Pelicans victory over Old Isleworthians

Here are some of the action shots taken during the try-fest game between Pinner Pelicans and Old Isleworthians. Match report and £10 Charity Day photographs to follow………. enjoy, we’ll see many of them on Facebook no doubt!

Pinner Pelicans bask in the sunshine

For the second week in succession the crowd at Shaftesbury Playing Fields enjoyed an entertaining afternoon of open rugby when the Pelicans played hosts to Old Isleworthians. From the onset Pinner attacked and were awarded a scrum on the visitor’s 22.  From this the ball was moved left and centre Richard Southam stormed through for a try converted by full-back Mark Razzell.  With only a quarter of an hour gone Pinner were on the score board again when scrum-half Simon Griffiths broke clear to get the second try also converted by Razzell.  Pinner, now playing with confidence, continued to attack and with a strong run from half-way centre Thomas Cobb got the third.  Pelicans now had a 21 – 0 lead with only a quarter of the match gone but O I’s were not giving up and from the kick-off their centre made ground up field before moving the ball to the left wing where Les Chaffe, normally the Pelican’s skipper but playing as a substitute for the visitors touched down in the corner.  This he realised would cost him dear in the bar after the match.  Pelicans full-back Mark Razzell had obviously brought his kicking boots and next landed a penalty from the half-way line.  The forth home try was not long in coming when Cobb burst through the centre to find Griffiths in support.  Razzell added the extra two points plus another penalty from the 10m line to bring the half time score to 34 -5 to the Pelicans.

O I’s obviously had a pep-talk during the interval as, with the wind behind them, they dominated the next 20 minutes scoring two tries in quick succession before P&G’s could recover from the interval.  The home side hit back with yet another try from Griffiths who sold a few dummies in a 30 yard break.  Razzell again added 2 points to bring the score to 41 – 19 but OI’s were not finished when their impressive centre cut through the Pinner defence to score under the posts and then added the two points himself.  At 41 – 26 Pinner were looking a bit shaky but fly-half David Luiz wrong-footed the visitor’s defence to score Pelican’s sixth try and Razzell to added 2 more points to bring his match tally to 18.  As tiredness crept in the O I’s centre landed a long range drop goal.  With time running out and Pinner conceding a couple of penalties on their own 22 Old Isleworthians got their fifth try to bring the final score to 48 – 34 to the Pelicans.

Players and members then adjourned to the Clubhouse to celebrate Deryck Westwood Day in  memory of a former Vice-president who played for the Club in its first season in 1934 and who left a bequest when he died in 1995 for members to mark his birthday each October.

Sooopa Sarries Sunday – Pinner RFC beyond pitch-side!

After a disappointing weekend of International Rugby at the World Cup; apart of course the Welsh – llon.gyfarchion , ddeisyfwn ‘ch bydew i mewn ‘r semi finals it was up to Pinner Mini and Youth Sections to brighten up the day!

After a terrific morning of training and friendly matches with a friends from Hackney Bulls many of the players and parents jumped into their cars, put on their clean Pinner tops and headed off to Vicarage Road for the Aviva Premiership match against Newcastle Falcons

Through the Saracens club Partnership program we had secured a number of tickets which allowed children to go free and for reduced prices for adults.

Apart from watching live Premiership rugby, what else caused this exodus?

Well, a great day was install for the players; representing Pinner Youth, Mini Section and players from the Little Rugby Academy were guest of Saracens and formed the Guard of Honour for both the teams as they exploded onto the pitch, being that close up we saw what giants these rugby players were and how they were focused on the game in hand, even so, one player managed to get his hair ruffled by a passing Saracens player!

During the half time interval Pinner Under 7s and Under 8s were invited to play on the pitch, demonstrating their skills during a TAG rugby game, Pinner having the honour of being the only club to be represented and enjoyed every minute running around on the quality pitch, scoring tries and taking Tags. Coaches Andy Nash and Richard Evans were extremely proud of the display you put on, their beaming smiles being broadcasted on the big screen, cheered on by over 5,000 home supporters (including a few Pinner senior members doted around the ground)

What a great experience, a great day and one that will hopefully remain in the memory of all the young players who attended.

Saracens won, by the way!

Here’s (a lot) of photographs from the day, enjoy

Oh by the way, I was interviewed by ESPN/Sky Sports News before the game, if anyone has seen it or recorded game firstly, did I look fat on the telly! and secondly, is there a copy of it I can have a butchers at? (cheers Spud)

A big thank you to Steve and Richard at Saracens and a special thank you to Jo Talbot for organising everything today

Scorching sun shines on Pinner RFC first win of the season

On Saturday 1^st October saw Royston RFC make the long journey to Pinner RFC for the fourth match of the season in the Herts/Middlesex Division 2 League

The unusual weather (not complaining mind you) was always going be to be a factor in what is usually a fast paced encounter; sun cream, shades and stripping off shirts is not normal for rugby in October!

With the Pelicans game kicking off at 2.30 the first team were able to give their support from the touchline and the shade for a couple of minutes before grouping and getting focused for their match.

Pinner came out of the blocks straight from the whistle, the ball flowing from the forwards to the backs creating simple but effective moves, working the ball deep into the Royston half. This pressure proved too much for the opponents and they conceded an early penalty. Unlike, England star Wilkinson Blane Healey comfortably put the ball between the uprights; 3-0 to Pinner

From the restart, Pinner found themselves  in their own half defending quick ball from the Royston backs, passing out wide to their number 15, unfortunately, after the tackle was made the referee blew for a penalty for Royston for a Pinner player coming in from an offside position. At this point, Captain Reza sibilant called his pack together and just reminded them to keep aware of their position when going into rucks; a reminder that wasn’t required for a while during the first half. The penalty was missed by the Royston spot kicker.

It was now Pinner who were back on the attack, the ball being kicked in their own 22, Pinner took chase, passing the ball through a number of Royston flaying hands, Alex Goring received a pop pass and ran over the tryline for a try, the conversion was again neatly put over the bar by on form Blane Healy. 10-0

Despite the increasing heat, the game was living upto the expectation; fast paced, good handling and at this stage not many penalties given away. Just before the agree water break Royston were awarded a penalty, converted leaving the score 10-3 as the ‘new water boy’ dashed on (walked steadily) to refresh a very hot team.

The restart saw Pinner on the insurgence again, great play from Craig Lane putting the opposition under pressure, looking to pick up the loose players missed Aaron who by the eyes of the ref gave a forward pass. But Pinner were now very confident and felt that a victory was on the cards, continued pressure forcing errors from Royston and they were duly punished by the boot of Blane Healy, converting taking Pinner further on to 13-3 lead.

