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Parknews
The e-Magazine for Rosslyn Park Supporters - Issue 14 2014/15 - 12 November 2014
FRIDAY NIGHT IS RUGBY NIGHT!
W
elcome to Parknews. This week, with the home local Derby
against Esher coming up, it’s certainly a case of ‘Friday night is
Rugby night’ - at 7:45 to be precise. Last Saturday it took Park a while
to really click at Macclesfield, but when they did they were very effective indeed. Four second half tries brought a victory that seemed
comfortable enough in the end. Macclesfield are a decent club, and
one can only sympathise with them in their current plight at the bottom of the table with no points. However, the spirit and commitment
with which they played was a credit to them and their coaches. Despite the final score of 36-7 it was in no way a pushover.
Particularly in the first half, they defended brilliantly and were dangerous
enough with the ball to keep Park honest. When, after half an hour, fly half
Tom Whelan had to leave the field injured with his side only 5-0 up there was a
real fear of a banana skin lurking somewhere close to our feet.
One thing Park have learned under Alex is the value of patience and faith in the
game plan. It would have been all too easy to develop ‘headless chicken’ syndrome when things weren’t quite working and then losing a key player. Instead
Park emerged for the second half, corrected the errors that had been creeping
in and went on to complete a win with six tries away from home.
The players will know better than anyone that they will need to start a lot more
strongly if they are to beat Esher. They also know that is well within their compass. It should be a cracking local Derby this Friday night! Kick off is 7:45PM.
Alex said on Sunday, ‘Yesterday was a game of two halves. We lacked the required intensity and accuracy in the first half but there was a massive step up in
the second which was what the boys knew was required, and I was delighted to
see them go and deliver it. We scored some cracking tries and I was particularly
pleased with our urgency in defence towards the end of the game when the win
was already secured.
‘This Friday we are back at the Rock against our local rivals Esher. As a player
I loved evening games under lights and I know the boys are really looking forward to it. There was a great crowd and atmosphere in our last home game
against Richmond and it would be fantastic to beat that on Friday. Last season
saw 2 absorbing contests between the two sides and I am sure this Friday will
be no different.’
Esher always send a large ‘after work’ contingent to these evening fixtures, so
please do come down to support the lads. With few other sporting attractions
that evening it’s also a great opportunity to bring your mates along and introduce them to the club. Spread the word and help to make it a real atmosphere
on the night. The Clubhouse will be open early to cater for those of you arriving straight from work.
Next away match
O
ur next ‘away’ match breaks new ground – the first time Rosslyn Park have
played Hartpury College. The College is on the A417, 4 miles north of
Gloucester. Former Park and England player JV Smith, who lives locally, said
that the Hartpury side are very strong, fit and fast and could easily present us
with a lot of problems. It looks like being a really good competitive match and
your support would, as always, be much appreciated.
Will Bowley and Harry
Broadbent scrap for the ball
at Macclesfield [Photo: David
Whittam]
Forthcoming fixtures
Friday 14th November
Floodlit Local Derby
1st XV
v
Esher
National 1
Home KO 7:45PM
Clubhouse open early for those coming
straight from work
Saturday 15th November
Nomads
v
Cobham 3
Surrey Combination 1
Richmond Park KO 12:15PM
Clubhouse open also for England v
S.Africa, KO 2.30pm on the big screen
nb: must close at 17:00 due to a private function
Sunday 16th November
Slingbacks
v
Supermarine (Swindon)
Cup - 1st Round
Home KO 2:00PM
Send all articles, reports and correspondence to: [email protected] (click for e-mail)
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Parknews
The address is Hartpury House, Gloucester, GL19 3BE. The club’s
website gives directions from London and the M4 as: Leave the
M4 at Junction 15 and follow the A419 towards Cirencester. At Cirencester the A419 becomes the A417. Follow the A417 towards
Gloucester and the M5. At the roundabout at the Air Balloon pub,
take the first exit towards Gloucester. Take the second exit at the
next roundabout. At the next roundabout take the third exit (A40)
towards Ross-on-Wye. Continue on the A40, heading straight on at
the next two roundabouts. At the third roundabout, take the A417
towards Ledbury. After leaving Maisemore, the College is signposted at the second turning on the left.
