0. Nev slots his third conversion 26-0.

That brings up half time, Slow's forgot the isotonics. Symes still struggling with his dead leg comes off and the Colt comes on to the flank.

Our restart doesn't make ten!!!! (answers on a postcard please), scrum to Service, but we pinch another against the head and the Major picks & goes, Marcus is first to him, then the General who goes on one of his typically sniping runs, passes to Nev, he gets caught, Barrel's in support, Phil takes it and dummies the pass to Ralph, then gives it as Ralph cuts inside, but ball is spilled forward, but referee plays good advantage and the Service clear to touch, ball going out just on the halfway line. Not good enough the referee's seen something else and awards them a penalty back. They kick and it's taken by big Phil who sets off and offloads to the Colt who bounces the first one and keeps going another yard or two before we set, Alistair takes the next short pop and takes it into contact, but the ref's whistle goes again and it's another penalty to Service. They kick and again it doesn't make touch and again it's taken by big Phil, who runs a yard before giving it to Mike Neary who puts one up in the air, and it's taken cleanly by the Service's fullback, who eludes first Mike then Shannon and continues to bounce his way all the way to the halfway line before getting finally stopped. They recycle and spin and bang one over the top and it goes straight to Horse who winds it up and goes past the fullback, then does the centre with another trademark hand off, but weight of numbers sees him finally driven out on the ten metre line.

We win the lineout, BMT taps down, goes through the General's hands, Rick's in there next, it's a slippery one, as we make life difficult for ourselves, finally it's Alistair who secures it, and the General puts it into touch. But the God's smile as referee gives us a penalty, Nev fakes the kick and gives to Shannon who makes a few yards, we all pile in, Phil feeds Nev, long one to Barrel, to Tony Fitz who cuts inside and is away sees Ralph in support who gives to Mike and he's away but is tackled by Les Battersby and the ball is knocked on in the tackle. The game's becoming a bit tatty and is being played between the two ten metre lines. Scrum to civil service, it breaks up and shortly after one of their players their skipper I think runs from the halfway line straight through the middle of us and scores under the posts . I get the impression we thought the whistle had gone there given we all stood quizzically watching on. 26-5 conversion a formality 26-7.

Mark comes off to take his conference call (I kid you not) and multi-purpose Arkell moves into prop albeit somewhat reluctantly. Andy K is given the order to get changed which seems to take an age as he ends up having to take his boots off to slip his track bottoms off. In the meantime we resume once again with 14 players. (Captains note: buy roll of Velcro for Andy next Christmas).

Game continues and from the restart the Service are awarded a scrum and its 8 against 7 (Andy wherefore art thou? ). They spin, the ball comes round the back and the ball is punted forward but food & drink to Ralph who clears up and puts it out for a lineout to Civil service. It's a good throw by Service but is undone by a nudge forward, scrum to Yards. Andy K finally gets on & slots into second row , Alastair goes to No.8 and Rupe goes on to the flank. Steady scrummage but we are made to work hard against a big set of lads who try to drive us off it. General spins to Nev who dummies the kick and cuts straight through and sees the General in support, Phil gets stopped gets a bit messy on the deck and somehow they get a penalty, they take it quick and it's deemed a deliberate knock on by Barrel & go again and they put this one up in the air but Nev takes it just inside the twenty two and makes a good touch on the half way line.

Service win their line, and spin, their centre kicks ahead, but it's not a good one, Barrel scoops up, feeds Marcus but we give it away in contact and Service try to run but they pass it forward, scrum Yards. Ralph comes off, Mike switches to full back and Johnno comes onto the wing. It's yet another feed so we spin the scrum but they manage to get the ball away, their fly half takes it on, Nev makes the tackle and has a lie down with him. Ball 's recycled and comes out to their tall centre, Barrel takes him and we steal it. Phil to Neville who chips over the top, Horse gives chase. The full back collects but is swallowed up and turned by Horse and we set again. Big Phil takes it short and knocks one completely off his arse, we drive again and spin short to Alastair who makes a couple more yards. Ball comes out and we spin it, Rupert takes it back inside, we've got lots of numbers, Phil spins it out to Nev who cuts inside sells a dummy, gets tackled, but offloads to Marcus, Barrel is first to him, then Alastair, ball comes out Phil spins to Nev, to Shannon sells the dummy and is unlucky not to score.

So its a scrum to Service, Arkell goes down, manages to get back up and we're driving but they clear the ball and kick ahead. Mike Neary takes the catch looks for support but decides to go on a run and makes good ground, keeps going, passes to Horse who pops to Rupert who goes to ground, they are all over it again, referee signals penalty advantage, but we don't need it as the Colt turns his man and ball comes out to Fitz who's unlucky not to get a second when he's held up but sharply offloads to Barrel who does go over 31- 7 Nev's attempt just goes wide.

Horse is also now also suffering from a dead leg (they shoot horses don't they?) and Arkell a broken finger nail.The restart for a second week comes off Ricks shins and we set nicely, ball comes out, big Phil takes it on the hoof, breaks the tackle, stands it up everybody's gathered round, first the Major, then the General, he spins Andy K takes it in midfield, looks desperately for someone to pass to but we set and it's knocked on by Barrel in the midfield and he kicks the ball out in disgust. So scrum to Civil Service they come blind Iain Johnson makes the first tackle, Alastair the next and the ball comes loose. Johnno scoops it off the deck but is tackled and ball goes forward, but advantage to Service they spin it back wide, lots of miss passes and extra men out wide but Tony Fitz does just enough to halt the attack and the ref brings it back for a scrum on the twenty two.

Ball comes straight out and the Major's on it like a flash, but they come right over the top, penalty Yards and another ten metres for not getting off quickly enough. Johnno's in there and takes it quickly and cleverly makes contact with a non retreating player and we get another ten. We kick and it goes out about thirty metres out. Rick hits big Phil, we set and drive on, Andy K takes it in the caboose. Then it's Rupert and Arkell's turn and we drive it on further and they look like they've collapsed it but the General spins it out but they turn it over in midfield Horse takes the runner and comes away with it, passes to Nearly, two side steps, keeps going offloads to Marcus who spins to Fitz who goes to ground and they come all over the top. Penalty Yards and another ten metres for backchat . And It's one of our methodically planned, very scientific...no give it to the big bloke type of moves and the Colt Arkell bounces his way through several despairing tackles to go over under the posts 36-7and another easy conversion for Nev 38-7.

It's a long deep restart, and big Phil allows it to bounce in front of him before collecting and setting off, he's stopped so his younger sibling drives him on, with Arkell stands menacingly close by, but the whistle goes, penalty to Civil Service because we've obviously done something very technical wrong. They kick to touch, and it's a lineout which they secure, ball comes out it's all a bit messy, but they are still trying to play in fairness with all their big units still running, but we're just standing off giving them plenty of breathing space as they spin across but not very forward. Fly half passes to the outside centre who's tackled by Johnno, and then Barrel, but they recycle and it comes out and the flanker takes it on but the whistle goes as Johnno and the fly half are throwing handbags...time to talk to the skippers.

Penalty to Civil service, just a few metres outside our twenty two and they put it into the corner. We've got Arks & Shannon lifting his brother and the Gouldbourns lifting Rupert, with Marcus at the tail. They knock it forward over the line and we dot down for a twenty two restart. Nev hoiks it down deep and their winger takes it on, but he's tackled, we spread and let them have it but ref sees something and gives them a penalty. It's a good kick by the fly half the ball going out five metres inside our twenty two. They just about get it in, there's a knock forward by us in the lineout, ref allows them to play on, they try to run it and it goes through several pairs of hands but no real advantage so we come back for a scrum. Steady scrum and they spin, fly half looks for an inside ball but they drop it, Nev picks up and keeps running, sends a Hail Mary of a pass out to Fitz and it goes forward. Scrummage then to Service on the ten metre line. It's a great scrummage from our Eight and we drive and then wheel it, it goes ninety referee blows, put in to us. We split the line, no need as Rupe picks up feeds the General and pops a great pass to Barrel, who canters in to score under the posts 43-7. Nev makes it five for the afternoon 45-7.

Johnno moves to outside centre Fitz comes onto the wing. Very little time left, though still enough for Johhno to get in another set of handbags with one of their players and the final highlight of the game sees young Arks taking a short pass off the General and going on a twenty metre run bouncing players as he goes.

Final Score 45-7 Final age 654

This weeks man in the dirtiest shirt award goes to Mike "Nearly" Neary who caught everything kicked in his direction and sidestepped anything that moved.

All in all, a much more fluent game this week against a strong, unyielding and largely offside set of lads, and where we got into our stride a lot quicker than the previous week and scored regularly throughout.

Next week one of the 2009/10 Payback Series Silhillians Saints at Copt Heath. Vandals Polos please if you have them!!

Slow.

A disappointing return to action.

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:05:55 GMT

First XV

After a longer than desirable break from action the boys in the first team made hard work of it against local rivals Woodrush, a team we beat comfortably earlier in the season. Taking an early lead with a penalty from Max the Ys fell behind when a lucky bounce fell kindly for the hosts which with the conversion gave them a 7-3 lead. The second half saw the Yards pack exert a lot of pressure on the home side's forwards and it came as no surprise when player-coach Gary Robinson went over for a try. Unfortunately the conversion came back off the crossbar. With time running out Woodrush kicked a penalty for a 10-8 lead and managed to hang on for a victory.
Now I will probably be strongly criticised for this but here goes. It ofteen seems to me that when referees are being assessed/observed/supported/or call it what you wish they tend to become over-zealous reverting to law book at the expense of player management and allowing the game to flow. This is not only the view of an upset loser. I am a qualified referee and member of the North Mids society and understand the pressures faced by referees. The Woodrush press report made the same observation and agreed that the match official was card-crazy in a match that was competitive rather than violent. So how about not telling the refs when they are to be assessed etc. and take some pressure off them. I await the replies witth keen interest but remember that the game is for the players and spectators as well as for the officials.

Development XV

Under the new leadership of Luke Harris, our young lads looked a little jaded after the mid-season break. Playing at home to Woodrush 2nds a close game went the way of the visitors by a 12-10 margain. The new skipper led the way with an early try and the boot of Luke Griffiths added a conversion and penalty but a late score by Woodrush resulted in a narrow defeat fro the Ys.

The Vandals

The mean machine grinds on. Warley cried off the arranged fixture but Wolverhampton stepped in to give us a game and in many areas of the game they matched us with determination as well as skill. However, as the game progressed the Vandals took control and in the end ran out comfortable winners by 47-0. Tries were scored by Nick Palmer x2, Simon Singleton, Marcus Hope, Phil Watson, Phil Evans and Billy Boy. Nev kicked 6 conversions.

See full match report below.

This coming weekend (Sat Sun 15/16 Jan)

First XV v Redditch (League) at Home

Development XV v Veseyans away

Vaandals XV v Birmingham Civil Service Home

SUNDAY MORNING

Do yourselves and your club a favour. All of our min/juniors are in action at home against Edwardians kick off at 11.00. These lads are the future of the OLD YARDLEIANS RFC so please make them feel as if they are really valued.

Vandals vs Wolverhampton 3rds - Match Report

Firstly a big thank you must go to our two refereeing props Shannon & Mark without whom we wouldn't have had a game and apologies in advance for the length of this one but it's just like the telly, you don't have to watch it!!

With Warley Vets, as expected, crying off Saturday 8th January 2011 and game fifteen saw us at home in the wet marshlands of pitch three versus those men in black from Wolverhampton.

With Shannon electing to officiate the first half our starting front row comprised Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at loose, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker and Mark "Land of my Fathers" Baldwin at tight, with John "Fingers" Lonie  and Phil "BMT" Gouldbourn in the engine room, and on the flanks the tackle twins Marcus "Shark" Hope and Nick "Assassin" Levey with Rupert "the Major" Young gluing it all together at No.8 .
Out in the Attendants Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half and Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, with centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer and the Chairman Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald , out on the wings our two multi-purpose tools Sean "Bean" Byrne & Simon "Sideways" Singleton, with Mike "Nearly" Neary clearing up the bits & pieces at fullback .

With everybody as keen as mustard to get back into action a large bench in Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby", Phil "Horse" Watson and a very welcome return to Dave "Ralph" Rollins in his first game since the first game, oh and Slow.

This weeks stunt skipper Marcus won the toss and elected to stay as we were playing towards Highgate United and giving Wolverhampton the sun in their eyes and the kick off.

The Wolverhampton kick off is a bit of a low trajectory affair, and in all fairness Rick, we on the sidelines all thought you knocked it on, but we get away with it, set and the General sends it out without delay to Nev who kicks over, and Mike and Symes set off in hot pursuit and the ball goes out just inside the Wolverhampton half. Lineout to Wolverhampton and we look to spoil, but they manage to get it away despite pressure from Shark and the Assassin. The fly half evades Nick's attentions and passes to his centre who brings his partner in on the scissors, but Nick seldom gives a second opportunity and down he comes, ball appears to go forward in the tackle but we are penalised for not moving away.
The first of many Wolverhampton kicks fails to find touch and we field and set and the General puts a box kick over the top, Marcus is first there, but is sent the wrong way by the winger (it happens sometimes) and Wolverhampton look to bring it out, Barrel makes the first tackle, but Wolverhampton get it away; eventually kicking ahead and ball is taken by Bean who takes it on and makes good ground, his bit of a loose pass is scooped up by Fitz and the 677 gather round. Phil spins it out and Nev puts in a great raking kick over the top, going out inside the Wolverhampton twenty two and giving us great field position.
It's a tap down at four from Wolverhampton and we pour through and secure the Lucy, the General wangs it out to Nev and Barrel comes in on his trademark scissors, and living up to his name barrels through two or three post Christmas tackles to go over for our first try, midway out right hand side. 5-0 Nev's conversion just falls short.
It's a bit of a grub hunter of a restart revealing they've definitely left their kicker back at Castlecroft, the ball just about evades Fingers and it's Bilbo who secures it and we set. Phil spins it out to Nev to Sideways who following Slow's sage words comes in off his wing looking for trade at every opportunity, beats his first man but his pass is judged marginally forward (I'm going to bring my laser spirit level next time). So it's the first scrum to Wolverhampton with their own two Pillars of Hercules with a good littlun in-between. It's a solid scrum and the Wolves No.8 picks up from the base and gets ankle tapped by the Assassin, The Major then steps in to complete the job and strips him of the ball. We get it back to Phil who finds Nev who kicks long and Symes gives chase, but Referee Killarney decides he's set off a little too soon (Friday) and gives a penalty to the men in black just on our twenty two.
The fly half elects to bang it into the corner which he does and it's an attacking lineout about five metres from our line. It's a streaky throw but Wolverhampton secure it and spin it out, there's a move but they fluff their lines and the ball gets knocked on in the midfield, for a scrum to Yards. At which point the General comes off with a nose job (an elbow he reckons) and Ralph restarts his season at scrum half. Our scrum is under pressure probably for the first real time this season as their two props give Bilbo & Gethin some real work to do which they do and we steady the ship and Ralph picks up and takes it into contact, we set and Nearly comes in at 9 and passes to Fitz who makes a great catch and punts it forward with Sean in pursuit, and he escorts the winger into touch for a lineout on their ten metre line. We take it quickly and Sharks sets off to the line and gets caught just shy, Fingers is first there in support but they're outnumbered and Wolverhampton steal it and try to clear, Nick takes the deflected clearance and feeds Ralph who gets sucked in and we have to set, it's Sean this time at scrum half (see they all want your job General). Wolverhampton get their hands in but whistle goes in the nick of time and it's a scrum to Yards five metres inside their twenty two, but the ball comes rather unsympathetically out the base and Ralph gets the Wolverhampton back row as well, scrum Black .
We fail to budge the all black scrum with big captain Nat and his boys holding firm. Ball comes out to the fly half who's attempted clearance is caught by Sean, who sets off looking for support and finds it Barrel shaped; Nick stands it up well and waits for the 677 to arrive. The industrious Symes takes the short pop off the back, and finds Nev, to Bilbo, to Bean, to Swing Lowe but ball is unlucky to get nudged forward, but you sense we're beginning to warm to the task. Scrum to Wolverhampton, the bloodied but not bowed (ok annoyed) General trots back on and Ralph comes off. It's a good scrum for us as Fingers and BMT get on a bit of a shunt, and it's a hospital pass to the Wolverhampton fly half standing in the dead ball area and Marcus, Nick & Phil are over him like a rash and his clearance kick squirts out a metre from their line.
We goof the lineout and Wolverhampton come away with it and their beleaguered fly half has another go at clearing his lines and again finds Bean, who shows him how to do it when his up and under drifts out on the full for a Wolverhampton lineout. Marcus steals their ball and the General sends out his version of the bouncing bomb which bypasses Nev and goes straight to Barrel who chips ahead for Sideways chase, the ball going out just in front of the Wolverhampton line giving us great field position. The Wolverhampton four jumper taps down and we all file through, the fly half manages to get a kick away but only straight into the arms of Bilbo who feeds big Phil, who takes it on and we set. The General sends it out to Nev who sells a couple of windows before changing course and trying to find his way through our entire pack! Our forwards decide to hang onto him and we set, Bill has it at the back but his pass is too hot for the Major to handle and it goes forward, and it's a scrum to Wolverhampton five metres from their line. Again it's a horrible one to their fly half who seeing the twins and the Major has no option but to dot it down for an attacking scrum five metres out.
Not the best of scrums, but Shannon gives us another go at it, the Major picks and goes, but whistle has gone and we get some more scrum time. No problems this time General ships it out to Nev who dummies Barrel and pops it to Sean who gets clotheslined and it's a penalty for the high tackle. Following Vandals doctrine Nev bangs it into the corner. Gethin's throw is somewhat less than straight big Phil virtually having to pluck it out of the Generals hands (but we all see the funny side) and it's a scrum to Wolverhampton. Ball comes out to their fly half who like he's done all half kicks it into our hands, this time it's Mike who takes it cleanly at full tilt, sells one and goes inside the first man, passes to Barrel who takes ball and tackler but is unable to get it away and is held up for a scrum to Wolverhampton.
The ball comes out and Nick makes the first tackle, Bean the next as Wolverhampton try to keep the ball alive basketball style in their twenty two, before reverting to Plan A: letting the fly half kick the ball back to us and again it's Nearly Neary who takes the catch (Captain's note to Forwards: see how fortunate we are having an entire back division who can actually kick from hand). Mike goes it alone this time cutting inside the first would be tackler and keeps on going until he's finally stopped about fifteen metres out. The defence do little to move away from the tackle and pinch the ball (I know this because Arkell is screaming in the background, he takes this rolling away to heart) their captain big Nat comes away with the ball, Marcus and Rick nab him and they recycle, their scrum half takes it on, Bean nabs him, and the General the ball, the Major plucks the ball off the deck and we set with Marcus and big Phil. The ball comes out to Nev who pops it over the winger again for Symes to chase and it goes out about ten metres from the line for a Wolverhampton throw.
Ball comes in but we're accused of hugging too early, so kick to Wolverhampton so a) they kick and find touch or b) kick and find a Vandal, obvious big Phil plucks it out of the air and goes on the run, sidesteps the first one and keeps going down the tram lines before finally being driven out on their twenty two. The compact Wolverhampton hooker hits his two jumper and he goes to ground and we all pile on and get pinged. Another poor kick (so low it takes a deflection off Gethin's 54" shirt on the way out) which goes out on the Wolverhampton ten. We pinch the lineout, the General takes it on a bit offloads to Symes who takes on further, we spin to Fitz, to Sean who cuts back inside, gets tackled but we set and look to go again, Phil sees it, looks to go blind, finds Nev and he puts another one over the winger's head and it goes out fifteen metres from their line.
The throw goes right over the top and we snaffle the Lucy, the General sends it out to Nev who dummies to Barrel and sends one over the top to Bean who "improvises" kicking it on the half volley and Symes clears it up. But there's a nudge forward and Wolverhampton get the scrum, they take it blind and work an overlap and Mike Neary makes a cracking tackle and dislodges the ball to boot, for a scrummage to Yards. Ball comes to Nev and again he pops it over the wingers head, he retreats collects and evades Symes and sets off across the park before making a good touch just on our ten metre line. Hard to believe given all our pressure it's till only a five point game.
Big Phil takes the lineout, pops it to not so big Phil who gets scragged, so Sean comes in at nine, he spins to Nev, Barrel comes in on the scissors, offloads to the Assassin, he gains a few more yards and the rest of the 677 pile in, Phil digs it out pops it to Shark, passes to Barrel who makes a few more yards, we set, Phil to Nev to Fitz to Mike coming into the line to Symes who skilfully takes it behind him, makes great inroads, inside their twenty two, offloads, Mike Neary to Nick Levey, we set Phil passes to Nev, he's tackled, Bilbo takes it pops it to big Phil and we set again, we come left to Sean to Mike he dummies inside to Rick, passes one off his boot laces to Barrel who goes to goes to ground and we drive over, lots of numbers, but it's a penalty to Wolverhampton for going over.
Lonie then proceeds to remodel one of his little fingers into a cactus and has to come off, the Major moves up into the second row alongside BMT and Roger the Dodger slots in at No.8. The kick unsurprisingly doesn't make touch only Rick's knees, he secures it on the floor and we set and spin, Phil to Nev misses out Barrel to Fitz who straightens up the line, to Mike who takes his man but ball goes loose just inside the Wolverhampton twenty two, scrum to Wolverhampton. Rog's presence is felt immediately as we get the nudge on, ball comes out to their fly half who yes you've got it kicks, fails to find touch but Simon instead in midfield who sets off dodging and weaving, gets in two or three hand offs but gets brought down just short of the line. Wolverhampton get the scrum, their fly half the ball, and his nightmare continues - the clearance kick going out a metre from the line.
Big Phil takes the lineout and we drive it on a yard then spin, Nev shows the ball, Sean comes into the line, lots of movement, big shouts from Barrel then Fitz, Nev dummies them both flat pass to Simon who lights them up and goes over for his sixteenth try of the season close to the sticks. Great stuff 10-0 Nev converts 12-0

Rupert takes the streaky restart, everybody gathers round, Phil pops it to Rog on the charge bish bosh goes straight over the top of the first two, makes ten yards route one, goes to ground and it's one of those odd accidental offsides that brings the half to a close.
Halftime 12-0 A score not really reflecting our somewhat rusty but moreorless total dominance. Sainsbury' isotonics all round think we've finally settled on the right product. Shannon & Mark swap whistle & biro, with the omni-functional Bilbo moving across from loosehead to tighthead. Ralph stands in at fly half while Nev nips back to the changing room to put a new lens in. No other immediate changes made.

Nev's restart evades everybody and goes out for a lineout to Wolverhampton. They secure and ball and it comes back to their fly half he's caught by Nick & BMT a few metres outside their twenty two, Sir sees something he doesn't like and we're pinged. Oddly enough the fly half doesn't find touch and Sean takes the catch and brings it back and looks to cut back inside, he finds Marcus in support who breaks two tackles before going to ground and we set. They're all over it and the General, but he manages to extricate himself and passes to Ralph at ten who puts in a neat chip into space deep in the Wolverhampton twenty two, it's a 50/50 foot race between the nearest defender and Barrel who opts for the unorthodox with a two footed sliding tackle, with both arriving at the same time the ball goes forward as Symes scoops it up and goes over, but the whistle has gone and it's a scrum back to Yards five metres out. The ball comes out at the side, Phil's out shopping round the back but the Wolverhampton flanker knocks it on, no harm done so we have another go which Wolverhampton take the opportunity to drive us off our ball and the No.8 picks up and the General makes the tackle, but the ball still finds the fly half who promptly drops it. Another scrum to us, steadier than before so we kick it back to them instead, and once again the Wolverhampton No.8 picks up at the base and flips the pass to his fly half who finally manages to get one away into touch despite the attentions of Symes & Phil.

Time for a couple of changes, Mike takes a breather, Ralph moves to fullback, Nev his vision restored comes back on at ten, and Horse comes on for Sean.

It's a messy lineout but we manage to secure at two, and Wolverhampton are drawn offside. The General takes a quick one, and Wolverhampton aren't quick enough so Referee Baldwin gives us another ten metres. Nev bangs it into the corner about six metres out from the goal line. Big Phil takes it cleanly at four and we drive it on, everybody's in and over we go and it's the General who emerges with the ball. 17-0 It's a great conversion wide out by Nev extending our lead to 19-0

Rick nursing a sore knee comes off and rather fortuitously Greg Allen fresh from a run out with the Development side has appeared on the touchline obviously to see his future uncle in law in action, and he's drafted into action.

The restart doesn't go ten, but we play it and we set, Rog pops the pass to big Phil who gallops forward, gets tackled but pops it up off the deck to Shark, he takes it on, not surprisngly it's Nick in support of his partner in crime, he feeds the Major who finds Horse outside him, he in turn passes to Barrel as our interplay increseases in tempo. Barrel takes it into contact and we set, Phil digs it out and passes to Nev (now at this point I hear myself saying here it comes) as Nev finds Shannon and he doesn't disappoint and like the fourteen teams before them Wolverhampton buy the dummy hook, line & sinker. Shannon, finds Nev he pops it to Marcus who in turn finds Bilbo, but Bill's pass to Nev is judged forward. Scrum to Wolverhampton about five metres out, which Greg takes against the head (all on his own obviously), Roger picks up & goes, but he's held up, Rupert takes the ball off him as we really begin to warm to our task, Wolverhampton look to have come offside, but we settle for the knock on and scrum instead.

Ball comes crisply out from Phil to Nev and Barrel comes in on the scissors and in a carbon copy of his first Nick keeps going like a hot spoon through a tub of Ben & Jerry's to score his second. 24-0 Nev in the zone makes no mistake 26-0 & Slow knows that's game over.

It looks like everyone's saluting as the sun starts to set in our eyes, and it's another low restart which Roger takes and sets off at flank speed steamrollering his way forward, even has time to sell a dummy to the General, and passes to Barrel who pops it to Ralph in support who turns them inside & out, the ball goes back inside and Marcus picks it up off the deck and we're still keeping it going, we set, ball comes straight to Ralph who sells a dummy and kicks forward, their No.8 collects and gets Horse too. We turn it over, the General takes it on pops it to Nick, makes a yard pops it to big Phil who takes it on, sees Nev who gives a well timed pass to Shark who cuts inside and goes over under the posts 31-0 Easy one for Nev 33-0.

The fly half has had enough and somebody else takes the restart and Bilbo takes it and sets off into traffic, Steps is first to him, the General offloads it to big Phil who takes it on a yard before passing to Symes who is driven into touch. Lineout to Wolverhampton, Fitz comes off Symes moves to outside centre, Mike Neary comes on to the wing and Nick Levey makes way for young Arkell.

It's a great take by the Major, we clear up and set, but the General gets sucked in so the pass goes direct to Nev who looks long but chips short the Wolverhampton centre collects but he's turned over, young Greg finds Horse who sets off building up a head of steam, bursting tackle after tackle and makes nearly thirty metres before being stopped just short of the line and the ball goes out in the corner. Lineout Wolverhampton but we steal at two and Rupe comes away with it, and the General whips it to Nev, dummy scissors off Barrel, and Symes takes a flat pass and jinks back inside, he gets pulled up about five metres out, Barrel's first to him, ball comes back to Phil who pops it to Ralph who finds Greg but the ball goes to ground (Vandal code for he drops it). Scrum Wolverhampton about five metres out, the first with all our big units on and we put on the squeeze and the Wolverhampton scrum half under pressure from Shark and Phil is forced to take it over his line and dot down. Attacking scrum five metres out.

Phil plucks it out from Roger's feet and sets off, does a run around with Barrel then straightens it up finds Marcus in support, he takes it back into contact, we recycle and the General sets off again, gets stopped, Mike's in to tidy up, he pops it to Ralph to Shannon who sells an outrageous one even for him, and passes back to Ralph and the ball goes to ground (remember code). So it's a scrum to Wolverhampton and they clear to Ralph who sends it back with interest the ball going out six or seven metres from their line. Lineout Wolverhampton, they throw to two and secure it, so we try to drive them into touch and Bilbo gets pinged trying to burrow his way in (excuse the pun).

They take it quick and Greg gets the tackle in, but the No.8 breaks clear and Marcus is first to him, and the ball gets squirted out, as to their credit Wolverhampton continue to try and play, albeit constantly in their own twenty two, but inevitably the ball comes loose & Symes is first to it, he feeds Barrel who spins it to Nev to Marcus and we take it forward again. Barrel takes it on after pinching it from the back of the ruck and he feeds the General who finds Rog who boshes his first would be tackler, ball comes back to Rupe, he spins it to Symes who pops it back through his legs, we spin it to Ralph who cuts back inside and into contact, and we drive it on a yard or two then release it again to Nev who finds Greg who pops it to Barrel looking for his hat trick, but gets held up, ball's off the ground and we pile in and set, the ball comes out to Symes who gets collared and turned over and the ball is nudged forward for a scrum to Wolverhampton. The No.8 picks up and pops it to his scrum half who kicks virtually direct to touch, gaining no ground and it's an attacking lineout five metres out. Roger takes it we set and Bilbo peels round to crash over close to the posts. 38-0 Nev makes it five in a row 40-0.

The restart doesn't go ten so it's scrum back to Yards, ball comes out the tunnel, so we have another go, Roger following orders leaves it, the General passes right to Nev who sends it back left to Barrel, to Simon at pace he evades the first tackler and keeps going, passes to Horse who's brought down. We recycle, Phil to Nev, no centres out there so comes back inside looking for support and finds it in the shape of Horse who sets off towards the posts, no one wants to know cept the fullback who's despairing attempt is brushed aside by the big man to go over under the posts 45-0 Nev makes it six 47-0.

They save the best till last as the final restart kick is perfect, high & long but straight into the arms of Roger and the 677 gather round, and somehow Wolverhampton burgle and come away with it and Mike Neary makes another great tackle, and they recycle ten metres from our line and playing for pride, Sir's seen an infringement and it's a free ball to Wolverhampton. No advantage comes, whistle goes they take it quickly their hooker runs into Arks who literally picks him up and hangs on to him, so ball (& man) held up, scrum to Yards five metres from our line. Greg gets pinged for foot up, penalty Wolverhampton, a lot of sides would have opted to get on the board, but Captain Nat decides on a scrum, they drive, No.8 picks up the General grabs a leg, Shark the other and we pile in and he's turned. Phil secures it, he pops it to Bilbo, to Ralph and we go from just in front of our line, he kicks ahead and Wolverhampton knock on and that's it.

Final score 47-0 final age a paltry 635 I blame Greg for being under thirty.

This weeks man in the dirtiest shirt award goes to Shark.
It took us a while to get into our stride having been out of action for a month, and whilst dominating really throughout the first half it was just final execution letting us down on two or three occasions when we could of gone in twenty points to the good at least. A very good Wolverhampton front row gave us problems throughout the game but in the second half those fond memories of 2010 came flooding back and we remembered exactly how good we are and we stepped up through the gearbox to run out comfortable winners.

Next week's game is one from the history books the Vandals v the Barbarians over at Moor Lane in Witton.

Slow.

For those who missed the Vandals Rugby World write up..

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 19:50:41 GMT

You can also read the missing match report from the Shipston game on 11th Dec. 2010 (below the RW article) here.

Shipston Match Report - 11th Dec. 2010

With Kidderminster 3rds suffering from a very localised weather pattern, their pitch being playable on Wednesday evening, then snow covered and too hard on Friday evening (whilst their First team were able to play on a pitch 15 yards away), we were forced to dip a toe into the Pool on Saturday morning and having looked at the options out popped Shipston on Stour over at Mayo Road for Game 14.

In the pack Shannon "Stepmeister" Killarney, Rick "Swing" Lowe and Mark "Gethin" Baldwin, with the Freds, Andy Killarney & John Lonie providing the muscle, and in the back row today's stunt skipper Marcus "Shark" Hope, Nick "Assassin" Levy & Rupert "the Major" Young at No.8.

At half back Phil "the General" Evans partnering Ian "Nev" Neville, in the centre Nick "Barrel" Palmer & Gary "Smoking" Williams (someone I now realise is so laid back he's almost horizontal), on the wings wannabe openside Lee "Coatesy" Coates and the ever talkative Simon "Sideways" Singleton, with the Chairman Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald bring up the rear. A small but well constructed bench this week in the versatile Robbie "Barstool" Bastock and as a last resort Captain Slow finally putting his kit back on.

On a fairly gloomy and cold afternoon Slow loses the toss, but unusually their skipper decides to play down the slope in the first half, giving us the kick off and the benefit of gravity in the second half.

In one of our now legendary comic starts Nev kick's off with only 14 Vandals on site; Smoking being nice and cosy and warm with twelve layers still in the changing room. Gary has the fingers of a concert pianist and you must understand these have to be protected with kilometres of precisely applied tape. Anyway with the rest of the attendants "politely" enquiring as to his whereabouts, Slow suggests we get on with it, I know we can cope. Gary emerges a few minutes later with his John Travolta street stride, I suggest he might want to get stripped off as we've started; guys knowing the crack outfit we are Gary thought we were running a few drills.... As his personal valet he is quickly disrobed and joins the fray.

The very robust Shipston side brimming with experienced players are into their stride straight away and we are forced to absorb an immense amount of early pressure, with lots of first up tackles coming in from the Major and the tackle twins Marcus & Nick

But with about six minutes gone the deadlock is broken and the Exocet that is Coatesy breaks free and shows a clean pair of heels to go over under the sticks 5-0 Nev makes no mistake 7-0

Shipston, undeterred, come straight back all guns blazing and again it is our tackling which impresses, with Barrel and Smokes knocking them over in midfield, and Fitz clearing up the stragglers. Just my opinion here but Shipston obviously having been pouring over the move manual, trying cut back after crash after scissors, in fact probably their undoing in the first half as they over complicate more often than not bringing it back inside and losing possession quite often.

A few minutes later Lee doubles up following great ball through the hands of the General, Nev, Nick & Gaz taking the ball on the Shipston ten, (now I'm standing over his shoulder here and I can see the gap between the defenders all the way through to the line) but only Lee's searing pace makes it possible to bisect them making them look motionless in the process to score under the posts. Nev converts for a 14-0 lead.

Shannon takes the restart (is it where he stands?) and sells a cheeky one (practicing for the big one later) sets off and the Freds Andy & John are first to him followed by Gethin & Shark and the General barks out his instructions as the rest of the 677 join in and we take it on a good fifteen metres, but it is eventually turned over.

Not long after Shipston are awarded a scrum and Rick single handedly drives Shipston off the ball and whilst pulling seven Vandals along with him too (sure that's how he told it in the bar afterwards).

Out line outs are solid as always with Marcus taking the lion's share on our ball and along with the flapping hands of the Major at two making it difficult for Shipston to secure any tidy possession on theirs; similarly this week's youthful 145 year old front row of Steps, Swing & Gethin make life uncomfortable for the Warwickshire side's scrums.

Our third try of the game is scored by Smoking, a great individual effort, I can't remember who he took the ball from just outside their twenty two, but he looks to throw a big high curler over the head of the Shipston second row, who buys it, Gaz ghosts past him, dummies another defender and rounds the winger and runs round to score under the posts to make it easy for Nev 21-0

The Assassin is next to make a mark with a bone cruncher on one of the Shipston second rows, you know it's a good one when the 677 wince when they talk about it, this being one of many Nick makes in the first half around the fringes, as his seniors gym membership continues to pay off!

With about seven minutes to halftime the General spins it out and it goes through the through the hands of Nev, Barrel & Smoking to Sideways and Simes shows his pace as he gasses his man to go over five metres in from the corner, collecting a late hit in the process much to his obvious annoyance, 26-0, Nev's conversion attempt falls short. Simon chats to the referee about the unseasonal weather.

Shipston's restart finds the Stepmeister on the run, despite the earlier dress rehearsal the last thing they expect is the outrageous dummy pass inside and all buy it as the Quiet man hurtles twenty five metres up the touchline virtually untouched, sadly all his hard work comes to naught when Shannon's inside pass finds a Shipston player who clears to touch.

Having failed to go through us the Shipston fly half tries going over a couple of times but our back three of Coatesy, Fitz & Simes sweep up without problem. But right on the stroke of halftime we do concede a very sloppy converted try from a quickly taken tap penalty just inside their half, where their classy centre basically ran through an awful lot of us to dot down under the posts. This guy is a constant strong running thorn in our side throughout most of the game (see later) - he reminded me a lot of Bob's better looking mate Kendo.

Halftime 26-7. Nasty blue Isotonics all round. The Major swaps places for Barstool.

The second half starts as the first finished with another try to Shipston following good work from their forwards, the conversion courtesy of the upright 26-14.

Industrious Shipston sensing a bit of a comeback continue to pile on the pressure for the first ten or so minutes and only our resolute defence keeps them at bay; and it is during this period that Andy K gives their stand out player an early Christmas present when he takes him man and ball and leaves him needing a long lie down, finally having to temporarily go off as a result.

We take full advantage and eventually our midfield of Barrel and Smoking work some space for Coatesy to exploit to go over for his fifth hat trick of the season. 31-14. Nev converts his fourth, 33-14.

The Shipston fly half is next for some treatment, as Barstool picks up from the base of the following scrum and seeks him out and runs right over the top of him making great yardage in the process, any fly half's out there please take note Rob doesn't like talkers!!

Not long after, Lee gets a fourth and in my opinion his best of the day where receiving the ball just inside our half he goes one on one with his opposite number, stands him up and burns him to score under the posts. With Barstool taking the shorter more direct route and being the closest as a result gets his second drop kicked conversion of the season for a 40-14 lead.

The versatile Major comes back on for the last fifteen and slots into the second row alongside John and hard working Andy K comes off.

Coatesy puts the game to bed not long after with his fifth 45-14 Nev's conversion going wide.

Right at the death Shipston score their third and the game's final try - once more by their centre his head now clear, and again the conversion goes over via the upright 45-21.

Final Score 45-21 Final Age 642.

Whilst equalling the most tries scored against us this season, this was still the most points we have conceded thanks to the last of that pair of streaky conversions off the uprights. The game was a really good workout played in a really good spirit and a chance to blow away the cobwebs after a couple of weeks of inactivity, and probably much more of a contest than Ice Station Kidderminster could have mustered with all sixteen of our players contributing especially in defence.

Another excellent five tries to Lee, with a game breaking second half hat trick, taking his personal tally for the season to twenty five, but for his outstanding defensive duties especially in the first half where he tackled anything with the ball and occasionally without I think this week's man of the match goes to the Assassin Nick Levey.

Apologies for the late one this week, not been the best.

Slow

Balsall and Berkswell v Vandals (hidden match report)

Saturday 5th March and our twenty third game of the season saw us in action against Berkswell & Balsall Common "Vets" over at Meer End, a game celebrating the 50th birthday of B&B's Derek Hicks & the 45th of our very own Simon "the Time Lord" Davis. In the wardrobe department this week Bill "Bilbo" Burrows at loosehead, Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker and Mark "bend it like" Baldwin at tighthead; in the second row the Gouldbourn boys Phil & Alistair, with the tackle twins Nick "the Assassin" Levey and Marcus "Shark" Hope on the flanks and Rob "Barstool" Bastock at No.8. On the catwalk Phil "the General" Evans at scrum half (fresh from feeding his flock) with Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, birthday boy Simon "the Time Lord" Davis partnering Gary "Smokin" Williams in midfield, with wings Phil "Horse" Watson and Sean " Bean" Byrne, with Dave "Ralph" Rollins directing traffic at fullback. On the casting couch this week Chris "Crash" Rowe, Alan "the Colt" Arkell, Iain "Johnno" Johnson, Nick "Barrel" Palmer, Lee "Coatesy" Coates, Paul "Goose" Gower & Captain Slow. John "Fingers" Lonie having failed his late fitness test jogging over to the pitch. B&B and the ref decide that 35 minutes each way is the order of the day and then stunt skipper Shark steps up and wins the fairly critical toss and we opt to play up the deceptively steep incline in the first half. Big Phil catches the kick off and sets off into traffic, he's held and we set, Barstool takes the short pop off the General but he's well tackled but presents well and the General sends it out to Nev, to Simon who spills it but it goes backwards and Smokin' scoops it up and passes, but the ref reckons Gary's knocked it on in the pick up....never. Anyway first scrum of the game to B&B a metre or so inside our twenty two, steady ball, scrum half picks up and goes but he's stopped by the Assassin, so they recycle as we stand off and defend. The ball comes out to their fly half who dinks it over the top and Horse takes it and calls for the mark (must be like buses we don't see any for ages then we get two in two weeks). Horse's kick goes out on our ten metre line, they take the quick throw and we watch admiringly and again they go aerial to Horse, he's not so fortunate this time as the ball comes off him and goes into touch, but we come back for the scrum about five metres from our twenty two. Another steady scrum from B&B but it's almost fudged at the base but they manage to get it away and there's an unconvincing scissors, which makes about a metre before the ball carrier is brought down. The scrum half gets it away from the loose to his wing but he's driven into touch by Horse for a throw to Yards. BMT nudges it forward in the line and B&B reply in kind so it goes back for the first knock on and another scrum to B&B who are making all the running in the opening minutes. Not quite a feed but not far off, ball reaches the No.8's feet and they get a bit of a shove on, the General's all over his opposite number as he tries to get the pass away and it goes straight to the rather surprised inside centre and we all pile in. They manage to retain possession and go the short side but our tackling's resolute and they have to set again. Ball comes out, the B&B player takes it on the hoof, and it's a good run but it's Shark who finally brings him down; they're about five metres out from our line and they go short again but this time nobody picks up the runner, I think the prop and he goes over virtually untouched 0-5 Conversion missed. But at least that's this week's warm up finished! Nev's sends a low restart up the hill, and after a couple of phases B&B hoof it back down the hill to Ralph who sends it back from whence it came, and B&B run it back and get as far as the halfway line before we pick them up and we're penalised for not rolling away in the tackle. They opt to kick for touch and the ball goes out five metres inside our twenty two. They secure their ball and get a good drive on but it looks like Gethin who rather cunningly brings it down and to add insult to injury we turn the ball over, just before the whistle goes and we're awarded a scrum about eight metres from our line. A steady shove sees it safely at Barstool's feet and Phil ships it out to Nev, who does a step and puts it up, it goes through the catchers hands but backwards between his legs and our defence are up quickly and into their faces as they try to string a few passes together. First tackle is by Bean on his opposite number, Spasm the next, and then a thumper from Barstool as we halt their momentum in it tracks. They go again and Nick Levey makes the next tackle and it goes to ground and B&B are penalised for fannying about with it on the deck, Nev puts it out on their ten metre line. Mark combines cleverly with Shark who takes at the front just on the five and he makes a yard and we set, Rob takes the crash ball and goes through, passes to the Assassin in support but his pass is knocked forward by the General on their twenty two; ref plays advantage but we too are penalised for some grass based handiwork, and then someone offers an opinion and he sends us back another ten metres. They take it quickly and the General makes amends as his tackle sees the ball knocked free from his opposite number and the Assassin picks up and we set, ball coming out to Nev, to Simon, to Rick (in the line!!!!), to Smokin' to Ralph to Sean who then sets off in field. He's tackled and offloads to Ralph in support, he's tackled and B&B are penalised for coming over the top, and Nev puts it into the corner via the hand of Sideways' nephew (I think who's playing on the wing). Lineout is about eight metres from the B&B line and big Phil takes it at four and we drive, then splinter off towards the posts with Balders at the back, ball comes back, Ali G goes and knocks on, and B&B try and run it out from under the posts as the ref plays advantage, eventually with space running out they punt ahead and Ralph stops it with his feet and Horse picks up and goes, he breaks the first tackle, offloads to Smokin' to Simon, long pass to Sean who pins his ears back but is tracked by a slow mover (should have burnt him there Bean) so flicks it back inside, but it's collected by their cover defence and punted back down the hill where it's taken by Barrel who passes to Smokin', to Marcus, he's tackled we set and then spin, but whistle goes for a scrum four or five metres outside the B&B twenty two. We, sorry Rick takes it against the head, and Barstool picks up and goes, offloads to the General, he makes a couple more and we set and Rob goes again and breaks the gain line, then the twenty two. Nev comes in at scrum half, looking for a long pass, but comes short to Shark and he cuts in looking for for his friends, offloads to Bilbo who finds Nick in support, and we set as the backs realign. Phil goes short to Rick and we drive him on before spinning wide, the General goes, pops it to Smokin' who does a step, then another but ball is eventually spilled in the tackle and again B&B kick away their advantage and Horse has to see it out just inside their ten metre line. Alistair steals their throw and we drive him on a metre or two before the General sends it out to Nev, who dummies Simon, flat pass to Smokin' who finds Ralph in the line but it's knocked on for a scrum to B&B midway between their ten and twenty two. They secure and spin and their fly half punts it down the pitch and Horse collects and goes, bludgeoning his way through the first two tackles before his inside pass finds Nick Levey via the deck and an almost interception and he takes it into contact, and we spin again and Simon goes route one, he offloads to Barstool following the same route; ball comes back, and we're lucky to get away with an accidental offside as the General runs in to Spasm. He finds Rob who goes to ground, and a B&B player comes through the gate legally and we're pinged for holding on. They kick to touch to relieve the pressure the ball going out on their ten metre line. Shark looks at first to have stolen it at two, but it's big Phil who eventually nicks it and drops it down to Barstool who passes to the General who outruns his support as he sees the wide open spaces ahead, he's a bit isolated but Shark's to him then BMT, the pass comes out, which Nev takes off the floor, passes to Simon who chips ahead and the ball goes out a metre or so inside their twenty two. They just about take at two, and they try to run it out about five metres from their line (remember when we were at school, defending, inside your twenty two just kick it off the bloody island!) anyway they break though our first line of defence, though they're still penned in inside their twenty two. Finally after a couple of phases they cross the twenty two with a strong run from their rotund "Barrelesque" centre but he's brought down by Barstool, so they're forced to recycle and I think it's their hooker who wellies it down field where it's fielded cleanly by Ralph and the cries go up from the touchline "feed the Horse" and he duly obliges with a great timed pass to Phil and he sets off through the middle of them and he crosses the their twenty two. Bean's with him in support off his wing, the pass back comes to BMT, he's stopped, we go short to Horse again and he takes it into contact, and we set and take it on a yard, the ball now at the back with Barstool. We go wide Nev to Smokin', steps his man, takes the next tackle and pops it off the deck to Spasm he puts his tackler on his back and the 677 drive over it, the General picks up sees no one at home and chips over the top and wins the race for the touchdown to score a couple of metres in from the touchline 5-5 Conversion is missed by Ralph from wide out & uphill & probably against the breeze too!! That's the last significant action of the half other than Horse's monster up and under, as we start to warm to the task pinning B&B in their half for the remaining ten or so minutes.

Halftime 5-5 Lots of constructive words from all assembled. Johnno comes on for the General, Barrel on for Birthday boy and Coatesy for Bean. Nev's restart is a deep one, evading the first set of feet and is eventually picked up a few metres inside their twenty two by one of their youngsters who passes to their scrum half who puts in a good kick the ball going out just on halfway (see that's the way to do it). Big Phil takes it at four, we set and Johnno tells them to drive it on, Mark comes round into steerage, trips over and shows every one his G-string athletic support and builders bottom, but quickly regains his modesty and rejoins the advancing maul. A pod splits off for a bit of handbags but the main drive continues at which point somehow we cough it up and they bang it up field albeit aimlessly and Ralph collects and passes to Coatesy, who lights them up and crosses the halfway line where he sends a less than sympathetic pass out to Barrel who misses it and Ralph is forced to put it out on the volley. They overthrow at the line and it goes loose and we secure and Johnno sends out a long pass to Nev who does well to take it, to Smokin' to Coatesy in off his wing, and he drives it into contact, Horse picks up the pop back, bats off a couple, passes inside to Barrel, to Chris Crash, to Johnno, inside to Horse who returns it inside to Johnno and he goes over 10-5 and normal service is resumed. Conversion goes wide. Six minutes into the half the Major comes on at No.8 and Goose comes onto the flank, with Barstool & Shark taking their bows. Not long after B&B are awarded a scrum for a knock on, their No.8 picks and goes, straight pass to the scrum half, and Smokin' makes the tackle and ball goes backwards it's picked up and Barrel puts in an absolute thumper knocking his man on his ar3e, but rather harshly he's penalised for not releasing. They take it quick and Chris makes the tackle but they manage to get it away into midfield but are making little or no forward progress and Chris again makes the tackle, they recycle and the second row takes it close, and Rick has a nibble, and the ball is eventually coughed up and it's Coatesy who comes away with it, but ref comes back for a scrum to B&B. Bit of an injury break while one of the B&B players has a bit of a lie down and has to come off. It's a bit crooked but B&B get away with it, it's a quick flick from the No.8 to the scrum half and Chris gets him, the ball comes back to B&B and we stand off and defend and under pressure B&B obligingly knock on, scrum Yards. Steady scrum, the Major picks up and goes, Goose his first to him, we're only metres away from their line as we pile in and it's a short pop pass to Alistair who goes through them virtually untouched to score under the posts. 15-5 It's a sitter for Ralph 17-5. The restart sails straight into touch and we go back for a scrum back. We split the line and the ball comes back cleanly to Johnno and he ships it out right to Nev who dummies Barrel, and passes to Coatesy who lights them up and goes straight through them, Goose in support. Lee offloads to BMT and it goes to ground about six or seven metres out and B&B come over the top, penalty Yards. Johnno takes it quickly, but too quick so he gets another go and sends a long pass out to Smokin', who has to stand it up and Crash is first to him, then BMT, then Ralph. We set, Horse is standing off, but Swing beats him to the pass and takes it in to contact, ball comes back and Rupe has the next go and breaks through the first tackle, and we set and Johnno sends it out to Coatesy who hands off his man and goes over wide out 22-5 and we reach 999 for the season. The pressure's too much for Ralph as his conversion narrowly misses...next score wins it....the Port obviously, as we've already reached the opposition's point of no return at 22 points.
The restart finds Bilbo who takes it on at "pace" (it's all relative) then offloads to Johnno who neatly pops it to Rick, we set, Johnno to Nev and Goose takes it off his inside shoulder, but the ball goes forward, and ref plays advantage to B&B but they just kick away and Coatesy makes like a seal and misses it completely and Ralph trying to contain his laughter fly hacks it into touch. No matter we win the lineout as Goose takes it then pops it to Johnno who goes through the middle, he tackled and we set, Coatesy's in at scrum half and whips it out to Nev who's long cut out pass finds Smokin' (just) so he has to stand it up. Barrel and Ralph are to him first and it goes to ground and we drive over, Big Phil takes it, offloads to Nev, to Chris who wangs it to....... Rick at fullback! And our hooker kicks and more amazingly finds a good touch. They take it at two and spin but it's all a bit lateral and the fly half kicks ahead and has the misfortune of finding Coatesy who winds it up and goes right through the middle of them, refusing to pass to his mate Barrel (or anyone else for that matter) and scores under the posts to bring up the 1000 points 27-5 Another easy one for Ralph 29-5 Handshakes all round well done Gentlemen. Nev takes a breather, Ralph moves to fly half with Sean returning to the field at fullback, and the Colt Arkell comes on for Spasm in the second row. Chris takes the restart and the 677 gather round, Johnno looks to spin to Nev but Rick beginning to believe his own publicity, or wanting a transfer out into the backs takes it at first receiver and promptly knocks it on, there's no advantage for B&B and we go back for the scrum. It's steady ball for B&B, they pick and go, we all buy the excellent dummy and he's through and it's only a great last ditch tackle by Bean about eight metres from the line that saves our blushes, a cracking effort that also sees the ball go forward to earn us the defensive scrum. Rock solid scrum from our Eight, ball comes back to the Major and Johnno sends it out but the ref decides to give them a scrum for a knock on five metres from our line. Rick deciding where he really belongs (out of f**king harms way) picks up the lads and we drive them off their ball and the Major picks up and goes, offloads it to Horse, who passes to big Phil and we cross our twenty two, he passes to Johnno who finds Smokin' who sells a sharp dummy, and makes another couple of metres but his pass is knocked forward and we toe poke ahead The ref plays advantage as B&B try to bring it back up the mountain, but following another crash tackle by Chris they end up kicking their advantage away (is it me or did they kick more often uphill than down?). Sean takes it cleanly, but takes a little too long and is clobbered and they turn it over and go, Smokin's puts in a great tackle and the ball goes loose and in the ensuing clusterf**k on the floor we pinch it back and Ralph punts it long back down the hill. The ball doesn't do enough on the blue tac to find touch and B&B bring it back up the hill with their young backs, they have numbers but again end up chipping it forward, Coatesy gets away with a knock on but is forced to kick to touch. Smokin' comes off and the Time Lord rematerialises. They win their line despite pressure from BMT but the ball goes to ground and we pour through and they're forced to clear to touch and we gain four or five metres and the throw-in. We're about ten or so metres out, Mark puts it up and big Phil takes it cleanly at four, Rick tidies up and we drive it on a bit, we spin but we contrive to cough it up. B&B try to run it metres from their line, Ralph makes the first tackle, Johnno the next, Chris after him, and the ball goes to ground, they're still trying to pass their way out of trouble but the pressure finally tells and they knock it on, scrum Yards. Johnno ships it out to Ralph and Simon comes in on the scissors and crosses the gain line and we set, it looks like we've come up short again but the birthday boy comes away with it and goes, he finds Johnno in support who passes to Barrel who makes great inroads before getting stopped, we recycle Johnno to Ralph to Simon who takes it into contact. Coatesy's in at scrum half, to Johnno, his reverse pass goes to ground and B&B snaffle it up but our tackling's up front and personal and we turn it back over, ball comes out to Ralph long one to Horse who gallops over the line in the corner but then runs it under the sticks 34-5 Ralph gets his third 36-5. Horse comes off Slow comes on and gets their big centre soon after, not the best of tackles but I did slow him up a bit and he did have to go round my crumpled heap. Our final try of the day saw Coatesy coming all the way off the right wing onto mine firing up the afterburners, fatherhood obviously not affecting his top speed and leaving a trail of defenders in his wake before straightening up and commencing his downhill run, with Captain Slow doing his very best to keep up and running interference with their young prop, Lee going over under the posts to complete his second half hat trick 41-5 Up stepped our newest goal kicker Mark "bend it like" Baldwin having persuaded Ralphy to let him have a crack so desperate is Mark for that extra point or two to give him bragging rights over Roger the Dodger, unfortunately too much backspin saw the ball go to the left of the upright below the level of the crossbar, I believe technically that's called a shocker!
Final Score 41-5 Final Age 649 do the math.

A large score in the end but special mention to the starting XV who did all the hard uphill graft in the first half, allowing us to change over level, and giving us the platform to utilise gravity in the second. Congratulations to all involved, thousand point seasons don't come around very often, this is only my second in 37 years! Man in the dirtiest shirt this week goes to Coatesy for his second half hat trick and in doing so breaking the 1000 point barrier with his 29th try of the season.

Those of you who are coming to Bath on the 2nd and who haven't already confirmed in writing please do so ASAP. The game is only three weeks away start looking for accommodation with your mates! I'm going down with Mark on the Friday to reconnoitre the ale houses, is there anybody else thinking of doing the two nighter?
If you're not mentioned below, it's because you STILL haven't put pen to paper yet or finger to button!!!!

Back to normal ?

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:30:09 GMT

Greetings and may 2011 be your year!

I suspect that the weather has probably affected your fitness levels (players) and your waistlines (players and the rest of us). Furthermore, the location of the club and the slightly uncared for road conditions have combined to reduce our bar sales but that can be put right and I am sure it will be sorted, especially if we win our forthcoming games.

So, what's going on?

Saturday 8th January

An important league fixture for the 1st XV away to our local rivals, Woodrush, who are never easy to play against. I would imagine that they will be after revenge for the defeat we imposed on them in the home game earlier in the season.

The Development XV are at home against Woodrush 2nds in what should be a close game if our narrow victory at their club in the earlier fixture is anything to go by.

The Vandals

Fresh from their appearance at the BBC Sports personalities of the year show or at least in the Rugby World (January edition), our more mature players are due to visit Warley Vets.

Mini and Junior Section

Check with your team managers but all of our squads should be at the club by 10.30 for training. Next weekend, sunday 16th January sees all of our M/J teams in action at home against our friends from down the road, the Edwardians.

Do you remember?

Earlier in the week as I was visiting Tudor Grange Leisure Centre in sunny Solihull, I bumbed into an 'old face', well not all that old. If my memory serves me correctly he was a 2nd team prop and captain and he had a load of facial hair. I bet you're thinking Ian Wallace. Wrong! He was also a North Mids referee, and quite a good one. Give up? The bloke in question was Mick Ison. He informs me that he enjoys looking at our website, (that doubles the total readership). Good to see you Mick and thanks for passing on your best wishes to the club and its followers.

Weather stops play but club is still very much open!

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:02:19 GMT

Boxing Day

Depending on the weather, an internal game has been arranged. The main purpose being to claw back some of the fitness and skill you thought you had before the festive season. Teams will be sorted on the day so just bring your kit and whats left in your wallet and enjoy the fresh air. If by any chance the weather is not as required you could go for a run or test your snowball accuracy ability. Naturally, the bar/kitchen should be able to satisfy your nutritional demands so get yourself a pass-out or be radical, daring or foolish enough to bring your best friend/wife with you and just see how much they appreciate your generosity. For the exact meeting time contact your captain or any member of the committee. I would guess that a midday start seems about right (so Pete, to you that means 10 a.m.)

New Years Eve

The club invites you to join together for a high quality night of fun, frolics and fine ales all for £10 per adult and £6 for younger ones. A brilliant live band originally booked by Sid will get you dancing and a very tasty buffet is also included. Car parking is free if you arrive before 10pm.

Fixtures

The way the calender falls means that there will be no matches until January 8th for the seniors although there is a strong rumour that Gary and Dean will put on training on new year's day. Juniors/minis should contact their managers to check arrangements specific to their own team.

And finally,

The Old Yardleians wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year.

First XV make hard work of it but it's another league victory

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:39:03 GMT

Big Ben signals success.

My reporters this week are coach Bobo and rising star Chicken plucked from semi-retirement to show the younger generation how rugby should be played.

Against a spirited Kings Norton side, it was the power of the Yards pack which formed the basis of victory. Supremacy in the set pieces with Tommo and Fridge dominating the scrums meant that the home side had plenty of possession and should really have won more comfortably than was the case. Tries came from Ben Honey with 3 (jug purchase time!), Lee Purdy and Andrew P. with Max Gimson kicking the rest of the points. With other kicks off-target, the scoreline might have been different. Thanks to KN for coming across for the game and we wish you the best for the rest of the season except for the returrn match!

The Vandals win down in rural Warwickshire

With scheduled opponents withdrawing from the original game we were lucky enough to find Shipston Vets/3rds in a similar situation and they gave us a very good game. Clearly a strong and well-organised side, they made us work hard for our victory. Our tries, 7 in total, were all scored by backs and were shared by Smokin, Lee and Simon S. The eventual score was a Yards win by 45 - 21. Thanks to Shipston for stepping in to play us at short notice. Martyn suggests that you look at his mention in the january edition of 'Rugby World'. In fact my suggestion is why not buy it for the wife/girlfriend/or whatever, as a special christmas present. I'm sure that it would be warmly appreciated.

Game on or off?

This is the time of year when the weather and non-availability of players tends to disrupt the fixture list. I will do my best to keep this website updated but double check with your captain that your game is on and where it is being played.

Andy result for the Development team.

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:00:03 GMT

In consultation with former coach and player Rick Thorne, the 'wags' decided to treat us blokes to a weekend that most of you could only dream about. You wouldn't guess so I'll tell you. Three nights at Butlins in Skegness for the Britsh Folk Music Special. I expect that the more senior readers will have heard of the Strawbs, Donovan, Lindisfarne and the Oyster Band to name but a few. As most fans were of the hippy persuation, you could wear what you wanted so wooly hats,chunky sweaters etc were the order of the day which was the excuse needed for Browny, Pickle's Dad, WHP(Dip F.D.) Jenko, Tony Fagan etc. to look like a bunch of lumberjacks. Anyway, a 4 hour drive across frozen countryside, and sub-zero concert halls did, at times, make me wish that I was back at the Old Ys watching the Development team display their range of skills against the Exiles.

Tries from big Andy P.x2, Luke H, Greg the allrounder, Tom Thacker and Tom Pickle who was in close support of Andy just in time to save him the expense of a jug. Conversions were scored by Lee Purdy, Tom T. and Luke G. Final score was a win by 36-15 and with The Gunners back at the top of the pile, things wern't all that bad. And contrary to rumours the best hooker never to have been capped by Wales was not out drunk by Big Tony Fagan, it was a dodgy burger that caused the sickness!

All sunday games were cancelled due to adverse weather and this coming sunday has yet to be confirmed.

Frozen pitches leaves rugby players and fans with a choice, televised sport or shopping.

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:51:44 GMT

With frozen pitches across most of the country, the cancellation of matches was inevitable. So, what were the options available. Whilst the first team squad went through their non-contact training under the supervision of Peter (Fridge) Butler and the development squad went for a 5 mile run led by birthday boy Luke, the rest of us took the softer choice.

The television companies got their schedules organised quite well. At 12.45 began a leson in football given by the Boys from the Emirates to our local boys in claret and blue. Having shown mercy in the first half the Gunners strolled to a 4-2 victory without really too much difficulty.

Next up was some rugby. A stroll down to the Sharmans Cross where the panel of experts sat in judgement. No sign of Stuart Barnes but who needs him when you have Messrs Painter (snr), Jenkins, Pickle and Pickles dad Phil. Anyway, to cut a long story short, England were not quite good enough and later that afternoon a valiant display by Wales wasn't quite good enough either.

This coming weekend

If the weather allows it the programme looks like this,

Saturday 4th       First xv   v   Harburry (away) in the league
                          Development xv and Vandals v Birmingham Exiles (home)

Sunday 5th       Under 8, 10, 14 teams all v Edwardians (away)
                         Under 15   v Aston old eds (away at Sunnybank Avenue, Perry Common)

Match Report - Kings Norton vs Vandals on Weds 24th November (Floodlights)

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The starting fifteen comprising the usual Pillars of Hercules in Shannon "Stepmeister" Killarney & Bill "Bilbo" Burrows, with Mark "Gethin" Baldwin keeping them apart at hooker; with the Freds, Andy Killarney & stunt skipper John Lonie in the boiler room, and in the back row Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby at eight, and the two tackle twins Marcus "Shark" Hope & Nick "Assassin" Levey on the flanks.

Half backs Phil "the General" Evans & Ian "Nev" Neville, in the centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer & Lee "Lethal" Coates, Phil "Horse" Watson on one wing, Sean "Bean" Byrne on the other, with the Chairman Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald tidying up at the back.

A four strong bench in the often later than never Phil "Tigger" Gouldbourn, and Mike "Nearly" Neary and two promising youngsters in the shape of Steve "Monkey Hanger" Cunningham & Mark "Banjo" Banyard.

A real short match report thankfully, due a failure in digital technology & it being too bl**dy cold to write.

So despite some early pressure by Kings Norton, and occasional rallies throughout the game we scored fairly freely when the referee permitted it; our opening try scored by the Shark wide out right following some good interplay and he had to run a bit too. Our second was scored by Coatesy following a "searing" break by Barrel who gave the pass on our ten & Lee ghosted in to go under the posts, and as no one was anywhere near him he also added the conversion for a 12-0 halftime lead.

Couple of changes at half time Roger & Steve swapping places, as did John & big Phil. Mike Neary swapping shirts and coming onto the wing in place of Horse, and Banjo swapping sides with Nick.

Mike Neary scored our third shortly after halftime taking a cross field "kick pass" (from Coatesy I think), though Mike admits to being a trifle lucky with the decision. Coatesy getting our fourth try not longer after, converted by Nev. With about ten minutes to go Mike scored a second to put the game to bed, again converted by Nev for a 31-0 lead before Kings Norton scored a streaky drive over try right at the death which they converted, so one dodgy try a piece.

Final score 31-7

Couple of notable points in the game (I know it's important to hookers, although you never hear the props crowing about it) at least two scrums against the head, think in fairness we had their eight in all sorts of bother throughout the game in the set pieces. I lost count how many times in the first half the ball squirted out the side for Nick to fly hack it on, three at least and each time the ref brought it back. The sight of Lee with the line at his mercy but being under instructions to do it the hard way and having to run round trying find someone to pass to....how that must've hurt with a hat trick begging. Barrel running over Chicken, and finally Mike for cunningly dropping his jug sorry ball with only the line to beat.

Finally a big thanks to Mark Banyard, Mike Neary, Nick Levey, John Lonie & Dave Hanson for helping Kings Norton out at various stages of the game, without whom it wouldn't have been a contest.

You know chaps, I'm beginning to think we associate the dark with scary adolescent memories of training, as we don't seem to enjoy these night-time encounters with Kings Norton, certainly had this been a normal Saturday affair I think we'd have put this lot to the sword a touch more quickly & clinically. But that said, five tries, in a shortened game is excellent.

This week weather permitting the return game against the Chocolate Boys at Tilehouse Lane.

A note for your diaries, the Vandals do Christmas on the 18th December, following the Sils game, venue to be advised.

Slow

Marcus shows the way as John overcomes first day nerves

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:12:04 GMT

Under 10s enjoy their first match

As mini/junior fixture sec. I thought it was time for our first game at this age group. Big John Lonie had a panic attack (no, it wasn't his round!) when he discovered that Shannon was away for a therapeutic weekend in Derbyshire and begged for cancellation. However, Marcus the shark over-ruled him and the game went ahead. When asked for a report on the game John said that it was brilliant, that the lads enjoyed it and that from now on he was on the way to becoming the next Martin Johnson or at least the next Bobo. A big thanks to Ian and his team from Redditch for making sure that all those involved had a great time.

Well done also to Andrew and his young stars in the under7/8 squad. Their match details can be seen on this website.

The under 15s went to Five Ways with key players missing and came away well beaten.

This Sunday (28 NOV)

All of our m/j teams, u7/8, u10, u 14 and u15 are in action at Edwardians on Streetsbrook Road (B90 3PE) and all games k.off at 11am. A great opportunity for all you Old Yards members and followers to support the lads and maybe enjoy some form of refreshment if you feel inclined.

A better day for the seniors

Last saturday saw the first team in league action at home to newly-promoted Evesham. I was distracted somewhat by a number of enquiries on the subject of Arsenal's early kick-off against the riff-raff from down the Sevensisters Road. Thanks lads. Anyway, as any reporter would do you seek expert opinion. Pete hinted that we were not at our best in the scrums and Steve Painter (dip. F. D.) told me that his boy Phil scored a great try that reminded him of his own scoring feats in days gone by. A very well refereed game and a 13-0 win for the 'Shirley Hillbillies'

The Development xv had a potentially difficult match against Droitwich 2nds but tries from Dean Brain, Sam Richards and Lee Coates gave us a 15-8 win. Good news for the future were the performances of Tim Russell and Steve Cunningham. Well done chaps

The Vandals had no game. Perhaps we need to keep their success quiet.

New Faces for the Minis & Juniors

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Old Yards Minis & Juniors ran a Fun Day 2 weeks ago to encourage some new blood into the ranks. Well I am delighted to say that it has been a GREAT success. Here we are 2 weeks later and we now have 7 new faces ageing from 5 to 7. All the new players turned up for training yesterday and I am hopeful that within a few more weeks, we can blend the new players with some of the more experienced ones so that we can run an Old Yards Under 8s AND and an Old Yards Under 7s. We have to keep building from the bottom up to ensure the Sunday rugby teams continue to grow. If you are interested in helping out or want to come along and try 'Tag' rugby then we train at Tilehouse Lane on Sunday's between 10.30am and 12 noon. Clubhouse is open for tea/coffee and hot snacks, and the players are rewarded for their efforts with hot food afterwards. Andrew Pemberton 07767 787323

Old Yardleians U8’s vs Redditch U8’s (Match 1)

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On a cold November morning, Old Yardleians hosted a well organised team from Redditch, for a two match series to be played back to back. Redditch elected to kick off and took an early lead through a well organised line and some very quick individual running. But the game was soon back in Old Yards control through tries from Dan G, Oliver (3) and Daniel E which meant the teams were level with 5 tries each at half time. The half time substitutions didn’t disrupt a fluid Old Yards performance and tries from Toby (2) and Sam meant that with seconds to go the scores were locked at 9 all. After running first all the way left, back, right a bit, back, left again Alex scored the winning try in the right hand corner. The referees whistle was a welcome break for everybody who had tried to run in support of Alex, but a deserved win for Old Yards in the opening game. Stats - Half-time OYs 5 Redditch 5. Old Yards Try Scorers - Daniel Giles (1), Ollie Dickson (3), Daniel Empson (1), Toby Good (2), Samuel Gilmore (1), Alex Turrell (2) Referee - Richard Dickson Attendance - More than 30!

Old Yardleians U8’s vs Redditch U8’s (Match 2)

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The second game picked up where the first had left off, both sides were keen to run with some very long distance winding lines from Josh H, Charlie and Alex, but great support play and super tagging particularly from Josh T, Jamie and Dan G, the scores stayed level throughout the game. Sam and Toby added to their game 1 scores with first half tries, with Josh T adding a third to keep old Yards in touch at half time. The last half saw some tired legs, but the winding routes and great support play resulted in tries from Ollie (3) and Alex to make it 7 all. In the last play of the game, Redditch saw a gap on the left wing and ran the full length of the pitch to sneak the winner. Some great rugby played by both teams, Redditch achieved 1 - 6 tag turnover, and the two match series was tied 1 game each. Old Yardleians will travel to Redditch in January 2011 for the return fixture. Stats - Half-time OYs 4 Redditch 5. Old Yards Try Scorers - Sam Gilmore (1), Josh Talliss (1), Toby Good (1), Ollie Dickson (3), Alex Turrell (1). Referee - Richard Dickson Match Attendance - More than 30!

And we think that we've got it bad !

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:15:57 GMT

This week I have decided to double up on the news from the Old Ys. The reason being that I was visiting friends on Merseyside. Richie, who is Chairman of a Birkenhead club that goes by the name of 'Old Parkonians' took us to another South Lancs/Cheshire division 3 club called 'Port Sunlight'.Well what a game! The pitch is about as flat as the Clent Hills and both teams managed to return any possession won back to their opponents with either badly aimed kicking or clumsy handling errors. However, an end to end game finished in a 29-29 draw. We returned to the home of the Old Parks to receive warm hospitality and when asked by a young lady where I came from, her response was along the lines of 'Solihull, thats a posh place where they even get out of the bath if they need a p--s.' Well, I promise that's not the case at the Old Ys. Later that evening, forced into partaking of a curry I can report that they don't belong in the same league as Ladypool Road. Thanks Richie, you might not play the bagpipes like our chairman but you can tell a good story.

Whilst away, I kept in touch with our teams and the usual mixture of news came my way.
The first xv conceeded their cup game in favour of shopping trips with their wags. Staggering or disappointing? make your own mind up.

The Development xv played with a lot of spirit, in fact too much at times, with 3 players visiting the bin. A defeat against Aston 2nds by 15-27 was not too painful with tries from Captain Egg, Rob the new second row and big Andy P.

The Vandals overcame a determined Aston OEs 3rd xv by 22-10 with tries by Simon Singleton x2, Rick Lowe and John Lonie with Nev adding a conversion.
See vandals vs AOE Match Report Below

On the junior front the U14s lost at Aston and the U15s went down in an open game at Exiles. Good games but winning would be even better, just ask our first teamers.

Moving on a week, the first xv had a straightforward league match at Cov. Welsh and managed to turn in their worst performance of the season, going down 9-0 in a try free game.

Details of our other teams will be available soon. Watch this space.

See vandals vs Harborne 3rds Match Report Below

The Quiz was a keenly fought affair with Alan Burgess (ex Kings Norton RFC) leading his St Edmund Campion team to a narrow victory over Steve Painter (Dip F. D.) and his NHS allstars.The Horticultural brigade, led by Tex came third. Shannon and his team were disrupted by Tom 'the fiddlers elbow' Power and came a disappointing last. The 'Carry on ' blockbuster was won by Clare Jordan's team. Clare, as you probably know is a teacher at the Aquinas centre of advanced learning.

The Development xv struggled to get a full team out for their match against Wyvern. There was a suggestion that some of the younger boys had to go Christmas shopping with their mums and dads. News of an amazing second-row performance by Cedric and who can tell how much talent one bloke can possess. However, he could not stop the visitors from beating us. Just wait till their boys have to do their shopping!