Half time approached with Pinner looking the keenest to restart, very positive team talks by Captain Reza Sibilant and vice captain Simon Whitcombe keeping the focus on the victory that was possibly going to be theirs.

The intention was clear, the forwards working hard to secure the ball, working almost in tandem, James Byrne and Aaron Nicholas making drives after drives, making the ball available for Sibilant, Lane and Whitcombe to make charging runs forcing the Royston defence to make more errors. This continued pressure gained another penalty for Pinner, again Blane Healy was on target; 16-3

With the sun now starting to roast not only the players but also the Pinner supporters (many now bare chested and displaying what could only be described as ‘not a pretty sight!’) another water break was needed.

From the restart Pinner were on the rampage, great mauling by captain and vice captain allowing scrum half Craig Lane to show us his ‘magic with beautiful passing to the backs. The game continued in the Royston half, Pinner applying more and more pressure, the forwards dominating scrums, rucks and mauls, the could sense a victory. A neat little exchange saw Martin Goodwin charge and cross the tryline; only for it to be pulled back as it was deemed to be a forward pass, a distraught Mr Goodwin slowly made his way back to join his team mates.

A penalty awarded to Pinner allowed them to take a line out deep in the visitors 22 after a lovely kick from newly named ‘magician’ (Blane),line out won, ball back in hand, Martin Goodwin showed why he has made man of the match with some great skills and passing saw the ball pass down the line for Chris Jepson to finally show his pace, skirted two tackles and placed the ball under the posts for another try to Pinner. Blane again kicked the conversion for the last play of the match.

It was obvious to see on the faces of the Pinner team, they enjoyed their victory 23-3

Saturday, 01 October 2011
Ickenham	12 – 50	Harrow
Kilburn Cosmos	41 – 10	Old Isleworthians
London French	10 – 46	Uxbridge
Old Abbotstonians	12 – 46	Old Merchant Taylors’
Pinner & Grammarians	23 – 3	Royston

Herts/Middlesex 2	Short Format Long Format
Team P W D L F A Diff B Pts Pts Adjust Harrow 4 4 0 0 145 47 98 3 19 0 Uxbridge 4 4 0 0 143 30 113 2 18 0 Old Merchant Taylors’ 4 4 0 0 146 49 97 2 18 0 Kilburn Cosmos 3 3 0 0 90 19 71 2 14 0 Pinner & Grammarians 4 1 0 3 70 99 -29 2 6 0 Old Isleworthians 4 1 0 3 59 93 -34 1 5 0 London French 3 1 0 2 36 73 -37 1 5 0 Old Abbotstonians 4 1 0 3 44 107 -63 1 5 0 Royston 3 1 0 2 35 63 -28 0 4 0 Old Grammarians 3 0 0 3 45 74 -29 2 2 0 Ickenham 4 0 0 4 25 184 -159 0 0 0
Last Updated: Oct 1 2011 6:04PM

Pinner versus Harrow Saturday 24th September

Pinner visited local rivals Harrow this Saturday, match report etc to follow, in the meantime here’s some photos to be getting on with

Pinner’s woes continue.

For the first time since the league system was introduced the two local teams met at Grove Field on Saturday.  Pinner has made a shaky start to the season whilst newly promoted Harrow are unbeaten.  P&G’s made a bright start but with only 5 minutes gone they conceded a penalty for a high tackle. The home scrum half put his side ahead from 40 metres.  Pinner continued to attack and hooker Aaron Nicholas was unlucky with the bounce after chasing a kick ahead.  He redeemed the situation by felling two Harrow players who had gathered the ball.  P&G’s, winning the ball in mid-field, moved the ball swiftly through several players for Bernie Richer to score behind the posts.  Debutant David Blane added the conversion to put the visitors 7 – 3 up.   The teams seemed evenly matched for the next quarter until an ill advised quick kick-off from the P&G 22 brought a line-out to the home side 10 metres from the goal line.  Harrow won the line-out and drove over for a try which was converted.  Again the P&G kick-off gave the ball to Harrow who move swiftly up-field to score on the left. The conversion was once more successful.  More was still to come as P&G’s were penalised for handling in the ruck on their own 22.  Harrow, sensing the visitors defence was not organised, took a quick penalty to score their third try.  In the space of ten minutes Pinner had slipped from 7 -3 ahead to 22 – 7 down at half-time.

The second half saw Harrow gain in confidence but Pinner reduced the deficit when Blane landed a 35 metre penalty after Harrow had gone off-side at a ruck.  The home backs now came more into the game with the speed and elusiveness of their wingers causing problems to the visitors.  The bonus point try came after 13 minutes when they worked the ball to the right.  The conversion was successful.  Pinner continued to press and set up several attacks but as the half-hour approached the referee failed to spot a blatant off-side by Harrow allowing them to score their fifth try.  Ten minutes later Harrow won a line-out on the right and quickly fed the ball across their backs to score an unconverted try on the left wing.  P&G’s once more rallied and winning the ball from a ruck following a line-out in their own 22 got the ball to Richter who, as he had done the previous week, galloped 70 metres to score a consolation try wide out on the right bringing the final score to 41 – 15 to the home team.

Next Saturday Pinner, hoping for a change in fortune, host Royston in the Herts / Middx Div 2 match at Shaftesbury Playing Fields whilst the Pelicans XV welcome Hampstead IV’s.

Having a first team and second team out at the same time costs club victories

On Saturday 17th September Pinner RFC hosted a League fixture whos opponents Old Merchant Taylors proved that pre-season games were the key to early success, playing at the same time were the Pelicans against Uxbridge 2 (a late replacement for Notholt who were not able to field a team). At the time of writing this I am awaiting match reports from both games, until they come hot off the email systems here are some photographs of the games to keep you interested!

Match report for the Pelicans, cheers to Mark

Saturday the 17th of September saw the first game of the Pinner second teams season. Although unattached to a league, the pelicans have a regular turn out and play in numerous friendly matches throughout the year, with the first of the season to be against Uxbridge 2nd team.

Uxbridge have had four games already this year having kicked off their campaign in the merit league some weeks previous, so it was with some trepidation that the Pinner team stepped on to the field to meet the challenge. Conditions were good and the pitches at Hatch End have benefitted hugely from the investment and care given to them during the off season.

Uxbridge received the first kick and immediately displayed their intent by challenging up front and testing the defence. The challenge was met, however, and the rag tag team of Pinner boys made it clear they were not going to be a push over. The ball was recycled on numerous occasions and the Uxbridge team worked their way slowly up the field, but the defence held strong for considerable time. In the 7th minute though, Pinner were found to be in breach of the laws and a penalty was awarded to the Uxbridge team, who duly took the three points in order to get the scoreboard going. This was the first strike in what would prove to be a relatively high scoring game.

