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Welcome to the Newsletter – January 2009 |
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NEWSLETTERS ARCHIVE |
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The Clubhouse |
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Dec 08 Newsletter |
All
players who have not paid in full or made a contribution to their club
membership need to do so ASAP
Payments
can be made to team captains or to Dave the Bra.
Players
are not going to be selected until membership has been paid.
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largest paintball company and renowned as the industry leader. With over 100
great paintball sites nationwide, including at Potters Bar and Hertford,
Ministry of Paintball will offer you an action-packed day out. |
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Details to follow |
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Biggleswade 11
Kempston 5 Midlands 5 East
(South) |
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Biggleswade secured two more vital league points
with a gutsy performance against local rivals Kempston. The win takes them
above Aylestone Athletic who they play next week. Jim Caulfield returned at prop and Russell German
& Gareth Drew to the three-quarters. Otherwise the side was much the same
as the squad that went to Stoneygate. On a lovely sunny afternoon Biggleswade started well
and it was no surprise when they took the lead. Number eight Ian “Robbo”
Robinson broke from the base of the scrum and charged to the line. Stopped
just short scrum-half Ross Taylor was at his elbow to take the scoring pass
and flop over the line. Biggleswade though sat back and allowed Kempston to
come at them. After some first tackles were missed Kempston were awarded a try
in the corner. Biggleswade’s touch judge Reece Gregory reported that the
“scorer” had dropped the ball crossing the line but his youthful advice was
over-ruled. For their protests at the decision the referee awarded a penalty
from the restart against Biggleswade. For the second time in a week prop Ian Flack was
penalized for boring behavior but cannot go for the hat-trick as he cannot
play away next week. The Biggy pack again dominated the set pieces with Tom
Hill and Iain Jones bossing the lineout. At half-time Stan Matthews retired at hooker to let
Karl Marshall have a go with Tom Farron replacing Karl in the back-row. Matt
Smith took over from Gareth Drew causing a reshuffle in the backline. From the re-start at the second half, Ian Robinson
charged down the field supported by Jay Sinclair and Ross Taylor. Kempston
offended and Matt Smith put over the three points for the penalty. Biggleswade camped in Kempton’s half for long
periods without success. With time running out Russell German was binned for
dissent which caused Biggleswade to fight even harder. There seemed no way through the middle but
wingers Nic Edenborough and Damian White looked dangerous on the wings. Another Matt Smith penalty gave some comfort
although a converted try would still have been enough for Kempston to win. In a tense and very long last four minutes
Biggleswade continued to press hard. Criticized afterwards for taking a five
metre line when a shot at goal would have taken more time, skipper Iain Jones
said that he was trying to give the crowd some entertainment! The win takes Biggleswade to 6th place in
the league twelve points ahead of bottom-placed Kempston who have had another
two points deducted. Two more wins should ensure safety from relegation. After
Aylestone away Biggleswade have to play Vauxhall in a cup match but numerous
players are unavailable. Then there is a home tie against Oundle and another
trip to Leicester to play Oadby-Wyggestonians who are currently 2nd
in the table. Team: I Flack, S Matthews (T Farron), J Caulfield, I
Jones, T Hill, J Sinclair, I Robinson, K Marshall, R Taylor, T O’Connor, G
Drew (M Smith), R German, D White, N Edenborough, M Rastrick. |
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Saturday 24th
January 2009 Biggleswade 2nds vs Saffron Walden
3rds |
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Three
teams again this week and after the shortage of players last week the 2nds
had the benefit of a sub thanks to the late availability of Andy Burke who
contacted the club to see if there was any chance of a game demonstrating his
wish to play rugby and his commitment to Biggleswade. There are a number of
others who would do well to note this example. A
different side from last week with several enforced changes due to injury and
unavailability took the field in this Greene King League game hopeful of a
repeat performance on the field as last week. However this was not to be the
older and wiser pack of Saffron took the game straight to Biggleswade with a
very early stick it up your jumper try in the corner. The
Saffron forwards kept the ball and recycled amongst themselves half the
length of the pitch for the winger to score. An early wake up call for Biggy.
However this was not to be as a second try followed a short while after
following a clear Saffron knock on which the referee left unpunished. In
between the tries a good platform from the forwards was capitalised on
followed by some excellent running and handling from the backs only to came
to an abrupt end when prop come winger Dave Howells dropped the pass at the
crucial moment only yards short of the Saffron line and with a clear run in.