The Obolenskys at London Welsh
By public transport the best option seems to be train from Paddington to Gloucester. There is a regular bus service from Gloucester bus station, which is very close to the railway station. The bus
takes 15 minutes, but a taxi may well be a good option.
Slingbacks
T
he Slingbacks had no match last weekend, but this Sunday the
pressures of Championship 2 are temporarily off as the girls
engage with Supermarine in the first round of the knockout cup,
kicking off at 2:00PM. Especially with a home draw, the Slingbacks
have every chance of progressing to the next round - provided
player availability allows them to field something approaching
their strongest side. As always, your vocal support would be greatly
appreciated.
Clubsides
W
hatever the benefits of the autumn internationals to the coffers of the RFU they are a plague to traditional social rugby!
Last Saturday the Bs were the only side due to take the field until
their opposition cancelled on them too late to arrange anything
else. This weekend the Nomads are our only representatives, due at
home to Cobham 3 with an early kick off. The lads would appreciate any support - we’ll update this Parknews on the website when
we have an agreed kick off time.
Youth and mini rugby
Minis stage biggest Festival
By Richard White
his Sunday saw the Minis putting on their biggest festival to
date.
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Rosslyn Park C saw over 1100 players aged Under 7 to Under 12
from 17 different clubs competing in 246 matches in what Middlesex think is the largest Development Festival in the country.
I’d like to thank the army of volunteer Rosslyn Park pitch marshals,
parking marshals, control tent scorers, referees and coaches that
went into making it an excellent advertisement for Rosslyn Park
and providing so many young players and parents with an experience to match any A festival. The sunshine helped.
For anyone used to drawn out days at Minis Festivals it was gratifying to see that the event finished ahead of time in some age groups
and within a few minutes of a tight schedule in other age groups.
U12Bs (the Obolenskys) at London Welsh Midi
Festival
Victories followed against London Welsh (3 - 0), Hammersmith (5
- 0), Richmond (who were on the wrong end of a 9 try blitz with 4
birthday boy Harry Lawes) before facing old foes Battersea Ironsides in the final game.
Inspired by some fantastic rugby from the Ripleys on the next
pitch, the boys tore into the Ironsides opening the scores from
what looked suspiciously like a driving maul, then not being
phased by conceding a try from the kick off to run in three more
tries and never really looking in any danger of losing. A total of 22
tries and only one against was a fine result for the boys - some sparkling rugby, the width and the length of the pitch, line outs won
and stolen and some big hits throughout. Good work lads.
Equally gratifying was the immaculately observed 2 minutes silence by a line of 30 Park boys and the news that all three squads
had won which bodes well for the season.
Ann Henderson
I
t is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of Ann
Henderson, who died last Wednesday after a short illness. Many
members will remember her with great affection
Past President John Gunner said, “Ann was the wife of David Henderson and mother of Simon and Gerry, both of whom played for
the 1stXV in the Eighties Simon captained the side for a while. David ran the colts for a couple of years and then went on to become
Secretary. He was a generous benefactor and a great character. He
died suddenly of a heart attack, whilst playing tennis in the early
nineties. Ann did an enormous amount in support of the club and
was a truly loyal supporter of the Henderson family”.
C F ‘Fred’ Outram
S
adly we have to report the death of a former Park player C F
‘Fred’ Outram. Fred had undergone a triple heart by pass which
had complications, but died after falling down the stairs at home.
He played in the same Park team as Peter Berryman and Dick Malthouse.
By Paul Webster
he vagaries of the season so far meant that the Obolenskys had
not even trained together before their first tournament at London Welsh so it was great to see such a positive performance in
winning all 5 round robin matches not least from a... squad of just
14 players, Toby Robinson having come off second best in a collision with a kitchen cupboard over night.
