MACCLESFIELD 1^st XV PROGRESS

REPORT- DEC 2005- FEB 2006

As we reach the two thirds point of the season, the Blues find themselves in the relegation battle to stay in the league. Of the eighteen games so far played this season, Macclesfield have won six, drawn one and lost eleven. The team have much to do to be secure in the run to the end of the year.

Throughout this period from the beginning of December, Macc have played ten, winning four and losing six. They have amassed 202pts for and had 216 against, and have scored 23 tries, with 26 against, but have only collected twenty points out of a possible fifty points in the league.

December games proved quite productive for the team, travelling initially to bottom of the league Kendal, where they won comfortably by 40pts to three, but, not before three easy penalties had been missed early in the game. Six tries were scored, but there was a sticky period after the break when the home side rallied and upset the Blues’ rhythm, but Macc’s superior fitness told and three tries were run in, in the final ten minutes.

A much sterner test was faced the following week, when New Brighton visited Priory Park . In a far from attractive match, the Blues were unsettled and lacked cohesion, but in spite of looking the dominant side and trundling over two tries in the first half, concentration lapsed and New Brighton were allowed to get back into the game. The match continued in the same vein in the second half with Macc easing away, then giving the visitors the opportunity to strike back. Frustratingly, the Blues failed to gain the bonus point.

The third fixture in December saw Macc travel to league leaders Nuneaton . The Blues were a try down in a flash, but somehow collected themselves and hit back with two tries of their own from Joe Knowles and Joe Walker. But the lead was short lived when the Nuns ran in three more tries themselves when Macc failed to retain possession and get the try bonus point before half time.

Again, in the second half, Nuneaton proved to be far too streetwise for Macc and ran in three more tries by sixty minutes. However, Macc did not capitulate and forced their way back into the game to score three more tries themselves and became the only team to score five tries against the home team this season. Sadly their comeback was not good enough to win but they did achieve a try bonus point.

Early January brought Darlington to Priory Park , with Macc hoping to avenge the fifty point drubbing they received at Darlington early in the season, and in a hard fought game, the Blues eventually came out on top with a last minute penalty conversion from Ross Winney.

The week after, Macc travelled to Preston to face the high scoring Hoppers, but although the Blues dominated up front for the first twenty minutes or so, they failed to take advantage then allowed Hoppers to score two tries prior to half time. Then in the second, Preston moved further ahead leaving Macc too much to do to catch them even though they closed the gap with a try from Joe Knowles.

Another difficult fixture followed at Priory Park with the visit of a strong Tynedale side. A gritty performance from the pack always kept the Blues in the hunt against a team who handled exceptionally well, and a late try from prop Craig Williams got them  to within a point, but Ross Winney was unfortunate to miss the conversion and the four points.

For the final game in January the Blues crossed the Pennines to visit second placed Bradford and Bingley and although the whole side gave their best, B&B took their chances using their superior pace to outstrip the Blues to run in three tries to one.

February has been Macclesfield’s North east month, playing Blaydon twice and Darlington Mowden Park once. The Blues’ first game against Blaydon at Priory Park could have been won after Macc had fought back against a huge pack, but were disappointed not to take a scoring opportunity late in the game.

However when Macc travelled to Blaydon, having missed the game against Cleckheaton through frost, two weeks later, Blaydon achieved a 33-11pts victory, which more than flattered the north east outfit. For a full hour the Blues were well in the game, but in the end Blaydon overpowered them.

Finally, with Macc languishing in the relegation zone, Darlington MP came to Priory Park . Fortunately Macc won the encounter, but their performance reflected a number of game played already this season, where they produced good rugby to gain an advantage, then allowed the other team to claw their way back into the game. The Blues were cruising after twenty five minutes having scored seventeen points without reply and also missed three kickable penalties to boot, then they lost concentration and MP were back in the game. However a waltzing run from Ross Winney settled matters with a score by the posts.

Macc have now eight games to secure their status, and must target at least five more wins to do so. Director of Rugby , Steve Rule is confident that the side has the ability and commitment to be able to achieve this aim.

Date: 4th April   2006 

SECOND TEAM REPORT

Euthanasia - The New Blood of Macclesfield

In what has been a transitional year for the 1st team squad the Lions have had mixed fortunes. This year has brought a New Captain and Vice Captain in Tim Kerr and Jerry Bostock and Coach in Dan Baxter. Throw in about seven players under the age of 21 and a few double that age and the mix is encouraging.