Just a few minutes later, Uxbridge were again pushing their way up the field and again found themselves in the Pinner 22. The defence had been sucked in and Uxbridge utilised this to their full advantage, shipping the ball half way along the line until it found it’s way in to the number 8’s hands who managed to force his way through half a gap and crash over the line despite the stretched defences attempts to stop him. The conversion was successful, making it 10-0 after 10 minutes.

This seemed to awaken the Pelicans from their slumber and they began to really put the pressure on. The forwards did some great work to secure and maintain possession and the backs began to show their capabilities. Two attempts to break the line proved agonisingly close, but Uxbridge were clinging on and working a scramble defence to try and subdue the onslaught, but eventually Pinner’s front foot attitude paid off, with Angus ‘Goose’ Wilson crossing under the sticks.

The two teams continued to trade blows for the remainder of the first half, but it was Pinner who were dominating and stretching the defensive capabilities of Uxbridge. Time and time again they made their way forward, only to fail at the final hurdle. Clearly their clinical finishing needed some work, but they had a positive platform to build on going in to the second half.

Right from the off of the second half, Pinner went straight back at the opposition. Within the first 10 minutes, their attacking play paid dividends. Fly half Chris Hall broke the line and made a dash for it, crossing under the sticks again, to the delight of kicker Mark Razzell who was very grateful for another easy conversion. The momentum was now well and truly with Pinner and they carried the ball forward at every opportunity. With 20 minutes to go, Pinner were back in their half but with possession. After a won line-out, the ball was fed out to Mark Razzell who grubbered the ball through the line. Picked up by the attacking line, they paced the entire field before being fed back to Razzell who crossed the line and then converted the try.

The game seemed won, but complacency was most certainly the enemy now. Pinner failed to recognise this threat and threw the game away in the last 10 minutes. Uxbridge found themselves with a little bit of space initially, and the fly-half touched down under the posts. Then the forwards had a go shortly after ad closed the gap further. In the dying moments, pass was thrown to the Uxbridge outside centre which bounced forward off his shoulder to be collected by the support. Unfortunately, the referee failed to notice this infringement and, owing to the nature of the pass, Uxbridge again crossed the line. With no time left and 1 point in it, the Uxbridge kicker put them one point ahead and, ultimately, gave them the win.

Disappointing for Pinner, but it was a great day of rugby and both teams upheld the respect of the game and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Hopefully in the future Pinner won’t count their chickens before they’ve hatched!

Final score 29-28

Pinner’s late come-back not enough

In the first home league match of the season P&G’s entertained Old Merchant Taylors at Hatch End.  The pitches at Shaftesbury Playing Fields were in magnificent condition as a result of the £46000 drainage improvements and re-seeding funded by the RFU with a small contribution from the LB of Harrow. The Pinner pack dominated much of the early scrums to keep play in the OMT’s half.  The visitors then broke out and Pinner’s lack of discipline at the break-down cost them three points when Craig Foster put OMT’s 3 – 0 up from the resulting penalty.  With 20 minutes gone OM’s attempted to kick-out from their own 22 only to find P&G full-back Boue [acute accent on the ‘e’]  who took the ball back to the opponents half.  OM’s were penalised for not releasing in the tackle.  P&G’s took a quick penalty, scrum half Lane chipped forward for hooker Aaron Nicholas to score. The conversion was unsuccessful putting the score at  5-3.  OM’s were soon back in the lead when Pinner were deemed off-side on their own 22 and Foster added the 3 points.  Five minutes later following a scrum on the P&G’s 5 metre line the OM’s scrum-half Tom Davies sold a dummy to score close in.  Foster added the conversion to bring the score to 13 – 5 for the visitors.  With half-time approaching Pinner won a scrum on their 22 but failed to clear their lines  allowing OM’s to move the ball swiftly to the left for no. 14 James Hiliary to score.  Half-time found the visitors 18 – 5 ahead.

Pinner started the second half rather as they had the first creating several scoring opportunities.  Lack of match practice again showed with wrong options being taken or players not supporting the ball carrier. Towards the end of the third quarter play moved on to the P&G 22 where once again the home side were off-side.  Foster landed the penalty to take the score to 21 – 5.  Pinner finally woke up when home winger John Kirby intercepted a pass deep in his own half to put in a powerful 60 m run down the left wing, brushing off several opponents to score under the posts.  The simple conversion was missed, the score now 21 -10.  On the half-hour OM’s again attacked and another dummy found P&G’s backs out of position for Hiliary to score his second try. The conversion by Foster boosted the lead to 28 – 10.  A few minutes later a poor scrum by OMT’s in their own 22 allowed P&G captain and flanker Reza Sibilant to drive over to reduce the deficit.  Again the conversion failed but from the re-start Warren Woad broke out from the 22 to feed Bernie Richter, playing at centre to set off on a galloping 70 m run to the line shrugging of opponents en route.  Captain Sibilant took over the kicking duties to convert Pinner’s fourth try to narrow the score to 28 – 22.  OM nerves were jangling with P&G mading another strong run but the match ended at 28 – 22 to the visitors.  Pinner having scored four tries and losing by only 6 points gained 2 bonus points.

D Hiles

Pinner hosting Saracens Rugby Camp October half-term

Pinner Rugby Club are to host their second Rugby Camp. Teaming up with Saracens RFC there will be an opportunity to develop skills, techniques and learn more about individual positions during the October half-term holiday:

Thursday 27th & Friday 28th October.

Below is a description of the what the sessions involve, a link to the Saracens Rugby Camp booking form and further information.

The summer Rugby camp was very succesful and all those who attended have been very positive about their experiences.

Click on the image below to go to the Saracens Rugby Camp website

The Saracens Rugby Camp Programme is aimed at U7 – U16 playing age groups and provides organised, educational, inclusive and structured activities, utilising our experienced, qualified and award winning coaches from the Saracens Community team.

During the Half Term holidays the Saracens Community staff will create a professional, safe and friendly environment in which players can enjoy their rugby development. The camps have been designed to provide young players with a total rugby experience, contributing to their personal development on and off the field. The Saracens coaches will instil some of the values that drive our professional players, urging young talent to play with passion and commitment, respect and discipline whilst working effectively as a team.

On all of our Half Term courses each participant will be given feedback, providing information on areas of the game on which our coaches feel they require further development. In addition to this positive reinforcement will be given to individuals who display strength in their technique and skill applications.

On each course lunch break will be for one hour between the window of 12:00 – 13:30. This will vary depending on the content of each specific course and the numbers taking part.