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Peter Berryman said, “Fred was a very fine centre threequarter and I
always enjoyed playing with him in the side. You always knew that
his opposite number was in for a hard time ! Either stopping him
or being stopped !!”
As is often their way the boys got better as the day went on, starting slowly against the team from Frankfurt (1 -0) before slowly
beginning to get their rucking game going which meant that the
outside backs were able to revel in the resulting space.
We do not yet have details of the funeral, which will take place in
Christchurch.
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Parknews
Beer Festival
T
he next Slingbacks fund-raiser is not until Saturday 21st February, when Park are at home to Macclesfield and the girls will
hold the ever popular Rosslyn Park Beer Festival. Still, we think, the
only one in the country run entirely by women. So get the date in
your diary now! It might just appeal to our loyal ‘Away’ supporters.....
Oh dear, oh beer
Nosey Parker
“
Why no report on the troubles of our loyal away supporters this
season?”, Nosey Parker was asked at the last home match. “No
major incidents worthy of recording”, was the answer.
Dante Mama gets away his pass against Macclesfield [Photo: David Whittam]
National 1 round up
E
aling continued their winning run with a 21-14 victory at Darlington Mowden Park to remain top of the table. They scored
two tries in the first 15 minutes and all their points came in the first
half. They missed out on a 4-try bonus and so we close the points
gap to 3. Fylde stay in third place despite a surprise 9-8 defeat at
Tynedale. Coventry had a good win by 23-21 away to Hartpury and
remain fourth. Richmond had a home win over Loughborough by
24-22 thanks to a try at the start of added time, but it was enough
to remain fifth. Immediatekly below them are Blackheath and Esher, level on points after Esher beat Club by 24-18.
At the other end of the table Macclesfield have yet to record their
first point. Immediately above them are Cinderford, who lost 1418 at home to Old Albanian, and the future begins to look bleak
for the Gloucestershire side. Wharfedale beat Blaydon 15-12 to go
tenth.
This weekend’s fixtures:
Rosslyn Park v Esher (Friday)
Blackheath v Hartpury College
Blaydon v Cinderford
Coventry v Darlington Mowden Park
Ealing v Tynedale
Fylde v Wharfedale
Old Albanian v Richmond
Date for your diary
P
lease note in your diaries that this season’s Womens’ Floodlit
Sevens will take place on Friday 8th May, which is the evening
after the London Floodlit Sevens and is being held in support of
the Rosslyn Park Injuries Trust Fund. Last year’s tournament was
a great success, so why not take in both evenings? It could just be
the last matches played on grass at the Rock and it’s in an excellent
cause.
400 Club - more winners
I
f you want to support the club and potentially make some money yourself have you considered joining the 400 Club? There is a
monthly prize draw, plus a significantly larger end-of-season draw.
It costs just £4 a month. Contact Boothy in the Club Office (020
8766 6044) for full details and to sign up. The November winners
are - £100 Clive Oxley ; £50 Paul Hamilton-Smith ; £25 Les Barlow .
Xmas lunch sold out
T
he Christmas Lunch, which precedes the home match against
Ealing on 13 December is already completely sold out. David
Booth has opened up a ‘reserve’ list in case of cancellations.
Racing to success
T
he Slingbacks Race Night last Saturday night was a huge success and skipper Maria Castellina said that the ladies would
like to extend a special thanks to those who came down and supported from different parts of the club , “It really is appreciated. We
raised over £1300 for the Slingbacks which will go towards new kit
and to help with our additional travel costs this season”.
This was not strictly true. There was a quite major and hilarious (to
all but one) incident on the return from Loughborough, but Nosey
Parker has to apply the sacred principle of Tour Rules where publication could lead to an employer or spouse taking a dim view of
the recorded miscreant.
