Rugby World: The Champions

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MIDLANDS
LOOK OUT FOR LUTON BIRSTALL’S AWARD WELCOME HEWELL VIKINGS TV FAME FOR COLTS STARS
SPOTLIGHT ON…
become the East Midlands winners loan and a grant of £6,000, to enable
in an RFU award scheme to applaud them to install full-pitch ﬂ oodlights
club success in the Go Play Rugby at their Haslams headquarters.
initiative. Birstall were active in the South Leicester were granted
programme, a major recruitment £6,000 for a changing room
drive based around last autumn’s refurbishment and roof repair, while
World Cup in France, and they Ludlow received a £4,500 grant to
doubled their playing strength, help them resurface the driveway
allowing them to run a second team. at The Linney. Northampton Old
Birstall’s president is Andy Reed, Scouts were given a £5,900 grant
the Labour MP for Loughborough. for a new changing-room boiler.
Ray Roberts, 83, has retired as
HIGHLEY AMBITIOUS secretary of the Midlands Leagues
SHROPSHIRE village club Highley, organising committee. Roberts has
formed only two years ago, have ﬁ lled the role since it was set up in the
extended their remarkable progress 1990s to administer and supervise
by winning the parallel West Midlands leagues outside the national strata
Go Play Rugby award. They had across the area. He is succeeded by
already been guests of honour at the Roger Rees from Alcester.
Premiership ﬁ nal at Twickenham
after being voted the most LEEK SO SLEEK G
DERBYSHIRE GENTLEMEN
progressive English junior club in a LEEK won the Trentham Tens by R
Guinness-organised competition. beating Four West (North) rivals A
STRIPED blazers, good deeds and bonhomie personify the Derbyshire Highley have set a terriﬁ c example Newcastle-under-Lyme 12-7 in the S
Gentlemen, whose players have included Lawrence Dallaglio and for budding new clubs such as ﬁ nal. The competition attracted S
fellow ex-England internationals Brian Moore, Gary Rees, Simon Hewell Vikings, that has evolved clubs from across the Potteries and -
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Hodgkinson, Tim Stimpson and Scot Chris Gray. This is the 40th from the works team at HMP Staffordshire, including Trentham,
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anniversary of their formation by David Burd and John Vinecombe Blakenhurst in Redditch. Secretary Congleton, Eccleshall, Hanford,
with the intention of playing charity and memorial games. and captain Ollie Wintle said: “The Bloxwich, Linley, Kidsgrove,
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Burd said: “Our colours first shocked the nation when, in 1972, a jail is merging with two others to Uttoxeter and Ashbourne. Bloxwich
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colour-blind designer cunningly merged pink, brown and green with become HMP Hewell so that’s how won the Shield competition, beating
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blood, mud, gravy, beer, garden refuse and mildew into the present our name has come about. We are the Trentham President’s side 19-10.

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jersey composition that garrottes any worthy Derbyshire Gentleman.” playing only friendly and social Leicestershire Colts were cast in U
They kicked off this season by raising £1,750 from a match against the matches so far and this season is the role of television stars on their G
Derbyshire President’s XV in memory of John Dickens, 59, the Derby all about consolidation.” three-match tour of Canada. They B
fixture secretary, two of whose sons, Graham and Michael, each beat Balmy Beach 39-12 and Y
officiated for half of the game. The President’s side won 48-32. Alan, POPE’S AUDIENCE Niagara Thunder 34-3 before losing
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his other son, is a scrum-half at Northampton and Derby’s coach. DAVID POPE, the president of 22-17 to the Ontario Select XV at
Proceeds went to three charities, including the Lymphona Trust Fund Northamptonshire club Bugbrooke, Fletcher’s Fields in a game screened
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and an orphanage bearing John’s name in Kampala, Uganda. Pictured was awarded an MBE in the live. Twenty-seven players from six
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is lock Joe Mills beating the President’s jumpers for possession. n Queen’s Birthday Honours list. clubs made the trip with Syston’s Rob
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It acknowledges his services to Nockles and Rob Tebbutt, of South
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ON THE ATTACK moving the ball and communication. schools athletics, schools rugby Leicester, as coaches and Alan Wells
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WATCH out for Luton, who are Robins said: “The lads came off and the community. as tour organiser and manager.
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targeting an immediate return from the ﬁ eld totally enthused.” Pope started playing the game at
Midlands One to National Three Malvern have beefed up the squad Northampton Grammar School in WOOLLEY THINKING
South with an all-new four-pronged by signing scrum-half Dave Hadkiss 1962 under the tutelage of Martin CLOSER to home, Tony Woolley
assault from director of rugby Denis from Stourbridge, former Dudley Underwood and Frank Sykes, both is back behind the Mansﬁ eld bar,
Ormesher, captain and player-coach Kingswinford prop Dan Chesham England wings, and represented the cheerfully pulling pints in his
Matt Allen, Kiwi lock and ﬂ anker and lock Stewart Doolittle and centre school, town and county U15 and U18 capacity as full-time steward, having
Dane Grey and coaching assistant Carl Robinson from Stourbridge. sides. He was among four founder convalesced after undergoing major
James Pritchard, the Bedford Blues members of Bugbrooke in 1977 and back surgery last January. His club
and Canada World Cup full-back. NEW NAME FOR SELLY began running junior sides there. were promoted to Two East for this
Allen, who led Blues in the past four SELLY OAK have changed their season and his timing was doubly
seasons, previously made over 180 name to Moseley Oak following a WISHES GRANTED perfect with temporary steward Phil
appearances for Northampton and tie-up with the National One club. FOUR Midlands clubs were given Foster going back to university.
won the Heineken Cup with them. They’ve shared facilities at Moseley’s grants or loans by the Rugby Football Mick Langley, 65, has hung up his
Billesley Common ground for three Foundation to help develop their tractor keys at Newark. He has
RUDDOCK DROPS BY years but the RFU-approved name facilities. Derby were awarded retired after ﬁ ve years as the Kelham
MIKE RUDDOCK, no less, popped change has forged closer links. £20,000, comprising £14,000 in a Road club’s groundsman. n
into Spring Lane, Malvern to take Selly Oak were once among
charge of a training stint at the Birmingham’s most thriving junior
newly-promoted Midlands One club. clubs but their playing strength has
SHORT PASS
The Worcester Warriors director of declined since the switch from their
FORMER Dudley Kingswinford chairman and president Roger Port, 63,
rugby and ex-Wales head coach was traditional recruitment base close to
has won the North Midlands Volunteer of the Year award that recognises a
invited by Dave Robins, Malvern’s Birmingham University.
38-year contribution. His three sons, Russell, Richard and Warren, have all
director of rugby, to run a session on Leicestershire club Birstall have
played ﬁ rst-team rugby for the club, with Russell capped by England Colts.
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 139
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