I was very sad to hear the news that Ron Thomas had died & our best wishes go to his wife Wyn & the family at this time. For me Ron was THE President & he will be impossible to replace. The best summary of what Ron did for the Club would be to say that without him it is highly unlikely that we would have purchased the land, built the clubhouse & rebuilt it after the fire with the large extension.
That is not to say that there have been many significant efforts & sacrifices made by many others over the years to get us to where we are now, but I am sure that most will say that at some time Ron was involved as the leader, fixer, getter-of-loans & donations plus also planning consents. I only knew Ron from around 1987 after he had already been President for 14 years or so but my main experience of what Ron could do was when the clubhouse burnt down. I was Treasurer at the time & I also work in the building industry, so I was naturally part of the re-building “team”.
Virtually the day after the fire he kicked into action with a statement that the new clubhouse should be “3 times bigger” than the previous one “leave the planning permission to me.” We paced out the new layout, got plans done so that Ron could go & see the local Councillors. He even made a point of getting his hair cut in the salon (Haircut 100) frequented by the lady councilor just so that he could tap her up & nag at her to support our cause.
Without going into too much detail, we got Planning Consent & Ron also came up with some new sources of funding for the extended building, including a grant of £20,000 from Waverley BCl which seemed to come from nowhere & this allowed the clubhouse to be re-opened with minimal delay.
Ron was a solid man who never wavered from the cause & his belief; he was held in high regard by everyone who knew him both inside & outside the rugby club & he will be sorely missed.
For our part I urge the membership to have a look around them & see the fantastic facilities that we have & consider helping in the legacy of Ron by stepping up to the plate by making a contribution to the Club that has been built by Ron & many others over the years.
God bless you Ron & thank you from us all.
We are now almost midseason & the last months have seen varying fortunes on the playing field. The club flagship, the senior 1st XV, has not had a particularly good couple of months. A combination of injuries & non availabilities has left us at the bottom of Surrey 1, a position that I am sure we will soon rise from.
The 2nd XV, now renamed The Eagles, has done very well & are top of their League. Likewise the newly resurrected Cranes are also going well. The Juniors, from U13 to U18 Colts are progressing well; the problem for some teams is lack of opposition! The Mini Section also appears to be going from strength to strength.
We now have new posts on the 1st & Upper pitches & the monies invested into the Training pitch drainage has paid off. During the recent spells of heavy rain there was no standing water on the pitch, whereas the surrounding areas were under water in places.
Off the field, the Netball Section arranged a very well attended Halloween party & their numbers are on the increase.
As most of you have probably heard, Ron Thomas, our Founder Chairman & former President, has died after a long illness. He was one of the group that started the Club back in 1967 as the village expanded & took us from being a nomadic club that used the Cricket Club to change in & played on various fields in & around Cranleigh, to one that by the late 70`s owned its own clubhouse & grounds. It is largely down to him that we are in today’s fortunate position of owning land with four full size pitches plus two mini pitches & a large well appointed clubhouse.
Christmas Rugby: Barns Green, our Boxing Day opposition, have pulled out of the fixture so currently there is no game is on. Please look at the main notice board for updates on this situation.
May I take this opportunity, albeit early, of wishing you all a very happy Christmas.
We are well into the season so what has happened to those objectives that I talked about in the last pre-season newsletter? Finishing in the top 3 of the league & winning the cup.
To glance at the league we prop up the bottom & are now out of the EDF Energy Junior Vase, albeit having reached the 4th round.
So what has gone wrong? Is it that we have been playing poor rugby, are the opposition better or is it something else? Those of you who have played or seen our recent league games will no doubt agree that we have been unlucky with particular decisions, had a shocking run of injuries, made basic errors to lose games, but at times played some great rugby.
So what do we need to do to get back on track? I see the team developing & getting stronger with each performance, so I still see no reason why we can’t achieve our objectives.
There’s no great science to it, we just need self belief that we as a team can challenge & beat anyone. We need to cut out the basic errors; after all they are basic so it’s not brain surgery & play the confident strong rugby which we have shown we are more than capable of.
I think a team is really put to the test when their backs are up against the wall, so we are in the perfect position to front up & play as the Cranleigh 1st XV can.
The Cranleigh 2nd XV Eagles have had a fantastic but hard season so far with six out of six league wins, making us top of the Surrey Conference League 3. It has been a great team performance with a mixture of old and young players, it has been good to see some of the under 18 teens like Simon Warren & Josh Elliott running out for us.
