The senior teams continue to do the business which is brilliant but there is another success story waiting to be told. Our Minis and Juniors are making a name for themselves and have just completed an awesome season. As the fixture secretary I set up the games and then sit back and watch the action.
We have so many players that it would take all day to mention them all. Also, rugby is a team game so it is much more about the collective than about individuals.With a little bit of guesswork and some basic research we now play against stronger clubs than we used to and we are no longer considered by opponents to be an easy side to come up against.
Unlike some people, I believe that a close game that has been competitive is more useful to our players than a one-sided stroll in the park. One exception though is when we take part in festivals such as the recent Camp Hill experience when winning is a much nicer experience and didn't we play well! I would like to thank Jason and his colleagues from Camp Hill for organising the festival.
The latter part of the season was arranged in order to see if we as a club could cope with the bigger occasions. Home games against Camps across the age groups went smoothly. The following week saw a three way Sunday special at the club with Harbury and Berkswell/Balsall Common being our guests. Fifteen teams, meant a lot of pitches to be set out, Debbie cleared the shelves at Tescos of their sausages, Gary had complete control of the car-parking, Sam Lonie had a chic little florescent top for her lollipop lady duties and I was at the 'park and ride' at the railway station, where a surprising number of our visitors wanted to pay me for the privilege,(of using the car park!).
Did it work? Yes it did. Well done to everyone involved.
We must thank a number of our loyal club members for the time and effort they have put in to help make things run so smoothly.
Tom Power, who no man could ever match in terms of hoovering skills. It is Tom who opens the club and who ensures that everything is just right before the hordes arrive. Thanks Tom on behalf of all the mini/junior players and supporters.
Graham Davies, Chairman, who must take a lot of the credit for the rebirth of the section. Another early bird, Graham arrives at the crack of dawn to make sure that everything is ready for action. It has been suggested that Graham has been seen smiling on recent sundays and I do not believe that this was caused by wind. It is because his mission has been accomplished. Graham, on behalf of the club, thank you and keep up the good work with our local schools.
Debs, it has already been said so many times, well done and thank you. It must be a great feeling when your efforts result in such a successful season. Enjoy the summer break (if there really is one!)
To all our coaches, I know there are times when you need a little bit of patience and that you must feel like pulling your hair out (those who have any), but it is due to your efforts that the teams have made so much progress, so, well done and thank you.
Parents, it is so much better than football in a number of ways. A few mums still scream (politely) at their youngsters, but what is so good is that not too many of the rugby parents understand the laws of rugby. This also applies to most players at mini/junior and senior level. As a result of this, much more respect is given to the referees and the whole playing and watching environment becomes much more pleasant.
Before I sign off, now that you parents, grandparents etc. are starting to feel part of the club, how about moving things one step further. A short stint every now and again, in the kitchen, car parking, collecting glasses or serving behind the bar, cleaning, running the raffle or anything else you can think of, would be appreciated. Give it a go, you might not find it too painful !
Solihull Archers
The archery club use our top field to practise their sport and recently I arranged a 'taster session' for a group of friends and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If you wish to know more about it, contact Bryan Jones through the club, or look at their website. They provide equipment and instruction and the session finished with a little competition. You can organise it for birthdays, work colleagues, or whatever suits you.
In our group there was a range of ability, Graham Davies and Rick Thorne were consistently lucky, Steve Painter and Bill Collins were exceptionally average and I was just a little worse than that. It hurts me to say this but the champion was Saint Edmund Campion School's P.E. supremo, Mary Rochford.
That's all folks, have a good summer.