Things started with a bang and a great emphatic away win at Local rivals Manchester . A good win in the cup was damped by a close defeat at the hands of Preston who this year have set the standard only losing one game.

With a record to date of  P17 W10 D0 L7 F476 A255 +221 Pts47.

It could be construed as unsuccessful however apart from a bad day at the office v Fylde and Vale of Lune, this team has stood up and been desperately unlucky to lose games against Waterloo , Preston and Manchester by single figures and in the case of Preston and Waterloo both games were settled with the last play of the game.

However the real success story is Youth, the number of young players playing at Macclesfield is at an all time high and this year the Lions have fielded 4 colts, and a further 11 players under the age of 23 and 8 of those just out of there teens.

With a place in the Cup Semi Finals and the prospect of an all expenses weekend in Blackpool for reaching the final!!!! There is lots to play for.

So results only tell one story and not the whole truth and that truth is what a future this rugby club has with a further 7 established regular 1st teamer still with the young'en tag theres a bright cheeky future ahead.  - Dan Baxter

THIRD TEAM REPORT

 – The Season So far

Played 17  - Won 9, Drawn 1 and lost 7.

Moving up into a higher league where we were against mostly 2^nd teams was never going to be easy. All the teams we play against will train regularly, want to play for their 1^st XV and really expect to score a lot of points against a 3^rd XV. Add this to the fact all players having one eye on selection on the tour to Spain this season was going to be a tough fight.

The first week’s selection was overshadowed by the sad news that Andrew Herbert Leigh was hanging his boots up at the end of this season after 23 years at Macc, once we had wiped away the tears we set out our goals for the coming season – “To try and score more than the opposition in every game”. Martin Rosser was voted as captain for the coming season (in his absence). There were a few new faces in the squad Nathan Thomas (some of us played with his father !!) and Tom Winskill (from the colts) and some old faces returning Rick Joyce & Dan Butler (came and went very quickly).

The season started well with a superb win away at Preston (not sure how we won that with only 25% of the ball) which included Mark Marshalls first ever yellow card for pretending to hit someone !!, followed by a hard earned draw against Stockport . These 2 teams are 1^st and 2^nd in the league at the moment so we proved to ourselves that we can do more than just survive in this new league. Unfortunately then we hit a low point the following week without being able to raise a team for the Cup. This upset out momentum and there followed by 3 straight losses. These losses were compounded by injuries to Tim Sturgeon, Nick Smith, Rob Oliver & Mark Marshall. We were still without last seasons top try scorer Ollie Wilcox who was struggling with a back problem.

Once these injuries started to clear up and the backbone of the team starting to play every week the team started to play better rugby. The revival was lead evergreen Andy Leigh, Martin Rosser, Paul Underhill and the re-vitalised Chris Hehirs. This started to pay off with 4 straight wins (although Tyldesley forgot to turn up!!), the most memorable win was at Wilmslow away against a strong 2^nd team. There were some excellent displays from James Parsons & James Wilson who were happy just to be on the field and did not mind where they played. Dave Cowen also deserves a mention as when he plays he gives 100% every time.

The problem of getting 15 players fit to play was the biggest challenge facing Martin Rosser (well his dad) coming into December this coupled with the departure of Dan “round em up” Baxter to bigger and better things called for desperate measures !! Click Clarke, Rick Joyce, John Plant, Matt Harding, Simon Grant, Simon Croker and even Fred Taylor were all called into the side all with varying degrees of success. They say that the league is won or lost over the Christmas period and we did our best to lose it !!

We have had a good start in 2006 with a loss to Wilmslow 2^nd XV followed by 4 straight wins, this has been done averaging over 35 points per game. The highlight was putting 71 points on Vale of Lune (Who have beaten us twice in the last 2 seasons). We are mid table and require 4 more wins to guarantee our place in this league next year. We need to keep clear of injuries, make sure people keep turning up and remember that we are here to play for Macclesfield Rugby Club.

The 3^rd team is there to help the club bring on new talent and support the higher teams where we can, let’s not forget that sometimes the higher teams have to support the 3^rd team every now and then.

We have worked out this season that we play against some very organised, fit sides who can be beaten by breaking them down, doing the basics well and that individual brilliance helps to win games but it is only by playing as a team that will allow us to win. A good rugby lesson for anyone. However if anyone who possesses individual brilliance wants to play for us you are more then welcome. Through our twinning scheme with Sale Sharks (Nathan The Yank Bombrys) we have already lined up Andy Titterall & Chris Jones to bench for us as they are at a lose end during the 6 nations. Thanks must go to Nathan for all his help and generosity.