I cannot single out any players at this stage for 2nd team player of the season; every player that has represented the side has shown 100% commitment & effort. We would welcome new players & look to build a stable squad of about 20 to 30 players to draw from. For information about the second team please do not hesitate to contact Will Davies on 07899 883198
|
Team
|
P
|
W
|
L
|
D
|
F
|
A
|
Diff
|
Pts
|
|
Cranleigh 2XV
|
6
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
160
|
44
|
116
|
24
|
|
Old Freemens 2XV
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
149
|
40
|
109
|
24
|
|
Raynes Park 2XV
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
59
|
143
|
-84
|
20
|
|
Chipstead 2XV
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
123
|
30
|
93
|
18
|
|
Merton 2XV
|
5
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
81
|
106
|
-25
|
18
|
|
Old Rutlishians 2XV
|
6
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
114
|
128
|
-14
|
17
|
|
Reigate 2XV
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
53
|
96
|
-43
|
15
|
|
Old Cranleighans 2XV
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
42
|
143
|
-101
|
12
|
|
Old Blues 2XV
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
39
|
90
|
-51
|
10
|
3rd XV – The Cranes (Vets)
So far this season the renamed Vets have had a mixed set of results, but have played some good rugby & most importantly of greatly enjoyed themselves.
As the 90’s 1st XV squad got older together under the leadership of the likes of Tim Bargman, Robbie Ambler & Rob Wheeler we had a very solid & experienced base to build on.
However most of those guys have now either already called time on their 1st XV playing days or are trying to, if James Moore would only let them!
Along with other 1st XV stalwarts such as Ken Edwards, Bob Macey, Neil Warzee, Gav Netley & many more these guys are now putting something back into the Club by playing for &/or coaching the various teams & most importantly having fun whilst continuing their involvement in the great game that we all enjoy, namely rugby!
The other big benefit is that they’re sharing their vast experience with & helping to bring through the next generation of Cranleigh players. Some have even managed to reproduce themselves in the U7s!
U18s Colts
Some Mike White’s charges in their last year as Junior players have already been testing themselves in the Senior sides, as mentioned by Will Davies above. However not all of them are yet ready to do so so they have continued to play some friendly games, both on their own & more recently with some of Malcolm Terson’s U17s drafted in to make up the numbers.
It is a continuing testament to the coaching skills of Mike & his assistant Phil Wicks that their lads are constant surprising supposedly much “bigger” & more fashionable clubs, especially with the strength of their pack, but also increasingly with the running & handling ability of their rapidly developing back division too.
They start their league campaign on 9 December away to Old Reigatians before entertaining Esher at Wildwood Lane the following Sunday. They then have no less than 9 further league fixtures in the second half of the season, culminating in a home match against Effingham on 27 April.
U17s Junior Colts
Like Mike White’s boys, Malcolm Terson & Ray Warren’s charges have never exactly been flush with numbers, but they are a tight knit & dedicated group, most of whom train twice a week & play extremely hard for each other & the Cranleigh shirt.
Talking of which they have their own rather swanky strip based on the Club’s traditional blue & red, kindly sponsored by AJ Fabrications & nicely subtitled “Men of Steel” as this is what their sponsors use as their raw material. Unfortunately they have seen a lot of teams drop out of their league this season so have only played one game so far, a narrow 15-20 home defeat to Raynes Park.
Grounds
Overall so far this season we have been extremely lucky with the weather & as a result are still getting many favourable comments from visiting teams as to the state of our playing surfaces. However the famous Cranleigh clay soon resurfaces so we cannot afford to be complacent. To this end work continues throughout the season as we seek to manage our pitches to best effect.
Floodlights
The Training pitch is now bedding in well but the proposed new floodlights remain a major issue, as whilst we have been well served by our current ones they are now in need of replacement.
Having got planning consent at the end of last year we have now finally got a grant approved from the Rugby Football Foundation for £6,000. Other funding avenues are still being explored, but one major boost is that Tim Spence has managed to persuade Morrison’s to do the groundwork for free. This was due to have started recently when guess what, all our autumn rain arrived in 48 hours!
The likelihood now is that for this & a whole variety of other reasons we will now have to delay until the end of March 2008, which sounds a long way off but will soon come around. What we need to do in the meantime is to ensure that the rest of the required funds are in place, which means finding about another £12,000 to pay for the actual lighting towers which come in at just over £2,000 each.