A chat with our newly-qualified coaches, Lonie and Shark tells me that our Vandals managed to win again, this time against Harborne by approx. 39-0. More details should follow soon.

Well done to the blokes who attended the coaching course on thursday evening. You've got the certificates so now get out there and use your coaching skills before you forget what it's all about.

Vandals Match Report - Sat 6th November Away at Aston Old Eds.

Saturday 6th November & game eleven gave us the opportunity of foreign travel with a trip over to Perry Common to play Aston Old Edwardians, a traditionally very tough fixture and this is how it proved to be.

A newish looking front row in Shannon "Stepmeister" Killarney (on the eve of his 51st birthday) Rick "Spearchucker" Lowe (getting the opportunity to play for us for a change) and Bill "Bilbo" Burrows, with the Freds, Andy Killarney & stunt skipper John Lonie providing the muscle, and in the back row Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby at blind, Marcus "Shark" Hope at open and Alistair "Ali G" Gouldbourn at No.8.

A changed half back pairing of Phil "the General" Evans & Ian "NASDAQ" Neville, centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer & Gary "Smoking" Williams, wings Sean "Bean" Byrne & the versatile Simon "Sideways" Singleton, with the Chairman Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald tidying up at the back. Small but heavily built bench this week in Gary "Bobo" Robinson (having a week off from coaching duties) and the ever tardy Phil "Tigger" Gouldbourn.

John wins the toss and astutely decides to play up the slope in the first half, and trusting in gravity in the second. So Aston get the kick off and Shannon takes the high catch (why do all these sides deliberately aim at the bloke because he never bloody drops one even if occasionally he's bullied out of the odd catch...Ali G take note). If this was the NFL he'd have the most punt returns, anyway I digress we set round and drive it on a yard, but most unusually they pinch it and Aston spin it straight away, their fly half brings his centre inside, who promptly drops it but it doesn't go forward and they recycle and send it out wide and Sideways stands his man up. But they get it away again and the fly half brings his brother the hooker in on the crash who takes it on before getting stopped and we are penalised for hands it. Aston take it quickly and go right, Ali G makes the first tackle, but they recycle and go again with their dangerous looking fly half who looks for the gap, but delays and his pass gets knocked on for the games first scrum to us about ten metres out from our line. Aston having persuaded the most unlikely looking lad into playing tight against Shannon, young, tall and built like a pipe cleaner can offer no pressure and we secure steady possession, Al thinks about it before the General plucks it out and passes to Nev who clears to touch just on our twenty two.

We pinch their lineout, and the General box kicks it over and chases after it and tackles the catcher and he's turned our way and we all pile in. Phil spins it out to Nev, to Barrel who takes it into contact and emerges the other side and keeps going, looks for the pass, none close so takes it to ground and the General whips it out to Smoking, who sends a long one back the other way to Nev to Alistair who has a gallop and we start to build a bit of momentum. Ali G takes it to ground, and the ball gets trapped and it's a scrum to Yards. Shades of the trenches Christmas WWI now as Barrel goes over the top in the lull in hostilities and shakes hands with Harry the big Aston No.8 in a bit of a Solihull RFC love-in. We have two goes at the scrum and a brief injury stoppage for an Aston player before Ali G picks and goes, finds Barrel and he gets clobbered by the bloke he just shook hands with...oh the irony.

Aston steal it, and move it forward, but Bilbo's in there slowing things down, and it grinds to a halt for a scrum to Aston. Shannon leans on his man a bit and we take it against the head, Ali G picks and gives a loopy pass to the General who takes it on a yard, followed by Andy K powered by Roger, ball comes back, Marcus pops it out to the General to Nev who puts it over the top, the Aston player looks as if he's nudged it but gets away with but then kicks it straight out for a throw a metre or two outside the Aston twenty two. Spearchucker makes no mistake and hits Shark at four, taps it down and we drive it on a bit before Phil sends it out to Nev, who sends a long miss pass out to Smoking, who pops it to Sideways who puts a long chip over his man and sets off in pursuit and beats both defenders to the ball, the latter not realising just how quick Simon is, and thinking it was going to go dead 5-0. Conversion missed.

Shannon takes the restart, his bro is first to him (probably has his birthday card), and the General takes them on a bit as it's all good practice, it starts to fracture a bit, before it goes to ground and he spins to Nev to Barrel whose bouncing bomb evades Smoking but is picked up by Sideways, who escapes the first tackle, before collecting a second, and it's a penalty to us as an Aston player goes off his feet. Nev clears to the halfway line. Spearchucker sends in his bendy ball, Marcus takes at four but the referee has spotted it and gives a scrum to Aston. Our eight puts them under lots of pressure as the scrum starts to wheel and their No.8 picks up and goes, but our tackling's good and the next pass is intercepted by Smoking who takes it into contact and the 677 drive him on. Ball goes to ground General checks and Ali G takes the pop and into his opposite number, Roger's first to him, we set Shannon gets in his first sidestep of the day and breaks the line, Marcus is with him he pops to the General, to Nev whose kick goes straight out for a throw to Aston.

John spoils at two and paddles it down to Rick who sets the ball, Phil moves it quickly to his strike runner Alistair..bosh, out it comes again to Nev, sells one breaks the line, gets held & turned, Rog tries to retrieve it but is outnumbered. Ball comes out and the Aston fly half bangs it downfield and it goes out about ten metres from our line, the throw sails over Sharks head but our tall tail snag it and the General clears it up & chips it out to touch just inside our twenty two. Aston throw it in short, and it either wasn't straight or didn't go five so it's a scrum to Yards fifteen in and ten or eleven metres from our line, steady nudge, ball comes out to Nev who kicks long over the wingers head. They field it and bang it back over and it goes dead, so it's a scrum way back a metre or two in front front of the Aston twenty two, no pressure again and we spin to Nev who looks to bring Barrel in on the scissors, and takes a high one off the scrum half but keeps going. He's finally stopped we set and Aston come offside, penalty Yards and Nev pops it into touch. Marcus takes a curvy one but we get away with it, set and spin, Nev dummy scissors with Barrel, gets through the gap and Sean gets his first pass of the day, pops it back inside to Tony Fitz, he's stopped on the ten, Smoking recycles, passes to Nev to Bilbo, to Shannon, to Rick (house!!) back inside to Simon, back inside to Barrel who steam rollers on another five or six before going down, Lonie's there we spin again, we're on their twenty two, ball goes to Shannon who shows and goes, inside the twenty two gets held, but we go again, Phil to Nev, to Smoking who cuts inside his man, gets through and puts a chip through and chases, but a defender beats him to the touchdown for a twenty two drop out. A good series of phases by us with some great linking work.

It's a long deep drop out right down the middle and our back three gather and it's Simon who takes it, he looks to go then sees a gap and chips one through and chases, and catches the prop who takes it and Andy K escorts them both into touch, lineout Yards. We take, and Roger gets his first real opportunity to bludgeon his way through the defence, goes straight through with the 677 in hot pursuit, we set Alistair takes the next crash ball, he in turn passes to the Stepmeister who then offloads to the General who loops one over the top into the hands of Bean who jinks inside and pops it to Smoking, who in turn sends a long one out to Nev who only having the quickest man in our side outside him kicks it over into the corner where Aston touch it down for a drop out twenty two. It's a lovely drop out by the Aston fly half straight into the arms of Barrel's mate at No.8 with nobody near him, he pops it to the hooker (their three key spine players all involved) and he's felled by Smoking. Simon's tries to rip it free, but he's adjudged to have come in from the side and it's a penalty to Aston; someone voices an opinion (take it that was you Simon?) and we go back another ten metres. This time they kick for position and the ball goes out about ten metres from our line for an attacking lineout, and the referee suggests he's had enough questions off Sideways.

From the lineout the hooker sends it right over the top to his brother (methinks they've done this before) who takes it cleanly and races in to "score" in the corner. Now I'm standing beyond our lineout and he moreorless takes it level with me so the throw is not straight, but I think it's is the fact that the Stepmeister quietly but firmly postulates a more reasoned technical argument as the referee passes him that the fly half took it within the fifteen metres that sways the referee and to his immense credit he overturns his original decision, when a lot of referees would have hidden behind "I've made my decision". Then to add insult to Aston's perceived injury the referee awards us a penalty which Nev clears to about the ten. Marcus takes it cleanly at four, we set, Rick joins the van and we set off, sucking in a few fringers as we go, Phil decides it's time & pops and big Rog seeks out the fly half to test his tackling skills, goes through him then looks for another victim, does him too before finally being tackled, Phil looks to get it away but we are penalised for going over/not releasing/who knows what.
They take it quickly and we don't retreat at the same pace, they get another go and opt to kick but they kick it dead. John and the referee exchange opinions, and it's a scrum to us all the way back on our ten metre line. No pressure, Phil spins to Nev who loops Barrel who gets caught before he can offload, so he stands it up, Phil digs it out, passes to Smoking who seeing nobody home puts one on top of their winger who obligingly makes contact on its' way out to earn us a lineout. Marcus takes it virtually unopposed, out it goes to Nev, Byrney comes in on a decoy run, and Nev spins a long miss pass out to Smoking, it goes to ground, referee misses it, Fitzy picks up and offloads to the General, who gets tackled and it goes forward and the ref spots this one. So it's a scrum to Aston, first one looks a bit fed but are allowed to have another go. The General in attempt to emphasise the point says "IF this is a fifty-fifty ball we'll have it". We almost drive them off it and their No.8 has to pick it up, they spin and punt it down the park, Fitzy every bit the sweeper kicks it on the half volley just in front of our twenty two back up the hill, the Aston winger collects and Fitz doesn't buy his dummy and makes the tackle. They recycle and spin it out, as a few holes appear in our defence, Barrel takes their hooker midfield, but they go again and their No.8 wangs a big wide one out to their wing, a bit too wide as we drive him into touch.
Marcus takes it at four and Nev clears our lines, but Aston take it quickly, their fullback skips Byrney but not Smoking, he pops it back and Smoke's up again quickly to take the next one too, the fly half spins it between his legs to their winger, and he's clattered by Shannon who grubbers the loose ball forward and it goes out just shy of their twenty two. They dummy long and take at two and spin to their fly half who uses the slope to good effect and it goes out about fifteen metres from our line. Marcus takes at four but the ref deems Rick's work not straight, so it's a scrum to Aston in on the fifteen. We drive them backwards but their scrum half manages to get his hands on it, and gets Rog and then then Alistair, ball looks like it's our side, their No.8 is all over it and it's a penalty, but not to us! We get another ten for taking the ball with us, and they take it quickly their scrum half evades Phil but gets Bilbo instead who wraps him up, John gets to it on the deck but we're pinged again (Captains note: this could've earned us a card in some games, three in quick succession). They spin it but their hooker drops it and we secure it, Phil sends out something less than sympathetic to Smoking who makes like Lineker and volleys it out. (having played football against our Gary I know he possesses some small amount of round ball talent).
So attacking lineout to Aston some ten metres from our line, but with Al's help the ball comes our way but we're penalised again in the red zone for something. They take it quickly do a miss move and knock it on, Simon's first to it, we secure, Phil spins to Fitz who kicks and whilst it's not pretty more importantly it finds touch and brings the half to a close. Some great defence those last five or six minutes but living right on the edge as far as penalties go.
Half time 5- 0 No changes at half time, and product testing of every isotonic on the market continues.
Second half, and it's Subbuteo scrums for the remainder of the game, their prop having had enough of Shannon gently leaning on him, but gravity is now in the Vandals favour as we're playing down the slope. The restart quite by chance finds that same prop who gets caught and turned by Alistair, Bilbo takes it on close, Roger winds up a run but we forget to pass it to him, and the ball goes to ground, their No.8 looks like he's come over it, but Alistair plucks it out and goes, he breaks the first tackle and the next and drives towards the Aston line, he finally gets held up a metre or so from the line, Shark takes it on a little bit further, he sets it, ball comes out, and Roger it drives for the line, he's driven over but referee deems he's held up, so it's an attacking scrum five metres out. A slight delay as their young flanker receives attention. So it's uncontested so Alistair picks up and goes, and we all drive in, but ref says right over the top and awards a penalty to Aston. Their fly half clears as far as their ten metre line.
Roger wins their lineout taps it down to Alistair and our driving maul forms, but they spoil it, it goes to the deck and pinch it (how?) and their No.8 takes it blind but the General gets to him and the rest join in, the ball disappears for what seems an age, but Aston retain possession and spin it out the the fly half and his hooker brother then exchange a few clever passes and Sideways comes off his wing to take the fly half, and is pinged harshly for a high tackle, and Chicken on the touchline voices his opinion loudly about the decision's comedy value. Still a penalty on the twenty two and after a brief discussion Aston opt to take the points 5-3 and at seven minutes into the second half closer than we've been all season at this point.

Andy Killarney comes off wheezing like a forty a day man and Phil Gouldbourn goes on to replace him, Smoking also comes off to have some attention for a cut to his chin. With no backs to replace him so we restart with fourteen. Nev takes the restart and it's a low trajectory special that bounces out just past the ten for an Aston throw. Big Phil makes his presence felt but Aston get it away and their fly half kicks it out round about our ten. Fitz ever alert takes the quick throw in, to the General who puts it up in the air, an Aston player takes it cleanly just in front of their ten metre line and kicks it straight out into one of the adjoining gardens.
Big Phil takes the catch with ease and set and then drive a couple of metres over the ten, then Roger takes the short pop off the General and boshes his way through, gets past the twenty two, and goes to ground, the General looks for the next strike runner and it's Alistair and he takes it on, goes to ground and we clear them out, the General gets sucked in Nev & Shark have a brief discussion on who's got the better pass, ball comes out to Simon off his wing he evades the first tackler then we set, ball comes out to Nev, bit of a hospital pass to Smoking who's on his own, smartly flips it back to Nev, he sells one, small kick forward, it's collected by Rick who offloads to Marcus who takes it into contact, the General whips it out to Barrel who chips it ahead and it's knocked on by Aston. Attacking albeit passive scrum ten metres out, Alistair picks up goes towards the posts, pops it back to the General who sends it out the other way to Barrel who steps on the gas breaks two tackles and gets to within a metre of the line before offloading to Rick who goes over with Alistair on his back. 10-3 Nev's conversion attempt goes just wide.
Alistair out shouts Shannon to take the restart and gets a hit off their No.8 for his trouble, but we secure it and the General makes a little break, gets held and Beany steps up to scrum half, but it's a penalty to us for hands in before Beany can show us his world famous reverse pass. We take it quickly and using the slope bang in down the park to the opposite side and it goes out on the Aston twenty two. Aston use the long ball to good effect and it's taken by their No.8 who spins it out to their big experienced centre who snook on at halftime and he bangs it out a metre or so past the twenty two, so not much of a gain.
We guff the lineout and it goes forward, scrum to Aston, again they bring their Davisesque centre in on the scissors but the Shark brings him down and it looks like we've turned it over but we're pinged for lying all over it. Aston opt for the "scrum", everybody leans on, and their fly half gets it and breaks the line, but someone gets him and the ball goes forward in the tackle and Chicken booms in "great tackle Tony Fitz", so must've have been him then. Rog has a bit of a lie down, as Nev gives it a big thump to clear and it goes out on their twenty two.
Rick hits big Phil at four and Bilbo tidies up and we drive towards their line, ball comes out a bit sooner than expected and the General spins it to Nev, to Smoking and it's a bit of a skewed kick but the Aston catcher knocks on, scrum Yards. Out it comes Barrel takes the scissors, makes good yards, goes to ground on their ten metre, we recycle, General to Smoking to Simon and he's away, evades a head hunter, does a number then sees the gap open up in front of him and gasses the defence to score under the posts and gets a cheap shot of a pair of knees in his back as a reward. 15-3 Nev makes no mistake 17-3 with 23 minutes gone.

Bobo comes on for Alistair. Shannon takes the catch and we set and bang a long one down, their winger takes it, falls over and gets up in time to get knocked over again by Simon, then Smoking then Marcus, but gets enough support to get it away, we track across, their hooker gets it but he too falls over, and the ball bobbles forward. Scrum Yards, Bobo picks & goes, makes good yards, gets held up, Beany's first there, he feeds Rick and we set, ball comes out and Nev sends one sailing down to just outside their twenty two. Ball goes loose at the lineout, Lonie's first to it, Phil digs it out, passes to Nev who dummies Barrel, and goes through the gap, gets caught but stands it up and waits for his mates to arrive, Barrels' first there he takes it on a yard, the General arrives, he looks to pass sees only Shark & Beany outside, decides to dummy instead (what does that say about your team mates Phil) & cuts back inside, finds Barrel, one handed offload to Shannon, who whips it back inside for John Lonie to score 22-3 Conversion missed. Great try.
Not content with scoring John also takes the restart just in front of the twenty two, Bobo's first to him, then Shannon and we drive forward, Bilbo has the ball at the back, we pass the ten metre line, it's not pretty but effective as we reach the halfway line where it stops and we spin, General to Nev to Smoking to Barrel long one out to Simon who makes ground then kicks ahead into their twenty two, their full back sweeps up and clears it and the ball goes out on their ten. Big Phil takes it and we spin, and it's a double dummy pop to Fitz, but the ball goes to ground, scrum to Aston. The No.8 picks up passes to their fly half, who passes just as Shark takes a bite and the pass goes forward. Scrum Yards centre field but we still load our backs left, Bobo picks up and drives it on, evades his opposite number and keeps going, and the boys get to him, Marcus takes it at the back, then Bilbo, we pass the halfway line, then the ten as an Aston hand starts to debag Bobo, big Phil breaks free of the pack, offloads to Roger to the General back to Bobo who's had time to pull his shorts back up, and he sells a dummy, passes to Marcus, we set and we spin, massively theatrical dummy by Nev before he changes direction and brings it back the other way, but he runs out of friends and the ball is turned over and their hooker takes it on, he's scragged by the skipper Lonie, but gets it away to his scrum half, it's a three on one, Fitzy takes one on the ten metre line, Barrel arrives there first and stays on his feet and tries to rip it free and we earn a penalty for hands in.

Nev takes his time and puts it out on their ten. Big Phil takes it cleanly at four, and we drive again and we spin Nev sends a long one out that misses everyone, misses Fitz misses Smoking but Simon picks it up and he's away, he survives another couple of high ones, puts it back inside to Nev who puts it up, their fullback takes it and runs it out then kicks ahead and an unlucky bounce (been there) escapes Bean sweeping up at the back, and Aston scoop it up and their big No.8 comes into the line, Fitz is outnumbered and despite his last ditch tackle they go over in the corner 22-8. The fly half kicks an excellent touchline conversion 22-10 and the referee blows for time.
Final score 22-10 final age 660, an average of 44 overall and nearly 46 in the pack.

Though the final score looked relatively close, it was still a try count of four to one with theirs coming right at the death, and obviously a much harder workout than of late, but showing that we can still do it the old fashioned way...well done.

Thanks to Shannon for providing the post match birthday lager!

This week Harborne 3rds at home, please no slip ups.

Slow.

Vandals Match Report - Sat 13th November Home vs Harborne 3rds.

This weeks report is courtesy of the Vandal's cub reporter Mark Baldwin:

Saturday 13th November saw a few changes to the Vandal team on the weekend our leader left the lunatics to take over the asylum while he partied away in Scotland. With no Slow to do one of his usual outstanding after match reports it was left to a combined effort by Saturday's players to produce this shorter than usual game summary.

The font row had the usual props of Shannon "Stepmeister " Killarney and Bill "Bilbo" Burrows who used their powerful shoulders to prop up the extra weight of bringing the mobile Mark "Dai" Baldwin into the hooker position. Stunt skipper John Lonie was joined by Phil "Tiger" Goldbourn in the second row and in the back row was Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby at No. 8 with flankers Marcus "Shark" Hope and Nick "The Assassin" Levey either side. At half back we continued with the pairing of Phil "The General" Evans and Ian "NASDAQ" Neville. In the centres Nick "Barrel" Palmer and playing his first game for the Vandals since the Bob incident in Lymington we welcomed back Sean "Kendo" Kenwrick. On the wings were Gary "Smoking" Williams and Sean "Bean" with Chairman Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald tidying up at the back. On the bench was Andy "Harry Hill" Killarney. In addition two other Vandals Cedric "Bob Blew Me" Farrell and Mike "Bulldozer" Neary played for the Development XV while Rob "Barstool" Bastock played for the 1st XV in their defeat to the Welsh in Coventry. With the referee crying off we had to call on the services of Tom "Dad of Sid" Power to referee the game which he did most excellently.

Harborne took the field with a young and fast looking back line that appeared full of tries. The Vandals decided to listen to the wise words of Slow for once and with the absence of top try scorers Phil "Horse" Watson, Lee "Lethal" Coates and Simon "Snapper" Singleton our leader said to use the forwards to batter the visitors and then let the experienced backs loose on them. This works well early on as the Vandals work their way up field only to be stopped short of the Harborne line. Scrum to the visitors but our front row take one against the head. The General fizzes the ball out and good work by the backs including great looping between Barrel and Kendo sees Smoking set free and he shows a clean pair of heels to score in the corner. 5-0. As the half continues the Vandal pack takes control. Centre Barrel continually carries the ball back to the pack to be re-cycled to allow the Vandals to attack again while Kendo goes on his usual winding runs making big gains up the field. The pressure pays off with a second try. Following a forward onslaught Bilbo receives the ball at the inside centre position. He draws the defence and then passes the ball to Phil G. With players free outside him calling for the ball Phil G cuts inside and uses his height to stretch over the line to score. NASDAQ adds the conversion. HT 12-0.

At half time Lonie takes a breather and on comes Harry Hill Killarney in the second row. Shannon takes over as Captain. The second half becomes one way traffic with the Vandals pack taking on the ball at first receiver time and time again before unleashing the backs. In addition The Shark was spoiling and lineout ball for Harborne while he and Phil G won all the home throws. When Harborne did win any ball our backs just knocked them back with strong defence especially from Sean Bean and the Chairman Fitz. NASDAQ started the scoring for the Vandals in the second half. Using Shannon he dummied the opposition to create a big gap he ghosted through, side stepped the fullback and dived over the line. 17.0. This was shortly followed by a great move by the Vandals' backs that saw Sean Bean score. 22-0. Then in one of the moments of the season Harry Hill showed why he should be in the back row. With the big Harborne number eight charging up the field, Harry tackled him to the ground, jumped up, ripped the ball and sped off setting up another Vandals attack. Even better than Ritchie McCaw would do. If only Slow had seen it he could have written pages on it. The Vandals forwards continued to punch holes with runs from Shannon, Bilbo and the light footed Roger the Dodger. This resulted in more ball for the backs who with quick hands freed up the speedy Smoking on the wing to complete his brace. NASDAQ actually converted this one. 29-0. Following an injury, Lonie came back on. Initially on the wing but then he moved into the pack and The Assassin went out into the backs. This became decisive in the next try when again strong bursts by Barrel and Kendo led to space on the wing where Nick Levey took the ball at pace and he out ran the cover defence to score. 34-0. Another kick off to receive and yet again the Harborne number ten kicked it away from Shannon. He must have been reading Slow's reports on the master of the side step and dummy. One final score came towards the end of the game. Following the award of a penalty, Nev put a long kick into the corner close to the Harborne line. Dai threw yet another pin point accurate throw that was taken by Phil G. The ball was secured and the Vandals eight drove for the line. Marshaled by The General, Phil actually took control of the ball at the back of the maul. As the Vandals crossed the line The General dropped to the ground to score. 39-0. After the kick ref Tommy Power blew up for the end of the game.

Final score 39-0. Final age a staggering 688, an average of just under 46 overall and a more youthful front row than of late with a combined age of 150.

The final try was our 96th of the season, with 44 conversions and that one bloody penalty. Total points season to date 571 with 117 against.

Next week Slow is back so the normal reporting will resume.(Slow thinks Dai did an excellent job mind)

Dai Baldwin.

Fridge sent to the cooler

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:36:34 GMT

First xv

Some observers suggest that a good referee is hardly noticed. Well in my humble opinion this was not the case on saturday as an exchange ref, who was being officially observed by respected whistle-blower Mr Rees, seemed determined to be the focal point of the game. At some point there were more players in the bin than actually playing (or so it seemed) including young Peter the Fridge. Reason for the yellow cards was not very clear to spectators or players. As for refereeing the scrum, our usual dominance was neutralised by the man in the middle.

Having said all of that Upton were a very good side particularly in defending which they had much to do and did well. They also had a kicker who did his job in collecting points when they were available. As for the Ys we showed the usual strength in the pack with ex Lode Heath number 8 'The Barstool' fitting in nicely and the backs, although sound in defence, lacked cohesion in attack. As Denzil used to say (often) if you want to play a kicking game then you select the likes of Tom Power or Dave Adams but lads, you have got a potentially exciting set of backs with pace and skill so stop kicking possession away aimlessly.

Lecture over. We were worth at least a draw but naivity when in points scoring positions cost us dearly. It was good to see young Ben back in action and he kicked our 3 points. A converted try would have won us the game but although we hammered away at their line it was not to be. Final score was a 9-3 away victory.

Development xv

This team is performing above expectation week in week out. Considering how young most of the team is and that they are playing against a lot of experienced blokes on the way down from 1st team rugby then it becomes clear how well they have done. A scoreline of 25-37 to Upton sounds like a comfortable win for the visitors but in reality both teams scored 5 tries and the only difference was in the conversion success rate. Our tries came via the powerful 2nd row, Dave Langley (3), young Tom the scrum half and leading barman Luke.

Juniors
Well done the little ones for winning their opening match against Woodrush.

This coming sunday (7th Nov.) sees the older lads in action. Come and give them some support as they are the future of the club. The under 14s are at home to Aston Old Eds and the entertaining under 15s are away to Birmingham Exiles.

Vandals

Still on that winning streak with Old Salts on the wrong end of a 62-0 scoreline.

Despite the scoreline a very tough game against generally much younger opposition, who ran everything at every opportunity and never gave up, but "experience" triumphed.

Four tries in the first half, a brace for Cedric Farrell (and a yellow card) and one a piece for Lee Coates & Andy Killarney, with three conversions added by Coates.

Six more tries in the second half, two more for Lee Coates completing another hat trick, and one each for Nick Palmer, Phil Evans, Tony Fitzgerald & Simon Singleton, three of which were converted by Lee Coates bringing him a personal tally of 27 in the game.

Full match report below for those who like their reading

Saturday 30th October found us home again at Fort Tilehouse (you gotta love our fixture Secretary) for game ten v Old Salts, a side I'd heard whispers about that they were a pretty useful & young side, largely former colts that had all come up together, mixed with a few older heads.

With Dai retaining his position in the Development side on merit this meant an unchanged front row for the third consecutive week of Shannon Killarney, Steve Sidwell & Bill Burrows, with the Freds Andy Killarney & John Lonie providing the muscle in the second row. With Nick Levey struggling with an age related knee injury, this meant a start for Rupert Young on the blindside, with Marcus Hope at open and completing the back row Alistair Gouldbourn at No.8.

Out in the three quarters our Welsh sounding English half back pairing of Phil Evans & Gary Williams, a return for Nick Palmer at inside centre partnering Simon Singleton. On the wings Lee Coates & Cedric Farrell and tidying up the mess at the back Tony Fitzgerald. Again a small bench in Roger Lazenby, Sean Bean sorry Byrne, and the return of the Colt Arkell after a lengthy recuperation after his life threatening RTA. (you never know the insurance company might be watching)

Now matter how good you are it helps if you turn up with a full compliment, and with Salts turning up with just thirteen, thanks again to our specialist opposition guest player Rick Lowe for offering to prop for them.

A lady referee today in Mrs Carol Goldfinch, like buses obviously as her daughter was refereeing the Development side. Salts opting for tails never fails win the toss and opt to stay where they are and kick off.

They take a borderline sneaky quick kick off into midfield where it is taken by the blonde bombshell Barrel who bangs it back over their heads to their fullback who sends it back over the top where it is well fielded by Bob's mate just in front of our twenty two who feeds Coatesy who lights them up does a few ins & outs to score probably our fastest try of the season 5-0 Almost by default as he's closest Slow tells him to have a go at converting his own work and he doesn't disappoint as it sails over for a 7-0 lead.

The restart doesn't go ten but is fly hacked on by Salts, but it's back for scrum down to us on the centre spot, we split the line Barrel, Fitzy & Coatesy on one side Snapper & Cedric on the other with Smoking keeping them guessing by hiding behind the scrum. Good steady possession, Smokes looks to go right then Snapper comes left, takes the pass & breaks through the line waving the ball about in both hands, he improvises a pass to Coatesy who takes it on, and then passes to Shannon round about midfield who sends a long pass out to Cedric but Mrs Goldfinch adjudges it forward so scrum to Salts. Ball comes in and immediately we put them under pressure, their compact & bijoux No.8 picks up and the General mugs him from behind & Barrel steals the ball, sets off, knocks a few over before setting and we go right with Smoking who spins it out to Cedric but again it is ruled forward for another scrum to Salts.

This time they spin and the ball reaches their fly half who is immediately felled by Smoking, and again Barrel rips it free and finds Simon who's away with it and behind their defence, with Cedric in support, but Snapper cuts back inside and finally gets stopped, he pops it back, the Major scoops it, stands it up off the deck and finds Coatesy closing in on the line we drive it on, Sid pops it out the back door to Shannon, in comes the sidestep they all buy it and off he goes, gets held, ball to Coatesy to Snapper who is held up over the line. Attacking scrum to Yards five metres out, steady ball by our Eight, out it comes to Phil, to Smoking, dummy to Barrel, long pass out to Coatesy but in front and goes to ground, Lee hacks it out. Scrum to Salts about ten metres from their line.

The General is all over his man like a rash but he manages to set it and their pack gather round, and take it on close, Bilbo makes the first tackle with a little help from the Major, then their big young lad (making both of our Lukes look like Jason Statham) goes on a trundle, gets stopped by Ali G, they opt to spin but we concede a penalty for encroaching offside. They kick, Coatesy takes it, feeds Fitzy who passes to Rupe on midfield who takes it on, but loses it in contact on the ten, their scrum half takes it Andy K takes him, ball goes back and is kicked out but eagle eyed Mrs G spots that it was taken back into the twenty two first. So line out to us on the twenty two, the Major takes it at two, we set and drive on a yard before Phil spins to Smoking, Barrel comes in on the scissors and spills it. Advantage, Salts pick up Simon makes the tackle and their taller bigger lad takes it on and Andy K gets boshed by him, Bilbo binging him the rest of the way down, ball goes to their big youngun' again (see how we cater to the larger man in our shirts) he rumbles a yard or two forward, before it goes out to their fly half who knocks on, ref plays good advantage Barrel scoops it up finds Cedric who still has a bit of work to do to go over 12-0 Coatesy goes two for two 14-0.

Shannon takes the restart, pops it to Bilbo and we set, the General sends it out to Smoking he whips it back inside to the General, he goes in & out makes the break then looks for the blanket, the 677 duly oblige, Coatesy in at scrum half, spins it to Smoking out to Barrel who knocks on, scrum to Salts. No.8 picks up, gets scragged by Shark but manages to offload to his flanker who knocks it on in the tackle. Scrum Yards. No pressure, we go right to Smoking, Snapper makes a great one handed take at full stretch, does a number, comes inside finds the General just on the twenty two, he spins out of one, passes to Cedric and he goes over for his second 19-0 Lee pops it over for a healthy 21-0 lead.

You know who takes the restart, the Freds get to him first followed Shark, we take it on a yard before Phil spins it out to Smoking, to Barrel who fixes his man before passing to Simon who legs his, and he's away, finally getting caught on the Salts twenty two, but the ball goes forward, Mrs G plays good advantage and Salts try to run it out, but we tackle pinning them down before ball goes forward off a Vandal's hand. Scrum Salts ball comes out and it's a dreadful kick sideways and falls into the arms of Coatsey who drives it on, Barrel & Snapper beat our back row to the breakdown but it's a penalty to us for hands in. As usual only the two options and Smoking puts it into the corner for an attacking lineout, too much weight on the throw by Sid and it sails over the hands of Marcus but into Lonies instead, he pops it Phil he sends it out to Smoking and it's a lateral double dummy, but the final pass cannons off Cedric's chest up into the air and straight into the arms of Fitz, but we're not lucky twice and it's a scrum to Salts five metres inside their twenty two.

They retain their possession and try to run it out but drop the pill in the process...youngsters haven't they heard of pragmatism! Great attacking position for us midfield and we load the right hand side as Smokes pulls the strings, easy scrummage as our Eight contain theirs Phil sends it out, we run a triangle (I think) Simon cuts back through the wrong footed traffic, sells a dummy, gets stopped, Rupe's in there first he takes it on before passing to Bilbo who finds John. We drive it on but Salts come in offside, General takes it quickly, Coatesy's in off his wing, to Smoking who loses his footing and is swamped by amber & red, but we can still see the ball, but something's gone on on the far side and Cedric's in like a shot and drags one out & dumps him, no punches exchanged but Mrs Goldfinch thinks Ced's gone to way too much out of his way to meet out justice and it warrants a yellow card. (Captain's note: Groan!)

Penalty Salts and again they try to spin it out virtually on their own line, but the youngsters make something of it and break down the field before Coatesy tackles one and then another and the ball spills forward for a scrum to us just inside our twenty two. Steady scrum sees the ball find Smoking who spirals a great kick for touch. Lineout to Salts on the halfway line, but we win it, ball comes back to Sid, Sid to Phil and he puts one up and it comes down on the Salts twenty two and to their credit they try to run it out again, but we cover across, the ball finds their fleet footed young winger, who gets wrapped up about ten metres in from the touchline, we pile in and Barrel strips him of the ball, sees Andy K outside and with no winger at home Andy gallops the twenty or so metres to the line 26-0 Conversion just wide.

The restart doesn't make the ten so it's a scrum back on the halfway line, lots of options, Coatsey comes in off his wing takes the pass off Smoking, but again a difficult pass to Barrel goes to ground in what would have been the move of the half. At the scrum Phil has his man in all sorts of trouble, whips the ball off him to Shark who sells one, pops it back but we all overrun it except for Salts, who pick it up and take it on, Sid & Bilbo get beaten for pace and it's Fitz who puts in a cruncher to snuff out the move and it's a Brucie bonus as it goes forward in the tackle. Scrum Yards just past our ten metre line, looks like foot up as ball comes out of the tunnel, but we get another go, and another, no problems this time as Ali G picks up from the base and makes short yardage before the ball squirts out into touch.

We concede a penalty at the lineout, they take it quickly (and no where near the mark incidentally), Mrs G brings them back, we get a chance to fall back the ten, and they go again through their pocket battleship of a No.8 he gets held up and the maul forms and it's the Major who rips it out through the back door this time, passes it to Smoking who bangs it downfield, the Salts fullback takes it on the halfway line and we all come up, and Barrel & Snapper both put in tackles showing great midfield defence but Mrs G deems the last knock on rather harshly came off Barrel.

Scrum to Salts, midfield and we split the line, but again the General is on his man followed by the Shark, who is pinged for playing off the floor. Again they take it quickly Bilbo makes the first tackle, John the next, still they come, their big tall one first then Rick gets a go, and the ref awards another penalty, and off they go again, but Lee has this one followed by Shark, and Coatesy emerges with the ball, feeds Phil, to Smoking, little show of the ball, passes to Barrel who puts in a grub hunter up to the twenty two. They try to run it again Smokes & Snapper track their men but it's Lonie who makes the tackle, Rupert's straight in there secures the ball and stands it up, Snapper's in like a good flanker (pity he's playing centre) and we recycle to Sid to Andy to Coatesy who's pass to Shannon is given forward, with the line at his Murphy. The resulting scrum between the ten & twenty two gives us a chance to put Cedric back on still muttering under his breath like Muttley at his card and women being in charge of men full stop.

Ball comes out to their slight winger he pops it up Tony takes it with ease on the ten, gets hit goes to ground, somebody makes like Brunel and we get done for bridging. They take it quickly, spin it out and we're carved open through the middle, before Bilbo in the right place (ok he was probably coming back from the last place) makes the tackle and it goes forward for a scrummage to Yards....and we LOSE it, the No.8 (I was going to put Graf Spee there but thought it might have been too oblique) picks it up and the General drags him down, Alistair's onto it, then the Major and Marcus (that'd be our back row then) spins it out to Smoking who puts a long clearance in left, their little winger catches brings it on evades Gary's immediate attention before running into the rest of the 677 and spills the ball forward, and has a long lie down having had the misfortune of colliding with Killarney the younger. As a result Mrs G decides to bring the half to a close.

Halftime 26-0. Lonie dishes out his instructions. Shannon comes off Roger comes on at loosehead, no respite for their man then!

Good high restart by Smoking, and Salts big units take it on a yard or two before spinning it, Smokes makes the first tackle of the half, then Andy K who drives the ball carrier backwards, he offloads, but Shark takes the next one and we steal it and the General goes blind, Coatesy's with him, he light's them up, does a step, gets stopped but keeps the legs pumping, half breaks and passes inside to Phil to Snapper who gets clothes lined and ball goes to ground, Salts take it on but the 677 arrive in numbers and pinch it back, comes back to the General out to Smoking, who thinking (I presume) the whistle's gone stands still, as does everyone else before setting off, gets held, goes down the Major's first to it, Phil spins it out to Coatesy, to Barrel who chips over and Cedric gives chase. A Salts player fields it, evades Cedric but only to get clattered by Ali G and Snapper takes the ball off the tackled player but the ref has seen a knock on and it's a scrum to Yards on their twenty two.

Steady ball Alistair picks & goes gives a big hand off and keeps the legs driving but the ball gets knocked forward off the Salts No.8 hand (who looks half Al's height) for another scrum to us. Same again, same place, same result Al picks & goes, same hand off even, he gets held up on the line but offloads to the General who goes over 31-0 Converted by Coatsey 33-0

The restart doesn't go ten, so scrum back in the middle, General takes it blind (in the middle which side's that then!!?) finds Barrel who pops it to Coatesy who simply gasses the defence to score 38-0 and then converts 40-0

Coatesy takes the restart passes to Smoking great pass out to Snapper who sees the gap and goes, gets held and the support arrives, Andy K clears them out, Phil passes to Marcus he sees a gap, goes through offloads to Alistair he gets stopped on the twenty two and he's dispossessed, ball goes forward and Lonie jumps on it but it's a scrum to Salts just inside their twenty two. Ball comes back and the Major's seen it loose, picks it up and the rest of forwards drive him on but Mrs G's thinks she's seen an offside, penalty to Salts

They run it, moreorless straight into big Roger who strips them of the ball, goes out, Smoking chips ahead but whistle goes as Mrs G says Ced was in front of the ball when it was kicked. Still just in front of their twenty two they run it again, Shark brings the ball carrier down, and we drive over it and win a penalty five metres outside the twenty two. Smokes tells Phillip no and takes possession of the ball off the General and he kicks into the corner for an attacking lineout ten metres from their line. Sid finds Marcus and Phil takes it off the top, double dummy to Fitz in the line to Coatesy, he's held but we drive him on another five, ball comes out Phil pops it to Lonie, who takes it into contact and knocks a few over, it looks like we've lost it but Snapper pinches it back, whistle goes for a scrum, their biggest man decides he wants to date Simon or some such, but Roger saves his blushes and the Salts player decides he doesn't want to play with someone his own size and backs off.

Scrum to Yards five or so metres out from the Salts line, Alistair picks up looks to go, pops it up to Phil, dummy scissors by Smoking on Barrel (again) goes on his own, Fitz is in the line takes the pass and is driven over by his mates for a well worked try 45-0 Conversion missed, and a little bit of niggle starts to creep into the game with some mouth coming from behind the amber & red line.

John takes the restart and gets tackled for his troubles, Rupe's the first man to him, we set, ball comes out to Sid who passes to Coatesy who bangs it over the top, their wing picks it up, evades the chasing Coatesy the first time, but not the second, but ref thinks that's high as does the Salts bottle man who starts going ballistic on the touchline. They're only kids he says, Slow replies no they're Thirds, you send a Third team you get to play one or some such nonsense. Anyway penalty to Salts, and the next tackle comes in across the chest and he's off ranting again. Ball goes forward scrum to Yards just outside our twenty two.

Alistair comes off, the Colt Arkell comes on in the impact role. Ball pops out but it's taken back in (was that the hand of God, more likely the Major, shades of Neil Back there) and we have another go, a lot steadier this time, ball comes out we put a low trajectory kick through, their winger or fullback takes it cuts inside Smokes but gets caught by Rog, we pile in look to have stripped it but ref gives a penalty against. Guess what they take it quickly, their big lads take it on even our Rick has a go, they get held up just short of our line and the green blanket descends, their flanker comes in from the side, gets pinged and Smokes gets to clear our lines, ball going out on our twenty two.

Sid fluffs his lines, the ball going to their tall lad, who gets a cuddle off John but they still get it away and spin it wide they cross out twenty two Snapper gets his man and Barrel strips the ball, passes to Smoking who steps his man and gets away, looks inside for support, finds Phil, who passes to Rupert, who takes it on a few, back to Phil, to Lonie, to Sid, Snapper takes it, passes it to Marcus we're on their twenty two. Marcus tries to set and over the top they come, penalty yards. Smoking puts it into the corner.

Sid wangs it in and hits Marcus at four, down he comes Bilbo takes the ball and Phil talks the pack forward and then we spin, and Smokes has been setting the Salts defence up all game and finally gives it Barrel on the scissors and he carves his way through to score a great one 50-0 Coatesy converts his sixth 52-0.

A long restart finds Barrel who spins it to Cedric who catches it around his laces, and Rick shortly after, we set and drive it on, spin Phil to Smoking to Simon to Arks, whistle goes, didn't see it but penalty to us, and sufficient to warrant a talking to. Cedric makes way for Sean. Kick doesn't find touch, and gets brought back by their young scrum half he eludes Sean's attentions but not the General's, they recycle going route one with their big lads but we turn it over again, Rupert finds Barrel, inside to Simon who skips inside evading tacklers but generally going backwards, passes to Marcus, takes it on offloads to Arks...bish bash bosh, Smokes gets it looking for support, finds the 677 en masse, Lonie takes it on (these isotonics really work don't they) spins it to the Major to Coatesy, blind pass to Snapper and he goes over in the corner 57-0 Conversion missed, ten minutes to go.

Restart doesn't make ten so it's a scrum to us on the halfway line, we split the line, ball comes out, Phil to Barrel, back inside to Phil who puts it up and it goes out on the halfway line. Lineout to Salts, ball comes in Marcus takes & even has time to say "thank you". Slow cracks up. We drive it on past their ten, Roger's in the van with the ball, we keep going, ball's in Ark's hands now and we're almost up to the twenty two before Salts concede the penalty. Smoking aims for the corner, to me it looks like the winger bats it into his own dead ball area and then dots it down, but gets away with it and it's a twenty two drop out, which they take quickly and short, it just evades Smoking and Salts scoop it up, but Lee's in off his wing and holds up the ball carrier, we strip it, Phil ships it out to Smoking but the pass goes to ground, and Rick gets it and Arkell gets Rick and Bilbo gets Rick. And it's a scrummage to Salts between the ten and twenty two, the No.8 goes, the General cunningly falls over and the No.8 falls over him but manages to get the ball out to his winger, but Arkell gets him, and Lee joins in and drive him backwards and the ball goes to ground, and Lonie kicks it free and it goes out but the ref goes back for a scrum to Salts.

Great drive but it's a bit of a binding offence, Salts get the penalty and guess what, yes take it quickly and Lonie takes the big runner, they recycle, looks like a knock on but get away with it, Sid makes a great tackle, and it's a scrum to Yards on the ten metre line. Phil spins it out, Smokes takes it round the back, dummies Barrel, passes to Snapper, Tony Fitz in the line, but Snapper goes behind him, looks like crossing but we get away with it as Salts have come offside.

Smoking puts it out on the Salts twenty two. Sid throws, ball reaches Alistair he taps it down, the General sees a way through but ends up burrowing his way through, he lays it back, Arkell picks it up bish bash, takes it on a yard or two, passes to Phil, to Rupert he takes it into contact, Phil spins again to Smoking, dummies, Fitz is in, to Snapper to Coatesy who goes over 62-0

Ref blows for time, a good young team is given a lesson by a good old one! Moral of the story, you don't have to take every bloody penalty quickly!

Final score 62-0, Final age 652

Our tenth win on the bounce, 510 points amassed, 85 tries scored, 41 converted and that one bloody penalty!!

Next week Aston Old Eds away at Perry Common.

Thanks to Rob Bastock for providing a nice bottle of 2008 Vino Collapso in the changing room despite me getting his try completely wrong in last week's write up.

A bit of advance warning I will be away the following week (13th) in Edinburgh, so may even go watch the Sweatties get tonked by the All Blacks. So I will be looking for volunteers to look after the first aid kit, match balls, water bottles & playing shirts. At the moment it is a home game against Harborne, I will do all the usual selection nonsense beforehand, all you've got to do is win & let me know so I can have a happy birthday!

Also 24th November is our Wednesday night special under floodlights at Kings Norton, please keep this night clear in your diaries.

Slow.

Under 8s 100% record !

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Our first match of the season (away to Woodrush) on Halloween did NOT prove to be a Nightmare on Icknield Street! We fielded a team of 9 players and enjoyed our first run out of the season. The 2 new boys (Toby & Jamie) equipped themselves admirably for their first game and the rest of the squad played some great rugby. The first game saw OYs on top at 10-7. Try scorers Ollie (2), Josh T (2), Josh H (2), Ellis (1), Toby (2), Dan (1). What was most enocuraging was the tackling. The boys managed to get 6 tags and therefore turnover ball. Dan G was deemed the best tackler. Our second match against Woodrush was a closer affair and we ran out winners again 6-5. Try scorers Ollie (2), Charlie, Samuel, Josh H, Dan. We didn't have any subs and so our legs were tired by the end and we started to lose concentration. The boys were well organised and again secured a 6 tag series of tackles and won the ball back. WELL DONE BOYS. A great start to the season. Let's keep the winning ways going. NEXT SUNDAY IS A FUNDAY AT OLD YARDS to increase the minis and juniors sqaud size. If you know anyone tell them to come along. After all they might enjoy it!

Still no away victory for the first team

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:20:13 GMT

Unlike the Gunners, who have sorted out both Man City and Newcastle in away fixtures this week, our first team continues to be affected by some sort of travel sickness bug which prevents them from winning vital matches, particularly those in which we have dominated possesion. Are the away grounds designed differently or do the vast crowds distract us? Anyway, to keep it simple, Southam got two opportunist tries from a limited degree of possesion and a successful kick at goal and we got two close range scores from forward pressure. Not really good enough but a home league game this saturday against early leaders Upton should be interesting.

Ellwyn Egg's Development xv

The winning run continues as our boys, inspired by their skipper, who scored two tries, beat visiting Cannock by 37-9. A fine team performance also included tries from Big Luke, Alex O'Connor, Kevin Coles and Jon Bosworth and 2 cons and a pen from Luke G. When asked who played particularly well Egg modestly replied that he himself was worthy of mention!

Juniors

If we don't mention them now they tend to nod off by the time that the Vandals report reaches a close.
Last sunday Gringo and Billy H. took their team to Burton. where our lads were somewhat overawed and didn't really start to play unttil it was too late.

This sunday sees our under 14s having a training session at the club whilst the under 15s have a re-arranged game against Woodrush with the venue not yet confirmed.

Quiz

Friday 12th November at the club 7.45 teams of up to 6 players. Don't forget the old saying, 'the early bird catches the new furniture' Bring pens, cash. knowledge but no cheating aids. Tex expects to win as long as Alan Simpson turns up, Paul Byrne (ex Erdington rfc) thinks his mob will win but surely the Goldbournes can't be the bridesmaids forever. Time will tell!

Vandals

A very squally Saturday 23rd October saw us at home against Tamworth Vets, a side we know quite well by and large, having played their Thirds only a couple of weeks ago and twice more at the tail end of last season and very much to their credit they turned up despite being three short when a lot of lesser sides would have simply picked up the phone. So having already provided Mark Baldwin to the Development team opposition (yes apparently that's in our remit too) Simon Davis being stuck in Swindon (yes I know I should know better) and Rick Lowe & Steve Painter agreeing to cross the whitewash to make up the numbers for Tamworth it was a game that as a result would be played fourteen a side.

With last week's 160 year old front row of Shannon Killarney, Steve Sidwell & Bill Burrows reprising their roles, we had Right said Fred in the shape of Andy Killarney and skipper John Lonie providing the grunt, with a back row of Marcus Hope, Alistair Gouldbourn and Nick Levey playing both flanker & part time winger. A return after several weeks of rounding up his sheep for Phil Evans at scrum half partnering Gary Williams at fly half, with Rob Bastock at inside centre, our token "youngster" Simon Singleton at 34 years 4 months outside him, and on the other wing Cedric Farrell with Tony Fitzgerald at full back in his first start since the beginning of September.

Playing on the vast expanse of the First Team pitch Captain Lonie won the toss and opted to play away from the Clubhouse in the first half, knowing the smell of beer from the bar would only spur us on in the second.

Tamworth kick off and Andy K takes the catch round about his goolies but manages to hang onto all three and the lads gather round, the General plucks it out and feeds Shark who makes good yards, before getting stopped and the youthful Tamworth lads come over the top, ping, first penalty of the game to Yards. Smoking steps up and makes sure, the ball going out midway between the Tamworth ten metre line and halfway. Throw in to us, Shark only gets his fingertips to it at four and its a messy set and Tamworth turn it over and drive it forward close in and we defend our ten metre, they move it out a bit and Andy K gets the first real tackle in, and turns his man & Bilbo Burrows does the rest, and we immediately move it out wide as Barstool tries to take the short pop off Smoking, but the ball is knocked forward for a scrum to Tamworth.

Nick drops off the scrum as it's seven against seven, first one's a bit of a mess and we have to set again. Second one's a bit better and Tamworth's two likely lads Andy & Graham Hakes (both having moved back a row) set to work, big Andy usually a second row but playing at No.8 picks up and feeds scrum half Graham looking like a grey haired Dewi Morris who sends it out to his fly half who kicks it right and our nipper Snapper comes across to take it but slips a foot into touch; Linesman Slow spots it but referee ignores it, so Snapper cuts back inside and get's clothes lined instead. Penalty Yards. Smokes puts it out on the Tamworth ten metre line. Shark takes a clean catch, Bilbo tidies it up, and the General ushers us forward, Sid still admiring his throw joins in at the back, and we press on before Tamworth get penalised for fringing, fannying about, and all manner of things. The General thinks about the quick one but decides against it, and Smoking makes a good touch about fifteen metres from the Tamworth line.

Same as before Shark takes at four, we set, drive & Sid joins in with the General giving directions, Shannon breaks free and bludgeons his way to the line before being stopped about three or four metres out, but in the ensuing maul the ball comes spewing out, and a stray boot kicks it into the General for an unlucky accidental offside and a scrum to Tamworth. Andy the Tamworth No.8 picks but the General's biting at his ankles and Shark is first to react followed by Ali G who plucks the ball off the deck and goes over from about five metres for our first score 5-0. Slow jogs beneath the posts and turns to find we have a new goal kicker in the shape of Bob's mate Cedric, who looking every bit like he does it for a living strokes it over nonchalantly for a 7-0 lead.

Bilbo takes the restart but it goes through his hands but backwards, so Nick clears it up and the General starts to run, feeds Smoking then Barstool who breaks the line, Snapper takes the pass cuts back inside, does an in & out and outstrips the defence to go in under the posts from almost the ten metre line 12-0 Cedric steps up and it's two for two 14-0.

Andy K calls for the restart but it misses his goolies this time and it bounces off his knees instead and Tamworth collect and Hakesy takes it on before getting tackled by Ali G, they recycle Hakesy takes on again only to be tacked by Lonie this time. Andy K decides to have a lie down, but play continues (perhaps I should have brought water on) and eventually he gets to his feet and tries to run the knock off. Tamworth finally give the ball a bit of width (probably cos Hakesy's now knackered) and the ball reaches their inside centre who is tackled by Cedric who also strips him of the ball and pops it to Barstool who goes across the park to build up a bit of momentum before straightening up and passing to the General, who gets tackled and penalised for holding on. Tamworth kick for touch and find it about ten metres from our line.

Rick "Spearchucker" Lowe finds his jumper and Tamworth take it on a yard before Bilbo reaches in and strips them of possession, pops it to Phil who spins it to Smoking who takes his time and bangs it up field, Tamworth field it and fire it back and the General takes good catch, and sets off before popping it up in the air, a Tamworth player catches it and does enough to evade the General's attentions before getting tackled by Andy K. Tamworth retain possession and spin using a miss pass as our defence tracks across and Snapper makes the tackle and Tamworth spill it forward. Barstool scoops it up but ref blows for a scrum to us round about our ten metre line but it's delayed for a couple of minutes for one of the Tamworth players to receive a bit of attention.

A steady if somewhat skewed scrum, and Ali G picks & goes against the grain, he's held up we set and the General whips it out, Tamworth are drawn offside, free ball so Smokes puts in a long kick, but the ref decides to come back for the penalty. Smoking takes the kick and the catcher knocks it on for a scrum to Yards on the Tamworth ten metre line. We win the scrum and a kick forward takes a lucky deflection off a Tamworth player for a lineout.

Ball is taken cleanly at four by Shark, we set, drive & the General sends it out to Smoking, it's a miss pass, and the Tamworth defence buy it, Simon's pass however, is knocked on by a Tamworth player before it reaches Cedric. Scrum to Yards, Phil sends out a less than sympathetic pass to Smoking, Gary after checking his BUPA subscription stands tall and waits for help to arrive. But the referee sees something he doesn't like and awards a penalty to Tamworth, they kick it into no mans land where Smoking persuades Ced that he wants the ball and sells a dummy before passing on his hospital subscription back to Cedric who takes ball and tackler and the ball goes forward. Tamworth recycle and spin it wide, Snapper takes the first tackle, Andy K the next and the ball carrier's turned our way we take possession and the General clears to touch.

Rick uses his curve ball, but the ref decides he can have another go and this time Rick throws long but it takes a deflection en route and is taken by Lonie who finds Phil, back to Lonie to Smoking to Snapper who gasses his man and he's off to the races, burns two more young defenders to score under the posts 19-0. Up steps Cedric and it's three for three 21-0.

Having let everyone else have a go Shannon finally gets one of the restarts as the ball just carries to the ten metre line, but the referee blows for a penalty to us. Captain Lonie tells Gary to go for touch and he finds it between the Tamworth ten & twenty two, but we knock forward in the lineout and it's a scrum to Tamworth. But we drive hard in the scrum, ball pops out loose & Shark plucks it from the deck gives a great hand off, finds Barstool in support, he sells some double glazing, gets held up and Ali G is on hand. We try to recycle but Tamworth infringe, penalty to Yards. The General takes it quickly to Smoking, who sells a couple of dummies, finds Shannon on his shoulder who in turn finds Chairman Fitz who goes over for a great try in the corner. 26-0 Ced misses the touchline conversion.

The rain starts to fall as Nick Levey takes the restart who makes good yards and looks for support, one of the Freds take it, gives it to Ali G on the crash, makes a few more yards, and sets it up again, the ever industrious General cuts out Gaz, ball goes to Barstool who chips & chases, their fullback takes it, goes left then right and then kicks it out on the full for a lineout two metres inside their ten. Referee decides it took a deflection on the way out and awards it to Tamworth. Rick's throw comes in and Shark does enough to put their jumper off and the ball goes forward for a scrum to Yards just outside the ten. Rock steady ball by our Eight, Phil sets himself and wangs it out to Smoking to Barstool who goes route one & straight through with the Assassin in support, but sticks with it hands off a couple gets driven into the corner by the fullback but Rob cleverly flips it back inside around his back and Ali G takes it and drives over the last couple of metres to score 31-0 Another difficult one for Cedric, too difficult in fact and it falls short.

The restart bisects Bilbo's hands and it falls to Andy K, it goes out to Smoking to Barstool to Snapper who steps his man and comes inside and kicks ahead, the fullback takes it around the twenty two, but the ref has seen a late hit on Simon, so it's kick or kick and we take it on the twenty two. The General puts it into the corner for an attacking lineout. Marcus imperious at four takes it cleanly, the President cleans up and we drive towards the line, ball is worked safely back first though Lonie then Bilbo. The General gives a short pop to Ali G who gives Hakesy a slice of palm, and there's and accidental offside somewhere so Tamworth get a scrum about ten metres from their line.

We get the shove on and take it against the head, ball goes out, big dummy from Rob, Smoking cuts out Snapper and gives it straight to Bob's mate, who pops it back to Snapper who gets caught about five metres from the line and tries a flea flicker out the back of his hand but the ref decides it's gone marginally forward. Scrum to Tamworth and again we get the drive on but it goes down. They set again, we drive again, under pressure Andy the Tamworth No.8 picks up and gets Marcus too for his trouble, Hakesy manages to get the ball away to their fly half behind the try line and he hoofs it out through the side of the dead ball area. Scrum five metres out for Yards, we split the line Simon & Cedric one side, Smoking & Barstool the other. Ball comes in Barstool runs over dragging the defence with him, then he comes back the other way, our Eight oblivious to these shenanigans push towards the line and Ali G picks up, and he's held but ref says the defender was offside in the process. Phil looks to take it quickly, but doesn't go through the mark. We have another go, Shannon takes a short pop, we set and take it on again, Cedric joins in at the back and we press towards the line, Ali G hits the maul at pace and we knock it on (and no I'm not saying that's your fault!)

Scrum to Tamworth, and the rain abates, they hold their ball, & Hakesy picks up feeds his No.8 big Andy but the Assassin brings him down, Smoking's in there on his feet trying to wrestle the ball out, but Tamworth hang on and then try to run it out close to their line, but Barstool scraggs his man round the collar who still manages to get a foot to it but only into the arms of Snapper who jinks & bounces his way round the flat footed defence to score his hat trick 36-0. Cedric misses the conversion and puts it in an almost identical place as the previous two and starts to look a little glum.

Nick doesn't hang onto the low trajectory bar of soap that's kicked his way and it goes marginally forward, for a scrum to Tamworth. Hakesy puts it in Widnes style but gets away with it, No.8 picks up gives it back to Hakesy who pops it to his fly half coming in blind who misses it completely and Barstool picks up and takes it into traffic, our pack gather round, Phil pops it to Lonester, who feeds Shannon, who in turn passes to Smoking, who cuts back inside on a sales mission, and is eventually stopped just outside the Tamworth twenty two and the ball dislodged from his hands for a scrum to Tamworth. We're really unlucky there, some great interplay between our forwards and backs.

Arkell on the touchline casually remarks as to what to Lonie's been eating for breakfast. Tamworth work their 8/9 combination again, and the ball finds their fly half as does Barstool and it goes to ground and Ali G is penalised for going over. The penalty doesn't find touch and is taken by Cedric who feeds the General who takes it into contact, Shark's there so is Cedric, Bilbo tidies it up, Alistair takes it on close, Barstool gets it, sells his house goes through the gap makes great ground, bish bash offloads to Lonie who's having a stormer, he passes to Phil, we're about five metres out, he gets stopped and the 677 arrive in numbers and Tamworth have to concede the penalty. We take it quick, Phil to Smoking, he picks a great line, gets tackled a metre or so from the line and a Tamworth player goes horizontal, another penalty to Yards in front of the posts, and Tamworth rather unsportingly chuck the ball backwards (yes I know we'd have done the same thing). As you know we don't kick, so spoilt for choice we spin the ball right it finds Snapper who brings it back all the way left to score in the corner while the rest of us stand on admiringly 41-0. Snapper misses his own conversion and that's it for the half.

Half time 41-0 Andy Killarney & Steve Painter swap shirts, but Rick decides he's having too much fun and keeps his Tamworth shirt on!

Gaz hits a great deep restart, it's taken on by Andy the Tamworth No.8 who gives it to his scrum half Hakesy, who gives it back to Andy and the General makes like a human trip wire so he offloads it back to Hakesy and he's brought down by a combination of Nick and Gary and the ref pings us for something. Tamworth kick for touch and it goes out near our twenty two. Lineout to Tamworth, the ball narrowly evades Marcus but is taken by Alistair at the tail instead (cheers Rick), ball to Phil and Gary kicks ahead their young winger takes it cleanly around the Tamworth ten, evades a couple of tackles until he finds the long arm of the law in Bilbo. Tamworth recycle, Hakesy ever a thorn in our sides spins it out, the fly half steps Smoking and cuts back inside, looking for his big mates, referee signals penalty so it's a free ball to Tamworth but they drop it instead.

Tamworth decide to put points on the board, but only just as the kick just about crawls over the cross bar to much laughter by the Tamworth lads 41-3

Smoking kicks off, big Andy the Tamworth No.8 takes it and rumbles forward and our pack swarms him, but they retain possession and drive it on, we drop off a few and defend the fringes, some good stops by Shannon, Bilbo & Lonie. Hakesy pops it to his mate Andy who returns the favour and Hakesy gets buried by Barstool...ouch now that had to hurt, as Graham decides to have a lie down so he can redistribute his lungs. But ref gives a penalty for use of blunt force trauma and Tamworth kick to touch and it goes out a couple of metres from our twenty two. It's a messy one but Tamworth secure it and get it away and there's a loop which works but the incoming winger fails to hang on to it and Smoking picks up, referee playing advantage. He finds Snapper who gives it to Sid who passes to the General who puts it down and we go back for the scrum. So it's a split ball again, Smoking & Simon and Barstool & Cedric with Fitz forming the shaft of the arrow. Steady ball the General makes the break, selling dummies all the way, passes to Cedric who goes on a great run and takes it on up as far as the Tamworth twenty two where he is held up by sheer weight of numbers, and the ball goes to ground. Scrum to Tamworth on the twenty two, ball comes out Hakesy picks up and Phil makes sure he'll never play piano again as he kicks the ball out of his hands. Ref decides to scrum again, ball gets to the back No.8 picks, gets tap tackled again by Phil but gets the ball away to his scrum half and out to the fly half who kicks to clear, Snapper cleans it up keeps it in and turns the corner and brings it back, finds Barstool who stands it up, but it's a scrum for something I haven't spotted on Tamworth ten metre line.

Steady scrum by Tamworth, Phil takes a chance and walks round and plucks it out but the ref's not having any of it. Penalty Tamworth, Hakesy takes quickly but the ref doesn't like that either. So Tamworth decide to kick to touch instead for lineout on the halfway line, not straight, scrummage to Yards. No pressure on our Eight, the General picks and goes, he sends a high one out to Smokes who showing great presence of mind just helps it on it's way to Snapper, he looks inside passes back to Gaz, he sells one, looks for Alistair but it just gets nudged forward for a scrum to Tamworth on their twenty two. Their No.8 picks up ships it to the inside centre who kicks to clear, ball doesn't make touch, Nick covering wing makes no mistake drops on it gets up and sets off, hands off Hakesy, sees Phil in support, passes he sees a gap and chips ahead and their fullback does a number on the chasing Phil, but doesn't evade Barstool who takes him on the twenty two. Tamworth recycle Lonie & Painterman make the tackles, Tamworth take it short then decide to go aerial, Fitz takes it easily and he returns it with interest and Tony follows it up and puts in a great tackle on the catcher, Shark joins in as does Bilbo, ball goes loose, but Tamworth secure it.

Hakesy looks to take it close sees Lonie and decides against it, kicks it instead and it's charged down by Rob, Hakesy regathers the ricochet but he's facing our way, ball comes loose again Smoking gathers passes to Phil takes it on a bit, finds Simon who skips free and kicks it forward, the fullback takes it and gets mugged in open field by Nick Levey, his back row mate Shark picks up the loose ball, sees the line at his mercy heads towards it takes the last tackle and offloads to Nick who goes over for a great team try 46-3. Slow going behind the posts suggests to Barstool to have a go and he checks with the referee and drop kicks it over to make the score 48-3.

Shannon takes the restart, sells the dummy and another, sees Lonie on his outside who pushes Rick out of the way and sets off, we set, ball out to Smoking, Barstool takes the scissors but loses his footing, but it doesn't matter they're all offside. Penalty to Yards, Rob still in possession takes it quickly finds Simon who lights his own afterburners, Nick trying to stay with him, but is not required as Simon goes over for his fifth in the corner.

53-3 Simon has a go at converting his own work but misses.........hopelessly!

Shannon tries to take the soap round about his ankles and the ref thinks it's gone forward, scrum to Tamworth, Phil tap tackles big Andy at No.8 again, but they manage to put the ball up in the air, it's fielded by Simon who sets off again from just outside our twenty two, he kicks and chases, it's a foot race but the Tamworth fullback gets there first, but only just as Simon tackles him, and a few others. But ref sees a penalty possibly for not releasing the player and Tamworth kick for touch but it doesn't go out and Fitz shows off his footballing skills by dribbling it along the floor, picks it up looks to pass to the General, sells the dummy and sets off on his own, makes at least twenty yards before passing to Marcus in support.

Soon after ccrummage to Tamworth, despite a good drive by our Eight they keep the ball and Hakesy puts a kick over, Nick over on the wing drops on it despite the attentions of his opposite number, gets up and drives it on and Fitzy goes to support him and drive it on a bit futher, the rest of the forwards join in and Nick pops the ball out the back to the General, who spins it to Smoking who sells an outrageous dummy and clears up the park. Lineout to Tamworth on the twenty two, we tap it down to Phil and the 677 gather round, with Ali G at the back, sees Barstool coming at pace pops it out he bursts through, turns his man inside outside and goes over for a good individual effort by the big lad 58-3 Conversion missed.

Bilbo takes the restart but the next five minutes turns into scrum practice with a succession of scrums between our twenty two and ten metre lines as the rain lashes down, Tamworth refuse to give up and my notes turn to mush. Eventually we are awarded a scrum on our ten metre line, and n ow bearing in mind at this point the referee had asked us not to break the young Tamworth prop Rick obviously thought it would be a good wheeze to try his luck on our put in. They take it against the head, (bet that was a fun conversation between the two hookers) and the Tamworth Two (remember them) between them take it down into the corner where they score a late consolation try 58-8 Conversion missed.

Two minutes to go, and I'm soaking wet; while we're under the posts the referee asks whether we want to call it a day, I'm happy with that and send the cut throat sign into Captain Lonie, but I think it's Smokes who "politely" declines the man's kind offer and we go again. Gaz sends the restart deep landing just in front of the Tamworth twenty two right hand side and our forwards gallop onto it like it's the opening kick off, we pinch it and the ball finds our loosehead three-quarter Shannon in space who shimmies a bit before sending out beautifully timed pass to our hooker on the overlap, who's no doubt had to run his b*llocks off to get there and Sid goes over for a really popular try (in his mind) in the corner. 63-8 Conversion falls short.

Final Score 63-8 Final age 652 and that with only fourteen players!!!!

Sid's try was our 75th try of the season so far, not bad for a team mostly on the wrong side of 40.

This Saturday

1st xv   v   Upton on Severn
2nd xv V   Upton on Severn
3rd xv   v   Old Salts

all matches at home kick off 3.00

An Eggcited Development team captain !

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:43:03 GMT

Yours truly was dragged away to The Smoke for the weekend, not to watch the Gunners thrash the Blues but to celebrate somebody's birthday. Accompanied by the famous 2nd row of the burial business, the best hooker never to have played for Wales and an ex-player and coach from Old Griffs, we were having a quiet meal nowhere near Soho when a text message arrives at about 4.30 pm. What could Egg want to tell me so early on a saturday? Still sober I read the text twice and sure enough we had just beaten the Edwardians 2nds by a lot of points.

Try scorers were Mean machine, Dave Langley 2, Tom Thacker 2,Jonty Parry 2, Dave Rimmer, Luke Harris, Brian Nicolay and Jamie Allen with Luke Griffiths 4 conversions and Tom 1 conversion completing the scoring. It is good to see Eds firsts topping their league and I'm sure that their lower teams will not struggle for ever.

First xv

Eds might not have strength in depth but Sutton do and a 25-39 points defeat against their seconds shows what a gulf has appeared since not too long ago we were playing them at first team level. Although it was only a friendly and a week off for some, let us hope that we still learn from such games.

Juniors

What a difference a week makes. After a superb win last week our under15s were well beaten by a polished Old Sils outfit. Chicken says training for all of the squad on sunday.

However, Gringo and Bill had their first win of the season at under 14 level when they defeated Kings Norton. This sunday sees them on a trip to Burton.

Social news

Friday 12 th November at the club 8.00 start sees the 3rd Dave Adams general knowledge quiz. The questions are easy (the answers might not be!). £2 per player, teams of up to 6 and no technological assistance allowed. Great prizes, bar open, new tables and chairs. Come and give it a go, you might even enjoy yourself.

Vandals

This weekend saw us at Fort Tilehouse in a slightly rearranged fixture (or so they thought) with Warley 2nds, having originally been slated up against their thirds. So when they hadn't appeared by 2.30 it was up to Tom's sterling (and obviously persuasive) efforts as they were already changed (and we wisely weren't) to get them to make the journey across. And with there being more rescued Chilean miners around on a Saturday afternoon than third team referees it was up to Dai Baldwin to step into the breach, and given our guests late arrival it was agreed that the game would be played over 60 minutes.

With our "experience" bank being tapped again Barstool having gone up into the Ones & Marcus into the Development side, and Captain Slow having been broken the previous week the side was ably led once again by John Lonie who won the toss and opted for ends.

The starting Eight for this week then, the so far ever present Shannon Killarney, Steve Sidwell at hooker and Bill Burrows at tighthead a front row with a combined age of 160 incidentally! In the engine room John Lonie & Phil Gouldbourn, with a back row of Nick Levey at blindside, Roger Lazenby at open and Phil's kid brother Alistair at No.8. Out in the backs scrum half Barry-John Cole, a return at fly half for Gary Williams, centres Simon Singleton & Lee Coates and a back three of Phil Watson, young debutant Dan Griffiths and Ian Neville at fullback. On the bench, more like a three legged stool really Andy Killarney & Tony Fitzgerald returning to action for the first time since being injured in our opening game.

Warley kick off straight Shannon takes & fakes a clearance kick and feeds Alistair but ball goes to ground, and his opposite number picks up and spins it out to their inside centre who is jumped on by big Phil, but they retain possession and take it on a few metres but we tackle well around the fringes before the ball is adjudged forward from a Vandals hand. First scrum of the game to Warley who's pack is immediately under pressure from our Eight but they manage to get it away as far as the inside centre who drops it and Snapper's in like a shot and fly hacks it on and gives chase. Scooping it off the floor on the hoof it's a fingertip forward as he feeds Coatsey in support who was clear to the line, but we are brought back for a Warley scrum just on the their twenty two. They keep possession and kick to touch for a lineout to Yards. John Lonie takes, we set and drive it on a bit before Baz spins it out to Smokes to Snapper who makes the break and puts his centre partner through the gap. But Coatesy is hauled down by a good tackle but flicks the pass away to Smoking to Barry-John to Horse who's driven into touch about seven or eight six metres out for a lineout to Warley. The throw comes in and is tapped down by Warley and it goes loose and big Phil topples onto it like a giant Redwood for our opening score 5- 0 They don't come much easier than that and it's two in two weeks for the big man. Baz squirts the conversion just wide.

Big Phil takes the restart and takes it on a few yards, good set, and spin Baz to Gaz to Symes who cuts inside gives it back to Smoking, but it's too hot to hold and Warley fly hack on but no advantage is gained, scrum to Warley. Again Bill, Sid & Shannon exert the pressure but Warley get it away some good interpassing sees them make steady progress upfield before putting it up Coatesy tries to take the mark inside our twenty two, but knocks on but makes sure the ball goes in to touch. Warley scrum about five metres out, we turn them slightly and they pick up and go blind with a neat back row move, but big Rog escorts the runner into touch. Lineout to Yards, we take and drive a yard (literally) before the ball is passed to Smoking in the dead ball area and all he can do is dot it down for a scrum to Warley get another scrum which under pressure goes awry and Barry-John steals it and pops it to Ali G who makes good yards, before we set and Baz makes a good kick to touch .

We steal at the lineout and spin but misfire again and the ball goes forward for a scrummage to Warley on the halfway line, they secure their own ball and spin, it's a miss pass then punt and the ball sails over young Dan's head. Lineout to Yards, it's a low trajectory ball (that was Sid's Doosra) but the Lonester takes it, secures it and we take it on a bit. Baz decides it's time spins it and we try a scissors but ball is knocked on for another scrum to Warley.