Biggleswade had not gelled and the play from both sides became scrappy and
disjointed. Ten minutes before the half time whistle saw the best play of the
half from Biggy. Winning their scrum on the edge of the Saffron twenty two
James Buttigieg picked up at No8 went blind, drew the cover, reverse passed
to Grandad joining the backs line for the first time who drawing the
opposition passed to Peter Shea for him to fall over the line. Unfortunately
the conversion was missed. At last Biggy were starting to play. At the half
time whistle Biggy were still in game only 12-5 down. The
second half settled down with both sides playing some better rugby. But Biggy
conceded two quick tries to almost put Saffron in the clear. However with
Biggy starting to develop some confidence several good opportunities were
lost usually for a dropped ball or forward pass. Eventually a good passage of
play led to the forwards setting the ball inside the Saffron twenty two and
when the ball was recycled Graham Gadsby at fly half, returning to the field
after a ten year absence, released centre’s Jimmy Ambrose and Adam Sewell who
crashed over in trademark fashion leaving several Saffron players on the
floor. Again the conversion was missed. Saffron almost by return scored
another two tries and a penalty but still the Biggy heads did not drop with
Butty and Pete Shea driving the forwards Griff, Bod, AJ, Dom, Graham, Bucks
and Callum on. Next came a forwards effort with some excellent recycling of
the ball it found its way to prop come winger Dave the Bra who showed an
excellent turn of pace to leave the Saffron players stunned into silence in
his wake as he scored running in under the posts. This was at last duly
converted but was not the end of the scoring as Saffron scored a further try.
Overall this was a hard fought effort with Steve Jones back at scrum half
providing an excellent link from forwards to backs and Johnny Daisley on the
wing tirelessly chasing long kicks and the opposition all afternoon. Next
week there will again be a number of changes but we remain hopeful we will
have enough players to field three sides. On
a final note all of those players who have not yet made a contribution to
their Membership Subs by next weekend will be deemed unavailable until
payment is made. The club cannot run on no income and your subs are
essential. SO
PLEASE PAY UP! |
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Saturday 17th
January Biggleswade 2nds versus Ely 2nds - GK Cup 1st Round |
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For
the first time in a number of weeks Biggy had enough players available on
paper and selected to field three teams. However this was not to be. Starting
with seventeen players on the team sheet Biggy took the field with only
thirteen in a game that could have seen Biggy embark on a cup run. With a
player short in each of the backs and the forwards Biggy were forced to
request uncontested scrums. Not a good start and something which reduces the
pleasures of the game quite considerably for both sides. However kick off
ensued and throughout the first half Biggy looked the side more likely to
score first. Stopped short of the line by a strange decision from the
referee, some incisive breaks from the pacey backline of Jimmy Hart and
Richard Cooper, some excellent kicking from Alex Cochrane and Adam Sewell
tidying up confidently at full back Biggy grew with confidence particularly
as fifteen man Ely were unable to find the line. Half time saw a scoreline of
nil nil. The Biggy boys having played well as a team especially in defence.
Biggy also conceded no penalties within kicking distance. The
second half saw much of the same with scrum after scrum after scrum after
scrum after scrum after scrum after scrum sorry thought I was still playing.
Unfortunately the referee did not allow the game to develop as he attempted
to impress his assessor. On occasions both teams managed a couple of phases
before another scrum ensued. Five
minutes into the second half some quick ball from the Ely forwards saw their
speedy backs connect and them go over for the first score of the afternoon
which went unconverted. In reply Biggy continued to threaten getting even
closer to the Ely line but almost always being pulled up for an ‘unplayable
ball’ and yet another scrum. Grandads trusty boot let him down for the second
time in the afternoon as Biggy gained a kickable penalty that went just wide.