Whilst we have some funds in hand we must manage the Club’s finances in a prudent fashion so we clearly can’t spend every last penny on one project, however important it might be. So please can you think hard as to any individuals or companies that you know who might be prepared to make a contribution, however big or small.
Also it would be most helpful if members were to look to organise fund raising events. Again any suggestions are most welcome.
RFU Grand Draw
As part of this fundraising drive we will be pushing the sale of the RFU Grand Draw tickets where we receive 90p in the £ & all we have to do is sell them!
It is important that these are distributed as widely as possible as they spread the cost outside the Club.
Each Senior Team Captains & each Mini & Junior Team Manager will be given a supply to distribute to their members with the aim of selling £10 worth of tickets per member – that’s just 10 £1 tickets – all with excellent prizes to be won.
Overall, given that ideally we need to order & pay for the lighting units by the end of January, we need to progress both the sale of these tickets & any other ideas ASAP, so please let me know your suggestions & details of any potential sponsors.
Toby Eves
Clubhouse
Firstly my thanks to the mini & junior section helpers who clear up on a Sunday morning. This has been excellent this year, particularly over the last few weeks & makes the cleaning job so much easier.
By now hopefully everyone is well aware of the new rule concerning no hot food being consumed in the bar area.
This does not just apply on Sundays & also applies to the Senior club on Saturdays as well & is designed to keep the new carpet in good condition for as long as we can.
Please may I also remind people that no boots are allowed in the clubhouse, which includes the carpeted entrance hall. Please take off dirty footwear on the benches provided in the lobby.
Also please remember that smoking is not permitted anywhere in the clubhouse including the outside entrance lobby. Please use the mounted yellow ash tray on the main car park clubhouse wall, not the lobby floor as you walk back in!
All the Juniors on a Tuesday night seem to be showering and or covering up dirty kit, thank you, which is improving the bar area, but could we please also ask coaches & senior players to do the same. Some of the coaches & their footwear are dirtier than the youngsters. This does not set a good example!
Finally can I remind gym users that boots & dirty kit are not to be worn in the gym & to also please tidy away all weights so that cleaning can take place.
Kevin Maxted
Sponsors
Duke of Kent School
As well as becoming our main shirt sponsors for the new 1st & 2nd XV special anniversary kit The Duke of Kent School have kindly been providing pupils to operate the smart scoreboard that Robin Williams has erected on the far side of the 1st XV pitch.
As a Club we’d also like to thank all our sponsors for their continued invaluable support, without which the Club could not continue to thrive & prosper.
Vice Presidents
The same goes for our ever growing lost of VPs, ably looked after by Robin Williams as their Secretary. They make an absolutely vital contribution to the Club’s finances & maintain an important link with our past traditions. Don't forget the regular lunches organised by Robin prior to all 1st XV home league games. Contact Robin for details (see below).
Membership
If you wish to find out about joining the friendliest club in Surrey please contact one of the following:
• VPs – Robin Williams – 01483 276928
• Senior – Dan Cast – 01483 278458
• Juniors – Sam Graycon – 01403 790156
• Minis – Sam Graycon – 01403 790156
Featured Committee Member
Cliff Ilsley
No one seems quite that sure how Cliff became involved at our Club, but it seems that he’s done most things down the years apart from actually playing!
Hopefully most if not all of the Senior members & VPs will know Cliff, but the majority of Mini & Junior members almost certainly will not.
Apart from undertaking the onerous task & the responsibility of looking after the Club’s finances as our Hon. Secretary, Cliff is perhaps just as importantly the House Manager. This means that when a light bulb blows, Cliff makes sure it’s replaced.
He oversees all the work done in the Clubhouse, including replacing broken toilet seats, tinkering with our aged boiler, doing the regular run to cash & carry as well as booking parties & ensuring that the kitchen & bar equipment is all kept in good working order. He also deals with the alarm system, plus many other tasks both big & small.
He’ll probably be embarrassed by this article, but if he ever carries out his annual threat to stand down I do wonder who will ensure that the Club continues to be in serviceable working order each week.
Along with a small group of fellow volunteers within the Senior Club who joking refer to themselves as the “Stupid Six” including Nigel, Kevin & Robin – more of whom in later editions – Cliff does an awful lot for very little thanks & no pay. So next time you notice that something that was broken has been fixed please remember to think of Cliff & thank him should you see him at the bar.