They spin but our first up tackling is sound, and we turn it over and Smokes kicks long with young Dan in hot pursuit, their winger takes it cleanly but is tackled early doors, but manages to offload to his support but he too is tackled. Warley recycle and take take it on a yard or two, eventually spinning it, then cutting back inside testing our defences but Roger is up to the task and we turn it over, Baz to Simon (anybody else think they look like brothers?) but we are driven wide and eventually the ball goes out.

Big Phil pinches it at four and it's a bit of a hozza pass to Smoking who takes ball and two or three red & white shirts but stays big until help arrives in the shape of Nick & Alistair, but it becomes a bit of a mess, and hard working Warley hard turn it over and their No.8 drives it on close to the breakdown, he feeds the fly half who makes ground before cutting back inside only to be clobbered by Coatesy, pile on, Dai signals penalty advantage, free ball to Warley, but the penalty is not required as their fly half hits a sweet drop goal from about fifteen metres out 5-3.

Smoking's restart doesn't go ten but only just and a pity as Lonie takes a great catch on the hoof. Scrum back. Once again the Warley scrum creaks and ball gets knocked forward at the base but Dai plays good advantage and Nick's first to the loose ball it he pops to Alistair who returns the favour, Baz tries to distribute as Warley appear to come offside, but we regain some control and Baz finally gets the pass away to Simon who skips through the gap, and gets the pass away to Coatesy at speed who taking the ball around his ears shows of his ball juggling skills round the back of his head before regaining control and going in under the posts. 10-3 nice easy one for Barry-John for a 12-3 lead.

Over comes the restart it's taken by Alistair who makes inroads before we set and Baz whips it away to Smoking to Simon who puts a long raking kick in, and Horse sets off in pursuit catching his opposite number and dragging him into touch for a lineout to Yards. We take it quickly great catch by Lonie it's fed to Alistair who makes the break and the ball finds Coatesy and he fires up the afterburners and does them for sheer pace for his second try 17-3. Conversion missed. (Captain actually remarks to his gadget and I quote "that was a really smart intelligent try taken quickly")

Lonie takes a great catch at the restart and Nick's quickly in, big Phil sells a dummy!!!! Smoking takes the ball above his head and sets off, finds Simon who hits Coatesy who makes a great break, but Dai sees something he doesn't like and awards the scrum to Warley. Their scrum half puts it up in the air, and Horse takes it and rumbles forward but goes down and over his ankle awkwardly under the weight of about four Warley players round about the twenty two..that had to hurt and Phil has to come off. Fitz hoping for the last twenty comes on for the remainder of the match.

We spend the remainder of the half trading kicks and defending, with good tackles coming in from Nick, Rog & Fitz, especially when the Warley scrum half makes a great break through a bl**dy great hole we'd obligingly left for him before running into defensive traffic and knocking it on. A couple of more scrums follow on before Coatesy gets the chance to bang it deep and their fullback returns it but slices into touch to bring the half to a close.

Half time 17-3 do we really need Isotonics? (left on the touchline this week) John Lonie departs and Andy Killarney comes on and Sid becomes captain as well as spiritual leader.

It's a bit nip and tuck for the opening five minutes of the second half, but Big Phil is really starting to dominate the lineouts and his job is made even easier when Warleys own big unit the aptly named "Moose" comes off. A constant stream of good ball is now being provided for our backs by our hard working Eight. Whereas what little ball the Warley threequarters receive they struggle to hang onto as pass after pass is dropped or knocked on.

And it's from a lineout, the ball coming straight off the top from big Phil to Barry-John to Smoking, dummy to Simon, Coatesy takes it at full tilt to score midway out 22-3 Conversion missed. That's enough action for Coatsey who's been struggling with a leg injury and he comes off shortly after and John Lonie comes back on looking every bit the winger.

Andy Killarney takes the restart, it's becoming a bit of a family business catching the restarts, but soon after Andy takes a knock to the ribs and swaps places with Jonah Lonie for the remainder of the game. Big Phil is also struggling with a similar injury but our subs cupboard is bare.

Not long after Warley have a lineout on their twenty two, and we infringe penalty to Warley and someone remarks about the weather and Dai marches us back a further ten metres. From there they kick for the corner, and win the subsequent lineout they brng their fullback in with good effect but he is held up, but they recycle and go over right in the corner 22-8 and their kicker hits a great conversion from the touchline to bring it within two scores at 22-10.

The restart goes deep and they drop it Ali G is right on it, we set Baz spins it out, but Warley are drawn offside, for our first real attacking penalty or so it seems (sorry Dai) about five or six metres from their line. As frequent flyers know the Vandals don't kick at goal so we opt to run a short penalty and I believe the Lonester was nominated to take this one but Shannon obviously looked a more appealing prospect to Baz as he ultimately took the pop and the quiet man crashed over for a well deserved try 27-10 Baz gets this one 29-10.

Our pack continue to work hard with Sid being "old school industrious" with his feet on one occasion, but it did secure the ball in fairness, our scrums never in danger, Bill wearing his customary smile throughout as we work our way steadily back into Warley territory as we begin to strangle the life out of them with our tackling, and tactical kicking pinning them back time after time. And following a Warley maul it's Bill who wrenches the ball free from contact to feed Baz who passes to Simon who sees the gap open out in front of him and who turns the fullback inside in the process out to go over for a great individual try 34-10. Conversion goes wide.

Shortly after Rog is unlucky not to be awarded a try picking up from a scrum and driving it in at short range, now I thought from my angle he hit the line first time but just to be sure there is a little second movement which is the one Dai spots and with lots of red & white advice gives a penalty against and Rog is not a happy bunny, in fact giving the bird I hope to a Warley player as he gets up. Penalty to Warley from which they clear their lines.

Our final score, following good work by our forwards was scored by Alistair from a short range scrum about five or six metres out, Baz picks up back inside to Alistair who gives a great slice of palm to go over to cap a fine performance 39-10 conversion missed. Dai blows soon after.

Final score 39-10 Final age 673!!!!! even with a seventeen year old on the park.

Man of the match Alistair who worked hard throughout, scored a try and had the dirtiest shirt, and yes Nev was playing but obviously didn't have much to do!!

In all honesty probably one of our least convincing victories, where at times we lacked our usual cohesion, but that said another seven tries scored in the hour, though the game marred by the loss of Lee & Phil.

This Saturday Tamworth vets at home if I can find enough players!

A game of two halves?

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:59:39 GMT

Yards fightback shows character

After last week’s disappointing defeat at Redditch, this Saturday’s tricky looking encounter with previously unbeaten Shipston could be seen as an indicator of the home side’s mental strength as well as their rugby ability.

Yards made a disappointing start and Shipston capitalized on defensive errors to score two first half tries both of which were well converted. Poor tactical kicking allowed the visitors to look the more dangerous of the two sides. Although the set pieces were suited to the bigger Yards pack of forwards, Shipston competed well at the breakdown spoiling much of Yards possession.

Although the away side added a penalty goal to take them up to 20 points, that was to be the end of their scoring for the day. The expression ‘a game of two halves’ might have been created with this game in mind. Home number 10, Max Gimson, suddenly found his kicking boots after a miserable first half and with the strong breeze behind him he started to kick the Yards into positions close to the Shipston line. The rest was almost inevitable as lineout was secured and the powerful pack drove over three times with tries being claimed by back row stalwart Steve Grainger (twice) and scrum half Lee Purdy. Gimson converted all three and added a penalty to take the home team into a 24 points to 20 lead.

Predictably the last few minutes saw Shipston attacking fiercely but the Yards defence stood firm. With last season’s meeting between these two sides having to be abandoned by the referee after a number of unsavoury incidents it was good to see both teams accepting their responsibilities in a competitive but clean game that was very competently refereed.

Under 15s

With a management team of two Daves and Sam, the young Ys visited Handsworth on Sunday. Straight from the kick off hesitation in Ys defence (Chicken's coaching?) resulted in a try to Handsworth converted for a 0-7 deficit. The crowd predicted more of the same, but no, our boys showed character and greater alertness which combined with pace from the backs saw us score 10 tries. Handsworth were physically strong up front but lacked the pace to stop Tre'rail, Jack and the support players. A big thank you to the Handsworth management team for their hospitality.

The Vandals day out in the countryside

Saturday 9th October found us in Wyre Piddle against Pershore 3rds, with the weather contrary to all predictions cloudy & overcast.

Not the best of preparations this week with a couple of injuries & late unavailabilities, plus having to provide some "experience" for the Development side in the General & Lonie and two no shows (you know who you are) meant we travelled with a bare bones fifteen and one walking wounded.

In the front row Shannon "Sidestep" Killarney, Club President Steve "Sid" Sidwell & Mark "Dai" Baldwin, we had a unit with combined age of 158! In the engine room this week Andy "Fred" Killarney & Phil "Tiger" Gouldbourn, back row Marcus "Shark" Hope, Nick "the Assassin" Levey and tying the bums together at the base Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby.

In the backs Barry-John "Baz" Cole at 9, Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, some interesting casting then with Rob "Barstool" Bastock at inside centre, replacing a barrel with a tanker, another back row forward in Simon "Snapper" Singleton at outside centre, Captain Slow actually starting for a change on one wing, Phil "Horse" Watson on the other and at fullback this week's under thirty Kevin "Bolt" Coles. Just one on the bench then Nick "Barrel" Palmer still nursing a tweaked hamstring from last week.

With Slow losing the toss Pershore opted to play into the wind in the first half, and as the two sides lined up they looked on paper, well grass a pretty useful set of lads, with some youth sprinkled throughout. They also had a guy in the second row who at 72 is certainly the oldest player I've ever encountered and who I understand had been recently recognised by The Times' sports columnist with a bottle of bubbly. Steve Painter please note 12 more years. Also with Slow actually having to start & being full of cold this week's match report thankfully will be a bit briefer than of late.

Now contrary to popular belief most of my playing career has been at inside centre and a couple of years ago I played in an invitational fixture against Five Ways Old Eds and was unfortunate enough to have Barstool running at me in midfield; so with Barrel struggling with his hamstring I thought it would be a good wheeze to play Rob at inside centre, especially as he shares both inside centre attributes, good looks (bet you Barrel smiled then) and an inability to run other than in straight lines. So you can imagine how smug I feel when after just ten minutes Rob's got a brace the second of which he bish bash boshes under the posts and is converted by Baz for a healthy 12-0 lead.

Not long after we spin it again but the speed of Simon is too much for Slow first having to try and stay up with him and then then having to deploy his airbrake to actually try and catch his dodgy pass and off he goes with a very sore hamstring. Barrel now in uniform comes on and Snapper moves out onto the wing.

The Wyre Piddlers hurl lots of good attacks at us bringing in their young fullback on all manner of angles, but our tackling is resolute.

Eventually Horse gets in on the action on the far side of the park swatting off defenders before rounding the corner and bringing it in under the posts to increase our lead to 17-0. Baz slots his second conversion 19-0.

Super fit (it's all relative) Simon scores our fourth just before half time holding the ball way out in front for most of his run, mesmerising the opposition to score close to the sticks and Baz adds a third conversion.

Half time 26-0 Isotonics left in the car, and Slow's quietly confident we can defend that lead even with the elements in their favour.

But you know what they say attack is the best form of defence and we go up a gear and score six more unanswered tries with our half back pairing Baz & Nev pulling all the strings sending Pershore in all directions. Horse after letting a couple get away adds a second and third to complete his hat-trick, his final try taking the pass off Shannon, who popping up in midfield like a good prop should, resisted the temptation to get in his mandatory sidestep and gave the perfectly timed pass instead, for Phil to go over in the corner.

Bigger Phil also scores a great solo try taking the ball just outside their twenty two, dead centre and all on his own and he just kept going and going and going accumulating defenders to go in under the posts, for a really popular try for the big man.

A nice individual try too for Bolt, who when we're awarded a penalty inside our half he's right on it, takes it quickly in front of the referee who like Pershore seemed a little perplexed and races up the touchline to go over.

And despite his fitness doubts Barrel also weighs in for one in the second half, as did Snapper who's fast becoming a bit of a deadly finisher wherever I stick him.

Amongst that lot another three conversions for Baz bring his tally to six, and capping a great all round performance.

I think Dai, Sid, Shannon & the lads took at least three against the head in the game, in fact great work by our eight throughout, Andy, Phil, Marcus, Nick & Rog who worked tirelessly making the hard yards & tough tackles, and whilst the Attendants scored nine of our ten it was not possible without the quality possession that they provided.

One special mention though for Nick and his corner flagging last ditch tackle in the corner when the try seemed certain ensuring our first shut out of the season, not bad for a fifty year old!

Anyway final score 62-0 Final age (even with the youthful Bolt) 643

From our independent adjudicator man of the match went to Baz for keeping the Vandals machine ticking at all times & assists goes to Barstool for a great game "out of position".

Thanks to Tom Power for providing the communal transport and also for driving it!

And great to see Ed "Ronald" McDonald on the touchline and even contemplating the use of borrowed kit!

Lethargy attack!

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:53:34 GMT

Fortunately I was not able to watch our 1st team this week but a conversation with coach, Gary Robinson, told me everything. As he saw it we started the season very well indeed and sometimes there is the feeling that all we have to do is turn up and the rest happens automatically. Boys, it ain't like that. It appeared that Redditch wanted it a little more than us and played to their potential. On the other hand we did not take our chances except for a typically powerful close range try for Peter the fridge. On the whole we played well below our potential and the hosts edged a game that really should have been ours. If one or two players have an off day you can get away with it but when ten or eleven of the team don't perform it makes winning difficult. Lesson learnt, we hope. Next game is a league match at home to a Shipston side that is having a good season so far. Let's hope that we recover our form for their visit.

Final score Redditch 10 Yards 5

Development XV

Playing at home to a useful Veseyans 2nds, our youngsters played very well in phases and could easily have got a victory but the visitors used their experience to good effect, defending well and taking the correct options when needed. Yards, on the other hand, played very well and with good pace but failed to make the most of the chances created and conceded points through defensive errors or inexperience. Tries were scored by Guy Smith, James O'Donnaghy and Tom Thaker with Kaarl, son of Billy, adding two conversions. Pershore away this week so make sure you take enough cash for a cider or two!

Final score Yards 19 Veseyans 31

Vandals XV

It has taken me a long time but now I know how the skipper recalls so much detail. So that's why dictaphones were invented. Clever old so and so! Now for your weekly read so get the kettle on, make yourself a cuppa and make yourself comfortable.

A break in the current monsoon season found us back at Tilehouse Lane this Saturday against familiar opponents Tamworth. A club promoted to the division above us last season and now running an occasional fourth team. Having played them three times last season Slow was quick to spot only three or four players of our vintage, the rest largely twenty & early thirty somethings so looking like another tough proposition like last week against Bournville.

For a third week in a row this week's blindside Marcus "the Shark" Hope took charge of the Vandals and in Andy Wigley we had a referee young enough to be even his love child! In the front row Shannon "Sidestep" Killarney, Rick "Swing" Lowe and completing the heavyweight trio Mark "Dai" Baldwin. A second row resembling Right said Fred in John Lonie & Andy Killarney, and completing the starting eight Rob "Barstool" Bastock & Simon "Snapper" Singleton.

At scrum half Iain "Johnno" Johnson, fly half Barry-John "Baz" Cole, and in the centres Nick "the Barrel" Palmer & joint leading try scorer Lee "Coatsey" Coates moving in off the wing to cover for Smoking's elevation into the Development side. On the wings our other top try scorer Phil "Horse" Watson and this week's token youngster Jon Bodsworth, popping down from the Development side to see how the other half win and at fullback the ever elegant Ian "Nev" Neville.

On a very large bench this week just demonstrating our Club's current strength in depth, Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby (who with the early kick off on the adjacent pitch warmed up by guesting in the back row for Veseyans against our own Development Side) Phil "the General" Evans (who also warmed up in similar fashion but against Rog), the golfing Gouldbourn brothers Phil & Alistair, 50th birthday boy Nick "the Assassin" Levey, Tim "Love Machine" Russell, the very tardy Cedric "Bob" Farrell, Captain Slow and (pull in case of emergency) Bill "Gilbert" Burrows.

Tamworth winning the toss they opted to kick towards the Clubhouse the ball sailing into the arms of Barstool who immediately took it into contact, we set and Baz spins out a miss pass to Coatesy, Nev comes into the the line and neatly chips ahead but Tamworth take it cleanly and bring it up a few yards before Snapper gets his first victim of the day, Tamworth offload and next up tackles by Barrel & Johnno. Tamworth attempt to recycle the ball, but take too long and we pinch it, Johnno spins it but the ball is too hot for Baz and is spilled for the game's first scrum. The referee spots a binding infringement by Tamworth, and Johnno takes it quickly and gives it to Barstool who resists all temptation to pass it to Coatsey on his shoulder. Finally Rob is stopped but we recycle and chip but the kick is charged down by Tamworth, but Barry-John collects the rebound and passes it to where he thought his winger should've been. Lineout Tamworth; they secure their own ball despite the double bubbling of Marcus & Symes and they drive it on a bit before releasing their backs who are halted initially in their tracks by Barrel & Coatesy but Tamworth manage to hang on to it and spin it and get behind us to score the opening try of the game under the posts 0-5 easy conversion for a 0-7 lead. At which point one of the younger Tamworth players remarked rather loudly "see they're nothing but a bunch of fat old b*stards"....ouch!

Tamworth take the restart cleanly and kick ahead from just outside their twenty two but our Nev fluffs his lines and knocks it forward, scrum to Tamworth on our ten metre line but we spoil their scrum, Barstool gets in amongst them and toe pokes ahead from which Tamworth knock it on and we get the scrum around their ten. Rob picks up from the base, goes blind, sells some double glazing pops it to Horse who rumbles over the diminutive fullback to score under the posts 5-7 Simple conversion for Barry-John all square at 7-7.

The Tamworth restart doesn't go ten, maybe five if we're counting, scrum Yards. We split the backs, nice steady ball from our Eight, Johnno takes spins to Barrel and loops him taking the return, quick flat offload to Horse who cuts back inside, passes to Snapper in support to Baz to Coatsey who lights 'em up and goes over and brings it under the posts to dot it down 12-7 simple conversion 14-7 Top draw try that.

Shannon takes the restart and all his mates get round him and Johnno encourages us to get the drive on, the ball squirts out forward on the Tamworth side, but blindsided the ref doesn't spot it and Lonie jumps on it all innocent like and waits for his mates to arrive. We set, short pop and Shannon squeezes in his mandatory sidestep, finds his brother Andy who takes it on as we work the narrow side before the ball finds Barry-John, Horse comes in on the inside and breaks through the defensive line, Simon Singleton in support takes the pass to go under the posts 19-7. Baz's conversion goes wide. Hooker Rick limps off with a foot injury, Dai moves to hooker and the tattooed man Tim Russell watching the wrong game eventually comes on at tighthead.

From the restart we get a scrum, nice and steady, we feign to go one way but take it narrow, Nev in the line, ball goes to ground but doesn't go forward, Nev picks up and finally our other wing Jon Bodsworth gets a pass, but is bundled into touch by the Tamworth cover. Tamworth win their ball but only just as the Shark is fingertips away, they drive it on a good ten metres but it starts to splinter at the back and Snapper is drawn offside, advantage to Tamworth, who promptly drop it, so get the penalty. They kick only to send it over the dead ball line, twenty two to us, we win it Marcus takes it on, we're stopped, we set and Johnno whips it out to Baz who floats a great long miss pass to Coatesy who sets off, he lets it go to Horse, who puts it back inside to Coatesy who is driven into touch about five metres out. Lineout to Tamworth, who catch set, drive & stall, ball held up but ref lets them keep possession. Scrum to them our Eight disrupt their ball, drive them off it and Rob picks up and goes, he's stopped, we spin and Barrel collides with one of our own. Scrum to Tamworth, they send in a big unit to bolster their under pressure front row, and he shores up their scrum, pass goes out to their "robust" (see how much more subtle I am with the insults) fly half & captain who makes a good clearance. Throw in to us taken by John Lonie but who's a bit isolated and gets turned over by weight of numbers (Captain speak for where were the rest of you) their No.8 takes it on a few metres before they spin and a big long speculative high pass goes wayward, Coatesy fly hacks the loose ball ahead and like so many times last season he wins the foot race to collect and score (he runs even quicker without the ball) 24-7 conversion goes just wide. Just over twenty minutes gone.

Normal service is resumed and Shannon takes the restart, we set and drive, but we swap ownership as the ball goes forward and Tamworth take it on, we let them have it, put in a token guard and defend the line, the pass goes out to inside centre and he's clattered by Barrel just outside our twenty two and their more "experienced" players (see subtlety again) take it on, but they drop it, Barstool jumps on it and secures, Johnno passes left to Baz who puts it into space and Bod gives chase, but their fullback eludes his attention and makes good ground, before being finally caught by Coatesy and we get a penalty for not releasing. Baz sends the kick out left mid way between the ten & twenty two. Snapper takes the catch at four, the ball is sent out and Barrel comes in on his first scissors of the day, making good yardage, goes down, gets back up again, still driving, he's finally held, Johnno sends it out, long pass by Baz, goes to ground Nev picks it up off the deck without breaking his stride, he pops it to Horse and it takes three Tamworth defenders to drive him out just inside their twenty two.

Tamworth secure their own ball and drive it on, before sending it out, the fly half's kick is a bit streaky and goes cross field, their winger recovers, kicks and gets a lucky deflection off Bod to win the lineout. They take it off the top and secure the ball, but the green blanket pours through the gaps and Shannon wrestles it free, we spin and Baz gets held up in midfield and the ball goes loose. Scrum to Tamworth, their fly half puts it downfield, Nev takes and dummies the kick fixing the defence and goes hurtling up the wing before putting it up for real, they just about field it and start to move it only to be hunted down by the human dynamo Snapper, Barrel's up there, Coatesy's up there so is Marcus, we're about five metres out and Barrel rips it free, Coatsey takes it on but Tamworth hold out and the ball goes out ten metres from their line. Lineout to Tamworth and they clear.

But not for long as within minutes Coatesy completes his hat-trick with sheer pace to increase our lead to 29-7 conversion missed.

From the restart Tamworth get a scrum and they spin to their fly half who pops it back inside to last season's captain Graham Hakes but the pass is forward. Good steady scrum ball shephered at Barstool's feet, he picks up and goes route one at the Tamworth fly half with Shark almost inside his shorts, but Rob's floated pass goes forward. Scrum to Tamworth, their No.8 taking a leaf out of Rob's book picks and goes, he passes but Snapper chases down the first receiver, and Baz gets the second, but Tamworth are still making forward progress with some good offloading out of the tackle. Their ten makes a great break but sends out a wayward pass which is dropped on by the newly coiffured Barrel who pops it up to Coatesy who does a step on the fullback and streaks in under the posts for his fourth. 34-7 Baz makes no mistake 36-7

Shark takes the restart spurns Shannon and gives to Johnno, who feeds Baz who gets a deep kick away to 5 or so metres outside the Tamworth twenty two, and Bod marks it up. Tamworth throw but Snapper steals it at four but we are penalised for holding on or some such nonsense. They take it quick and Rob picks up the runner, Tim takes the next one, but they're still going forward, they set, but Johnno steals, ships it out to Baz who does a number and sets Barrel away, he goes looking for Horse on the inside, who duly takes it and spurning Baz's offers of help goes in under the posts. 41-7 Baz does get the conversion as a consolation prize 43-7 and that's the end of the half.

Half time 43-7 Raspberry isotonics (just for a change) and not bad for a bunch of fat old b*stards, and the young Tamworth Turks probably choking a bit on their words.

With the large bench at our disposal relatively wholesale changes at half time. Hard working John & Andy come off and the golfing Goldbourns go into the second row, Snapper Singleton comes off for birthday boy Nick Levey, Roger on for Barstool, the General for Johnno & finally Horse trots off to make way for Bob's mate Cedric.

Bazza takes the kick off and sends it deep into the Tamworth corner, they field it cleanly and kick to touch, but it's a slice of Celtic Manor and the ball goes out just beyond their twenty two. We have a cunning plan and we shorten the lineout, too cunningly as the referee fails to spot it or heed the verbal hints, but it's academic as big Phil towers above his counter part and plucks it out of the air. The General spins it out to Baz at ten who pops it back inside to flanker Nick (who had cunningly stayed out of the line) and who takes it into contact and is driven on initially by big Rog & Ali G and we all pile in. Tamworth somehow manage to turn it over (Captain's note to any referees: do you ever wonder how this happens?) and clear their line albeit just about five or six metres out from goal.

Again we have a cunning plan at the lineout and Dai chucks in a short one to the front of the line which goes pear shaped as Tamworth nick it and string a few passes together moving it infield before dropping it at the feet of......Coatesy, who takes a moment to look up, sees five or six evenly spaced defenders in front of him, plots his course and weaves around most of them to score under the posts. 48-7 Baz slots the easy conversion for us to pass the half century for the third time this season 50-7.

The restart fails to cross the ten, scrum to us, which pops straight out the channel and we have another go. This time we go for an 8-9 special, Rog picks up and draws the attention of their flanker & No.8 before popping it inside to the General who feeds the Barrel who hits the ten metre line (yes that far out) at full tilt, their winger & fullback don't really fancy it and Nick goes over next to the sticks. 55-7 Again Baz makes no mistake for his sixth conversion of the game. 57-7.

Barrel pays for it though as he tweaks his rubber band in the process and has to come off after another fine performance. Horse comes back on into the centre looking like it's Christmas come early, the twelve shirt just about fitting.

Big Phil takes the restart and we set and Tamworth infringe, penalty to us. The General takes it quick and we earn another for not ten, we opt to kick but it fails to find touch but Tamworth fail to capitalise, as they run then kick ahead and Nev calmly shepherds it out over our dead ball line.

Shortly after Tamworth are awarded a lineout which they take cleanly and spin it our defence holds but Tamworth are awarded a scrum. From it they go blind and Cedric puts in a crunching tackle, but they manage to recycle and go short yardage through their forwards, and set again before spinning it out and knocking it on. Steady scrum from our Eight sees the ball passed to Horse who unsurprisingly cracks open the midfield and sees Bob's mate in support and Ced goes over for his third try of the season. 62-7. Conversion missed. "Love Machine" decides he's had enough of all this experienced meat up his backside and makes way for Officer Burrows at tighthead (actually Tim had a Tesco delivery at five).

Ali G takes the catch from the restart and goes on a charge making ten or twelve metres, from which we set and the General whips it out, but a midfield pass is adjudged marginally forward. Scrum to Tamworth, No.8 goes blind and his legs are removed by the Assassin. Tamworth recycle and their winger (I think) evades all our loving attention until Nev gets him just inside our twenty two and wannabe fly half Shannon kicks to touch (which must have been some corner-flagging by the quiet man in that case). From the lineout we're aerial a day and a half early and the ref gives Tamworth a free kick. They take it quick but we stop them and they are penalised for holding on. With about 25 minutes to go Bazza puts a long kick down into their half from which we secure good lineout ball and the General talks the pack into going forward, Tamworth finally opt to collapse it...penalty. The General takes it quick, short pass to Ali G who's looking for trade with brother Phil & Rog in close support, and Tamworth infringe again, but this time we kick to touch. Big Phil takes and the ball gets to Bill who goes on a trundle, but we're penalised for something (was on the far side of the pitch in fairness) Tamworth clear their lines. We let Tamworth secure their own ball and Bill (small b) burrows in (how they laughed) & digs it out. Pass goes to Cedric who feeds Shannon then to our youngster Jon Bodsworth (though can't quite believe both our wingers were that close together) and Bod is forced into touch. Another rubber band tweaked and Shannon limps off and Rick limps back on.

The game starts to get a touch messy as fatigue sets in and clock ticks down. With just over fifteen to go the General substitutes himself (Captain's note check with me next time) & Johnno comes back into the fray. We start to get back on track and we force play into the Tamworth twenty two with a great drive from the worker bees but Tamworth manage to turn it over and kick to touch just inside their ten metre. Baz ever alert decides to take a quick throw in and hurls a long one infield to... (in fairness I wasn't looking), but Baz reckoned his fellow backs were on a different wavelength, and the loose ball is picked up in midfield by some fairly bemused Tamworth players who run it up the park to score, cue the odd snigger. 62-12 the conversion is missed.

Not long after following some less than committed defence they score another consolation try under the posts which they do convert 62-19

But we're not finished just yet, we get a lineout just inside the Tamworth twenty two, big Phil takes it unopposed (and so he bl**dy should) and it comes off the top to Johnno who makes the break through a hole in the tail of the line, created by some, no doubt clever nonsense by Rog. Johnno is held up by his opposite number but offloads the pass to Ali G in support who gives the Tamworth winger a slice of palm and falls over the line 67-19. Conversion missed.

Marcus comes off, Captain Slow plods on for the last five or six minutes, still plenty of time to hit his opposite number both late and high, cue some minor verbal, but referee opts for a quite word with Slow at the next scrum "who me??" We absorb a little more Tamworth pressure before the referee calls time.

Another victory for the chronologically challenged, thick waisted orphans!

Final Score 67-19 Final age 631

Next week a trip to the country in Pershore, please book your places on the beer bus ASAP with Slow

No league or cup games so many players given 'shopping' leave and squad players get their chance.

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:28:53 GMT

A rare saturday free of cup or league pressures gave the Yards the chance to rest 9 first team players and to see what the back up players could do. Leicestershire side, Coalville, 2 leagues higher than us in the midlands pyramid sent their 'A' xv to Tilehouse Lane for what turned out to be an exciting game with plenty of open running as well as a number of handling errors. The Ys were again very strong in the scrum and Chris Rhodes, promoted from the Development team, challenged to good effect in the line out. The backs showed good pace but were understandably a little disjointed at times.Tries for the home team came from full-back James Hendrick, second row Dave Langley and player-coach Gary Robinson who was unstoppable from 5 meters. Two conversions and a penalty made up the 22 points which gave the hosts the draw which was just about deserved. This coming weekend sees the Ys travel to Redditch where they will hope to continue their unbeaten start to the league season.

Development xv

With the 1st team resting so many players there was a knock-on effect for the team as they faced a very useful Bournville 2nds, part of a club who have produced a meteoric rise in playing performances in recent seasons. On the day the visitors were too well organised for the hosts. Tries by 2nd row Nick Letsbeavingyou- Allen and the impressive scrum-half Tom Growcott were little more than consolation as the visitors powered to a 56-12 win. Ellwyn (Egg), our Dev. skipper would like to thank the visitors for their generous donation towards Amnesty International, the charity which he actively supports. This weekend sees the Development xv entertain Veseyans 2nds.

Junior teams

Sunday saw the final preparations for the season as our under 14s faced Moseley and our under 15s travelled to Kings Norton to face a combined KN/Five Ways team. Training games divided into quarters were the order of the day and our coaching staff will now have a better idea about strength and weakness areas.
In the under 15 side we have a winger, Tre'rail, who ran in two length of the pitch tries and if you think that senior players such as Dino, Lee and co. have pace then come and see the club's number one speedster.
This sunday sees the under 13s at home to Kings Norton. The under 15s are waiting for confirmation of their game.

Social News / Quiz Night

Friday 12th November is the date for your diary on which Dave Adams and his team of helpers will organise our 3rd general knowledge quiz. The format should be familiar to you, 8.00pm till 10.30pm, super prizes for winners and public humiliation for cheats. Winners last time were the team led by Steve Painter (Diploma F. D.) so come and join us and try out the luxurious new furniture and you shouldn't need to sit on beer barrels this time.

Vandals XV

Saturday 25th September saw us on the season's first road trip over at the Metchley Lane playing fields in Harborne, the new home of Bournville 3rds. A club whose semi-professional First team ply their trade two leagues above us in Midlands 1 West.

Several changes to the Vandal hoarde from last week with returns to action for Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby at No.8, and Rupert "the Major" Young at blindside, with the unavailability of Barstool & the late abduction of the Shark by the Development side. Our front row this week had more hookers than Cheddar Road (c'mon we all cruised it in our late teens) with a trio of beauties in Steve "Sid" Sidwell, Rick "Swing" Lowe & Richard "Jacko" Jacks each suspended in turn between Mark "Dai" Baldwin & Shannon "Sidestep" Killarney. With the Goldbricks frequenting the 19th hole in the Fatherland (what's wrong with Hatchford Brook ) the engine room housed stunt skipper Lonie & the multi-functional Bill "Gilbert" Burrows. With Nick "the Assassin" Levy performing parental taxi services for the day the final member of an all new back row combination was Simon "Snapper" Singleton playing against his old Club, having let slip in a moment of weakness to Slow that he once played flanker.

With the General enjoying a spot of high altitude training in Kos, a debut for another former Solihull regular Iain "Johnno" Johnson at scrum half, with Ian "NASDAQ" Neville at outside half. In the centres Nick "the Barrel" Palmer & Gary "Smoking" Williams and on the wings our jelly baby procurement officer Phil "Horse" Watson and a return for Cedric "Billy Bob" Farrell and directing operations at the back Dave "Chicken" Hanson. Also on the bench Andy "sight for sore eyes" Killarney having been missing in inaction since pre-season tour and of course Captain Slow.

Bournville won the toss and opted to play up the considerable slope in the first half, see how lucky we are having a nice flat table top to play on. So NASDAQ Nev kicks off and we thunder down the slope and into them and not for the last time in the afternoon we are almost immediately penalised for playing rugby. Bournville kick for touch and fail as it is well taken by the Major who feeds inside to Chicken who sets off on an elusive twenty metre run evading tackle after tackle with them swivel hips of his before finally being brought down just inside the Bournville twenty two. Having outrun his support with the exception of the super fit (for us) Snapper Singleton, Bournville turn the ball over and promptly drop it. First scrum to us, but oddly enough the ref sees something he doesn't like and blows up. The Bournville scrum half takes it quick, but we aren't quick enough to retreat the ten and the ref gives them another go. This time they opt to kick for touch and again they fail to find it and again we spin to win, Sid whips it inside to Chicken who finds Horse (it's a bit like Animal farm) who using gravity rolls downhill gathering defenders as he goes finally resulting in a penalty in front of the posts which Nev without the aid of our shiny new tee converts for a 3-0 lead five minutes in. (Captain's note:this is our first pot at goal in five games.....don't do it again).

From the restart we proceed to drop the ball (you know who you are Bill) and Bournville are awarded a scrum which begins a short spell of dominance by Bournville, which sees Snapper making a boat load of tackles against his old outfit, resulting in him getting a bit of a shoeing and a minor head wound. No sympathy from Nurse Slow just a dollop of Vas and told to get back on. Eventually their pressure pays off and we are penalised for offside, they kick to touch and it goes out on our twenty two. The Major jumping at two almost steals it but Bournville are awarded a scrum but the referee spots some skulduggery between Shannon & his former Camp Hill adversary and gives us a penalty which NASDAQ sends way down into the Bournville half. From the resulting lineout we are awarded another penalty and Johnno spins a quick one to Horse who makes good yards before we too are penalised. Bournville opt to kick to clear their lines.

From the lineout Bournville break out only to meet the Barrel coming downhill, and who poleaxes the ball carrier and gains the penalty for not releasing. Nev kicks for touch inside their twenty two but we lose the lineout and Bournville spin and the ball gets out one player further before Smoking flattens his man. Fortuitously Bournville are awarded the scrum, but our front five get the shunt on and we drive them off their ball, we set once, recycle and Johnno gets the line going and the ball sails through the hands of Nev, Nick & Gary out to Horse who at full tilt who goes over in the far corner for our first try of the afternoon. 8-0 with just under a quarter of an hour gone. The new tee doesn't work and Nev's attempt goes wide.

The restart goes straight into Shannon's breadbasket, we set, then drive on, but the maul breaks up goes to ground and we're pinged for not releasing. Bournville kick for position, but Snapper steals it at four (he's so light apparently Lonie reckons he could've held him there all day) we set & drive a yard or two before Johnno distributes. At which point Shannon's had enough with his opposite number they exchange handbags. Meanwhile the ball makes it's way to Chicken who puts a neat kick over the defence and is blatantly pulled back with the line at his mercy, and David demonstrates a slight sense of injustice. Cue another penalty to Bournville (did I mention Bournville was one of the refs former clubs?) anyway Bournville take it quickly and spin it down the line to their young wing who doesn't see Big Roger coming in like a freight train and he's thrown into touch like a rag doll...almost child abuse.

From the lineout we steal again and set off down the slope towards their line with our forwards, Johnno sends it out and the attendants make more yards before we set and recycle again. The ball comes out to Nev five or six metres out who sells the farm, the sink and the double glazing to their defence to go over by the posts 13-0. Unfortunately he is unable to convert his own work (do these tees need batteries or something?) Our senior citizen Sid comes off after a very creditable twenty and Jacko comes in at hooker.

Shortly after the restart (which I'm sure Shannon caught that one too) Bournville are ...wait for it, awarded a penalty, which going for distance proceed to kick it over our dead ball line for a twenty two drop out to us which gets banged down past the halfway line and Bournville manage to knock on. Scrum to us, nice steady ball from Dai & the boys, Johnno gets it away cleanly to Nev and the Barrel comes in on a trade mark scissors and scythes through their defence and is stopped about five metres out but offloads to Chicken in support to go over under the posts 18-0 Chicken has a go at the conversion as Nev is too far up the pitch but misses (are you reading this Ralph?)

The restart is well caught by Shannon, who's fast becoming a bit of a ball magnet and the ball finds its way to Jacko who hurtles up the narrow side making good yardage, we set and Bournville are drawn offside. Nev takes it has a little run before putting it up, their young winger taking a clean catch of both ball and Horse and the big man escorts him into touch. Great take by Snapper at four now being regularly launched in to the stratosphere by Lonie & Shannon and Johnno sets the backs running again and a long miss pass sees Chicken come into the line who feeds Cedric who is clattered by two defenders and the ball is knocked out of his ungloved (that's important) hands for a scrum to Bournville. Shannon & his mate are soon up to a little more slap & tickle which comes to nothing other than another penalty to Bournville as we are a judged to have brought it down. They promptly kick to touch only to throw a curve ball at the line; scrum Vandals which we lose!!!! Bournville run and first receiver kicks straight into our in-goal and knowing his laws sufficient enough to lecture Bournville about it Chicken sees it out safely for a twenty two drop out to us.

Bournville run it back with interest only for Chicken to intercept who feeds Billy-Bob, but the ball is spilled, scrum to Bournville. Our Eight decide they want it back and drive them off it again and we're off to the races and Smokes makes a great break, his pass is almost intercepted but harmlessly goes out for a lineout. Shortly afterwards Horse bulldozes his way through only to pass to a maroon shirt by mistake, the Bournville player gratefully bangs it into touch. Coming up to half time we manage to squeeze in four more penalties.

The final action of the half sees another great textbook tackle & steal by Barrel, but with things starting to get a touch fractious the referee decides to blow for the end of the first half.

Halftime 18-0 I made that 44 minutes. No changes at half time. Slow briefly chats to the ref about persistant offside, mainly because I don't understand what's going on in the scrums.

Surprisngly Lonie takes the restart, but unsurprisingly Shannon is not far away, the ball finds its' way to Cedric who sets off on a mazey run before getting stopped but we recycle and we go left, before a pass is judged forward. Scrum to the home side but they knock it on so we get the next one, from which we're pinged, they take it quick, we concede another and the ref decides to have a chat with Rog, probably about the nation's fiscal deficit, as we know he's innocent of any crime. Anyway let's have another penalty just inside our twenty two. They go and Johnno puts in a cruncher, but...ping up pops another penalty, Bournville spin but knock it on, scrum to us five metres out. Under pressure Johnno does well to get it to Nev (did I mention the offside flankers) who is engulfed and shunted out over the dead ball line. We are awarded a twenty two (not sure about that one mind) and Nev clears our lines.

Albeit briefly and Bournville scenting blood come at us hard. Bill does something good here but I can't read my own handwriting. But ping, Bournville take it quick, ping and again we're backs to the wall and on our line, Shannon's mate takes a short pop and Bill squashes him up the post. Bournville attacking get the put in but for the third time we drive them off their own ball and we run it a short distance before kicking to clear. Our kick is returned with interest but Barrel ever an oasis of calm takes the mark ten metres from our line and bangs it up with compound interest past the ten metre line.

We are penalised at the subsequent lineout and Bournville run it but knock it on. Scrum to us, but ping foot up, oh and another for not retreating the ten metres fast enough. Snapper makes another tackle we turn it over and kick to clear, and on a bit of a roll he takes the lineout too and we spin again. But after nearly fifteen minutes of constant pressure Bournville finally get on the scoresheet with a well crafted try 18-5 conversion missed (did we lend them our tee then?). Bill takes a break & Andy K comes on.

Nev restarts and we begin to regain a bit of control. Next up Horse makes a fine tackle and steal and the ball is spun to Chicken who kicks ahead and is hit so late it's almost Monday. Referee decides to not give us the option of kick or kick for some unknown reason, sounded like it was because the hit was so late it was just plain assault so we get the kick where the player landed instead. Nev kicks to touch, but the subsequent throw is deemed not straight, scrum to Bournville, so Jacko makes amends and takes one against the head and we ship it out and Barrel goes route one. Bournville somehow manage to steal and earn a penalty, surely you don't need both and they kick for position. Rupert a nuisance at two all game long pinches their ball and we run it but there's a forward pass in there somewhere and Bournville get the scrum and yet another penalty for some misdemeanor or other. They run it and knock it on. Scrum to us, we run and Smokes kicks for touch. Bournville secure their own ball and run it down into our right hand corner their player finally getting gang tackled by three of our defenders, who simply doesn't release the ball and we are penalised for going over/not releasing the tackled player/there's an R in the month. Smoking goes ballistic, the air turns blue, and Slow's on the pitch like Arsene Wenger threatening to take us off. Bournville continue the seige of our line but are held at bay by some great goal line defence and finally we turn it over and win a scrum on our line from which both Bournville flankers detatch early, their scrum half ambles round picks the ball up from between Rog's feet, knocks it on and still manages to score 18-10 Try converted 18-12 game really on with still twenty minutes to go.

But really fired up we take the game by the scruff of the neck and from the restart Bournville knock it on. Scrum won we drive it on and recycle twice and Cedric comes in off his wing breaks three tackles to go over midway left hand side 23-12 conversion just wide. From the restart Rick now on for Jacko goes on the attack with Roger in support, and we spin the ball out to Horse who unluckily knocks on and is not a happy bunny. Scrum to Bournville, but we get the drive on once more to disrupt their ball, but they still manage to get the kick away to touch. Simon now beginning to resemble a salmon takes a clean catch and we drive uphill a yard or two before shipping it out and Barrel puts a fine kick in to touch on their ten metre line. We nick it and Chicken sets off on a great run only for his rubber band to snap. Slow comes on at fullback before pulling rank and swapping places with Snapper.

Bournville still aren't finished and to their credit launch attack after attack, and are awarded yet another penalty on our ten metere line which they try to take quickly, Captain Slow excercising Article 3.19 of the Geneva Convention steps up to enquire what the offence is this time, but Bournville still try to take the quick one but their scrum half mysteriously falls over as he passes Slow.

Last notable action was one of the Bournville players trying to break out of his twenty two, seeing Smokes in front of him he doesn't notice Horse in stealth mode and is completely flattened...ouch that had to hurt and every Vandal and his dog clears the ruck out to to add insult to injury. Dai goes down though not quite bloodgate and Jacko comes on for the last scrum. Ref blows up shortly afterwards.

Final score 23-12 Final age 630

A game pretty much marred by some shall I say "over-zealous" refereeing; after a recount of my notes I made it at least 32 penalties (I kid you not), not counting while I was on, and I'm sure in the excitement I've probably missed a few more, so for benefit of the doubt let's say 34 overall, so a game stopped on average just under every two & a half minutes. Not exactly my idea of an afternoon's entertainment but credit to us we did by and large keep it together with the odd eloquent exception (yes that'd be you Smoking) who shared his skipper's sense of timing when enough was definitely becoming enough.

Two candidates for man of the match this week Snapper who made a nuisance of himself all game in the loose & excelled in the lineouts and Barrel doing what he does best making bludgeoning breaks and outstanding tackles.

Cedric's try was our thirty sixth of the campaign so far, and Horse has now drawn level with Coatesy on seven apiece.

Yards too strong for league leaders

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:35:17 GMT

OLD YARDS TOO STRONG FOR LEAGUE LEADERS

With visiting Woodrush sitting on top of the league (Midlands div 3 west/south) a tough challenge faced the Old Ys in this local derby match at Tilehouse Lane on Saturday. A large crowd watched the game settle into an early pattern with Ys dominating possession through their very strong forwards while the visitors, living off scraps, looked dangerous when the ball was moved wide to their speedy backs orchestrated by fly half Steve Smart.

Early scores were limited to a penalty for Ys kicked by outside half Max Grimson and a converted try for Woodrush from a slick backs move. With half time looming the Ys pack applied relentless pressure and the referee had no option but to award a penalty try to the home team as a result of the visitors persistent infringing.

With a 10-7 interval lead it came as no surprise when strong running home winger Andy Pearce smashed through a number of tackles to score a try under the posts, converted by Grimson for a 17-7 lead.

Woodrush to their credit did not give up but their dangerous attacks were met with solid defence. The remainder of the game saw Ys on top and Grimson sealed victory with a drop goal and penalty to give a final score of 23-7 in favour of the home team. Man of the match goes to Ys prop, Anthony Thompson who worked tirelessly in open play and gave his opposite number a torrid time in the scrums.

Development xv

The young lads continue to improve and they gained a deserved victory against Woodrush 2nds, never easy opponents, by 14-12. Carl, son of Billy, Bucknall scored a try and 2 conversions and superstar, play any posittion Greg Allen scored the other try. Well done lads!

Junior teams

This sunday sees the start of the season for our under 14 and under 15 teams with 'training' games at Moseley and Kings Norton. New players are always warmly invited to join our club and we were very impressed last week by under 15 second row Adrian who chicken is convinced will make the grade, just like himself?

The Vandals

know out there you think I enjoy writing these, but how I yearn for the odd 6-3 thriller once in a while.

On Saturday 18th September we welcomed Birmingham Barbarians 1sts to Fortress Tilehouse, a club formed with the merger of two Works sides, the Gouldbourn's beloved Kynoch RFC & Birchfield Rugby Club in 2003. The former club being three years older than ours having been established in 1924!

For those under thirty this was back in the days when we had factories that actually made things mainly from metal & Bakelite (or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride...true I don't make this stuff up). Ask Sid all his toys were made of the stuff. Anyway over the years Baa Baas have grown from just the one side to regularly running two and their Ones play in the Staffordshire Merit League.

Our Head Groundsman Brian Collingwood had given the pampas on Pitch Two a trim this week, so we were able to track the whereabouts of the General throughout the entire game. With usual stunt skipper John Lonie still suffering from the snuffles Marcus "the Shark" Hope retained the captaincy, and cleverly lost the toss ensuring that we would be playing towards the beer in the second half for a second week in succession.

A welcome return for Richard "Jacko" Jacks in his first game of the season job sharing with Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker, ably supported by those two Pillars of Hercules Mark "Dai" Baldwin and our twinkle toed loosehead Shannon "Sidestep" Killarney. In the engine room the Goldbricks Phil & Alistair, with Rob "Barstool" Bastock at No.8 and Marcus & Nick "the Assassin" Levy on the flanks. Out in the Attendants this week, Phil "the General" Evans and a first start to Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half, with Smoking moving out to fill the planet sized vacuum left by Barrel (off watching that polyester clad rabble in Aston). A debut to another former Solihull regular Jason "Jace the Ace" Goodwin (bet he made that one up) at outside centre, and out on the wings young Kevin "the Bolt" Coles and a man called Horse though Phil looks nothing like Richard Harris (although he did play rugby apparently before moving to Hogwarts). Sweeping up at the back following the late abduction of the Dubai Express by the Development Side a real Yards leg end in Dave "Chicken " Hanson, someone who makes Jason Statham look overweight.

On the bench this week Bill "Gilbert" Burrows who also provided our nice new Guiness match ball, in fact provided all of our balls...borderline Kleptomania! Alongside John Lonie, Rick Lowe, Captain Slow and another Vandals debutant Simon "Valerie" Singleton (bit obvious that, thought Shep might be too oblique).

Having opted for a real warm this week led by Shannon we got to work straight away. Barbarians kicked off the ball being fielded by Barstool who immediately went route one before being halted, we recycled short a couple of times before Barbarians infringed, caught by eagle eyed referee Mr Darren Collingwood Esq. The General took the quick penalty bringing in Chicken straight into the action, who in turn fed Horse making twenty metres before the ball went out for a lineout, from which Barbarians cleared their lines. But the tone of play was set and from the ensuing lineout the General brought Bolt in off his wing who made good ground before being tackled, our forwards recycled crisply and the ball found its way to Chicken who in turn found Shannon in support who set Horse on his way for our first score 5-0. Conversion missed (mental note buy kicking tee for Nev)

From the restart a good catch and set by Shannon saw the General feed Nev who puts in a fine kick to pin Barbarians back in their twenty two. We win the lineout and Smoking makes a great scything break cutting right which ultimately sees the ball reach Horse in full stride and shows immense strength to go over in the corner with at least four Barbarians hanging onto him. 10-0 Nev pops over a fine conversion to give us a 12-0 lead.

From the restart the ball finds its way to Barstool who sets off on a thirty metre trundle up the pitch finally being brought down by sheer weight of numbers.

On the quarter hour Barbarians finally manage to break out of their half only to drop the pass with the line at their mercy, and the General clears to touch.

Shortly afterwards Barbarians are awarded a scrum which Jacko takes his first of four against the head in the first half, from which we spin the ball wide through the hands of Nev, Smoking & Jace to Horse who is hauled into touch right in the corner by three defenders. Barbarians win their own lineout despite Marcus's & big Phil's best efforts and kick to clear, the ball disappearing through the hole in Horse's breadbasket, scrum to Barbarians. They go right and find space only to drop the final pass for a second time. From the scrum Barstool & the General set off blind and make twenty metres, the ever present Nick's up in support and we set, spin and Nev breaks the line and feeds Smoking who chips into the corner for a lineout ten metres from the Barbarians line. Big Phil pinches one and we go but unfortunately the final pass to Chicken is adjudged forward.

Our front row is up to the task and we snaffle another against the head, despite being up against probably the heaviest front row we have faced this season.

Penalty, Alistair takes the quick one off the General and makes twenty metres, the ball is reset and Bolt comes in on the diagonal, passes to Chicken, who spins to Jace who tells Horse to stay out, selling the verbal dummy, the Barbarians all looking to gang tackle Horse and Jace goes over for a fine try 17-0 Conversion missed (I have now ordered tee off eBay)

Again the restart picks out Shannon who spins it out right to Horse with Jacko in support and we are finally driven into touch around their twenty two. The Shark pinches this one, and we set so Shannon can unleash sidestep off a short ball. Penalty for offside, we take it quick and Rob bludgeons his way to within ten metres of the line, but Barbarians manage to turn it over and kick to touch.

There follows a short spell of scrappy play by both sides before we are awarded a scrum on the left on our ten metre line, ball is secured and spun, Nev breaks the line, Smoking in support, Chicken enters the line, to Jace who does pass this time to Horse and over he goes for his hat-trick 22-0 Conversion missed (tee should arrive by Saturday)

Restart doesn't go ten, we scrum win possession and go right, Horse takes, dummies, and passes inside to Jace back inside to Barstool (anybody'd think these three have played together before) Barstool pops to the General who has Marcus in support and who goes over near the posts. 27-0 Nev gets this one 29-0

Again the restart fails to make the distance and we are awarded a scrum from which Chicken shows the defence a clean pair of heels to score 34-0, rather than wait he converts his own work 36-0

Halftime 36-0 Rick on for Jacko, Bill on for Dai (though unplanned), Nev takes a breather so Smokes moves to ten, Jace to twelve and Simon comes on at outside centre. Nick comes off Alistair moves out onto the flank and John comes into the second row.

We're offside from the kick off, when was the last time that bl**dy happened? Scrum to Barbarians who have come out all guns blazing. The pressure is all Barbarians and the first five minutes is subsequently spent in our twenty two, and then on our line. Eventually the pressure tells and we concede a penalty which is taken quickly and their big prop proves unstoppable at that range as he crashes over close to the posts for their first score 36-5. Conversion surprisingly missed.

We get our sh*t sorted and get back on the front foot within minutes of the restart and Barbarians concede a penalty, the General ever alert takes it quickly and new boy Simon makes a good break, he's stopped but we recycle take it on a yard and go right, Smoking to Jason to Simon who sprints in for a debut try under the posts. 41-5 Chicken converts 43-5

Barbarians up the tempo again and Smokes is unlucky when an attempted interception just fails to stick. Undaunted Barbarians continue to attack and we defend our line again with balls to the wall belligerance. Their attacks are only finally halted by a neck injury to their hooker, and not having a replacement Jacko volunteers to go back on for the Baa Baas. Pressure back on we finally infringe and the Barbarians scrum half takes it quickly, sells a good dummy to go over 43-10 Conversion missed.

We respond in the best possible way with Smoking's restart evading the opposition and bouncing just inside touch, to give us good field position. Barbarians despite Marcus's & Phil's best attempts secure their own ball and spin it out to their big unit into the centre who shrugs off first Gary and then Simon but is finally stopped in his tracks when Horse mugs him with ten metres to go.

We're deep inside our twenty two and the General sees that the Barbarians are at the gate so he puts a neat chip over their heads and Bolt sets off in pursuit tearing up the touchline, the ball comes to rest around the halfway line so we expect a fly hack up the park; but what does Bolt do... he grinds to a virtual halt, looks around, gets out his SatNav, checks the directions to the line, picks up the ball and sprints the remaining forty metres to the line to score 48-10 Conversion missed.

There now apparently followed some small amount of discussion between our front row and Mr Collingwood expressing some minor safety concerns, now I thought it went "crouch, touch, pause, & engage" however, with the referee ultimately loosing his patience and opting for his own unique version of " just flipping crouch".

Soon after, this weeks real comic moment arrived courtesy of the General who takes a quick tap penalty and promptly falls over with no one near him.

He soon gets another chance ten metres out from the Barbarians line his quick pass finds Shannon who pops to hard working Bill in support, we set and recycle for John Lonie to go over for a well earned try near the posts 53-10 Chicken converts 55-10

Still Barbarians wont lie down and score another consolation try, conversion missed (perhaps they could borrow our new tee) 55-15

All change Slow on for Marcus, Dai back on, Gilbert switches to No.8, Ali G takes a breather, and Rob goes to openside, and we're down to 14 as Horse goes off too in a brief moment of confusion with Captain Slow.

Our final try another fine individual effort by debutant Simon leaving the defence for dead running in his second try from 60 metres 60-15. Coversion sails wide and that's your lot.

Final score 60-15 Final age 649.

Next up a short road trip to Bounville, though at which particular ground is to be advised.

Early days but looking good!

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:20:20 GMT

First xv
Saturday saw our first xv open their league division 3 west (south) programme with a home fixture against a very useful Old Leamingtonians team. From the start Ys were well on top in the set pieces with Painter, Grainger and Brennan controlling the line out and in the scrums Butler and Thompson put their opposite numbers under much pressure.
However, Leams fought hard at the breakdown and were tireless in defence. It was only going to be a matter of time before Ys scored and from an attack involving backs and forwards flanker Rob Willis stamped his mark on the game by scoring a try in the corner. Leams attempted to counter from all positions but the Yards defence was not yielding and from late pressure Steve Grainger proved unstoppable from 10 meters. A conversion and a penalty took the final score to 15-0. This coming saturday sees the visit of local rivals Woodrush for a league match kicking off at 3.00.

Development xv
Away from home against a strong Tamworth 2nd team, our youngsters performed well and narrowly lost 12-17. Progress can be seen by the fact that we were heavilly beaten in last season's corresponding fixture. More detail will follow when Ellwyn develops his reporting skills.

Vandals xv
How does our captain manage to recall the match details as well as carry the drinks, run the touch and even appear on the pitch as a late impact substitution?
Also, there are now so many players availablee that Mick Bloxham has been rumoured to be running a 'Hawks' or 4th team.

Saturday 11th September saw us in action at Tilehouse Lane in the long pampas grass of pitch Two against another of the five teams who took our scalp last season Kidderminster Carolians; albeit only by a point in the rain over at Marlpool Lane in a match largely remembered for starting with twelve players, having lost Sid, Cedric & Smoking on the walk out from the changing room.

One change in the front row with Mark "Dai" Baldwin making a return alongside Rick "Swing" Lowe & Shannon "Sidestep" Killarney, Bill "Gilbert" Burrows switching to No.8 with Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby having unknowingly managed to break his foot at some point in the last six months (no sense no feeling). With usual stunt skipper John Lonie full of cold, we had the larger than strife pairing of the Gouldbourn sisters Phil & Alistair in the boiler room, with Marcus "the Shark" Hope & Nick "the Assassin" Levey on the flanks. Marcus taking on the role of captaincy for the day (lots of potential there for next season!) & note how he won the toss too.

The backs marshalled by those two Welsh pit ponies Phil "the General" Evans & Gary "Smoking" Williams with Nick "the Barrel" Palmer and Barry-John "Baz" Cole filling Fitz's slippers in the centres; on the wings Phil "Horse" Watson maintaining that cunning look of a lost second row stuck out of harms way on the wing and Lee "Lethal" Coates on the other. A Vandal debut at fullback to former second team (before they all got young) skipper and more latterly professional Dubai camel racer Sean Byrne.

On the bench John "Beechams" Lonie, Ian "Nev" Neville, our only real youngster at 25 Kevin "the Bolt" Coles and bringing up the rear, the water, the first aid kit and the balls Captain Slow (yeah I know I've done that line before).

For the record and being everso slightly anal I had looked up last years side in advance and discovered that ten of us played in the corresponding fixture last season.

With Marcus winning the toss he elected to play away from the Clubhouse in the first half giving Kiddy the kick off who had turned up with the usual hefty looking side both in the forwards but probably not so wisely in the backs.

Officiating, a nice young fit ref in the shape of Ian Armitage of Old Eds and someone who Fridge had broken during our game against them last season.

In lieu of a proper warm up, unlike Kidderminster, we opted to warm up in our own left hand corner, defending our line for best part of ten minutes, with their number eight as he did last year launching himself at us time after time in the first of four scrums, three of which were on our line. However, on the fourth Rick with the help of his seven dwarfs won his first of his three against the head and we were awarded a penalty to clear our lines.

A clean take from the ensuing lineout saw the ball crisply sail through the hands of Phil, Gary, Nick & Baz & Coatesy popping up in support, to Horse and back inside to Coatesy who lit 'em up to score under the posts. 5-0

Ah yes Captain Slow had forgotten to check on a kicker in Ralph's enforced absence, Barry-John hastily gets the call and jogs back up the pitch, just as the Kiddy players are reminding the referee that we only have a minute, to nonchalantly drop goal it over for a 7-0 lead.

Kidderminster restart, great call by the General, only to get clattered by Gilbert who obviously wasn't paying attention. Scrum to Kidderminster.

Shortly after we are awarded a scrum of our own around the halfway line from which in a pre-planned move Smoking (doing things mercurial) sets off on a lateral double dummy, with Barrel & Baz fixing their opposite numbers,the flat pass goes to Coatesy who skins his opposite number to score under the posts again. Baz converts 14-0

Minutes later it's the forwards turn with a maul just outside the Kidderminster twenty two saw a short pop out the back door to Smoking standing in at scrum half (Phil off tending his flock somewhere) who feeds Captain Marcus on the burst and he drops the shoulder & bounces the Kiddy fly half in the process and gallops the twenty metres or so to score under the posts (see he also leads by example). Simple conversion for Baz 21-0 and Kidderminster are reeling by the three quick tries in succession.

But it gets worse for Kidderminster as straight from the restart the ball is caught & set and it's spun out cleanly to Coatesy to ignite the afterburners from inside our half to dot down again under the posts for his hat trick. Baz goes four for four to make it 28-0

Our next try is following a superb kick by Smoking to set us up just inside the Kidderminster twenty two. Big Phil takes great ball and the General spins it out, Smokes brings Barrel into play thundering in on the scissors like a knife through I can't believe it's not butter to score. 33-0 Conversion missed.

Shannon finds time to sneak in his now very much trademark Killarney two step from virtually a standing start, it's refreshing to see the big lads dabbling in the dark arts.

Moments later the General takes a quick penalty as we continue to increase the tempo and feeds the Horse (groan) just inside our half who in the process of handing off his winger literally lifts him off the ground to score 38-0 Conversion just goes wide.

Great possession again by our forwards sees the ball spun through the hands to Coatesy who goes over for his fourth, must've been under the posts as Baz converts 45-0

Half time 45-0 Isotonics all round, just the one change Bill comes off for a short break, Lonie comes coughing & spluttering into the second row and Ali G moves back a rank to No.8.

We kick off and the second half starts at much the same pace, Kiddy punt the ball into our twenty two and the Dubai Express makes a clean catch and sees Baz in support who in turn passes to Coatesy and the pair of them proceed to play catch at pace all the way up the sideline with the final pass going to Coatsey who goes in under the posts, his playmate Baz getting the consolation of a sixth conversion and we hit fifty 52-0.

The Kidderminster No.8 departs, also like last year, seen off by Nick after having their own blindside duel for most of the first half. Much to the delight of the Kidderminster players Coatsey shows off his six pack and comes off for a breather. On comes our proper "youngster" Kevin "the Bolt" Coles (check out the steelwork just below his neck).

Next notable piece of play is a thirty metre break between Ali G and Horse down the narrow side with some great timed passing, which is unfortunate not to result in a try when it is knocked forward with the line begging.

Not long after the restart we are awarded a scrum and the General spins right and put puts Horse free who sees Baz in support and Barry goes over for our ninth try of the afternoon. He converts his own work 59-0. Horse decides to come off, only for Coatesy to come back on, cue a collective groan from those in amber & black.

And it's not long before he's in action again as he brings it left, and the ball goes via Barrel & Baz out to Kev thirty to forty metres out, but a great show & go fixes the Kiddy fullback and Bolt sprints in at the corner and dots it under the posts. Baz Converts 66-0

Finally Kidderminster are awarded a penalty (one of only a few unlike the previous week) which they opt to get on the scoreboard 66-3

Hard working Dai comes off, the frenetic pace beginning to tell and Bill Burrows is back on at tighthead, Bill tells me he played prop in his first game at Old Yards because he "was bendy, and no one wanted to play there" how times change!

Then we see a cracking tackle by Barrel who stays on his feet and strips the ball from the Kiddy player, he must've watched those iRB clips I recommended last week.

Next up Coatesy breaks through the Kidderminster defence (makes a change from going round them I guess) and Smoking is in support to go over to cap a fine performance. 71-3 Baz now obviously bored with taking conversions tries for something more spectacular and hits the post with his first attempt.

You'd think he'd have had enough by now, but the Barrel breaks the defensive line for Lethal to score a sixth. 76-3 Conversion missed (I think by Lee himself)

Coatesy finally off for good, Slow onto the wing. Our forwards once again march the ball up field and from a lineout we run, a miss pass by Smoking straight to Bazza who sends a wide pass to Slow, who cuts back in gets stopped five or six metres out, and we set again, recycle and the ball is quickly spun right and Shark goes over for a well deserved second try in the corner 81-3 Touchline conversion missed.

Smoking comes off and Nev on for a quick cameo, long enough to get a couple of passes in before the referee decides we've all had enough and blows a few minutes early, good job as Lonie's lungs are now in his mouth and is totally unable to communicate.

Final score a staggering 81-3 Final age a respectable 653 do the math.

That was a fabulous game to watch, 13 tries in all and probably the best 80 minutes under my tenure, several of our first team players remarking that every time they looked up we were scoring. Kiddy can count themselves very unfortunate that they caught us on one of those days everything we tried came off, and am sure a warm welcome awaits us in the return fixture in December!!

Apparently one of the Kidderminster players paid us the compliment in the bar afterwards that we looked like a good first team that had "come down together", which is probably true but not all for the same Club, in fact possibly seven or eight first teams! Yards, Handsworth, Solihull, Silhillians, Rugby St Andrews, Kynoch & Porthcawl (yes that would be Dai then)

Man of the match this week for his six try haul Coatesy and assists went to Barry John, though everyone to a man if not scored assisted at some point in the game. Our wingers scored eight tries between them but virtually all originated from a set play of one form or another where those that seldom get mentioned do the unsung (and unseen) hard graft down amongst the worms.

Next week contrary to what I said another home game (thanks Tom) Birmingham Barbarians 2nds.

Slow.

Ps Lymington was in the national news today for being so posh they have followed up their decision to refuse Argos planning permission by doing the same to Weatherspoons!! Do they not know you can never have enough pubs?!

New clubhouse furniture

Just amazing! This could really increase social and cultural functions that use our impressive facilities.
Logic suggests more functions = more revenue = more improvements = more interest in the club such as playing, spectating and socialising = more revenue etc etc. Are we ambitious? or are we still in the days of 3 points for a try?

A promising start to the season but can it be a successful launching pad for greater things?

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:30:39 GMT

Minis and Juniors

Well, my faith in BBC weather reports resulted in a real soaking. Silly me I should have remembered that Shirley is not included as part of the region and that therefore the drenching was justified.
Considering it was the first week of training the levels of fitness, skill and enthusiasm were very good indeed. We do need more players in all age groups so boys get out of your beds and get to the club. You know it makes sense. A big thanks to Chris and Matt (Crouchy) for helping with the under 15 session.
Training at the club please every sunday with fixtures (training games) arranged for Sept. 26th for the under 15 and under 13 squads.

First XV

We wait for Captain Dean to complete his report on the very impressive win over an enthusiastic Worcester Wanderers 2nds. I hope that I am not tempting fate but it was a very encouraging performance.

Development xv

Captain Egg is working on his report but the team performed well against a useful Spartans 2nd team and lost to a very late try.

Vandals

For those who played the full eighty minutes, remember the car crash feeling is temporary and you now have to play every week now to avoid it happening again.

With Ashby obviously having read the Lymington match report the first Saturday of the new season saw us in the sunshine at Tilehouse Lane in a rearranged game against Old Halesonians; a game which last season saw us ship sixty points and them having a ten strong bench..how times change with them turning up initially with just fourteen. Fortunately we were able to dip into our three strong bench and loan them the NFG Martin, who in fairness tackled most things that came his way out on the wing.

Our side showing a few changes from our trip to the seaside, with Dai Baldwin unavailable (though showing up briefly just to get my hopes up) and us having to return Fridge back to the first team saw a front row of Shannon "Sidestep" Killarney (I saw at least two), Rick "Swing" Lowe at hooker and our new ball supplier Bill "eBay" Burrows playing tight, with a new partner in the second row for stunt skipper Lonie in Rupert "the Major" Young moving from his usual position in the back row. In the back row our two hard tackling flankers Nick "the Assassin" Levey & Marcus "the Shark" Hope with Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby keeping John & Rupe's bums firmly glued together.

Out in the threequarters our Welsh sounding seaside halfback pairing of the Phil "the General" Evans & Gary "Smoking" Williams, Nick "the Barrel" Palmer & Tony "Fitz" Fitzgerald in the centres with Phil "Horse" Watson & Bob's mate Cedric Farrell on the wings, and bringing up the rear Dave "Ralph" Rollins in his first and last game for a month or so at fullback. Ralph goes into hospital on Saturday to have surgery on his shoulder. We wish him well and a quick rehab.

The Halesonians side contained a considerable amount of youth in their ranks with the odd seasoned campaigner giving directions; their big second row who gave us a considerable amount of strife last season watching from the sidelines having apparently twisted his knee at a pop festival, big Phil take note of the danger here of tall people dancing.

Amazingly after thirty minutes neither side had managed to trouble the scorer but with Hales probably on top throughout the opening quarter, as we struggled to free the calcium from our bones whilst the more nimble opposition tried to go round, over and through our "experienced" and resolute defence; with lots of first up tackling from the Shark & Assassin, and similarly our good looking midfield trio of Smoking, Barrel & the Chairman knocking them over each and every time.

However, when it came to penalties conceded we were getting completely tonked, 9-3 against I made it in the first half, as both we and the referee (in his first competitive game incidentally) struggled to come to terms with the iRB's latest set of law tinkering surround the tackle. Chatting to the ref afterwards it might me worthwhile using the following link to log onto the North Mids Refs website http://northmidsrefs.com/ then on the right hand side of the page you will see a column "View latest iRB training videos" and watch videos 06,07,08 & 09 because you can bet your bottom dollar this is something we're going to have to get to grips with in the coming weeks. All credit to us we didn't let the frustration get to us (much) despite the cluster that this area of the game became. In fact I'm still not sure when, after all hands have been released, tackler and tackled player have frenziedly moved away, got showered, and changed, and we are all standing there staring at the pointy thing that we are free to use it!? How sometimes I yearn for pounds, shillings & pence, milk in glass bottles, free wheeling scrums, dummy passes, straight put ins and no gaps in the lineouts.

With Hales finally realising they were not coming through us they starting dipping into their burgeoning penalty bank and starting taking pots at goal with which they were finally successful with the third attempt and probably just about worth the lead 0-3 which I think was also a statement of lack of intent, which we seized with both hands.

With about five minutes to go before half time the mercurial (love that word) Smoking suffers a nasty cut to the cheek threating his pulling power for the week, and the referee once again applying the letter of the law sends him off for medical attention, but has to settle for a dollop of Vas off Nurse Slow. On comes newest Vandal former Solihull skipper Barry John Cole as blood replacement, BJ's dad himself a former Old Yard, apparently used to play alongside Sid, in fact I'm beginning to think most people have he's been around for so bloody long!

Within minute or two of the restart good clean possession saw it zipped through the hands of the backs to Horse taking the ball on their ten metre line and galloping through their tacklers including a despairing two footed slide tackle five metres out from their skipper (earning himself a brief talking to and a penalty from the restart) to score under the posts 5-3 Easy one for last season's top scorer Ralph to open his account 7-3.

Blood bin reversed, and within minutes we are back inside their twenty two and Cedric comes in off his wing and powerfully forces his way over close to the posts 12-3 and again Ralphy steps up to convert for a 14-3 lead.

Under the posts the boys from the Black Country are muttering like good 'uns at the sudden change in fortunes and more or less straight after manage to score a well worked try virtually on the stroke of half time to make it 14-8 but miss the conversion.

Halftime 14-8 Slow forgets the isotonics and opts for no immediate changes.

Second half and we seem firmly in control with some tight scrummaging, a couple of good trademark Vandal rolling mauls (we do this for a rest I'm not daft) and we begin to dominate in the lineouts with Rick getting his eye in and hitting Marcus now hurled up at four by Nick & John. We even start to get the odd penalty come our way one of which sees Shannon taking a short pass off the General and unleashing the increasingly trademark Killarney blarney one-two. Big Bill also the day's senior player not wishing to be outdone by his front row mate also gets some short yardage trade off Phil as we start to soften the Hales defence up a touch

Shortly after we are awarded a scrum about five metres out, from which we get the nudge on and set up a steady launch pad for big Rog to perform a controlled descent to the line, in fairness you'd have to be a forklift to keep him up from that range. 19-8 Ralph goes three for three and makes no mistake 21-8. (Note to front five: this one infinitely better than our first attempt earlier on in the game where Rog picked up we immediately stopped pushing and Rog ended up with his arse round his ears).

But Halesowen rally again to stay in the game and score 21-13 but conversion missed.

A measure of control is restored and after a storming couple of minutes of getting involved in everything ball shaped Bob's mate comes off and gets a game with the Development side, Fitz moves out onto the wing and Barry John slots into the centre alongside Barrel, but fifteen minutes in and Fitz gets hit by another sniper in the long grass and suffers a bad hamstring tear, and again wish a speedy recovery in the hands of his own "personal" physiotherapist. Captain Slow comes on to the wing.

Our final score sees the ball spun out way out wide on the right to own version of the Big Wing and Horse swats off two or three defenders to go over in the corner. Ralph's conversion goes just wide. 26-13

Final score 26-13 Final age a spritely 664.

This week's man of the match Barrel, lots of great defence and line breaks, new category of assists went to the General who whirled in Dervish fashion throughout, and also fulfilled a lifetime ambition of becoming a truck to everyone else's trailer.

Next up at Tilehouse Lane Kidderminster Carolians, a game which we were unlucky to lose by a point last season in the pouring rain over at Marlpool Lane.

A sunny September means that we have a new rugby season

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:18 GMT

Yes, it has happened again. August weather that would really suit a game of rugby is followed by september weather that cricket fans enjoy.
However, Brian has got all 3 pitches in top class condition and the clubhouse looks equally impressive so let's get on with it.