Please see below details below regarding this specific course and to confirm if a hot lunch is included, if so a full menu will be provided to you in the days leading up to the course.

Specific Course Information:

Course: Saracens - Pinner Rugby Club – Two Day Skills Clinic

Venue: Pinner Rugby Club – (HA5 4PW)

Ages: U7 – U16

Normal Price: £56.00

Online Price 10% off: £50.00

Hot lunch provided: Yes

Description:

Participants will work closely in groups of the same/similar age with a number of different coaches on a range of skills each day. The club and experienced award winning coaching staff allow access for all rugby abilities and encourage TAG rugby players to attend in addition to those of an older age.

Typical Structure:
Day 1:
- Development through game play
- Individual skills & techniques
- Positive Continuity
- Contact avoidance
- Offloading
- Speed, Agility and Quickness
- Tackling / Tagging Techniques
- Ball Presentation

Day 2:
- Unit Skills
- Breakdown Management (Rucking, Leaching, and Ball presentation progressions)
- Forwards / Backs Split

Developed in consultation with the Saracens Academy to incorporate a vast range of skills included in the modern game of rugby the camp will provide the perfect balance of intensity fun, excitement and education for any young aspiring rugby player aged U6 – U16 utilising modern training techniques, with technical player focused sessions, alongside development through game play.
Coaches will pass on expert advice and professional tips, creating a fun and enjoyable environment to work on personal development concepts such as catch & pass, tackling technique, contact avoidance, offloading, and tactical decision making. The camp will also allow for players to work on unit development including areas such as rucking, leaching and defence organisation in addition to positional specific work, basic fitness tests and ideas behind different tactics on the pitch.
Whether you have been on a clinic before or are new to the Premier Rugby Academy this is an opportunity for players of all ages and positions to tune their rugby skills as well as develop new technique in a professional, fun and enjoyable environment alongside Saracens award winning community coaches and select professional players*

The intensity of each session will vary from station to station, and be controlled for each age group to ensure all participants energy levels are maintained throughout the course; this will enable maximum enjoyment during your time with Saracens.

For further Information please call 01707 285 026 or email jonathonbaker@saracens.net

Each booking is subject to a £2.50 handling fee.

*Saracens where possible will integrate players into the course; please be aware this is not always possible due to heavy training commitments during preseason. Should you wish to know more regarding player involvement please call 01707 285 026.

Top players on show:

Our camps’ philosophy is twofold. To provide participants with the opportunity to be coached by current Premiership stars. And to provide them with the opportunity to delve deeper into what it takes to reach the very top level in the game.

Every course will be visited by Premiership players, who’ll pass on tips on how to take your game to the next level. Previously, World Cup winning and British and Irish Lions legends Jason Robinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jonny Wilkinson, not to mention Charlie Hodgson, Mike Tindall, Pat Sanderson, Steve Borthwick, Tom Rees and a host of other Premiership Stars have all been on hand to help deliver a master class.

(Player appearances subject to availability)

Fixtures and times Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool B (the one that matters!)

Below are the Fixtures and times (GMT) for the Rugby World Cup 2011 Pool B

Please check website for information regarding clubhouse openings for matches – all England games at time of writing will be live at the clubhouse

Saturday 10^th September 2am

Scotland  v   Romania

Saturday 10^th September 9.30 am

Argentina  v   England

Wednesday 14^th September 8.30 am

Scotland  v   Georgia

Saturday 17^th September 4.30 am

Argentina  v   Romania

Sunday 18^th September 7.00 am

England v   Georgia

Saturday 24^th September 7.00 am

England v   Romania

Sunday 25^th September 8.30 am

Argentina  v  Scotland

Wednesday 28^th September 7.30 am

Georgia  v   Romania

Saturday 1^st October 8.30 am

England v Scotland

Sunday 2^nd October 1.00 am

Argentina  v   Georgia

RWC 2011 Quarterfinals Matches:

1st Quarter-final: 8th October
Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
(Wellington Regional Stadium, 0600 BST)

2nd Quarter-final: 8th October
Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
(Lancaster Park Stadium, 0830 BST)

3rd Quarter-final: 9th October
Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
(Wellington Regional Stadium, 0600 BST)

4th Quarter-final: 9th October
Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
(Lancaster Park Stadium, 0830 BST)

Rugby World Cup 2011 Semi final Matches:

1st Semi-final: 15th October
Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
(Eden Park, Auckland, 0900 BST)

2nd Semi-final: 16th October
Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
(Eden Park, Auckland, 0900 BST)

3rd Place Playoff: 21st October 2011

Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
(Eden Park, Auckland, 0830 BST)

Rugby World Cup 2011 Final:

Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
(Eden Park, Auckland, 0900 BST)

‘Sir Les’ and Spud take on Austin Healy!

ESPN Masterclass

01 Sep 2011 – 10:35

Last night at Old Albanians RFC, Saracens teamed up with ESPN to deliver an ESPN Masterclass in Coach Education.

The session was presented by Saracens coaches Alex Austerberry and Kevin Sorrell as well as ESPN ambassador Austin Healey.

The evening titled “development through game play for mini & junior players” was designed to enable coaches from clubs and schools to develop new drills and techniques to take back and teach to there members. With over 60 coaches from partner clubs and schools signed up, this event builds on the successful and award winning work of the community team last season.

After a quick brief in the club house, the coaches were swiftly sent out to the pitch to take part in specially designed drills and games specific to the tag and junior age groups. This included offloading, avoiding contact and utilising the width of a pitch effectively. Both Austin and Kevin joined in with the practical demonstrating they still had plenty of skill to offer and also provide a competitive edge for all those involved.

Throughout the session, the coaches were encouraged to ask questions as well as input their own ideas and coaching techniques. Kevin Sorrell after the session said “I know both myself and Austin enjoyed the evening immensely and by looking at the levels of energy and enthusiasm the coaches bought to the practical session, not only have they gone away with a number of ideas, but also had fun time in doing so!”

Coaches within the rugby community who have continually challenged and developed themselves by attending sessions such as the ESPN Masterclass, are encouraged to return to their clubs creating a positive impact on their players whilst raising the standard of rugby across our sporting community.

Saracens Community Department would like to thank ESPN for supporting not only the rugby community but also for the continued support to Premiership Rugby.

We now have in possession a signed ESPN rugby ball! and of course a couple of Masterclass T shirts to hand out, nearly had some bibs as well:)

First words from the new Minis Chairman

I hope that you are all enjoying your summer holidays and are having a great rest from playing rugby.

