https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/community-rugby-set-to-return-from-29-march
Category: Front Page
February 100 Club draw results and a plea for new members…..
The result of the February draw was:-
1st prize no 16 Robin Apps £250.
2nd prize no 74 Rebecca Clarke £100.
3rd prize no31 Fran Colangelo £50.
The next draw in March is one of the 2 big ones per year with a prize of £1,000, and anyone joining the Club by setting up the £10 per month standing order by 15 March will be entered into this draw.
Sadly, during COVID we have had a steady number of people leaving the Club and not being replaced so if you can spare £10 a month to support TWRFC (and immediately be in with an opportunity to win £1000) please contact Alan Skinner at skinners205@btinternet.com
TEK Group Hits Major Milestone
2021 sees 1XV sponsor TEK Group hit a major milestone of 50 years in operation. Known to many of our members for their ergonomic office chair brand Sit Smart. Through their TEK Seating and TEK military brands they also offer solutions for commercial, bus and coach, construction, agriculture, material handling, military, rail, minibus and marine markets.
TEK Group remains a local, family run business but has grown to become the UK’s largest independent vehicle seat distributor for the OEM and aftermarket.
“TEK Group is really proud to hit this significant milestone” said Paul Fleming, CEO TEK Group. “ It’s down to the hard work and loyalty of past and present team members. Being part of the community we work in is very important to all of us at TEK Group and our involvement with TWRFC is just part of our commitment to community engagement.”
“TEK Group have been a 1XV sponsor for over fiveyears” said Simon Hughes, Head of TWRFC Commercial “Paul and the team at TEK have been fantastic advocates of the club and continued to support us through these challenging times. We are delighted to see them hit their 50 year anniversary and we wish them all the best for the next 50.”
For more information on TEK Groups products and services:
t: 01892 515028,
e: sales@tekseating.co.uk
Tim McCabe – a rugby history in words and images
“My Dad said, “you’d better come outside and I’ll throw you a rugby ball in the garden as you’ll be playing rugby at your new school”.
Up until that time I was just a footballer.
I joined The Skinners’ School in September 1981, and played my first training game at their Southfields pitches.
I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to do, but a bit like ‘Forest Gump’ (with a quarter of the pace), I found myself with the ball.
I ran forward knocking over everything and anyone in my way. I placed the ball down and scored a try. Ian Bradbury, my Welsh form teacher and rugby enthusiast said, “you are a Hooker”.
And the following week, Mr Bradbury made me Captain.
I captained the team for the next 5 years. With my rugby prowess infinitely better than my academic record, I left.
At 16 I played my first Adult game for Westerham RFC (now sadly no longer).
Placed in the front row, against Dover. I was sandwiched between two policemen. They looked after me on the pitch and afterwards in the bar.
I then went onto join TWRFC playing colts, for a brief season. I also played U16s for Kent. However a house move to live back at my parents meant that I joined Eastbourne RFC Colts and Seniors where I also played Sussex U18 and U20s.
I started work in London in January 1990, and I then had multiple options to play. I represented various companies at Advertising 7s rugby. I also trained in the off-season at Clapham Common playing rugby netball.
From ’92 I went on to represent and Captain the EAARFC (English Advertising Agencies) and the Media Nomads. The latter a hard, socialising and touring Sunday side. We holidayed (!) in most of Europe and the USA.
I played for the Stray Dogs RFC, mainly against tough Welsh opposition and had a cheeky run out for Basildon RFC to play with my brother in law.
My ‘club’ rugby across this period was spent for 11 seasons flitting between OMT’s (Old Merchant Taylors) RFC and Old Wimbledonians. Due to work commitments I could only make sporadic training sessions in the evening, so I found myself nicely nestled in 2nd XV team Rugby.