Some excellent hard running by Dom Knott in the centre almost led to several
breakouts. With imaginary forward passes being blown for and real ones being
ignored both sides allowed the frustration to get the better of them and saw
the game deteriorate and the refereeing decisions become more bizarre. An
unpunished infringement at a quickly taken penalty saw a penalty conceded
from which Ely managed to run in a second unconverted try. The Biggy pack
battled all afternoon against the greater number and all deserve a mention
Bod our stand in Prop, Jimmy, Russ, AJ, Tom, Paul, and Pete. The tactic of
five man lineouts worked well enabling Biggy to retain much of their own ball
and also enabling Tom to upset a few of the Ely throws. All
in all this was an excellent hard fought performance by all of the thirteen
who turned up and stayed and played a game which if we had had a full side we
may well have won. Our apologies got to Ely for having to play uncontested
scrums and also our thanks for a hard fought yet enjoyable game. Final
Score: Biggleswade 0 vs Ely 10 Team:
Bod, Caulfield, Collarbone, Griffiths, Burke, Temple, Shea, Elcock, Cochrane,
Knott, Hart, Cooper, Sewell |
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Stoneygate 22
Biggleswade 15 Midlands 5 East
(South) |
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Despite a grandstand finish in which they went so
close Biggleswade were just unable to get the seven points they need to grab
a draw. For the second week in a row they made the trip to Leicester but this
time in bright sunshine with a blustery wind. The pitch was well covered with
grass but cut up as it was wet under foot. Because of the early departure, Biggleswade were
without their first choice props But Dave “the bar” Howell and a reluctant
Ian Flack filled in, They helped to shunt Stoneygate around the park. Flacky
was even penalized for boring in. No comment needed here! In the opening quarter Biggleswade pressed hard at
the Stoneygate line but came away empty handed. It was the home side that
scored first with an unconverted try. Biggleswade quickly bounced back with a try in
unlikely circumstances. A Matt Smith penalty attempt hit the upright and
bounced back into play. Somehow the ball got back to him and he chipped
across the field. The ever alert Ian “Robbo” Robinson was the player to chase
and get the downward pressure for the try. Matt Smith added the conversion to
give Biggleswade the lead. But they were not in the lead for long as Stoneyagte
hit back with a penalty that was matched by Matt Smith before the break.
Biggleswade had high hopes of adding to their total in the second half but
things quickly went wrong with two Stoneygate tries in swift succession. One came from a mix-up in the backs and the other
from a lost ball at the lineout. With the conversions Biggleswade were twelve
points adrift and seemingly doomed. Biggleswade replaced Ian Flack with the
promising Callum Maxwell half his age. He showed once again that although a
Colt he can more than hold his own at this level. Tom Hill was also sidelined
with a strained shoulder to let Tom Farron on for his first game for some
weeks. Biggleswade won plenty of ball with Iain Jones again
showing a great pair of hands in the lineout. He was ably supported by Tom
Hill at the front before his retirement and the back-row of James Buttigieg,
Ian Robinson and Jay Sinclair were everywhere. After several close calls Damian White scrambled
over the line to give Biggleswade hope. But with the conversion going wide
Biggleswade still needed to score twice to win as the clock ticked down. In a very spirited finish Biggleswade nearly did
with a series of drives and moves that went desperately close. Ross Taylor
almost capped another excellent game with a burrow through at ground level
but even he was thwarted. Biggleswade are at home next week with the visit of
Kempston with whom they drew in the December gloom. Then it is another trip
to Leicester, this time to Aylestone Athletic who play on a park pitch off
the A6 to the south of the City. If Biggleswade can put out their best
combinations good results are possible. Team: I Flack (C Maxwell), S Matthews (K Marshall),
D Howell, I Jones, T Hill, (T Farron), J Sinclair, I Robinson, J Buttigieg, R
Taylor, T O’Connor, N Edenborough, M Rastrick, D White, S Jones, M Smith. |
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Welwyn Colts 17 Biggleswade
Colts 43 |
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In his
first game wearing a Colts shirt, kicking duties fell to Glyn Hughes, who
converted the try. Hughes
was instrumental in the second try when his break put outside centre Ashley
Dunn in for the second try of the day, Hughes converted. Biggy
had made the short trip to Welwyn hoping to secure a bonus point to bring
them closer to the leading pair of Bishop Stortford and Saracens. Welwyn
were disrupted by loosing their fullback to a possible broken collarbone, and
chose to punt long balls down to the Biggleswade fullback Charlie Darlow who
made light work of everything thrown at him. Darlow was having an exceptional
game, as was student Dom Nott and restaurant manager Gavin Taylor. The
game took on a one sided look when East Midlands U20s player Dean Bartlett
used his pace to out gun the Welwyn defence to bring the score to 19 points
to nil. Welwyn
opted to keep the ball with their forwards and resolute defending from
Biggleswade kept then from scoring. A huge clearance kick from Hughes took
play right back into the Welwyn 22 and it was Hughes who scored under the
posts,converting his own try and showing why Northampton Saints value him so
much as an academy player. Welwyn
continued to press, and on the stroke of halftime scored an unconverted try
to bring the score to 5 points to 26. The
Welwyn pitch was playing well, but the chill wind reminded spectators that
rugby is very much a winter game! Biggy
started the second half brightly with a 45 metre break from Taylor, who
shrugged off some attempted tackles to bring up 31 points for the Biggy Boys.