Firstly, some of you may not know that I have been voted in as Mini’s Chairman at the AGM in July, a position that I am very proud to take on. It is at this point that I would like to thank Steve George for all the superb work he has done for the past four years. He was instrumental in setting up the mini section at Pinner Rugby Club and through his commitment and enthusiasm we have developed into a great family club who have begun to show the rugby world that we are a force to contend with.

Secondly, a huge thanks to all those who gave up their time to help out during the Rugby Force weekend, you did a fantastic job and your hard work will be very much appreciated by all members of the club.

The new season:

Training and registration starts on Sunday 4th September @ 9.45am. Please bring completed membership forms (included with this letter) and cheques/cash to hand into Jo. All membership taken out by 25th September will qualify for an ‘early bird’ free mouth guard – one more for them to chew on!

‘Club Get Together’ Saturday 27th August starting @ 1pm:

We would like as many players, current, new, ex players and supporters to come down and say hello for the new season. We will have fun touch rugby games between 1st team and Pelicans, youth and mini players/parents for an hour mixing up the teams etc, then watch Ireland v England with a BBQ and a few drinks.

Come down to the club to enjoy the day, catch up with your team mates as well as bringing your friends down to see how friendly our club is. It is an important day to meet up with everyone and see our squads for the new season ahead.

Pinner Rugby Club @ Pinner village Show 17th September 11am – 3pm:

We have arranged to have a stall at the annual Pinner Show to help to promote our club. Hopefully, dependent on numbers, we hope to have some demonstrations by mini/youth players, as well as a raffle prizes and ‘Beat the Bernie’ competition. We require some volunteers to help out on the day. The main aim of the day is to raise the profile of the club and hopefully get some more players to join our wonderful club – my primary aim as chairman this year.

‘Super Sarries Sunday’ 25th September:

As a Saracens RFC partner club we have been able to secure reduced ticket pricing and access to many of the opportunities that Saracens provide. On the final membership session members of Saracens RFC will be coming along to our club with the Aviva Premiership Cup, Saracens mascot and coaches/players from the club. There will be opportunities to meet them, hold the cup, have photographs taken as part of the ‘Pixel’ wall that they are producing as well as your own printed copies. It’s going to be a great morning and not to be missed. More information to follow…..

Now to the nitty gritty!

To try and reduce the number of emails and texts you get from Jo (I am sure you feel bombarded by them at times!!) please use the website for information regarding fixtures/events. This is updated almost daily during the season and hopefully is the first port of call to find out what is going on. Jo has a bulletin board which she has promised me she will use instead of constant emails/texts!! (still can’t see that happening!)

We have a mini section Facebook account which we hope you will join – this will enable to keep upto date with news etc and a place to voice your thought. Pinner RFC has a twitter account, again great place for important information; links to both are on the website www.pinnerrugby.com

We are also trailing/introducing Teamernet which will automatically text you fixture dates/changes, Jo will explain this to parents during membership times.

Following the success of the ‘Rag’ collection we are collecting old clothes and textiles, the idea is that we all collect bags of old clothes and textiles from our own homes, family and friends. Bring them into the rugby club over the next few weeks so we can amass a good weight in textiles, for which a Ragman will come and collect them and give us a nice cheque to go into the Tour account.

Mini Tour Bournemouth 14/15th April 2012:

Last season Pinner RFC Mini section embarked on its first rugby tour to Bognor, I along with many others thought this was fantastic success so we aim to be having another one this season – Paul Parker-Brice (now known as ‘Tour Manager’!) is arranging the tour ask him the question also info posted will be on website (shameless plug again!)

‘Old ‘n’ New bits’

Player of the week will continue for all home training/matches with an addition to present key tag, trophy and photo; I’m not going to divulge yet – it’s a secret

‘Bring a friend’ competition (as above, ssshhhh as secret)

Mini Section 2010-11 Season book still available link on website

Parents: if you have your own business and would like a link put onto the website contact me for information

I hope to see you soon and along with the teams in the 2011 Rugby World cup I am looking forward to a great season of rugby, fun and friendship.

Cheers

Spud

Pinner RFC Club Get Together, BBQ, Drinks and England v Ireland Saturday 27th August

Club Get Together;  we want as many players, new and ex players and supporters to come down and say hello for the new season, we will have a fun touch rugby game between 1st team and Pelicans, for an hour mixing up the teams etc, then watch Ireland v England with a BBQ and a few drinks.

Starts @ 1pm and will go on ‘til it stops!

Come down to the club enjoy the day, get to know your team mates, bring your friends down to see how friendly our club is, it’s an important day to meet up with everyone and see our squad for the new season ahead.

1st Team kick off on 10th September Uxbridge away

Pelicans 1st game is 17th September at Home to Northolt.

See you all there ‘Sir’ Les

Slough 7s a day in the sunshine, a night of nakedness!

On a very hot July day, Pinner RFC attended for the second year in succession the invitation only Slough 7s at Slough RFC. The week had been a little stressful for Captain Aaron Nicholas trying to get a solid team out for the tournament, after players pulling out or not available he managed to gather a fine assortment of men including Mark Razzle!

It was to be a long hard day with many pool games with some strong opposition, however, owing to the tightness of this reporter, who blagged his way in claiming he was a player and therefore not paying the admission did not purchase a program so can not fully account for all the teams played against and as Aaron held the only playing sheet available was not privee to what was going on (as were most of the team)

Lounging around the newly formed Pinner camp (camp being the operative word here) the team relaxed before the start of the tournament, they were ready and given some motivational team talk by Woady via his portable tent Hoover were about as prepared as they could be.

It was at this point that it was noticed that someone had neglected to bring water bottles, so cold San Miguel and Fosters had to make an appearance, luckily 1^st team bitch had brought a spare set in case, but to be honest, the former drinks were the preferred ones!

The first match game on pitch 3 saw Pinner up against a very well organised 7s team and within the first few minutes were already down points, well double figures, however, the spirit of the team and the fact that a rolling subs policy was in place allowed for changes; 30seconds on, three minutes off! It wasn’t until the second half that Pinner started to play and as a result scored a well worked try, memory recalls by John Kirby. The final score was a loss 45-5

Back to the happy camp, more San Miguel, sun cream and some friendly banter involving a short girl and a long nose and certain players who shall remain nameless!

The second game, I think on pitch 2 proved to be a more skilful game from the Pinner lads, who got their act together and came out clear winners, the beat was upbeat, smiles all around and the try celebration of the ‘Big O’ by Samuel Markham (Umfufu) put the previous game deep in the memory of the team.