In 2001, I moved with my family to Tunbridge Wells. I re-joined TWRFC. I played mostly with the 2nd XV and had one trip to Portsmouth for my first and only 1st XV cap. From 2005 I was eligible for Vets XV (35 years of age). And that year toured with the club to Denia in Spain – the Easter Chicken Tour (don’t ask!).
It was about this time that I got embroiled in the Mini and Youth sections of TWRFC, as my eldest Max, turned 6.
It was aso at this point that I started to get heavily involved with non-playing aspects of the club: coaching; Chairing; reffing; kitchen cooking; comparing; auctioning; BBQ’ing; tournaments, club house development and Kiwi camps.
I coached both my boy’s age groups, finally getting to play rugby with them last Boxing Day (2019). And we would have had a fantastic re-union with both age groups who are now all eligible to play senior rugby – I guess that will have to be next season now.
I retired from regular Saturday matches in 2012. The body couldn’t take the weekly punishment and the knees weren’t enjoying scrum time. However what I found was I couldn’t keep away from the sport or the club. I continued to have the odd run-out every year from then onwards.
I still play with a club side from Scotland- Waid FP Rugby Club’s Buccaneers. I have represented them on Tour, also playing alongside some of them for the Scottish Members of Parliament RFC – playing against ‘The House of Commons and Lords RFC’. Again drafting in some TWRFC club members and my Max.
My weekends in a normal season; consist of me on a Saturday morning reffing at Skinners’ (this I will continue now my boys have left the school), then going to the club to watch the 1st XV. On a Sundays I currently drop off Martha who helps run the Café (since she was 8) and I then either reff or help coach the U11’s.
The best thing about rugby is meeting your friends and joining them for a beer. Hopefully we can do that soon, and maybe, if you are very lucky, I can talk you through the try that I scored at ‘The Rec’ playing with my best TWRFC club mate Fran Colangelo!
Floreat Sodalitas – let fellowship flourish!”
I am looking for more contributions please – contact me at gwithers10@btinternet.com
chicken removal
Club memoirs – Nigel Follows
(PHOTO: the Three Musketeers- Tim McCabe, Paul Miles and Nigel)
I hope you enjoy reading the next in the series of club member profiles. This comes from a stalwart of the modern game…..”Big Nige” Follows.
“The secondary school I went to in South London during 1979-82 was predominantly a football/cricket/basketball school. However, in my final year there 3 teachers turned up who had an interest in rugby so, consequently, my first experience of the game was in 1982 playing in the front row and also kicking conversions ……the theory then being that to kick a heavy-ish old style Gilbert ball that you needed a big lump to kick it…..
My next secondary school (Croydon at the time had a weird system of secondary schooling) did not play rugby, however the Head of PE had played for London Welsh and was keen to get me playing for a local club. He recommended Shirley Wanderers (now Croydon RFC), where I started in the back row before finishing in the front row, but playing in all sorts of positions when returning from university including fullback and centre….!
I effectively played there in Colts and senior teams until 2000, apart from a brief 3 season interlude at Rosslyn Park, where I made the transition from back row to front row with the help of a wonderful coach called Phil Keith-Roach. (Note from the Editor – many of you will know that Mr Keith-Roach went on to be the scrum coach to England’s 2003 World Cup winning team: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Keith-Roach)
I did, actually play my first 1st XV team game at Shirley Wanderers at 17 in the front row when I was playing in the back row but due to injury moved to front row during the game (it wasn’t a pleasant experience!) My time at Rosslyn Park ended with me rupturing my ACL in my right knee and a change in job location.
By the time my oldest son was 6 in 2003 (turning 7 in November of that year), we had lived in East Sussex for 7 years so returning to Shirley Wanderers/Croydon RFC was not an option and we were equidistant really between East Grinstead, TJs and Tunbridge Wells. Someone gave me Peter Vernon’s phone number, and he suggested I turn up to minis training the next Sunday and to look for the U7s.