Minis and Juniors

This sunday (sept 5th) is registration day at the club between 10.00 and 10.30 followed by training. New players are warmly invited and can turn up at the club and make themselves known.
Dave (Chicken) Hansen will be absent as it is his final athletics match of the season but the under 15s will still carry on without their backs coach just for this week and we will shortly welcome two new assistant coaches in Sam and Haydn,who I have dragged screaming out of the STA academy. Thanks lads!

Seniors

After a disappointing season for our first team came a summer of soul searching as well as hard graft in training sessions. If the 15 a side tournament was anything to go by then I suspect we will be a considerable force in the league this time round.

The Development squad should be looking forward to an exciting year. In a way their results are not crucial as long as the young guys show the improvement needed to get them into the first team.

The Vandals have already shown what can be expected from them as they gave a lesson in effective rugby combined with clinical finishing (apart from goal kicking) to Hants Div 2 outfit Lymmington Mariners.

All 3 of our senior teams are playing at home on saturday (4th sept) with 3.00 kick off times. Tom Power (fixture sec, painter and decorator, referee and hot dog man) asks me to confirm the following games

First xv v Worcester Wanderers
Development xv v Spartans (midlands)
Vandals v Old Halesonians

Come and enjoy a feast of rugby football and try one of Tom's Burgers, you'll love it!

The Vandals enjoy a successful training camp in the New Forest

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:09:58 GMT

Well that was a fun weekend (unless you gave two tries away, you left your kitbag & camera behind in the pub and you had to pay for your entire room...that would be me then!).....mind I blame Bob for that last one.

Anyway the Vandals went to the seaside on their inaugural tour on a fairly rainy Saturday 21st August to play Lymington Mariners, oddly enough a side based in the picturesque seaside village of Lymington in the New Forest. (You could actually see the sea from Lonie & Gary's bridal suite apparently). Lymington a side founded only in April 2009 largely to create a local social veterans team, but following a successful first season they will now be plying their trade in the Hampshire Merit 2 league, and good luck to them.

Following a fairly torturous drive down and a lengthy leisurely lunchtime team talk at the Angel public house, involving several isotonics we discovered there was only the one taxi in Lymington today, driven by Dave (tell 'em I sent you) Parrish. So five taxi trips later, the last with Coatesy, Barrel & Slow at ten minutes to kick off we arrived at the Mariners' ground at Woodside Gardens. The after match BBQ already set up and a good crowd assembled to see the lads from Ako Green in action.

Now I have to be honest here having drunk way too much on the night, hindered mostly by the two on the bounce at Chequers I'm not certain if I can remember much about the game other than my two gaffs and trying to kill Smoking in the dying minutes.

Our starting line-up was built around the immense 60 stone front row of Shannon, Dai & Fridge, with stunt skipper Lonie & Andy K in the engine room, Rog at No.8, Nick at blindside and the youthful Steve Grainger (relatively speaking) at open.

The pack bossed as ever by the General, with the mercurial Smoking at fly half, Barrel & Rimski in the centres, Coatesy on one wing, Bob's mate Cedric on the other and Chairman Fitz sweeping up the mess at the back.

With Mariners winning the toss they surprisingly elected to play down the slope in the first half. The opening minutes were very nip and tuck with the Mariners marginally in ascendency having had a lengthy warm up, but finally we began to warm to our task and ten or so minutes in Coatesy got the opportunity to light up the afterburners setting off diagonally from the left across their midfield bouncing off would be tacklers to score over on the right. Conversion missed. 5-0 Not long after I think we saw off a couple of Mariners' more potent players both going off with knocks thanks to a lot of crash bang wallop from Nick, Rog & Steve & our good looking midfield.

Not long after that our second try followed, scored by North Mids & now local legend Fridge (see later) following good work by our forwards for a 10-0 lead. Conversion missed (Ralph where are you?). Our scrummage starts to exert lots of pressure, one sending the Mariners back at a rate of knots, all credit to hard working John & Andy having to overcome the bodily inertia in front of them.

Lymington forced their way back into the game just before half time when a fine run by their flanker saw him jink his way through a mass of bodies and score under the posts. 10-5 but it seemed like both sides had left their kicking boots at home as the conversion was surprisingly fluffed.

Half Time 10-5

Half time presented us with something new at our level the opposition changing into their away strip, must be great to have not one but two shirt sponsors....and one a curry house too! Good way to keep both sponsors happy and keep dry, but will play havoc with their laundry bill.

The break also meant we could introduce more "experience" in the shape of 59 year old Club President Sid at hooker, and our most senior player Steve Painter at 60 plus coming into the second row (twice..sorry Steve) & the Gouldbourns with Big Phil partnering Steve and kid brother Ali G going onto the flank. With Roger now keeping Shannon's berth warm at loosehead, Coach Bobo slotted in at No.8 which also meant he didn't have to shout as hard. The final change saw the introduction of surprise tour package (was to me) and Ashby leg end (and another one of Bob's mates) Kendo who took up the outside centre position, with Arnold moving out onto the wing and Cedric taking a breather.

Second half, the slope in our favour and did anyone notice that they started with fourteen?? Me neither!
A few minutes in and Barrel was very unlucky not to score following a "searing" (ok not Coatesy's definition of searing) break up up the middle reminiscent of his Twickenham days only to be brought down by a last ditch tap tackle.

Next to score, though controversially he's adamant it was in the first half, was the elegant Dave Rimmer taking a pass from the hard working Steve Grainger 15-5 Conversion missed.

Then Steve himself is rewarded with a try of his own, which Dave Rimmer converts for a 22-5 lead.

In the lineouts big Phil is starting to clean up taking ball after ball.... mind being 6-8" taller than everyone else helps!

With twenty minutes to go we put on our final reserve impact player Mark Herbert a former Rugby Welsh stalwart who'd made the long journey up with the General from a sheep farm in St Ives in Cornwall for his first outing in two years, the lengths people will go to get in this side, with Grainge taking a well earned rest.

Captain Slow (on for Coatesy's tea break) decides to add a bit of spice when playing football merely puts the ball a little closer to our line for the Mariners to score 22-10

Our final try of the afternoon was a typical Vandal downhill rolling maul, going through virtually all the sets of hands and with Bobo leading from the back the Mariners despite their best efforts were unable to halt its relentless progress to the line and it was left to the General to touch down. Conversion missed. 27-10

Right at the death a high up and under bisected the on rushing Fitz and the hapless Slow and a cruel bounce (well I would say that wouldn't I) over Slow's head went straight into the chasing young Mariners fish basket to score under the posts. 27-15. Try converted

Final score 27-17 A great game played in an excellent spirit.

Thanks to our away crowd of Dave Jenkins for making the long trek down and keeping the valuables safe.

Thanks too go to our own sponsor OASIS & Phil Watson, the new shirts looked great.

Season starts for us on the 4th September, opposition Old Halesonians at Tilehouse Lane...I wont say anymore, shouldn't need to, so PLEASE try to make yourself available.

Slow

ps when camping Barrel it is always better when you remember to bring the tent.

The way Lymington saw things!

In order to check that our own reporter is accurate, honest etc. you can read our opponents own match report by visiting their website on:

http://lymingtonmarinersrfc.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/vandals-raid-and-conquer-lymington/

A good day both on and off the pitch

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:31:00 GMT

Summer rugby camp for boys and girls

7-11 years on 23rd and 24th August
12-16 years on 26th and 27th August

RFU qualified coaching in skills and tactics of rugby.

Open to boys and girls whether you play for clubs or not.

£30 per child for the 2 days which includes an England Rugby gooddie bag.

Venue is the Old Yardleians rugby club on Tilehouse Lane in Shirley postcode B90 1PW

To book a place or for more details contact Dan Tanner on 07590 890 818
or email dantanner@theRFU.com

Report on the Moss Goode 15 a side tournament
Saturday saw the curtain raiser to the new rugby season in the form of the Moss Goode annual 15 a side tournament at the Old Yardleians ground in Tilehouse Lane. Although the pitches were in superb condition heavy showers throughout the day fully tested ball handling skills. For the 11 teams taking part it was the ideal test to see if pre-season training had been effective.
The teams were placed in groups with the resulting top sides entering the draw for the semi finals of the main competition, the shield. Some sparkling rugby played at pace and with precision saw two clear cut victories for Aston Old Edwardians by 22-0 against Kidderminster and for the Old Yards by 17-0 against Moseley Oak.
The final saw a closely fought game with Aston leading 5-0 at half time due to a well worked try but with the conversion missed. A typically powerful run from his own half by Yards winger, Andrew Pearce, led to a try by James Hendrick, converted by Ben Honey to give the hosts a 7-5 lead. However, with only seconds remaining a rucking offence saw Aston awarded a penalty which was kicked successfully to give Aston the win they just about deserved.
The consolation competitions saw Tamworth thrash Wednesbury 36-0 to win the Plate and Wolverhampton narrowly defeat Birmingham Exiles 5-0 to win the Bowl.
A big well done to the Old Yards committee and volunteers for their hard work in making the day a success both on and off the pitch.

Willing Helpers

Minis and juniors

The new season gets nearer for our young stars of the future. Sunday 5th September is registration day, whether you are already an Old Yardleian player or whether you are new to the club and/or new to the game we would like to see you (and family and friends) at the club at around 10.am with your kit as a training session would be of value. If you are aged 6 and above we would love to see you. For more details contact Shannon or Pat.

The Moss Goode memorial annual 15 a side Tournament

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:49:39 GMT

Who was Moss Goode?

Moss was an exceptionally honest and uncomplicated player for the Old Yards for many years performing in either the back row or centre. He was solid in defence and rarely gave the ball away to either team. However, as an official at both club and representative level he excelled. He carried out much sterling work and stuck to what he knew was right, and which in virtually all cases proved to be the correct course of action. Moss enjoyed the social side of rugby and was well known in many of the local rugby clubs and for these reasons the Old Yardleians annual 15 a side tournament is named in his honour.

The History of the 15 a side tournament

According to my research findings the first Old Ys tournament was held at the club in 1980, that is 30 years ago for the numerically challenged. Eight teams took part, Old Ys, Centrals, Trinity Guild, Edwardians, Old Moselians, Salts, Aston and Dixonians. The winners were lucky enough to receive a shield and two match balls! According to newspaper reports at the time, " The final between Yards and Dixies was played at a frenetic pace, and although a Dave Adams penalty decided the game for the home side both teams played good open rugby."

The winning team was, and you may need a good imagination to visualize frenetic pace, J. Littleford, B. Wood, T. Guise, D. Adams, R. Pugsley, T. Power, J. Ullah, A. Pemberton, T. Wales, H.Smith, M. Bloxham, A. Harrison, C. Watts, S. Price and, the only star still playing regularly in our Vandals xv, W. Burrows.

This Year's Tournament

We have had to limit the entry to 12 teams for logistic reasons (Baldwin-speak) and have sadly had to turn teams away. Starting at midday and with the final scheduled for approx. 4.30, a feast of rugby football is anticipated. Whether the young players of today can match the frenetic pace of messrs. Guise, Harrison and Ullah remains to be seen. Good luck to all those involved whether as players, spectators or officials. The teams taking part will be,

Ashby
Aston OE
Barbarians
Exiles
Halesonians
Kidderminster
Moseley Oak
Old Ys
Sils
Tamworth
Wednesbury
Wolverhampton

Moss Goode annual 15 a side tournament

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:57:05 GMT

15 a side tournament

The pre-season work on the training pitch having been met with the usual degree of enthusiasm, the time has now come to see the results. The annual Old Yardleians 15 a side tournament takes place this season on saturday 14 August. Teams taking part include

Old Yards
Ashby de la zouch
Aston old eds
Birmingham Barbarians
Birmingham Exiles
Kidderminster
Moseley Oak
Old Halesonians
Silhillians
Tamworth
Wednesbury
Wolverhampton

Big Al returns

If my memory serves me correctly, and it doesn't always, there was a big blond second row by the name of Big Al Harrison. He liked a beer at the Plume, a cigar and a game of rugby. Famous for the damage he caused (mainly to his own players) at the line out my playing memory is of Al catching the ball at 2 in the line out, ignoring his scrum half (Ullah), looking towards me at outside half and floating an overhead lofted pass straight at me which tended to arrive just after the back row. Cheers mate!
Anyway Al is on a holiday here from his South African home and will be happy to buy his old mates a beer at the club on Saturday 7th August. Feel free to drop in.

Training

Training for seniors takes place at the club on tuesday evenings from 7.00 and on saturdays from 2.00. Under the guidance of Gary Robinson new players are warmly invited to join us whatever your level of ability.

The Vandals (vets)

Player Manager Martyn Slow has organised a training camp in the New Forrest to be held over the weekend of August 21-23. Those wishing to attend as players or supporters should get in touch with Martyn asap.

Tips for new players

Don't train straight after a meal as it might just reappear.
Welcome to Sam, a member of staff at Aquinas who originates from the far east (Suffolk way).

League changes

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:20:08 GMT

Went to bed one night in the north but woke up next day in the south!
When the powers that be split the region into north and south we often fall into a sort of 'limbo'. We get our bearings and satnavs organised and then we get moved to another patch. Oh well it keeps life interesting.
Last season I felt that we approached our league games with a little too much confidence and that it was our right to be pushing for promotion without putting the hard work in. We knew that we had the individual talent as well as a powerful pack but we didn't always get our tactics right and as for our discipline well that cost us big style and we only narrowly escaped from the relegation zone.

So, who do we play this season? Two local games against Woodrush, who have improved a lot in recent times and Kings Norton who have tended to struggle. Over to Coventry to play the Welsh. We used to play a lot of Cov sides before the leagues split us up and it will be interesting to see if they have evolved in their style or if they have stuck to a more traditional game plan. Heading south into Warwickshire we meet Old Leams, Southam, Shipston and Newbold and we know that they will be difficult opponents as will Redditch who never make life easy for you. That leaves Upton-on Severn who I know little about other than that Rick Thorne says that its a lovely little town, and that we should travel by coach and return home with a few stops on the way.(I think we know what he means.)
Harbury become league rivals for the first time but they are of historical significance as it was the venue for our first end of season dresses and pub crawl event which has now grown considerably.
Last but not least comes Evesham who have had tremendous success and who will be a real test for us I am certain.

We must approach the coming season with a different attitude to last year. Training has started under the guidance of Gary Robinson and new players are warmly invited to join us.

Meanwhile on the weekend of 21/22 August the Vandals are going on a pre-season training camp to the New Forest culminating in a friendly against the unknown to us Lymington Mariners RFC. Details from Martyn 'Slow' Cartwright.

The annual 15 a side competition will be held at the club on Saturday 14 August with seven teams so far confirming their participation.

Don't forget that the club can be hired for functions and at a recent party it was interesting to note that the Roasted Hog defeated Luke even with help from Pricey and Shannon. Hard to believe but true!

You might think that the season's over but never say never

Fri, 28 May 2010 16:24:06 GMT

There was a warm (very warm 28c) welcome to Clwb Rygbi Betws from the deepest West Wales who called in as part of their end of season mini tour on saturday to play a friendly against a mixed Old Yards selection xv.

In an entertaining game the Ys went 12-0 up in the first half but, as we've seen before, fatigue caught up with us and our guests eventually won 26-19. Try scorers for Ys were young Tom G, even younger Big Andy P and that all-time folk hero Steve Grainger. Super Ben kicked the points.

We hope that our guests enjoyed their tour and it did appear that they found our beers and ales much to their taste. Cheers lads.

OTHER THINGS

The club keeps ticking over during the summer months so keep in touch and drop in from time to time.
The Dave Adams Quiz number 2 was entertaining for a number of reasons. Luke's team couldn't even cheat properly, Shannon won 'Last man standing' and managed to spend his winnings over the bar. What a legend, even thinking of club revenue in his moment of glory. Chris Watts, PE teacher turned gardener, won the 'Sport specific challenge' as you would expect.
On behalf of the Committee, I apologise for the lack of chairs but I don't see what is wrong with parking your bums on empty beer barrels. Sorry about the lack of lemon slices and ice but we didn't expect so many customers let alone fussy ones, chairs and ice, remember this is the Old Yards!!
It hurts to do this but well done to the winning team of Mrs J. Jenkins (Burchell Edwards), daughter Becky, Mr S. Painter (Dip F.D.), Rock Star Paul Slatts, Tom Mead (honestly !) and finally her indoors. Rumours that I talk in my sleep just might be true.
Well done all of you and a special mention for Andrew P., ex St Thomas Aquinas, very smart indeed, nice suit and tie and I know mum is proud of you even though she will tell me off. Cheers Ang.

FRIENDS OF THE OLD Ys

A surprise mention for ex-Arsenal and Scotland star Eddie Kelly for an epic stadium tour. Thanks mate and regards to Ray.
Brendan Fahy now down in Colchester sends his regards and still has a team photo above his bed (so I'm told).
Last year we had a Birkenhead touring team visit us for a friendly. Richie Beckett has informed me that he was elected as their Chairman recently. Well Richie, our chairman can play the bagpipes, wear a kilt, sing songs from the shows and build a clubhouse. So what are your targets? Good luck pal.

Friday night is quiz night!

Tue, 18 May 2010 16:10:30 GMT

QUIZ NIGHT AT THE OLD YARDS

FRIDAY 21st MAY Start 7.30pm Finish/climax 10.00pm (times are approximate)

BAR OPEN THROUGHOUT THE EVENING

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE INCLUDING A RANGE OF INTERESTING TOPICS

ADULTS £2 JUNIORS £1

A SEPARATE SPORTS KNOWLEDGE CHALLENGE FOR ASPIRING DESMONDS

TWO APPROACHES TO PARTICIPATING,

BRING YOUR OWN TEAM OF UP TO 6 PLAYERS , OR COME ALONG AND MAKE A TEAM WITH SIMILARLY DISORGANISED PEOPLE

FABULOUS PRIZES

PROCEEDS SPLIT BETWEEN CHARITY AND OYRFC MINI/JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT.

GO FOR IT. EVEN MARK BALDWIN IS BRINGING A TEAM AND HE PLAYS FRONT ROW!

A message just received from Chris Watts. He suggests that the rest of you are only playing for second place as the Watts, Wales, Simpson team are certs to reclaim their title.

Confidence hey what!

A feast of rugby on president's day

Sat, 08 May 2010 11:13:45 GMT

Development xv

Too exhausted to write a report, Egg provides news of the Development teams last game of the season which was against local friends, Kings Norton 2nds who we always welcome to our humble stadium.
Youth and with its superior speed and staying power saw the Ys victorious by 64-7. Adam, son of Gringo, Walker showed high quality finishing scoring 5 tries and I hope he didn't forget the jug! It was great to see (and hear) Craig Flemming refereeing and how much slimmer he looks compared to his days at the Ys.

Under 14s

A cold sunday morning saw our promising young lads play at the end of Birmingham Airport's Runway, i.e. The Exiles. It was the end of season President's day for the hosts and their team had a very mature look about them. However, with powerful number 8 Dan Cushing surrging through their midfield with good support from young Pricey the situation looked promising. But, just like many of our performances during the season we failed to turn good territorial advantage into points. The sheer pace of 'Academy' boys, Jordan and Tre'rail Peters led to two superb individual tries but the advantage to the hosts of having many replacements to provide fresh legs in the 2nd half eventually resulted in a home win by 20-10.

Best wishes go to our classy outside half, Jack Molloy who is also a footballer, as he lines up in the St. Thomas Aquinas (aka The Academy) squad at Villa Park on Monday, kick-off 6.15, against Solihull based Tudor Grange School in the final of The Aston Villa schools cup.Entry by programme £2. We will let you know if we win!

Vandals

Saturday May the 1st, our President's day saw us play our final game of the "regular" (just in case) season with a third fixture against Tamworth Vets/3rds. Now I arranged this fixture because excluding our obvious two early season hiccups they have been one of our toughest opponents and because I knew you would much prefer a serious workout to end the season on; the previous games ending 28-14 & 19-11 (a game barring a couple of dodgy refereeing decisions they possibly should have won).

A 142 year old front row saw a welcome return of tighthead Mark "Dai" Baldwin finally back from his volcanically extended holiday in the Caribbean, DJ Shannon at loosehead with "young" Rick "Swing" Lowe suspended in between. In the engine room it was business as usual with our most "capped" forward John "only the" Lonie & Phil "get me to the church on time" Gouldbourn providing the grunt; with a seriously young and spritely back row containing our two promising youngsters Marcus "the Shark" Hope & Rob "Barstool" Bastock both still only 37 bless, with parental guidance coming in the form of Nick "the Assassin" Levey.

For the Attendants a second outing (eventually...he made Gary's arrival look positively premature!) for Junior Williams stepping in again for Shaun the sheep at scrum half, who like Officer Burrows was on call for work, but who unlike Officer Burrows didn't come to watch! Outside him the classy limousine of a fly half that is Ian Neville and in the centres that vintage Yards pairing of Chairman Fitz & his young apprentice Gary "Fishnet" Williams, with Simon "the Time Lord" Davis a late runner coming in on the wing (he'd apparently told me he was available last week but I was too bladdered following our Moseley frockfest to remember), "Spliff" Farrell on the opposite wing and Ralphy Rollins at fullback.

Another big bench with David "Chicken" Hanson continuing his comeback after a season sadly ravaged with a serious knee injury, our sexagenarian (yes that is a real word) Steve Painter (showing that most of you still have another ten seasons left) "the Colt" Arkell, fellow camper & club coach Gary "Bobo" Robinson, Richard "Jacko" Jacks (after moonlighting first for the Development Team), Alistair Goldbourn (who now can't seem to stay away, please start your season a little earlier next time Al) and bringing up the rear, the port, the water, the first aid kit and the balls Captain Slow.

We win the toss and I opt to stay where we're standing (& not warming up) and play away from the Club hoping the smell from Sid,Tom & Pricey's BBQ will spur us on in the second half. I had a nice brand new Gilbert match ball for the occasion, stolen from the police by the police most likely, but were were unable to start with it as it unfortunately lacked some air so off I go in search of a pump.

I spoke to Graham the Tamworth captain on arrival who informed me that his side contained a couple of younger lads....a couple!.. more like their entire back division, but nothing that we haven't seen off before. As expected the opening five or so minutes were very much nip & tuck in the forwards, with perhaps us shading it in the backs with Nev bringing Simon in off the wing to make some great penetrating runs.

It is from one of these barnstorming runs that Simon burst through the Tamworth midfield to be hauled down about five metres out but makes a great pass off the deck to Fitz following in his wake to crash over for the game's first try close to the posts 5-0 Ralph strokes the conversion over for a 7-0 lead.

With our scrum solid No.8 Barstool begins his one man assault on their fringes, picking up from the base and making good yardage time after time with Nick & Marcus in close support as we begin to string good passages of play together and with Rick hitting Phil & Marcus in the lineouts the pressure begins to mount on Tamworth in the opening quarter. Twenty minutes in we are awarded a free kick, which Nev takes quickly, sells some double glazing before spinning it out to that wannabe threequarter Shannon who takes two men out before returning the pass, and Nev sidesteps the last defender to score under the posts 12-0. Ralph converts for a healthy 14-0 lead.

Understandably we probably ease off a touch allowing them to come back into the game and a fine run by their winger sees him go over mid way out right hand side, and a successful kick sees our lead cut in half 14-7. The useful outfit that they are, Tamworth come more & more into the game with some good passages of play of their own and finally manage to isolate Cedric a few metres from our line to go over wide out 14-12 conversion missed. Shortly after Cedric who had been soldiering on with a leg injury sustained earlier on in the half comes off, Chicken comes on.

14-12 Half-time & Port taken in a leisurely interval, even Trevor the ref has a snifter. Marcus & Simon take themselves off to participate in the Dads v Lads game, John & Rick just go off (sure I'm supposed to have some say in all this) Arks, Slow, Ali G & Jacko all on in that positional order.

Slow tactically withdraws from the fray with the unexpected return of the Time Lord, just in time for Tamworth to score a breakaway try to take the lead for the first time 14-17 conversion missed. No panic yet, we've been here before and Vandals don't lie down.

Then a moment of the sublime, we are awarded a penalty about ten metres out which we take quickly the ball is spun out to Nev who in a pre-planned move with Barstool runs laterally and Rob comes thundering in on the crash taking all the defence with him as Nev proceeds to sell an outrageous dummy of truly biblical proportions to glide through the young defence to score under the sticks 19-17 & class will out. Ralph again converts 21-17.

Our tireless midfield of Fitz & Smoking, marshalled by the ever vocal Hanson continue to put in the hard yards making tackle after tackle against their younger opponents Fitz making one great last ditch effort in the far corner to prevent a certain score.

Dai is now struggling with his mysterious ankle injury so Bobo suits up and becomes the season's 72nd and final Vandal. Our pack now probably being as big as it has been all season begins to reassert its' first half dominance and starts to shunt the Tamworth eight around. Rob takes a breather, Steve Painter comes on into the second row, Alistair switches to the flank, and Arks goes to eight.Slow sneaks back onto the wing long enough to make a controlled collision on one of their centres much to the delight of Chicken, and no we never had sixteen on at the same time. Simon comes off.

Our final try is a direct result from our forward domination as the big lads take it on from just inside the Tamworth 22 for a couple of phases, before Shannon breaks clear and drives for the line, capping a fine game in the loose; he is tackled just short but manages to get the pass away to Jacko in support who juggles the ball around his ears to go over next to the posts 26-17. Ralph makes no mistake making it four from four 28-17.

There is no further score as we run down the clock, a full 80 minutes work this week too.

Final score 28-17 Final age a massive 686 which I'll save you the bother is an average age 45.75!!!! And no I'm not changing all the shirts as 677 sounds infinitley more like a crack bomber squadron.

A special thanks to John, Bobo & Arks who returned from camping especially for the game (and to have a few hours peace from the wives obviously).

Thanks too, to those who voted in this season's Vandal's Vandal, but please don't vote for the captain next time as I don't count & I also have the power of veto; anyway for those not present, this prestigious new accolade went to Dave Rollins, who was an almost ever present throughout the season, playing in every Attendant's position from scrum half to fullback and being the side's (despite Coatesy's & Horse's spectacular efforts) top scorer amassing a personal points tally of 147 points. Well done Ralph.

For those with insomnia I've attached our statistics for the season, plus our fixtures for the year, but summarising that was competitive win number 18 with just the 5 losses, our final try was our 107th (an average of nearly five a game) and we remained unbeaten at Tilehouse Lane. We lost five games to the weather, and another five to a combination of opposition cry-offs, international weekends & giving work experience upwards. One final interesting statistic is that we kicked just six penalties all season, nothing to do with the quality of our two front line kickers more an indication that wherever possible we chose either to run or kick to the corners.

We can be very proud of what we have achieved this season, I said at the beginning of the season I wanted us to get on the park at least twenty times, but to win twenty times with the two inter-club games, has been a massive achievement. Thanks also to those new & old faces who came, liked what they saw & stayed along for the ride.

One serious point before I sign off for the Summer, the thorny issue of pre-season training, this will start in September but unfortunately this will probably coincide with our first fixture.....

Friends of the Yards

It was good to see Keith (Bert) Black at the club and he still looks young enough to be playing.
At the Eds Vets Bash, it was good to bump into Birmingham Barbarian (Kynoch) legend John Ross as well as the Spencer brothers.

PRESIDENT'S DAY

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:03:00 GMT

He might not be the prettiest bloke in the club and he might not be the best player we've ever had but no doubt about it Mr Steve Walter Sidwell is, by far, the best president that we have at this current time. Whatever the weather Sid warmly invites you to the club on Saturday 1st May to celebrate the conclusion of a fascinating season.

The first xv are given a deserved rest after the thrills and spills of the season. Autograph hunters should be able to find their first team favourites at the club performing a range of valuable duties. Well done lads and bring your kit just in case! The Development boys have a game against Kings Norton, kick-off at 2.00. The super stars, i.e.the Vandals,have a tricky match against Tamworth, kick-off at 3.00.

Our minis and juniors are planning a Dads v Lads special. For times and details contact your team managers or Shannon.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The club AGM took place last week and with one position yet to be finalised most roles were unchanged and a full list will be published shortly.

ANNUAL CLUB DINNER

This will be held at the club next friday with guest speaker being Ben Kay. Tickets at £40 are available from S.W. Sidwell and are selling like rock cakes (I think that means fast) so get yours asap. Non-members are warmly invited.

MATCH REPORTS

Last saturday saw the Vandals take part in the Edwardians annual tournament. In high temperatures (according to Bill Burrows) we progressed as far as the semi-finals where we slipped up to the eventual winners. However, in terms of style our lads certainly had the best dress-sense and every drop of alcohol was deserved after a great season. Well done captain/manager Martyn Cartwright and all the lads, too many to name in one go!

Priceys boys, the under 14s, had an exciting game on sunday against Birmingham Exiles. With a number of younger lads on debut end to end rugby was produced in a Yards win of approx. 44-34. Callum, son of punchy Dave Hanson, scored 3 tries, Jack Price 2 and Tyrell A-J (mini-Fridge) ran through many tacklers to score a memorable try. This coming Sunday the boys travel to the 'end of the runway' i.e. Exiles, to play them again as part of their club's Presidents Day, kick-off 12 noon.

QUIZ

At the club on Friday May 21st, max of 6 in a team, £2 per player, starts at 7.30. Rumours are that the Bloxham Lad is bringing a team so added pressure on the Gouldbournes.

FRIENDS OF THE CLUB

Best wishes to Dave Dennis (Spartans RFC), Dai Staples (Tondu RFC), Tony Mahon (OYRFC) and last but not least Ian Ferguson (OYRFC) who we bumped into at a Party held at an African Themed Garden Centre. Will Dave Jenkins pay 3 grand for a zebra?

Under 9s match reports v Bromsgrove and Bourneville

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:40:43 GMT

Old Yards under 9s v Bromsgrove under 9s B and C teams – 18 April Bromsgrove have in excess of 30 boys at under 9s level with many of their players going to Bromsgrove School with its strong rugby tradition. The Bromsgrove A team was playing away at a tournament in Sutton and Old Yards hosted their B and C teams in an ‘unofficial’ mini 3-way tournament. Overall Yards drew their first match 4-4, won their second match 7-1 and came out overall winners based on number of tries scored. The first game was an excellent game of rugby with both sides clearly demonstrating to the crowd of parents all the rugby skills they had learnt this season. There was excellent tackling from both sides, strong rucking and mauling, and some very strong running with the ball. There were stand out performances from Ben and Joe for the Old Yards who scored 2 tries each. Bromsgrove put Old Yards under excellent pressure in the dying seconds of the game and scored a try with the last play of the game to level the score. A draw was a fair result. Old Yards dominated the second game. The tackling from all the boys was the best I’ve seen all season and with the hard ground some of the boys started to pick up some scrapes. Old Yards strength in the forwards from Harry, Oli and Dan meant the Old Yards back line saw a lot of ball and Joe, Ben, Adam, Alex, Hayden and Jack all had good chances to show their running skills. Overall Old Yards were comfortable winners with tries from Ben (4), Joe (2) and Adam (1). Man-of-the-match for Old Yards was Ben for his crunching tackles, two in particular which saved certain tries, and his strong running which resulted in 6 tries in the tournament. Old Yards under 9s v Bourneville under 9s – 25 April Bourneville brought over 18 boys and they pulled together 3 teams of 8 players to play the Old Yards team 3 times. Old Yards only had a team of 8 players so by their third game of 10 minutes each way the boys were getting very tired! Overall Old Yards won 2 games, 4-1 and 2-1, and lost the final game 0-3. In the first game the Old Yards forwards retained the ball very well and Joe Marcus was able to excellently take advantage of some gaps in the Bourneville defense to score 3 very well taken tries. Oli Harnett also scored a fantastic try running 10 meters with Bourneville defenders trying to tackle him but to his surprise he found that through his strong and determined running he made it to the try line – a great try. In the second game the defenses were on top with some excellent tackling from both sides. The Old Yards tackle machines of Ben, Hayden and Jack did a great job of keeping the Bourneville defense at bay with some excellent try saving tackles. The Old Yards strong runners of Joe, Oli, Harry, Alex and Adam were also quickly tackled every time they got the ball. Bourneville had worked out that Joe was on fire and the clear danger man and they were very effective at closing him down and stopping him hit his stride. However he did brake through to score first, Bourneville then scored in return and then, after a great run from Adam, who was tackled when it looked like he was clean through, Joe was on hand to pick up the ball cleanly and score in the last second for a game winning try. I think for the final game the team were already on the beach for their summer holidays (they were also probably tired from 40 minutes of hard rugby against 2 fresh teams!) and Bourneville were keen to avenge their two defeats. Despite some strong tackling again from the whole team, Bourneville were superior in the ruck and through their possession they scored 3 very good tries. Overall a great last competitive match of the season and a very well deserved man-of- the-match award went to Joe for scoring 5 tries. Only one more Everest to climb boys – the match against the dads on Presidents’ Day!

Ys give league champions a tough test and avoid the drop.

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:38:40 GMT

Yards lose to champions but avoid relegation

On Saturday, top of the table Leek visited Tilehouse Lane, and although the home side eventually went down by 19 points to 30, for the majority of the game the sides were evenly matched, and both contributed to the making of an entertaining game, the difference being that Leek were ruthless in converting their few chances whilst the OY's allowed most of theirs to go begging.

The dry conditions suited the mobile Leek side, whose backs ran the ball at every opportunity, but generally their possession was limited by a dominant and aggressive OY's pack which has shown good form throughout the league campaign, and with Dave Rimmer back in the centre, the OY's midfield defence proved sound, to the extent that the first twenty minutes of the first half was something of a stalemate, but with the visitors enjoying the most of the territorial advantage. Best use of possession for the OY's was made by scrum half Tom Grocott with several penetrating breaks, counterattacking from set plays and from the loose.

Midway through the half, an accidental offside at a scrum from a No 8 pickup gave Leek the put in, and quick ball at last gave the visitors' free running backs the opportunity to break the OY's defence and score the first try of the match close to the posts, easily converted..

With the score at 0 – 7, OY's were immediately back on the attack, and well into the Leek half. Possession from a lineout was followed by a forward drive and a quick pass to blind side winger Andy Pearce on a crash ball took play to just short of the visitor's line. A further phase opened up a gap which saw the OY's stand off in under the posts for a converted try to put the home side back on level terms.

Ten minutes later, even with the OY's pack well on top, Leek were making best use of limited possession, again through their backs. The OY's defence was stopping the man, but not smothering the ball which was being kept alive by effective support play. Overlaps were being created, and eventually, one such overlap caught the OY's short of cover, and a break in the centre saw Leek score their second try, converted to bring the score to 7 – 14. On the stroke of half time OY's suffered a second dose of the same and a third, converted try put the visitors in command at 7 -21.

At half time, OY's rang the changes, adding the pace of Rob Willis to the back row, and the weight and experience of Gary Robinson and John Lonie to the front and second rows respectively. An immediate dividend was paid when Leek, after being pressurised to carry the ball over their own line, the five meter scrum was no contest with the Leek pack being shunted back at a rate of knots to enable No 8 Ben Honey to pick up and go in for a well deserved try. Uncharacteristically, the reliable Honey failed this time with the conversion, his attempt hitting the upright.

With the score at 12 -21, the OY's were unlucky to be penalised at the restart for obstruction, which enabled the visitors t o push the score on to 12 -24. Five minutes later a second penalty to the visitors was converted following an offside offence in midfield, caused when OY's forwards, slow to get across to a breakdown loitered in amongst the backs, and got in each other’s way.

Toward the end of the match, on 37 minutes, a dropped ball in the Leek midfield on half way was pounced on by Willis, who made good ground, committed the cover and put in a well weighted kick ahead for winger Pearce who won the race for the loose ball, collected and outpaced the remaining defence to score in the corner. From wide out, Ben Honey again made no mistake with the conversion, and the score moved to 19 – 27 to the visitors.

On full time, and again with the visitors pressing in the OY's half, once again a penalty was conceded for an offside offence. With no time remaining, Leek elected to kick for goal, and the match closed out with a final score of OY's 19 – Leek 30, the visitors taking two well earned points from the match, to be congratulated for thus consolidating their position as Midlands Three West (North) league winners while results elsewhere ensure safety for the Ys for another season.

Let's take a look at the Vandals

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:06:00 GMT

Who are the Vandals? and why are they so named? Well, I don't honestly know the answers other than that in their present format they tend to play 3rd team fixtures and vets fixtures where available. If you really (sadly) want to know the history of the name then drop into the club and for the price of a pint put the question to Dave Dixon, Kiwi or Richard Walker but leave yourself plenty of time!

This season under the guiding hand of Martyn (slow) Cartwright a fine blend of senior players, recently graduated colts and new friends from disappearing teams have put together some fine performances. The anoraks (Dave Jenkins) will probably bore you to sleep with the vets team of the mid 1990s who went through the entire season unbeaten with one match against Cannock 1sts left to play. Then comes the bit about us needing a converted try to win with one minute to play. A younger Dave Adams then scorched over for a try in the corner (not quite Lee Coates speed but fairly quick). A succesful conversion from fairly wide out would do the trick but the kicker, who will remain nameless, was narrowly wide and even though he scored over 360 points that season, the 2 missing points are still talked about.

Out with the past and on to this week. To begin with Shannon had to referee and with a touch judge on the international panel to assist, Mr Killarney was excellent although Coatsey may have disagreed on one decision. The opposition, Redditch Vets or Exiles are always very strong, skillful and a fine bunch of lads. They also always beat us. Well, as you are about to read, the trend has been reversed.

A very sunny & warm Saturday saw the Vandals in one more "last" home game at Tilehouse Lane in a pool fixture against Redditch Exiles, a side much like our own, of battle hardened older lads with the odd youngster to do the leg work and resplendent in their traditional predominantly pink strip; Fitzy in his own pink shirt blending in nicely on the touchline and causing some confusion amongst our lady viewers (of which there were many, mainly down to Ali G having his own travelling Glee Club).

With Shaun the Sheep off checking out mountain goats in the Alps it gave Dave Rollins the opportunity to play scrum half and to complete the set of threequarter positions for the season having played at fly half, centre, wing & fullback this season. Another couple of notable absentees this week being the Nousemeister John Lonie lending it to the Ones and Dai Baldwin taking a few weeks rest in the Caribbean at a friend's wedding!

And with Shannon being press-ganged into refereeing this meant an opportunity for Tim "Love Machine" Russell (check out that seriously vain tattoo) to join Rick "the Pubic Tube" Lowe (ask him) & Bill "the Enforcer" Burrows in the front row. A new partner in the boiler room then for Phil "Shooter" Gouldbourn in the shape of Chris Rhodes, and a back row of Rupert "the Major" Young, Marcus "the Shark" Hope and Robert "Barstool" Bastock (got that little gem off his Solihull player profile, and apparently he is also prone to saying "I'm too old for this"....aren't we all).

Outside Ralph lurked outside half Ian "Bambi" Neville, centres Gary "Smoking" Williams and a debut for Ashley Johnson (someone in our side still young enough to train), with the human Exocet that is Coatesy & Ellwyn "Egg" Male on the wings, and Mike "the Scythe" Neary cleaning up the mess at the back.

Now there has been much discussion within the Western Hemisphere nations that the All Blacks Haka gives the New Zealanders a psychological advantage over their opponents so it is understandable that the Redditch boys' pre-match rendition of the Hokey Cokey gave them a similar advantage, as within ten minutes of our kicking off we were ten points down. This being down to some soft tackling on their large unit playing in the centre who bludgeoned his way through forwards and backs alike on numerous occasions in the first quarter (that is until he finally reached Mike who despite not being the tallest member of the side showed how it's done and felled him like a great Redwood)

But for those who are interested, Redditch opt to change ends and Vandals get to kick off. Redditch take it to us from the start, using their big inside centre to good effect. Within five minutes they are awarded a lineout just inside our ten metre and from it their fly half makes a clean break through our defence and spins it out to his winger in support who goes over wide out. 0-5 conversion missed.

Not long after an optimistic kick ahead by the Exiles fly half remains tantalisingly just inside touch and a yard or two out from our line Egg scrambles back but is outnumbered two to one and gets turned over and Redditch flop over for their second try 0-10 conversion again missed.

Slow is pacing the touchline like an expectant father, but we've been here before. And Gradually our scrum begins to exert more and more pressure on their counterparts and the Pube Tube gets the first of his three against the head in the first half; Ralph spins the ball out to Nev, and then to Smokes whose excellent timed flat pass sees Ash break through the Redditch defence to find Coatesy in space & support and he lights them up to score our first. 5-10 Conversion narrowly missed. Lee's number 11 shirt torn to shreds in the process goes off to intensive care as a result (my other half says she can rebuild it but it will never look quite the same).

Minutes later the try that never was when Coatesy, following some great passing through the hands of the Attendants ran best part of half the pitch to "score" under the posts, only to be hauled back to the half way line for us to be given a scrum following an earlier infringement (that's code for Barstool having some post-op fun & games). Anyway Shannon obviously using one of those new fangled Southern Hemisphere ELV's opted for Law 19 Section 9 Para 32 Sub-section B Point 6.......Q (no I didn't know this one either) "Try there or scrum back here"...so scrum to us ...which whilst technically proved Barstool's innocence did nothing for Coatsey's mood!!! But we must remember, especially our first team, that the ref is the sole judge of fact. In other words, he's right even when he's wrong!

Still we are just about warmed up now and starting to play some good rugby but it isn't until about 30 minutes in that Coatesy takes another excellent flat pass on the Redditch ten metre and has simply too much gas for the Redditch cover defence and scorches in under the posts to make it easy for Ralph. 12-10 and normal service if a little late is resumed.

Barstool now seems like he's taking it to their fly half at every other scrum with the Shark ever present in his wake, as our back row also start to dominate. Our lineout with Rhodesy, the Major & Shooter are snaffling most things Rick can throw (occasionally straight) at them and disrupting the Redditch on their throw in.

Half time 12-10 and just about worth it, lots of fluids on board, and lots of words spoken by all.Captain Slow rings a few changes, partly to bring some younger legs on (of which we had several pairs and would, given the conditions have been foolish not to), so Jake Curtis on for Nev, Yards & Ashby leg-end Sean Kenwrick on for Smokes, Ash moving out to take Egg's wing and Laurence Edwards filling the outside centre's berth. In the pack the Pube Tube comes off and on comes Greg "Swiss-Army knife" Allen at hooker.

Not long after the resumption good ball secured by the forwards sees it flow quickly through the hands of Jake, Sean & Laurence to once more set Lee free to score his hat trick and our 100th try of the season, Ralph again converts 19-10.

Shortly after it's Ash's turn as he goes on a tackle breaking run to score under the posts, Ralph converts 26-10 and it seems like we're beginning to run away with it, as Redditch start to struggle with the pace of our free-running backs.

Ten minutes in and Barstool nursing a shoulder comes off and Gouldbourn the younger comes in at number 8, no weight loss there then!

But Redditch aren't quite finished and following a lineout inside our twenty two a series of drives sees them awarded a scrum five metres out and from it their hard working No.8 goes over finally eluding our hard working back row. 26-15. The kicking boots again left at home, but only a couple of scores in it.

Within minutes however Coatesy goes over for his fourth and again Ralph converts for a now seemingly unassailable 33-15 lead, and with that Lee retires to bask in the sunshine and to show off his washboard to the ladies and living legend Dave "Chicken" Hanson makes a welcome return to action and slots in on the wing to test out his wooden knee in preparation for Old Eds on the 24th. Ands it's not long before he gets his opportunity when he demonstrates what a good mauler he is also by stripping the ball from a Redditich player and setting off on a run. Now normally Chicken would jink his way through, but opting for safety first he opted to outflank the defence before taking a leisurely turn round the corner to straighten it up.

Shortly after following a collapsed scrum the Love Machine comes off and the versatile Rick comes back on at tighthead for the remainder of the game.

Next a moment of speed & guile, well ok offside; Redditch are awarded a scrum just on their twenty two which they managed to hold and the scrum half whips the ball out to their young number ten who kicks for touch but who doesn't see the Major hurtling towards him, who in fairness must have set off from home late on Friday evening to get there, waving them big arms of his, and clipping the ball with one of them and sending it ricocheting towards the line in the left hand corner. There was then some expletive as he made contact realising he would now have to keep running, but unluckily for Rupe a combination of their right wing & fullback managed to scramble the ball out in the corner, and we were unlucky not to have been awarded the ensuing lineout from which Redditch managed to clear the immediate danger. This Rupe tells me, was only his third charge down in his playing career (and I thought I was OCD).

The Major his bolt now well and truly shot also comes off also showing signs of a tough game up front and Slow comes into the back row and immediately gets a couple of chances to stop their big centre in his tracks (being a former centre in another life it would have been rude not to), and Sean was getting bored doing it anyway.

Right I've had this discussion before about the final play scenario, in some games like Aston Old Eds we opt to run & score, in others like Warley we tamely punt it out and retire to the bar. Anyway Shannon calls "last play" and yet there is still time enough for us to give away another penalty!! As they have nothing to lose they run it but we manage to turn them over in our twenty two, Ralph takes the ball from the base and sets off towards the near touchline. Now Redditch obviously anticipating him to do the International thing not the Vandals thing and they stop running expecting him to put the ball out, but Ralph rounds the corner sees the gap between the touchline and their winger, who is now thinking of which shampoo to use, and sets off at not some considerable speed towards their try line but very quickly realising his rashness given the distance he still has to travel so he cuts inside looking for support without realising that most of us are still standing watching admiringly back on the twenty two. Luckily, though for Ralph he found young Ash in support who evades the despairing defence to score. 38-15 Ralph now obviously knackered misses the conversion and my nice new match ball is lost in the following pitch invasion.

Final score 38-15, final age ridiculously low due to the "youngsters" bringing down the average.

Usual round up of facts & figures for those still awake, this was our 17th competitive win of the season, our sixth on the bounce and we finish unbeaten at home. Lee's four tries brings him up to 22, staggeringly in only 9 games but the Vandals' top scorer remains Ralphy on 139 points with him also being the first to reach 20 competitive appearances, his wife must be so pleased. Our final try was our 103rd for the season not bad given an average age of 40-45 a game. No kickable penalties this week, in fact no penalties at all, or free-kicks apparently, so can we please ensure we buy Shannon more beer in future.

Captain Slow

A special mention about Greg, what a great bloke, plays any position on the field, and is equally lacking in ability in all of them (only joking mate).

Strength in depth!

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:55:22 GMT

Old Yardleians v Bishops Castle

Yards dig deep for victory

On a weekend traditionally reserved for Easter tours, the Y’s were informed that the league match against Bishops Castle that had been postponed due to snow earlier in the season would have to be played this weekend. With a number of regular first-teamers unavailable, the club’s depth of playing talent was going to be seriously tested. A combination of youth from the Development squad and experience from the Vandals XV were selected for a tough encounter against opponents from the Welsh Borders. Heavy rain meant a muddy pitch and running rugby was not the order of the day. Although the Y’s were in control for much of the first half, scoring opportunities were few and far between and with referee Mr Kelly following the letter of the law half time arrived with no points on the board.

The second half saw Yards putting the visitors under pressure in the scrums with captain for the day, Anthony Thompson, leading from the front and with Mike Brennan and Andy Killarney winning most lineout ball, it was only a matter of time before the first score came. A powerful run from winger Andrew Pearce saw him brush aside four defenders to dive over the line but Mr Kelly had spotted a marginally forward pass earlier in the move and cancelled the score. With the speed of Pearce and Walker in the midfield causing real concern to the opposition, sustained pressure eventually led to the first and only try of the match scored by Walker and converted by full back Dave Rollins. Two further penalties one by Walker and the other by Rollins made the game safe with a 13-0 scoreline.

The selectors face a difficult decision for next week’s league visit to Handsworth where a victory would end any threat of relegation. Will they stick to a winning team or will they recall the first team tourists? Watch this space!

447797803744;Ok ta;1;6

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

test

Dates for your diaries (or personal organizers)

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:30:47 GMT

Friday 2nd April
Tour to Germany commences and includes Fridge's stag week (there's still time mate!)

Friday 23rd April
AGM at the club around 7.30. It's our club so lets support it.

Saturday 24th April
Vets tournament at The Eds. It would be good to retain The Balti Bowl trophy. Remember best frocks for after and don't forget a small bag for your purses and any other essentials.

Saturday 1st May
President's Day at the club with something for everyone. Exact times and details to follow soon.

Friday 7th May
Annual dinner and presentation night at the club. Guest speaker is England world cup winner and Leicester 2nd row star Ben Kay, apparently an articulate second row, so unusual that it should not be missed. Tickets at £40 from the committee.

Saturday 8th May
'Big Boot' competition for seniors (over 16). This is open to all-comers, soccer lads, chancers etc. who think they can kick penalties, drop goals and can kick the ball a good distance. There are cash prizes for winners. Further details from Tom Power 07851 641 267

Also, the minis and juniors end of season presentation evening at the club. Aimed at the under 14s and under 16s there will be a disco/karaoke etc.. Parents can attend if they are not embarrasing! and if any of our lads feel brave enough they can bring girlfriends (or even boyfriends)

Sunday 9th May
'Big Boot' competition for youngsters (under 16). Substantial cash prizes, this is open to non-Yardleians as well as club players. Again details from Tom Power 07851 641 267

Friday 21st May
A general knowledge QUIZ at the club starting at 7.30 with teams of 6 max. £2 per person with lovely prizes for the winners. Bring your friends to make up a team or just turn up and form a team on the night. You don't have to be clever. The questions are easy. It's just the answers that can be a problem. Quizmasters, as before, Dave Adams and Ellwyn Male.

FRIENDS OF THE OLD YARDS

Every now and again, people ask for a mention on this highly popular site. As long as they remember that we can't always fit you all in then we'll do our best (at a cost!). So, greetings to ;
Mick Ward    (Cloonfad rfc in co. Galway, Ireland)
Pat Groark, Paul Byrne    (Erdington rfc dec. the club not the guys)
Pat Tarpee           (currently at Aston Old Eds)
Rick Thorne       (old Yards, Old Griffs etc.)
Brett Packer   (Old Yards)
Alan Burgess    (Kings Norton rfc)

Nice to hear from you lads, keep in touch.

Some good news, some not quite so good.

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:22:39 GMT

My order of match summaries is slightly different this week, mainly to keep our readers on their toes, which is something that our first team boys should try as , in my humble opinion, we lost against Burntwood not through lack of ability or lack of effort but more as a result of not thinking on our feet. More later.

Under 16s
played Camp Hill and were narrowly beaten in a competitive game by 21-26. A special mention to Dave O'Grady (although Egg thinks its O'Brady) who has graduated into our development side. Dave is a highly committed young lad with a number of yellow cards to his name already. Good luck Dave and remember to let your rugby ability do the talking!

Under 14s
played at Kings Norton and won in style by 31-10. This team has shown great potential but without the success they probably deserve. Well, Pricey and Chicken you now qualify for a drink and Sid has promised to buy them! A special mention to new player, second row and line-out star, Ejiroo Orhorhoro. Another product of the STA Academy who is also a quality musician, welcome to the club.

Under 12s

also played at Kings Norton and won convincingly. It was interesting to see ex Old Yards second row Nigel 'Gringo' Walker coaching the young lads and to see them play an open running game remembering Nigel's views on running rugby. How refreshing!

Vandals
With the skipper away at skegness for a spring break the report comes from front row enforcer, Mark. The fixture this week being potentially very difficult against local rivals Woodrush 2nds. We got off to a bad start before the game had begun. Despite Captain Slow giving us all tasks to make sure we had a team, equipment and organisation, over excited at being selected in the back row for the first time in weeks, Roger Lazenby forgot to bring the medical kit and balls. This meant no first aid stuff for our weary bodies.

Having arrived at Woodrush their seconds were already warming up. With Woodrush having an average age of eighteen it looked like a game of bulk against speed. Stand in Captain John Lonie lead his brave men onto the field. In the front row regular props Shannon and Dai were joined by James Woodcock, a young Sils hooker, making his debut for the Vandals. In the second row John was joined by Phil Gouldbourn who continues his impressive season. To match the Woodrush youngsters we had a fast back row of Rob Bastock, Marcus “The Shark” Hope and Roger Lazenby. Phil “The General” Evans marshalled the pack from nine and outside him was Ian Neville. Smoking was joined in the centre by Ed McDonald after a late withdrawal by the Barrel. On the wings we had Kevin Coles making his debut and Tom “Pickle” Mead. The ever reliable Dave Rollins was at fullback. On the bench we had the speed of Arkell backed up by front rowers Billy Bucknall and Rick Lowe.

From the kick off the Vandals took control taking the ball on and dominating the set pieces. The Woodrush scrum was driven back all game by a dominant Vandals eight. In the lineouts Phil Goldbourn won all of our own throws while The Shark pinched nearly all of the Woodrush throw ins. Then a bad five minutes for the Vandals saw two Woodrush scores. Firstly Smoking gave away a kickable penalty for going into a ruck from the side. He was confused as the ref (in his Woodrush shorts) was letting the home players do this from the start but then penalised Smoking. Woodrush kicked the penalty. 0-3. Almost straight from the kickoff Woodrush scored a try. A Woodrush scum on the Vandals twenty-two was being driven back when the ball popped out to their number ten. He cut inside, passed our chasing back row, to score. The conversion was added. 0-10. Our younger prop Dai had seen enough. He went over to Nev and Ralph and very politely explained how they needed to keep the ball near our big old pack or Woodrush would run riot. They did this and for the next ten minutes it was all Vandals. Our forwards took control of a loose ball just inside our half and then with short punchy drives, rolling mauls and good inter play they took the ball 50 metres up field. Eventually Shannon broke free, fed the ball inside to James Woodcock who went over to the left of the posts with four defenders on him. Ralph missed the conversion. 5-10. With two minutes of the half left the forwards had another 50 metre trundle that resulted in a clever kick by Nev ahead of winger Kev Coles. He outpaced the Woodrush winger, kicked on and dived on the ball to score. Ralph again missed the kick. Half Time 10-10.

Feeling the pace and finding no real challenge in the scrums Dai left the field and Billy “Grainger’s Mentor” Bucknall took to the field for the second half. Nev also had to leave the field to replace one of his eyes. We were allowed an eye-bin replacement as speedster Rick Lowe went on the wing for two minutes (and still paid £3 match subs for those minutes). The second half saw Woodrush score two quick tries. Firstly Pickle failed to deal with a deep kick and the Woodrush winger dispossessed him before racing in to score. Then a clever cross-kick lead to a score for the Woodrush centre that was converted. 10-22. The Vandals team were in trouble. The ref in his Woodrush shorts was penalising them for anything he could while the home side got away with murder. The usual discipline of our boys meant we were also being marched back ten yards on number occasions. At this point we needed a leader to pull our boys together. Captain John Lonie decided to substitute himself. I’m sure there is a phrase somewhere out leaving a sinking ship?

New Captain Arkell joined the game. The Vandals team got together and decided they were going to play good, hard Old Yardleian rugby to change their fortunes. Things started to improve. The Vandals forwards started taking the ball on again like they did towards the end of the first half. Big holes were made in the Woodrush defence as we worked our way up the field. As the pack got into the Woodrush twenty two The General went left and found Shannon on the wing. He received the ball, cut inside two players and crossed the try line. Being a prop in a try scoring position he got confused. He tried to beat another player and just ran straight over the dead ball line. A score missed. Still the Vandals continued to press and then got within 1 metre of the Woodrush line. The defenders infringed and the ref signalled penalty advantage. Roger went over to score but the ref disallowed it and gave Woodrush a penalty??? The Vandals were still determined and within minutes they were pressing again. More forward drives took us to within 10 metres of the try line. The ball went right through the backs’ hands and Pickle scored in the corner. Despite two easy misses earlier Ralph redeemed himself by converting from the corner. 17-22. There were now fifteen minutes to go and the Vandals again attacked. The movement broke down and having received verbal’s from his opposite number all game, Rob Bastock introduced him to his elbow. The ref saw it and raised the yellow card. Rob, glad for the rest, took his punishment. Even a man down we continued to dominate with many players enjoying themselves. Arkell kept driving forward swatting off defenders like flies. Shannon was using his famous dummy and Woodrush fell for it every time. This lead to another Vandals score when after another forward trundle Ralph received the ball in space. He sprinted forward drawing in defenders before launching a long pass to Kev Coles on the wing who cut inside to complete his brace of tries. Ralph converted. 24-22. After thirteen minutes in the bin??? Rob was allowed to return to the game for the last two minutes. Intent on making the game safe the Vandals went on the attack again. As well as forward drives centres Smoking and Ed McDonald both made ground making runs. Eventually The General was stopped inches from the line. Our big pack somehow got there and recycled the ball. Nev was in the scrum half position. He took the ball and went to pass the ball out. Instead he gave an outrageous dummy and flopped over the line. Normal service resumed and Ralph missed the kick. 29-22. From the kick off the Vandals secured the ball and put it out to touch followed by the referee signalling the end of the game.

Man of the match The Shark for destroying the Woodrush lineout, tackling the fast young kids all day while still having the energy to take the ball on during the numerous Vandal drives.

Development XV

Ellwyn, the fine young skipper of our rapidly improving team, has stepped into the dark world of match reporting and his epic piece of journalism will follow shortly. Yet again all roads from Warwickshire were closed at the weekend and boundary patrols increased as Alcester were due to travel the many miles to Tilehouse Lane but were held at passport control and had to turn back. Fortunately, Birmingham Wyvern stepped in at short notice to give us a game. They tend to play a direct and confrontational type of game and usually provide a stern test for our lower sides. Well. this is how the captain saw the game!

With some pride to restore after being defeated by an unusually strong Wyvern side earlier in the season, the Development XV emerged victorious from a particularly bad tempered encounter.
Yards opened the scoring early on when Ashley Johnson, making his debut for the club, went on what was to be a typically strong and skillful run, scything through the Wyvern defence to unselfishly feed Guy Smith who then had little work to do to score. Captain Ellwyn Male, taking over kicking duties in the absence of a recognised kicker, missed the resulting conversion. Yards were on the offensive again a short time later Stuart Adams seized upon a mistake from the Wyvern backs. With the opposition dropping the ball, the confident young centre showed great footballing abilities with a couple of perfectly weighted touches to take the ball just short of the Wyvern tryline, where the ball bounced kindly into his hands leaving Adams to simply dive over. Male made no mistake with this conversion, the ball creeping inside the near post.
Wyvern responded with a try of their own after putting pressure on the home team's line. Having worked the phases well and drawn some excellent defence from Yards, the visitors decided to send the ball out wide, where a great step from the try scorer wrong-footed the otherwise excellent Phil Williams. With the following conversion attempt successful, the scoreline was narrowed to 12-7, where it stayed until the second half. However, the remaining ten minutes of the half were far from uneventful. Not long after the restart flanker Dan Green, celebrating his 18th birthday, was sin-binned for a needless trip on an opponent in full view of the referee. Wyvern took the initiative and following a poor pass from wing Male to full-back Dave Simpson made their one man advantage count by heaping significant pressure on the Old Yardleians' tryline. Initially forcing two try saving tackles from the Old Yards scramble defence, the visiting team spent the remainder of the first half on their opponent's five metre line. With the forwards being marshalled brilliantly by the second row partnership of Chris Rhodes and Dave Langley, Wyvern could not convert this pressure into points, however. Old Yards defended bravely, hooker Greg Allen taking a scrum against the head following quick thinking from Guy Smith to ground a loose ball, preventing a score. Regaining possession following an infringement from Wyvern, Yards' stand-in fly-half Jake Curtis did not hesitate in kicking the ball to touch, ending the first half.
Old Yardleians made a number of changes at half time, with Matt Spence replacing the hard grafting Ollie Wickens in the back row, another new recruit Laurence Edwards slotting in at outside centre in the place of Stuart Adams while John Bosworth made way for Dave O'Brady, making only his second senior start, on the left wing. Lee Cupples would also replace Dan Green five minutes later when the ten minute sin bin was over.
From the restart, Wyvern continued from where they had left off in the second half and attacked well. Once again, however, the visitors were toothless and Old Yards repelled every attack, grabbing the opportunity to work their way up the field after an overly weighted kick resulted in a 22 drop out. A penalty awarded 35 metres out from the Wyvern tryline provided a platform for a series of attacks in the visitor's 22. Eventually Yards achieved what their opponents could not and turned territory and possession into points. Centre Ashley Johnson went on yet another powerful and deft run, leaving a series of defenders in his wake on the way to scoring a magnificent individual try. With Male stroking over the conversion with ease, Yards were left in a commanding position twelve points up with less than twenty minutes remaining.

However, Wyvern were not out of this game and applied the pressure again with a smartly taken restart kicked short to the backs on the right with the forwards lined up on the left. Retrieving their own kick they came forward, forcing great tackles from the replacement backs, Edwards and O'Brady, who were aware of the danger amd quick to react. Wyvern had taken note of the overlaps they were creating out wide and started to provide their backs with ball. Another fantastic step inside from a Wyvern back brought a superb tackle from loosehead prop Troy Batters, who although wrong footed somehow managed to dive across and get hold of the attacker's ankle, who had created plenty of space for himself and looked certain to score. Wyvern soon reeled Old Yards in again when the home defence was caught napping, scoring a simple try underneath the posts. The conversion was no problem and game was open again.

Soon after the restart, hooker Allen was forced off injured and was replaced by Dan Green in an uncontested scrum. Eager to put the game beyond doubt Old Yards attacked immediately from the restart. O'Brady ran two great lines from deep on Curtis' inside shoulder, gaining significant ground each time. Edwards followed suit with a similarly powerful run. Yards continued to threaten the Wyvern tryline, with battering ram Dave Langley making a particularly strong charge through the visitor's defence. With barely a minute left Dave Hanson, returning from a lengthy lay off through injury came onto the wing, O'Brady moving into the pack in place of the departing Tim Russell. Old Yardleians were awarded a scrum in front of the Wyvern posts, and the ball was quickly shipped out wide to Hanson who used his fantastic pace to score in the corner. Following the difficult conversion attempt from the touchline, which had the distance but not the accuracy, the final whistle was blown with the result standing at 24 points to 14 in favour of the Old Yardleians' Second Team.
This was a well deserved victory for a young side who played as a team refused to be bullied by larger oppostion, and also excelled both in defence and attack. Man of the Match was awarded to Ashley Johnson for his powerful runs, which earnt him a try and set up Guy Smith's score. Special mentions go to Phil Williams for some typically solid tackling and Stuart Adams for smart thinking both in attack and defence.

First XV

Result: OY's 13 – Burntwood 23

OY's missed out on an opportunity to reverse an earlier league defeat to Saturday's visitors Burntwood mainly due to uncharacteristic defensive lapses and crucial failures to capitalise on points scoring opportunities.

After two minutes, early mistakes and loose play gave Burntwood a position on the OY's 22, from which the Burntwood stand off took off on an elusive run and assisted by non existent defence, scored a good try wide out to give the visitors an early 0 – 5 lead. From this point, the home side struggled to get their act together in the face of a well organised pack and lively backs, and continued to concede possession by ball carriers becoming isolated and territory by conceding soft penalties.

At 20 minutes, with the game more even as the OY's came back at the visitors with a more solid performance up front, and domination in the lineout, stand off Ben Honey was able to make inroads into Burntwood territory through shrewd tactical kicking from hand, well supported by the chasing backs, however two minutes later, the OY's lineout was penalised for a technical offence, and with the posts in range, the Burntwood kicker made no mistake. Further points were added to the visitor's total when the OY's, in possession and clearing a Burntwood attack from under the posts, conceded a further penalty, seemingly for retaliation following a late tackle. The resultant kick took the score to 0 – 11.

Approaching half time, the home side was now beginning to dominate both in terms of possession and territory; the scrum was taking regular ball against the head, and the lineout solid, and the resulting pressure was eventually rewarded with a penalty to OY's, converted by Ben Honey.

After the restart, with the score at 3- 11, the OY's were well on top, and the visitors under pressure to keep out successive attacks through the backs, well supported by the pack, so that momentum was maintained. Within minutes, play was on the visitor's line, and an efficient forward drive saw lock forward Mickey Brennan break away to drive over for a well deserved try wide out, converted by Ben Honey. The visitors were now in a match, and hanging on just in front with the score at 10 -11. Further pressure presented the OY's with another kickable penalty on the Burntwood 22 for not releasing, which enabled the resurgent OY's to take a deserved lead for the first time in the match at 13 – 11.

Now in command of the match, the OY's were playing the in the visitor's half, and twice positions were gained close to the Burntwood line with the OY's to throw in to the lineout, which they were dominating, but, inexplicably, instead of throwing short to a recognised jumper, an thus guaranteeing possession and a drive for the line, the ball was thrown long, overlong, into the hands of a grateful Burntwood standoff who twice cleared the ball downfield, and twice the opportunity to close out the match was lost.

Into the final quarter of the match, the OY's pack after dominating in the set pieces up to this point, began to run out of gas, and could not secure their own ball without a struggle. Eventually, ball was lost against the head on half way, and a quick feed saw the Burntwood stand off again set off on a mazy run, brushing aside more poor defence to eventually cross over in the corner for his second and unconverted try to bring the score to 13 – 16 after 26 minutes. With the home side now under the hammer, the game was wrapped up twelve minutes later following a second, converted try when ball was secured following broken play, and the visitors swept through now ragged defence to close out the match 13 – 23 to Burntwood

This defeat was a disappointment for the OY's who, despite a bad start against competent opposition, showed good character and determination in coming right back into the match and taking and holding the lead, but then allowed poor tactical decisions to squander real chances to build significantly on that advantage.

Wednesbury experience a taste of Honey!

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:19:15 GMT

First Team Match Report

Opposition: Wednesbury (Home) Result: OY's 37 – Wednesbury 6

20th March 2010

Having gone down 25 – 5 away in the first meeting between the two sides in the league this season, OY's emphasised their recent return to form by reversing that result with a resounding and stylish 37 – 6 victory at home against mid table Wednesbury.

From the kick off, the OY's established and held significant territorial advantage, and this pattern was maintained for the majority of the game. However tight defence on the part of both teams denied any scoring opportunities until 21 minutes of the first half had elapsed when Ben Honey maintained his impeccable form with the boot by putting OY's ahead with a well taken penalty given for offside. After 25 minutes, Wednesbury finally made inroads into the OY's half, to draw level with a penalty awarded for not moving away after the tackle. Encouraged, the visitors continued to attack, mainly using their inside centre on the crash ball, but this tactic, which was to be used continually throughout the match, generally came to nothing due to solid 1st line defence on the part of Ben Honey and Dave Rimmer, with Mark Banyard effective off the back row.

Back in the Wednesbury half from a quickly taken free kick, the visitors were penalised for hands in the ruck, and OY's took the lead to 6 -3. On 40 minutes, aggressive scrummaging by the front row, and in particular prop A. Foy took ball against the head, a quick feed saw inside centre D Rimmer held up on the visitors line. The resulting scrum to OY's was no contest, and a pushover try credited to Steve Grainger converted by Ben Honey took the half time score to 13 -3 to the OY's

The second half began with the home side on the attack, but five minutes in, cheap penalties enabled the visitors to gain a position in the OY'S 22, from which a further penalty for diving in was awarded under the posts to Wednesbury to bring the score to 13 - 6. Seven minutes later, and attacking in the visitor's half, a good missed move in the backs enabled Adam Walker, in space to put in a well weighted kick ahead. Mark Banyard, in support, secured the ball to get the line going forward again for Steve Grainger in midfield to draw the defence and put Andy Pearce in to touch down near the posts for a converted try, stretching the OY's lead to 20 – 6.

By now well on top, and again playing the game in the Wednesbury half, pressure on the visitors fullback forced a misdirected kick which Joe Patrick turned into attack, making good ground and feeding S Grainger who took the ball to ground for the visitors to concede a penalty under their posts.

With the score at 23 -6 to the OY's, the home side were playing well in all departments, with the lineout and scrum safe, always threatening the visitors' set plays, and good possession enabling the backs to play an expansive game, with plenty of ball reaching the wings.

With half an hour gone, Captain Steve Grainger was taken off with an ankle injury, and Mick Brennan moved to the back row enabling Andy Killarney on as replacement, additionally, Luke Harris took over duties at hooker.

Five minutes later, with the OY's backs running ball at every opportunity, outside centre Joe Patrick, who was having a good match, was held up on the line after making a good break midway out on the left. Quick scrum ball to Ben Honey was fed back inside to winger Andy Pearce coming in at pace, who with men to beat battered his way over under the posts for his second try of the match. The conversion, now a formality for Ben Honey, brought the score to 30 – 6 to the OY's

With the match drawing to a close, and the visitors in possession and in attack on the OY's 22, once again strong defence forced an error which enabled scrum half Lee Purdey to pounce on a loose ball and break through the Wednesbury line, which was flat and moving forward. After committing what was left of the defence, a well timed pass was put to fullback Jim Hendricks in support, who had no trouble in outpacing the chasing opposition over the fifty meters or so between him and the line. Again, Ben Honey made no mistake with the conversion to bring the final score to OY's 37, Wednesbury 6.

This was a good result for the OY's and reflected the performance of a side playing to their potential with confidence, capitalising on chances in all areas, and effectively closing down the efforts of dogged opposition who, despite the score kept going to the end.

The captain of the Development team is still putting together his match report but I gather that they lost narrowly at Old Salts.

Our Vandals(3rds) were, yet again, left without a match due to the Salts crying off at the last moment. However, super fixture sec. Tom Power managed to get a game against a team who had the same problem as ourselves and we are grateful for Evesham coming to play us at such short notice. Let's see what the captain has to say.

Well our last scheduled home game at Tilehouse Lane saw us in a hastily rearranged fixture against Evesham, Old Saltleians having repeated their November exploits of crying off AGAIN at the last minute; perhaps Mark's conspiracy theory of people actually reading what I write does have a bearing when the end of the week comes around (we know a song about that don't we?)

Well from having four front row players on Friday morning to having none by the afternoon, due to call ups and cry-offs Big Roger again "volunteered" at loosehead alongside Bill Burrows who against medical advice (what do they know anyway?) returned to the side at tighthead (and who has since admitted "grazing in the front row is more fun than I remember"). Then after contacting more old hookers than live in Cheddar Road all without success I turned to the former North Midlands hooking legend that is Steve Sidwell who at 58 really should know better. I'm gonna paraphrase the next twelve hours' selection machinations, but very "unexpectedly" Dai Baldwin became "available" again at Saturday lunchtime (note the judicious use of speech marks here) and the pair agree to job share at hooker.

With Dick & Dom aka John Lonie & Phil Gouldbourn forming the second row partnership for the tenth time this season (John being our most capped forward on sixteen appearances incidentally) and a guy I can't praise I highly enough for his on-field nouse & leadership of our Eight. In the back row our two master tacklers Nick Levey & Marcus Hope with a first Vandals appearance for the former Solihull No.8 Rob Bastock oddly enough at No.8.

With Shaun the Sheep directing operations at scrum half; the guy has his own flock you know and will entertain all conversations mint sauce & ewe's bits if you ask him. Bet he's been glued to the Beeb's recent live lambing shows, remember to wash your hands after shaking his mind. Ian Neville returning to fly half having found being on the wing boring, with Gary Williams & Lee Coates forming our attack minded midfield. The back three remaining unchanged from last week with Cedric Farrell & Phil Watson on the wings and Ralph Rollins at fullback.

Big bench this week (good job too as it turned out) with the Colt Arkell, Alistair Gouldbourn, Matt "Crouchy" Spence, Sid, Captain Slow, and a bit of youth for the backs in Sam Richards, possibly our youngest player of the season at 17.

Now Evesham are a club on the up, their Firsts unbeaten and top of Midlands 4 West (South), and having just made it into the last eight of the National Junior Vase, even their third string are second in their local merit table (wonderful thing the interweb) but I really didn't anticipate the size of the side that faced us on Saturday with some truly hefty lads out there. How often do you see six & a half footers at prop at our level, even if he was a Pole with little or no rugby experience! Their No.5 the size of Warley's lump but with the difference that this one could run and knew what he was doing. With a strong running second row playing at fly half, obviously too bloody small to get in his own boiler room and a largely young set of backs outside him they looked a very handy side.

Thanks to Tom Power for adjudicating, good referees are hard to come by these days, in fact any referees are hard to come by these days.

Was chatting to their young winger as the sides lined up, who'd swiftly noticed that we lined up a "second row" against him, "oh no I said, he really is a winger, you'll see in a bit"....oh how they laughed.