Game three: pitch 1 the centre stage! With a very annoying pitch commentary by someone who thinks they are funny who claimed Pinner had scored against the run of play and by luck had scored a try had to eat his words and almost champagne rugby was witnessed by the crowd; tries from all parts of the pitch and by different players who graciously passed the ball to each other to score a number of tries. Magical moments were witnessed when Woady jumped like a fairy to hook the ball back to Aaron who then passed back to woady to score (I’m sure that this wasn’t the game plan!), leaving Pinner winners by a score of 35 – 15 (it could have been more but you get the general idea) we didn’t however make full use of the conversions, I wont name players here but putting it wide by 10feet from under the post, hitting the post, the bar and putting wide the other side accounted for most of the missed points. This victory put Pinner into the Semi-finals.

Back to the happy camp – more refreshments and another play with the tent hoover!

The semi-final took an age to come round, over an hour and half had to spent ‘relaxing’ until the game went ahead. But, moments before the players started to warm up/try and move their stiff legs, a hero approached over the horizon; yes it was Bernie, fresh from work and given the mantle of the one who was to have the ball the whole game and let the others support him, mainly vocally as running and tackling seemed way down on the list!

The Semi-final saw Pinner play a very organised 7s team who played in white with a big O on their shirt (at some time this report may be amended and the correct teams inserted). However, after going a few tries down, Pinner got their heads together and started to play the game that they are very capable of playing and as a result scored tries to make the final score not as bad as they were expecting, in fact very respectable (again hopefully some one will give me the result/teams at some point to make this report more directed to rugby rather than a day out!)

With players having alternative engagements many had to up and leave, but some remained in their £20 cheapo tents and a heskie full of cold beer. Reports say that the evening went on to be little quiet affair!!! Naked rugby at 3am……………….

Newsflash newsflash newsflash

Teams that we played were: Otters (L), Guildford (W), East India Club (W 36-33) East Berkshire Rugby (L semi-final)

New update: it should read like this otters (L) guildford (W) east india club (W) east berkshire (W) and lost in the semi final to stoneyhurst.. its all coming back

Thanks to all those who gave up their time to support and

to the team themselves:

Captain Aaron, Woady, Laney, Adrien, Simon, Jon K, Umfufu, Ollie, Sat Nav, M Razzle,  Bernie and Lyndsey

Rugby Force @ Pinner RFC

Okay all, this is what is needed to make this happen – We need bodies to work, someone to organise food around lunch-time and may be afterwards.  I propose a 9:30 start on Sat.   Here is a list of tasks that Mick and I have identified. We need specific volunteers and co-ordinators for each job plus tools, equipment materials etc where appropriate.  We need to know who is turning up and what they can do or bring.  Replies to David Hiles dhiles@thehiles.co.uk on this E-mail or 020 8864 0787 -no texts or mobile! Local press have been notified in advance so we do need you all to help out

TASKS                                                                  MATERIALS :    EQUIPMENT:

SKILLS ETC. NEEDED

Thorough clean of all areas of clubhouse                                Buckets, mops, brushes, cloths etc

Kitchen cupboard tops, cooker, toilet                                       Cleaning fluids

Removal of all rubbish, unclaimed kit, clothing, toys        Black bin bags

Re-paint exterior walls and shutters                                          Brushes, rollers, paint provided

Remove floor tiles from changing rooms                                Scrapers, chisels etc

Repair floor after tiles removed                                                  Sand cement  trowels etc

Replace [back] exterior door                                                       D Hiles to arrange

Remove tiles from 1^st XV showers                                             M. Watts to supervise

Connect emergency lighting to mains                                     Qualified electrician needed

Other electrics; upgrade contact breakers                                     ditto

Fit extractor fan to kitchen                                                           Fan, cable etc

Kill and remove weed on path and gravel                              Weed killer spray, hoes

Lay paving slabs on gravel area                                                 Compactor, shovels, trolley etc

Re-fix TV aerial pole                                                                       Shackle, spanners, gloves

Fit safety chain to TV                                                                    X head screw driver

Take rubbish to the dump

Any other tasks that you can think need doing.               All hand and power tools: hoses

Power Washer: Vacuum Cleaners

We need a big club effort on each of these days.

U10, U11,U12,U13 Coaching Clinic

Description: U10 – U13 Coaching Clinic

Date: Saturday 3^rd September 2010

Venue: Old Deer Park  - Richmond

Team Entry Fee: £30.00

Time: 11:00 – 13:00*

FAO – U10 – U13 Managers / Coaches / Parents

The coaching session is an opportunity for U10, U11, U12 and U13 players to receive advice from coaches from Saracens, London Irish and Wasps. The session fee includes an hour and half coaching, a T-Shirt and a match ticket for the London Double Header.

The coaching content will mirror the drills, games and exercises of the professionals and aims to provide a fun packed session for the first weekend of the season leaving your young players enthused, energetic and prepared for the months ahead!

We encourage clubs to make group bookings, although individual bookings will also be accepted for the coaching session. Please can you ensure you or your U10 – U13 managers, or parents booking individuals, provide me with an indication via email if they are interested in taking part as soon as possible.

Due to expected high demand places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and payment for entry must therefore be received along with the attached entry form in advance of Friday 22^nd July to secure your place.

Additional Tickets

In terms of additional tickets I would not need to know these until Monday 8^th August, allowing plenty of time for clubs to co-ordinate their additional ticket requirements for parents, family and friends. Additional tickets are all priced at £10.00

Finally Tommy Cooper Competition Painting Revealed

Finally, the presentation of the Seek and thou shalt find website competition was made at the Mini Section End of Season Awards.

The winner, Neill ‘Bullet’ King  was having woman problems (went away for the weekend on girlfriends demand! So I have heard!!) was not able to receive his prize. This was a little disappointing as he had pushed the boundaries of the prize on offer; namely a graphite drawing as stated below, however after looking on the website www.paultalbotart.com asked if he could have a painting, and to top that, one with three of his teammates!!!

Being the good natured person that I am, and to be honest, a flipping good artist I accepted his request. Although this was to come back at him as this was the sole reason for being awarded the Burnzey Award! Beating a number of kids to the answer (in all fairness the competition was aimed at the younger members of the club, namely the mini section!!)

From comments received, I think people liked it and the seniors are now eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the promotion squad painting currently in its last stages of completion.

The painting itself: acrylic on canvas, 50cm x 50cm. Painted by building up layers and tones of paint using a 0000 brush (the equivalent of three eyelashes).

A similar competition will be running during the summer and possibly one during next season – watch this space

(of course, you can also commission Spud for your own portraits!)

Competition – seek and thou shalt find

Following previous successful competitions we have introduced another one. On the website there will posted this image

I know there is one on this post but there’s another one somewhere else on the website (very funny quoting this one!) nor is it the one in the ‘pelican brief’ that again is just advertising the competition – I give up!!