I duly turned up and was told to look for a guy with and an Italian sounding name, Fran “something or other” and he would be wandering round with a clipboard. Lo and behold I found Mr Colangelo and not only was he coaching the U7 minis (along with Neil Bagwell and Clinton Douch ),but he was also captain of the 4th team and so at 35 I was playing the next Saturday against Gravesend….I think alongside Fran.
From playing just a bit of social rugby, I ended up playing mostly with the 2s alongside Tim McCabe, Alan Metcalfe, Simon Parsons, Paul Ashworth, Andy Maynard, Tom Calloway, Pete Binham, Tiggy, Sedgy, Goggles and Graham Withers (I find it easier to remember the forwards). I did play 1s in a cup game at Sidcup where, following being elbowed in the eye (by Pete Binham?!?), I tore my knee cartilage quite badly.
Following surgery to sort out the cartilage and playing more 2’s rugby, I started training again and very surprisingly for me was selected to play against Hove (away, which might be the reason why!) for the first team at about 42 years old (Milo and Sedge were older – phew!) and then played for the ones for the next 2 – 3 seasons, unfortunately in sides that got relegated. That first year back playing first team rugby in London 1 South with Milo, Harry, Sedgy, Tiggy (sorry forwards again ! ) and coached by Jim and Mav, was something I enjoyed massively despite relegation. It was also great playing with some of the young guys from Skinners making their first team debuts, like Cam Corcoran, Ben Madgwick, Rory Reames and others.
Following an Achilles injury and a season’s break, I came back to playing again for the 2s and 3s and have been very fortunate to play with my two oldest sons, Tom and Cameron. I have yet to play with Elliot, my youngest son largely due to Covid, but I hope to be able to do this which will mean at least one more season.
My introduction to the club as mentioned previously was via the minis/juniors, and I am proud that all 3 boys have been through the club and have played senior rugby and that I have helped with their age groups, in particular Tom’s. It is great that the club encourages the junior sides to tour and I have been on some great tours with junior sides – Biarritz, Provence, Jersey and Champagne in particular spring to mind. The guys who run and do most of the coaching of the minis and junior sides do an amazing job – Clinton Douch, Fran Colangelo, Neil Bagwell, Rob Booth, Tim Champion, Simon Ingman, Rob Game, Malcolm Clarke, Dave Brockman to name but a few.
So after Elliot, my youngest son had finished playing junior rugby at the club I thought I would have Sundays off during the season, however my daughter piped up that she would like to have a go. So off we trek back to the club again on a Sunday for Megan to play. Milo, Ollie Allman and Steve Pengelly coach the side and have done an amazing job, and the side has been pretty successful. Megan absolutely loves playing in the team and just has so much fun, either playing or training. A mention should go to Simon Parsons who is Director of Rugby for the Ladies.”
So you know the format by now – please don’t be shy. I am looking for some more club recollections so please send your personal memoirs (with some of your favourite photos) to me at gwithers10@btinternet.com. If you want more details or background then I am happy to chat you through the process.
GW
RFU Suspends Community Rugby
The RFU has suspended all community rugby activity until further notice following the government’s new national lockdown.
All TWRFC rugby matches and training are suspended until further notice.
Chairman’s New Year Message
As 2020 has drawn to a close and we start the new year I thought it timely to provide a little update on TWRFC.
It has been a challenging year for the club with virtually no senior rugby to talk of and an interrupted and rather constrained Colts/Youth/Ladies/Mini’s rugby. Despite the adversity I’m pleased to share that TWRFC is thriving.
One of our key purposes at TWRFC is to be a centre of sporting excellence in Tunbridge Wells for all players at whatever level they are able to compete, our ability to do this has been heavily constrained throughout 2020 by both the Government and RFU guidelines. During this year our focus has inevitably shifted to maintaining a Covid-safe environment for our members, retaining our strong club-community and safeguarding the financial future of the club through these difficult times.