Biggy having chosen to use the three replacements, Harwood, Priston and
Welsford Biggleswade
forwards dominated with Dom Nott, James Hamilton and Michael Haddow supplying
great ball to the backs, especially Bartlett who used his exceptional strength
to crash through three tackles to bring the score to thirty six points
to five. For
Biggleswade Colts, the only criticism was that they allowed Welwyn to
grab two further soft tries before Hughes again put in a huge kick which he
then chased down and scored the final try of the game, which he then
converted. Colts manager Richard Phipps said " The pack were tight and
performed well, James 'Flash' Gordon was his normal nippy self even
managing to tackle the scrum half and fly half in one move". agreeing
that Darlow was the man of the match. A 43
point to 17 win secured the bonus point and aided the points tally
for Biggy before their visit to London Welsh next week for friendly
encounter in which the Exiles will be keen to avenge last seasons historic
win for the Bedfordshire club. Biggleswade
Colts Bartlett,
Darlow, Dunn, Franklin, Gordon, Haddow, Hamilton, Harwood,
Hughes, Joyce, Maxwell, Nott, Phipps (C), Priston, Taylor, Thomas,
Welsford, West |
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Biggleswade
Rugby Club As seen
on TV:
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RBS Six Nations games are being shown on the BIG SCREEN at the club! The times are from the BBC press release and
may alter.
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Biggleswade Rugby
Report |
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“Yes it is definitely on” was the message that the
Biggleswade 1st XV received last Saturday morning from the grounds
man in Stoneygate. So the team duly left for the wilds of the north hoping to
get a league game after two Saturdays without a match. But as they neared the
ground on the highest point in Leicestershire the doubts grew as the air
frost on the hedges and the freezing fog grew thicker. “It’s only turned like this in the last hour” was
the greeting they received as they pulled in to the car park. A quick pitch
inspection showed that the ground was rock solid and had been so for many
hours probably all week. Perhaps the Stoneygate grounds man had had looked at
his seaweed down in the city centre and misinterpreted the entrails. The only person to get his boots on was super sub
Wayne Buckingham. “I had an excellent game” he reported emerging from the
rapidly thickening fog. But as no-one else stumbled back to the clubhouse
perhaps they had all perished in the trudge across the icy steppes! There will no doubt be an exchange of letters
between the secretaries of the Clubs to show the depth of feeling at a wasted
journey. Despite having been to the ground many times before your
correspondent got lost and had a tour of the suburbs of Leicester. He arrived
on his bike just as the team was about to leave after a quick cuppa. Biggleswade play Vauxhall at home Saturday in the
Beds Cup. The league match against
Stoneygate will have to be played on the next free Saturday after that which
is currently 7th February. |
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Wednesday 4th February Biggleswade Rugby Club Biggleswade RUFC are to play host to
representative rugby when Staffordshire U20s make the long journey to Bedfordshire
to play East Midlands in this prestigious match. The game will be played on February 4th under
floodlights and is expected to attract a large number of spectators. More details including the kick off time will be
posted here soon. |
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Biggleswade Rugby Half Term Report |
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For once the weather had the better of the rugby
boys at the week-end with all home matches off because of frozen pitches.