Anyway we kicked off and Cedric wearing his brand new shorts lasted all of three minutes, in fact he probably spent more time changing into them on the touchline than he did on the park, limping off with a leg injury following a tackle and on comes Sam Richards in his highlighter yellow go faster boots for his Vandals debut.

The first five or ten minutes was a bruising affair, with Evesham endlessly hurling their big units at Nick & Marcus, but technically the Hitman & Assassin were just in the right places at the right time making tackle after tackle (the benefits of being fitter than most really showing).

But eventually after about ten minutes the ball was finally spun out wide to Horse on the wing and he promptly ran round the aforementioned young lad giving him the big hand leaving him flat on his face to score under the posts for our first try (told you so). Ralph converts 7-0

The forwards continue to secure good ball and a very similar straight forward set of hands sees Horse gallop in for his second try leaving his hapless opposite number thinking he was in for a long old afternoon; though think he did get close enough to get clattered this time. And then followed much advice from his mates under the posts on how he should stop the behemoth! Ralph continuing in his rich vein of kicking form (yes Lee I know they're all putting them under the posts for him) converts for a 14-0 lead.

Evesham's first try was a bit of of our own making with Lee getting ambitious on the halfway line and taking on not one, not two but three defenders as he tried threading his way though, in the car crash that followed Evesham managed to creatively punt the ball up field winning the race to score but our scramble defence does enough to keep them wide enough out for the kicker to miss the conversion 14-5

Then medium sized Phil (remember we are blessed with three) despite struggling with a touch of cramp goes over out wide for his jug earning hat trick following crisp ball through the hands of Nev, Smoking & Coatesy. Ralph doesn't get this one but we are looking well worth our 19-5 lead. It's a Clash of the Titans still up front with the Apostles Rob, Rog, Bill, Phil, Mark & John giving it large to their opposite numbers in the short yardage exchanges.

A few minutes pass and a high kick fielded expertly by Gouldbourn Snr is passed to Ralph who takes both ball and a BUPA membership, Evesham recycle and whip the ball away to score their second, which is converted 19-12. They're not done yet and press for an equaliser, but there are no further scores.

Halftime 19-12 Dai goes off Sid goes on. Nev has already got got his beanie & coat on by the time he comes to the huddle (but Slow politely points out we'd used up our replacement back) and he goes off to get undressed again. And it appears Bill has seen off his big Eastern European mate.

On we go then for second half playing towards where the beer is, and Horse obviously in the mood decides that three isn't enough and goes and scores his fourth shortly after 24-0 Conversion missed. Slow rings a couple of changes first on comes the Icon Arkell replacing Nick on the flank, followed not long after by Crouchy on for Marcus, our starting flankers both having tackled themselves to a standstill. Next Shannon comes on having sped back from a North Mids meeting at Stourbridge to slot in at loosehead with Rog moving into steerage and Rob coming off for a well earned rest.

Our top try scorer Coatesy obviously now feeling threatened by Horse's exploits decides enough is enough and decides he's not going to pass to him anymore and sets about scoring a quick fire individual brace ghosting round/though/past (delete as appropriate) defenders and leaving them for dead, with Ralph converting the second for an unassailable 36-12 lead. Alistair Gouldbourn on to join big brother in the engine room and John comes off, our pack getting larger by the minute until Big Phil comes off complaining about a pain in his backside??!! Captain on deck, and Arks moves into the second row. Tom also goes off to be replaced by Mark with the whistle for the final quarter.

Now our final score I saw lying down (resting obviously, these cameos really taking it out of me) despite lots of pressure by our forwards in front of their posts Evesham manage to punt the ball directly out from behind their line I watch the ball travel over my head only to see it seemingly instantaneously returning in the opposite direction and bisecting the uprights, it having landed in Ralph's hands who decided to score our season's first drop goal.

Final score 39-12 Final age 621

Man of the match Phil Watson for his four try haul and his unprompted buying of the beer afterwards.

Up Saturday at home are local neighbours Woodrush 2nds, I myself will be on the Cruise Liner Island Escape sailing to Las Palmas Gran Canaria investigating possible future tour locations all around the Canaries & Morocco....the things I do for you lot.

No Vandals game Easter Saturday 3rd April.

Thanks too to Ralph and his photographic memory in the writing of this report.

One final thing our young winger Sam chipped a bone in his foot playing the round ball game on Sunday (remember when we used to play two games a weekend) they just don't make boots like they used to, especially bright yellow ones! We wish him a speedy recovery.

Sunday Morning

For once the weather was on our side and the under 16 boys made the trip to Stratford. Academy star Daniel Cushing informs me that it was a good and closely fought game and that we narrowly lost 12-15. I must mention that Dan actually played roundball for the academy (St. Thomas Aquinas for those without such knowledge) and came off the bench to play target man up front. Dan didn't quite score but worked hard in a 3-0 win over Colmers Farm. Also, well played Jack Molloy in the same game.

The under 8s entertained Edwardians in what Shannon describes as a very open and high scoring match. He lost count of the score but informs me that everyone scored a lot of tries.

As I live close enough to the Eds to walk there, I decided to take the car around to Streetsbrook road to watch a fascinating 3 way contest between the under 14 teams of Yards, Eds and Bees. I am not exactly certain of the scores as I was distracted by much friendly conversation and also by Chicken's non-stop vocal encouragement and tactical advice. Bolstered by county squad players Ben and Reece from the Academy the Ys played a lot of good attacking rugby but with less emphasis on defence. Our first game was against the Eds then we combined with the Bees to beat the Eds and then we should have played the Bees but the bar was open. Good weather, good fun, enjoyable rugby and, as usual, good hospitality from the hosts.
A special thanks to the Price boys, Steve and Paul' without whom, there would be no teams.

No predictions this week as Shannon says that I'm becoming too good. Just to say that if Arsenal don't beat The Blues then I will be sicker than a parrot, even sicker than a colt on tour!

The calm before the storm??

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:11:55 GMT

Without a league match this week the first team up against opposition from a league higher than ourselves, Spartans from the fringes of Sutton, came unstuck by 7-25. However, all will be forgotten if we beat Wednesbury in our home league match this coming saturday.
The Development team played a Claverdon team made up of a considerable number of their first team. We lost by 7-29 with our try coming from Phil Williams our back row powerhouse.
The Vandals kept the flag flying with another stunning victory.

Vandals Report

This Saturday saw us at Tilehouse Lane in a rearranged fixture (mind that depends which Club's fixture list you look at) against the boys from the Black Country in the form of Warley 2nds. A side who had previously deemed we were too strong for them in early October but who by now it appears were on a bit of an unbeaten run of ten games, and now fancying their chances; and it showed as they'd turned up in good order and proceeded to warm up for best part of 40 minutes doing the usual assortment of fancy passing drills and warm-ups so fashionable these days. We also get a nice early opportunity to see their fairly immense young twenty stoner in the second row.

We on the other hand warmed up in our usual manner by staying in the changing room for as long as possible, not that it's any bloody warmer in the Scandinavian open plan changing room we get to use when all three sides are at home...perhaps a log burner in order??
Our referee today that Old Yards leg-end Darren Collingwood refereeing in his first senior game, and how many times have I heard it remarked around the Club "poacher turned gamekeeper"? His dad looked proud anyway.
One new Vandal in the starting line-up in Dave "Red Dwarf" Rimmer at outside centre, starting his First Team rehabilitation and hoping that it will last the remaining five Vandals games (yes that's all folks) just in time for the defence of our Balti Bowl at Old Eds on the 24th April (PLEASE ALL NOTE THIS DATE) when he too will be 35......old and therefore eligible. Dave replacing Simon "the Time Lord" Davis who's mobile and TARDIS must have malfunctioned (even though those wise old Sages at selection told me he wouldn't turn up). Dave partnering Nick "the Barrel" Palmer in yet another centre combination, Nick having received the all clear from the clinic. Last week's half back pairing Phil "the General" Evans & Gary "Smoking" Williams staying unchanged with a new back three in Phil "Horse" Watson, Cedric Farrell and Dave "Ralph" Rollins returning to his more accustomed role as last man standing.

Our pack showing two changes from last week both in the front row, with the return of Rick "Cheekbone" Lowe at tighthead and Richard "Jacko" Jacks continuing his comeback at hooker, which meant Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby moving back into the glory boys of the back row alongside Nick "the assassin" Levey and Rupert "the Major" Young. The Dick & Doms of our side in John Lonie & Phil Goldbourn again providing the grunt in the engine room, and last but by no means least the rock upon which our scrum is built and the General's new short yardage go-to man Shannon Killarney.

A large bench this week, with Ian Neville returning to action after his late Christmas present from Camps, and simply returning big Phil's little brother Alistair Goldbourn. Captain Slow again having the luxury of being eighteenth man. Good also to see Bill "Armchair" Burrows who whilst on the touchline simply couldn't be persuaded to put his kit on.

No Idea if we won the toss or not as I left that up to my stunt double John.

Anyway Warley kick off and from it we secure good ball get a nice maul going before the General feeds Smokes who immediately brings Horse into the action with a nice inside pop unfortunately the ball is not taken cleanly, Darren plays good advantage to Warley and they make no mistake capitalising on the turnover and spin the ball out wide going through several pairs of hands to score in the corner with about two minutes on the clock. 0-5, touchline conversion missed. Not the best of starts and some sniggers in the Warley camp already thinking this was going to be win number eleven, oh how wrong they were after being confronted with perhaps one of the best halves of joined up rugby we've played all season!

From the restart comes the first trundle by their big unit, trundle being the operative word, but knowing where he was going all the same in aiming for our fly half, but Gaz was having none of it and down he goes like a sack of potatoes. Can't remember who said it but similarities drawn with Master Blaster of Mad Max 3 fame.

Our equalising try wasn't long in coming, the forwards consolidating possession just inside the Warley twenty two the ball spun out to Ralphy who "scrambled" (his words) past two defenders; now I have a feeling the General said we had two or three men available, so it was a good job he got over. Ralph converts for 7-5 lead.

Warley undaunted by our swift reply get things going again and from a scrum spin the ball across the park but Ralph has glanced into his crystal balls anticipating the pass and comes into the line taking the interception on our ten metre line and legs it in under the posts to score. Nice easy conversion.

Ralph 14 Warley 5

Despite the Warley put-ins beginning to resemble those of Hull KR, their scrum is beginning to creak at the seams under the pressure from our eight, with Jacko going fishing and taking several balls against the head, or else we simply drive 'em off it. It's a similar story in the lineouts with the Major causing all manner of chaos at two on their throw in and big Phil as usual cleaning up at four.

Finally someone else gets on the score sheet when Nick the Younger, barrels his way through the Warley defence, but gets held up just short, but the General is in support to take the pass and go over. Ralph goes 3 for 3 for a 21-5 lead.

Our next try is by a man called Horse, who if at first you don't succeed, holds onto Smoke's inside pass just inside the Warley ten metre line and bludgeons his way through the cover defence brushing off would be tacklers to score. Ralph now well and truly in the zone converts 28-5

With the Warley line under pressure they try to clear but our rush defence is in their faces and their kick is charged down by Rimski who collects and goes over for our fifth unanswered try. Ralph converts for a perfect five from five.

Half time 35-5 and one of their replacements remarking that they'd just been taught a rugby lesson.

The game already lost, Warley with nothing to lose come out all guns blazing and spend the first five minutes of the half camped on our line, but our defence is resolute repelling attack after attack, with us finally turning the ball over and kicking to touch, the defensive efforts of our forwards matching the attacking first half exploits of our backs with Roger, Shan, & Nick the Elder all to the fore.

Ten minutes in Dom Lonie goes off and on rumbles Ali G for his first game of the season, packing down with big brother.

However, Warley do manage to notch up three second half tries, one of them converted, as we lose a bit of defensive shape allowing young legs to get in behind us, their best player and fullback notching up a hat trick. In between these Horse gets his second, the ball being spun out to him wide on the wing, breaking tackle after tackle, but getting stopped a yard or two short (he is human after all) he gets some help from his friends who drive him forward enough for his immense reach to ground the ball 40-22. This kick proves a little too far out for Ralph.

Phil goes off and on comes Nev for the remainder of the game staying out of trouble on the wing, and Slow has a last few minutes on the flank as Nick the Elder goes off. Whistle goes shortly after.

Final score 40-22 Final age 651 (those two infants in our midfield bringing the age down)

Man of the match Ralph for a great individual performance and a twenty point haul including a perfect first half five for five.

There were a couple of RFU non approved training camps at the weekend. We await Mark's report from Dublin with interest.

Meanwhile, I was lucky enough to play a part in the Bristol squad session led by the very knowledgeable Stephen C Painter (Dip F. D.) Steve knew useful things such as Daniel Defoe writing 'Robinson Crusue' in a pub that we were visiting and Steve was only a colt at the time!and that Gary Glitter was tried in the courthouse opposite our hotel. For my sins I was trapped in the lift with 10 fascinating (very loud) members of a hen party, including 3 generations of the bride's family. Grandma, just in case you read this, yes you are still very attractive, even though you come from Erdington and yes I did know what that 'object' sticking out of your hat was supposed to be. Memories hey what! Jan Ullah reports that Weston was nice. Get off at the right station next time and don't fall asleep.
Predictions for this weekend, wins for France, Ireland and Wales and in round ball, Arsenal to win again as they march towards the double. With last week's predictions being 100% correct, watch this space!

Sunday morning games

Under 16 v Stratford (away)
Under 14 v Eds (away)
Under 8 v Eds (home)

Under 9s and Under 12s check with your team managers.

Pictures of the U12s v Walsall on 7th March

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Brian's pitches would never get this bad, he looks too much like Nick Easter!

See the entire 2009-2010 album here.

Or, see the Walsall game pictures below;

A Crucial Win At Bloxwich!

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:32 GMT

First Team Match Report

Opposition: Bloxwich (Away) Result: Bloxwich 5 - OY's 28

6th March 2010

On Saturday, OY's bounced back in convincing style from last weeks disappointing performance against Newcastle (Staffs) with four tries and an improved performance away against a hard and uncompromising Bloxwich side whose forward power gave the OY's problems throughout the match.

The home side's rugged approach to the game was evidenced after six minutes of the first half when a Bloxwich second row forward was yellow carded for over vigorous use of the knee, and with the advantage of numbers, the OY's began to dominate, and enjoy quality possession. Telling breaks were made by Lee Purdey and Mick Brennan, well supported by Steve Grainger. Stand off Ben Honey made good use of quick ball, with the back division well organised to take advantage of some well directed tactical kicking to turn and pressurise the opposition.

After 13 minutes, from a scrum 30 meters out, Lee Purdey took advantage of a poorly defended blind side to make the break, commit the full back and put Adam Walker in for the first try, to be converted by Ben Honey.

Two minutes later, again from good scrum possession on the half way line, Ben Honey worked a short inside pass to left winger Andy Pearce who took the ball at full speed and was through. Again, with only the full back to beat, the pass was well timed to Steve Grainger in support, who made no mistake with a try under the posts, converted by Ben Honey.

Despite now coming under pressure in the tight, sufficient quality ball was being won to pose Bloxwich severe problems, but a golden opportunity to go further ahead was wasted following an aggressive break and drive by Phil Painter into the Bloxwich 22, when the ball was taken back into traffic instead to being fed out to winger Adam Walker, in position unmarked and with the line at his mercy.

Following the break, Bloxwich were right back in the match through their forwards, with the OY's generally outgunned in the tight, struggling to maintain their own lineout possession due to some wayward throwing in, and being driven back in the loose through some well organised forward drives. Although this gave the home side some useable possession, their attacks with the ball in hand were well stifled by solid first line defence up fast with additional harassment being provided by the back row.

On 23 minutes, from possession won on half way, Ben Honey mounted an attack through the backs with fullback Jim Hendricks coming into the line as a decoy runner. Inside centre D Brain's perfect looped pass missed the two players outside him, to be collected by right winger Adam Walker who, this time with men to beat, did so and went over in the corner for his second try. Ben Honey converted well from wide out to bring the score to Bloxwich 0 - OY's 21.

Two minutes later, a midfield break by Steve Grainger was turned over due to lack of support, and to counter, Bloxwich elected to kick ahead, but a misdirected effort went straight to left winger Andy Pearce, who took on the cover from 50 meters out to score a spectacular try in the corner. Ben Honey, who by now couldn’t miss if he tried, made no mistake with the conversion.

On 27 minutes, second row Phil Painter, still nursing a neck injury, gave way to Dave Langley and hard working hooker Billy Bucknall was replaced by Luke Harris. Shortly afterwards fullback J Hendricks, a little out of touch this week, was replaced by A Walker moving from the wing, with his position being filled on the right by the promising Sam Richards

Although Bloxwich continued to dominate the tight, and were still on top in the loose, the OY's were beginning to steal their lineout ball through the efforts of M Brennan, and this, together with very sharp defence stifling any attacks, the home side allowed frustration to creep into their game, to the extent that their Stand off earned himself a red card, for allegedly making a crudely disparaging remark regarding the referee's eyesight.

Five minutes before the end of the match, a second certain try went begging when Steve Grainger, again quickly up in defence, charged down an attempted kick over the top, to find the ball at his feet, and the line at his mercy. An attempt to control the rolling ball and hack it over the line with the feet failed miserably with the ball squirting tamely into touch, underlining the wisdom of his decision to pursue rugby, rather than the round ball game.

Despite the scoreline, and their reduced numbers, Bloxwich were not going to go down without a fight, and to their credit, their forwards continued to batter the OY's up front, taking play to the OY's line. Second row Dave Langley was yellow carded for failing to move away after a tackle, and consequently the OY's, now weakened up front, were unable to contain a determined set scrum drive with the Bloxwich No 8 picking up to score a deserved try in the corner.

With the conversion failing, the match ended with a score of OY's 28 – Bloxwich 5, which was a fair reflection of the OY's dominance in open play despite being under, but coping with, significant pressure up front. The side played to their potential, created good chances and took them well, and can be satisfied with the result, which could have been even more emphatic but for the two missed chances.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, our Development team waited for Aston Old Eds and waited and waited and eventually practised some moves and then retired to the bar.

Vandals v Ason Old Eds

The over 45s aka the Vandals travelled across town to Sunnyside Avenue and played against Aston. The captain's report follows. I think that he does himself a lack of justice both as team manager/captain and as a reporter. There have also been glimpses of rugby playing ability according to rumours.

Our eighteenth competitive game (yes it really has been that many) took us over to Aston Old Edwardian's Sunnybank Avenue ground on Saturday with a pitch in parts that amazingly given the recent wet weather resembled a beach volleyball court.

Having had all manner of problems regarding our front row this week. My original plan for Rog to play tighthead (for the princely sum of a can of Coke & two fingers of fudge for the kids) myself to hook (uncontested obviously) with Shannon playing loose was luckily averted when Ed's third string cried off late having forgotten to ring each other or some such maladministration freeing up John Terry wannabe Greg Allen to dash over to hook.

The back five comprising John & Phil in the boiler room for the eighth time this season and a new back row combination of Nick "the Assassin" Levey & Marcus "the Hit Man" Hope, both living up to their nicknames covering lots of yards and making loads of tackles all afternoon, with "the Major" Rupert Young at No.8.

The General as always providing the link with the attendants, with Gary "Smoking" Williams directing traffic at fly half after a few weeks out and Chairman Fitz at inside centre returning after his gunshot wound, alongside the Exocet Coatesy.

In the back three a welcome first outing for Simon "the Time Lord" Davis on the wing who thought he'd like to treat himself to a game for his 44th birthday, with Ralph (only scrum half to go now) joining him on the opposite wing and Mike "Nearly" Neary as last man standing.

Captain Slow loses the toss and Aston unsurprisingly elect to play up the dune in the first half.

Having had a ten day lay off the first ten or so minutes was a bit of a touchy feely affair with neither side really making any big sand castles, with a lot of cunning international tactics being employed, and the ball being hoofed up hill and down dune.

An interesting match up at 9 saw the General up against a lad young enough to be his love child and not old enough to shave, but Phil showed him that a good oldun can still show a good youngun a thing or two leaving him (and our support) standing on a couple of occasions setting off on several of his now trademark mazy breaks.

Unfortunately, after 12 minutes (very precise he was there) of his comeback Chairman Fitz was again a victim of the sniper on the grassy ok sandy knoll coming off with a pulled calf and Captain Slow comes onto the wing indecently early with Simon moving into centre.

The deadlock was finally broken just after the twenty minute mark when a loose ball in Aston's midfield and just inside their half saw Coatesy pounce and kick ahead collecting the ball from his laces and gassing the defence to score midway out for Ralph to convert for a just about deserved 7-0 lead.

We were unlucky not to increase our lead when Rog rumbled over from short range only to have it disallowed by the ref (in his first game incidentally) after claiming Roger had made contact with him on his way to the line!?

With the Major jumping at two and Big Phil dominating in the middle, our lineout was taking most things aerial in no small part thanks to Greg's throwing in and either snaffling or disrupting anything on Aston's own throw. Similarly our scrummage was more than a match for the Aston eight with increasingly good quality ball following, with both Smokes & Lee making lots of breaks and Simon's baseball bat to Lee's rapier approach breaking all but a few first up tackles.

With about five minutes to half time, we were awarded a penalty about twenty metres out which General Evans takes quickly spinning it to Shannon in support who in turn puts "Nearly" in at the corner for a 12-0 lead. Conversion just missed.

Half Time 12-0

In the opening minutes of the second half our forwards began to exert more and more control and Aston begin to hinder their own cause by breaking their own players; first their young openside with concussion and then their second row with ribs and so are forced to bring on their colossus the aptly named Big Mick who makes Rog look positively anorexic, and who spends most of his time killing the ball by toppling over it. Their play also begins to become increasingly predictable with their fly half opting to kick more often than not, which are all swept up by our back three (don't worry I'll come to mine later).

About ten minutes in sees our forwards camped just short of Aston's line and following a series of short range drives it sees Nick just stopped short but manages to get the pass away to Ralph who shows how it should be done going over wide out. 17-0 Ralph just fails to convert his own work. But we are now well in control.

Then one of those great bits of skill in a game that stays in the mind, the ball was spun out to Simon who appeared to bend the laws of time and space holding the ball it seemed for an eternity completely fixing their defence before releasing the ball to Ralph and we make more valuable yards.

Shortly after another great series of passes sees the ball fly through the hands of the backs to Mike coming in on the overlap to score his second try in the corner. Ralph's conversion is just short. 22-0

With about fifteen minutes to go John opts to collect his slippers and on comes the Colt Arkell, having delayed his appearance by five minutes so as to have another fag.

Another free flowing move in the threequarters sees Slow trying to catch Coatsey's miss pass in his mouth with the try line begging rather than using the bars of soap I was born with, and yes it bloody hurt both my mouth and my pride. I did take the referee to task in the bar afterwards as he had given a knock on and a scrum against us when quite clearly I was trying to outwit the covering defender with an unorthodox but quite legal method of propelling the ball forward, in fact through the tears I noticed the ball ended up going out a few metres from the line and I'm sure we'd have scored from the lineout. Even those mercurial players Gregor Townsend, David Campese and Stuart Barnes had their moments where a piece of brilliant and intuitive piece of skill had come to nought.

Anyway shortly after to make up for it and having seen Mike do it earlier I try to be clever in calling a mark only to see the ball cannon into space off my manly chest for another scrum to Aston. Now can you see why I want to retire!!!

Obviously with the recent controversies in the international game, with only seconds remaining and referee calling last play you can either hoof the ball backwards into touch or execute some daring slight of hand to win the game.....and we opt for the latter (though I would have settled for 22-0). The forwards secure good ball and Phil spins it out to Gary, and onto Simon who pops it back inside to Ralph coming off the wing on the inside and moving like an express train through the gain line, he draws the last defender and pops it to Coatsey who lights 'em up to score (our 80th try of the season) under the posts. Ralph converts.

Final score 29-0 Final age 635

Finally, some stats highest number of Vandals appearances and highest personal points tally is still Ralph with 16 and 98 points respectively, with Coatesy doing it the hard way in second with sixteen tries and 80 points, and he asks that we all start scoring wider out to make it a little more competitive.

Simon was our 59th player of the season with 13 players having now played ten or more times. This was our 13th competitive victory excluding Shannon's Vandals Actuals v Possibles and our Boxing Day lesson in mauling for the under 30's, with just the five losses two of which were by two or less points.

This coming saturday sees a break from league action. There are 3 home games, the first team play Harborne, the Devs host Claverdon 1st xv and the Vandals entertain Claverdon 2nds. All games kick off at 2.15 pm and admission is free.

Best wishes to the senior members on their mini-tour to Bristol under the leadership of Mr Stephen C Painter(Dip F D).

And finally, my prediction for this weekend's 6 nations matches. I predict wins for, Ireland and France and a draw between Scotland and England, and in the round ball code, Arsenal to win again as they make their move on the road to winning the Premiership.

Not much going on, weakened first team lose again.

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:18:27 GMT

Well, what can we say? Even our excellent 1st team reporter is fed up and took a week out of the press box and having seen the boys struggle against a very ordinary Newcastle side I don't blame him. The one really excellent performance came from Ben Honey with his all round game containing powerful surges from the back-row as well as quality goalkicking. With half the team opting for Twickers I guess it was going to be a struggle, so boys, get it sorted as I honestly believe we are too good for the drop. Anyway, the trip was futile as not much could be seen of anything positive from the England boys.

Jumping ahead to sunday, the under 16s played at home to a very slick Old Covents outfit. Although we played well enough in spells we did lose our concentration which cost us the game. However, forwards coach Phil Cushing took us back in time to his days as a Selly Oak player. The memory of the Allotment Owners Club and that waft of dubious substances, arm wrestling with Pixie and drinking with 'stringer' was fascinating. Nice one Phil, don't give up!

The Quiz. What an epic battle. From the very first round on the bible, Josh, son-in-law to be of Dave Jenkins, came into his own (so to speak). The next round on the subject of beer was more to the liking of Alan Simpson. Steve Painter, surrouded by women, clearly lost his concentration and couldn't tell his Timmy Taylors from his Tetleys! The Goldournes clearly have clever partners and the same must apply to Tex Wales. It was good of Dave Jenkins to turn up and bring his extended family. Thanks also to Egg for his support and to Mike Hughes for running the bar. The sporting blockbuster needed a tie-break and the Goldbournes won the day. The main quiz also needed a tie-break. Steve's babes (is my missus really a babe?) were beaten in the extra time by the seniors aka Watts and Wales. Thanks to all, even Chicken's mob from Acocks Green. A tricky question (not), Name the river that runs through Sidmouth. (the clue is in the question) and it ain't the Tamar or the Ex.

This Saturday sees the First team visit Bloxwich in a 'must win' game. The Devs host Aston 3rds and the Vandals travel across town to take on Aston 4ths.
Well done to Steve Price's son, Jack, who represented Greater Birmingham last weekend.

Vets/Vandals shine under KN lights

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:59:36 GMT

The senior(old) boys had a floodlit friendly against Kings Norton Vets on wednesday evening. As part of our development policy we gave KN some of our rising stars and it turned out a good thing that we did. Well played Tom, Adam and Purdy boys. The OYs tries came from Billy Bucknall, Big Steve Cunningham and 2 from the elusive running of Lee Coates, steady Ralph adding a conversion.

This saturday sees the first team at home to Newcastle(staffs) in a rearranged league game which is to be refereed by the always excellent Mr Jones of the North Mids Society. The Development side travel the short distance to play Kings Norton 2s.

Don't forget the Quiz on Thursday 4th March at 7.30. You don't have to be clever you just have to be there!

Greetings to another friend of the club, John Heggie once of Keresley where he had the dubious pleasure of playing alongside Dave Adams. John has fond memories of the Old Ys and his wife, Lesley also sends us a message but it might be best to save it for later!

All O Ys games off today(Sat 20th)

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:50:42 GMT

The weather wins again but the club will be open for mature conversation. Chat about the good old days, plot the future or just have a drink and await the outcome.

Don't forget the quiz on March 4th, even forwards can have a go although, to be honest, one would expect the backs to have that winning touch. You can bring friends, neighbours etc. if you wish as long as they are happy to part with their cash.

Next Saturday looks likely tto be a rearranged league match v Newcastle(Staffs) at home.

Yards 1sts dominate possession but not the scoreboard

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:55:16 GMT

Opposition: Veseyans (Away) Result: Veseyans 27 - OY's 12

13th Feb 2010

In this return match away to Veseyans at Streetly, the pattern of the game more or less matched that of the previous meeting between the two sides at Tilehouse Lane, when OY's dictated the set pieces, enjoying a majority of possession, whilst Veseyans showed a distinct edge in attacking threequarter play and support, both sides being well matched in loose play. In the event, the home sides attacking flair, taking advantage of positions gained from easy ball too often gifted to them by casual kicking from hand, was the difference between the two sides.

From kick off, with the OY's playing down the hill, Veseyans applied early pressure and spent most of the first twenty minutes or so in the OY's half. Despite this territory, OY's defence was sound, with the backs and the covering back row looking solid. OY's were winning most of the set piece possession, driving the home side off their scrum ball at regular intervals. However the OY's could not move the ball into the Veseyans half, and ball kicked away was usually carried straight back.

After 25 minutes, OY's were unlucky to lose one of their principal ball carriers; lock Phil Painter, to a neck injury, and the pack was reshuffled to accommodate P Butler in the front row. With the OY's scrum now even more formidable, advantage was taken on 40 minutes when the Veseyans, having conceded a scrum close to their own line, were rammed back on the put in and over their line. An attempt to kill the ball with a hand in the scrum gave the referee no option but to award a penalty try, and with Jamie Walton adding the conversion the half closed at 7 – 0 to the OY's. This was one of very few scoring chances in the half for the visitors, and it was unfortunate a few minutes earlier that a golden opportunity arising once again from solid scrummaging was missed when a scoring pass to Adam Walker in the clear on the blindside wing failed due to mistiming.

Turning round, up the slope, the restart saw the visitors immediately under pressure, and the type of move previously dealt with by the OY's defence was allowed to develop through poor first line tackling and give the home side an unconverted try after two minutes.

Veseyans now began all out attack with the ball, or without the ball to pressure the OY's possession to force errors, or kicks away from hand, which were collected and developed into further attacks. The OY's were again forced to defend, with B Honey, S Grainger, J Patrick and J Walton putting in some effective work. Spoiling tactics led to the game becoming scrappy, but inevitably, a second try, on the cards for some time, was scored after 12 minutes following a break through the centre to put the home side into the lead at 12 – 7

At 18 minutes, second row D Langley, who had played soundly throughout, gave way to A Purdey to inject additional pace into the back row, and to stifle the Veseyans backs.

On 22 minutes, and winning rare ball on their put in, a Veseyans No 8 pickup resulted in the OY's being penalised for killing the ball in the tackle and conceding a further three points.

The score moved on to 22 – 7 after 27 minutes, when again fed loose ball from wayward kicking under pressure, the Veseyans backs swept upfield and, aided by some weak tackling, a well taken try was scored by the right winger, again unconverted.

At the 30 minute mark, Jamie Walton was replaced at Stand off by S Richards, who seized his opportunity in an assured manner when some rare quick ball enabled him to get the back line going forward with some momentum. A break in the centre put Andy Pearce away with space and the ball was taken to and held on the Veseyans line. Great support recycled the ball to Ben Honey in midfield who made a further break in front of the posts before timing a perfect pass to put Guy Smith in for a well deserved try, scored wide out.

Encouraged, the OY's stayed on top for the next few minutes, but eight minutes later, Veyseyans again made good use of possession and round off the match with a sweeping threequarter move that resulted in their fourth try of the match, this time converted to bring the final score to 27 – 12 to the home side.

Although losing on the day by a well drilled, fit and skilfully organised side lying second in the league, OY's were to a large extent architects of their own downfall, allowing, at too many stages in the match, a constant supply of good possession from a dominant pack to be somewhat aimlessly kicked away with few chasing, and then failing to maintain a solid first line of defence in the face of the inevitable counter attack

Meanwhile, our Development xv took on the might of Kidderminster and gained a 29-12 victory. Tries were scored by Rob Willis x2, Lee Couples and man of the match, Mart Henshall. Steady Ralph kicked the rest of the points. Welcome to another new player, Ieuan Male, brother of skipper, Ellwyn. This could be a case of a double yolker! (Backs might work this out, forwards don't bother!).

News from the younger lads

The under 14s (Pricey's Boys) took on Nuneaton, apparently we were expected to be way out of our depth, but we certainly gave them a good workout, narrowly losing 22-12.

News from the previous week, Shannon informs me, that our under 16s who have been struggling for wins managed to beat The Exiles by a lot of points to nil! Well done lads and coaches.

Quiz night

Don't forget. Thursday 4th March, 7.30 - 9.30 teams of up to 6, £2 for adults, £1 for students. If its well supported we'll do them monthly or so.

A break from the league programme

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:04:01 GMT

With a league free weekend it was time to test ourselves against different opponents.

First Team Match Report

Opposition: Bromsgrove 2nds (Home) Result: OY's 16 – Bromsgrove 36

6th Feb 2010

With no league action this week, this rearranged friendly match saw the OY's entertain Bromsgrove second fifteen, a strong, well drilled and mobile outfit demonstrating the strength in depth of this club currently lying second in National Three Midlands. Despite this, the match was evenly fought and closer than the final score suggested, the difference being exaggerated by a ten minute period midway through the second half when, deserted by their normally solid defence in all areas, the OY's allowed the visitors to run riot, scoring three tries, racking up nineteen points and putting the match beyond reach.

From the kick off, Bromsgrove exploited their mobility and quick hands to put the home side under pressure and test a defence already showing vulnerability by slack first time tackling. After ten minutes, still under pressure OY's ran out of space and squandered possession with an aimless kick ahead. This allowed Bromsgrove a sweeping move upfield which resulted in a converted try under the posts.

Although the home side continued to waste valuable possession due to misdirected kicks from hand, the resultant constant attacks coming back caused the defence to improve and it was from aggressive tackling that a Bromsgrove midfield error was forced and the ball collected by Adam Walker, who kicked ahead, outpaced the opposition to gather and score an unconverted try wide out to bring the score after fifteen minutes to 5 -7 to the visitors.

Midway through the half, with the OY's back in the groove, centre D Rimmer left the field injured, and B Honey from the back row took over, the pack then shuffled to accommodate A Killarney as sub.

Now a much more even game developed, with the home side putting together some useful attacks, but unlucky to concede a penalty for straying offside in the centre, late on in the half, which finished OY's 5, Bromsgrove 10.

The restart saw the OY's soon on the attack through the forwards, with aggressive driving forward by P Painter and S Grainger, well supported by back row forward M Banyard. A penalty was forced, and the score was improved to 8 -10 to the visitors. This momentum, however, only lasted a further two minutes, when possession was lost to gift the ball to Bromsgrove who exploited weak tackling to confront fullback J Hendricks with a three man overlap, and inevitably a second try under the posts.

With the score at 8 – 17, OY's came back again, driving into the Bromsgrove 22. The visitors were penalised for a dangerous tackle on J Walton, and a further three points added to the home side's total.

At the fifteen minute stage, although the OY's were showing dominance in the scrum, competing well in the lineout and holding their own in the ruck and maul, possession gained was being wasted by misdirected kicking, allowing pressure to be reversed, and it was from such a wasteful kick that gave the well drilled Bromsgrove backs the ball and space for a further unconverted try, the score now 11 – 22.

The floodgates then opened and with the home side completely switching off, Bromsgrove took advantage by scoring two further tries, one being a penalty try due to an obstruction by the OY's centre, an action which did nothing to ease the pressure on the side, as the inevitable yellow card meant ten minutes in the bin, and fourteen men on the field. At 20 minutes into the second half, the score now having moved on to OY's 11, Bromsgrove 36, any chance of a win was out of sight. However the OY's got their act together again, and showing character and commitment, got back into the game, and began once again to pressurise the visitors with telling breaks through the forwards and B Honey making an outstanding contribution in the backs.

At 30 minutes, and now back to full strength, D Brain came on in the centre, and B Honey rejoined the back row. By now, the OY's were dominant, shunting the visitors back in the scrums, crossing the gain line regularly, and playing the game in the visitors' 22. Last ditch defence kept the OY's out, but frustration was apparent in the Bromsgrove ranks, and eventually a Bromsgrove player was yellow carded for over enthusiastic use of the boot.

Maintaining the pressure, S Grainger once again drove through the Bromsgrove defence to offload to A Walker to make further ground, and provide a perfectly timed flat pass to J Hendricks in support, who made no mistake with a well taken try in the corner, and the match finished with the score OY's 16, Bromsgrove 36.

Despite the scoreline, OY's to a man can take a lot of positives from this match, both in terms of character and determination, only letting themselves down by allowing the visitors three easy tries during a very slack ten minutes midway through the second half.

Next Match: 13th February 2010: Veseyans (Away) in the League

Meanwhile our Devs played against Lordswood Dixies who looked a bit like a university xv. We were well beaten by 38-5. Young Mark Baldwin scored our try but if you think about it if all of our players had scored a try we would have got 75 points so Mark, well done! Shame on the rest of you.

The Vandals were playing against our friends from Shirley Park and lost by 20-26.

Last Saturday took us to our nearest & dearest neighbours at Camp Hill for a local derby and our 16th competitive fixture against their 4ths; a side as it turned out made of an even split between olduns & younguns, with about six or seven replacements, compared to our one oldun in the form of Big Bill who was a surprise but welcome last minute arrival.

A new face in our front row in the form of hooker Martyn "Sonic" Poller my former third team skip at Sils, flanked either side by Billy "Babyface" Bucknall recently returned from a week's sabbatical, and Rick "Ankles" Lowe. The grunt in the engine room being supplied by the ever present John Lonie and the "Icon" Arkell, moving into the second row. This week's back row saw the welcome return after months of providing experience to the Ones of Marcus "the Hit Man" Hope, alongside Jacko continuing in his rehab, and Big Rog in steerage. So that's where all the Club hookers are, four in one pack!!

The attendants bossed & marshalled by the General & Nev, with the ex-Solihull midfield of Nick "the Barrel" Palmer & Phil "Horse" Watson", Captain Slow & Cedric Farrell on the wings, and ever dependable Ralphy at fullback.

Slow wins the toss and elected to choose ends by facing our Clubhouse, with our backs to their Bunker.

For once we take it to the opposition right from the kick-off in what turns out to be a bruising forward encounter with the usual Yards Camps niggle never far below the surface, with the ref having to step in a couple of times to separate the warring parties.

Unusually we're struggling to retain our own ball in the scrums with the ball squirting out the tunnel more often than not, with their solid front row giving us a fare share of problems.

Finally after about twenty minutes the deadlock is broken when we are awarded a penalty about twenty five metres out, which Ralph converts for a 3-0 lead. The lead doesn't last very long when a hopeful kick ahead from just inside our half by the Camp Hill fly half, results in an awkward bounce just outside our twenty two that is collected by the kicker who goes in under the our posts making the conversion inevitable to give them a rather fortuitous 7-3 lead.

Shortly after the attendants set off in pursuit of a great kick forward by Nev only to have him flattened by his opposite number with a hit so late it was probably Wednesday, unfortunately the referee doesn't see it, which doesn't help our mood. Nev soldiers on winded and nursing a set of very sore ribs. More minor scuffles continue to break out and eventually the referee has a word with both skippers, with "next one walks" being the message; unfortunately we duly oblige following a collapsed maul the Camps openside annoys Big Rog who responds with a very short right cross and off he goes for a rest until half time.

Our morale & confidence are hit, and next it's the Icon who is pulled away from one of the Camps players (Arks, the ref tells me he wanted to send you for a break too, but thought one was already enough!) Not long after a clearance kick unluckily goes right into the the hands of the Camp Hill wing who returns it to score 12-3. They convert 14-3.

Five minutes before half time we are given a scrum midway on our twenty two, Captain Slow thinks our beleaguered seven require an additional sixteen stones, great thinking we lose the ball and they score in the corner where I should have been...out on the wing!!! Conversion missed. 19-3.

Rick comes off and on comes Bill Burrows for the final few minutes of the first half, Sonic moves out to flanker and Jacko moves to his more accustomed position of hooker. And we respond with a good passage of play with a good forward drive which is stopped just short and somehow I'm lying on the floor just in time to see the Barrel's red & black socks hurtling over the top resulting in our first try mid way out. Ralph's conversion attempt goes just wide.

Halftime 19-8 and a bit of mountain to climb.

Rog back on but Nev's unable to continue, so Ralph moves to fly half and we have to borrow a young back rower from Camps, who moves to fullback and in fairness doesn't let us down, with some good running and defence.

Unfortunately Camps score again shortly after the restart and convert and we are possibly staring down the barrel of heavy defeat at 26-8. But we stop rising to the bait and start to play some good rugby keeping the ball close with lots of pops and drives which the Camps defence start to struggle with, even Slow gets a couple coming in off his wing...thanks Ralphy.

And following a robust couple of plays the ball is spun out to Horse keeps up his try scoring with a strong run breaking through the Camps defence to score our second try close to the posts 26-13, Ralph steps up to convert 26-15.

Now it is Camps who are on the back foot as the pressure is all Vandals, and from a quick tap penalty taken by John Lonie, Rog bulldozes over to bring us within a score at 26-20. Conversion unsuccessful.

But we run out of time and taste defeat for only the fifth time this season. Final score 26-20 Final age 632

FRIENDS OF THE CLUB!

It is a little complicated (no, it wasn't Peter's satnav) but I was watching the international on big screen tv in a South Wales pub (The Angel) when three welsh boys in conversation claimed that they had heard of the Old Ys. Thanks for your best wishes to Lyndon Pritchard (Caldicott and Lydney rfc), Eurig Griffiths (Cardigan rfc) and Roy Methley (Cardiff)

Old Yards General Knowledge Quiz

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:48:28 GMT

Come and show off your general knowledge at our Quiz, in the club, on Thursday 4th March.

7.30 prompt start with a 9.30 (approx) finish.

Maximum of 6 players per team, £2 per person or £1 if in full time education.

Prizes for winners

Proceeds shared between charity and club funds.

Obviously the bar will be open and car parking will be free.

Dave says that the questions will be easy but only if you know the answers.

Anybody found cheating by using mobile internet or any other similar technology will be disqualified and forced to watch our first team for the rest of the season!

A good day as all our teams win

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:13:56 GMT

A much better day for the club as our pitches are considered free enough of frost to be playable. The 1st team beat Telford with an extremely late try and con. to win 14-8 to get us 2 vital league points. The Devs beat the Edwardians 25-17 with Big Dai Langley scoring two tries. The Vandellas, with the usual style, beat Five Ways seconds by 41-5 mainly thanks to Nev (so he claims) and a big well done to Ivor the Engine for refereeing and I will try to bring you a stopwatch for the next occasion mate!

Even the newspapers study our club. Have a look back a while and find Pete hitting the headlines again.

(Shan) See this link http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/business-social/john-bright-business-columnist/2009/10/20/cool-put-down-from-rugger-s-ice-dance-champ-65233-24967975/

Yards secure last minute victory

First Team Match Report

Opposition: Telford Hornets (Home) Result: OY's 14 - Telford Hornets 8

30 January 2010

Following the below par performance last week at Tamworth, the side selected to take on Telford Hornets suggested better balance and more attack potential. This became apparent in the first few minutes of the first half when forward dominance, two good breaks in the centre and some aggressive running by left wing Andy Pearce resulted in the home side being camped on the visitors line. Although this pressure was maintained for the first quarter of an hour, Telford were not about to concede easily, and dogged, disciplined defence denied the OY's scoring opportunities whether through tries or penalties.

The game became scrappy with the OY's conceding too many free kicks through minor offences, and the visitors began to regain territory and took a 3 – 0 lead on 22 min following an offside at a scrum. This was followed on 27 minutes by a try for Telford which resulted from a poorly defended cross kick which gifted possession, and good support enabled their forwards to drive over the line. The conversion, wide out was missed to bring the score to OY's 0 – Telford 8.

The home side began to exploit their forward superiority in the set pieces and the loose and good breaks were made by the back row of Ben Honey, Steve Grainger and Rob Willis who exposed the spoiling tactics of the visitor's defence to the extent that they had a player yellow carded on 39 minutes for persistent ball killing.

At the restart, Richard Withey came on at prop for the industrious Aaron Foy, but the OY's were wasting good possession due to slack handling, kicking too much from hand, and generally poor support play. Frequent stoppages resulted, and the game became fractured. At 18 min into the half, Anthony Thompson joined the pack at second row in place of Steve Cunningham, and this additional power in the scrum paid off handsomely after 23 minutes when, following a scrum five yards out, Telford were driven back at a rate of knots and forced to collapse the scrum. Honey converted the resulting penalty try, to bring the score to 7 - 8 to the visitors.

Immediately after the kick off, a fine threequarter move took play again to the Telford line, only to see the attack fail due to a penalty award. Telford indiscipline caused this to be reversed by the referee, but instead of taking the scrum for a second pushover attempt, an opportunity was perceived and a quick penalty taken. This move came to nothing due to solid Telford defence, and the chance was wasted with no addition to the score.

The 40 minute mark passed, and three minutes into stoppage time, last gasp possession on the half way line enabled Grainger to make the all important break in broken play, then to feed Honey to take the ball on and commit what was left of the Telford defence before putting the supporting Jamie Walton clear for the winning try. Honey made no mistake with the conversion, to pull the match out of the fire with a final result of OY's 14 – Telford Hornets 8

Old Yardleians Development XV 25 - 17 Edwardians 2nds
This became the Dave Langley show as the big Welshman showed his versatility by slotting in at prop (take note Bobo). In what was a close game, two tries by Langley was the difference between the two sides. A great win for Captain Egg Male and his team. Good to see Troy Batters back and like all New Zealanders peaking well before a World Cup Year.

Vandals do it again

With Old Ed's Thirds unable to raise a side (nothing to do with the pre Christmas mauling obviously) Saturday saw us on the top pitch at Fortress Tilehouse playing a Pool fixture against Five Ways Old Edwardians when a lot of other local clubs had had their games frozen off.

With a backdrop of Eighties classics (largely unappreciated I hasten to add, though I know we all danced to 'em once) we got changed in what best could be described as parky conditions, with Cedric giving it large throughout and beginning to sound very much like Victor Meldrew.

Unfortunately with FWOE turning up with only a football team, and with only one recognised front row at that it was only thanks to Vandal Steve Painter, Pickle & Jon Bodsworth of the Development side and a surplus player from Eds Seconds that a competitive game was possible albeit with uncontested scrums.

With someone re-setting Shannon's kitchen cooker clock (long story) and Mark "Merve the Swerve" Baldwin having to referee the game (many thanks, though think sometimes you get a little too much pleasure out of pinging us, with Rog being sent back ten for use of racist language in using the word Taff) and uncontested scrums we opted for a lightweight & mobile front row of Jacko, Rick & Rog...yerrright with Jacko continuing his "rehabilitation" at tighthead.

A welcome back too after a lengthy spell off with injury following his brace in the pre-Christmas Tamworth game to the 6'-5" behemoth that is Phil "Horse" Watson on the wing, and also to Andy Killarney rejoining the tribe after a lengthy spell in the Ones; and a debut appearance for an old mate of mine Rupert "the Major" Young at No.8 formally of HMP Dartmoor alongside another former team mate Nick Levey and the Colt Arkell on the flanks.

Also with the Villa away to Fulham saw the considerable presence that is Nick "the Barrel" Palmer returning to the midfield alongside Chairman Fitz with Ralphy resuming his more usual role as last man standing. This week's creativity was again provided by Ian "Bambi" Neville (more later) & General Evans.

With Slow unable to contest a wing position with Horse I dropped to the bench and the side was AGAIN ABLY SKIPPERED (can anybody else see this Da Vinci like pattern) by John Lonie.

Five Ways elected to kick off, with the Vandals playing into the sun, not the best of starts as we fumble and first "scrum" goes to Five Ways who apply lots of early pressure as given their circumstances have little to lose by taking it to us.

Gradually we begin to get on top with one great break seeing Rupert break from the base to feeding his young flanker Arks in support who in turn pops to Andy K gaining nearly thirty metres in the process and it isn't long before the ball is spun quickly through the hands of the attendants to Horse now moving at speed just outside the ten metre line and even from that distance still proves unstoppable to go over in the corner together with a couple of despairing tacklers 5-0 Ralph's conversion attempt goes just wide of the left hand post.

Our next try is a real gem following great work by our breakaway forwards and our our backs cut loose and a great flea-flicker inside pass by Ralph goes to Cedric who juggles for a second (seemed like an eternity to be honest) and he sprints in and under the posts to increase our lead to 10-0 Easy conversion for Ralph 12-0

Our third try of the day is an almost carbon copy of the first with Horse again going over 17-0 Ralph converts 19-0

It is at this point that I go in search of that rarest of things....a match ball! Preferably one without a hole in it!

Walking away I see in the distance the man in the middle has given Five Ways a couple of penalties leaving them about ten metres out and from there they score their only try of the day, but miss the conversion 19-5, and Ways beginning to have a small purple patch....though in fairness about the size of a bruise!

By the time Slow ambles back Fitz's calf has gone, shot by a sniper in the long grass, so on I go taking up he winger's role with Horse moving into centre to partner the Barrel, a sort of large & larger. Shortly after our backs sweep left and Phil gets his hat trick and about five of their players this time to boot and we're back in control.

Half Time 24-5

Second half starts with more & more pressure from our forwards as we develop a stranglehold on the game, with more & more breaks from the General and then Nev who sets off on one mazy run stepping off both feet bouncing all over the place like a new born fawn, getting stopped agonisingly close.

So we are camped about ten metres out & the General elects to have Slow come in on the diagonal, a bit messy but Captain Slow makes a few yards and the resulting scrum goes to the Vandals. General opts again to go with his fat winger, coming out laterally and giving a nice flat pass to Slow who goes over/through a disappointed Pickle for the Skippers first try since the opening game of the season!! Conversion missed. 29-5

More forward pressure sees a good driving maul set up nice steady pill ten metres out for the General who passes to Ralph in the pocket (he says he was still there from the last breakdown) who flips inside to Roger the Dodger who bludgeons his way over mid way out, which Ralph converts 36-5

John & Steve Painter exchange shirts for the last fifteen (thanks to both)

According to Mike Neary watching on the touchline with the try line begging rather than score a fourth try Horse opted to let Cedric drop it instead, Mike said "I've never seen Horse pass before!"

Our final score of the day and probably our best began with lineout inside our own half and a great two handed take by Steve Painter the ball being spun quickly out wide to Horse who popped an inside pass to Ralph who goes over in the corner with an almost theatrical slow motion long arm stretch to score our seventh try of the day, he is unable to convert his own effort. This was a move the "attendants" had been wanting to try all afternoon apparently, and when called the ever laid back Cedric was heard to say "fine I'll watch".

Final Score 41-5 Final Age 662 And a jug off Phil.

Nice to see Mr Bastock formerly of Lode Heath School and Solihull rfc on the touchline as an interested spectator. Rob, go for it mate! Training is on tuesdays and who knows, the world could be your oyster (or something like that).

Tamworth same results as last time!

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:56:01 GMT

Tamworth again, defeats for 1sts and devs. more glory for Vandals.

First Team Match Report

Opposition: Tamworth (Away) Result Tamworth 20 – OY’s 3

With a side showing five changes from that selected, and missing the attacking dynamism of captain Steve Grainger sidelined through injury, OY’s were due for a stern test away from home against a young, fit and well organised Tamworth side currently lying second in Midlands Three West (North).

OY’s took some time to get into the game, and were soon on the back foot under pressure from the home side in both scrum and lineout, however it was not until twenty minutes into the first half that, following quick scrummage ball and an overlap in the centre, Tamworth crossed wide out for an unconverted try . Two minutes later, a similar move, assisted by some nonexistent tackling enabled the home side to produce a second unconverted try, and it was feared that the game would be over as a contest by half time.

However the OY’s came back, and, on the back of an improved defensive performance, began to gain territory. Following a series of drives, a penalty was awarded to the visitors wide out to be well converted by standoff J. Walton to complete the first half with a scoreline in favour of the home side of 10- 3

Following the restart, Tamworth built up pressure on the visitors, to the extent that it was not until after thirty minutes had elapsed that the OY’s got anywhere near the Tamworth 22. With the scrum and lineout under pressure, possession was slow and unpredictable, and the OY’s resorted to a kicking game in an attempt to force the home side into errors. This only had the effect of encouraging more attacking by the opposition, and it is to the great credit of the OY’s by now solid defence that no further tries or kickable penalties were conceded during this time.

Towards the end of the match, OY’s dropped their guard and the defensive midfield decided to get themselves involved in a minor scuffle that had broken out under the OY’s posts. Unfortunately the ball was still alive and in the possession of the Tamworth threequarters, who took advantage of the wide open spaces to score a try under the posts, duly converted.

It was left to the ref to Yellow card a couple of the protagonists and end a hard fought match that was generally played in the right spirit, with the 20 -3 victory deservedly going to the well organised Tamworth side

Next Match 30 January 2010 – Telford (Home)

The Development team had a tough match against Tamworth 2nds and with Yards suffering from several late withdrawals a defeat by 29-7 was not unexpected. Our only try came from Dave Simpson who is showing much of the potential that was evident before his transportation to Australia. A special mention must be made concerning Brian Collingwood. As the club has set the upper age limit at a desirable 23 years in the Development team it can be understood why Brian played like 3 men. Work it out lads and well done Brian who is eligible for the Steve Sidwell free pint for January.

Vandals save us from whitewash.

Well our fourteenth competitive game of the season took us over to Wiggington Park Tamworth, after an enforced Winter lay-off of six weeks, losing the fixtures for Harborne, Wolverhampton, Kidderminster (pity that) and most recently Birmingham Wyvern.

Our arrival on site was slightly hindered by the man on the A51 who tried & failed to secure his forklift down with a couple of bungee cords in one of the more unusual RTA’s you’ll see.

Still taking the field with a combined age of 662 years with the Colt Arkell starting at eight and Captain Slow dropping to the bench and a welcome return to action after 18 months and cosmetic surgery of the combative Richard “Jacko” Jacks starting on the flank. So the side this week was again led by Captain Lonie (he does a great job you know...).

With Tamworth winning the toss they opted to kick off. The first twenty minutes developed in to a war of attrition with ring rust playing a major part; for despite spending most of it in their half we failed to breach their resolute defence, ably marshalled by their scrum half & sixty year old fly half! (I make that another 14 years for you then Nev)

Gradually our heavyweight eight with our Home Nations front row of Shannon, Dai & William (no Sweaties obviously, you don't get 'em in the Lions either!) began to get on top, and with Big Phil finding his feet with his hands in the lineout we started to secure increasing amounts of good possession.

And finally the ball went up the jumper and our eight went on one of their customary drives starting twenty metres out bulldozing their way to the line, then just as they got to the line the ball went back one pair of hands too many and into those of our winger Coatesy!!! who gratefully accepted the big boys late Christmas present. 5-0 up steps Ralph and converts a nice easy one for a 7-0 lead.

Not long after, well secured ball from a lineout saw it go through the hands of the “attendants” missing out Ralphy I think at outside centre (former North Mids Colts centre I’ll have you know) to Coatesy who simply gassed his younger opposite number on the outside to score a more conventional second, giving him a nice hand off to remember him by too. Ralph steps up to slot another easy conversion. Their winger plays no further part going off shortly after.

Half Time 14-3

Shortly after the interval Roger the Dodger returns from bolstering the first team scrum and goes in at No.8 with the Colt Arkell galloping over to the first team to slot in on their flank, not sure if we gained or lost any poundage in the exchange mind with both unlikely ever to trouble a Weightwatchers subscription.

The first twenty of the second half followed a similar pattern to that of the first half with neither side gaining an upper hand until a neat passage of play by the attendants saw a miss pass from Fitzy going to Coatesy inside our own half who once again lit up the afterburners to ghost round his man and score mid way out for a 19-3 lead. The conversion by Ralph narrowly going wide.

Penalty to Tamworth twenty odd metres out, and they opt to take the points 19-6, and they’re sniffing an unlikely come back as we begin to slightly loose shape.....and breath!

Still breath enough though for Shannon to show that great increasingly trademark dummy of his again, and another great flowing set of hands by the attendants to release Cedric down the wing from just inside their half, think we need to set him off a little closer next time chaps.

Tamworth then put a great passage of three quarter play together themselves outflanking our cover defence to score close to the posts 19-11. Now controversy as both Slow & the linesman (who incidentally was the ref originally appointed for the game, who’d also arrived late only to find that he’d been usurped by Referee Dave) both put our flags up (ok mine was a Lucozade Sport bottle) to indicate a successful conversion 19-13.

One score in it then (or so a lot of us thought, me included) and game really on for the last fifteen, when actually the ref had adjudged the kick hadn’t bisected the uprights. Would have been nice to have known this and I wouldn’t have gone through another couple of nails.

Cedric’s hamstrings, shoulder (and morale) sore so Slow on for the last ten or so minutes, first duty a rather painful poorly executed tackle on their centre at full tilt which bloody hurt and still does! Second duty a summons from the referee to calm things down as he thought things were becoming a touch fractious, though their skipper and I didn’t see it that way.

The “missed” conversion could have proved even more important especially when after another flowing move saw Tamworth go in at the corner only to have it disallowed too, as the referee had adjudged the General’s fine cover tackle had put the Tamworth player into the corner flag before he’d grounded the ball cue much disquiet in the Tamworth ranks!! And so a 19-18 game with a touchline conversion to probably win it remained at 19-11.

The final scrum saw temptation prove too much for Jacko wanting once more to be hung between two big men, and with Mark “Merv the Swerve” Baldwin switching to No.8 we completely disrupted their put in with a great drive.

Lots of final Tamworth pressure was finally thwarted with the ball coming loose and out to Jacko Wilkinson showing what a great fly half he is with a lateral run and a hefty clearance to touch, game over.

Final score 19-11 Final age 672. Our tenth win of the season and no doubt the ref being removed from Tamworth’s Christmas list.

The last twenty minutes was a great display of backs to the wall belligerence in defence with Tamworth throwing the kitchen sink at us with a number of great tackles coming in from Nick, Fitzy & the General .

Finally, a few stats for those who collect them, top try scorer is Coatsey now out on his own with 12. Top points scorer and “most capped” player with 71 and 12 appearances respectively is Ralphy. Now here’s one that amazed me, despite a fairly stable hard core of old bastards we’ve still managed to give a staggering 55 players a run-out in the 14 games we’ve played. Can’t beat a good squad system I say. In those 14 games we have now scored 61 tries, not bad for a bunch mostly on the wrong side of forty.

This week’s Man of the Match is our hat trick scoring wannabe flanker Coatsey.

Next week at the moment is a home game against Edwardians.

Hopefully too I’ll have our Polo Shirts and that’ll be twenty notes on delivery please, I also take personal cheques or Euros but please don’t ask for credit...there’s a recession on you know!.

Mini/Juniors

Sunday morning at the Portway was the destination for the under 14s who, managed by Pricey and vocally advised by Chicken, Dave Adams, Rick, Kim and Arkell, took on the might of Birmingham Solihull. We are getting seriously better in each game. The skill and determination are clear to see but a touch of naivity or inexperience at the vital moment makes the difference between winning and losing. Big Dan Cushing, another Aquinas Academy player, made a big impact on debut at Number8 and the two Jacks (Price and Molloy) are consistently excellent. Our try was scored by Jordan but how we failed to score more often is still a concern.

Melted snow equals waterlogged pitches.

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:43:24 GMT

Home games at the Yards were not possible but the Devs. got to play at Wednesbury 2nds where defences were more successful than attacks on the day. It might be of interest to any of our trainspotting anoraks that Wednesbury claim to have the tallest rugby posts in thte country. Fascinating!

Ellwyn informs me that our boys gained an impressive win by 10 - 5 with walker junior being our points scorer with a try, conversion and penalty but no drop goal to complete the set! Man of the match was Stuart Adams (no relation to the former Y's star number 10) and a special mention to the only player in the team over 23 years of age, Steve 'baby face' Cunningham who provided the experience needed by our rising stars.

A number of our younger boys tell me that they really enjoy the stories about the good old days particularly concerning the apres-match events as narrated by Lonie, Sid, Smoking, Dave Jenkins etc. Yes, I agree that there were many epic happenings but I also suspect that the accuracy of these tales becomes reduced by the passage of time. In my memory it was not always so mind-blowing. Rugby protocol in my early Y's career meant gathering at The Plume in order to listen about the secrets of forward play as described by Bert, Blox, Poo Bear, Pugger, Big Al etc. The drink of the day was from a variety of cat wees including Mild, Brew and Best bitter. Drugs were compulsory and the choice you had was either Bert's snuff or Al's cigar fumes. What us younger lads really needed was wine, women and song. For that, however, we discovered that you had to travel north along the Stratford Road to the Robin Hood, where under the guidancee of Hilton things were very different. Could women ignore a man in tight red trousers, white shirt unbuttoned to the naval and an impressive gold-coloured ingot? Watch this space.

Marc Chetland (Camp Hill RFC)
We were saddened to hear recently of the death of Marc. We as a club offer our prayers and sympathy to Marc's familly and friends. May he rest in peace.

Double success as we beat the severe weather and we also beat Moseley Oak.

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:22:11 GMT

The Old Yards beat the weather by playing their Midlands Division 3 west/north fixture on Moseley's all-weather pitch and then went on to beat their opponents, Moseley Oak, in a thrilling game that remained in the balance until the last kick of the match in the tenth minute of stoppage time. The hosts consist very much of talented and youthful players who are waiting for the call into Moseley's national league squad having graduated through colts and student rugby. Earlier in the season the Yards lost the home fixture and were looking for revenge as well as points to move them up the league table.

Old Yardleians made it clear from the start they intended to dominate the forward battle. The return of Peter Butler helped the visitors powerful eight drive back the Moseley Oak scrum at a rate of knots. The first half was initially dominated by the kickers with James McBoot kicking four penalties for Old Yardleians while Moseley's scrum half replied with two for the home side. Then came the move of the game when Old Yardleians outside half McBoot kicked an up and under landing just over the half way line. Chasing centre Dave Rimmer leapt highest and palmed the ball to exciting wing Adam Walker. Still forty-five metres out, Walker outsprinted three defenders to score the game's first try. McBoot added the conversion to make it 19 - 6 to the Yards at half time. The second half began with Moseley on the attack but the visitor's defence held strong. Some crunching tackles were made especially by scrum half Lee Purdey. Even when given an opportunity of a penalty in front of the posts Moseley ran the ball, a decision that would come back to haunt them later. Five minutes on Moseley were awarded and converted a penalty from half way. The game then flowed up and down the pitch with strong runs from Old Yardleian forwards Phil Painter, Steve Grainger, Rob Willis and Roger Lazenby, while Moseley's back line continued to threaten. With ten minutes to go smart thinking from a quick penalty saw the Moseley Oak number eight break through some poor tackles to score in the corner making it 14 - 19. Coach Gary Robinson sent on the rampaging Alan Arkell to give Old Yardleians renewed fight which was shown in the further domination of the rucks and mauls. Then in the fourth minute of injury time Moseley collected a loose ball, went wide and scored in the corner. An excellent touch line conversion gave them a 21-19 lead. Yards kicked off with the referee indicating that there was one minute left to play. Moseley secured the ball from the kick off but then their indiscipline saw them concede a penalty. Up stepped McBoot who, with the last kick of the game bisected the posts to give Old Yardleians a deserved 22 - 21 victory.

This coming saturday, weather permitting, sees 3 home games. The First xv play Newcastle in a league match, the Devs xv have a tough game against Bournville and the Vandals host Kidderminster.

We wish a happy new year to some of the friends of the club
Haydn Rees, John Houston, Paul Smyllie and Clare Jordan (rugby staff at the Academy)
John Madden (Bridgnorth rfc)
Adrian Butler (Old Salts)
Dave Dennis (Spartans rfc)
Matt Durber, Nick Mohammed (Moseley Oak rfc)
Steve Leahy (Old Halesonians)
Jan Ogan (Eds rfc)

Eddie Lahive

Sad news has recently reached us telling of the death of Eddie Lahive on Boxing Day following years of suffering from emphysema. Eddie was a true servant of the Greater Birmingham Rugby community as a player and later as an official. His funeral will be on friday 8th January at Our Lady of the Wayside in Shirley at !.00 pm with cremation at Robin Hood followed by a gathering at Edwardians RFC. May he rest in peace.

Festive times!

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:14:14 GMT

As suggested in my most recent report, the villa fans might well have a bleak midwinter against the Arsenal and so it turned out. A 3 goal masterclass with a touch of spanish quality. However, the return match is in late january so who knows?

Enough of the football how about the rugby?

Boxing day saw an in-house match between the club's over 30s and under 30s. The report, which is not really biased, is supplied by an anonymous front row player of considerable experience.

Old Yards Under 30s 7 - 12 Old Yards Over 30s

Led by Captain Steve Grainger, the Old Yardleians Over 30s gave the Under 30s a Christmas present they didn't want, with a lesson on how to play winning rugby. With a limited number of old men available the Over 30s had to play a few players out of position including Chairman Fitzy at fullback, Marcus "Shark" Hope on the wing and 1st XV loose head prop Bobo at number 8. The under 30s meanwhile had loads of players about two teams worth which included guys from Wyvern as they were determined to put the mature players in their place. The first half did belong to the younger guys. The held their own in the scrum and competed at the breakdown causing the oldies to kick a lot of possession away. They even had a game plan to take out the over 30s scrum half which worked and off he went to hospital. On came Martyn "Captain Slow" Cartwright at fullback while Fitz went to scrum half. A first half with too much kicking from both sides saw the only points of that half come from a kick. A high up and under bounced on the Over 30s twenty-two and the faster, younger guys got hold of the ball. It eventually fell into the hands of Dean "Facebook" Brain who scored under the posts. Rob Willis added the extra points. Halftime 7-0 to the kids. The second half started with the old guys putting down a marker. The first scrum was a put in for the Under 30s but a strong drive by the older guys meant one against the head. Lineouts were also getting difficult for the kids with Phil Painter getting the better of Greg Allen and Marcus Hope coming off the wing for lineouts to dominate the middle. With Coatsey and the Barrel firming up the midfield the under 30s lack of a game plan started to show as the little ball they did get, they made no use of. The Over 30s stopped kicking and kept the ball in hand. Drive after drive saw them camped in the Under 30s twenty-two for long periods. Eventually the defence cracked when Bob danced passed a number of defenders, bounced a couple of tacklers and scored in the corner. A great effort with the conversion by Dave "Ralph" Rollins saw the kick come back off the posts. The second half continued in the same manner with the fatter, older boys dominating with the ball in hand. In fact in the last twenty minutes it was obvious that the older players had the superior fitness. Again pressure told. The over 30s had a scrum five metres out. Steve "The Master" Mancel won another scrum and the older eight drove over the try line. Only quick thinking by Lee Purdy in grounding the bobbing ball stopped a certain try. This resulted in another scrum five. Again the over 30s drove the younger pack back over their own line where Bobo completed his brace with another try. Ralph added the conversion. With four minutes left and in the spirit off 70's rugby the over 30s kept the game alive. Steve Grainger, John Lonie and Andy Killarney carried the ball, ably support by the rest of the Over 30s pack and the drove forward yard after yard. Not to miss out the backs joined for what turned out to be a 15 man rolling maul led by the irrepressible Cedric know as the "Nightingales Roamer". The Under 30s backs did try to join the maul but were swatted away like flies. Eventually ref Tom Power had seen enough and blew the whistle on this Boxing Day encounter. Old Yards Over 30s 12, Under 30s 7.

Jack (Frost) is the only winner this week.

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:21:39 GMT

Heavy frost, sub-zero temperatures all day and a thin layer of snow combined to ensure that the only rugby available to our teams was that kicking ping-pong known sometimes as The Heineken cup version seen on the big screen in the 'Hillbilly Ranch' out in the wilds of Tilehouse Lane. Sunday morning matches were also cancelled.
Sunday afternoon/evening/night saw the seasonal visit by Santa. For those who did not know, Lapland is not far away, possibly in the vicinity of our 3rd team pitch. Well done to all those 'grown ups' who made the occasion a success.

All Old Yardleians, and also younger ones, are warmly invited to the club on Boxing Day from about lunch time onwards. Weather permitting the rugby will be an exhibition game featuring Over 30s giving a rugby lesson to the Under 30s. A little later on it is planned to play some indoor games. Possiblities include darts, pool, pass the parcel, arm wrestling, belly bouncing, bottle walking, dump the coins and tray bashing. If any of you young stars have never seen all of these fun activities you might be lucky enough to develop the skills needed for the spoons game and to even play a leading role in the unbelievable 3-man lift. Unfortunately the Health and Safety people have outlawed that thrilling game of 1v1 scrummaging against Rob Dixon.
It is quite likely that you will hear and join in some traditional (non-christmas) singing and our younger lads must make every effort to learn the words as post-match singing is part of the culture of this great game of ours and should be passed down from generation to generation.

Looking ahead, the next set of saturday matches are scheduled for 2nd January when the 1st team and the Vandals travel to play Wolverhampton and the Development xv play host to the same club. It is possible that our 1st team league game away at Moseley Oak that was called off due to the unplayable pitches might be re-arranged for that day but we arre still waiting to hear confirmation of this.
I wish you Villa fans good luck against the Arsenal but don't feel bad about the result as these things happen from time to time!

Finally, Best Wishes to all our readers for Christmas and the New Year.

We had to win and we did.

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:18:31 GMT

This was the match where only victory was good enough and the boys did the business and I see no reason why they shouldn't keep up the winning habit.

OLD YARDS 22 V HANDSWORTH 10 (MIDLANDS DIV 3 WEST/NORTH

Playing ay home against Handsworth, currently third from bottom in Midlands 3 West (North), and both sides desperate for points, this was a match that Old Yardleians were determined not to lose, and this attitude was reflected from kick off by solid forward pressure and ferocious tackling by the threequarters, with D Rimmer being particularly destructive. However Handsworth were not about to cave in that easily, and despite OY's achieving the better territorial advantage, and coming close to a try following a break by scrum half L.Purdey but the ball was held up on the line and so the visitors survived

.Midway through the first half, with lineouts and general forward play working well, and attacks through the threequarters showing good variation with captain and No 8 S Grainger joining the line to add physical presence in the centre, it seemed that a score was inevitable, but erratic finishing and dogged opposition defence kept the home side out until the 30^th minute, when quick ball from a set scrum on the Handsworth 22 was snapped up on the inside by winger A Pearce to score a well deserved unconverted try.

Handsworth came straight back, with their No 8 being particularly effective picking up and driving from the set scrum to gain good ground in the OY's half. On 38min, OY's were penalised on halfway, and gifted Handsworth a further 10 meters for dissent to turn a difficult kick at goal into a certainty, to bring the score to 5 -3. This fired up the OY's who were soon back in the Handsworth half. Good breaks by Purdey and Grainger were held up under the posts, but just before half time the visitors were penalised for killing the ball, J Walton converting the penalty to bring the score to 8 – 3 to the Ys.

Following the restart, further OY's pressure through the forwards, with both wing forwards, M Hope and M Banyard impressive in support ensured that the match was being played in the Handsworth half, but again, the side failed to convert the pressure into points. Handsworth began to get back into the game as the home side faltered, and after 25 minutes of what was now an even contest, the visitors took advantage of slack marking to go ahead with a well taken converted try to put themselves in front , 10 – 8

Although behind, OY's never really looked like losing and the Handsworth score served to jolt the side out of complacency, to the extent that four minutes later, aggressive defence in the centre by the impressive Rimmer forced an error which was capitalised on by Grainger as ever in support to commit the defence and release Hendricks who, with players still to beat, backed himself to outpace the opposition which he did to score a fine unconverted try to regain the lead.

This time OY's maintained their grip on the match, and further pressure in the Handsworth half resulted in three further penalties in quick succession, two of which were well converted by A Walker to round off a creditable all round performance, giving the OY's a deserved 22 -10 victory

Next Match 19^th December 2009: Moseley Oak :(Away)

Other senior results saw O.Y. development xv lose to Wyvern by 0-29 but the vandals defeated Bournville by 46-7 .

So 15 weeks into our campaign (only 18 scheduled fixtures to go before I hang my boots up) last Saturday saw us entertain the boys from Bournville in a lively but ultimately one-sided encounter at Fortress Tilehouse.

