Chairman Mark Raby writes: Well, what a weekend to finish a great month off on, our Juniors & Colts made us all proud to be part of this amazing set up at Nailsea & Backwell. Where do we start, Saturday 29th a Big Thanks to Joe Swanson for arranging a Colts and 3rd team game at home against a couple of Kingswood touring teams, this turned into a great day for the club, the atmosphere was buzzing considering initially we didn’t have any fixtures. Our Colts won a great game 61-5 in front of a large crowd supporting both teams. A Kingswood Rep sent us the below;
"On behalf of all that came to Nailsea & Backwell RFC on Saturday, thank you very much for making us so welcome and hosting so well. Your players and staff couldn't do enough. Special thanks to Joe Swanson for his organisation of the whole day leading up to and including on the day, despite the fact he was on holiday. Nothing was too much trouble for Joe and what an asset he is to your club. He made our little Tour absolutely amazing. Thanks again, Derek"
U15's Semi-Final Combination Plate:
Sunday 30th March, our U15s played Cleve at home in the Semi-final of the Combination Plate where they won 33-5 taking them into the final in a few weeks, there was a great turn out for the Lads which cheered them onto victory, one of the coaches Carl Broaders has said: We knew Cleve would turn up and give us a very tough test and the way they came at us in the first 10 mins proved that way. We got off to the best possible start with a try from 15m out in the first 4 mins which set the tone. Playing up the hill our boys were put under a lot of pressure after they scored their try to make it 5-5 and with little possession, our defensive sets and scrum set piece really kicked in and we started to dominate the contact area. Seeing more of the ball with some outstanding turn over work in the rucks we went more direct with our attacking play splitting their defence and going under the posts. This was a turning point in the match which had a big impact on momentum and with their confidence growing the boys went in again to finish the half in a commanding lead 26 - 5 The second half started in similar fashion with a lot of defensive hard work to keep Cleve in their own half but with the boys showing great line speed, solid tackling we really began to win the big collusions and turn their ball over, this really started to tell in the last 15 mins. We put the final points on the board with 8 mins to go to make it 33-5 and completed what was a very good, collective effort for our squad and one which makes us coaches immensely proud of the boys reaching a final which is something special for this great group of players. We can’t thank everyone enough that turned out to watch the boys, they loved playing in front of you and let’s hope we can get as many to the final as possible and replicate what our 1st team have done this season .. bring home some silverware.
U14's
To Finish the weekend off our U14s were on tour representing our club in Woolacombe playing Ilfracombe & Whitehall from Bristol winning both games & treating the lads to a high ropes course, great fun was had.
Note from the Junior Chair:
As we approach the end of the season our junior ravens are not only playing some fantastic rugby, but also enjoying bonding as teams and showing the true rugby RESPECT traits. Both the 14's girls and boys teams have already toured and a number of other age groups will be heading out in the coming weeks, we wish the teams fun and camaraderie and real team spirit! We are also entering the tournament part of the season, both the Under 11's & Under 12's have enjoyed a superb day out at the Land Rover Cup hosted by Bristol Bears last weekend. The Under 9's have enjoyed a Bristol Bears tournament held at Ashton Gate this month and the 12's also enjoyed a tournament hosted by St Brendan's this month. All the children have displayed superb team ethics and excellent rugby skills. We look forward to the last official month of the season and hope the children all excel in their last matches before the summer.
Touch Rugby:
Well done to our Nailsea Touch Rugby team who won the Bristol Touch League Plate 3-2 in a hard-fought game a couple of weeks ago, coming away undefeated in the league. Our other Nailsea team” The Nailsea Relics” finished with a 4-2 win coming in a respectable 11th in the league.
Walking Rugby:
Last weekend our Walking Rugby squad “The Silver Ravens” went on tour to Newton Abbot to play a couple of other walking rugby teams from the area, Newton Abbot & Topsham, Coach Mark Bohin (DOWR) said "Our first tour was a great success linking up with other clubs both on and off the pitch, its all about taking the game forward and we have a great squad at our club going from strength to strength".
Up & Coming Club Events:
Colts Race Night 4 April
It's A Knockout 21 June
Beer & Cider Festival 18 - 20 July
Please support these 3 great events and have a great time in the process, it all helps take our club forward.
Dates for your Diary:
This year’s Club Annual general meeting will be held on Wednesday 25th June, more information will follow but please put it in your diary as we encourage everyone to attend.
Continued Club Committee Meeting Invite:
The next club committee is Monday 7th April at 7:30pm & we have a few spaces, if any club member would like to come along and sit on this meeting, please give one of the committee a shout, we are open to ideas and suggestions that might help take our club forward.
Finally:
Good luck to our Senior 1st team on Saturday 12th April when they travel to Penzance to take on the Pirates Amateurs in the Papa John’s Cup.