In-spite of the challenging environment, we have kept the Youth/Ladies/Mini’s active at times when they have really needed it. I would like to recognise and thank all the coaches and volunteers who have worked so hard to deliver the maximum programme of rugby permitted within the constraints. Whilst I’m sure all of us in the rugby community had appetite for more, it was still great to be able to offer the rugby we did, and the positive feedback and support we received across the club was much appreciated. I’d also like to thank Martin for keeping us on the straight and narrow as regards the ever-changing and indecipherable Covid requirements. To call out a few highlights from the youth section:
- We have record numbers of family/youth members (over 650 youth players)
- Out U6’s hit a new record for membership, breaking through the 125 mark for an age group
- The Ladies numbers have risen yet again with all teams playing great rugby and enjoying the game. It’s particularly pleasing to see the advent of the Under 11s section which looks set to improve the pipeline of players into the older Ladies age-groups.
- The Academy are back to full strength and challenging at the right levels. Even making a final… that was never played!
- We also got the Kiwi camp away which gave lots of kids a fantastic outlet in the summer.
Prior to the pandemic, the first XV played some fantastic exciting attacking rugby resulting in a healthy (above Sevenoaks) finish to the 2019/20 season. They have established themselves fully in L&SE premier and I know they are now keen to push on and challenge themselves for promotion. Looking forward, Simon Whatling has been joined by Dave Marshall as our new DoR and Ben Kayser as our new forward’s coach. We have the best coaching team in the area and these guys should be a magnet to new members. Not sure Ben will thank me for the photo I used! We don’t really know what the rest of the season holds, hopefully the first XV will take part in a friendly local tournament with teams like Sevenoaks, Westcombe Park, Dorking etc. Which would be an excellent opportunity to get behind your club and enjoy a celebratory atmosphere. I am optimistic that the rest of our senior rugby and academy will ‘hopefully’ get going soon and get some rugby under their (ever growing) belts.
Importantly we have also kept a very keen eye on our finances. Our income has been severely impacted by the pandemic: Many of our sponsors are themselves under pressure, and I’d very much like to thank those who continue to support the club in these difficult times, Inevitably a few were unable to continue to support the club to the extent they had done previously. We also had to cancel all our usual fun (and fundraising) events; and have seen the bar sales reduced to nil. Typically, sponsorship, bar and events would account for roughly 2/3rds of our revenue. We have sought to replace as much of the lost revenue as we could, though new sources (puppy clubs, fitness clubs, school rentals etc. even a football academy), maximising the revenue opportunities afforded by the café (Thanks to Martha and crew). We were also able to secure a couple of grants and take advantage of VAT reduction and deferment schemes. We have managed to significantly reduce our costs. Expenditure has been watched by everybody like a hawk to ensure we are as lean as possible.
Typically, membership subscriptions account for the remaining ~third of our revenue. This season we encouraged membership to be paid early and in full where possible, and helped by the switch to Spond, 65% of membership subscriptions were paid prior to the start of the season. There are still a small number of members who could help us here…. We have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity in donating funds from cancelled tours, cancelled youth balls and supporting the club in many other ways. Thank you everyone, for working hard to achieve the above. I am delighted to say despite the unusual circumstances we are in good financial health and have clear visibility of cash to see us through to next season. Special thanks as always to Don Bailey for taking on the extra work requires to afford us month-to-month forecasting.
Off the pitch, we have secured new volunteers who are doing ever broader roles for the club. Our press and marketing group in particular has grown fantastically. Thank you for some amazing articles, great coverage, good sponsor interaction and of course those fun videos. Our members also engaged in helping the locally community, and collectively raised £6,000 for Nourish and Hospice in the Weald, through the 6-nations challenge; and the U13s race between kids/parents to Rome.
Looking towards St. Mark – during 2020 we invested in the clubhouse and grounds: new PA system outside, new sound system inside, new Café, new decking and gazebo (see photo). We have kept up progress of our 3G planning application (thanks to Richard Bains). The club is progressing our development plans and with our planning consultation back (and positive) we have created a new Development committee under the leadership of Steve Daly to progress our ambitions here. If you have time to help, then do let Steve know (steve@ascenderconsulting.co.uk).