Last Saturday, for instance, went smoothly by and large. The usual
suspects began to assemble at Euston. The Stunt Man had the tickets, but Garry had brought son and heir at the last moment and
had to get a full-fare ticket for him. Immediately he returned, suitably ticketed, Chris texted to say he was ill and could not make it,
thus there was now a spare cheap ticket but too late.
It speaks volumes for the comradeship of the serried ranks of away
people that there is scant sympathy for our beleaguered colleague
– only a debate on the size of his wife’s thumbprint on his forehead.
On the train I am seated next to photographer Whittam, the Loose
Canon. I emerge at Macclesfield much edified, being now expert
in how to photograph a woodpecker in one’s back garden (though
I don’t have a garden) and am fully conversant with the strength of
the mobile phone signal should I be on Lake Titicaca near the Bolivian border and wishing to contact Eric Mountjoy (neither of which
seems a very likely prospect).
Upon decanting at Macclesfield it is only 10:43. However, Garry
knows that the George & Dragon about 200 yards up on the left
will be open. Its welcoming barperson is delighted to provide us
with a round while we await the opening of the Queens Hotel
at 11:00. After this early bonus visit we do indeed depart for the
Queens – but it is shut. The guvnor comes to the door and advises
that he will open at 11:30. Oh well - back to the George for another.
We notice that the old hall opposite the pub bears two white stones
about four feet from the ground; the first says “erected 1779”, the
other “enlarged 1799”. After the predictable phallic wisecracks
from the politically unreconstructed, a good wheeze emerges. The
Loose Canon is dispatched to photograph the wall. Club legend
Peter Berryman is due to arrive on the next train: a photo of him
can be captured and Photoshopped so that he appears to stand
under the “enlarged 1799” stone.
(If you are the only person reading this who does not know Peter,
he is somewhat vertically challenged and has spent much of his
distinguished career being the butt of heightist ‘humour’).
We troop back to the Queens where a round of Holts is consumed
while the Loose Canon returns to the station to meet PB, but alas
fails to capture the necessary photo. They decide to make a State
Visit to we lesser mortals in the pub, where PB declares that he
would like to try his hand at playing pool, but doesn’t know the
rules. He is instantly suspected of being a hustler. Another round is,
alas, necessary if we are to resolve this important issue. Meanwhile
vague alarms sound: it is still only 12:15 and this will be our fourth
pint. Kick off is not until 3:00. Two questions are immediately answered, though: yes, Peter can see over the edge of the table and,
no, he is not a hustler as he misses even the cue ball on his first
attempt. And he has not had a sip yet.
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Parknews
Hustler?
Sponsor a Player
T
here are still some members of the 1st XV squad available for
sponsorship. It’s really good way to support the club is to sponsor a player throughout the season. You can follow his progress
through the season as well as getting a PA announcement when
your player scores a try, your name / Company logo against the
player profile in the match programme and 10 tickets for a 1st XV
home game of your choice. The cost is £200 per player : for more
information please contact Dom Shabbo on 020 8876 6044.
Women’s Sport Network
B
After supping up, we head to our main target the Waters Green
Tavern. PB and the Loose Canon cross over to the station to get a
cab to the ground where they are to be entertained to the largesse
of the Committee Lunch. We are far from jealous, but have taken
the opportunity to pinch the spare Committee Admission Passes,
thus liberating funds which can more wisely be invested in ale.
After a couple of rounds of Barnsley Bitter, Garry declares he is going to get an inbetweeny comprising a stronger beer. This appears
to offend Eddie: “I’ll match that and raise you!” he declares, pointing
to a pump at the end of the bar. Often there is a thin line between
heroism and sheer stupidity. Taking on Garry at drinking beer is
the equivalent of brandishing a pea-shooter against a trained SAS
marksman with a high-velocity rifle. The very charming barperson
partially saves Eddie from his immediate folly by pointing out that
the pump in question unleashes a particularly potent cloudy cider.
But things are getting decidedly messy.
Eventually our 2:00PM conveyance to the ground arrives and calls
a timely halt. On arrival at the ground, the Stunt Man takes responsibility for ordering the transport back to the station for the end of
the match. We pour out of our mini-coach and head for the gate.