With a string of important league matches to come it was thought unwise to
take the slightest risk. Your correspondent remembers playing in similar
conditions for Dunstablians against Bishop Stortford. Port was liberally
poured over the half-time oranges. The tonic kept out the cold and inspired
the team to win the match! The fun we had before leagues were invented! The turn of the year sees the Biggleswade 1st
XV on the up with three points from the last two games and a feeling that
things can only get better. Seventh place in the league is not that
comfortable but three more wins should be enough to ensure Midlands 5 rugby
next season. Games to win must be Wellingborough OGs (away),
Stoneygate (away) and Rushden & Higham at home. But on the day anything
is possible with the stirring performance against unbeaten league leaders
Stockwood showing just what can be done. The Biggleswade pack dominated the
game shunting Stockwood about all over their park. It is not often that the front row is so dominant.
Props Andy Burke, Russell Collarbone, Jimmy Caulfield and the ever improving Adam
Fage have all made an impact at one time or another. Karl Marshall when not
needed in the back-row or the centre has occasionally ousted the coach Stan
Matthews from the number two shirt. As the years go by Stan’s need for a rest
seems to get earlier and earlier in each match he starts. He must have played
for the 1st XV more times than the rest of the side in total! Lineouts have generally been a strong suit with the
skipper Iain Jones always safe and Tom (Silly Hilly) Hill having his moments.
The back-row too has had inspirational days with Jay Sinclair, Ian “Robbo”
Robinson and James Buttigieg being the best combination. Jay has the speed to
support the backs while Robbo and Butty can be dynamic from the base of the
scrum. The three-quarters too have had their good days. Tom
O’Connor at fly-half has injected pace and is most effective when he runs
straight at the opposition. Tom Ruffle and more latterly Russell German have
played the role of the battering ram punching the hole for others to exploit.
Danny Carter (Drew) has played far too few games to show if he still has the
magic. But as the weather warms up more might be seen of the slender Danny. Biggleswade have run the changes with the wings.
Gareth Drew has played most times but despite a few close calls has yet to
break his duck for tries. Damian White as a winger has scored the most with
two. His handling has been outstanding (on most occasions) At full-back there has been Mark Rastrick, Phil
Elcock, Curtis Wilson and Matt “Who” Smith. Statistics show that he is the
strongest kicker but Mark Rastrick has performed well often in difficult
conditions. Four players have filled the number nine shirt with
the veteran campaigner Ross Taylor just ahead of Stuart Yeardsley. The young
whippersnappers Steve Jones and James “Flash” Gordon have had a few games
each. Flash is one of the colts that have appeared in the top team with
several others. Will Priston and Will Knott have got on the score-sheet with
the latter scoring a memorable try in the last minute against Oundle. The New Year starts with a run of five league
matches in seven weeks. Stoneygate are first up with an away trip to the
highest point in Leicestershire. Biggleswade won the home tie 14-3. Then
there is the re-arranged Beds Cup tie with Vauxhall, followed by Kempston at
home and Aylestone Athletic away. All matches kick off at 2.15pm until the
end of February. |
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Gym Membership Deal |
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We have arranged a deal with Sandy Gym (next to the
Upper School) and they are offering 20% off to all Biggleswade RUFC members
as part of a corporate membership.
Gooner |
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Biggleswade Rugby New Year E-News O2 Community Connections Winners 2008 Happy New Year! |
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Biggy First XV go into the New Year on the back of a fine win just before Christmas,
with a 29 - 12 victory at home against Wellingborough O.Gs and the
Second XV beating Sawston 2s 40 - 6 , both were League fixtures. Year Seven Schools Tournament. This is scheduled for Tuesday January 6th, schools will be invited
by Sam Rouse, RFU Rugby Development Officer. The club is pleased to host this
tournament, following on from the very successful Year 5 & 6 tournament
held in December, which attracted over 230 children. A further tournament is planned for the following
week, weather and schools organisation permitting! Congratulations to Stratton School pupil Glyn Hughes (Northampton Saints and East Midlands)
who has been selected for the Midlands U18 divisional festival being
played at Broadstreet (Coventry) this coming weekend. Best of luck to Tom Darlow and Brad Newland who
will be playing for the Bedfordshire county U15s at their game vs Oxford
early in the new year RFU Grand Draw....a big thanks to those who have already bought tickets, remember,
we keep 90p for every ticket sold which is essential for the running of the
club! Please buy a ticket if asked, we have another month to sell our
allocation. Over the Christmas break Santa's little helpers
have been busy decorating the rugby entrance stairwell and the squash
bar, and also the plumbing issues are close to being resolved, a great relief
to all!!!!! |
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NAVIGATION: |
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