Rugby World: The Champions

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
SOUTH-WEST
GLOUCESTERSHIRE STALWARTS AMATEUR DRIVE HORNETS STUNG JUDO DAVE McHARG IN CHARGE
HAIL AND FAREWELL judo with a more traditional ﬁ tness
SALUTE Gloucestershire’s unsung regime. New head coach Ricky Khan
SPOTLIGHT ON…
heroes: Keith Plain, retiring after said: “I can’t believe how much
20 years as county secretary, and beneﬁ t they got from it. A lot of
chairman John Darlaston, who ﬁ rst players have said how much ﬁ tter
appeared on the scene back in 1980. they feel. It’s a new era and we’re
Darlaston has also been closely looking at different methods that
involved with Dursley for 40 years haven’t been used before.
while Plain’s active connection has “The ﬁ rst job is to get us back into
a similar overall time span with the top regional league and have a
Tewkesbury and Cheltenham. good run in the Intermediate Cup.”
On the playing front, newcomers
COUNTY PARTY include ex-Wasps academy trio
CORNWALL’S 125th anniversary ﬂ y-half Tom Lukjaniec, ﬂ anker Ryan
this season is something to savour, Long and prop Freddie Stockwell,
not least the celebration dinner at along with centre Jaymes Chapman.
the Falmouth Hotel on 24 October
when RFU senior vice-president HEALY’S SEASIDE JAUNT
John Owen and Captain Chris Alcock DAVE HEALY, the Clifton head coach
RN, who led the county to the 1991 for ﬁ ve years, has switched to
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Championship title, are the speakers. Weston-super-Mare, of South-West R
The creation of Launceston One, and is sharing duties with
DORCHESTER
A
Amateurs is bridging the gap ex-Seasiders back-row and captain S
between the colts and academy Paul Redman, who made 265
RELEGATION from Southern Counties South last season hasn’t
S
team that falls in line with the RFU appearances and scored 81 tries
daunted Dorchester, under new senior chairman Martyn Raper. “It was
-
a blow to us, made less palatable by our terrific win over high-flying R
initiative to reduce ‘drop out’ and before coaching Bristol Saracens.
Oakmedians in our last game,” he said. “We are targeting a climb from O
keep players in the game. The target Healy and Redman have succeeded
of appearing for National Two side Peter Sloman and Robert Hedges,
Dorset & Wilts One South at the first attempt. We’ve retained the entire O
Cornish All Blacks offers incentives. who are both taking a break. Hooker
first-team squad from last season. It is managed by ex-prop and coach
T
David Burge, who started playing
Paul Nimmin and boosted by key players returning from long-term S
WYCOMBE ON A HIGH at the club as an eight-year-old, is
injury and promising youngsters pushing for first-team starting places.”
R
HIGH WYCOMBE, also looking in his third season as captain.
Formed in 1934, Dorchester – pictured in new-season attacking
U
ahead, have successfully wielded
mode against Blandford Garrison – kicked off in the competitive
G
the RFU’s Go Play Rugby ‘cudgel’. MARINE MOURNED
system 21 years ago by finishing third in Berkshire, Dorset & Wilts One,
B
Blanket publicity in launderettes, WHEATLEY members have been
a long-lost league, and climbed high enough to play in South-West One
Y
barbers, gents’ toilets and various mourning Royal Marine Dale
for three seasons before being relegated six years ago. They struggled

up front against the likes of Bridgwater & Albion, Weston-super-Mare

other places has paid off along with Gostick, 23, who was killed while
S
and Maidenhead in those times. The input of ex-England coach Mike O
a stand at a dozen local fêtes. on duty in Afghanistan.
IN
Davis had been invaluable and they are now led by scrum-half Dave U
Delighted spokesman Paul De Chairman Steve Kemp said: “Dale’s
RT
A
M
IS
Rainey said: “We reckon we’ve passing has left the club shocked
R
Gower, 30, with John Firkin as second-in-command. n T
ID
H
attracted four lads each time as well and bewildered, which is a testament community club development McHarg said: “It took us time to
-
programme, along with a Rugby recover from the traumas, but last
W
SHORT PASS
Football Foundation grant and loan. season we made a £50,000 proﬁ t, E
BRIXHAM played a Devon President’s XV to celebrate the opening of
To mark the occasion the club took reduced our debt and moved a lot of
S
T
facilities made possible by £200,000 in grants and loans, plus £100,000
on the Royal Fusiliers with half the debt from external to internal, which
of their own funding. An extended clubhouse, new changing and referees’
money raised going to the Help For doesn’t really attract interest.”
rooms, kit store and refurbished kitchen will beneﬁ t the 750 members. Heroes charity. A huge auction It’s all change on the ﬁ eld, too,
helped to swell the coffers when where the Army’s most-capped
as interesting adults in getting to the impact that he has had on us. lots included a day with the Royal player, lock Ben Hughes, has taken
involved in coaching and playing.” I remember him as one of a group Fusiliers, signed shirts from Jason charge as head coach under director
The trend is deﬁ nitely on the up at of boys that wanted to form a rugby Robinson and Martin Johnson plus a of rugby Jason Dance.
their Kingsmead headquarters. team at Wheatley Park School. He jersey signed by three international New recruits include hooker Jack
They’re running a colts side for the was a quiet lad, always smiling.” 100-cap players, David Campese, Matthews and ﬂ anker Matt Cornish,
ﬁ rst time in a decade and have Philippe Sella and Jason Leonard. along with scrum-half James Gill and
resurrected the veterans team. CHIPPER CHIPPING former Newbury wing Bruno Green.
ALL roads led to Greystones when READING’S REVIVAL
FIT AS FIDDLES the Chipping Norton club unveiled LIFE is a little easier at cash-strapped THIRST FOR ACTION
BEWARE, all Two East sides, of ‘Judo their new elite-level ﬂ oodlit playing Two East Reading now that there’s a THE visit of the Zimbabwean
Dave’, who helped Maidenhead get pitch with a special match against new management committee, led by Boozers XV to Taunton boosted
ﬁ t, as they aim to reproduce what the Royal Fusiliers. The facility has Alastair McHarg, once Scotland’s funds for the host club’s junior
they did the last time they were in been named the ‘Tony Cripps Pitch’ most-capped lock. During their time section. A Taunton side won 31-24
that division and win promotion in honour of the founder member and in the national leagues in the 1990s, while Hornets, of Western Counties
straight back to South-West One. ex-treasurer and chairman who was poor management and spiralling debt West, started the season with a
Judo Dave, alias Dave Jenkins, put killed in an accident at Daylesford left a devastating ﬁ nancial legacy more challenging task – a nine-point
the squad through his own brand of Farm. The cost of the pitch and lights that has threatened the 110-year-old deduction for a poor disciplinary
sessions that combine wrestling and were covered by a grant from the club’s existence until now. record over the past two seasons. n
Clubs editor Michael Austin welcomes stories and photos from all clubs. If you’ve any stories or Spotlight nominations, phone him on 01400 282189, fax him on 01400 281662, email michael_austin@freelance.ipcmedia.com or write to him at 22 Church St, Long Bennington, Nr Newark, Notts, NG23 5EN
RUGBY WORLD NOVEMBER 2008 137
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