Nothing could better illustrate the contempt in which alickadoos
are held throughout the Rugby world than the fact that the gatemen did not bat an eyelid when the passes, which we deployed to
gain entry, told them that this dishevelled bunch of drunkards was
the visiting Committee.
ack in August we told you about how Slingback’s
member Sam Sherwood had launched a website,
Women’s Sports UK. Well we are pleased to report that
the website has had over 7000 hits, with people regularly checking back for updates on results, league tables
and match reports. Last week we interviewed the Slingbacks’ own
Laura Wright. You can read all this at www.womenssportsuk.com
Please also give us a follow on twitter @womenssportsuk and a like
on facebook www.facebook.com/womenssportsuk
Next Parknews
T
he next Parknews should be on the website between Tuesday
/ Wednesday lunchtimes next week. Match reports, news snippets and photos are welcome from all parts of the Club; the normal
deadline is Tuesday lunchtime around 13:00. To receive a ‘tweet’ as
soon as it is posted on the site, please follow @RPNoseyParker on
Twitter. The same feed also occasionally sends out other Rosslyn
Park ephemera. Also on Twitter don’t forget that the official Rosslyn
Park Twitter feed @RosslynPark where, among other things there’s
a live Twitter feed during any matches you can’t get to.
Final reminder
Rosslyn Park v Esher
This Friday
7:45
League Tables and Statistics
In the past Parknews has included a couple of pages of League
Tables, fixture / results matrix and player appearances for National 1. However, this material is not of use to everyone but has
to be downloaded. So instead here are some links to sources of
such information elsewhere so that those who want it can easily
get it.
We staggered on to the bar. Larynxes suitably lubricated we
watched the game, shouted for the team but had to depart immediately at the final whistle.
For National 1 results and fixtures click here
If you need to input the link manually it is http://www.ncarugby.org/index.php?pg=F%20National%20League%20
1&league=Nat%20League%201
The taxis did not arrive. Fortunately for the Stunt Man, firstly, he
had witnesses that he had properly made the booking and, secondly, a number 4 bus, bound for the station, arrived at a stop
about 50 yards away on the other side of the road. This required simultaneously a decision and a sprint. The degree to which this fell
short of Olympic standard could best be imagined by the amount
of extra weight we were carrying in liquid form and the fact that
three of our number bore valid Freedom Passes. But we made it.
For the current National 1 league table click here
http://www.ncarugby.org/index.php?pg=T%20National%20
League%201&league=Nat%20League%201
For directions to National 1 grounds click here
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=2173134807122
64949216.0004f8ad90c19cb6866b6&msa=0&ll=54.104502,1.483154&spn=5.683405,16.907959&dg=feature
Back at the station, PB –the only completely sober traveller - had
booked on the wrong train and went over to sort it out. We returned to the Waters Green Tavern, to find that it is the only pub
in Macclesfield that closes on Saturday afternoon. But on the opposite side of the road was a Robinson’s pub – and it therefore sold
Trooper! Garry is instantly restored to happiness.
For Rosslyn Park match results and team stats click here
Stephen McCormack’s excellent Statbunker can be found at
http://rugby.statbunker.com/competitions/LastMatches?club_
id=49&comp_id=465&limit=15
We eventually shambled across to the station. At the mere sight of
their supposed comrades, PB and the Loose Canon scuttled to the
other end of the platform and paid £15 to upgrade to First Class.
It’s Remembrance weekend, and so typical of the officer classes
to abandon the Other Ranks when the going gets tough. We hit
the buffet car instead, probably paying just as much for the downgrade. Good business brings profit to both sides.
Some of the websites for the league competitions that other
Rosslyn Park sides compete in are not yet up and working for this
season. If any skippers, coaches, etc know of websites that report
the League Tables and Results from competitions they play in
please let the editor know and we’ll include them in the list. Click
here to e-mail details / links.