The first one to email me where it is on the website will win. The date it will posted will be Sunday 7th March. The prize…… something a little different; a personal graphite drawing 10”x 8” on paper of the winner in action, signed and dated. (personal choice of image and style) there are examples in the latest newsletter found on website as a pdf or a paper copy in the clubhouse

it has now been posted on the website, as of 8.13pm Good luck

End of Season Awards Mini & Youth Sections

The awards brought to an end of a very successful season for the mini and youth sections at Pinner RFC.

The clubhouse in Shaftesbury Playing fields was buzzing this Saturday with over 150 players, parents and invited guests awaiting the results of the voting.

The day was all about achievement, participation and fun; the heavily laid out table of assorted trophies bore witness to this, from players player trophy to most improved trophy all eagerly eyed by the players, you could feel the expectation in the air. But this was to happen later!

As the afternoon kicked off, most players could be found on the bouncy castle; always a popular draw at these events, from the under 7s to the youth team all could be seen bouncy to their hearts content, watched of course, by designated parents working in shifts: bouncy castle-bar-bouncy castle-BBQ-bouncy castle (you get the picture!)

Then of course there were the games; initially rugby golf was on the cards, unfortunately the parks department had been round with the mowers and cut the grass spoiling what would have been a perfect nine holes. Plan B was quickly put into action with players sorted in teams to play a combination of a boat race and spin the flag. Many a dizzy child with sodden tops was seen zig zagging across the field trying to find their way back to their team mates. The introduction of beer barrels caused a murmur around the field; some veterans of Pinner RFC fun days were keen to pass on their knowledge of how to play – veterans being those who are under the age of twelve!

The task, to carry a beer barrel between two posts either individually or in pairs, teamwork in pairs being the victors. Then back to the bouncy castle or into the clubhouse to scoff down the generous spread of food via the BBQ as a protein fix!

Now it was the time that everyone was waiting for; the awards.

Chairman Steve George welcomed all and gave a brief account of the successes this season – under 8s Middlesex winners, under 9/10s runners up, under 11s Middlesex champions, our first tour, success at slough and Egham Tournaments.

Jo Talbot, mini secretary and administrator thanked all the parents for their support the season and apologised for the constant emailing and texting! Although, she did manage to plug the forthcoming Rugby Summer Camp; Pinner are to host the only summer rugby camp in Middlesex this summer. The week long camp will start on Monday 22nd August. It is open to anyone from the age of 6-16, so if you are interested in learning rugby, building up the skills you already have or developing positional play come along.

The awards were presented by a combination of coaches, first team players including Club Captain Reza Sibilant, first team coach and Captains Shield winner Steve Woad. Also a special guest appearance of Martin Crossan RFU Community Coach.

A little surprise for most in the room was the video link with Under 10s coach Paul Parker-Brice who was at Wembley watching his team Manchester City in the FA Cup final who named his award winners via the flat screen TV (pure class)

As added surprises during the award presentations, special tour trophies were handed out to those who went to Bognor, also under 11s coach Paul (Spud) Talbot presented the under 11 squad with books that he had published about their season.

The awards went to the following players

The Chairman’s Award:

Maisie Balkin (who dashed from a party in time to receive the award, much to her and Brian’s surprise.)

Nominees: Craig Dungate, Louis George, James Evans, George Page, Maisie Balkin

Under 7s

Players Player Jan Maguire

Most Improved Asher Woldman

Coaches Player Jonathan Nye

Under 8s

Players Player Maxwell Fullerton

Most Improved Reece Connolly

Coaches Player Luke Sealby

Under 9s

Players Player Josh Beresford Smart

Most Improved Callum St John

Coaches Player Josh Beresford Smart

Under 10s

Players Player James Nye

Most Improved Cameron Fox

Coaches Player Josh Parker-Brice

Under 11s

Players Player Jacob Talbot

Most Improved Ryan Healy

Coaches Player Kai Gordon

Under 12s

Players Player Tomas Rycroft-Davies

Most Improved Matthew Beresford Smart

Coaches Player Jake Larman

Youth Awards

Coaches player Jamie Benavides

Most improved David Wilkinson

Best newcomer Adriaan Viljoen

Players player Jamie Benavides

Managers player Jonathan Hill

Clubman cash prize Dominic Seiler

The final presentation was made by Spud (Paul Talbot) who ran a competition on the website to locate a picture of Tommy Cooper wearing a his famous fez with the Pinner RFC logo on it. For the first person to find it the prize was a portrait drawing, completed by Spud, this was extended by the winner’s request; Neill ‘Bullet’ King for a painting, not only of himself but with three of his first team mates (the Burnzey award was obviously given to him for this action!)

A great day, a great season, time for a break………………………….

Protected: Mini & Youth Sections End of Season Awards, photos from the great day

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Mini & Youth Section End of Season Awards: Saturday 14th May

Yes folks, it’s that time of year again! Following a very successful year it’s time to celebrate everything we have achieved – Middlesex Champions, first ever Minis tour, getting on Sky sports, having a book published, the list is endless.

You are cordially invited to help us enjoy the highs of the season at the annual End of Season Awards Presentations and party. Many players will be receiving shields, trophies, medals and a few surprises we may even have a live outside broadcast from Wembley Stadium!  Many of the senior players will be there to help with the award ceremony and there is also the matter of the website competition painting winner.

The fun starts at 2pm with lots of games in the sun (hopefully – you can always click on the local weather report on the home page!)

See below for further information, hope to see you all there, no doubt you will be hearing from Jo via email and text!

Players: Don’t forget to send in your votes for your Players Player of the Season

Pinner RFC Mini & Youth Sections

End of Season Awards

Saturday 14th May

2pm – Fun activities

Beer Barrel bowls   Flag Spin   Rugby ball knees-up

BBQ     Bouncy Castle

4pm Presentation of Awards

Welcoming Address by Jo Talbot Mini Section Secretary

Steve George Mini Section Chairman

Brad Seiler Youth Section Manager

Under 6s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Under 7s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Under 8s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Presentation of Middlesex County Festival Trophy & Egham Festival

Under 9s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Under 10s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Presentation of Egham Festival Trophy

Under 11s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Presentation of Middlesex County Festival Trophy

Presentation by Spud to Present Under 11s

Under 12s Players Player Most Improved           Coaches Player

Presentation of Bognor Tour Players Trophies

Presentation of Mini Section Chairman’s Award

Youth Section

Best Newcomer

Most Improved Player

Players Player

Coaches Player of the Year

Club Man of the Year

Presentation to Coaches

Presentation of Website Competition Painting

Awards presented by Members of Senior Section

Presentation of Middlesex 7s Trophy

Party / Disco / Karaoke

Pinner win @ Middlesex 7’s – Match Report & photographic evidence

Pinner RFC entered two teams on Sunday 1st May at the Middlesex 7’s tournament at Richmond Athletics ground, and hey ho, team A won the vase trophy, beating Feltham in the final. There will be a full match report within the next day or two, but to wet your appetite here’s some photos of the great day…