Moving into 2021, all sections will continue to deliver as much rugby as the Government and RFU allow us to. We know how important this is and we can’t wait to get some fixtures delivered too. As soon as circumstances permit; we also hope to be able to gather our membership and enable some very much needed and valued social interaction. Can’t wait to get that club room open when it is safe to do so, and enjoy a pint with friends.
And with that thought of a pint with friends I wish you all a Happy New Year. Let it bring health, happiness and lots of rugby!
COYW
Mike
“VPs – A History” – Phil Sprackling Snr
PHOTO: Back Line: Juan – Big Phil – David Kneeling: Bill – Little Phil
“It was the autumn of 1952 that I had my first game of rugby at centre for Tunbridge Wells (it was Old Skinners then) I remember two things of that game: 1) The fly half Guy Batchelor, who became a good friend later, did not past the ball to me once and 2)I had my first beer afterwards in the Imperial in Southborough.
I really started regularly in 1957 – after National Service, I was in the “A XV” under Pete Jefferies – we were still playing at Southborough – Southfields, so it meant changing at the school walking a mile to the ground and back – wash in the school basins then head off for a beer – Our HQ then was The Cross Keys. Over the next few years we changed pubs numerous times The Camden, The Culverden, (both now gone) The George and finally the Sussex Oaks run by Dennis Lane – father of Joe, who played for our 1st XV. Then, thank goodness, we built the first clubhouse at St Marks – in the first year we grossed £1,000 but the profit was nil – the then Chairman and bar steward left immediately…….
By this time, I was captain of the “Glorious A” and continued to be so for the next umpteen years. Occasionally, I played in the 1st XV where on one memorable occasion I broke my ankle up at Osterley – this started a love/hate relationship with the Kent and Sussex Hospital – they despised all people in dirty striped shirts who arrived there on a Saturday evening! Nose broken 3 times, dislocated arm and more stitches in my head and body than I care to remember.
In 1965 we moved to St Austell in Cornwall, where I played in the back row for the 1st team and we went a whole season without a loss. This brought me my only representative honours in the game I love. I was selected several times for ‘Cornish Clubs’ XV, and once had the privilege to play alongside Richard Sharp (ex England fly-half) who had just moved back to St Austell.
There was one other game when I played with two current internationals for Tunbridge Wells 2nd XV. Colin Smart came up from Newport for the weekend and bought a friend Jeff Squire (who confided in me that he had never played “course rugby”). As the first XV did not want to “upset their squad” I commandeered them for the afternoon. We travelled down to Plumpton and the first site of the ground was the metal posts leaning askew at a 15 degree angle! We changed in a small wooden shed with nails to hang your clothes on and cold water afterwards to wash. Jeff loved it and scored 4 tries and admitted “I’ve never run so far without being tackled”.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of my rugby life, was one day on a cold wet pitch at Hadlow College. I played with my four sons (all who played for TWRFC 1st XV) against an Old Juddians side and we won 6 – 3.
I continued playing until 1987 – including captaining the only time TWRFC fielded a 6th team. The only instructions I gave the boys that day was, we will play it the ‘old way’ i.e a stop at the Weald pub before the game for a quick pint and no going home early to the wife after it was over – we won and all enjoyed it. The last game I played was away to Old Gravesendians when I snapped the other upper arm tendon!
That started me on refereeing – firstly at TW and then for the Kent Society. Great fun and thanks to Clive Evans and my instant availability, I got one or two good games well above my status. My Presidential responsibilities for 11 years then prevented any further involvement on the pitch. Now, every Saturday I’m at the pitch-side and thanks to Wicko and friends I get ferried to away games. Funnily enough when we come back from away games we stop off at the Imperial in Southborough – nothing changes. COYB.”