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Parknews
PLUCKY MACC ARE HIT FOR SIX
Macclesfield 7
Park 36
Nev Edwards bursts through for Park
[match photos by David Whittam]
National 1
T
his was far from the easy win that the final score suggests, with
Macclesfield showing great spirit despite their lowly position
and constantly making life difficult for Park.
Park served notice on Macclesfield that they were in for a long
afternoon when reducing their pack to shreds at the first scrum.
The penalty, and a subsequent one, was hammered to touch by
Whelan as the visitors exerted immense pressure. Full-back Nev
Edwards nearly got over for a try but Macclesfield defended with
great skill and spirit and managed to clear to half way.
A good run by centre Dante Mama nearly bore fruit but his pass
did not stick.
Macclesfield showed they were not just making up the numbers
with a good concerted assault on the Park line. But they were undone when Park broke out, won a penalty, kicked to touch, and
camped on the home line. The inevitable try came, on 13 minutes,
when winger Charles Broughton found lock Will Bowley in enough
space that the try was a formality. The strong wind defeated Whelan’s conversion attempt.
Park tried to kick on but, though clearly the better side, defences
were well on top. The visitors suffered a massive blow on 30 minutes when fly-half Tom Whelan limped off to be replaced from the
bench by centre Kiba Richards, leaving his team without a specialist kicker.
Richards soon came close to scoring after a good scrum by Park.
Macclesfield were beginning to infringe in order to stop the visitors, and the referee issued a stern warning to their skipper. The
resulting penalty was aimed for touch in the corner, but went over
the dead ball line instead.
Will Bowley
dominates at the
line-out
Park came back through an incisive run by Richards, which led to a
try by Mama a minute before the interval, which he attempted to
kick himself but without success. So Park turned round with a 10-0
advantage to show for a difficult half.
T
he visitors tore into Macclesfield after the interval. A good attack foundered when they failed to control the ball. Jack Gash
came off the bench after only a minute and made an immediate
impact. But the real game-changer came when the referee made
good his earlier warning and sent Blues winger Dean Williams to
the bin for a professional foul, to be followed shortly by Greg Norton for another one, still only four minutes into the half.
Macclefield defended bravely, assisted by some errors as Park
sought to press home their advantage. Eventually it was a great run
by Edwards, seemingly beating just about every defender before
handing on to Gash to score under the posts. Broughton assumed
kicking duties to convert for 17-0 on 52 minutes.
With the home side back at full-strength, but tiring, Park put the
match beyond doubt around the hour mark with two tries in as
many minutes. After a period under the cosh, Macclesfield failed
to control the ball under pressure at the back of their scrum and
flanker Mike McFarlane pounced instantly to touch down the bonus point try, converted by Broughton.
A great break by Richards perished when he could not get the ball
away, but England Under-20 prop Alex Lundberg soon delivered
the goods, converted by Broughton for 31-0.
Macclesfield to their great credit simply refused to just lie down
and launched an all out attack. Park appeared to have defended
successfully until, following a scrum, home winger Matthew King
sneaked a try in the corner and fly half Tom Eaton nailed a quite
brilliant conversion for 31-7.
The home side returned to the attack as the match went into added
time, but the fates were unkind to them. Gash got his hands on the
ball, sprinted up-field and the ball passed through several pairs of
hands before winger Dave Vincent raced in to score for 36-7. Park
deserved the bonus point win that takes them four points clear of
Fylde, in second place. But Macclesfield, still searching for their first
league point, were a lot better than the final tally suggests.
Park: Edwards; Broughton, Mama, Ireland, Vincent; Whelan; Hoadley;
Lundberg, Bellamy, McKenzie; Bowley, Boyle; McFarlane, Broadbent,
Ellis.
Subs: Strachan, Saunders, Baldwin, Gash, Richards
Park scorers: Bowley (T), Mama (T), Gash (T), McFarlane (T), Lundberg
(T), Vincent (T), Broughton (3C).
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