Pinner and Grammarians capped another successful season by winning the Vase competition in the Middlesex Club 7 a-side tournament at Richmond on Sunday. In the festival in which 53 teams took part P7G’s were the only club from the Herts / Middx leagues to enter two sides. The 1^st squad were drawn in the stronger pool and faced Old Millhillians, who had twice defeated P&G’s on their way to winning the Herts / Middx Div 2. Pinner started convincingly and within a couple of minutes, winning a scrum against the head Jon Kirby went opened the score with an unconverted try. The second try was not long in coming with a move down the left finished off by Ade Adebisi.  This time the conversion was successful.  Pinner still attacked but sloppy work enabled Old Millhillians to break away from their own 22 to score.  With half time approaching a long kick down field enabled the O M’s to narrow the score to 12 -10 at the interval. After a few harsh words P&G resumed to dominate the second half.  Immediately scrum half Lane took a quick free kick, passed to Captain Reza Sibilant who found ‘Young Player of the Year’ Alex Goring on hand to score the try which he converted.  Pinner continued pressure with their fourth try my Paul Freeman also converted by Alex Goring giving the final score of 26 -10.

The second game against Worth Old Boys started in similar fashion. Firstly a strong attack by Alex Goring enabled Reza Sibilant to score the opening try after only one minute and Richard Luiz then stormed through to add the second, Goring converting both. The, winning a scrum Lane gave the ball to Ade Adebisi on the half-way line. The speedster sold a couple of dummies to score an unconverted try giving P&G a half-time lead of 19-0.  The second half saw a completed reversal with Worth running in three tries but luckily only two were converted.  The game ended in a 19 – 19 draw.

With the prospect on two teams being level on points at the end of the pool stage the number of tries scored in the final match with Mill Hill would be crucial. This game proved to be very one-sided with P&G’s turning on the style.  First half tries came from Paul Freeman and three from Ade Adebisi with conversions shared by Paul Freeman and Jon Kirby.  With the half-time score of 28 – 0 Pinner relaxed momentarily to allow Mill Hill their only score before adding a further three themselves to give the final score of 42 – 7 to ensure their place in the final.

The P&G 2^nd squad found themselves in a disappointing pool with only 3 teams as Hendon failed to show up. In their first game they went down 26 – 10 to Feltham with tries by Angus Wilson and Chris Hall. They also lost the second match 24 -12 to Uxbridge with tries by Chris Jepsen and Ollie Blazey.

In the final P&G 1’s were confident against Feltham with early tries by  Lane and Kirby in the first couple of minutes. Pinner again relaxed and got drawn into a 15 a-side style game instead of using their speed out wide. This allowed Feltham to use their forwards to good effect powering over for two scores, one converted giving the west London side a 12 -10 lead.  Immediately on the resumption P&G’s drove down the middle of the field to release Ade Adebisi whose strength and speed enabled him to score the winning try. The rest of the game was a war of attrition but P&G’s hung on to run out winners by 15 point to 12.

The trophy was presented to Captain Reza Sibilant by Michael Barnes, Chairman of the MCRFU Management Committee, himself a former P&G captain. This put the icing on the cake of a third successive season on success for the Hatch End Based club.

RBS Rugby Force Working weekend: 25th & 26th June (updated date)

Pinner RFC have been succesful in their bid to be part of the Rugby Force nationwide community volunteer programme which helps local rugby clubs to improve their facilities. It is an opportunity for clubs to gather members, supporters, friends and family for a weekend of fun-filled DIY.

The first 100 registered clubs received a support pack including T-shirts, food and drink vouchers, and a commemorative plaque.

So what’s going to be happening?

We will need an army of volunteers with definite promises from those who can come. A list of skills and tools and equipment that you have would be helpful in ensuring that the days are used effectively and not just a chance to socialise and have a few beers. Someone to organise catering plus a possible BBQ on one of the days would be much appreciated.  We are looking at starting each day at least by 10am.

We would like every member of Pinner RFC to make the time to come down to the clubhouse during the weekend to offer their support, including players of all  sections – seniors, Pelicans, Youth and Mini also friends are more than welcome, in fact the more the merrier – many hands make light work etc etc

Guaranteed to be fun, involving liquid refreshments and a great social event for the club.

What is RBS RugbyForce?

A self help programme for rugby clubs affiliated to the Scottish Rugby Union, Welsh Rugby Union, Irish Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football Union to help recruit more volunteers and to improve grounds and facilities. Evidence shows that the more you are prepared to help yourself, the more others are willing to help you.

What are the benefits of RBS RugbyForce?

• More Volunteers, Better Facilities!
• Online resources to help you set up your event and to gain support from your local community and local businesses. These can be found in the Toolkit pages
• A fresh start ahead of the new season
• Advice about how you could better run your club

In what other ways have past participants benefited from RBS RugbyForce?

Clubs that have participated have reported the following improvements since being involved with RBS RugbyForce:

• Improved playing standards
• Motivated membership
• Increased membership
• Increased hire of facilities
• Improved opportunities for sponsorship
• More members staying at the club/bar for longer on match days, training sessions and social events

Smile, you are on Sky Sports: Pinner RFC @ Saracens

On a glorious Easter Sunday afternoon, players from Pinner RFC mini section and Little Rugby Academy sauntered around the Vicarage Road pitch home of Saracens RFC; our partner club. As part of the Pride in Unity Parade over 500 players from a number of partnership clubs watched the Aviva game between Gloucester after walking around the pitch before the 1.30pm kick off. The players took part in the pitch side parade, completing a lap in front of the 10,000 strong crowd and got within a breadth of the Saracens players as they warmed up. Pinner RFC were represented by over 20 players, three coaches: Richard Evans, Paul Parker-Brice and Spud, with a strong turn out from the Little Rugby academy under the coaching guidance of Les Chaffe (who are affiliated to the club, players range from 2-5 yr olds). Pinner players, in club colours were one of three clubs from Middlesex and appeared to outnumber the others. Other clubs included; Amptill RFC, Saffron Waldon RFC and Biggleswade RFC.

The players witnessed a thrilling game with Saracens coming out victors. A great afternoon was had by all and to top it off, some of them managed to get themselves on television – the game was broadcast live on Sky Sports (the videos below are just what I have managed to get from the television – basic video from the screen and to some aspect a little bit of video piracy!!)

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