Old Yardleians - Latest News

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

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

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