After an enforced week's holiday for some with the late cry off of Halesonians the side showed several changes to the fifteen that so convincingly despatched Ed's two weeks ago with the return of Dai Baldwin at hooker (having dropped himself from the Development side, and promoting Rick in his place assumingly by gunpoint or by threatening to show the photos). The Barrel returning to the centre (the Villa playing away obviously), Roger slotting back in at No.8 having had a short spell with the ones, Lee Coates coming in at scrum half (Callum having been abandoned at the roadside).

Mark now having given away our hooker meant Officer Burrows moving to tighthead and along with Shannon, dare I say our heaviest front row of the season was unleashed. In the second row the Lonester partnered the Colt Arkell (more bulk) and with Nick Levey having recovered from his breast augmentation work at Claverdon, joined Captain Slow and Roger the Dodger in the back row (possibly our heaviest pack full stop).

In the Attendants, Ian Neville continued in his role at fly half, with Fitzy & the Barrel forming the midfield, "Forrest" McDonald on the wing & Mike Neary returning to his more accustomed role as last man standing.

With the local society continuing to struggle to produce a referee for third team games we were lucky that Tom Power was on hand to fill the breach (albeit reluctantly and in borrowed boots) Thanks Tom.

My production of a current set of scoring stats earlier on in the week also meant a small element of try scoring rivalry between Coatesy (7) & Roger (6).

Having completed our warm up (cheers Shannon) which does appear to have benefits as we started, as we carried on full on and up front, with our heavyweight eight putting their counterparts under all manner of pressure in the set pieces, and it was from this pressure that the chocolate boys infringed and Slow decided to take the points with Nev bisecting the posts for a 3-0 lead . Now watching the game is one thing and playing in it is another from a point of historic accuracy especially in high scoring games, so bear with me as I have no idea in what order the tries were scored.

But the scoring went like this in the first half 3-0, 8-0, 13-0, 20-0 & 27-0. Tries by Roger (2), Coatesy & Shannon with Nev converting the final two tries.

Half time 27-0 and the venerable Steve Painter on and Arks off for a fag break!

Now I'm going to paraphrase Roger's hat trick in his own words and in any case they weren't pretty "three dedicated to the front five, total yardage 2, pick up fall over, pick up fall over, pick up fall over, brushed mud off"

Lee's brace were ignite afterburners, take off and score!

Couple of first half highlights for me were wannabe Attendant Shannon's outrageous dummy to Mike (who'd run all that way in support too) to go between the centre and winger and to dink it down one-handed, followed up by the Bournville second row's (think Martin normally props) full tilt charge right up the middle bursting tackle after tackle only to be felled in his boots again by Shannon, and think the quiet man gets this week's man of the match for these two and his sheer work rate in the scrums and tight.

Early on in the second half we allowed them a score after theirr Springbok second row set up one of their whippets on the wing to run half the length of the pitch to score under the posts. 27-7 But two more tries one each for Rog & Coatesy, both converted by Nev 41-7 put the game beyond doubt.

Second half highlight for me was Barrel's great run up the middle and if you have time on your hands look on Solihull's web site click on their Tetley's Twickenham appearance and you will see a great picture of a slightly younger Nick doing the same thing at HQ, locks flowing and all!!

Slow suffering from Man Flu comes off Arks comes back for the last on to score a wingers try in the corner, rupturing his Achilles tendon, tearing his hamstring, and snapping both cruciates in the process or that was his excuse for not putting it under the sticks, conversion missed. Slow back on for the last five.

Final score Lazenby 3 Coatesy 2 (please note the latter insisted he was playing through the pain barrier having stepped on a nail the previous day)

The final score 46-7

Harborne 2nds away this week chaps.

Both the under 14s and the under 16s were narrowly defeated. The 16s beaten 5-13 by Alcester and the 14s 10-20 by Edwardians. If you saw last week's reports I mentioned a new player in the 14s by the name of Tre'rail and my advice to give him the ball asap. Well guess what, the first pass he received, he went on an outside break, sprinted along the touch line from half way and scored in the corner. What a pity that the passes dried up. Welcome to the club to another player from the Academy perhaps one day you will be a first team try scorer just like former Academy product, Andrew Pearce.

Not the best of weekends for our teams

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:08:20 GMT

I was o.k. as the 'trouble and strife' decided that we should spend the weekend in London so I was not able to watch any of our teams taking the silver medal positions.
An independent observer informs me that our 1st team managed to control much of the game, take the lead through a Jamie Walton penalty and then slowly ran out of steam conceding late tries as fatigue crept in and that Burntwood playing at home were a little bit pleased to beat us by 20 points to 3. I think the expression 'deja vu' is how the french might describe our performance. On the other hand they might use other expressions. C'est la vie!
Our Development team, under 23s or whatever, played Claverdon 1st xv and were beaten by 10 points to 30. Sam Richards and Billy 'Boy' Bucknall scored our tries but sloppy defensive errors cost us the game.
The Vandals were due to play Old Halesonians in a home game. Strangely, when we went over to them earlier in the season they had a squad of about 25 players and ran us ragged but this time we had a decent sized squad ourselves only for them to cry the game off somewhat late in the week.
The under 16s played a strong Old Coventrians on Sunday and were beaten 27-0.
Moseley was the venue for our under 8 team who entertained the crowd in a tag tournament. The youngsters won 1, drew 1,and lost 2 in the 4 games played. The parents did well as Moseley rfc generously gave them free tickets to watch the first team championship game against the Cornish Pirates.
This weekend offers a rugby treat for all you spectators. Saturday sees 3 home games kick-off 2.15 pm (that means afternoon Pete and Ced!) 1st xv at home to Handsworth in a 'must win' league game, the Devs against Birmingham Wyvern 1sts and the Vandals against Bournville 3rds. Entry to the ground is free as a special Christmas treat but arrive in good time as car parking could be difficult.The 'park and walk' facility at Whitlocks End station could be a possibility and Clare, a teacher at 'The Academy', informs me that you could park in her road, Chamberlain Crescent, and walk to the club, a distance each way of only one mile. Clare, nice offer but we're not all as fit as you.
On Sunday, kick-off around the 11.00 mark sees our younger lads in action. Come and support them as the u.16s take on Alcester in a home game. The under 14s and also the under 8s will be visiting The Edwardians in Streetsbrook Road. The under 12s are visiting our close neighbours, Camp Hill, down at Shirley Park which means theoretically you could watch 4 different games and still not use more than a couple of pints of petrol.
Welcome to the club at under 14 level to Tre'rail, a sprinter at Birchfield Harriers so lads pass the ball to him asap.

Eds 3rds v Vandals - Belated Report

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:54:16 GMT

This Saturday eventually found us at Edwardians, with Salts & Pershore obviously having been checking out the website.

Whilst dry the conditions underfoot in places resembled Hackney Marshes, having been relegated to Eds' second pitch whilst the Eds & Camps youngsters in the main event battled it out in the bowl.

We took the field (eventually, our warm-ups taking all forms these days) with another large eight, with Christmas coming early with Santa Grainger allowing us the use of the Stig sorry Fridge straight from his fortnight in Florida following the promotion (again) of Dai Baldwin into the Under 23 side. Young Greg coming in at his favourite position at hooker and the Colt Arkell coming in at No.8 and with Nick still nursing his injured titty Captain Slow started at blindside. One positional change in the Attendants saw Ian Neville start at fly half with Gary TAG Williams moving into the centre to partner Chairman Fitz, and the return of Mike Nearly Neary on the wing.

Eds winning the toss elected to kick, good decision, with it not making the ten metre line giving us a scrum to start the ball rolling.

Our first try was a fine individual effort by Ian Neville following good clean ball from the General (having tweaked his hamstring in the process) with Nev giving the oncoming defence a show of the ball and allowing himself to ghost through and round the fullback 5-0. Conversion narrowly missed by Dave Rollins (the magic tee having been left at Claverdon along with Ed's trainers).

Our Second try resulted from a great break from the halfway line by second row Andy Killarney who hugging the touch line sprinted towards the corner flag, getting hauled down short he looked for the back row or a winger in support finding only his partner in crime the Lonester, the rest of us having given up ages ago and John bundled over for a 10-0 lead. Ralphy gets this one 12-0.

Our third try (beginning to sound repetitious) came from a penalty (yes we did get the odd one our way) when the General taking the ball convinced the ref that they were holding on/offside but probably both. Up steps John "Phil, this is the plan, I'll make a lot of noise and you give the ball to Arkell" Oddly enough this simple approach worked, the mere site of the Colt galloping towards the line was enough to make the defenders part like the Red Sea for Alan to score (with much acrimony amongst the defenders afterwards "look at the size of him I'm not intending to tackle him" you get the message. Try converted by Ralph 19-0 and well in control.

Number four involved a good catch and drive on the Eds twenty two finally being held up about ten metres out, then the General selected his strike runner go right with Greg or left in the form of big Bill Burrows moving at speed, the latter crashing through the despairing tackles to put us 24-0 up. Cue big spring in Bills step. Conversion missed.

Then Eds hatched a cunning plan from the restart, kick to the Attendants the ball ending up with Quartz, who proceeded to attempt to run the ball out from inside our twenty two but getting caught, and ultimately turned over for Ed's to score & convert 24-7. Now I believe Gaz had anticipated a supporting run from Ralph, which failed to materialise, anyway enough said.

Mind didn't take us long to score our fifth, with the General taking a quick penalty near the ten metre line he found Pete Butler in support who getting up to full steam ran a full thirty metres with defenders bouncing off and in some cases hanging on to score mid way out. 29-7.

Then Eds hatched (another) cunning plan from the restart, kick to the Attendants the ball ending up with Quartz (again), who proceeded to attempt to run the ball out from inside our twenty two .......f**k this deja vu or what!

We should have had a sixth when a great flowing move by the Attendants saw the final pass to Ed McDonald being harshly judged forward.

Anyway not a bad half's work 29-7

Second half no changes (ok we'd got none) and frustrations started to set in with one or two refereeing decisions not going our way. Time for Captain Slow to lead by example, having been upended & dumped I hasten to add without the ball trades handbags with Ed's James Brown (taught everything he knows by us apparently), cards brandished by the ref but not given. But Slow & Brown spend the rest of the half trading cheap shots.

Time for Chairman Fitz to step up and score a great try wide out left hand side, Fitz is this week's man of the match for some really agressive running especially in the second half (fired up by the ref's interpretive skills) and for being solid as always in defence. 34-7 Try converted by Ralph 36-7

Ed's bad luck continued when with the line begging he just breezed by Fridge and was pinged for accidental offside.

With one of Ed's props sustaining an ankle injury mid way through the second half, we went uncontested with Slow coming into hooker (as John suggested having the quicker players out in the back row!!!...think about it). Think I need longer arms or smaller props than Fridge & Shannon!

Finally another swift set of hands sees the ball though the backs to Ed who turns on the gas to score his first try for the Club in his new socks, just about braking in time before running out of deadball area, turning left and making the conversion easier for Ralph 43-7.

Then in similar fashion Ed deservedly gets a second with the Attendents screaming for him to ground the ball a tad earlier this time, run Forrest run!!! Final score 48-7

Another great result, next up Old Halesonians.

Slow.

Victory over Bloxwich brings 2 valuable points.

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:25:14 GMT

Old Yards 20 v Bloxwich 16 (midlands div. 3 north/west)

OY’s were up against a strong, physical Bloxwich side whose strengths lay in their pack and their intimidating style of play. OY’s conceded a penalty in the first minute on the half way line, well converted by the Bloxwich kicker to be immediately behind 3 – 0, but following the restart, good pressure on the Bloxwich threequarters enabled Dean Brain to capitalise on an error and outpace the opposition to score an unconverted try. This was virtually repeated after ten minutes, when again a Bloxwich threequarter movement was disrupted for Brain to collect a loose ball, commit the cover and put in Adam Walker for a second try, this time converted to bring the score to 12 – 3.
A second penalty to Bloxwich for not releasing made the score 12 – 6, and OY's possession was being restricted by the Bloxwich pack. The direct nature of the Bloxwich tactics began to work and the OY's pack began to lose focus and control, reacting to intimidation and allowing the game to become scrappy, reducing the amount of good ball for the backs. Despite this, the Yards backs showed some good touches, passing and kicking, with both wings being involved, mainly on inside breaks.

After five minutes of the restart, changes were made to the OY's front row with Roger Lazenby replacing Jack Horton, but the Bloxwich pressure continued up front, and it was not until twelve minutes into the half that the OY's regained some forward momentum with a powerful drive into the Bloxwich 22 which resulted in a yellow card for a Bloxwich forward for pulling down the maul. The penalty was converted for the Y's by Walker.

Two minutes later, from inside the OY's half, and near the touchline, Phil Painter made a fine blindside break form a maul to feed Lee Purdey, who showed a winger's pace and swerve to outpace the opposition cover to score an unconverted try. A scuffle developed on the line, and as the scorer got up, he was felled by a punch from an opposition player in full view of the referee, who decided that a yellow card was sufficient. It was a credit to the OY's captain and players on the pitch that their reaction to this was minimal.

Despite numerical superiority, OY's were unable to create any further scoring opportunities but did not look in any danger until slack marking let Bloxwich in for an unconverted try after 26 minutes. The visitors scored a late try in stoppage time but Yards held on for a valuable victory.

Next up on the fixture list is a trip to Burntwood for a league match this Saturday.

Development xv 'asalted'

The recent run of success came to an abrupt end with a heavy defeat against an experienced Old Saltleians. The only points coming from a Rhodes penalty. Missing a number of key players our young team lost by 3-34.

The old fellas rumble on.

Captain Very Slow has yet to finalise his post-match analysis. However, as the only touchjudge as well as the only spectator I am able to offer a brief summary. To begin with it was good for local rugby to see The Eds put out 3 teams as they have struggled to do so recently. Captain Very Slow spent most of the game playing handbags with the Eds number 8 (I wonder who taught James P.E. at the Grimshaw academy?) so didn't really see much of the game. The Vandals, i.e. Old Ys vets and leftovers, cruised to victory by 48-7. Tries were scored by Nev, Peter Fridge, DCI Burrows, Tony Fitz, John Lonie, Arkell and Ed McD x2. Ralph managed 4 conversions. Thanks to 'Sports' of the Eds for reffing and keeping the game interesting when it could have become a little more one -sided. Thanks also to the hosts for giving us a game at short notice after 2 other teams cried off late in the day. Don't forget Jan Ogan you owe me a pint!

A Blast from the past

Brendan Fahy, an Old Yardleian winger during the 1980s sends best wishes to all of his contemporaries. Well known as the second fastest sprinter in Cork City, work took him to Colchester where he showed them what real Yardleian rugby was about and as a result ended up in their thirds!

Even further back in time

Nigel Hough that former flame haired hooker is celebrating his 60th birthday this weekend. If you wish to join him he is aiming to consume some beers in Moseley, take a look at Moseley rfc v Cornish Pirates and probably attempt more beer after the game. How many doormen will Robin Sadler test the patience of? If you wish to join the celebration contact Steve Painter, Dave Jenkins or even Nigel Hough.

It rained and it rained and it rained!

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:56:03 GMT

This week belongs to the senior gents also known as the Vandals

This Saturday found us at Claverdon's Ossett's Hole Lane ground in probably the worst weather conditions we have faced this season with continual rain throughout the game and with more balls being dropped than bars of soap in a gay man's Turkish bath!
Still, arriving in force with a squad of twenty (all Vandals I hasten to add & no first team parolees), and resplendent in the nice first team stripey kit (to give it another win) we eventually took the park after waiting for the referee to turn up this week.
With this week's stand-in skipper Sir John of Lonie (with Captain Slow still aching from the week before) losing the toss the Lions 2nd XV (containing some of their first team squad as we're not the only ones to be turfed out of a cup competition) elected to play into the elements and up the slope on their particularly homely (read narrow) pitch.
Immediately we got into their faces with probably our heaviest set of forwards this season with the unholy trio of Dai, Rick & Shannon up front, Big Phil, Sir John in the engine room, Officer Burrows completing his backward transition through the rows of the scrum from front to back, our flyer (it's all relative) Nick Levey and Big Rog anchoring it all together at eight, all ably bossed by General Evans.
Going back to a more traditional approach given the conditions we went back to basics sending in the big units to set up phase after phase before unleashing our Turkish bath attendants on the Lions defences. To our credit our three-quarter line of Smokin' Fitz & the Barrel continually tried to breach their lines with good direct lines of running, despite the conditions and on the wings we had great pace (but obviously not out wide) in the rocket propelled Coatesy and Ed "clothesline" McDonald returning after sunny holidays and dog bites respectively (I kid you not).
After the best part of twenty minutes with the score still at 0-0, and with the Vandals hardly being out of the Lions' half, Captain Slow realised he'd forgotten the liquid refreshments, so he ambled back into the changing room to fetch them, only to return to find us walking back from their line having scored the game's first try...typical. But apparently we were awarded a free kick (could have been a penalty) which the General took quickly and broke for the line getting tackled five or ten metres from the line (tells me he laid it back in textbook fashion) where Roger following up like a good No.8 should picked up and crashed over. Up steps the ever reliable Ralph at fullback to slot the conversion 7-0 and looking good.
Not long after Ralph launches his howitzer from just inside our half, Coatesy lights up the afterburners in hot pursuit, the Claverdon winger obviously not familiar with that sort of pace dallies a little too long and gets caught by Lee who proceeds to play a little footy and scores close to the posts 12-0 Ralph converts 14-0 and looking even better.
Then a try for our pack who worked tirelessly against largely younger (hardly surprising) forwards all game, Claverdon were awarded a scrum five metres from their own line, we decided we wanted it a lot more and drove them off their ball and Roger picked up, wrapped his arms around the pill, went blind and scored 19-0. Conversion narrowly missed. But we're well in control. One downside our workaholic flanker Nick Levey tears a chest muscle just before half time in fact referee calls it while Nick is still down. On comes the ever versatile Andy Killarney at flanker, just to add a little more weight to the scrum, will try to get the tonnage at some point.
Second half kicks off with the Vandals marching up hill into the rain. Lots of Claverdon pressure in the early minutes but our hard tackling defence not giving an inch, and Chairman Fitz looking like he's been mud wrestling. Next high point (well his arm anyway) and Ed tries to decapitate an openent, the Germanic tribes would have loved this but the referee didn't, and we're lucky to get away with a stern word, penalty given but nothing results. Off for a rest goes Clothesline and on comes Ian Neville onto the wing
Our lineout now cunningly reduced to five after misfiring throughout the first half, now begins to dominate with Big Phil taking lots of clean ball, and it is from one of these on the Claverdon ten metre line that we take a peach, consolidate and begin a relentless march towards Rome. With the General giving directions and Coatesy adding the extra legs we maul like madmen up hill all the way to the Claverdon line at which point just to confound the defenders our forwards split into two pods and the General goes over unopposed for one of our best tries (if not the prettiest) all season. Now with the confusion the referee was minded not to give it but thanks to a VERY sporting gesture by the Claverdon (first half) skipper now touch judge he assures the ref that all is well and the try is given 24-0 cue lots of back-slapping. The gradient proves too much for Ralph.
Off comes John & Bill (who really does appear to be enjoying himself a little too much after three years away) and on comes Pickle & Painter Sr for the last fifteen (sorry guys). There are no more scores just belligerent defence as we have our second away shut-out of the season.

Thanks to Brian Collingwood & Bobo for coming to watch, nice to have a bit of support.

Next week contrary to earlier reports is Old Salts at Water Orton.

Belated U16s Match Reports from 1st and 8th November

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Camp Hill vs Old Yardleians - Sunday 1st November 2009

We set off at 9:30am in appalling weather conditions to Camp Hill.
After a disappointing turn out of just 11 players Camp Hill generously lent us 4 of theirs.
The first half was tightly fought. We had players missing in key positions and the borrowed Camp Hill lads did not quite show the same enthusiasm as our 11 warriors. After 17 minutes Camp Hills number 24 broke through for their first try - no conversion. More trys were to follow for the home side, after 21 minutes their number 9 ran through our backs with no tackles going in. We must work harder on our tackles lads - this is a thorn in our side every time we have a match.
After 28 minutes the game spilled over with 2 of Camp Hills players being sent off and our Dave O’Grady having to go to hospital with a nasty looking gash to his lip which we later learned needed 4 stitches, the resulting penalty to us earnt us our first try with number 8 Daniel Cushing scoring a proper forwards try.
The other Camp Hill player was dismissed when Shaun Morris, jumping for the ball from the kick off, was illegally taken out with a dangerous tackle .
More trys by Camp Hill in the 37th and 44th minute but our players had showed real fight for the cause.
In the 54th minute our number 10 Shaun Morris scored the try of the match shrugging off several Camp Hills players and being half-tackled down to the ground twice he got back to his feet and went over for a great try. From that moment on Old Yardleians went from strength to strength with tackles flying in from the outstanding Conner Rigg, Scott Wilson, Shaun Morris and co.
The final score was Camp Hill 30, Old yardleians 12.

If only we could start with 15 of our own committed players.
Sorry the report is late. Phil Cushing.

Old Yardleians vs Lichfield - Sunday 8th November 2009

For the first time this season we had 16 players so we had the luxury of a substitute. The less I say about this game the better for all concerned. We have worked tirelessly on set pieces in training but anybody watching this game would have thought our boys had never played together before with Old Yardleians never threatening throughout the match to get into the Lichfield half, let alone score.

Final score Old Yardleians 0 Lichfield 32. Phil Cushing - cheesed off forwards coach :o)

What can I do on a sunday?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:21:52 GMT

It would do you good to struggle up to the club on a sunday morning at around 10.30. The fresh air clears the head, refreshments, served by charming volunteers are available and you might find somewhere to park the car (if you are lucky). I realise that some of you are there because your kids are playing but it is good to see more and more of you coming along to support the young lads who will, one day, be the players that keep our club thriving. Now let's get serious. Watching the games is good but you can do more than that. You can still have your pint and your butty but how about making a real contribution. How about some volunteers. We could do with kitchen staff, general clubhouse tidy uppers, car parking stewards and odd-jobbers who could do basic jobs such as being responsible for water bottles, post protectors and touchline flags. Such tasks would suit parents or players without the confidence to become involved in rugby-specific matters. You could be linked to a particular team/age group so that you were only involved at home games. Please approach your child's team manager or Shannon Killarney if you feel that you could help in some way.
Now, what about you players. You should hopefully know more about rugby than the young lads. Why not assist the current team managers with coaching and if you feel that you could do a job then you could sign up for a coaching qualification at a later stage. Referees don't need to know every law in the book. All they have to do is to appear confident and allow your common sense to take over. The refereeing qualification is easy to get and then 25 mins each way will not be too much for you. Most spectators show respect and those that allow mouths to operate without brain function are few and far between.
What else can you offer? Fixture secretary, can you read and use a phone, possibly at the same time? then you could do the job!

Please give it some serious thought and contact Shannon if you could offer your support in any way.

THE LONG AND POINTLESS ROAD

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:13:06 GMT

Bishops Castle 10 v Old Yardleians 5

The long trek to the Welsh Borders saw Old Yards return home empty-handed on saturday.

On a wet, sticky pitch, OY’s elected to play against a strong wind in the first half, planning to defend opposition pressure early on and to take advantage of the elements in the second half. From the start, Bishops Castle, through their forwards, drove into and occupied the OY’s 22 for the first 5 minutes or so but dogged defending kept the home side out. OY’s then got into their stride, and some good ground gained through the backs and good tactical kicking saw the OY’s camped on the Bishops Castle line, and from a controlled forward drive, and a break by Painter, a try scoring opportunity was set up and well taken on 13 min by fullback Hendrick.

This early advantage was not capitalised on, and play for the rest of the half became scrappy as both sides battled it out in the mud. Although in the lead, what grip OY’s had on the game was slipping due to basic errors when dealing with a wet ball and the muddy pitch . Bishops Castle took advantage of this deterioration, and cranked up the pressure. On 38 min, an infringement gave Bishops Castle a penalty, which was converted to bring the score to 3 – 5 to the OY’s

Still in the lead at the start of the second half, the OY’s were struggling to gain and keep the ball, now with the scrum under pressure. A rare attack was mounted on the Bishops Castle line, but their defence held firm. After 14 minutes the OY’s were unfortunate to lose Painter due to an ankle injury, and he was replaced by veteran second row John Lonie. By now, the match was being played in the OY’s half, and Bishops Castle were enjoying all the significant possession. At 25 min. an attempted long throw was missed by all and snapped up by the home side who scored a converted try under the posts, giving Bishops Castle the lead. The score remained at 10-5 until the final whistle and the Yards must have felt unhappy with their performance with five changes from the previous week not really helping their cause.

Egg’s Army marches on
Our development team who take mainly the second team fixtures continue their quest to play open and attractive rugby. In most games their ability to win first phase ball is limited by opposition experience and sheer weight leaving us to play sparkling rugby off of scraps of possession. Well this week a front row of Lazenby (its hard to believe that he is only 23), Russell and Mancell were in top form claiming much good ball to release the backs. Excellent tries were scored by Sam Richards and Captain Ellwyn with two cons and a penalty by the reliable Andy Rhodes.

Considering the recent rise to prominence of the Bournville club with their healthy influx of talented players (especially Warner and Charnley from the Aquinas Academy) this result was very impressive.

A special welcome to our South African utility back Bryan DeVett who had a superb game on debut at fly-half. However, be careful Bryan drinking with Sid might lead you into tricky situations as is one of his duties as club president.

Vandals

A fairly miserable day greeted us at Marlpool Lane on Saturday, and with a couple of late call ups (you know who you are) we travelled with a bare bones fifteen to Kidderminster, with Captain Slow having to play his first game in six weeks at No.8 as a result.
With like on previous occasions a referee failing to appear, the game was refereed by one of the Kidderminster players (and in fairness apart from the continual first half fringing, the not giving of a penalty try, Callum's talking to and Ralph's shirt pull right at the death he did alright)
With Kiddy winning the toss they elected to play with the elements in the first half, they being wind and light rain. On the park with twelve, not ideal lads, we managed to string the kick off along until first Gary "BMT'" Williams, elegantly strode on the pitch, followed by The Pres in his blue over shirt (not wanting to loose any body heat from his intense pre-match warm up...ok dump)...but where was our fifteenth man?? Ah Cedric having some technical difficulties of the ophthalmic kind (no not from all that herby smoke) but his contact lenses. So we start the game with fourteen; I know we all have our meet time moments but would be nice if we are all here, to be on the pitch when the whistle goes.
No mugs our hosts with a big experienced pack like ours (read old) and a youngish set of backs (unlike ours) they started from the off and within a very few minutes they secured good ball which was spun out to one of their whippets out on the wing who then showed a clean pair of heels to round our over-stretched (remember only 6) defence to score out wide. Conversion missed 5-0 down. Cedric finally arrives parity and 20-20 vision restored.
And then as in previous weeks we start to apply ourselves with our equally large pack taking it to them with stand-in second row big Bill Burrows making his first competitive start in three years looking like he'd never been away and Phil "Banahan" Goldbourne & Nick Levey prominent in the lineouts despite the wind making throwing in difficult (pay me later Sid) and our scrums looking solid with Shannon, Pres & Dai Baldwin not giving an inch especially given the twenty four stone behemoth up against Shannon (shows what good technique can do). The first half really tested our defensive mettle with some great defence throughout, with Fitz and the Barrel standing firm in the midfield. General Evans in his position B showing that there is a really good openside waiting to get out, harassing their halfbacks time and time again.
A new half back pairing this week of Gary "Quartz" Williams and Callum Killarney the latter having a really good match up with their equally young scrum half, with lots of niggle and discussion about the definition of "straight", ending with the ref finally getting the hump with Killarney Jr just before halftime.
Halftime 5-0. The behemoth seen off and we discuss the importance of getting the first score after the break now the elements are in our favour.
Kiddy kick off and we contrive to put ourselves under pressure, and from that Kiddy score close to the posts 10-0 conversion 12-0.
More Kiddy pressure sees a phenomenal tackle on our goal line by Man of the Match Nick Levey to deny Kidderminster a probably unassailable 19-0 lead, not only tackling but showing great technique in getting under his man. Nick had an outstanding game as both two jumper and in defence.
This was the spur we needed and Kiddy didn't look like threatening our line again and after a great series of phases with the Vandals at the gate the pressure finally tells and Kiddy give away a penalty, Captain Slow opts for points and new fullback Dave "Ralph" Rollins steps up with his magic tee 12-3
Everything starts to click and one great bit of interplay starting with Shannon showing his full repertoire of three-quarter skills sees the ball pass through a host of hands to Ian Neville only to be denied wide out by some equally gritty defence.
Minutes later a fine individual run from the Kiddy 22 sees Gary "Rolex" Williams waltz through their defence to score near the posts, 12-8 conversion narrowly wide but Kiddy's youngsters noticeably beginning to wilt under the pressure. Even "their" referee has had enough sending Kiddy back extra tens on two or three occasions for whingeing.
Another penalty Slow opts to kick and Ralphy strokes it through 12-11 with time running out and despite lots of pressure and a last minute controversial chip & chase by Ralph we fall just short. Final score 12-11
We can be very proud of this performance, not many sides I imagine give Kiddy this much of a run on their park.Well done, even though I did end up drinking on my own in the Bell!!

u9s kit presentation by Hollywood Vehicle Valeting Services

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It was a real pleasure to welcome Mark Smith to OYRFC on Sunday. Mark is the owner of Hollywood Vehicle Valeting Services and sponsor of the under 9s waterproof training tops. Mark presented each player with a waterproof top and then stayed to support the team in their victory against Woodrush under 10s. A big thank you to Hollywood Vehicle Valeting Services from the OYRFC, the under 9 coaches, the parents and the boys. If anyone would like to talk to Mark about valeting their car or cleaning their drive then he can be contacted on 07969145065.

U9s Team Sport Their New Training Tops!

OYRFC u9s v Woodrush u10s

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It was another big test for Old Yards against a well organised Woodrush under 10s team. Early on the defences were on top with excellent tackling and recycling from both teams. Tries were hard earned for both teams with a man of the match performance from Joe scoring three excellent tries using his pace and Jack scoring a great try running down the blind side with the Woodrush defence committed to the ruck. Old Yards were much better at the breakdown this week keeping much more possession and there were some first class off loads in the tackle that helped open up the Woodrush defence. Special mention must also go to Alex, Ben, Dan and Hayden who showed fearless tackling against much bigger players. Well done boys - your commitment to the tackle was fantastic. A big thank you to Oli, Oli, Harry and Dan who sportingly volunteered to play for Woodrush to even up the numbers. Thank you boys - it is never easy playing for the opposition against your team mates and you all handled yourselves extremely well. It is Old Sils away next week. Can you be at Old Sils and ready to start training at 10.30am sharp for 30 mins warm up, stretch and practice before the game at 11.00am. Well done once again boys - you were fantastic yesterday!

Things are starting to look better (slightly).

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:33:04 GMT

Old Yards 7 v Veseyans 11

Veseyans brought along a strong side which reflected their current position as joint league leaders, having only lost once this season, and the match was to be a stern test for the OY’s determined to continue their recent improvement in form. The match proved to be tight and defensive with few real scoring opportunities, with the OY’ powerful pack dominating up front, but having to cope when possession was lost with the very well organised and mobile Veseyans backs.

Veseyans took the lead after ten minutes with a penalty, but it was not until four minutes from half time that the OY’s resistance was finally broken by a fine Veseyans threequarter move originating from an unforced error during an attack by the OY’s, and culminating with the left winger going over in the corner for an unconverted try.

The second half started well for the OY’s, but an early long range penalty attempt by Walker was narrowly wide. OY’s upped the pace through the forwards, with Grainger, Painter and Lazenby putting in strong performances. The resulting pressure increased on the visitors, with the result that twelve minutes into the half a hurried clearance kick was charged down by OY’s left wing Pearce, who collected the ball for a fine converted try under the posts, bringing the score to 7-8 to the visitors

The game continued with pace and intensity, both sides being evenly matched, with OY’s getting on top after twenty two minutes, to camp on the Veseyans line. At this point both sides were indulging in a little off the ball activity and the referee took steps to defuse the situation. OY’s reapplied the pressure, but unfortunately the OY’s scrum half, about a minute after the general warning took the law into his own hands and was sin binned for ten minutes. The OY’s, with the pressure reversed were forced for the next ten minutes, to defend deep in their own territory, and it is a credit to all on the field that they did so, only conceding one penalty, for offside in midfield, converted by the visitors to bring the score to 7-11

Back to full strength, with about five minutes to go, OY’s attacked to gain a scrum on the visitors 22. A powerful drive sent Veseyans back to within five metres of their line, and they conceded a penalty. The scrum was reformed with the OY’s to put in, and a pushover try was anticipated. In the event, and despite having good control of the ball at the base of the scrum all match, the ball shot out of the side of the scrum, was hacked upfield by the Veseyans scrum half, and the chance, and the match was lost.

OY’s can take much from a good performance against a strong side in a match that could have gone either way right to the end, the final score being 11-7 in favour of the Veseyans. This coming Saturday sees the Yards visit Bishops Castle for a league match.

Old Yards Development xv 39 v Alcester 2nds 0

Another excellent victory for Ellwyn's boys as they travelled deep into Warwickshire to play Alcester 2nds. Tries came freely regardless of the shortage of first phase ball and our scorers were Adams x3, Mead x2, Evans(the barn dancer) and young Tom Growcott. 2 conversions from a forward, Andy Rhodes, completed the scoring. For a home team view of the game refer to the Alcester rfc website.

A special mention to one of our very valuable players who only joined as a mid-life crisis approached. This bloke has played full-back, wing, centre, scrum-half, back-row, 2nd row and hooker. There are those who suggest he needs to keep looking for a position where he can play a decent game but I, personally, don't go along with that view. You play where you want mate! He also fell into the trap of turning up for an AGM and had to do a little dose of captaincy. The man in question, Big Greg Allen. There you are Greg I promised you a mention and it really is blokes like you that keep clubs going. Cheers mate and that will cost you one pint!

The Sunday matches

Both our youth teams had home games and both had very difficult challenges. The under16s played Lichfield and the under 14s played Burntwood. School dinners must be pretty spectacular in Staffordshire as some of their boys were big fellas indeed. Both teams lost and the difference seemed to be that when our opponents get into our 22 they score but when we get into their 22 we don't score. Anyway Shannon will look for slightly easier games whenever possible. I must mention the promising debut for the under 14s of Callum Foulsham who played 2nd row but is usually a number 8. Well played and don't be put off by the final result as it will not always be like that, so Pricey says!

Match Report - U9s vs Sutton Coldfield

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yards under 9s had their first match of the season on Sunday away at Sutton.

This was always going to be a tough fixture for Old Yards with it being Sutton's third game of the season and Sutton having a strong squad of 28 players at under 9s compared to a squad of 10 players for Old Yards.

The team played fantastically well in their first competitive match of contact rugby. Sutton were more experienced than Old Yards at the breakdown and we found it difficult to keep the ball in the tackle and recycle the ball. We tackled heroically and Alex scored a great try in the corner however Sutton's greater possession proved too much for Old Yards and the first game was lost 6-1.

The boys enjoyed their first taste of contact rugby and the team talk ahead of the second game was dominated by how to win ball in the ruck. Once again the tackling was fantastic in particular from Ben and Hayden.

The difference in this game was that at the tackle we won ball and retained possession and with the ball in hand Alex, Dan, Jack, Adam and Oli scored great tries. Old Yards won 8-1 and man of the match was awarded to Alex for scoring 4 great tries.

U9s Team in action vs. Sutton Coldfield!

A league win at last, praise the Lord!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:00:36 GMT

The wait is over. The 1st team win their first league game of the season 26-12 at Telford. At this point I must introduce you to Andrew Dunne, a former 1st team number 8 who has volunteered to fill the role of match analyst. No new technology for Andrew, just a plain notebook and pencil and a thorough review of individual, unit and team performances presented to the selection comittee to enable them to gain a neutral assessment of each game.
Here is his general game review rather than the full analysis.

Result: TELFORD 12, OYRFC 26

OYs reversed their recent sequence of losses with an emphatic win at mid table Telford. OYs forwards dominated from the start, and the side refused to allow Telford into the match with constant pressure with the ball, and solid defence without it. Territory gained from this pressure resulted in points for Adam Walker,(pen), and after 38 min of the first half, following one of many forward drives, an unconverted try for Luke Harris.

The second half continued much as before, OY's camped in the Telford half, and constant pressure applied by both the forwards and the backs resulted in two further penalties for Walker, and reflecting the style of the OY's approach to the game, a second try for prop Harris, and one for fellow prop Gary Robinson, converted by Walker.

With the game won, and in the last ten minutes of the match, OY's game plan faltered, and resultant loose play resulted in Telford stealing two late tries through their mobile threequarters to give a final result that did not do justice to OY's dominance.

Yards Development team defeat Edwardian 2nds by 39-7

Yet another very good display by our young lads with pace and determination in abundance and an improved defence is now starting to appear. Tries were scored by Dave Langley x3 (and yes he did buy a jug), Phil, the barn dancing supremo Evans, Sam Richards, Andy Rhodes (congratulations on your first ever try for the club), and Dave Simpson, and Dave, if you ever find that Bas**** who cut your hair like that, let the boys know and we'll sort him! Oh yes and 2 conversions by that smooth fly half Rob Willis. Eds offered little apart from centre Ogan the 'Algebra Man' (you owe me a pint for that mate!). Captain Ellwyn's man of the match was the Gosforth Gasman Steve Cunningham. Well done Steve! Probably more entertaining than most of the game was the meticulous effort by a former star number 10 to get the ball out of the tree, along with 2 touch posts/flags. Yes I did get the ball and yes you do feel it when a fairly large branch hits you on the head.

Just in case you don't know too much about our Captain. Ellwyn, an ex pupil of St Peters RC School in Solihull, was found by Marcus Hope wandering the streets of Acocks Green having just been given a free-transfer by a local football team for his many exceptionally mediocre performances. In a simillar way to many of our recruits over the years Ellwyn was dragged off the street, thrown in the back of car, loaned some smelly kit (probably Snake's) from the back store of the club and with only basic tuition making his debut on the wing. Never being in doubt, Ellwyn made rapid progress, scoring many tries. Captaincy followed and then, the biggest honour available to rugby players, he was voted on to the club comittee. That'll teach you to fall asleep at the AGM. But seriously Ellwyn well done.

UNDEFEATED THIS WEEK

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:33:42 GMT

Read on, it is not as good as it first appears. The original fixtures against Kings Norton didn't happen for one reason or another apart from the Devs/under 23/2nds. The 1st xv had a scheduled game but their opponents (to remain nameless at this stage) had obviously read this website and were too scared that they may have become our first scalp. The Vandellas also suffered from opponents crying off and so all we had to watch was our Development xv reinforced by some of our more elderly chaps from the 3rds take on Kings Norton 2nds over at Hopwood. A stiff breeze in our faces for the first half, we defended well and, to be honest, were the most likely team to trouble the scoreboard in the first half but turning round at 0-0 was more than satisfactory. Ralph used his experience to kick long for touch from his own 22 and this caused KN many problems as they were penned into their own half. With Richard Withey looking like a greyhound (the bus variety rather than the speed merchant) and our front five causing them massive problems in the scrums it was only going to be a matter of time before we scored. Yet again Guy 'the Poacher' Smith cut through a gap that didn't exist for our first try. Sheer athleticism from centre Cederic saw him charge down a clearance kick, pirouette, and nudge the ball gently over the line with his soccer-like skills before diving gently on to the ball to register our second try. Cederic, how graceful!! The third try was sheer pace down the wing from our captain and Welsh speedster Ellwyn Male. Ralphy controlled the game from fly half with excellent kicking for position. Two fine conversions plus one crap effort meant a final score of 19-0 to us but well done KN for sticking at it. One final thought. The society ref didn't turn up, our fault probably, so the home team persuaded one of their lads to carry the whistle. A bloke on the touchline said that the ref's normal job was that of a doctor. Well lateral thinking needed. Would you want a rugby ref to solve a serious medical problem, answer obviously 'no'then you couln't really expect a doctor to be a good rugby referee, its obvious really. Thanks to the bloke anyway because as we are all aware no ref means no game.

Welcome

to Callum Foulsham to the under 14s. A second row/number 8 Callum joins us from the Aquinas Academy.

Friends of the Ys

A special hello to recent visitor, Richie Beckett from the Old Parks RFC (South Cheshire/Llancs) a recent guest our club.
Also, greetings to Andy Carry and Reece from the local parks team down the road towards Shirley. Andy, as soon as you feel the time is right let us know!

Shannons 50th birthday celebration of rugby.

Check the website for details and if you are turning up let him know. A special day for rugby memories (e.g. when a try was worth 3 points and when we used to win games!)

Under 9s Team Sponsored by Harris and Associates and Hollywood Vehicle Valeting

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:08:57 GMT

Last seasons all conquering Under 8s tag team have moved to full contact this season and are quickly learning how to tackle, scrumage, ruck and maul! The team are training hard and adapting to positional rugby, with Adam, Dan and Harry in the scrum, Jo at scrum half, and Alex, Ben, Hayden, Jack, Oli and Oli in the backs. The team will have its first game after half term.

To celebrate the team’s success last year, being undefeated and scoring over 200 tries, the club agreed to buy the team a new kit designed by Badger Rugby. The new kit has been kindly sponsored by two local business.

Harris & Associates, an independent financial advisory business based in Hollywood (www.harrisandassociates.co.uk), has sponsored the team shirts and Hollywood Vehicle Valeting Services has sponsored the training tops. It is fantastic to have two local businesses sponsoring the kit and helping encourage and support local children in sport.

If you would like to speak confidentially to Harris & Associates about your personal finances then please call Dean Harris on 07802579979.

If you would like your car valeted or drive cleaned then please contact Mark Smith on 07969145065.

On behalf of Old Yardleians RFC, the under 9s team and their parents, we would like to thank Harris & Associates and Hollywood Vehicle Valeting for their support.

U9s Team Sport Their Flash New Gear!

Thank heaven for the Vandals and the Lads(u 14s)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:41:58 GMT

We must try to look on the bright side again this week but it ain't easy. Bobo tells me that the reports from all the 1st team games still apply. In other words we were good at the set pieces failed to take our chances, soft tries conceded, played catch-up which didn't work and found the final 20 minutes hard going in terms of fitness. Our solitary try from young James Hendrick was not enough as we went down by 5-30, a somewhat flattering margin for Tamworth. The expression 'deja vu' springs to mind' (front row boys see if you can tell me what it means. First correct written answer gets a night out with Sid, second prize is two nights!)

The development squad clearly suffer from travel sickness because a trip to Tamworth was much too far. Still, two scarey props in Lonie and Sid gave the Tamworth boys something to think about. Apart from that there was not a lot of positive news to report. Perhaps Kings Norton on saturday might be a chance to redeem themselves and our youngsters could probably get there on their skateboards in 10 minutes. Oh, I forgot. To find out the final score rearrange the numbers 0 5 8 to find a real thrashing.

A brief report from the old guys better known as the Vandals.

First of all a big thanks to Tom Power & Shannon Killarney without whom we wouldn't have had a game. I wonder why referees are not always keen to come to the Old Yards.

Weather finally cloudy & cool but ground still rather hard for our ageing joints.

Following last week I think this was our best performance so far against a very good Tamworth side, with a very big experienced eight and a young set of backs, whom I guess expect to win more often than not.

Quite a few changes from last week with Andy Killarney & John Lonie/Stuart Adams being promoted to the ones & twos respectively and injuries to hookers Dave Jenkins & Rick Lowe meaning a welcome return to former first team legend Steve Mancell. Similarly a long awaited return to action for last years 1st team skipper Steve Cunningham at number 8 having turned down the opportunity to reprise his Vets role at centre; also injuries to Fitzy & Nev and the unavailability of "the Barrell" & Coatsey meaning yet another new midfield partnership in guest Phil "Shire" at 12 and the ever versatile Rob "Posty" Willis at 13, with guest Mike Neary making his debut at 15. In the engine room a welcome Vandals start for the considerable physical presence that is Dave "Thumper" Langley and the return from injury of Nick Levey on the flank , and last but by no means least Dave "Chicken" Hanson returning to the wing (you can see where all the zinc tape is going these days!).

Anyway despite our usual warm up comprising of walking out onto the pitch and unlike previous weeks we set about the task under the leadership of Dai "push me in" Baldwin (that's a flanker joke) right from the whistle and got into them straight away, and there followed the best part of twenty five minutes of non-stop bruising if scoreless action, with neither side giving an inch, but our pack making Tamworth having to work hard to retain their own ball. Lots of action in the backs with Ralphy trying to get the backs running with plenty of moves & crash balls to utilise Phil "Shire's" considerable presence.

Our first clear cut chance following great set piece ball saw the pill distributed crisply by the General and Ralphy going through the hands to Ed McDonald on the wing to pin his ears back, Ed deciding he fancied breaking a few tackles first decided to head in country to rendezvous with their cover tacklers, and being stopped a few metres short of the line. But the Vandals were now at the gate and not long after a great tackle breaking run by Phil "Shire" at inside centre saw him go over mid-way out 5-0. Up steps Ralph using new technology in the form of a nice red kicking tee strokes the ball over for a well deserved 7-0 lead. The remainder of the half saw our front five of Shannon, Steve, Dai, Thumper & big Phil in the ascendency, and the glamour boys of the back row Crouchy, Nick & Steve covering all manner of yards in both defence and attack, with Nick & Steve not at all looking like they'd just come off their injury enforced holidays.

Halftime 7-0

With Shannon outbidding Dai for the second half's refereeing job Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby comes in at loosehead having broken all manner of speed limits to arrive in time for the break from Oxford, and Gregg "Swiss Army Knife" Allen taking over at hooker, replacing Steve Mancell who had soldiered on despite popping a rib in the game's first scrum!! They don't make them like they used to!

At half time Captain Dai stressed how important it was for us to have the next score, and we duly obliged when from a scrum between the Tamworth twenty two and ten metre line a clean pick up by Steve Cunningham at the base saw him waltz his way through several despairing tackles to score next to the posts. 12-0 Ralph and his new best friend converts 14-0.

More changes sees live wire Callum on and the General off for a short break.

Next scrum near the halfway line sees Rog's opposite number go hang gliding, his flanker trying vainly to pin his feet on the ground, as our forwards start to turn the screw. The big combative Tamworth blindside gets tackled by Rog and cops all of Rog's weight on the back of his calf...ouch and off he goes, though he says after the game in the bar he hopes it's just a dead leg (and buried)!

The General back on in his alternative position on the flank (hates me for it mind) and Nick comes off after a solid game considering his month's lay off and not being able to see or hear his team mates.

Soon after we spin the ball out from a ruck/scrum/lineout (delete as necessary), the ball flows through the hands to find Mike "Nearly" Neary like all good fullbacks coming up in support on the outside to go over for a superbly taken try (despite some dissension in the Tamworth ranks which Shannon diplomatically ignored) 19-0. Ten metres in from touch Ralph "Goldenballs" Rollins notches his third conversion (big smirk on his face)

Posty comes off and on rumbles Dean Smith in one of his occasional cameos, as does Ed McDonald making way for young Sean Houghton on the wing.

Doubt if Tamworth have been 21-0 down for a while, so we give them the opportunity to score, which they take 21-7.

Our last try sees Phil "Shire" setting off on their ten metre line on a diagonal solo run (obviously he needs the extra distance these days to get up a good head of steam) before straightening up fifteen metres out and and about an inch in from the touchline in order to Lomuesquely run over their poor winger and crashing over in the corner 26-7. Ralphy now well and truly in the zone with his magic tee strokes it over 28-7 (cue even bigger smirk). The magic tee now lives in our first aid box!!

The General off and the Colt Arkell on, who with his first touch of the ball rampages 30 metres up the field, an impact sub if ever there was one.

Time for one more converted try by Tamworth's second row & skipper and a cracking last ditch try saving tackle by Sean Houghton.

Game over 28-14, great result & very fine performance all round.

Now on to Sunday

A quick mention about the future of our club. It was good to see so many of our senior players at the club on sunday morning. The under 14s, managed very well indeed by Steve Price, played in a triangular fixture. First up were Redditch who were too strong, very well organised and who beat us 5-24 (or something like that). Then the Edwardians, again very well coached by Paul Price, took on the Redditch boys but like us were defeated. Finally, the game we had all come to watch, The Eds against The Ys. What an absolute treat. An even match, well refereed by Mr Darren Collingwood of the North Mids Society. The skill levels of all players were superb, the conduct of the boys and the spirit in which the game was played would have embarrased many senior players. A very late try by Jack Molloy (a product of the St Thomas Aquinas Academy) clinched a 15-14 win for the Yards with other try scorers including Jack Price, Tim and man of the match Jordan Pinnock-Miller. To you guys who have not yet been to the club on a sunday morning get yourselves there, watch what goes on and then offer your help in any way you can. Shannon, Pat and their helpers are brilliant but need help. Get a coaching badge, take up the whistle, run touch, sort out post protectors and flags, work in the kitchen or on the bar, it doesn't have to be every week. You would probably enjoy yourselves.

Yards still looking for first win

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:54:07 GMT

The Y's are still at the wrong end of division 3 as a result of losing away to unbeaten Wednesbury. The visitors made a bright start to the game using their heavy pack to good effect. However, goalkicker Jamie Walton left his kicking boots behind as he missed a number of early penalty kicks. Wednesbury took advantage by scoring 2 breakaway tries with one converted to take a half-time lead of 12-0. Early second half pressure resulted in a close range try for Yards skipper Steve Grainger but that was as good as it got. The hosts superior fitness saw them score 2 late tries and a penalty to gain a comfortable 25-5 victory. Good news for the Y's was the return from injury of Dave Rimmer and with Simon Brown resuming training the picture is starting to look brighter. This Saturday sees the Yards 1st team playing at home to Tamworth in a midlands division 3 game at Tilehouse Lane with free admission to all spectators.

The Yards development squad are still developing! Captain Ellwyn was a little disappointed by the result against Birmingham Exiles 2nds which saw us slip to a 17-21 defeat in a game that really was there to be won. He felt that there is a lack of experience in the team and that at times the wrong tactical decisions are made. However, I guess that the formation of a development team has more pluses than minuses and that it will come together given time. Regular observer, Steve Mancell, himself once a top class player informs me that the skill and fitness levels in this team are something that our first team would be pleased with. Try scorers were Tom Grocott, Big Dave Langley and, once again the evergreen Guy Smith. The next game is against Tamworth.

The Vandals Weekly Report

Well probably our least convincing performance in this game against a committed Exiles side who given the circumstances on the day probably wanted it a little more than we did.
Once again it was shirt sleeves weather and once again we exhibited our customary slow start albeit playing uphill allowing Exiles to race into a first a 7-0 then 12-10 lead.
To make matters worse with one of our first uphill attacks from within our twenty-two we lost our full back Nev with a calf pull. So bit of a shuffle, Coatesy into centre with Chairman & Captain Fitz switching to fullback allowing our latest recruit Ed McDonald formally of Worcester Wanderers to slot in on the wing.
Our first try a good catch and drive from a lineout, then quickly spun out by the Phil "the General" Evans to Dave "Ralph" Rollins allowing Nick "the Barrel" Palmer to crash his way through their defence, being stopped only a few yards short but neatly popped it up into the arms of Roger "the Dodger" Lazenby to bowl over the line 12-5. Conversion "scuffed" (Ralph's words), but our danda up a notch or two.
Our next try was scored by the General (I had to ring him about this as I couldn't remember it, and when asked he simply said "fantastic" I assumed it involved a trademark break and an outrageous dummy), anyway 12-10, conversion missed but definitely game on now, with the pack including Billy "the Guest" Hendon taking the place of Dai (who was realising his dream of playing his ONE game for the Development side) & Shannon really taking it to the Exiles eight. As always Lonie at the fore, with Andy K in support (despite telling me he was having one of those days) and Big Phil as usual flapping those big hands of his and causing all manner of trouble for their line out and air traffic control down the road.
Then rather against the run of play the Exiles scored another converted try 19-10, but no panic as good running by Ed McDonald ultimately sees Coatesy deciding to go the easy way through their pack 19-15, conversion missed (is there a pattern here??)
Then following a short exchange of handbags (during which the General scored...or not as the case may be) the Dodger broke his hand, leading the Lonie to remark to me later in the pub "never hit 'em in the head". Sage words.
Jenksy having carried some form of gwoin stwain for most of the first half finally had to give up the ghost allowing Rick Lowe with his own gwoin stwain to enter the fray in my kit, which he tells me was too big!!!!
A final flurry in their twenty two with us in the ascendency saw the timely arrival of half time for them with the score on 19-12 and with the slope in our favour.
Callum on at half time at scrum half with the General going to openside to join young Crouchy who put in another solid performance around the park. Now Ralph and Coatesy start to spray them with astute tactical (downhill) kicking. One of which results in a lineout to Exiles five or so metres out, who immediately fluff their lines resulting in Roger going over for his second and the Vandals taking the lead for the first time 19-20, Ralph converts 19-22. Andy off and the venerable 60 year old Painter on.
Time then for one of those classic moments following a kick and chase by Stuart Adams showing his searing pace in his Bermuda shorts he breaks through their defence and with the line at his mercy he completely overruns the pill....Man of the Match!
Rather fittingly for Exiles and disappointingly for us an amazingly mazey run by Bill Leckie's 17 year old son Sam who seemed to run from one side of the pitch to the other and back again saw Exiles score what turned out to be the deciding score 24-22, despite lots of pressure, some friendly refereeing around the breakdown and a last gasp long range penalty miss by Ralph.
The view of former Yards second row Nigel 'Gringo' Walker was that if his boy, Adam, had played for us instead of them, the Y's would have won. Nigel you are probably right mate but we'll never know.

Final score 24-22 gutted.

Next week Tamworth at home.

Finally two IMPORTANT notes:

Guys if you haven't paid your annual membership subs, these are well overdue and are the operating lifeblood of the Club, cheques or cash will do but now fifty quid either way....no pay no play after Christmas

We are also looking at producing a unique Vandals polo shirt, with Club crest and rather fetching Vandal, cost to be advised, but if you are interested can you let me have a chest size in terms of Medium, Large, Extra Large, and XXL or XXXL (you know who you are)

ps Ten of us ended up in the The Boat on the way home having several beers and telling rugby "sea shanties", something we must do again next road trip, if only to bore the younger players shitless of how the game was once played!!!!

Match Report - U16s vs Halesonians

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the boys entered the pitch for our eagerly awaited first match of the season the weather was awful.
With injuries to key players, people playing out of their usual position and new players coming in we knew the game was going to be a learning exercise for all.
We kicked off at 11am with handling errors on both sides from the start due to the persistent rain.
We started brightly with our pack bossing the first scrum of the match, only to be undone with a handling error as the ball came out to our backs.
In the 4th minute a well taken try from Halesonians No.13 and conversion from No.15 put them in the lead. Come on lads was the cry from the crowd, and we were soon back in the game with a try from our new captain James Lawler. It was a great run which was driven forward with help from our pack for a good try in the corner, unfortunately we missed the conversion but brought the score to Old Yardleians 5 Halesonians 7.
We soon fell further behind with a scrappy try from Halesonians No.11 - no conversion.
The spirit of the game was excellent with neither side giving an inch.
The game boiled over just after the break with Dave O'Grady being sin binned for 10 minutes for catching an opponent with his knee.
With more trys to follow for Halesonians the final score was Old Yardleians 5 Halesonians 29.
We can take great heart from this first match with lots of good individual performances, and we can build on what we have learnt today with players returning into the side and players being able to return to their correct positions the next match will be even better.

Well Done Lads !!

Match report Phil Cushing

It wasn't even the big Newcastle

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:41:18 GMT

Let's start with the 1st team as it can only get better from there on.

Our lads travelled to Newcastle for a league match on saturday and Fridge revealed that his satnav had taken him for a 400 mile trip to a place where they all sounded like Gazza or Oz off the Auf Weidersehen tv programme and there was a bridge over the River Tyne. That apart, a familliar story to tell. Phil, our dynamic 2nd row told me that we played well in short phases but apart from 2 pens from Jamie Walton we had little to trouble the scoreboard with. A half-time lead of 6-3 gave us hope but early Newcastle scores in the second period saw heads drop and as we fell further behind the plan was to run the ball from all parts of the pitch. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and a final score of 6-30 suggests that on this occasion it didn't. Never mind, when it eventually happens someone is going to get a real thumping. Perhaps it will be Wednesbury in next saturdays away match.

The 2nds/under 23/Development side have started to turn the corner. With only Guy Smith at no. 9 and Billy in the front row to act as mentors we were lucky to get a team out as I'm not convinced that our boys had finished their schoolwork. Apart from Guy, our back line were all teenagers but played with speed and tackled strongly. The pack was also youthful with Andy Rhodes, once a back, looking impressive in the 2nd row. By coincidence our opponents, Five Ways Seconds, were also a blend of youth and experience i.e. under 19 or over 90. To be honest, they played quite well but errors in unfortunate positions cost them the game. Tries from Sam Richards, Guy Smith and Rob Willis who also got a penalty as well as lasting the whole game meant a final score of 18-0 to the youthful Yards. A tip for our skipper, Ellwyn. If you are full back and you collect a kick and your team mates are not in support as the opposition get nearer, if you have a gale-force wind on your back kick the bloody ball as far downfield as you can. Honestly that way you might keep some friends! Next week, home against Birmingham Exiles 2nds.

Now a brief summary of the 3rds/vets/vandals most recent match

Well at least the weather has changed!

Saturday found us at my old club Silhillians in a game against their 3rds (of which 3 of them were) the rest being made up of Colts, recent first teamers (the scrum half) and Birmingham Civil Service (whom curiously I noticed didn't have a first team fixture Saturday!!)

A relatively young side then, so first lineout "How old are you then nip?" I enquired of my opposite number "17" he gleefully replied, "oh only a thirty year age gap then", which with the exception of their fly half at 40, I think went for the majority of their threequarters as we we found out almost immediately.

The toss won (again) we elected to play into the fairly stiff breeze in the first half.....

So 12 minutes in.... 28-0 down, not the best of starts we've had this season chaps, don't think we can argue that a couple of wrong decisions, friendly tackling, some unusual kicking, and an unfortunate interception helped our cause at this point.

But having finally got our sh*t together the pack took it into the faces of their eight with some lively encounters in both the tight and loose, with Shannon, Jenksy & Dai really working over their less handsome front three, allowing us to repeatedly pummel their line and seeing the General and Nick "the Barrel" Palmer both going over for tries both converted by Ralph. Our driving mauls were giving their "less experienced" eight all manner of problems with our two big units John & Phil, and Andy uncustomary playing at No.8 having all sorts of fun.

Then the game's first controversy involving their feisty Civil Service No.8 having driven them back ten yards, he decided to take issue with Captain Flounder for some small amount of naughtiness on my part and dragged me out of the maul for a bit of individual recreation...thanks to those who came to my aid...smiles all round. However , with his card now marked and the red mist now well and truly having descended he lasted only a more few minutes before being quite rightly yellow carded by the Welsh referee for trying to clear out a ruck in rather an energetic manner.

Losing our wingman Cedric in the first half, he must get those dodgy rubber bands of his sorted gave me the opportunity to "select" one of their players, and have to admit I know James Clarke who came on and scored a brace in the second half. Amazingly Jim is actually a prop, who has been playing on the wing for Civil Service Ones (another hint) this season.

Our threequarters of Ralph, Fitz, Nick, Ian & Callum were called upon time and again covering all manner of hard yards to keep us in the game with their lively (read young) backs running from everywhere.

Losing Rick with an overworked groin playing out of position at blind side (much more running about than in the front row obviously) meant another BCS lad Tom having to come on for us. Then Captain Flounder departed having been shot in the leg by a sniper on the grassy knoll (NOTE:new on field skipper required for next few weeks)

So there we are mid-way in the second half and only nine points adrift 33-24, and I think the Vandals at the gate, their kids not having been in as many dog fights as us obviously and beginning to loose shape & nerve; then a scrum on the halfway line, an unfortunate strike and one against the head to them leading to another score and our resistance effectively ended. Two more late on, one converted from the touchline final score a flattering 50-24.

On reflection looking at it, If you take the three soft tries in the first ten and the last two tries when we were quite simply f**ked it could have been a damn sight closer on another day.

This weeks Man of the Match goes to Phil Goldbourn for another oustanding performance all round from either taking or destroying any quality ball on their lineouts, some great restart catches and runs (God knows we had quite a few) and getting around the park, not bad for 49.

For the first time this season we were notably silent in the changing room after the game, which I know was down to the sheer physical effort put in by each & every member of the team for the last seventy minutes and I think no small amount of disappointment knowing that we came so close at one point to clawing our way back into a game when all seemed lost, and for that I was immensely proud of our performance.

MIDWEEK VETS V KINGS NORTON

Almost forgot to mention it but we had a vets game against KN last wednesday under their lights. As is tradition we plan for about a 7.00 kick-off but KN don't arrive much before 7.30. In terms of quality the ref came first and was surprisingly good compared to the standard of rugby played. Both teams worked hard and attempted to play good rugby and for senior players the fitness was reasonable. The Yards had a little more pace than KN who in turn had more bulk. The better team, Y's, won comfortably in the end. Tries from both Phils, Cedric and Chicken x2 plus 1 pen and 1 con from Ralph took us to a 30-12 victory.

THE SOCIAL SCENE

The 60th birthday party in honour of Mr Steve Painter last saturday was a superb evening. The Irish band, sorry boys but I forget your name, was brilliant providing a range of songs to suit everyone. To organise mass participation dances such as 'the siege of Ennis' and 'stripping the willow?' was crazy but the result was spectacular. My better half rates me as a dodgy dancer but apparently there are others who are even worse, such as 'sleepy' Steve Price,and 'concrete boots' Sid. Shorter Phil and 'bull in a china shop' Collingwood were equally impressive. Lads you were greaat but keep the lessons going! Thanks to Becky and Nick for doing the buffet and to the girls on the bar.

Will October bring a change in fortunes?

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:52:23 GMT

Let's start from another angle this week.

On Wednesday 30th Sept. the Vets will play in what looks likely to be an annual fixture against Kings Norton Vets under their floodlights at 7.00pm. We played champagne rugby last year, running them off their feet, but I anticipate a much closer game this time.

It was good to see our vice-presidents gathering for their yearly treat of pork pie, curly sandwiches and chickens legs (not Dave Hanson's). The banquet along with sparkling rugby and free car parking must seem a real bargain at only £150 a year. Joking apart, it's good to see you old b*****s every now and again but the extra-dry sausage rolls are not available every week!

This Saturday sees the celebration of a legend. Any of you who have played with this guy will recall how he intercepts your passes with knock-ons, wanders offside at lineouts and, more painfully, stands on your arms and legs in rucks. But the legend lives on and the player with the all-time record of Old Yards appearances,699 so far, will be celebrating his 60th birthday with a party at the club this Saturday. The buffet will be fresh and of the highest quality, the live band will get you on your feet, (dancing, not going home) and he doesn't even want a big present, saying a nice card would do. Did I mention this man's name? If you haven't guessed, its Steve Painter. Join him on saturday and bring your wives and girlfriends but not both.

Reports from last Saturday

First XV - I feel a little sorry for the first team at the moment. They played some very good rugby against Moseley Oak in attack and defence but didn't really get the breaks they deserved. A first half try by inspirational skipper Steve Grainger gave us a 5-0 interval lead. However, the pace of the game added to the hot weather took their toll on our lads. We made careless errors with the try line beckonning and were made to pay as the more mobile opposition ran in 4 second half tries as we chased the game. With a bit more fortune and a little more work on player fitness, I feel sure that we will come good. This week's trip to Newcastle ( the one in Staffs) should prove to be a good place to begin the recovery from what has been the club's worst start to a season for 12 years

Development XV - The Development xv visited Aston Old Eds, a club that's been on a relative high for a couple of seasons.The flying welshman, skipper Ellwyn, made it clear what was needed from his team and that was to concede fewer points than the 36 leaked last week. A game full of commitment followed and our law enforcement officer, Nick (Lurch) Allen, was soon to see life from the other side as he was banged up for 10 minutes by the judge/referee. Guided by the experience of Marcus Hope and Dave Hanson, the young lads played well and tries were scored by Lee Couples x2, Martin Cain and Lewis Williams who also kicked 3 conversions. However, Aston managed to score 34 points which was just enough for a narrow victory. On the positive side, fewer points conceded than last week! This coming saturday sees the boys provisionally playing Five Ways 2nds, probably at home (subject to confirmation)

The Vandals/Vets/3rds continue to flourish

Dunno bout you lot but I'm beginning to wish for rain when I get up on Saturday! It was nice cool & cloudy early doors but then as in the previous three weeks the sun shone down on us again, making it hard for the over forties.

A side again showing several changes, including a new (and younger) midfield pairing (Cedric where were you?) took on an experienced Aston Old Edwardians side with several ex-first teamers from my generation, including a guy so huge he had to wear his own shirt probably built by Cammell Laird, as they obviously didn't have one his size in their playing strip.

As with the previous week we started well and took the attack to Aston, and within the first few minutes we spun the ball out as far as our newest recruit Lee Coates at outside centre who ignited his afterburners 40 metres out cutting through their defence to score under the posts, converted by our stand-in-stand-off Ian Neville.

With a gentlemanly understanding reached by our front row of Dai, the Pres (guesting as hooker) and Rick whereby own ball was guaranteed Subbuteo style at the scrum we tried to run the ball wherever possible with a new half back pairing of Phil & Nev and our other new recruit Nick "the barrel" Palmer doing exactly what it said on the can barrelling through their midfield, releasing Coatesy for a second and then his hat trick. Then Pickle on the wing finally managed to get a pass and literally sauntered in under the posts (note to all wingers) with Nev adding all three conversions. 28-0 up within twenty five minutes.

Our lineout was back to taking lots of good ball with Matt Spence (aka 'Crouch) being chucked into near orbit at four, who also had an oustanding game in the loose making a number of haul down last ditch tackles along with Chairman Fitz at fullback doing what he enjoys most knocking people on their ar*es in spectacular fashion. I thought our defence was really good this week with a lot of "lost cause" defence working time after time, we must be getting fitter chaps; in fact it took some black magic at a lineout just before half time to finally break our line with a very pre-emptive peel by their skipper taking their ball at the front of the line and going over in the corner, the conversion being missed.

At half time we tucked into our Lucozade and the Pres opted to go join the VP festivities with Shannon coming on at loose and Rick moving to hooker, and with Mark now having sweated out his alcoholic excesses from the night before the front row seemingly decided to rip up the gentlemanly agreement with their opposite numbers and test them out a bit, with the ref (in his first game incidentally) having to have words to restore sweetness & light.

As discussed at half time we did get the first score after half time with Lee going over for try number four again converted by Nev, and then with a 100% kicking record Ian decided to go put his slippers on. That meant Callum moving in off the wing to his more accustomed scrum half position, and the General moving to outside half. With try number five on the board the conversion unluckily missed by Ricky Wilkinson, Coatesy also decided he'd done enough damage to Aston's morale and went off for a rest causing all manner of problems for Captain Flounder moving out onto the wing, then centre then back to blindside. That also meant Dave Hargreaves returning to the fray on the wing and again showing his electric pace on a couple of occasions, once notably on the outside leaving his opposite number for dead and setting up a great attack that sadly went unrewarded.

With lots of tries being scored the restarts amounted to catching practice for the ball magnet that is Steve Rabone. Our No.8 Roger Lazenby's unusual claim to fame this week was to get Aston's skipper their w*nker of the week award; not for the first time during the game saw Rog's arm lingering somewhat tardily around the ball on the deck. Their skipper deciding to encourage Rog to move with what he assured me after the game was going to be a "little dink" on the forearm wound one up and let it go, only for Rog to obligingly move with sublime timing resulting in their skipper slotting their prop on the head.

Late on with a lineout in our twenty two saw some no small amount of cunning akin to Aston's earlier effort; a four ball going backward was called with their pod going backwards Dai dropped one short on Andy Killarney at the front who then proceeded to gallop towards the line (ok the ten metre) before being hauled down. Sadly the support still going backwards at the line took a day or two to reach Andy as we had to go the long way!! But great thinking all the same. In the dying minutes we even managed to sneak two of Matts mates onto the park in their nice shiny Umbro shorts, with one sorry I didn't get his name showing great pace and having a great run up the wing. With legs tiring Aston managed one more score, again unconverted. Whistle blown another win 40-10.

Despite Lee's awsome five try haul this weeks man of the match goes to Matt Spence for his work in the lineout but mainly for his cover defence and for being all over the park.

And yes I know the penalty clerance kick was SH*TE and I wont do it again.....ever.

For those who are old enough Vets game under lights at Kings Norton on Wednesday meet at KN 6pm ish, hoping to get game under way an hour later.

Next Saturday in the sunshine sees the Vandals v Warley twos at home.

Saturday 19th September not the best week for results!

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:42:08 GMT

Suddenly shopping with the missus or doing some gardening looks like a good way of spending a saturday afternoon rather than watching the Old Yards falling apart in front of your very eyes. In a season that had so much to offer lets hope we can turn things round sooner rather than later.
The first team played at Shipston in the Senior Vase competition. 21 points to 5 down at half-time with Ben Honey scoring our solitary points the second half was littered with unsavoury incidents forcing the referee to finish the game early. Oh well the only way is up but how long will it take? Come on boys next saturday will do nicely when we play our first home league match of the season.

As part of my sentence I watched the Development team play at home to Wednesbury 2nds. We opened up a 7-0 lead straight from the kick-off. The ball was won and moved right at real pace with Guy Smith finishing the job. Shortly after that Guy picked up from the base of a ruck and sprinted 30 meters for his second try. The prospect of buying a jug resulted in him spending the remainder of the game unloading or passing whenever he got possession. Great game Guy! For the rest of the game our youngsters becme a little mixed up with training as touch rugby became the order of the day as our method of defence. Unfortunately the plodders from the Black Country didn,t bother to stop or pass when gently caressed by Yardleian fingertips, they just carried on running and scored. Not to worry it was a nice sunny afternoon and Chris Watts admired the enthusiasm of our young players although he wouldn't have tolerated such poor tackling in his days!

The wheels came off for our 3rds/vets/vandals. The skipper, although gutted, will provide his own report.

Well guys, that was a long old afternoon of not so fun in the sun.

In fairness Old Halesonians will probably be the hardest test we will face this season, their Ones plying their trade two divisions above us, and whilst we'd expected a hard game I'd still hoped we would not suffer a mauling like that at any point in the season let alone against them.

Their guys on the whole were probably twenty years younger than the majority of us, and their fitness told all over the park. For my part I would like to apologise as my leadership went AWOL in preference to drawing breath in the most part, and I felt completely knackered after thirty minutes, something I aim to address.

Obviously the other thing that didn't help was the luck of the bounce as far as the refereeing went.

Ok enough of the excuses, with five changes from last week we started brightly albeit fortuitously with a kick and chase with Dave Hargreaves going over for his first try in competitive rugby and for the club in the first couple of minutes of the game. Remember always head to the posts if you can! On another day a conversion and subsequent penalty could have seen us 10-0 up as we dominated the opening exchanges and first fifteen minutes but sadly it was not to be.

Once in their rythym however, Hales scored frequently & freely throughout the game, with their ex Woodrush fly half directing operations..... he said we didn't ring him!

BUT we never gave up and made the tackles whenever they came in range. Losing both Cedric & Nick in the first half didn't help our cause, with Hales bringing on a total of six substitutions, and still having a couple left over.

Couple of mentions our front row of guest tighthead Bill Hendon, Mark & Rick who Bill tells me had their front row in bother throughout the game with lots of uses of the dark arts resulting with their hooker popping up more like toaster on more than one occasion.

A creditable debut for Stuart Adams on the wing at the ripe old age of 17; Stuart on more than one occasion was targeted by kick & chases throughout the game and he not only caught them he stood his ground with clusters of Hales players hanging on, and for that he was our man of the match.

Also a mention for Shannon's son Callum who came on in the second half and had a sound 40 under pressure at scrum half replacing Dewi Sidwell.

Anyway one to forget, and looking on the bright side we could have been Manchester who shipped an incredible 145 points against Blaydon in National One, imagine the beating they're gonna get at training.

Home again next week against Aston OE and who incidentally suffered a similar result against Hales last week.

Heads up.

Martyn.