Third Team  Tour

We are in the verge of departing for a hard tour of southern Spain in April, selection has been a tough call but the management committee have made their final choices. There were one or two surprises with the inclusion of Click Clarke and Phil Adshead although we pick on form and not reputation. We will be playing 2 tests against some fine opposition (we will know who they are when Cuss tells us). We will be away for 5 days top allow for acclimatisation, warm weather training and Dave Cowens 40^th (Yes he is really only 39 !!). There will be more information when we get it…….Rob Oliver

FOURTH TEAM REPORT

 – No matter the opposition we’ll lose to them

Played 21 - Won 6 -  Drawn -  2 Lost -  13 

With high hopes for the season the once mighty fourth team army moved into their new league after relegation from Division 3 to Division 4 south. After being in the relegation zone twice in two years it was hoped that the level of competition would be an easier prospect. Alas dreams of conceding games to avoidpromotion were soon dashed by the 4^th’s ability to lose against all odds.

Nearly every game this year has been close, unfortunately most have made us close to tears. With threats of retirement and people threatening to join different clubs or try and make heady steps to join the thirds it was up to Mr. Spray to have a morale boosting word with the disheartened, mostly by  telling us what complete children we were being.

Things are not all gloomy within the fourths, despite our complete lack of defence in the first ten minutes our lacking of training, the awful shirts, no warming up / stamping of our feet  and shouting we seem to have turned a bit of a corner. New recruits and the return of some injured players have seen a rejuvenation in the fourth teams results. Currently we are on a two game winning streak an event that has not happened in current memory.

Relegation still beckons however, there is certainly hope for the future, the less experienced members are improving by the game, the old guard have new vigour for the game and the addition of a few quality players has certainly given us some hope for the new season.

Commercial Report – Bill Roberts

It is pleasing to be able to announce that with still 4 months to go before the end of the financial year the commercial target has been achieved and should be exceeded.

Since my last update we have had further additions to our long list of sponsors/advertisers and now include Pilkington Glass, Adnic Printing & Embroidery and Wootons Ltd. This takes the total number to nearly 100 different individuals and Companies who support the club.

As always we are indebted to all these contributors as without them we would not be able to support all our playing sections to the extent we do.

Whilst the commercial side has performed well this season, the downside of bringing funds into the Club is still the Social and Fundraising area which continues to greatly under perform. The main area of income here relies heavily on the Golf Day, Sportsman’s Dinner and Albert Simpson ’s raffle in conjunction with the RFU. It is crucial for the Club that we build on these fund raisers if we are to keep the costs down in other areas. In a Club with a considerable amount of members it is disappointing that few ideas and more importantly, people come forward to help raise funds. If you can help please contact any member of the management board.

With regard to the Golf Day and Sportsman’s Dinner please keep an eye on the Club website for the information on dates and prices.

Special Projects

Since the start of the season we have identified 3 projects which we believe require attention.

Firstly, as many of you will know, we have transformed the bath area into 12 new “push button” showers together with its own hot water supply. Alongside this we have updated the eight existing showers into “push button” in an effort to conserve hot water and provide all players with decent washing facilities. Our thanks got to Rick Jones who installed all these showers at a very competitive price.

Secondly, the Management Board have agreed to install a CCTV System which will cover all entrances to the Clubhouse, surveillance of the car park and the internal entrances to the changing rooms. After the theft of a member’s car on a training night and thefts from the changing rooms from time to time it was felt that this serious problem required attention. This system will also offer the parents of the mini/jnr section the added assurance that their children can be monitored to a certain extent around the outside areas of the clubhouse and car park during the extremely busy Sunday mornings. The installation of this will commence on the 13^th March and will take approx a week to complete.

Finally once the CCTV is completed, an automatic barrier system will be installed at the entrance to the ground. The latest technology is to be used and will close off the opportunity for anyone to enter the grounds after certain times. The grounds Committee have been constantly battling against “joy riders” entering the car park and not only damaging the car park surface but the pitches as well. Add to that the possibility of “travellers” just driving in and occupying our grounds and the difficulties that arise in attempting to evict them, then it makes sense to ensure that we closedown the entrance to the ground whenever the club is shut.

These three projects have totalled a significant amount of money and have been financed in the following way.

