Weekly Report - Super Saturday Certainly Didn’t Disappoint…..
The 2s won the league and the 1st XV progress to the play-off semi final, following a wonder try to win a nail biter against a tough Belsize Park side.
2nd XV Win the League and Promotion:
We have been running out of superlatives for the 2nd XV this season but to come from a place of near abandonment a few seasons ago to confirming promotion is truly remarkable. The 2nd XV will now be playing in a league our 1st XV were in three seasons ago, which includes 1st XVs from High Wycombe, Buckingham & Windsor. As 2s Head Coach Nick Martin reported afterwards, this did not happen by chance. Its the result of consistent hard work on the training field and its that commitment that got us here.
Next season will clearly be a new challenge and its crucial that we continue to build the strength and depth of the whole squad. A huge congratulations to the whole squad, coaches and management.
1st XV Progress to Play Off Semis:
It was a cracking match against a strong physical Belsize Park team, where we were behind for most of the match. Their jackling threat over the ball was immense winning a number of turnovers, allowing them to lead throughout the first half with a half time score of 8-17. We started to win more possession in the second half and managed to reduce the deficit to two points, with two tries coming from Rafe Sadlier. We snuck ahead with 15 mins to go, 22-17, only for Belsize to score again, making the match level with less than 5 mins to go. We were consulting the rule book on draws and extra time when the moment of the match occurred….
Belsize kicked long to our 22 in the middle of the pitch. The ball was taken by our very own Viking, Tyson Evans-Peters and the level of expectation instantly rose throughout the ground. Tyson pinned his ears back and broke through the first line of defence, he still had a number of players to beat but he just kept running hard to under the posts and the roar could be heard for miles. Pure class!
However the excitement didn’t finish there with almost last play Belsize broke from their 22 and passed to their tall winger, who was super quick and he took an outside line into space. Our young scrum half, Stan Rideout, was the last man standing and he expertly took down the bigger man to pretty much seal the win. Pure drama and great character from the players.
Message from Dave Rendell DoR:
“This season has been built on the hard work, commitment and quality of our players. What they’ve delivered on the pitch has been outstanding, and they deserve huge credit for the standards they’ve set.
Alongside that, we’ve had brilliant support from our coaches, medical team, management and volunteers—whether that’s in the kitchen, behind the bar or helping things run week to week.
It’s been a genuine whole-club effort, with everyone playing their part. Something we can all be proud of, and something I’m very proud to be part of”.
To emphasise Dave’s point we have a new squad photo which was taken on Saturday. It not only includes the senior men and women players, but also the groundsmen, medical team, kitchen and bar as well as coaches and management. A great team effort all round indeed.
Minis at Aylesbury:
Our minis were at Aylesbury on both Saturday and Sunday and by all accounts a very successful and fun day all round. A special mention to the U12s who won their tournament, a nice way to finish their mini rugby before they move into juniors.
GMS Switchover:
As per my previous messages, we are moving our clubs membership system onto the RFU platform GMS. My thanks to people who have set up a new account but we believe we have around 45 still to do so.
If you haven’t already, please do ensure you have a GMS account with a valid email address. So if you do not have a GMS account or you’re simply unsure whether you have or not please try and set one up using the steps in the following link. https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/Create...
We have a small team of people helping manage this transition and can talk anyone through the process. For assistance please reach out in the first instance to enquiries@beaconsfieldrfc.uk and one of Matt Jordan, Richard Logan or Nick Wood will assist.
Next Weekend:
So our semi final is away vs HAC. Precise time and location is to be confirmed but we are expecting it’s at Chiswick (not their fancy ground in the heart of the city) at 3pm. If we win we will be playing either A&C or Maidenhead, who both lost their respective play off matches on Saturday. That match will be away, as the level 5 team gets home advantage, and on Saturday 9th May.
Mini Farewell BBQ:
Finally on Sunday we have our final mini and junior day with a farewell BBQ. Good luck to the sides heading off on tours and I hope you create some special memories.
Many thanks for all your support
Noel
chair@beaconsfieldrfc.uk