What about this coming weekend? Firsts at home in the league to Moseley Oak, Devs away to Aston 3rds, Vets home to Aston 4ths (all are subject to confirmation)

12th September match reports and important social news

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:13:44 GMT

Playing their first league game of the season at Staffordshire club Leek, Y’s played their part in a pulsating match in which the lead changed hands 7 times.
After 3 minutes the Y’s won lineout ball and drove their opponents 20 meters over the line for captain Steve Grainger to touch down with Jamie Walton adding the conversion points. However, Leek replied with a try to make the score 7-5 to the visitors.
20 minutes into the game Y’s number 8 Ben Honey was yellow-carded for a rucking offence and during his absence Leek took a 12-7 lead but a Walton penalty took the half-time score to 12-10 in favour of the home team.
A magnificent 80 meter run and try by winger Seymour Seaton converted again by Walton put the Yards back in front only for the hosts to reply immediately with a converted try.
Shrewd tactical substitutions by the Y’s coach, Gary Robinson, resulted in a successful penalty by Walton.
The hot weather was now taking its toll as tired legs made mistakes inevitable and Leek scored a breakaway try to regain the lead at 26-20. The next try went to the Yards as a result of a powerful scrummage with number 8 Honey claiming the try which was converted. This narrow lead proved insufficient as Leek’s superior fitness saw them score a penalty and a long-range try in the closing minutes bringing the final result to a victory to Leek by 34 points to 27.

The Yards under 23/development/second xv played host to Ashby 2nds who were under the expert guidance of former old y Sean Kenwrick. On the day the conditions suited the younger and fitter home team who played with pace and displayed some superb support play and ball handling skills. With captain Ellwyn Male setting the tone with some razor sharp runs the tries soon started to flow. The pack more than held their own (rugby wise not personally!) and the strength and bulk of Dave Langley was a real feature of the performance. Try scorers were Lee Couples, Greg Allen, Dave Langley, Tom Grocott, Guy Smith,James Donnaghy and Alec Connor with two tries. Andy Powrie added 3 conversions. A learning feature from the game must be mentioned. Young Tom Grocott a determined scrum half with loads of potential managed to upset the referee enough to gain a 10 minute rest in the sin-bin. As Tom estimated that his spell of porridge must be due for completion he made enquiries with the Gent from the North Mids Society who then extended the sentence by another 10 minutes to establish who was running the game. A lesson for all, the ref is always right even when he's not! A final score of 46-29 to the Yards and who knows, one day the captain might even buy a jug for his troops.

The team of the season (so far), Vets, Vandals or even 3rd xv

Never mind the 300 fear the 677!! Yes a staggering average age of 45.133333333!!!

A second win for a side packed full of experience and decision makers, at least I get to do the toss every week!

In another bad advert for global warming we once again cast aside our Zimmers on an unseasonally hot September Saturday against a cocktail of two thirds Ashby one third Yards.

Good to see Dave Hanson arriving relatively punctually for him only three minutes into the game; obviously missing the pre-team talk about not running at every opportunity and from deep given the conditions, and refreshing to see that the rest of the three quarters in Fitz, Cedric & Nev also took this advice on board and decided to join him in the opening fifteen minutes playing some great looking champagne rugby.

I assume this was in lieu of a warm up?? But in fairness we did look f**king good attacking from all over the Park in that opening spell, in which first Phil Evans then Dave himself crossed the line both under under the posts, Chicken's try after a typically swivel hipped run up the middle, both tries converted with ease by Dave Rollins.

After more pressure Ashby conceded a penalty, and thinking it may be a tighter game I decided the three points might be useful, Ralph stepping to add to his tally.

Our scrum rock steady causing the Ashby eight all manner of problems, taking three against the head, with our front row of Mark Baldwin, Rick Lowe and specialist loosehead John Lonie causing their opposite numbers all manner of bother, although John & Mark's definitions of going low apparently need some further work. Again without the hard work in the engine room provided by Phil Gouldbourn & Andy Killarney this wouldn't happen...they tell me.

Another great performance from Nick Levey in a good match-up against our own Marcus Hope, and similarly Phil "the General" Evans living in the Presidents shorts for most of the game and having to endure Sid's seemingly incessant tirade in a vain attempt to influence the referee in everything from the laws of the game to the laws of gravity!

After a barnstorming run by the side's colt Alan Arkell belying his 39 youthful years, relative lack of experience and two dodgy knees being finally stopped short of the line and passing inside to No.8 Roger Lazenby in close support to score under the posts (after coersion by the skipper). Again converted by Dave Rollins.

Half time saw the average age go up a notch with the addition of the evergreen Tom Power being slotted in, in Mike Catt's role of second fly half with some cultured positional kicking keeping Ashby pinned back in their own half and culminating in a great interchange of passes and an unselfish pass to Ralph to score under the posts, adding further to his increasing tally with the conversion.

Also at half time with Cedric apparently going lame he took refuge on the wing, to stay out of harms way, to keep out of trouble, to prevent further injury (see where I'm going here) and ends up going on two great lengthy runs on one leg and scoring our fifth try, converted by Jonny sorry Ralph.

The final try being scored by this week's man of the match Phil Goldbourn after a great forward drive, Phil & ball finally being picked up and carried over the line by the Colt Arkell. Phil took everything kindly and rather curiously thrown to him by the Ashby hooker in the lineouts and set off up the park ball in hand on numerous occasions eating up the yards with that immense stride. Again converted by Ralph who top scored with a try, six conversions and a penalty, and had I realised it earlier we'd have contrived to set up a drop goal to give him the "full set".

At the request of the Ashby skipper we knocked off ten or fifteen minutes early, convinced obviously we were hurtling towards a half century.

Thanks too to Sid, Junior,Steve, Rob, Marcus and also in the second half Ian for making the game that little bit more extra competative!!!

Next week our toughest test so far with a road trip to Old Halesonians, but don't see why we cannot continue our great start to the season.

ps oh they somehow scored ten when we weren't looking!

Yardleys School Reunion

This fine event will take place at the club on October 2nd. You don't have to be an ex-pupil to attend but I imagine it would be pretty boring if you went to Cockshut Hill or Light Hall!

Steve Painter
Still playing at his peak even for other clubs e.g. Ashby, Invites you to his 60th birthday bash at the club on Saturday October 3rd. All past and present Old Yards players are invited and presents need not be too expensive. Lynda, Steve's better half, when asked for ideas told me that he is partial to lamb chops. This could be a coincidence as his good mate the famous ex-hooker Dave Jenkins allegedly prefers sheep. Anyway enough of the butchers shop talk. Steve goes on to say that there will be live music and dress is optional (the Goldbourne's can wear their dresses if they wish!) and the bash is from 8 till late.

Summary of games played 5th September 2009

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:09:50 GMT

OLD YARDS CAUGHT SLEEPING

Playing their first match of the season in the North Midlands shield against Redditch, the Y’s began the match as if they were still on their summer holidays. By half time Redditch eased into a 19 point lead without reply. Strong half time words from coach Gary Robinson provided a wake up call as the Y’s began to dominate the set pieces. A try by Lee Purdy converted by Jamie Walton gave Y’s hope but determined defence by the home team meant a final score of 19 points to 7 points in favour of the hosts.

Other results saw Yards under 23s lose by 35 points to 7 against Pershore 2nds but the super-fit Yards veterans started their season with a fine victory against Pershore 3rds by 30 points to 12.

Dates for the Diary - News Update for 2nd September 2009

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:58:00 GMT

What’s happening at Old Yards?

FUTURE EVENTS:

Tuesday 1st September
Training - 7.15pm on the field ready to go - and every Tuesday
This is followed by selection so to make sure we get three teams out every Saturday please contact your captain or Match Secretary Steve Sidwell to let them know your availability.
So after reading this if you have not done so already please call or text one of the following to advise your availability:

1st XV Captain - Steve Grainger
Development XV Captain - Egg Male
Vandals Captain - Martyn Cartwright

If you cannot contact your captain please call the club mobile 07958 215229 and let Steve Sidwell know.

Saturday 5th September

1st XV vs. Redditch away in the first round of the North Midlands Shield
Development XV vs. Pershore at home
Vandals vs. Pershore at home

Wednesday 9th September

FGM (Financial General Meeting) at the clubhouse starting at 7pm

Saturday 12th September

1st XV vs. Leek away in the league. First league match of the new campaign. It is planned to be a bus trip!
Development XV vs. Ashby at home
Vandals vs. Ashby at home

Saturday 19th September

1st XV vs. Shipston on Stour away in the first round of the RFU Senior Vase
Development XV vs. Wednesbury at home
Vandals vs. Halesowen away
Premiership Rugby on Sky Sports at 17:35 - Leicester vs. Newcastle

Saturday 26th September

VPs Lunch - Dave Collen will be joining us to celebrate 40 years since he last captained the 1st XV
1st XV vs. Moseley Oak at home in the league
Development XV vs. Aston Old Edwardians away
Vandals vs. Aston Old Edwardians at home
Premiership Rugby on Sky Sports at 18:05 - Bath vs. Leicester

Saturday 3rd October

Steven Painter would like to invite club members old and new to help celebrate his 60th Birthday 'Celtic style' from 8 till late - live music by Cairde.

Club Stuff:

Have you paid your Annual Subs yet?
Payment is now due for your Annual Subs for the 2009/2010 season and seventeen players have already paid theirs. When are you going to pay and support your club? If you pay before the end of September 2009 the price is £40. After that it is £50. See John Lonie or Dave Rimmer who are collecting this year. Make sure you pay them and nobody else so they can then keep an accurate record of the people that have paid and provide them with a receipt. This will prevent any discrepancies and provide the club with an accurate record/paper trail of the money that is coming in/owed to it.

Anything to say?
Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin

31st August 2009

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Steve Painter's 60th Birthday Party - Saturday 3rd October

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Steven Painter would like to invite club members old and new to help celebrate his 60th bierthday 'Celtic style' at OY's on saturday 3rd October 8 till late - live music by Cairde.

The new season approaches

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:34:20 GMT

As the first saturday gets nearer it becomes time for you Old Y's players past, present and future to get your boots out of storage and your gum shields de-moulded. Your captains and coaches are waitng with anticipation and as your fitness and skill levels peak it's time to do the business. Getting all the teams out on the first saturday is vital for the long season ahead so lads, whatever the weather, get yourselves out on that pitch even if its only for half a game initially. Even key players like Shannon Kilarney, Dave Adams, Steve Painter and John Gaffey are planning to be used as impact players from the bench as they slowly approach middle age. Fellas, please make sure you contact the match sec, Sid, or captains Steve Grainger, Ellwyn Male or Martyn Cartwright to confirm your availability. Anyone wishing to sign for the club please contact Sid. The contact details are on the website so get in touch.

Moss Goode Memorial 15-A-Side Tournament

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians hosted a fantastic day using their recently improved facilities at their Tilehouse Lane ground for the Moss Goode Memorial 15 A Side Tournament. The sun was shining and the rugby played by local sides was of a high standard. With bonus points for the number of tries scored attacking rugby was the game to play. The first part of the competition saw two fiercely fought leagues produce some close matches. Eventually Old Yardleians, under new coach Bobo Robinson and Captain Steve Grainger emerged unbeaten winning League 1. Second were Ashby. In the other league another local club Silhillians were top, again unbeaten. Second were Kidderminster. There four clubs made up the semi finalists. First Old Yards played out an exciting 10-10 draw with Kidderminster. Even after extra time the two sides could not be separated. The match was then decided by a penalty shoot out using the front five in each team. Old Yards won this exciting shoot out thanks to kicks from Rich Withey, Luke Harris, Peter Butler and Michael Brennan. In the other semi final Silhillians drew 7-7 with Ashby but made it through to the final 3-2 in the penalty shoot out. The final was an exciting match where Silhillians built a 15-0 lead by half time. Old Yardleians dominated the second half but only managed one try for their efforts losing 15-7.   Moss Goode’s Sister, Jane Don supported the event and presented the Moss Goode Memorial Tournament Shield to the winners Silhillians. In the Plate Competition Aston Old Edwardians beat Stourbridge Lions 3-0 in the final.

RESULTS:
League 1
Aston Old Eds 7 - 7 Ashby
Old Yardleians 14 - 0 Edwardians
Edwardians 0 - 28 Aston Old Eds
Old Yardleians 17 - 5 Ashby
Ashby 26 - 7 Edwardians
Aston Old Eds 0 - 6 Old Yardleians

League 2
Kidderminster 5 - 11 Silhillians
Stourbridge Lions 5 - 0 Solihull
Solihull 7 - 7 Kidderminster
Stourbridge Lions 0 - 15 Silhillians
Silhillians 13 - 0 Solihull
Kidderminster 12 - 7 Stourbridge Lions

SHIELD SEMI FINALS
Old Yardleians 10 – Kidderminster 10
(Old Yards won 4-3 on penalties)
Ashby 7 – 7 Silhillians
(Sils won 3-2 on pens)

SHIELD FINAL

Old Yardleians 7 – 15 Silhillians

PLATE SEMI FINALS
Aston Old Eds 21 – 0 Solihull
Edwardians 0 – 19 Stourbridge Lions
PLATE FINAL
Stourbridge Lions 0 – 3 Aston Old Eds

THANK YOU
We cannot let the day pass without thanking a number of club members who gave up their time free to support the event:
• Bill & Jan Collins – for organising and managing the car park all day
• Steve Sidwell, Tom Power and Steve Price - for barbequing 500 burgers
and 200 sausages as well as preparing the club in the morning

• Martin Cartwright - for chopping enough onions for 500 burgers and 200
sausages

• Brian Collingwood - for producing two excellent pitches
• Mike Hughes - who took a day of work on the Friday to do all the running
around required ahead of staging the event

• Chris Watts – providing extra help on the Barbeque
• Egg – covering the bar when the staff were late and helping set up
• Shannon Killarney – for providing us with a PA system
• Jackie Hughes for the flip chart and stand
• Gail Orton – for organising the layout and printing of the programmes
• The lads who got the changing rooms ready
• Tim who always helps
• Every club member who brought up a prize for the raffle
• Anyone else who did something to help who I have missed
• Finally, thank you to the Old Yardleians team for getting to the final

We have rebuilt this tournament into a local rugby event that we can be proud of. Many of this year’s competing clubs have already said they want to return next year. Let’s not drop our standards but further improve next years tournament. Why not 12 teams on 3 pitches? To do so we will need more volunteers to help!

Regards

Mark Baldwin

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

What’s happening at Old Yards - June 2009

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The season has just finished but there is still stuff going on at the club including the Lions Tour:

FUTURE EVENTS:
Lions games - all the following will be shown live at the club:

Friday 12th June from 6pm

Club Members Free archery shoot with Solihull Archers. Come and have a go with the bow and arrow at the club. The bar will be open.Robin Hood will be present.

Saturday 13th June
14:00 Lions vs. Western Province

Saturday 20th June

13:00 PLAYERS MEETING with new Captain Steve Grainger and Coaches Gary Robinson & Steve Mancel
14:00 First Test - Lions vs. South Africa

Tuesday 23rd June

Pre-Season Training Starts and will be every Tuesday & Saturday going forward

Saturday 27th June

13:00 Old Yardleians Financial General Meeting
14:00 Second Test - Lions vs. South Africa

Saturday 4th July

14:00 Third and Final Test - Lions vs. South Africa

Saturday 18th July

Mick Bloxham and Burt Black have a joint party at the club. All welcome!

Saturday 15th August

Moss Goode 15 A Side Tournament

Club Stuff:

Our League Next Season:
Midlands Three West (North): Bishops Castle & OV, Bloxwich, Burntwood, Handsworth, Leek, Moseley Oak, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Old Yardleians, Tamworth, Telford Hornets, Veseyans, Wednesbury.
Note that we are in Midlands three. This is nothing to do with Old Yards getting promoted. The restructure at the top of the leagues included the renaming of Midlands 1 to National 3 Midlands. There is also a National 3 North and National 3 South. That means all lower leagues were renamed.

New Season
Pre-Season training starts on Tuesday 23rd June so please make every effort to attend. It will then be every Saturday and Tuesday. Please support Steve Grainger, Gary Robinson and Steve Mancel as they take Old Yardleians back to where we belong. The club will be putting out a strong 1st XV this season supported by a Development XV. For the old farts like me there will be a traditional 3rd XV made up of mainly over 35s with a few youngsters to do the running.

Members of the 1st XV Squad and the Development XV will receive a letter from Steve Grainger this week detailing the plans for the coming season.

Why not pay your Annual Subs early?
Dave Rimmer & John Lonie will collect Annual Subs next season

England vs. New Zealand - Autumn International
Application forms have been emailed out and are also available at the club for this game on 21st November 2009. Apply by Saturday 25th July 2009.

We got a Big Fridge
Big thanks to Martyn Cartwright who has obtained a big fridge for the club and John Lonie/Steve Grainger for organising the transportation.

Replica Shirt Orders
The latest batch of club replica shirts ordered by members has arrived. If you ordered one I will be contacting you to arrange getting it to you.

Anything to say
Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, 10th June 2009

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

End of Season News Roundup

Wed, 13 May 2009 08:49:54 GMT

Results - Saturday 25th April

OLD YARDLEIANS WIN EDWARDIAN TOURNAMENT AGAIN

For the second year running Old Yardleians won the annual Veterans Rugby Tournament at Edwardians Rugby Club. Played between over thirty-five year olds from local West Midlands teams the tournament is in memory of former Edwardian player Malcolm Weller. The first stage of the event was in a league format. Old Yards beat an Edwardian XV and Civil Service but lost narrowly to a youthful Camp Hill side by a penalty to nil. Finishing second Old Yards qualified for the semi final of the main competition against Ashby. The first half had defences on top until a wayward kick by Ashby's Darren Collingwood was caught by David Hanson of Old Yards. The ball went through the hands of the three quarters until it reached winger Junior Williams who sprinted to the corner to score. Half time 5-0. In the second half Old Yards cut loose with tries from David Rollins and Billy Bucknall. Rollins also added a conversion as Old Yards won the semi final 19-0. In the final it was a chance for revenge as the opposition were Camp Hill. A tense final saw Old Yards with many opportunities that they did not take. The teams turned round at half time with no score and the second half seemed to be heading the same way. Then Marcus Hope stole a ball from Camp Hill at the back of their scrum near halfway. The impressive Phil Evans took it on making twenty metres before passing it to Steve Grainger who outpaced the Camp Hill defence over 30 metres to score in the corner. From the kick off Old Yards secured the ball and controlled it until the final whistle. Final score Old Yardleians 5 Camp Hill 0. Captain Steve Grainger was presented with the Malcolm Weller Bowl and Old Yardleians went on to celebrate with their traditional end of season dresses night out. Phil Evans was named as Old Yardleians man of the tournament. The hosts Edwardians also had a good day with their side winning the plate tournament.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 2nd May

President's Day in honour of Steve Sidwell our fantastic President (he asked me to say that).

Starting at 12 noon there is :

12.00 Under 8's game
12.30 Development team game
14:00 Under 13's game
15:00 Finishing with a Vets game - Sid has got a load of ringers in this year cos he got beat last year
Plus Burgers, Hot Dogs, Rolls, Drinks and a good Old Yards day of fun
Then from 17.15 there is a live band as we party the night away

Friday 8th May

Club Annual Dinner - Speaker Darren Garforth a Leicester Tigers Prop with 25 caps for England, see Steve Painter/Gail Orton for tickets at £30 each

Saturday 9th May

Mini & Juniors Presentation Evening

Club Stuff:

Well done Russell
Congratulations to Russell Earnshaw and his Solihull Bees team who became National Division Two Champions last Saturday when they beat Redruth. Russell who coaches Solihull has been up to Old Yardleians twice this season at the request of Steve Cunningham to put our players through their paces.

More Yardleians take up the whistle
Darren Collingwood and Steve Cunningham are currently on a RFU Referees course running over four weeks. It's good for Old Yards to have referees who ref weekly as the Refs Society are more likely to give us refs for our 2nds/3rds. Well done lads though for Darren it is a bit like poacher turned gamekeeper.

Lions in South Africa
Remember during the summer that Old Yardleians has Sky TV so you can come up and watch all the Lions games live.

Anything to say
Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, 29th April 2009

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

What’s Happening? - 25th Feb 2009

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Results - Saturday 21st February

Old Yardleians 1st XV 30 - 15 Burntwood
Old Yards avenged defeat earlier in the season at Burntwood with a comfortable win at home. Playing high quality, disciplined rugby it gave the supporters a treat on a sunny Saturday afternoon. A brace of tries by Seymour Seaton and accurate goal kicking by Ian Walker led the way.

Wednesbury 2nds 0 - 85 Old Yardleians 2nds
A big win and a double for our second team over Wednesbury.

Results in our league:

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 13 - 12 Moseley Oak
Cleobury Mortimer 16 - 19 Leek
Handsworth 23 - 7 Newcastle (Staffs)
Old Yardleians 30 - 15 Burntwood
Tamworth 9 - 16 Willenhall
Veseyans 22 - 35 Shrewsbury

Current League table:
Midlands 4 West (North) Short Format Long Format

Team P W D L F A Diff Pts Adjust
Willenhall 17 17 0 0 567 109 458 34 0
Shrewsbury 16 13 0 3 416 150 266 26 0
Burntwood 16 12 0 4 351 145 206 24 0
Tamworth 17 11 1 5 376 176 200 23 0
Old Yardleians 16 10 0 6 363 203 160 20 0
Newcastle (Staffs) 17 7 1 9 268 296 -28 15 0
Veseyans 16 7 0 9 312 258 54 14 0
Leek 16 6 0 10 281 313 -32 12 0
Handsworth 15 5 1 9 169 324 -155 11 0
Moseley Oak 15 4 0 11 147 495 -348 8 0
Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 16 3 1 12 120 440 -320 7 0
Cleobury Mortimer 17 0 0 17 173 634 -461 -2 -2

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 28th February

1st XV vs. Veseyans away in the league
2nds vs. Kings Norton at home
3rds vs. Kings Norton away
BBC: Six Nations - 15:00 Scotland vs. Italy, 17:30 Ireland vs. England
Followed by a live band at the club - X-Changed - Tickets £5 from Steve Sidwell or Committee Members. Come and enjoy another great Old Yards night out!

Saturday 7th March

1st XV vs. Willenhall away in the league
2nds vs. Willenhall at home
3rds vs. Redditch at home

Saturday 14th March

1st XV vs. Shrewsbury home in the league
2nds vs. Veseyans at home
3rds vs. Silhillians away
BBC: Six Nations - 16:00 Italy vs. Wales, 17:00 Scotland vs. Ireland

Sunday 15th March

BBC: Six Nations - 15.00 England vs. France

Friday 1st May

Old Yardleians AGM at the Clubhouse - Have your say on your club!
U15s and U11s Tour to Southport

Saturday 2nd May

President's Day

Friday 8th May

Club Annual Dinner - Speaker Darren Garforth a Leicester Tigers Prop with 25 caps for England, see Steve Painter for tickets

Saturday 9th May

Mini & Juniors Presentation Evening

Club Stuff:

Tesco for Schools Vouchers
Please can you bring all your Tesco Vouchers for Schools up to the club and put them in the box behind the bar. Pat is again collecting them for the Mini & Juniors to enable them to get additional equipment.

England vs. The Barbarians - 30th May
Anyone interested in tickets for the above please email Mark Baldwin or call on 07766 443811. Well priced with discounts for juniors and tickets sold in pairs.

Replica club kit
We are now able to offer 1st XV replica kit for sale to club members at the following prices. As we have to place individual orders it is cash up front please:
1st XV Playing Top - £35 - Please give me your chest size in inches, number for the back if required and name for the back if required.
1st XV warm up top - £26 - Please give me a size S, M, L, XL, XXL or XXXL and number if required. Numbers will be in green to distinguish the top from the original 1st XV ones.
I need your requirements and a cheque made payable to OYRFC immediately. Please send to Mark Baldwin, 142 Solihull Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3HS.

Easter Tour
Please pay the balance of your tour money to Bobo or Marcus this Saturday. Failure to do so could cost you your deposit. Games have now been arranged on the Saturday against Penryn RFC and the Sunday against Newquay Hornets, so bring your kit as well.

Raffle Tickets
Thank you to everyone who has sold their RFU raffle tickets and returned the stubs with cash to Kim. They should have been sent to the RFU last weekend but we have agreed a one week extension. Therefore can anyone still with tickets return them to Kim or Mark this weekend.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary, 25th February 2009

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

First News Roundup of 2009 - 1st February

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Results from Saturday 31st January
Midlands 4 West (North) League: Cleobury Mortimer 17 - 24 Old Yardleians 1st XV
2nds League: Old Yardleians 2nds 15 - 47 Camp Hill

Results in our league:

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 0 - 25 Willenhall
Cleobury Mortimer 17 - 24 Old Yardleians
Handsworth 17 - 10 Shrewsbury
Newcastle (Staffs) 27 - 13 Moseley Oak
Tamworth 31 - 20 Leek
Veseyans 18 - 28 Burntwood

Current League table:
Midlands 4 West (North) Short Format Long Format

Team               P W   D L F    A    Diff Pts Adjust
Willenhall         15 15 0 0 526 97   429   30   0
Burntwood          14 12 0 2 327 104 223   24   0
Shrewsbury         14 11 0 3 340 123 217   22   0
Tamworth           15 10 1 4 356 151 205   21   0
Old Yardleians     14 9   0 5 333 161 172   18   0
Veseyans           14 7   0 7 287 198 89    14   0
Newcastle (Staffs) 15 6   1 8 223 263 -40   13   0
Handsworth         14 4   1 9 146 317 -171 9    0
Leek               14 4   0 10 235 297 -62   8    0
Moseley Oak        14 4   0 10 135 482 -347 8    0
Bishops Castle&OV  14 2   1 11 102 387 -285 5    0
Cleobury Mortimer  15 0   0 15 147 577 -430 -2   -2

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 7th February

1st XV vs. Bournville home in a friendly
2nds vs. Dixonians away in the league
3rds vs. Alcester at home

BBC: Six Nations - 15:00 England vs. Italy, 17:00 Ireland vs. France followed by a replay of England vs. Italy if someone sets SKY Plus.

Sunday 8th February

BBC: Six Nations - 15.00 Scotland vs. Wales

Saturday 14th February

1st XV vs. Leek away in the league
2nds vs. Bournville at home in the league
3rds vs. Bournville away

BBC: Six Nations - 16:00 France vs. Scotland, 17:30 Wales vs. England

Sunday 15th February

BBC: Six Nations - 15.30 Italy vs. Ireland

Saturday 21st February

1st XV vs. Burntwood home in the league
2nds vs. Wednesbury away
3rds vs. Old Griffs away

SKY Sports - 12:45 Aston Villa vs. Chelsea, 14:30 Harlequins vs. Gloucester

Club Stuff:

International Tickets
Due to someone no longer requiring them I have 3 tickets available for England vs. France

Date: Sunday 15th March
Match; England vs. France
Tickets: 3 x £69.50 plus £5 per ticket club admin fee - Total £223.50

First come first served. Please call me on 07766 443811 but not after 9pm. Payment will be required immediately.

Last chance to order your replica club kit for end of February delivery

We are now able to offer 1st XV replica kit for sale to club members at the following prices. As we have to place individual orders it is cash up front please:
1st XV Playing Top - £35 - Please give me your chest size in inches, number for the back if required and name for the back if required.
1st XV warm up top - £26 - Please give me a size S, M, L, XL, XXL or XXXL and number if required. Numbers will be in green to distinguish the top from the original 1st XV ones.
I need your requirements and a cheque made payable to OYRFC immediately. Please send to Mark Baldwin, 142 Solihull Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 3HS.

Easter Tour
Please pay the balance of your tour money to Bobo or Marcus now to confirm your place. Failure to do so could cost you your deposit. Games have now been arranged on the Saturday against Penryn RFC and the Sunday against Newquay Hornets, so bring your kit as well.

Raffle Tickets
Please return your RFU raffle tickets to Kim Hemmings asap. Please make sure you sell them all. For every £1 ticket sold the RFU give the club 90p back.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary, 1st February 2009

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of December 10th 2008

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What's happening at Old Yards?

Good news, 1st XV reporter Richard Withey has found his keyboard and given us another match report:
Newcastle 15 - Old Yardleians 1st XV 27
An impressive display from the Old Yards backs gave them another victory and continued the momentum up the table and into fourth place, 4 points behind 2nd place. A man of the match display from Dean Brain on the wing gave Yards the platform to ease past a strong Newcastle team. Yards started well in the freezing conditions and the front row of Batters, Bucknall and Butler put the Newcastle scrum under immense pressure. The second row combination of Langley and Andy Killarney ensured that the front five took the game to Newcastle from the first whistle, with a new back row combination of Brennen, Cunningham and Honey. The first try came from a solid scrum for Purdy to pass along the line to Walton, then Walker, Rimmer and the final pass to Brain left him with half the pitch in front of him. Three side steps later and two missed tackles, saw Brain dance through the Newcastle defence to score in the corner. Brain then had a gay moment and stayed down for ten minutes to receive treatment for a contact lens issue. Walker missed the difficult conversion. The next ten minutes saw Newcastle come into the match and great tackling from forever young Hansen, Rimmer and Adam Walker prevented Newcastle from gaining any advantage. The second Yards' try came from another forward display, with Honey, Cunningham and Langley driving forward, quick ball from Purdy to Brain, who again used his dancing feet to ease past the Newcastle defence to score, Walton then added the conversion. Yards continued to drive Newcastle off their scrum, however, Butler was penalised for boring into the Newcastle loose head. The penalty was missed. Yards continued to make big hits in the centre channels through Rimmer and Ian Walker, a first partnership for them both this season and both complemented each other. Walton added a penalty for Newcastle killing the ball in front of the posts with around 10 minutes to play. The third Yards' try came from individual brilliance from Adam Walker, who kicked a loose ball from the half way and the dribbled with his left and then right foot to score with ease over the line. Walker missed the conversion. The half time whistle came with Yards    20-0 in the lead. The second half started with an explosive comeback from Newcastle and only last ditch tackles from Hansen, Brain and Cunningham prevented Newcastle running in a few tries. The Yards defence was finally breached when Newcastle went into the corner after some good interplay from their backs. The game then erupted into physical challenges, with Killarney showing his experience in avoiding a flying fist from a Newcastle 2nd row, Langley also involved. As a ruck was finishing, a Newcastle player kicked out at a few Yards players, which resulted in Billy Bucknall losing control and stamping on the Newcastle player and receiving his first red card of his career. Ben Honey went into the hooker position as Bucknall left the field. With Yards down to 14 players, Newcastle started to win some of the tight game and managed to score from a driving maul, bringing the score to 20-10. Then a wonderful worked try, finished off by Hansen killed the Newcastle team off. Again the forwards drove forwarded, Honey picking up and driving deep into the 22, quick ball from Purdy, passing through the hands of Walton, Walker, Rimmer, Brain and then for Hansen to score in the corner, Walton added the conversion. Late in the game Powrie and Withey were added to the Yards team after an injury to Walton and a job well done from Batters. Into the last minute saw a debut for Greg Allen who came on, missed a tackle, for Newcastle to drive over the line. Then the final whistle went.

Games played in our league:
Midlands 4 West (North) : Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 14, Veseyans 27; Cleobury Mortimer 7, Willenhall 43; Handsworth 3, Tamworth 3; Moseley Oak 10, Leek 8; Newcastle (Staffs) 15, Old Yardleians 27; Shrewsbury P, Burntwood P.

The league table - up to fourth:
Midlands 4 West (North)             P     W     D     L    PF   PA    Pts

Willenhall 11 11 0 0 357 66 22

Shrewsbury 10 9 0 1 238 82 18

Burntwood 10 8 0 2 227 62 16

Old Yardleians 11 7 0 4 272 120 14

Tamworth 11 6 1 4 251 104 13

Newcastle (Staffs) 11 5 1 5 159 178 11

Veseyans 10 5 0 5 247 135 10

Leek 10 4 0 6 197 236 8

Moseley Oak 11 3 0 8 98 364 6

Handsworth 11 2 1 8 108 265 5

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 11 2 1 8 90 295 5

Cleobury Mortimer 11 0 0 11 93 430 -2*

Old Yardleians 2nds 7 - Birmingham Mechanical Engineers 33
Not as one sided as the score suggests. A slow starting Yards let in four tries in the first 15 minutes against youthful opponents. Then Yards woke up and the remainder of the match was a tight affair with one try each. Guy Smith skipped away to score Old Yard's only effort.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 13th December

1st XV vs. Kidderminster at home in the North Midlands Shield
2nd XV vs. Kings Norton away (good news is their 1st XV have a league match)
SKY: Heineken Cup rugby all day including at 5.30pm - Harlequins vs. Stade Francais - The Rematch

Sunday 14th December

Sponsored by Major Brian Hope there is the Kids Christmas Party. Starting at 3pm there will be fun and games for all the kids including magic, puppets, balloon modelling and games. This will be followed by an appearance from Father Christmas. Can Mums and Dads make sure Santa has a present to give out to their child/children to avoid any disappointment? Contact Santa via phone or letter in Lapland.

Saturday 20th December

1st XV vs. Bishops Castle home in the league - The return of Grainger
2nd XV vs. Bishops Castle at home
3rd XV vs. Coventrians away
SKY: 12.45pm - Birmingham City vs. Reading

Saturday 27th December

Inter club game with the appearance of Joey Smith

New Years Eve Bash

Band and disco music, curry and snacks, fireworks. Cost per adult £10, children under 16 free. Numbers are limited so make sure you get your tickets early, see Pat & Shannon or Email Pat at p.mcdaid@quadrantsolutions.com or speak to a committee member

Saturday 24th January

VPs Lunch at the 1st XV home league game vs. Tamworth.

Club Stuff:

New 1st XV Kit
The 1st XV got off to a winning start on Saturday in their new kit. Thank you to the sponsors who each donated £100 each to enable the club to purchase the kit. Your replica shirts are being sorted for you. A picture of the team was sent out yesterday and I had a great comment back from one of the VPs - The shirts look very smart but the team is just as ugly as when I played!!!!!

Players Subscriptions
Thank you to the 58 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. The Committee have asked me to write to any players who have not paid to advise them we are now going to introduce no pay then no play. It's not fair on your team mates for you to get a free ride when they have paid.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary, 10th December 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

See the First XV's new look kit in league win away at Newcastle

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well done the First XV with a good away win in the League by 15 points to 27.

Pictures of the first game in the new kit can be seen here.

News roundup as of 19th November 2008

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

News roundup as of 5th November 2008

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Tamworth 1st XV 5 vs. 15 Old Yardleians 1st XV

Sorry but no report for the 1st XV this week. All I know is it was a good win away and should kick start a drive up the league.

Games played in our league:

Midlands 4 West (North) : Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 3, Burntwood 32; Cleobury Mortimer 20, Moseley Oak 24; Handsworth 5, Willenhall 51; Newcastle (Staffs) 14, Shrewsbury 15; Tamworth 5, Old Yardleians 15; Veseyans 21, Leek 6.

The league table:

Midlands 4 West (North) P W D L PF PA Pts

Willenhall 7 7 0 0 238 53 14

Burntwood 7 6 0 1 143 47 12

Shrewsbury 6 6 0 0 137 47 12

Newcastle (Staffs) 7 4 1 2 127 111 9

Veseyans 7 3 0 4 156 87 6

Old Yardleians 6 3 0 3 134 71 6

Tamworth 7 3 0 4 104 73 6

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 7 2 1 4 61 146 5

Handsworth 7 2 0 5 64 178 4

Moseley Oak 7 2 0 5 72 210 4

Leek 6 1 0 5 99 188 2

Cleobury Mortimer 6 0 0 6 81 205 -2*

Old Yardleians 2nds 5 - 19 Pershore 2nds

Old Yardleians 2nd XV lost an enjoyable game against Worcestershire club Pershore's 2nds. It was a battle of the Old Yards pack with their powerful mauling and dominance of the lineout against Pershore's fast back line. Against the wind, Pershore scored first with a well worked try from their backs. Yards responded with a try of their own when a rolling maul travelled fifteen metres towards the Pershore line then Martin Cartwright dived over to score. For the rest of the half Dave Rollins pin point kicking kept Pershore back in their twenty-two but the home side were then unable to make their territorial advantage pay. Starting the second half level Pershore took the initiative when their No. 8 broke a tackle close to the Yards line and went over to score a try that was converted. The home side responded well. Marcus Higgins who won virtually every lineout no matter which team threw the ball in won another throw. The ball was passed through the impressive centre partnership of Andy Pearce and Nick Booth who gave it to Gary Robinson on the wing. Robinson side stepped the Pershore winger and charged towards the line with three Pershore defenders hanging off him. Stopped just short there was not enough support to convert this golden opportunity into a score. Instead Pershore gained possession, moved the ball up field and score the game clinching try. Next week Old Yardleians 2nds travel to Camp Hill for their first game in the Greater Birmingham 2nds League.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 8th November

1st XV vs. Veseyans at home in the league
2nd XV vs. Camp Hill away in the league
3rd XV vs. Camp Hill home
England vs. The Pacific Islanders

Saturday 15th November

1sts & Seconds away to Bishops Castle on a boozy bus - Supporters welcome
3rd XV vs. Burntwood at home
England vs. Australia

Saturday 22nd November

1st XV vs. Cleobury Mortimer at home in the league
2nd XV vs. Dixonians at home in the 2nd XV league
3rd XV vs. Silhillians at home
England vs. South Africa

Sunday 14th December

Sponsored by Major Brian Hope there is the Kids Christmas Party. Starting at 3pm there will be fun and games for all the kids including magic, puppets, balloon modelling and games. This will be followed by an appearance from Father Christmas. Can Mums and Dads bring a present for Santa to give out to their child/children to avoid any disappointment?

Club Stuff:

Joey Smith back playing rugby
See the club noticeboard on Saturday for a picture of Joey playing rugby again. He is looking for a game when he pops home at Christmas.

Players Subscriptions
Thank you to the 57 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club this Saturday as payment is now overdue. It is disappointing that four of the players who have not paid actually played for the 1st XV on Saturday.

Autumn International Tickets

I have given out most of the tickets ordered for the Autumn Internationals. If you ordered any and have not collected them from me you are running out of time. The games start this weekend?

Six Nations Tickets

Thank you to everyone who applied for Six Nations tickets. Confirmation of who was allocated what for the home games has gone out. I am waiting for the away game allocations before doing a draw to see who gets the few we get.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark, 5th November 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of 27th October 2008

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What?s happening at Old Yardleians?

Old Yards 1sts vs. Cleobury Mortimer
Cleobury cried off this league game claiming they only had eight players. It will now be replayed on Saturday 22nd November. The league will decide what to do about Cleobury crying off the game.

Other games played in our league:

Midlands 4 West (North) : Burntwood 6, Veseyans 3; Leek 3, Tamworth 24; Moseley Oak 3, Newcastle (Staffs) 16; Old Yardleians P, Cleobury Mortimer P; Shrewsbury 42, Handsworth 7; Willenhall 48, Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 5.

The league table:

Midlands 4 West (North) P W D L PF PA Pts

Willenhall 6 6 0 0 187 48 12

Shrewsbury 5 5 0 0 122 33 10

Burntwood 6 5 0 1 111 44 10

Newcastle (Staffs) 6 4 1 1 113 96 9

Tamworth 6 3 0 3 99 58 6

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 6 2 1 3 58 114 5

Veseyans 6 2 0 4 135 81 4

Old Yardleians 5 2 0 3 119 66 4

Handsworth 6 2 0 4 59 127 4

Leek 5 1 0 4 93 167 2

Moseley Oak 6 1 0 5 48 190 2

Cleobury Mortimer 5 0 0 5 61 181 0

Camp Hill 2nds 10 - 24 Old Yardleians 2nds

5 Star Allen Leads Yards to Victory
After Solihull called off our 2nd XV league game we went into the pool and got a game away to local rivals Camp Hill. Third XV Captain Greg Allen played his best ever game for the club. Tackling like a demon, linking with the backs and making solo runs Greg ran the show in defence and attack. Supported by Adam Walker, Guy Smith and Steve Cunningham who all scored tries, they sealed a Yards victory. Furthermore an injury at half time in the front row also meant John Lonie had to play prop yet again. He drove the home side pack back on his own. Could Lonie eventually get what he wants, a start in the First XV at prop aged 44?

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 1st November

1st XV vs. Tamworth away in the league
2nd XV vs. Pershore at home
3rd XV vs. Pershore away

Saturday 8th November

1st XV vs. Veseyans at home in the league
2nd XV vs. Camp Hill away in the league
3rd XV vs. Camp Hill home

Saturday 15th November

1sts & Seconds away to Bishops Castle on a boozy bus - Supporters welcome
3rds vs. Burntwood at home

Sunday 14th December

Sponsored by Major Brian Hope there is the Kids Christmas Party. Starting at 3pm there will be fun and games for all the kids including magic, puppets, balloon modelling and games. This will be followed by an appearance from Father Christmas. Debbie Robinson is organising this event so please give her your support if asked.

Club Stuff:

Attend Training
Training has been poorly attended recently. Please can all players make every effort to support Les and Steve by turning up. We can't become league winners by just turning up on a Saturday.

Players Subscriptions
Thank you to the 55 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club this Saturday as payment is now overdue. Names of those playing this season but not paid are up on the board. Shame on you!

Autumn International Tickets

The tickets have arrived for the Autumn Internationals. I will be contacting everyone who ordered tickets this week to arrange collection/delivery of them for you. Remember you must use the tickets yourself and not sell them on. If for any reason you cannot go to a game let me know and I will look to sell them on for you to other club members.

Six Nations Tickets

Thank you to everyone who applied for Six Nations tickets. I have sent out confirmations to everyone who gave me an application for what tickets they will receive for the France, Scotland and Italy games.

Guinness Premiership Rugby Balls

Thank you to Brian Collingwood, Steve Painter, Sean Tootill and others who have collected the caps from Guinness Beer Barrels for me. They have been sent off to Guinness who in return has given us Guinness Premiership Quality Rugby Balls to be used in 1st XV league and cup games. Please keep collecting them.

Anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark

27th October 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of 15th October 2008

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Lates News and Events at Old Yardleians

Results

Old Yards 1sts 42 - 22 Leek - Match Report HERE

Evesham 2nds 76 - 0 Old Yardleians 2nds

A late cry off and two players going direct failing to turn up meant Old Yards' young second team took the field with twelve players. Their hosts Evesham had a full team plus two reserves but would not lend the visitors any players. Things got worse when Yards had an injury and went down to eleven players. Yards battled for eighty minutes but at such a disadvantage it gave Evesham an easy win.

Old Yardleians 54 - 5 Evesham 3rds
Getting three teams out for the second time this season meant Old Yards 3rds were also short and took the field with fourteen players. This did not stop them having a comfortable win over Evesham 3rds. Yards started slowly as their older players adjusted to what was a fast and open game. First half tries by Colin Jones, Nick Booth, Alan Arkell and Marcus Hope, two of which were converted by Ralph Rollins gave the home side a 24-0 lead at the interval. After half time Evesham fought back and got a try of their own. This caused Yards to respond by running in another four tries with Nick Booth and Colin Jones completing a brace each plus Tony Fitzgerald and Jack Horton touching down. Then came the highlight of the game, Yards' final try. John Lonie took the ball thirty yards out on the wing, out ran two Evesham defenders then cut inside, side stepping three other defenders to score under the posts. Rollins added his sixth conversion of the game as referee Tom Power blew the final whistle.

Full results from Midlands 4 West North League and table

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 0, Shrewsbury 21; Cleobury Mortimer 25, Newcastle (Staffs) 38; Handsworth 23, Moseley Oak 22; Old Yardleians 42, Leek 22; Tamworth 0, Burntwood 6; Veseyans 6, Willenhall 25.

Midlands 4 West (North) P W D L PF PA Pts

Willenhall 5 5 0 0 144 43 10

Burntwood 5 4 0 1 105 41 8

Shrewsbury 4 4 0 0 80 26 8

Newcastle (Staffs) 5 3 1 1 97 93 7

Bishops Castle & Onny Valley 5 2 1 2 53 66 5

Old Yardleians 5 2 0 3 119 66 4

Veseyans 5 2 0 3 132 80 4

Tamworth 5 2 0 3 75 55 4

Handsworth 5 2 0 3 52 85 4

Leek 4 1 0 3 90 143 2

Moseley Oak 5 1 0 4 45 174 2

Cleobury Mortimer 5 0 0 5 61 181 0

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 18th October

"A" Team vs. Edwardians at home
"B" Team vs. Edwardians away

Wednesday 22nd October

From 6pm at the Slug and Lettuce in Touchwood Solihull, Steve Turvey and Kerry will be having a leaving do before they depart to live in New Zealand. Steve has played for all teams 1sts to 3rds this season so let's turn up and give him a good send off.

Saturday 25th October

1st XV vs. Cleobury Mortimer at home in the league
2nd XV vs. Solihull at home in the Greater Birmingham 2nds League
3rd XV vs. Redditch away

Saturday 1st November

1st XV vs. Tamworth away in the league
2nd XV vs. Pershore at home
3rd XV vs. Pershore away

Club Stuff:

Players Subscriptions
Thank you to the 49 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club this Saturday as payment is now overdue. Name and shame is up on the board.

Autumn International Tickets

All tickets ordered and I should receive them by the end of the month for distribution for those who have bought some.

Six Nations Tickets

The Six Nations ticket applications need to be returned to me with the payment by Sunday 19th October - THIS SUNDAY. Forms have been emailed out and are also available from the clubhouse under the noticeboard.

Anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark, Hon. Secretary - 15th October 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Match Report - 1st XV vs Leek (League)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yards 1sts 42 - 22 Leek

A man of the match performance from Scrum Half Lee Purdy resulted in Old Yards bouncing back from three successive defeats. Yards dominated the game throughout the match against Leek, who battled well during spells in the match. Old Yards started the game with some changes from the previous games, with the introduction of Jamie Walton at fly half, Phil Painter moving to back row and the impressive Adam Walker starting on the wing, after returning from injury. The ever reliable Yards front row of Rich Withey, Billy Bucknall and Peter Butler drove the Leek pack back on many occasions, taking two against the head during the game and containing their own ball. The first half kicked off with a bang, with Leek forwards taking Steve Grainger and Billy Bucknall out in the air, giving away early penalties, putting Leek onto the back foot. The first 10 minutes were dominated with efficient rucking from the forwards and great lines of running from Grainger, Langley, Painter and Captain Cunningham. Brennen supported the pack with some great ball turnover in the tight. The first score came from Jamie Walton converting two penalties, taking Yards to a 6-0 lead. Yards continued their lead in the 12th minute, when Seymour Seaton finished off an efficient backs move, driven from Lee Purdy to Walton, Walton to Rimmer then three quick passes from Brain, Walker and Hansen to Seymour who finished well under the posts. The kick was converted. Yards second try came from a wonderful box kick from Lee Purdy, for Adam Walker to finish in the corner, Purdy showed great skill and ability to kick the ball over the Leek defence and into the path of Walker. The try was converted. Leek were awarded a penalty try nearing the end of the first half through Adam Walker pushing the Leek winger away from the ball over the line. The try was converted. Yards bounced back with a wonderful solo run from the ever impressive Brain, who scored with ease. Yards finished the 1st half 25-13 in the lead.

The second half kicked off with the Yards backs, lead by the forever young Hansen, wanting to finish the game early, however, a few handling errors put Yards on the back foot, Leek's momentum changed and over a fifteen minute spell brought the game back to 25-22, from a try and a couple of penalties. Withey was replaced by Gary Robinson who took the game to Leek and Yards were again on the front foot. Then adding Jo Patrick to the side gave Yards some efficient running to the back play. With Yards needing a score, Langley drove forward, supported by Robinson, Cunningham and Bucknall. The ball was recycled, a quick pass from Purdy to Grainger, who saw a small gap on the Leek blindside and Grainger's brilliance resulted in two dummy passes and side step and an efficient finish under the posts, the try was converted. A quick penalty from Walton took Yards to 35-22 in the lead, But Purdy was not finished. Picking up the ball outside the Leek 22, he drove through two tackles with ease and finished under the posts, with Walton converting, taking the total points to 42. Yards finished the game strongly and the final whistle was met with a very pleased crowd celebrating a good display from Yards.

News Roundup -- 8th October 2008

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Results

Burntwood 6 - 5 Old Yardleians 1st XV

Old Yardleians 2nds 22 - 15 Birmingham Barbarians 1st XV

Old Yardleians Re-union

Thank you to everyone who turned up to the Old Yardleians re-union. A good night was had by all. Special thanks to Dave "Chicken" Hanson who not only brought around twenty guests to the meet but also helped to lock up at the end of the night.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 11th October

1st XV vs. Leek home in the league
2nd XV vs. Evesham away
3rd XV vs. Evesham home

Saturday 18th October

1st XV vs. Kidderminster at home in the North Midlands Shield or Edwardians in a friendly at home
2nd XV vs. Edwardians at home
3rd XV vs. Edwardians away

Wednesday 22nd October

Saturday 25th October

1st XV vs. Cleobury Mortimer at home in the league
2nd XV vs. Solihull at home in the Greater Birmingham 2nds League
3rd XV vs. Redditch away

New Years Eve

Keep this date free for another great Old Yards party. The Band has been booked and Pat is organising what will be another great night.

Club Stuff:

Players Subscriptions
Thank you to the 46 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club this Saturday as payment is now overdue. Name and shame is going up on the board.

Six Nations Tickets

The Six Nations ticket applications have been emailed out to everyone. This Saturday I will put the poster up on the club noticeboard and leave application forms there as well. PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE RFU WANTING OUR FORMS BACK EARLIER THAN NORMAL ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE WITH ME BY SUNDAY 16TH OCTOBER SO DO NOT HANG ABOUT.

New Kit

I will have pictures of the new 1st Team kit design with me on Saturday at the club for anyone who is interested.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary - 8th October 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Match Report - U15s vs Kidderminster Carolians

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians U15 match against Kidderminster U15 on 05-10-08

See some match pictures here. If you have some pictures you want to add to the album then email them to Shannon (email address on the contacts page).

This was the first match of the season for the under 15s. The match started in extremely wet and difficult conditions. For the first 10 minutes the match seemed evenly matched and then Old Yards started to dominate the match with good forward play and winning a lot of the opposition?s ball from set and loose plays. James Lawler opened the scoring for Old Yards with a strong run and Shaun Morris converted. The next try was by Dave O'Grady who broke away from a set piece on the half way line to score under the posts. This was again converted successfully by Shaun Morris. In the dying minutes of the 1st half Shannon Killarney?s determined and relentless efforts secured the next try for the Old Yards side. At half time the score was 21 - 0 to Old Yards.
The second half started strongly for Old Yards with a good try by Shannon Killarney but the conversion was missed. Old Yards then went through a patch of undisciplined play and a series of penalties were given away to the opposition. Old Yards however continued to defend well with some stunning tackles by Kyle Bonner, Kristian Griffiths , Shannon Killarney and Dave O'Grady. On the back of this the next try came from Alex Patrick. This was converted by Shaun. The old Yards side were playing well however mistakes were beginning to take their toll due to the weather and minor infringements. This gave Kidderminster numerous opportunities to score as they were camped in the Old Yards 22. These attacks were continuously beaten back by Old Yards and due to determined team play Old Yards pushed forward up the pitch and this created opportunities which enabled Dan Griffiths to break away and score under the posts. In the dying minutes of the match Old Yards let their discipline slip and Kidderminster through relentless pressure scored. Kidderminster failed to convert.
The final score was Old Yards 38 to Kidderminster 5

Match Report - 1st XV vs Burntwood (League)

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Burntwood 6 - 5 Old Yardleians 1st XV

Old Yards 1st XV slumped to their third successive defeat in a low scoring, high intensity game, with their bitter rivals Burntwood. On a cold and windy day, Yards scored the only try of the match through Peter Butler, with Burntwood scoring a penalty and a drop goal in the first half. Yards started strongly, the pack dominating at the scrummage, with Rich Withey, Billy Bucknall and Peter Butler holding firm against a strong Burntwood tight five. The engine room of Dave Langley and Mick Brennen gave good support in both defensive and offensive scrums. Yards started the first half playing into the wind, needing difficult kicks to clear their lines and making hard yardage up the middle. Last minute tackles from Dave Hansen, Dean Brain and Jo Patrick gave Yards a great defensive display. Yards only try came within the first 10 minutes, with a scrum 5 metres from the Burntwood line. The Yards pack crept closer to the line, then Ben Honey picked up, supported by Captain Steve Cunningham and Steve Grainger we were held up just short. The ball was recycled and Peter Butler took it on and drove over the line with many defenders around him. The conversion was missed. Yards continued to make some efficient running against the wind through Dave Rimmer and Seymour Seaton, driving forward gaining ground at each sequence of back play. The defence was again tested when Burntwood broke through the middle only for the ball to be determined as killed in front of the posts. The penalty was converted. The first half remained a strong battle between both packs of forwards, with Yards taking two scrums against the head and maintaining their own scrummage ball. Great lines of running from Grainger and Honey kept Yards going forward, only for lack of support at the ruck resulting in turn over ball. As the last few minutes approached, Yards were again pegged back into their 22 from a penalty kick to touch. A quick lineout was taken and through two phases of play, the Burntwood number 10 drop kicked three points. The half time whistle came with Burntwood leading 6-5. The second half started with both teams trying to score the try to win the game. Lee Purdy continually gave some good passes to Rimmer, Patrick and Brain, only for them to be tackled with no real gain. Into the last 30 minutes and we saw Yards frustration boil over when Dave Rimmer was yellow carded for killing the ball. Ian Walker promptly followed by questioning the referee, taking Yards down to 13 players. However, they rose to the challenge and scrummaged and defended well. Into the last 10 minutes, the returned Ian Walker was sent off for again questioning the ref, followed by Ben Honey, so again Yards were down to 13 men. The final whistle sounded and Yards defeat was met with disappointment for those left on the field of play.

Match Report - 2nd XV vs Birmingham Barbarians 1st XV (Friendly)

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians 2nds 22 - 15 Birmingham Barbarians 1st XV

With a number of players unavailable the 2nd and 3rd XVs were combined to play Birmingham Barbarians. Playing against a strong wind Yards opened the scoring with a 75 yard run by centre Adam Walker as he evaded tackler after tackler. This was closely followed by a break on the visitors twenty-two by fullback Jamie Walton. As he neared the line Walton fed the excellent Phil Evans who powered on to score. With both conversions missed Yards led 10-0. As the half went on Yards' pack struggled to cope with the powerful Barbarian front five and were always under pressure on their own scrum. As the Barbarians got more possession they attacked the Yards' line and eventually their winger broke through to score in the corner. Using the strong wind the Barbarians then put up a big up and under that Yards' fullback Jamie Walton failed to deal with. The bouncing ball was picked up by a Barbarian centre and he raced over to score on the stroke of half time. Ten all at the interval, Yards' Captain Tony Fitz then gave an inspirational team talk aimed mainly at the forwards that did the trick. Yards then started to hold their own in the scrum. Added to this, the Yards dominance in the lineout thanks to the safe hands of jumper Phil Gouldbourn, supported by the pin point throwing of hooker Mark Baldwin, most of the second half was spent in the Barbarian twenty two. This lead to more tries. Firstly a miss move involving Walker and Baldwin gave Jamie Walton possession. He kicked ahead and following up caught his own kick. The ball was fed to winger Andy Peace who crashed towards the line and used his long reach to stretch over the line and ground the ball. David Rollins who had kicked well from hand all game added the conversion. Yards' second try started from a lineout that was again won by Phil Gouldbourn. As the Yards pack drove towards the Barbarian line, Alistair Gouldbourn took control of the ball. With support from the rest of the pack he got over the line to score the try that ensured victory. Barbarians did manage a try of their own in the second half but with a rejuvenated pack, Yards always looked the likely winners. Final score was a 22-15 win to Old Yards. It will be back to putting three teams out again next week and if anyone is interested in playing please contact Richard Withey on 07958 215229.

News roundup as of Sept 29th 2008

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Results - See individual match reports for details

Old Yardleians 1st XV 12 - 15 Willenhall
Old Yardleians 2nds 60 - 34 Wednesbury
Alcester 2nds 20 - 20 Old Yardleians 3rds

FUTURE EVENTS:

Friday 3rd October

Old Yardleians Re-Union from 7.30pm at the club

Saturday 4th October

1st XV vs. Burntwood away in the league
2nd XV vs. Birmingham Barbarians at home
3rd XV vs. Warley 2nds away

Saturday 11th October

1st XV vs. Leek home in the league
2nd XV vs. Evesham away
3rd XV vs. Evesham home

Saturday 18th October

1st XV vs. Kidderminster at home in the North Midlands Shield or Edwardians in a friendly at home
2nd XV vs. Edwardians at home
3rd XV vs. Edwardians away

Kids Christmas Party

A note for your diary is the Old Yards Christmas Party will be held on Sunday 14th December. Sponsored by Major Brian Hope this is always a good Old Yards family event.

Club Stuff:

Another Baby

Congratulations to Troy Batters and his wife Andrea who have had a baby girl names Jessica and weight in at around 8lbs. No doubt troy will be teaching her the Haka before she can walk.

Players Subscriptions

Thank you to the 45 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club on Saturday. In October it goes up to £50. If you pay me this Saturday we will allow you the on time price of £40.
> After this Saturday priority in selection will go to paid up members
> In October we will see the return of "Name & Shame"

Additional Autumn International Tickets

The RFU have just offered Old Yardleians some extra tickets for the Autumn Internationals. This means I now have additional tickets available for:
England vs. Australia - 15th November
England vs. South Africa - 22nd November
England vs. New Zealand - 29th November

I need to respond quickly so if you want tickets please contact me by Sunday 5th October. I want to use as many of these as possible to justify my email to the RFU when I complained about them reducing our allocation.

Six Nations Tickets

The Six Nations ticket applications will be emailed out to everyone later this week. We only have 20-21 tickets per home game in 2009 compared to the usual 27-29 we had last time. The RFU have re-calculated every club's allocation. Strange how we get less tickets when Twickenham has been expanded to have more seats. I have contacted the the RFU on behalf of the club to put our case forward to increase our allocation.

Sponsors of the new 1st XV Kit

Thank you to the ten members who sponsored the 1st XV with a new kit. The kit is being ordered this week along with your replica jerseys. They should be ready in about five weeks and I will make sure the sponsors get theirs sent to them as soon as they arrive.

Help continues to be needed to get the extension finished for the end of the season

Help is still required from 9am every Saturday to get things finished so please join Tony and Steve Price to lend them a hand.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary - 29th September 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Match Report - 1st XV vs Willenhall (League)

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians 1st XV 12 - 15 Willenhall

Old Yardleians 1st team came unstuck in the final 15 minutes of a heavily competitive match on Saturday, with Willenhall slotting home a penalty in the final five minutes to take all the points. The Yardleian team dominated the majority of the game, with fitness and poor tackling for both Willenhall tries being their undoing. The Old Yards pack continued to dominate the Willenhall pack, especially at the scrumming, with Jack Horton, Billy Bucknall and Peter Bucknall dominating the scrum and winning some good ball for the Yards back row of Ben Honey, Steve Cunningham and Steve Grainger to make efficient runs through the Willenhall defence. With a wayward lineout, Michael Brennen struggled to give good line out ball, with many line outs being overturned. Old Yards started the first 20 minutes very strongly, even without the influential Rich Withey, who was dropped to the bench for this Saturday's encounter. Free flowing rugby entailed, with Seymour Seaton ending a fine backs display of handling with Lee Purdy, Ian Walker, Dean Brain, forever young Dave Hansen and Jo Patrick all giving good passes for Seaton to score in the corner. The try was converted by Ben Honey, who has taken over the kicking duty for the last few games. The Yards defence was tested on the wing on many occasions, only to be prevented by hard tackling of Colin Jones, who is enjoying his first full season in the first team, keeping out an impressive Andy Powrie, who had to settle for a bench position. Willenhall's first try came from a frustrating 10 minutes from Yards, as they were matched back 20 yards for consistently questioning of the ref, who warned them before the game that it would not be tolerated. Being marched 20 yards from the original offence gave Willenhall a chance to kick for a lineout chance deep into the Yard's 22. Willenhall won the line out and their back row ran past three or four tacklers to score in the corner, the conversion was missed. Yards regrouped through Steve Cunningham's leadership who ordered a more defensive display, which Phil Painter, Ben Honey and Steve Grainger duly answered with hard hits in the loose, with Peter Butler and Jack Horton making efficient tackles around the ruck area. Willenhall were again camped in the Yards half due to a mis-kick, and Steve Grainger was yellow carded for killing the ball under the Yards' posts, which they decided to take a scrum. The Yards pack pushed Willenhall off the ball and cleared their lines. During the first half Ben Honey missed two difficult penalty chances which would have increased their lead so Yards went into the interval only 7-5 up. The second half started with a bang, with Jo Patrick finishing a wonderful running back move from Brain, Hansen and Seaton. Patrick took the ball at the Willenhall's 22 to finish strongly in the corner, taking Yards to 12 points, as the conversion was missed. The Yards players continued to run efficient lines, but to no avail or last ditched tackles preventing another score. With 15 minutes to go, Willenhall broke down the line after stealing another line out and their winger went through more desperate tackles and scored under the posts. The conversion made the score 12-12. With the Yards team needing fresh legs, Richard Withey, Davey Langley and Andy Powrie were brought into action, causing fear in the Willenhall pack, as they knew scrums would be difficult to maintain with the strength and pure talent of Withey. The next 10 minutes was frantic running, tackling and rucking, with Yards squandering a penalty kick chance, by running the ball instead of going for goal. Then a decision against Yards when Davey Langley was penalised for holding onto the ball lead to a lineout where Yards gave away another penalty for offside. This gave Willenhall an opportunity to kick for goal, which they took, putting them into the lead 15-12 in the last four minutes. This was enough for the away victory. The only light at the end of the tunnel was the impending return of Adam Walker next weekend, after his hamstring injury. Yards continue their difficult fixture list with a visit to Burntwood next weekend.

You'll be surprised to know the above report was written by Rich "The Wig" Withey

Match Report - 2nd XV vs Wednesbury (Friendly)

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians 2nds 60 - 34 Wednesbury

Another hot September day and an Old Yardleians' team with an average age below 25 Yards took to the pitch with 14 players and with no recognised hooker it looked a little bleak. Bleakness commenced with the visitors scoring their first try within the first 10 mins but the heads didn't go down and within minutes Yards were level, This was the story of the first half, an even blend of good phases of ball, strong forward play mixed with a lack of concentration letting Wednesbury's good set of backs through the gain line. The first half came to an end with Wednesbury 3 points up. Mark Banyard stepped into the circle of players to give his opinion of the first half, then came the inspirational speech, in his final game as 2nd team captain Sean Byrne made wholesale changes to the team which saw Dave Rimmer playing in his 4th position of the game so far. As the huddle broke Junior arrived ready to bolster the team to a full 15 players, the 2nd half commenced with another fantastic kick-off from fly half Sam. For the first 15 minutes the game was tight, then came the pivotal point of the game, the visitors then received a penalty on the halfway line and decided to kick for touch, the fly half's kick slid of the side of his boot and headed for the middle of the pitch straight for Guy. Alas Guy not being as quick as he once was couldn't get to the bounce the ball hit the ground and went straight into the Wednesbury fly half's hands and he was over for the try. This sparked the Yards who then over the next 20-25 minutes turned up the energy, fight and teamwork that saw them run in five un-answered tries. With Sam at fly half playing a man of the match performance the tries came from all positions - wingers (Daz and James scoring great tries), centres (Junior popping up with 2) forwards (Egg running 70 yards for his try and Greg scoring 2 - one of which was a try to remember). This was the most pleasing second half this Captain has seen from an Old Yards 2nd ever, the fire and fight that went into the second half was a joy to watch and to say that 10-11 players played in totally alien positions to them shows just what an achievement this was.

Match Report - 3rd XV vs Alcester 2nds (Friendly)

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alcester 2nds 20 - 20 Old Yardleians 3rds

Captain Tony Fitzgerald took his mature 3rd team away to Alcester to play against their 2nds. With the sun shining and the average age of the team over forty-four years it was going to be a long afternoon. Yards started the stronger with their powerful pack making drives. Shannon Killarney who had many exciting runs during the game set up the opening try. From a short penalty Shannon got within one yard of the line when he was stopped. He turned quickly and presented the ball to Mark Baldwin who dived over to score. Alcester responded with two penalties to give them the lead. Then just before the break David Rollins kick a penalty from 50 metres to give Yards an 8-6 lead at half time. In the second half both sides created opportunities. Yards scored twice. The first was a high up and under that the Alcester full back spilled and it fell to the feet of the tenacious Phil Evans. He kicked the ball over the line and dived on it to score. A second Yards try came from a break made by Martin Cartwright who split the Alcester defence with a Shane Williams type run. With one tackler left to beat Cartwright unselfishly passed to David Rollins who sprinted in to score. Rollins also added the conversion. In reply Alcester scored two tries one of which was a penalty try. They converted the last one to draw the match twenty all.

News roundup as of Sept 22nd 2008

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Results

Shrewsbury 18 - 11 Old Yardleians 1st XV

Old Yardleians 3rds 24 - 59 Hereford Development XV

Sam Lonie's Party

Sam Lonie reached forty and celebrated with a great party at the clubhouse. A tasty choice of Indian food was given to all the guests and the DJ played music to suit the party goers. It was ABBA mania all over again as Sam and her friends not only danced to tunes like Dancing Queen but also dressed the part as well. Not to be out done John Lone did his aircraft dancing while Bobo, Arkell and Jamie Walton did their version of the Cha Cha Slide. Chairman Tony Fitzgerald wowed the club with his Granddad style moves. Yet another enjoyable night at the Old Yards.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Saturday 27th September

1st XV vs. Willenhall home in the league
2nd XV vs. Wednesbury at home
3rd XV vs. Alcester away

Friday 3rd October

Old Yardleians Re-Union from 7.30pm at the club

Saturday 4th October

1st XV vs. Burntwood away in the league
2nd XV vs. Birmingham Barbarians at home
3rd XV vs. Warley 2nds away

Saturday 11th October

1st XV vs. Leek home in the league
2nd XV vs. Evesham away
3rd XV vs. Evesham home

Kids Christmas Party

A note for your diary is the Old Yards Christmas Party will be held on Sunday 14th December

Club Stuff:

Do you have a spare......................

Thank you to Tony Fitz who donated a Hoover to the club.

Players Subscriptions

Thank you to the 40 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Players Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club on Saturday. It is £40 for the season but goes up to £50 if you don't pay me by the end of September. Pay in instalments if you like, £5 or £10 per week - 8 others are already doing this.
> After this Saturday priority in selection will go to paid up members
> In October we will see the return of "Name & Shame"

International Tickets

We still have two tickets left for the England vs. Australia game priced at £71 each plus the admin fee. Two club members have shown interest but are still undecided so the tickets are still available. First come first served - best to call me on 07766 443811 but not after 9pm.

Help continues to be needed to get the extension finished for the end of the season

Help is still required from 9am every Saturday to get things finished so please join Tony and Steve Price to lend them a hand.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary - 22nd September 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Match Report - 1st XV vs Shrewsbury (League)

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Shrewsbury 18 - 11 Old Yardleians 1st XV

Two close calls on potential Yards tries and a late team change, left Yards frustrated with a loss to the Shrewsbury side heavily fancied for the league title. Add two tries from Shrewsbury during the middle of the second half and it ended any chances of an away victory. Yards started well in the first 20 minutes, limiting Shrewsbury to a single penalty kick. The Yards' pack again started strongly, limiting the ball for the Shrewsbury backs. The front row consisting of Withey, Bucknall and Butler caused mayhem on the Shrewsbury put in. The only try for Yards came from a scrum in the first half when Steve Grainger picked up metres from the line to drive over. The second row combination of Phil Painter and Mick Brennan ensured consistent line out ball for Yards throughout the game and Steve Cunningham and Alan Purdy in the back row hassled the Shrewsbury half backs. Withey was frustrated when scoring what he thought was a good try only for the decision given to be held up on the line. Shrewsbury must have some strong players if they can hold Rich up! The Yards pack continued to dominate the scrum with the ref warning the Shrewsbury front row four times while Yards were going for a push over try but no penalty try was awarded. The centre combination of Joe Patrick and Colin Jones worked well with fly half Ben Honey whose converted Yards' first half try, Yards went in at half time 8-6 up, following another penalty kick from Shrewsbury. Yards continued to dominate at the start of the 2nd half with backs Lee Purdy, Andy Powrie, Andy Pearce and Dave Hansen making good runs. The Yards pack was then bolstered by Jack Horton coming on and Dave Rimmer came into the backs allowing Ben Honey to go into the back row. Then a few difficult scrums resulted in two losses against the head, leaving Yards defending deep in their own half. Two tries came in quick succession, with one of them being converted, taking Shrewsbury to 18 points. Yards converted a penalty with 15 minutes to go bringing them within a converted try of the home side. To protect their lead Shrewsbury constantly killed the ball leaving Yards frustrated as each attack was held up. Yards pressed up to the to the last minute when Lee Purdy grounded the ball on the line, only for the ref to call the score short.

Match Report - 3rd XV vs Hereford (Friendly)

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians 3rds 24 - 59 Hereford Development XV

On a hot September day Old Yardleians' aging 3rd XV took a fixture at short notice against Hereford's Development XV. With the weather suiting the younger, faster visitors it was always going to be a difficult game for Yards. Early on Dean Smith missed touch with a penalty kick and Hereford ran the ball 75 yards to score a converted try. Five minutes later poor Yards tackling let in another try and it was 14-0. The Yards pack responded with strong scrummaging taking one against the head and then a number of forward drives leading to gaps out wide that saw winger Martin Cartwright go over in the corner for a score. After 30 minutes Hereford scored again making it 19-5 as the game approached the break. Then Marcus Hope who dominated the lineout all game won another and the Yards pack rumbled on. Ten yards from the Hereford line Mark Baldwin took control of the ball at the back of the maul. As the pack drove towards the line Baldwin dived over to score supported by Marcus Hope. The Yards try was disallowed. Instead the ref gave possession to Hereford who scored their fourth try. This was the turning point of the game for a tired Yardleian team as they went into half time 26-5 down. During the break Yards brought on some fresh legs including 59 year old Steve Sidwell, Hereford continued to out run the home team to score more tries. Frustration crept in and at one stage Gary Robinson was marched back twenty yards as he chatted with the referee. Despite the heat Yards also scored tries of their own in the second half from Egg Male, the ever impressive Phil Evans and Gary Robinson with one of his typical thundering runs, Going forward Old Yardleians 3rd XV look to returning to proper 3rd XV fixtures.

Some pictures from the VPs Lunch on Saturday 13th September

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:49:13 GMT

Dear VP, The sun shines on the righteous someone once said, so why did it shine on the VPs on Saturday?

We had a fine lunch (thank you Gail) and sipped (supped) our beers on the new decking while the firsts put 50 points on Selly Oak and the thirds were equally impressive against Old Halesonians. A memorable afternoon.

Good to see so many of you there. Especially some we don?t see very often - Ainsley Wallace, Andy Dunn, Bob Hartley and Paddy Moynihan. Dave Collen had flown in from Guernsey and was in the chair to celebrate his second season as captain 40 years ago. Thanks for the beer Dave.

Our thanks go to all at OYs for making it a great day.

To aid the memory a couple of photos attached.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Kind regards

Tex

t: 0121 7055805 m: 07900 692769

From Dave Collen: "Yes, a great day it was, thanks to all those involved in organising it.
Other old faces from the past were Ivor and Kiwi - Kiwi is like myself ie the same weight I was in 1968, just a different shape.
It was good also to see the progress of the building works - the current crop of OY's are building on the foundations (geddit ?) of the work done by the original self builders of 40 years ago.
It was a great day, and I give due notice that I will be over next year, to buy drinks for all those who turned out in 1969/70 - my 3rd and last year as Club Captain.
Just a note to Tex:- my machine can't open the photo's - the file is too big apparently. Can you post them on the OY's website so we can view them on screen ?
Best wishes to all from sunny Guernsey"

News roundup as of Sept 17th 2008

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:30:11 GMT

Please welcome our new match report writer Richard Withey with his first two efforts:

Click here for the report for Old Yardleians 1st XV 49 - 5 Mosley Oak 1st XV

Click here for the report for Old Yardleians 3rds 41 - 5 Old Halesonians 3rds

VPs Lunch

As well as the above games at home we had our first VPs Lunch of the season. On a lovely sunny day is was great to see so many former players at the club. David Collen was true to his word at the bar generously buying liquid refreshments for his fellow VPs. They were then able to walk outside and sit on the extended decking built by fellow VPs Steve Sidwell and Tom Power. Thank you to Major Brian Hope for sponsoring the lunch plus Gail Orton and Debbie Robinson for preparing it. Happy Birthday Brian for Saturday!