 A grant from the “National Club’s Association”, (the body which runs the 1^st Team National League), a small grant from the Macclesfield Borough Council, funds from the current Club finances and a substantial donation from a current Club member. This member has been a long standing supporter of the club together with all his family. This personal donation was on top of a large sponsorship which was completed before his retirement and on behalf of the club the Management would like to again thank him for his invaluable support. The individual would like to remain anonymous.

Volunteers Buffet Evening

This evening was held to thank all the clubs volunteers for all the work they put in over the season. The evening was a success and we were pleased to see all involved enjoying themselves. The Club appreciate everything that the volunteers do as without them the club would not be able to provide the quality of coaching, administration, ground care, medical and general week to week duties that they provide.

Ladies Night - Bev Roberts

Macclesfield Rugby Union Football Club held their second Ladies Night of the season on Wednesday 1^st March. The evening was centred around some of the local businesses who were exhibiting and selling their products. The club sold over 100 tickets for the evening and held a raffle which raised over £100. Together with the bar take and the entrance fee, over £500 was raised towards improving the priory suite furnishings. Most of the Ladies were given a comment card to fill in and they all said that there was a lovely atmosphere and they would definitely support the club again. This function and the comments from the guests do prove that the club could have a very active ladies section helping to raise funds towards specific projects. Anybody wishing to help in the organising of any further ladies functions please do not hesitate to contact myself or Sharon Birkenshaw the steward at the club. I would like to thank all the ladies who bought a ticket to show their support. I would also like to thank the following exhibitors:-

Virgin Vie Make-up                                 Sue Bowes

Birdcage Ladies Clothing                        Christian Grant

Code Children’s Clothing                         Debra

Partylite                                                Jo Hodgson

Rainbow Star (Spiritual Healing)              Christine Woolford

Anne Summers                                      Jennie Hanson

LG Cards                                              Lisa Grant

Cheshire Chocolates                              David Torkington

MDS Photography                                  Mike Smith

Serendipity                                            Beverley Jones

Hopefully we will be organising more Ladies Nights in the near future and you will be able to find out the information on the clubs notice boards, website, newsletter and electronic notice board. If any ladies would like to be added to our database to receive an e-mail with regards to future nights please e-mail me at  bev@maccrugby.co.uk or call the club on 01625 827899.

First team Mascots

Macclesfield Rugby has introduced this season a first team mascot for each of the home games at Priory Park . Below are the mascots over the last few weeks.

Thomas – Mascot for the game against Leicester

Dominic – Mascot for the game against Darlington

Jamie

Tom

Sardonic Reflections from a Whistler – Terry Robson

Why would anyone want to relinquish his Saturday afternoon and turn out in cold, wet windy conditions and be abused by 30 thugs who would want to debate the Laws of Rugby, a tome most of them have not even seen, never mind read and interpreted?

This is a question I often ponder, especially after I’ve spent 80 minutes arbitrating between two sides that seem much more intent on bitching, moaning, bending the laws sly punching and re-addressing grudges than having an afternoon of constructive rugby.

I would refer you to ’My life in the Sin Bin’ by the notorious Danny Grewcock (also known as the finger biter in most of New Zealand ) his paragraph on referees;-

“ Rugby referees are nothing like the meek, inoffensive types you get in soccer or tennis.  Rugby Referees are a bad tempered touchy bunch who will give a penalty against you for parting your hair on the wrong side (Law 2,736 Para3a; No player shall enter a ruck with hair combed in any other direction than that which the ref deems correct.”

Here I would point out that I personally have never penalised the folically challenged Willy Montgomery for incorrect hair geometry.

Grewcock continues there is no point in arguing with them.  The only time they ever change their mind is when they start giving you a severe talking to, think better of it and send you off.  Half a word of dissent means an immediate penalty and the other half means a penalty 10 yards further on.  Under the circumstances you should never challenge a referee instead restrict yourself to saying is this 10 yards Sir in a tone which suggests you are saying ‘I think that last decision was made by a half wit’.

Luckily he adds most referees are really hot on one about 2 laws, like obvious knock ons and dissent, so details like stamping, assault, smoking at half time and kidnapping the opposition scrum half are usually glossed over

I must add at this stage that sending Grewcock off is never an incorrect decision, even if he’s already in the sin bin and not associated with the action in any way.

Moving on from Sir Dan as he’s referred to in pubs in Bath here is my own glossary of rugby terms as used in what is termed Social Rugby.