Future Events:

Saturday 20th September

1st XV vs. Shrewsbury away in the league
2nd XV vs. Shrewsbury at home
3rd XV vs. Old Griffs at home
Followed by SAM LONIE'S 40th Birthday Party at the club. Starts 7.30pm, all members and their better halves are invited

Saturday 27th September

1st XV vs. Willenhall home in the league
2nd XV vs. Wednesbury at home
3rd XV vs. Alcester away

Friday 3rd October

Old Yardleians Re-Union from 7.30pm at the club

Saturday 4th October

1st XV vs. Burntwood away in the league
2nd XV vs. Birmingham Barbarians at home
3rd XV vs. Warley 2nds away

New Year's Eve

Remember that super party held at the club last New Year's Eve? We will be having another this year so make a note in your diary.

Club Stuff:

Do you have a spare......................

The club needs the following equipment if anyone has a spare or is about to buy a new one and we can have your old one:

Hoover
Carpet Cleaner

Please contact Mark on 07766 443811 if you have, thanks

Thank you to Brian Hope who is donating two microwaves to the club.

Players Subscriptions

Thank you to the 36 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club on Saturdays. It is £40 for the season but goes up to £50 if you don't pay me by the end of September. Pay me in instalments if you like, £5 or £10 per week - 6 others are already doing this.

International Tickets

All applications have been received for the Autumn Internationals and tickets allocated. A confirmation email has been sent to all who I applied. Not all the Australia game tickets have been taken up therefore I have the following available:

Eng vs. Australia 15th November - 2 x £71, 3 x £60, 2 x £41

First come, first served - best to call me on 07766 443811 but not after 9pm. Remember there is a £5 additional admin fee per ticket.

Help continues to be needed to get the extension finished for the end of the season

Help is still required from 9am every Saturday to get things finished so please join Tony and Steve Price to lend them a hand.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary - 15th September 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Match Report - 1st XV vs Moseley Oak (League)

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians 1st XV 49 - 5 Mosley Oak 1st XV

A man of the match performance from Ben Honey (sorry Brian) resulted in an impressive win against Mosley Oak (formerly Selly Oak) in the first league game of the season. After the disappointing cup exit last Saturday to Upton, a more focused Yardleians squad took the pitch with a no lose attitude. From the first kick off, the Yards pack took on the Oak pack and dominated in all elements of the game. An impressive and weighty front row of Withey, Bucknall and Butler, weighing in at 56 stones, gave Oak no clean ball throughout the whole game. They were boosted in the 2nd half with Bobo Robinson arriving in the 50th minute as a front row replacement. The first try came from a swift forward move, resulting in Ben Honey picking up his first of two tries. Honey also added a penalty in the first half to go 8-0 up in the first 10 minutes. A lack of concentration by Yards gave Oak their only score of the game, scoring in the corner after a defensive mix up. Yards continued to dominate with tries from Phil Painter and Ian Walker in the first half. The defensive partnership of Seymour Seaton and Joe Patrick in the centres, gave no time for Oaks backs to gain any ball. The Oaks half backs were always under pressure from the back row combination of Grainger, Cunningham and Honey, all of which stopped the offensive thinkers within the Oak team. Making his first start for the 1st team, Andy Powrie worked well with Alan Purdy and the forever young Dave Hansen closing down the Oak backs whenever they got the ball. Impressive running from Davey Langley and good decision making from Lee Purdy gave Oaks defensive line many issues during the first half. Yards went into the first half 18-5 up. During the second half, Yards started to open up Oak?s defence adding another five tries via Jo Patrick, Seymour Seaton, Ben Honey, Bobo Robinson and Butler. Adding Brennen and Pearce to the 2nd half side as replacements gave Oaks additional problems throughout the 2nd half, the running off the ball from the yards pack and backs was wonderful to watch, entertaining the crowd, on a special VP?s day. Yards finished the game, much as they started it, dominating lineout ball, scrummaging and an all round top defensive performance. With Shrewsbury to be visited next Saturday, it gave Yards a good start to the season and the inspirational speech from Brennen at the end of the game gave Yards their final focus for the day.

Rich Withey (Correspondent)

Match Report - 3rd XV vs Old Halesonians (Friendly)

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Old Yardleians 3rds 41 - 5 Old Halesonians 3rds

An impressive try scoring result by Old Yards 3rds outscoring Hales by seven tries to one. Tony Fitz gave a captains performance with two tries, one either side of half time. With many returning experienced 3rd team players, it was Mark Baldwin who took the leadership of the pack with his efficient running, precise kicking and strong discipline. With the returning experience of Andy Killarney, John Lonie, Marcus Hope, Alan Arkell, Alistair Gouldborn, Sean Tootill, Dean Smith and Dave Howlett, it made for a very structured game and the Old Hales pack was no match for Old Yards pack. A front row consisting of John Lonie, who made his debut in the position, Rob Hibbard and Mark Baldwin, with Roger Lazenby coming on during the first half, the Old Hales scrum struggled to make any ground. Martin Cartwright again continued his great try form at winger, scoring twice during the match, and Egg Male scored one from the other wing, the first half was very much a team effort. The backs swapped and changed all afternoon, trying out some of the younger players in different positions, Steve Turvey, Lewis Williams, Rich Dransfield, Nick Booth and James Walsh all made significant impacts on the game. The return of Dean Smith and Simon Davies to the time was also a crowd favorite and it was nice to see no yellow cards coming from the referee all game. A wonderful try from Phil Evans and another from the always reliable Dave Howlett, killed off Old Hales early in the second half, with Lewis Williams adding points with the boot. This was the first fixture for the 3rd team on Saturday and the signs are looking good for a very successful season.

Rich Withey (Lyrical Waxer!)

News roundup as of Sept 11th 2008

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

News roundup as of Sept 3rd 2008

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Some Upcoming Events at Old Yardleians:

Saturday 6th September

EDF Senior Vase 1st Round - Old Yardleians at home to Upton On Severn kick off 3pm. Come and see Old Yards start the season with a win.
2nd XV vs. Aston Old Edwardians away
3rd XV vs. Aston Old Edwardians at home - Tony and his Dad's Army take to the field
Followed by a Rock Night at the club with a live band. Sponsored by Steve Sidwell, please support this event. It starts at 7.30pm with tickets £5. If you do not have a ticket you can pay on the door. Make this a success and Steve will arrange more.

Saturday 13th September

The first league fixture of the season when we play Selly Oak at home.
2nd XV vs. Selly Oak away
3rd XV vs. Old Halesonians at home
We will have a VPs lunch on this day. Dave Collen has invited all the players from the 1968/1969 season to turn up for a reunion. As part of this all the statistics from that season are displayed in the club. Dave has promised to a buy a drink for every player from 1968/1969 who turns up!!
Download a Microsoft Word document containing 1968/69 appearance records HERE.
Download a Microsoft Word document containing 1968/69 results and scorers HERE.

Saturday 20th September

1st XV vs. Shrewsbury away in the league
2nd XV vs. Shrewsbury at home
3rd XV vs. Old Griffs at home
Followed by SAM LONIE'S 40th Birthday Party at the club. Starts 7.30pm, all members and their better halves are invited

Friday 3rd October

Old Yardleians Re-Union from 7.30pm at the club

Club Stuff:

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament

Thank you to all the volunteers who made it a great day. A lot of hard work went into making the event a success. Moss would have been proud. It was great to welcome Jane, Moss's sister to the club, who presented the Shield to the winners Aston Old Edwardians and the Plate to Ashby who won the secondary tournament. Old Yards lost 6-3 to eventual winners Aston Old Edwardians in the semi final.

Players Subscriptions

Thank you to the 22 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club on Saturdays. It is £40 for the season but goes up to £50 if you don't pay me by the end of September. Pay me in instalments if you like, £5 or £10 per week - 8 others are already doing this.

Saturday Nights

The newish pool table is proving to be a success. Club members are staying later at the club on a Saturday playing Killer. Please stay and join us. The standard isn't very high as I won the competition last week. It's a relaxing night with beer at club prices. Thanks to Steve C for organising the table and Jamie Walton in being very patient in waiting for us to pay him for it.

Help continues to be needed to get the extension finished for the start of the season

Thank you to the good numbers that have been turning up on the weekends to progress the club extension. When you are next at the club go through and see the new changing rooms as they develop. The new showers have been tiled by the Snake, a gang of players have put up the remaining plasterboards on the ceiling and Tony Fitz/Dave Rimmer have started on the electrics. The VPs can look forward to a tour next week. Help is still required from 9am every Saturday to get things finished.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary - 3rd September 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Photos of the 80th Anniversary Dinner and the Moss Goode Memorial XV-a-Side

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:04:39 GMT

Two new albums have been added to our photo gallery.

If you have any digital photos that you would like to have added to any of our albums then please feel free to email them to shannon.t.killarney at blueyonder.co.uk.

Pictures of the 80th Anniversary Dinner and Dance at St Johns Hotel in Solihull can be viewed here.

Pictures of the first Moss Goode Memorial XV-a-Side competion held on the 16th August can be found here.

Moss Goode

Minis and Juniors meet England stars at O2 Scrum on the Beach

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:35:21 GMT

Members of Old Yardleians Minis and Juniors section attended the RFU's Scrum on the Beach event sponsored by O2. This was held on an artificial beach constructed at Centenary Square in town. The youngsters had a great time playing tag rugby and also managed to meet England stars Danny Cipriani and Nick Easter. The sponsors O2 were very generous in their provision of goody bags and souvenirs of the day and a great time was had by all that attended, especially club groundsman Brian 'Spock' Collingwood who was mistaken for England number 8 Nick Easter on several occasions! NOT!

An album of photos of the day can be viewed here.

The U9s tag team meet Nick Easter - or could it be Brian :o)

The U9s tag team meet Danny Cipriani

Some of the U16/17s meet Danny Cipriani

The U16/17s meet Nick Easter

What's happening at Old Yardleians - 4th August 2008

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

On Saturday we had the inter club game where we played for the first time under the new ELVs. A good turn out saw two competitive sides battle for over an hour in the hot sun. Well done to everyone who attended. Coach Les Barwood saw his players in full match action for the first time. He now knows what he has to work on to make us a league winning team. Les and Captain Steve Cunningham now need the players' support. This means attending training on Tuesdays and Thursdays where things can be put right. Then turning up on Saturdays early so you can be changed ready for the pre-match warm up one hours before kick off.

Future Events:

Saturday 9th August

Pre-season warm up vs. Birmingham Exiles at home, Kick Off 3pm

Saturday 16th August

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament at Old Yards. Teams confirmed: Old Yardleians, Ashby, Aston Old Edwardians, Bournville, Camp Hill, Edwardians, Old Halesonians, Old Griffinians, Old Saltleians, Silhillians and Wednesbury.

Saturday 23rd August

Pre-season warm up game vs. Uttoxeter at home, Kick Off 3pm

Saturday 30th August

1st XV vs. Old Saltleians away in a friendly
2nd XV vs. Old Saltleians home
3rd XV vs. Old Saltleians away

Saturday 6th September

EDF Senior Vase 1st Round - Old Yardleians at home to Upton On Severn kick off 3pm.

Followed by a Rock Night at the club with a live band. Sponsored by Steve Sidwell, please support this event.

Saturday 13th September

The first league fixture of the season when we play Selly Oak at home. We will have a VPs lunch on this day.

Club Stuff:

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament

As you are now aware this will be a big event. Thank you to those who have already volunteered to help. I will contact you the week before with details of what your role will be. We still need more volunteers so if you can give even just an hour on the day please let me know. There is a second planning meeting for the event at the clubhouse on Tuesday 5th August at 7pm. Anyone who is willing to help plan this event please come along.

Sponsorship Needed

A big thank you to Brian Hope who has sponsored the following events for the coming season:

Moss Goode 15 a Side Tournament
VPs Lunch on 13th September
Children's Christmas Party

Brian has done great work for the club over the years and will be missed when he moves to Crete.

We are still looking for Old Yardleians to help sponsor the 1st XV kit. So far four people have committed to give a donation of £100. I need another six please. In return for the £100 you will get your own limited edition replica Old Yardleians Rugby Shirt..

Players Subscriptions

Thank you to the 12 players who have already paid their 2008/2009 Annual Subs in full. Please can the rest of you pay me at the club on Saturdays. It is £40 for the season but goes up to £50 if you don't pay me by the end of September. Pay me in installments if you like, £5 or £10 per week.

Help continues to be needed to get the extension finished for the start of the season

Thank you to the good numbers that have been turning up on the weekends to progress the club extension. If you have not been up then do so and see the massive changes going on at your club. Last weekend Tony arranged for the plasterers to come in to plaster the ceilings in the changing rooms. At the same time, the first set of new posts were put up on the 2nd XV pitch. Help is still required from 9am every Saturday to get things finished.

International Tickets for England's Autumn Internationals

Don't forget that applications for tickets for any of England's Autumn Internationals need to be with Mark Baldwin by Saturday 23rd August. This includes a completed form and full payment.

Anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark, Hon. Secretary - 4th August 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

The News as of July 20th 2008

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Pre-Season Training

Training for the new season continues to be well attended. It is every Tuesday and Thursday with a 7.30 pm start - that means changed and ready on the pitch at 7.30 pm.

Future Events:

Saturday 26th July

Training on Saturday afternoon with a 2pm start.

Saturday 2nd August

Club run off game.

Saturday 9th August

Pre-season warm up game to be advised. This will help you get used to the ELVs.

Saturday 16th August

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament at Old Yards. Teams confirmed: Old Yardleians, Ashby, Aston Old Edwardians, Bournville, Camp Hill, Edwardians, Harborne, Old Halesonians, Old Griffinians, Old Saltleians, Silhillians and Wednesbury.

Saturday 23rd August

Pre-season warm up game to be advised

Saturday 30th August

1st XV vs. Old Saltleians away in a friendly
2nd XV vs. Old Saltleians home
3rd XV vs. Old Saltleians away

Saturday 6th September

EDF Senior Vase 1st Round - Old Yardleians at home to Upton On Severn kick off 3pm.

Saturday 13th September

The first league fixture of the season when we play Selly Oak at home. We will have a VPs lunch on this day.

Club Stuff:

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament

As you can see above there will be 12 teams in our pre-season tournament. This means a lot of people will be at our club that day so we need to cater for them all. There is a planning meeting for the event at the clubhouse on Tuesday 22nd July at 7pm. Anyone who is willing to help plan this event please come along. In addition we need volunteers on the day (16th August) to help run the day. We will need around twenty people to take turns in doing things such as marshalling car parking, running the BBQ, serving at the bar and administering the games. If you are coming to the day can you spare an hour or two to help. Please let me know.

Sponsorship Needed

The club needs sponsors for the following:

1st XV - £1500 - this will enable us to buy a new 1st XV kit, drill tops and other accessories to support the team
Moss Goode 15 a Side Tournament - £250
VPs Lunch on 13th September - £250
Children's Christmas Party - £250

If you know a business that could sponsor Old Yards please let me know.

Players Subscriptions

Players Annual Subs have remained the same as last year. That is £50 for the season or £40 if you pay before 30th September. Help Old Yards and pay your Annual Subs to the club early. Mark will be up the club collecting this Saturday so bring your cheque books..

Help continues to be needed to get the extension finished for the start of the season

International Tickets for England's Autumn Internationals

Applications for tickets for any of England's Autumn Internationals need to be with Mark Baldwin by Saturday 23rd August.

North Midlands Shield

We have been drawn at home to Kidderminster Carolians in the North Midlands Shield. The game will be played on Saturday 18th October.

Anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark Baldwin, Hon. Secretary, 20th July 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of July 6th 2008

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Recent Works - The new ladies and the gents toilets in the bar are up and working. Just a bit of touching up to do to complete them. The old 1st XV changing room that has a door into the bar is being renovated. It has been split in half with the bar side to be made into a disabled toilet. The back half will become a store for playing kits. The changing rooms are also being progressed. Finally a sub team under the leadership of Steve Sidwell and Tom Power are going to relay the patio in front of the club and renovate the ground in front of the changing rooms.

PRIORITY - Help continues to be needed to get the extension to get it finished for the start of the season

COME ON - PLEASE TURN UP AND HELP

Summer Ball

A great event held at the St Johns Hotel for the 130 that attended. A big Thank You to Steve Painter and Gail Orton for the hard work in organising it. It was great to see so many Old Yardleians seeing each other again and having a beer. A formal event with everyone dressed up, I must give a special mention to Dean Brain's dazzling white shoes. No wonder his better half didn't attend with him wearing them.

Pre-Season Training

Training for the new season has started and is being well attended. If you have not been yet, WHY NOT? We are determined to win the league this season that means all players should attend training. It is every Tuesday and Thursday with a 7.30 pm start. Fridge - that means changed and ready on the pitch at 7.30 pm.

Future Events:

Saturday 16th August

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament at Old Yards. Ten teams confirmed so this will be a big day at the club. If you are not playing then please volunteer to help run the event.

Saturday 13th September

The first league fixture of the season when we play Selly Oak at home. We will have a VPs lunch on this day.

Club Stuff:

Club Ties & Badges

Kim Hemmings has organised 80 years of Old Yardleians badges and ties. The metal badges are already available at £2 and the ties will be ready in the next couple of weeks.

Baby Boom Again

Congratulations to Dave and Ruth Rimmer on the arrival of a bouncing baby boy weighing 7lb 2oz who they have named Max

Congratulations to Nigel and Roxy Booth on the arrival of their baby boy weighing 6lb 2oz who they have named Rio. Nigel is having a head-wetting session in the Westley Arms Hotel on Friday 11th July from 5:00pm onwards - all welcome!

Players Subscriptions

Players Annual Subs have remained the same as last year. That is £50 for the season or £40 if you pay before 30th September. Help Old Yards and pay your Annual Subs to the club early. Mark will up the club collecting this Saturday so bring your cheque books..

The RFU wants your view

From 1st July for four weeks the RFU are running a survey on rugby in England. They want the view from everyone on league and cup structures so if you have ten minutes to spend please fill it in on line at www.rfu.com/rugbylandscapesurvey

Anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark, Hon. Secretary, 6th July 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

URGENT News - June 22nd 2008

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Priority - Help needed with the extension to get it finished for the start of the season - where have you been?

We intend to complete the bar and changing room extensions this summer. To do so we need your help on a weekend. Please attend on a Saturday from 9am onwards to help Tony, Pricey and the team. Don't worry if you have no building skills you can help knock down walls as part of the Oompa Loompas. Then around 4pm we drift off to the bar for some real Old Yards socialising. Even if you can only help for a couple of hours turn up as many hands make light work.

Current Works - The new ladies toilets should be completed for this weekend. The old ladies toilets are being converted into the new gents. The plant room for the new boiler is being fitted out as the water tanks have arrived and work continues on the new changing rooms.

PLEASE TURN UP AND HELP

Future Club Events:

Pre-Season Training

Starts Tuesday 24th June at 7.30pm - Note the new date and time

Friday 4th July

Summer Ball held at the St. Johns Hotel it will be a great event

Saturday 16th August

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament at Old Yards. Ten teams have now confirmed: Old Yardleians, Old Halesonians, Ashby, Silhillians, Aston Old Eds, Bournville, Edwardians, Old Salts, Wednesbury and Harborne. Others will be confirming attendance over the next couple of weeks. This will get the season off to a great start.

Saturday 13th September

The first league fixture of the season when we play Selly Oak at home. We will have a VPs lunch on this day.

Saturday 15th November

1sts and 2nds play Bishops Castle away so there will be a bus for both teams. Please book it in your diary now and tell your loved ones you will be home late that night.

Players Meeting

The Players Meeting was held on Saturday and it gave all who attended a chance to get to know new coach Les Barwood. Many points were raised and ideas for a players charter for the new season agreed. The full details will be given to all players soon. A flavour of some of the points agreed:

Pre-season training will start this Tuesday 24th June
Training starts at 7.30pm - that is the time when we will be on the pitch ready to start, not the time we turn up.
Saturday Match Dress home and away - Club Shirt, Club Tie and dark trousers - no jeans
Selection is on Tuesdays after training, please ensure your captain knows your availability - no cry offs except emergencies after Thursday before a game
Match day, arrive in time to be changed and out on the field for warm up one hour before kick off
Shorts must be navy in all teams and club socks only - please clean your boots and kit for every game
The above were agreed by the players at the meeting, it now needs to be kept to

Players Subscriptions

Players Annual Subs have remained the same as last year. That is £50 for the season or £40 if you pay before 30th September. Help Old Yards and pay your Annual Subs to the club early. Mark will up the club collecting most training sessions and Saturdays. Match Subs will be £6 per game for the new season.

Anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark, Hon. Secretary, 22nd June 2008

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of June 15th 2008

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Stop Press: Next season's senior fixtures are all arranged and will appear on this site soon.

Future Club Events:

Friday 4th July

The club looks forward to seeing members old and new at the Summer Ball. Held at the St. Johns Hotel it will be a great event.

Players Meeting

Steve Cunningham has arranged the Players Meeting for the 2008/2009 Season for Saturday 21st June at 3pm. THIS SATURDAY so please attend. It is your chance to meet new Coach Les Barwood and hear the plans of Steve/Les for the new season. After the meeting you will be able to watch the New Zealand vs. England game played earlier that day.

Pre-Season Training

Starts Tuesday 8th July at 7pm.

Saturday 16th August

The Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament at Old Yards. Teams already confirmed: Old Yardleians, Old Halesonians, Ashby, Silhillians, Aston Old Eds and Harborne. Others will be confirming attendance over the next couple of weeks. This will get the season off to a great start.

New Season

The new fixtures are out and we are in the Midlands 4 West North League. Teams we will play are: Shrewsbury, Selly Oak, Tamworth, Veseyans, Willenhall, Newcastle Staffs, Bishops Castle, Burntwood, Leek, Handsworth and Cleobury Mortimer.
The first league fixture is on Saturday 13th September when we play Selly Oak at home. We will have a VPs lunch on this day.
The 2nd XV are in a Greater Birmingham 2nds league this season. Matches will be played on the same weekends as the 1st XV league games. Teams in our league are Camp Hill, Solihull, Dixonians and Bournville.
Rich Withey is busy completing the fixtures for all teams and we should be able to send out a copy to everyone in the next ten days.

WORKING PARTY REQUIRED EACH WEEKEND OF THE SUMMER

Current Works - The new ladies toilets are being plastered. The old ladies toilets are being converted into the new gents. We are on target to complete the toilets by our next booking on 28th June.

Anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update. Send to mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Mark, Hon. Secretary, 16th June 2008

News roundup as of May 26th 2008

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What's happening at Old Y's?

AGM

The following officers will be serving the club for the 2008/2009 season following elections at the AGM:

President - Steve Sidwell
Chairman - Tony Fitzgerald
Hon Secretary - Mark Baldwin
Hon Treasurer - Mike Hughes
Hon Fixture Secretary - Richard Withey
Match Secretary - Richard Withey
1st XV Capt - Steve Cunningham
2nd XV Capt - Sean Byrne
3rd XV Capt Tony Fitzgerald
Youth Development Officer - Shannon Killarney

Plus Committee Members: Shannon Killarney, Steve Painter, Sean Tootill, Steve Price, Kim Hemmings, Sean Byrne, Steve Cunningham, Catherine Dowe, Brian Collingwood and Tim Russell

Thank you to all of the above for the time they will be putting into Old Yards over the next twelve months.

New Coach

Welcome to Les Barwood the new club coach for the 2008/2009 season. Les has coached at Moseley and recently at Aston Old Eds. He brings a wealth of coaching experience to the club. Let's support him and Captain Steve Cunningham by attending training to build on our end of season form that if repeated for a full season would see us promoted.

Presidents Day

Old Yards Vets defeated the Presidents Vets by a few points in a high scoring game.
Old Yards 1st XV easily beat a weakened Presidents XV
The evening entertainment of a live band laid on by Steve Sidwell was a good night.

Annual Dinner

Held at the clubhouse the Annual Dinner was a great success even if short of a full house. Ben Honey was named Player of the Year with both Ian Walker and Richard Withey receiving their club colours. It was more of a marathon than a sprint with the last of the revellers leaving the club around 9am the following morning. Other highlights were the three on three scrummaging sessions in the bar that were dominated by Brains. He followed that up by winning the 3am Sumo competition. I've seen a video of him flattening Nick Allen and will try and get it on the club website.

Minis & Juniors Presentation Night

Another successful event. Yet again thanks to Shannon and Pat for their hard work in organising the kids section.

Vets Game vs. Ashby Away

The final game of the season saw our Vets go over to Ashby and win to see them remain undefeated for the season against other Vets teams. A night out was then had in Ashby for the victors.

Future Club Events:

Friday 4th July

80th Anniversary Summer Ball at the St. Johns Hotel in Solihull with tickets competively priced at £40 each. Contact Steve Painter or Gail to get yours now.

Players Meeting

Date to be announced soon around the end of June.

Saturday 16th August

Moss Goode Memorial 15 a Side Tournament at Old Yards. A full day of rugby between local sides followed by a club BBQ in the evening. Make sure you are there for the first event of the new season. Tony Fitz has promised me the new changing rooms will be completed for the opening so it will give you a chance to see the new and finished Old Yardleians clubhouse.

WORKING PARTY REQUIRED EACH WEEKEND OF THE SUMMER

Current Plan - The bar toilets are being changed over the next five weeks. The ladies will become the gents and the gents will become the ladies. The old 1st XV changing room with access from the bar will be divided in two to give a disabled toilet and a kit store.

Got anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark, 26th May 2008

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Memories of a super day at OYs - President's day Saturday 3rd May 2008

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:43:32 GMT

The following message has been received from Tex Wales (VP Co-ordinator)

"Great day on Saturday.

Many thanks to all at Old Yardleians for organizing an extra special day for everyone to enjoy. It was a real treat and showed OYs at its best by involving very young, young, current, past it and well past it players all on the same day. The live group, Thank You Sid!, were the icing on the cake.

Team photos of the Veterans Presidents XV and the OYs Select XV are attached for all but especially for Ian (Knocker) Wallace - his last game, Jim Watterson - should have been his last game, Jim Watterson?s son, Andrew Howard - Old Edwardian and old friend, Steve Sidwell - the man who?s day it was and super player.

Kind regards Tex"

The following photos were also received courtesy of Dave Adams who arranged for St. Thomas Aquinas School's U12's to provide the opposition for our U12 in the junior games which kicked off at 12:30 where some super running rugby was played. Well done lads.

St. Thomas Aquinas U12's, Old Yardleians U12's and Both Teams Together.

Forty Years since David Collen had his first season as 1st XV Captain

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:57:25 GMT

David Collen will be over for the 80th celebrations, which by chance, coincide with 40 years since his first year as Club Captain of OYRFC. It would be great if players of that era could meet up at the 80th do. They were a struggling side that year, as will be seen from the playing record, but they did keep comprehensive records. The playing record of season 1967/68 and the names of all those who turned out for the 1st XV during that season - 57 in all ! - are published below. Some, sadly are no longer with us e.g. Jim Steele, Roger Martin, George Jephcott, Tony Lowe - there are probably others.David is asking that as many as possible of those who played in 1967/68 could meet up at the 80th bash for a reunion of the team of 40 years ago - for those that make it he will buy the beer.

Download a Microsoft Word document containing appearance records HERE.
Download a Microsoft Word document containing results and scorers HERE.

OLD YARDLEIANS RFC - SEASON 1967/68

CLUB OFFICIALS
PRESIDENT: W A JENKINS, CHAIRMAN: L E COX, HON SEC: F BRAGG, TREASURER: R SINGER, CLUB CAPTAIN: D W COLLEN, 1ST XV VICE CAPTAIN: D ELLIS

Appearances

Name	1st XV Appearances
TYNAN	27
HARRISON	27
DUNN	27
COLLEN	26
CRAMPTON	22
COLLINGWOOD	21
WALES	18
WALKER Ba	18
ENOCH	17
STEELE J	16
SIMPER	16
SLOANE	15
BERRY	13
STODDART P	13
FRIEND	13
PEARSON	13
GOODE	12
ELLIS	11
WALKER G	11
WALKER R	10
BURROWS	10
DIXON	10
McGRATH	10
HILL	9
DAVIES K	8
FRASER	7
DRAGE	7
BREEZE	7
HEXTER	7
JAMES	6
THOMPSON	6
BENNETT A	6
JEPHCOTT	6
STEELE K	5
HAYWARD	5
BENNETT J	5
GARNER	5
LOWE M	5
BUTCHER	4
MANSON	4
DEASEY	3
ENGLAND	3
JACKSON	3
FITZGERALD	3
SMITH	3
MARTIN D	2
LEEMAN	2
WRIGLEY	2
HORNE	2
HUGHES	2
STONE C	1
MARTIN R	1
HAWKINS	1
BORSBERRY	1
SUTTON	1
DALBY C	1
BOOBYER	1

Vivacious Veterans Victory Bewilders Bromsgrove

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Results

The "A" team went to Woodrush with a mix of 1sts, 2nds and 3rds and ended up losing to Woodrush 1st XV.

The 3rds game was cried off by Kings Norton on Saturday Morning

Old Yardleians win the Edwardians Vets Tournament

Our old men had a great day on Saturday winning the competition they were robbed of last year.

Old Yards Vets 13 Camp Hill 0

Tries from Steve "Captain Fantastic" Grainger and Simon "Getting Fatter" Davies with a penalty from Dave "Twatters" Howlett gave our boys a comfortable win in their first game. It was the same old storey with our scrum pushing Camp Hill backwards around the park.

Old Yards Vets 26 Ashby 0

A hatrick for Steve Grainger led the way in this convincing win. Dave Howlett also scored a try and Ralph Rollins three conversions.

Old Yards Vets 10 Edwardians 8

Needing to win this for a good draw in the semi final Old Yards started well enough with a simple try for Alistair "Ali G" Gouldbourne. Then against the run of play Edwardians broke and scored. Just before half time there was a flash point when the Edwardians No.8 butted Nigel "Villa Mad" Booth who retaliated. The game was stopped and the Ref sent only Boothy off. Edwardians sniffed a chance and shortly after the break slotted a penalty to take a shock lead. Old Yards piled the pressure back on Edwardians. Just as the final whistle approached Chairman Tony "Mr Mortons" Fitzgerald flew down the wing and scored to give old Yards another win.

Old Yards Vets 19 Civil Service 7

Plucky Civil Service gave Old Yards a close game in the first half and opened the scoring from a lineout. We responded with a Steve Grainger try converted by Doug Howlett to make it 7-7 at half time. In the second half Old Yards ran away with it with tries by Steve Turvey and a length of the field effort started by David "Chicken" Hanson and finished by Steve Grainger. Dave Howlett added the conversion.

FINAL - Old Yards Vets 14 Bromsgrove 0
A disciplined Old Yards team won a one sided final. Always in control and with Bromsgrove giving penalties away at frequent intervals Dave Howlett kicked three to put us 9-0 up at half time. In the second half our dominance was rewarded when Tony Fitz scored a try. It was good to win the final that we should have done last year. A big Old Yardleians crowd turned up to support the team and had the joy of seeing Steve Grainger lift the cup for us. An extra reward for our man of the tournament Steve Grainger was the six tries he scored saw him pass Ben Honey's total of 15 to become the season's top try scorer within the squad.

Alcester 7's

Well done to our seven's team who reached the semi final of the plate at the Alcester 7's before losing to Bromsgrove.

The Dresses Were Out
A great turn out on Saturday night by the lads in the dresses. With everyone trying to out do each other there was a mass of designer frocks, wigs, high heels and stockings. We were challenged by Edwardians to a boat race that we won comfortably so they were out drunk in their own club by a bunch of blokes in dresses - Tut Tut. Then it was off to Moseley for more beers and shocked reactions from pub goers when thirty of us turned up en masse. Finally we ended up in the Castle where our outrageous attire seemed to fit in very well.

More Club Events

Friday 2nd May

Club Annual General Meeting at the clubhouse from 8pm prompt - attend and have your say. We are looking for more Committee members so come and join us, play your part.

Saturday 3rd May - Presidents Day

12.30 Old Yards Under 12's vs. Thomas Aquinas School
12.30 Old Yards Under 14's vs. Old Coventrians
13.30 Old Yards Vets vs. President's Vets XV - KNOCKER'S RETIREMENT GAME
15:00 1st XV vs. Select XV
17:30 til Late - Live Band for the night with food available

Friday 9th May
Annual Dinner at the club - tickets £30 so please pay Gail. Tickets are selling fast so buy yours NOW!

Saturday 10th May

Minis and Juniors Presentation Night at the club. 6pm until late with the presentations from 7pm. Raffle prize donations requested please.

Saturday 17th May

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Aaron Boyce Memorial Greater Birmingham 7's - an all day event. Starts 10.30 with registration at 9.30.

Forty Years since David Collen had his first season as 1st XV Captain
David Collen will be over for the 80th celebrations, which by chance, coincide with 40 years since his first year as Club Captain of OYRFC. It would be great if players of that era could meet up at the 80th do. They were a struggling side that year, as will be seen from the playing record, but they did keep comprehensive records. The playing record of season 1967/68 and the names of all those who turned out for the 1st XV during that season - 57 in all ! - will be published in the next news item. Some, sadly are no longer with us e.g. Jim Steele, Roger Martin, George Jephcott, Tony Lowe - there are probably others.David is asking that as many as possible of those who played in 1967/68 could meet up at the 80th bash for a reunion of the team of 40 years ago - for those that make it he will buy the beer.

Summer Touch Rugby

What to play touch rugby in the summer? Moseley are running social and competitive leagues. See the club noticeboard for details.

Got anything to say?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of April 23rd 2008

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Games - Sat 19th April 08

The 1st XV had already won the two league points before kick off when Harborne contacted the league to say they could not put out a front row. A poor state of affairs for a 1st XV. Still our 1st XV took it out on them by securing a 78-12 hammering. Many try scorers including a brace for Lee Purdy and Billy Bucknall. Good end to the season lads, now let's win the league next season.

The 3rds game was abandoned after twenty minutes due to two Edwardians players crashing into each other and an ambulance was required.

The VETs went down 25-5 away to Cleobury Mortimer's 1st XV. Thank you Fixture Secretary for that fast paced game. The VETs went on their boozy bus to play in Cleobury's Presidents Day. Cleobury said they were expecting our 1st XV. Still we played them and made a pretty good fist of it. On a big pitch, playing up hill and against the wind in the first half, the power of our big pack supported by hard tackling backs and the wise head of Tommy Power we held our own. After defending for a long time we broke out of our 22 and marched up the field to the Cleobury 22. Phil "High Tower" Gouldbourne won a line out and from the ensuing move Gary "Bobo" Robinson set up a major drive of 20 yards to the Cleobury line. As the Yards pack crossed the white wash Mark "Hon Sec" Baldwin pinched the ball and scored his first try of the season. Better late than never! Cleobury now changed their tactics. Where possible they opted not to scrummage but have lineouts instead as we had already taken two against the head. They used the big wind to kick deep into the Old Yards half and used their field position to score two tries. Half time we turned round 10-5 down but with the wind and the hill. For the first ten minutes of the second half we were camped on the Cleobury line but just failed to score. Then Cleobury broke to go the length of the field to score. With the forty and fifty year old VETs now getting tired we were unable to regain control of the game. Even the introduction of impact players Darren "Mad Dog" Collingwood and Dave "Rose Wine" Jenkins failed to make the difference. We eventually lost 25-5 but were not down hearted. We followed the game with a good night out eventually ending in Moseley where we joined the celebrations for Steve Grainger's 35th Birthday.

Other League Results:
Burntwood 63 - 17 Selly Oak
Old Halesonians 47 - 3 Newcastle (Staffs)
Tamworth 49 - 10 Bishops Castle & O.V.
Veseyans 31 - 58 Bournville
Willenhall 44 - 0 Telford

Final League Table:
Midlands 4 West (North)

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts	Adjust
Old Halesonians	22	22	0	0	812	99	713	44	0
Bournville	22	20	0	2	898	218	680	40	0
Willenhall	22	15	0	7	619	295	324	30	0
Tamworth	22	15	0	7	494	339	155	30	0
Burntwood	22	12	1	9	339	403	-64	25	0
Old Yardleians	22	12	0	10	437	394	43	24	0
Veseyans	22	10	0	12	348	449	-101	20	0
Selly Oak	22	8	0	14	296	670	-374	14	-2
Newcastle (Staffs)	22	6	1	15	347	454	-107	13	0
Bishops Castle & O.V.	22	6	0	16	192	602	-410	12	0
Harborne	22	4	0	18	315	653	-338	8	0
Telford	22	1	0	21	125	646	-521	2	0

Dates:

Saturday 26th April

"A" Team and "B" Team games to be arranged at home
Old Yards Vets play in the Edwardians Vets Tournament - Can we win it! - Meet 11.30 am at Edwardians, start 12 noon.

Saturday Night 26th April

Club night out to Moseley - The dresses will be out - Meet at Edwardians after the Vets Tournament

Sunday 27th April

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Alcester 7's from 12 noon

Saturday 3rd May - Presidents Day

12:30 Mini and Juniors Games - U14s vs Old Coventrians, U17s vs T.B.A
13:30 Old Yards Vets vs. Presidents Vets a.k.a Knocker's Last Game
15:00 1st XV vs. Select XV
17:00 Live Band for the night courtesy of President Steve Sidwell

Saturday 17th May

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Aaron Boyce Memorial Greater Birmingham 7's - an all day event

Other Events

Friday 2nd May 8pm at the club

Club Annual General Meeting - attend and have your say. We are looking for more Committee members and a 3rd XV Captain.

Friday 9th May
Annual Dinner at the club - tickets £30 so please pay Gail. Tickets are selling fast so buy yours NOW!

Kids go to Leeds

Thank you Gail and Pat for organising a coach to take 40 Minis and Juniors to Headingly for the Leeds vs. Harlequins game. It included some of our under 10s playing in a match against Rotherham before the main game where they did very well losing by two tries to one. The kids also had the chance to meet and get autographs from England stars such as David Strettle.

Baby Boom

More Old Yardleian babies have been born:

Congratulations to Guy and Anna Smith on the birth of Hope Amy Smith recently
Congratulations to Richard and Karen Jacks on the birth of Olivia Rose Jacks this week

plus with Martin Johnson at the helm we might see the rebirth of England rugby!

Guinness Keg Caps

A reminder to ask your local for any the Guinness Keg Caps from the barrels. We can use them to exchange with Guinness for bar equipment like free glasses or training equipment like rugby balls.

Raffle Tickets

Thank you to the many members who sold raffle tickets for me. We should make around £450 for the club from this venture. The few who are still to return their stubs and cash to me must do so this weekend or we will be charged for them by the RFU.

EMAILS

Members have been using my weekly updates and the "Reply All" function to send messages to everyone on my mailing list. Not a problem to get club messages out but some of these have included pictures and jokes. I have had complaints from members who use their work email address or where other members of the family can access the emails. Therefore I will send the Update out using the blind copy function to prevent this. If you have any messages for club members I am happy to put them in the next Update or if urgent send them out straight away for you.

Got anything to say

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of April 16th 2008

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Games on Sat 12th April 08

The 1st XV continued their winning run with a hard fought 22-21 victory away at Staffordshire team Newcastle. From the start Old Yards pressured the Newcastle line and were rewarded when a clever cross kick by Ben "The Belly" Honey was touched down by Billy "The Motivator" Bucknall. Shortly afterwards Old Yards were asleep at a quick penalty and the Newcastle winger raced away to score a converted try. Further pressure on the Newcastle line saw the try of the match. Gary "Smoking" Williams rolled back the years when from twenty yards out he danced round three defenders to score near the posts. Ian "New Car" Walker added the conversion. As half time approached, Newcastle scored a converted try with a slick back row move off the scrum. Half time Newcastle 14 Old Yardleians 12. The early part of the second half was spent in the Newcastle twenty-two with the Old Yards forwards having many drives towards the line. Eventually Newcastle cracked and second row Dave "Shwmpa" Langley drove over to score. The home side hit back with another converted try when they intercepted a Ben Honey attempted reverse pass. Back came the Old Yards pack and looked odds on to score from a scrum with a push over try when Newcastle stopped the drive illegally. From the ensuing penalty Old Yards took the scrum option. Props Rich "The Wig" Withey and Peter "Fridge" Butler took up the challenge and drove Newcastle over their own line enabling Old Yards Captain and number eight Steve Owen to score. Leading 22-21 with the end in sight Old Yards brought on Mark "Hon. Sec." Baldwin to take the pace out of the game by using two of the final three minutes to jog to the lineout where play was starting from. The final whistle brought another win to the Tilehouse Lane team who must build on this to look for promotion next season.

The 2nds had no game when Bloxwich failed to show despite their Fixture Secretary reconfirming the fixture at 11am on the morning of the game.

The 3rds won 26-18 against Birmingham Exiles. No report I'm afraid

The Under 17s had a great day at Twickenham at the EDF Cup Final - Leicester vs. Ospreys. Thank you to Shannon who drove the mini bus and organised the day. Also thanks to Tom Power for providing the mini bus.

Other league results:
Midlands 4 West (North) : Bishops Castle & O.V. 18, Veseyans 11; Bournville 28, Willenhall 5; Harborne 8, Tamworth 27; Newcastle (Staffs) 21, Old Yardleians 22; Selly Oak P, Old Halesonians P; Telford 13, Burntwood 18.

League table:

Midlands 4 West (North) P W D L PF PA Pts

Old Halesonians 20 20 0 0 765 96 40

Bournville 21 19 0 2 840 187 38

Willenhall 21 14 0 7 575 295 28

Tamworth 21 14 0 7 445 329 28

Burntwood 21 11 1 9 276 386 23

Old Yardleians 21 11 0 10 437 394 22

Veseyans 21 10 0 11 317 391 20

Selly Oak 20 8 0 12 279 607 14*

Newcastle (Staffs) 21 6 1 14 344 407 13

Bishops Castle & O.V. 21 6 0 15 182 553 12

Harborne 21 4 0 17 315 653 8

Telford 21 1 0 20 125 602 2

Dates:

Saturday 19th April

1st XV are home to Harborne in their final league game of the season
3rds are home to Old Edwardians
VETs are away to Cleobury Mortimer on a boozy bus

Saturday 26th April

"A" Team Game to be arranged at home
Old Yards Vets play in the Edwardians Vets Tournament

Sunday 27th April

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Alcester 7's from 12 noon

Saturday 3rd May - Presidents Day, a fun day for all

Saturday 17th May

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Aaron Boyce Memorial Greater Birmingham 7's - an all day event

Other Events

Saturday Night 26th April - Club night out to Moseley - The dresses will be out!
Friday 2nd May 8pm at the club - Club Annual General Meeting - attend and have your say. We are looking for more Committee members and a 3rd XV Captain.
Friday 9th May - Annual Dinner at the club - tickets £30 so please pay Gail. Tickets are selling fast so buy yours NOW!
Friday 4th July - Summer Ball at St John's Hotel, Solihull to celebrate 80 years of Old Yardleians. Snake & Bethan will be there! More details to follow, watch out for your letter from Steve Painter.

The end of an era - Brian Hope retires

Brian Hope has retired as Groundsman for Old Yardleians after over ten years of loyal service and hard work. He is moving to Crete to enjoy the Greek sunshine. He has not gone yet and should be at the Dinner and the Ball in the coming weeks. Make sure you take your opportunity to thank Brian for all those lovely pitches you've played on over the years.

Guinness Keg Caps

The club is collecting the Guinness Keg Caps from the many barrels we sell. They can be used to obtain addition bar equipment like free glasses or training equipment like rugby balls. When you are out in pubs and clubs ask the landlord if he will give you any Guinness Keg Caps he has. Then pass them on to Mark Baldwin.

80th Anniversary Tie

To celebrate 80 years of Old Yardleians rugby an 80th Anniversary tie is being produced. Watch this space for details soon

Got anything to say ?

Please email me details of any Old Yards information, trivia or jokes so I can add them to the next update.

Mark

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Minis and Juniors Section - Bus Trip to Watch Leeds vs Harlequins

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Forty odd intrepid adventurers from the Minis and Juniors section embarked on the long journey 'Oop North' to watch a Premiership encounter between Leeds and Harlequins. A great time was had by all the kids, who managed to get plenty of autographs of current and ex-England players such as John Bentley, Dean Richards, David Strettle and Nick Easter. The U10s, coached by Steve Bishop, played their socks off during the half-time match against a Rotherham side that boasted four academy players. We were winning for most of the match but conceded two tries in quick succession at the end to lose 2-1.

Some photos from the trip can be found here.

Thanks to all who participated, but especially to Gail Orton and Pat McDaid for organising a very successfull trip.

News roundup as of April 9th 2008

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Games on Saturday 5th April

1st XV won 14-7 away at Old Salts with tries by Ian Walker and Captain Steve Cunningham. Conversions added by Ian Walker and Ben Honey. We were always in control of the game with the Old Salts scoring a break away try,

2nds lost 21-22 at Kings Norton. 22-0 down with twenty minutes to go the heavy boys decided to do a bit of work. Two tries by Bobo and a third by Tony Fitz were all converted by Elliot "The Hair" Honey.

3rds won 26-18 against Kings Norton 3rds at home. Try scorers included David "Ralph" Rollins, Greg "Somebody Love Me" Allen and Simon "20 Stone" Davies. Simon's try was the highlight of the game. from 10 yards out he tried to dummy the Kings Norton defence. Instead of tackling him the visitors fell about laughing while Simon rolled over the line.

Games on Saturday 29th March

1st XV won 70-0 (yes seventy) against Selly Oak in the league. The twelve try demolition was started by Steve Grainger grabbing the first of his four tries after good work by the Yards pack. The forwards dominated in every area of the game with Tight Head Prop Jack Horton producing a man of the match performance. Despite poor weather conditions, Yards produced some great running rugby in the second half. One move went from end to end with Yards only denied by the linesman's flag in the corner, in a Mark Cueto style foot in touch. Shame we didn't have Shane Williams as he would have scored. The rout had many scorers that included Guy "Get a Haircut" Smith (2), Mike "Jumping like a Salmon" Brennan, Adam "Same Difference" Walker, Ian "The Plane" Walker and Lee "Don't touch my Hair" Purdy. A great win so let's see if we can go unbeaten for the remainder of the season.

2nds won a hard fought game 21-12 away at Kings Norton. Tries by Steve "Too Quiet" Turvey, Gary "Smoking" Williams and Gary "Bobo" Robinson capped a fine display. Nice to see Alistair Goldbourne play his first game of the year

3rds lost 22-7 away at Birmingham Exiles. Captain Fantastic Greg Allen scored our only try of the game. For the rest of the game Greg tried to tackle Exile's Bok Outside Half but never laid a finger on him.

Latest League table:

Midlands 4 West (North) P W D L PF PA Pts

Old Halesonians 20 20 0 0 765 96 40

Bournville 20 18 0 2 812 182 36

Willenhall 20 14 0 6 570 267 28

Tamworth 20 13 0 7 418 321 26

Burntwood 20 10 1 9 258 373 21

Old Yardleians 20 10 0 10 415 373 20

Veseyans 20 10 0 10 306 373 20

Selly Oak 20 8 0 12 279 607 14*

Newcastle (Staffs) 20 6 1 13 323 385 13

Bishops Castle & O.V. 20 5 0 15 164 542 10

Harborne 20 4 0 16 307 626 8

Telford 20 1 0 19 112 584 2

Dates:

Saturday 12th April

1st XV are away to Newcastle in the league
2nds are home to Bloxwich 2nds
3rds are in the pool as Harborne 3rds just cried off
Under 17s are off to Twickenham. The club applied and got 15 free tickets for the EDF Cup Final - Leicester vs. Ospreys. Shannon has kindly volunteered to get a mini bus and take the Under 17s to the game.

Saturday 19th April

1st XV are home to Harborne in the league
2nds are away to Harborne
3rds are away to Cleobury Mortimer

Other Events

Saturday 26th April

Old Yards Vets play in the Edwardians Vets Tournament - Return of Dave Howlett? All oldies please give your name to Chicken

Saturday Night 26th April

Club night out to Moseley - The dresses will be out!

Sunday 27th April

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Alcester 7's from 12 noon

Friday 2nd May 8pm at the club

Club Annual General Meeting - attend and have your say. We are looking for more Committee members and a 3rd XV Captain.

Saturday 3rd May

Presidents Day - The Vets game will be Knocker's last before he retires

Friday 9th May

Annual Dinner at the club - tickets £30 so please pay Gail even if you just give £5 a week. Tickets selling well so reserve yours NOW!

Friday 4th July

Summer Ball at St John's Hotel, Solihull to celebrate 80 years of Old Yardleians. Snake & Bethan will be there! More details to follow, watch out for your letter from Steve Painter.

Saturday 17th May

Old Yardleians have entered a team in the Aaron Boyce Memorial Greater Birmingham 7's - an all day event

You only improve by training

Thank you to the following players who have made the most appearances at training this season: Steve Cunningham - 33 sessions, Dave Hanson - 21, Andy Pearce - 20, Phil Painter 19, Billy Bucknall - 19, Egg Male - 19, Ben Honey -19 and Mike Brennan -19. Where have the rest of you been?

Raffle Tickets

Many members are selling RFU raffle tickets for me. THANK YOU. The club makes 90p from every £1 ticket sold. Can those with tickets please finish selling them this week and bring the stubs/cash to me at the club on Saturday. If you have not got any tickets to sell please find someone who has and buy some off them.

Address Details

We are updating the club records with everyone's address and contact number. If you have not given your details to either Rich or Mark can you email them to me NOW. Thanks.

Regards,

Mark

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of March 28th 2008

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In Spain the Old Yardleians Tour XV defeated their Spanish hosts with a brace of tries by Adam "Same Difference" Walker. The game was played on sand rather than grass with the changing rooms an old container. It might make everyone appreciate the facilities we have at our club

On Saturday a club B team lost at home to Tamworth 19-8. Details are sketchy but we scored a try and then a penalty from Andy "Baby Beaker" Rhodes against a Tamworth team with many 1st and 2nd team players. Highlight of the game was Guy Smith's ball winning skills at the front of the lineout.

On Sunday we put a team out against a touring Old Parkonians 1st XV from the Wirral. In a hard fought game all of the points were scored in the first half with the teams drawing 12-12. Ian Walker scored a try and poor old Tom "Pickle" Mead broke a collar bone in a tackle.

League table:

Midlands 4 West (North)             P     W     D     L    PF   PA    Pts
    Old Halesonians                        19    19     0     0   712    96    38
    Bournville                                  19    17     0     2   762   177    34
    Willenhall                                  19    14     0     5   562   258    28
    Tamworth                                 19    12     0     7   399   308    24
    Burntwood                                19     9     1     9   249   365    19
    Old Yardleians                          19     9     0    10   345   373    18
    Veseyans                                  19     9     0    10   286   356    18
    Selly Oak                                 19     8     0    11   279   537   14*
    Newcastle (Staffs)                    19     6     1    12   310   366    13
    Bishops Castle & O.V.             19     5     0    14   159   492    10
    Harborne                                  19     4     0    15   290   606     8
    Telford                                     19     1     0    18   112   531     2

Dates:

Saturday 29th March

1st XV are home to Selly Oak in the league
2nds play Kings Norton away
3rds play Birmingham Exiles away

Saturday 5th April

1st XV are away to Kings Norton in a friendly
2nds are home to Kings Norton
3rds are away to Kings Norton

Other Events

Friday 4th April - Mini and Juniors Curry & Quiz night.
Saturday 26th April - Old Yards Vets play in the Edwardians Vets Tournament - Last year we reached the final, can we go one step further?
Friday 2nd May - Club Annual General Meeting - attend and have your say. We are looking for more Committee members and a 3rd XV Captain.
Saturday 3rd May - Presidents Day.
Friday 9th May - Annual Dinner at the club - tickets £30 so please pay Gail even if you just give £5 a week.
Friday 4th July - Summer Ball at St John's Hotel, Solihull to celebrate 80 years of Old Yardleians. More details to follow.

Clubhouse Update

Tony Fitz continues to come up trumps. The free carpet tiles he got for the bar have now been fitted and coconut matting in the porch. Thank you yet again Tony.

After Presidents Day we want to get to work on completing the bar improvements and the new changing rooms. Both most be finished ahead of next season. Club members help is required so please be ready to do your bit when asked.

100 Club Draw

Steve Painter is about to do another 100 club draw. The winners will be announced shortly. If you would like to join the 100 club please see Steve Painter.

Sunday Mornings

What do you do on a Sunday Morning? Shannon is looking for help with the Mini and Juniors. Coaches and administrative help is required. Please see Shannon and give him your support. The Minis and Juniors are the future of our club!

Always complaining about the Ref?

We are looking to run a referees course at the club. We often need refs for the 3rd team game and the Minis and Juniors. If you are interested please let Mark Baldwin know.

Want to hire the club?

Members can have free hire of the club for their own parties. If you know anyone else who might want to book the club it costs £100. Please contact Mark Baldwin for availability.

Finally, if you have any Old Yards news you want to put in our update please send it to me. This update is emailed out to club members most weeks. If you do not receive it please give me your email address.

Regards

Mark

Hon. Secretary, mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of Feb 18th 2008

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Midlands 4 West (North) : Burntwood 31, Old Yardleians 11; Newcastle (Staffs) 23, Harborne 14; Old Halesonians 17, Bournville 3; Selly Oak 29, Bishops Castle & O.V. 10; Telford P, Veseyans P; Willenhall 21, Tamworth 8.

Midlands 4 West (North)

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Diff	Pts	Adjust
Old Halesonians	17	17	0	0	663	87	576	34	0
Bournville	16	14	0	2	553	153	400	28	0
Willenhall	17	14	0	3	535	210	325	28	0
Tamworth	17	10	0	7	312	296	16	20	0
Burntwood	17	9	1	7	229	305	-76	19	0
Old Yardleians	17	7	0	10	295	336	-41	14	0
Selly Oak	16	8	0	8	250	384	-134	14	-2
Newcastle (Staffs)	17	6	1	10	283	331	-48	13	0
Veseyans	16	6	0	10	216	330	-114	12	0
Bishops Castle & O.V.	17	4	0	13	125	455	-330	8	0
Harborne	17	3	0	14	266	498	-232	6	0
Telford	16	1	0	15	94	436	-342	2	0

Last Updated: Feb 16 2008 4:39PM

The 2nd XV lost 33-5 at home to Coventrians 1st XV. A solid forward display lead by John Lonie eventually gave Old Yards their only score. Following continuous drives to the line by the aging pack, Junior Williams on at Scrum Half dived over from five yards out. Coventrians talented backs were just too good on the outside and their wingers scored their tries. They had tried going down the middle but some big hits by Tony Fitz made them think again.

The 3rd XV lost by quite a few points at home to Birmingham Barbarians 1st XV

Dates:

Tuesday 19th February

Training at the club. All players please attend

23rd February CUP MATCH

1st XV are at home to Stourbridge Lions in the North Midlands Shield, if they win it could be Camp Hill in the next round!
2nds play Old Edwardians away
3rds play Old Edwardians home

23rd February SIX NATIONS on the BIG SCREEN at OLD YARDS

15:00 Wales vs. Italy
17:00 Ireland vs. Scotland
20.00 France vs.England

Tuesday 26th February

Training at the club. All players please attend

1st March

1st XV are at home to Willenhall in the league
2nds & 3rds fixtures to be arranged

Clubhouse Update?

Tony Fitz has come up trumps with free carpet tiles for the bar. He is waiting for a generous contractor to have a free day and they will put them down professionally for us. Thank you yet again Tony.

Want to hire the club?

Members can have free hire of the club for their own parties. If you know anyone else who might want to book the club it costs £100. Please contact Mark Baldwin for availability.

100 Club Winners

Cheques are on their way out to the lucky winners of the Old Yardleians 100 Club and Extra 100 Club. If you want to join one of these clubs please see Steve Painter. Latest winners are:T Fieldhouse, D Coaker, Dean Smith (twice), D Dixon, D Watts, Bill Collins, J Lonie, R Tynan, S Cunningham, N Allen, A Simpson (twice), DP Smythe, C Burton, R Tranter, A Hayward, S Pigdon, M Bloxham and T Fitzgerald.

Regards

Mark

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of Feb 6th 2008

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

GAMES

A quiet playing weekend with the 1st XV game called off and the 2nd XV going down at Birmingham Exiles 0 - 7. There was no 3rd XV game. At least there was the Six Nations games to watch.

There were some rearranged league fixtures for other teams in our league:

Midlands 4 West (North) : Harborne 19, Willenhall 74; Newcastle (Staffs) 7, Burntwood 7. Yes the Willenhall score is correct I've checked the RFU website.

Dates: Saturday 9th February

1st XV vs. Old Halesonians at home in the league
2nd XV vs. Old Halesonians away
3rd XV vs. Old Halesonians at home

RBS SIX NATIONS on the BIG SCREEN at the club:

14:00 Wales vs. Scotland
16:00 France vs. Ireland

Sunday 10th February

RBS SIX NATIONS on the BIG SCREEN at the club:

14:30 Italy vs. England

Tuesday 12th February

Training at the club. All players please attend.

Saturday 16th February

1st XV vs. Burntwood away in the League
2nd XV vs. Coventrians home
3rd XV vs. Birmingham Barbarians home

23rd February CUP MATCH

1st XV are at home to Stourbridge Lions in the North Midlands Shield

Future Dates

Players Dinner - Friday 25th April
Old Edwardians Vets Tournament - Saturday 26th April - lets go one better and win it this year!
Club AGM - Friday 2nd May
Presidents Day - KNOCKER'S RETIREMENT GAME! - Saturday 3rd May
80 Years Anniversary Ball - Friday 4th July

Need a new loan or mortgage?

Fred Batti is offering club members mortgages and loans at competitive rates from The Abbey. Everyone taken out means The Abbey will make a donation to the club. Call Fred on 07974 687388

Buy a Brick Campaign

As the bar extension is being completed we are looking at finishing the Porch. This will include putting up all the named bricks that have been sold on the left hand wall as you walk in. If you bought a brick it will be going up soon. If you have not, why not? For £50 you can have a brick with your or your family's name on. Please email Gail if you are interested in buying a brick.

Post Protectors - Three sets of new post protectors have been ordered and are due in two weeks. This will enable us to have three teams at home some weeks!

ANNUAL SUBS
67 players have now paid in full and a further 7 have part paid - Thank You. Let?s get any other outstanding subs paid in so I can leave my receipt book at home! NO PAY NO PLAY will continue.

Regards

Mark Baldwin

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

News roundup as of 6th January 2008

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What?s happening at Old Yards?

Games
A disappointing playing start to the new year but we did get three teams out:
The 1st XV lost 16-6 at home to Veseyans
The 2nd XV lost away to Veseyans with you young inexperienced team putting up a good fight. Concern from the game was centre Adam "Strettle" Taylor being taken to hospital after a hard tackle. The good news is he was released from hospital the same night to go home. He is in good spirits and should be back playing in two weeks.
The 3rd XV lost to Aston's 3rds in a high scoring game. Man of the match Bobo scored a hatrick as well as playing most of the game at either centre or fullback!

Also on Saturday we had a VPs lunch that was well supported by our past players. It was good to see so many old faces enjoying themselves in the new extended bar.

Dates:

Tuesday 8th January
Training 7pm at the club. All players please attend
Club Extension Meeting - 7pm at the club

Saturday 12th January
1st XV vs. Silhillians at home in a friendly
2nd XV vs. Silhillians away
3rd XV vs. Silhillians at home

Saturday 19th January
1st XV vs. Tamworth away in the League
2nd XV vs. Tamworth home
3rd XV vs. Tamworth away

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OLD YARDLEIANS EVERYWHERE
What a great New Year it was at the club with a fantastic New Year's Eve Party. Organised by Pat & Shannon with help from others it was a big success. If you were not there you missed a great bash. We need to make this an annual event again at the club.

SPONSORS
Have you asked the company you work for to sponsor Old Yardleians? Currently we need:
£5,000 to purchase shutters to protect the bar extension
£1,000 to purchase new flags and post protectors as well as repair the goal posts on the 2nd XV pitch
In return they get free local advertising and use of the club facilities for works parties, sports days, rugby/football matches and other social events

International Tickets
Those of you who applied for Six Nations tickets for the England home games will be pleased to know they have arrived. I will sort them out this week and contact you to make arrangements to get them to you. The away tickets should arrive soon. Remember you must not sell on these tickets. they are for your own personal use. If they end up on the black market the club will be in trouble with the RFU.

Holidays
Brian Hope returns from holiday this Friday

ANNUAL SUBS
62 players have now paid in full and a further 12 have part paid - Thank You. Let?s get any other outstanding subs paid in so I can leave my receipt book at home! NO PAY NO PLAY will continue.

Finally, if you have any Old Yards news you want to put in our update please send it to me. This update is emailed out to club members most weeks. If you do not receive it please give me your email address.

Regards
Mark Baldwin
Hon. Secretary
mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

A few tickets still available for New Years Eve Party

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Pat and Kim are celebrating their birthdays with a party on New Year's Eve at the clubhouse. There will be a live band and food laid on. Due to capacity issues, admission is by ticket only with many tickets having been already distributed to their families and friends. However, there are a number of tickets still available which may be purchased by club members at the bargain price (for New Year's Eve) of £5 pounds each, proceeds will go to the club-house renovation.

Please contact Shannon Killarney on 0121 7337116 or 07866 260262 if you wish to purchase some tickets.

Merry Christmas

News roundup as of 12th December 2007

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:22:45 GMT

Results

1st XV had a free weekend as they were rested

An ?A? Team played Kings Norton 2nds at home on a very soggy pitch. A good forward battle took place with two evenly matched packs. It did not stop the Old Yards front row from taking one against the head in the second half to win the fat boys competition 1-0. A strong defence won the game for Old Yards as every time Kings Norton got the ball they struggled to make ground. It was different for our ?A? team with strong running from Ben Honey and Dave Langley punching holes. Our quality backs then took advantage of the space made to run in five tries. Amongst the scorers were Dean Brain and Andy Pearce. Ian Walker kicked two conversions.

A 3rd XV went to Kings Norton and was narrowly beaten 12 -7. Our points came from Tony ?The Voice? Fitzgerald that was converted by Gary ?Smoking? Williams.

Current league position of the 1st XV

Mids 4 West (North)    P    W    D    L    PF   PA    Pts
Old Halesonians       11   11    0    0   447    55    22
Bournville            11   10    0    1   354   104    20
Tamworth              11    9    0    2   233   160    18
Willenhall            11    8    0    3   260   141    16
Old Yardleians        11    5    0    6   189   220    10
Burntwood             11    5    0    6   154   244    10
Veseyans              11    4    0    7   162   244     8
Selly Oak             11    5    0    6   158   256    8*
Newcastle (Staffs)    11    3    0    8   155   192     6
Bishops Castle & O.V. 11    3    0    8    90   237     6
Harborne              11    2    0    9   191   307     4
Telford               11    1    0   10    76   309     2

Dates

Saturday 15th December - The Christmas Night Out has arrived

1st XV and 2nd XV are away to Bishops Castle. We are putting a coach on and having a club night out. All 30 players are expected to be on it and there will be room for supporters. Are you up for it? Bus leaves the club at 10.30 am.

3rd XV will be having a fixture for anyone too scared to get on the bus to Bishops Castle. Richard Withey will contact you.

Tuesday 18th December

The Annual Financial General Meeting will be held in the clubhouse at 8pm. I promise not to change the date again. Come and hear the fiscal words of Mike ?The Money? Hughes.

Wednesday 19th December

Monthly Committee Meeting held at the clubhouse starting at 7pm.

Saturday 22nd December

Vets XV at home to Ashby - put down those Zimmer frames and lace up your boots for a game

Other games against Old Salts - details to be arranged

Wednesday 26th December - Boxing Day - Nobody has suggested anything yet

We want to put a fixture on at the club - who wants to play?

What about:

Over 35s vs. Under 35s
Old Yardleian Pupils vs. Non Old Yardleian Pupils
Birmingham Addresses vs. Solihull Addresses
Blues Fans vs. Villa Fans
England vs. The World

Saturday 5th Jan

VPs lunch - 1st XV at home to Veseyans in the league

North Mids Shield

We got a bye into the second round where we have been drawn at home to the winners of Bishops Castle and Stourbridge Lions. The game will be played around February time.

ANNUAL SUBS

57 players have now paid in full and a further 12 have part paid - Thank You. Let?s get any other outstanding subs paid in so I can leave my receipt book at home! NO PAY NO PLAY will continue.

Merchandise

Smaller size club dress shirts now in stock. 14.5 inch neck to 19 inch. We all need to wear them for away games.

Regards

Mark

Hon. Secretary

mark.xc@blueyonder.co.uk

Kiddies Christmas Party

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

See Santa at Old Ys!

Be at the clubhouse from 3:30pm on Sunday 16th December

Games and Children's Entertainer from 4:00pm until 6:00pm

Party Food available

Santa arriving about 6:30 and handing out presents, provided Mom or Dad have remembered to tell him what to bring!!

News roundup as of Nov 29th 2007

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

What?s happening at Old Yards?

GAMES

The 1st XV won in the league again, 27-12 away at Harborne. This moved them up to fifth in the table. Sorry no match report as I?m struggling to find a first teamer who can write to do one. Any volunteers?
The 2nd XV won again 15 - 7 against Shottery. Goal kicking again let them down but tries from Ben Honey, Mark Banyard and Martin Cartwright saw them home. Top performances from Sniper Lee Cupples in the line out, Mark Banyard all over the park and Alan Arkell whose came on in second half to add his considerable weight.
The 3rd XV game was called off the night before by Harborne.

Saturday 1st December
1st XV home to Newcastle in the league
2nd XV away to Dixonians 2nds
3rd XV home to Spartans 3rds

Tuesday 4th December
The Annual Financial General Meeting will be held in the clubhouse at 8pm. Come and hear the fiscal words of Mike ?The Money? Hughes.

Saturday 8th December
1st XV home to Kings Norton in a friendly unless we are playing in the North Mids Shield
2nd XV away to Kings Norton
3rd XV home to Kings Norton

Saturday 15th December - Diary Note
1st XV and 2nd XV are away to Bishops Castle. We are putting a coach on and having a club night out. All 30 players are expected to be on it and there will be room for supporters. Are you up for it? THIS IS THE CLUB CHRISTMAS NIGHT OUT!

3rd XV home to Sutton Coldfield 3rds

Sunday 16th December
Kid Christmas Party at the club - Hair of the Dog for those on the bus the night before

Saturday 22nd December
Old Yardleians Vets have a home game against Ashby Vets - real entertainment

ANNUAL SUBS - All players must pay at least 50% of their annual subs must now be paid or they will not be considered for selection. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! - Thank you to the 52 who are fully paid playing members and the 32 VPs who have made club donations this season.

OTHER NEWS

Bar Extension
The bar looks fantastic. If you have not been up the club then come this Saturday. You must see what a great job a few hard working Old Yardleians have done. We all owe them massive thanks.

Merchandise
No excuse for not wearing club socks. Available from behind the bar. Get your club dress shirt for the Bishops Castle trip.

Finally, if you have any Old Yards news you want to put in our update please send it to me

Regards
Mark
Hon. Secretary

News roundup as of Nov 22nd 2007

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

GAMES

The 1st XV cup run came to an end on Saturday when they went down bravely 15-3 to Old Laurentians from Midlands 3 West South in the Senior Vase. Great effort lads. We now have the North Midlands Shield to compete for later in the season
The 2nd XV won again against strong opposition. With no first team game Edwardians sent over a mixed 1st/2nd XV. The powerful Old Yards pack again dominated leading to tries from the legend Bobo and last week?s hatrick hero Dave Langley. The backs chipped in too, with Guy Smith and Ben Honey scoring. The front row set their own standards by winning every scrum in the game no matter who put the ball in. Well done to the fat boys.
The 3rd XV lost away to Edwardians 49-24 when they were ambushed by a mixed 2nd/3rd XV.

Saturday 24th November
1st XV away to Harborne in the league
2nd XV home to Shottery
3rd XV home to Harborne 3rds

Saturday 1st December
1st XV home to Newcastle in the league
2nd XV away to Newcastle
3rd XV home to Spartans 3rds

Saturday 15th December - Diary Note
1st XV and 2nd XV are away to Bishops Castle. We are looking at putting a coach on and having a club night out. Are you up for it?

Sunday 16th December
Kid's Christmas Party at the club - Thank You Gail & Debbie for organising this

Saturday 22nd December
Old Yardleians Vets have a home game against Ashby Vets - real entertainment

ANNUAL SUBS - All players must pay at least 50% of their annual subs by Tuesday 27th November or they will not be considered for selection for Saturday 1st December. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Bar Extension

The club walls have been painted in the bar
The bar heating and air conditioning has been installed - Simon Davies, any chance you could forget to invoice the club or give us more discount?
The new electrics and lighting is being powered up
By Saturday the new ceiling will be up - another Tony Fitz special

When you come up to the club on Saturday you will see how great it looks. A BIG THANKS TO Shannon, Pat, Andy K, Mike ?the money? Hughes, Steve Price, Ben Honey, Brian Collingwood and the Fitzmiester all who have put many hours in doing this work. (If I?ve missed anyone - sorry)

International Tickets
The Old Yardleians ticket allocation for the England away games in the RBS Six Nations 2008 has been received. We only get four tickets per away game. The applications received are many so the only fair way to allocate the tickets is to have a draw. This draw will take place at the club on Saturday 24th November at 12.30.

Merchandise
Now available for purchase at the club are: Club Socks, Club Polo Shirts and Club Dress Shirts (sizes 16? up in stock, smaller sizes for the backs are on order). Also Adult Club Ties are available from Shannon.

Missing in Action
I?ve not seen the following players down the club in recent weeks:
Troy Batters, Andy Brown, Ian Neville, John Lee and Sean Tootill
Come back down to Old Yardleians for a warm welcome, hard rugby and a few beers

Finally, if you have any Old Yards news you want to put in our update please send it to me

Regards
Mark (Baldwin)
Hon. Secretary

News roundup as of Nov 12th 2007

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Results

The 1st XV won again after beating Veseyans away, this time 12-0 at home to Bishops Castle. They continue to move up the league and are now mid table. David ?Chicken? Hanson and Ian Walker scored tries with Dave Howlett converting one of them.

The 2nd XV had a big win again at home to Bishops Castle. The 47-12 score included a hat-trick from number eight Dave Langley as he used his weight to blast over the line. Other tries were scored by Guy Smith and Jim Walker. Dave will be buying his jug this Saturday!

The 3rd XV lost away to Birmingham Exiles 2nds 29-19. Having beaten the Exiles at home last week our 3rds struggled in the away game especially without some of the bulkier players who set the platform for the previous week?s win. Still it was great to get a 3rd XV out again. Thank you to Match Sec Richard Withey for all his hard work in getting players out on a Saturday.

Saturday 17th November
1st XV away to Old Laurentians from Midlands 3 West South in the Senior Vase as our cup run continues. Come along and support the lads.
2nd XV home to Old Edwardians 2nd XV
3rd XV away to Old Edwardians 3rd XV

Saturday 24th November
1st XV away to Harborne in the league
2nd XV home to Shottery
3rd XV home to Harborne 3rds

Saturday 15th December - Diary Note
1st XV and 2nd XV are away to Bishops Castle. We are looking at putting a coach on and having a club night out. Are you up for it?

OTHER NEWS

Bar Extension

The porch and the inside of the club have now been plastered
Once it has dried out the walls will be painted
The suspended ceiling should go in over the next two weeks
It?s your club - come and help

International Tickets
Applications for tickets for the RBS Six Nations 2008 have been received and processed. Our ticket allocation was over subscribed by nearly two to one. Everyone has been allocated some tickets but not all they applied for. Details were emailed to the applicants yesterday.

Club Tour
If you are going on tour make sure you are up to date with your payments to Bobo and Marcus. If not you could lose all that you have paid so far.

Sponsorship
Thank you to Emma Lewins/Martin who arranged for NPower to give the club £500 sponsorship to our Mini & Juniors. Will the company you work for sponsor us. See Gail for our sponsorship packages.

Kids Christmas Party
Another date for your diary - Sunday 16th December

50 players have paid their Annual Subs in full and another 10 have part paid. Players - if you have not paid yours yet hang your head in shame. Why should your mates pay for your rugby?

Finally, if you have any Old Yards news you want to put in our update please send it to me

Regards
Mark Baldwin
Hon. Secretary