Featured Junior Volunteer
Ruth Elliott
A lot of members, especially those in the Senior side of the Club, may not know Ruth but she actually does a very important job for the whole Club, acting as our Club Coaching Coordinator.
This involves booking people on coaching, first aid & referees courses including arranging for the Club to pay for these up front. So if you are interested in improving your rugby skills, or perhaps learning a new one, then please contact Ruth on 01483 273463.
As well as being a staunch supporter of our U15s team, which her son plays for, Ruth is also the Kit Sales Manager. She took this job on to “mind the shop” when Linda Wallis left for Dubai & has been doing it ever since, so if someone else fancies giving it a go please ask Ruth what it involves.
Some might wonder how Ruth has time for all of this with a family & a business to run too, but as she is fond of saying, she was bought up in a rugby club in South Wales so is not sure what else you should be doing on a Sunday morning!
Featured Senior Player
Lyndon Percival
Have you ever driven past the Club in the summer & seen 2 or 3 strange looking men in white suits, masks & goggles wandering across the pitches? Well perhaps not but one of these would be Lyndon, giving the pitches their annual weedkilling treatment.
Lyndon is also a regular player, usually for Neil Clisby’s Vets as befits his age, but more recently he has not only turned out for the 2nd XV to show the youngsters how to steal the opposition ball on the floor but also more memorably for the 1st XV too!
Lyndon is such a handy player that he won the Player of the Season award recently & when not leaping like a salmon at the front of the lineout is usually seen receiving yet another lecture from the referee as to what he can & can’t do at the bottom of a ruck, or a maul that he’s just turned into a ruck! Always reliable Lyndon is a true Cranleigh clubman.
Featured Junior Player
Callum Greaves
For some 10 season’s now since he was aged 6 a determined young lad with the reddest shock of hair that you have ever seen has been ploughing his way though the Cranleigh mud & opposition players.
Last season however something was missing in the then U15s squad as Callum decided to take a year off rugby & try field hockey instead. Although he apparently attacked his new sport with his characteristic gusto we are delighted to say that Callum is now back where he belongs on a Sunday morning, playing in the blue & red of Cranleigh RFC.
Since his return he has put in extremely competent performances as a flanker, fullback & winger, so who knows what’s next. All we do know is that he’ll always be at training, always available to play & always give his all wherever he’s asked to turn out. Another solid clubman, albeit somewhat younger than Lyndon.
U16s League Success
Weybridge Vandals 13 – 21 Cranleigh U16s
Not for the first time this season the U16s turned around a halftime deficit as playing with the wind in the second half they blitzed a shocked Weybridge side with 3 quick converted tries after the interval to eventually run out 21-13 winners in a hard fought league match, leaving them lying 2nd in the table on points difference as they approach Christmas.
U15s Solid Start
A 40-0 win awarded against London Irish Bs was negated by a similar score line in defeat to Old Reigatians, leaving the U15s in midtable. A range of different coaches have assisted them so far this season, including Mike White, Ray Warren, Malcolm Terson, Phil Townsend, Toby Eves & Richard Cole from within the Cranleigh Juniors coaching staff, plus Steve Jones as our Community Rugby Coach & not forgetting their own Paul Matthews & his new Team Manager & wife Gill Matthews.
U14s Coaching Strengthened
The U14s have made a solid start to their league campaign with two close games so far, winning at home against Battersea Ironsides before narrowly losing 0-12 to Sutton & Epsom B’s. They have been helped by strengthened coaching team & a healthy degree of enthusiasm amongst their players.
Cranleigh U13s Top Their League
U13s Top Their League
Just to show that Will Davies’ 2nd XV can’t have all the glory our current U13s have made a brilliant start to their league campaign with a dominant 34-0 away win at Old Midwhitgiftians; with the benefit of a 40-0 walkover awarded against Mitcham they currently sit top of Surrey U13s League 3. Coaches Jez Glynne-Jones & Tim Spence are justifiably proud of their young charges.
School Of Rugby
Congratulations to the following Cranleigh U13s players who have been selected to train with the newly formed Harlequins School of Rugby:
• Thomas Farelly
• Charles Miller
• Jack Spence
Featured Mini Team
U11s
The U11’s have had a very encouraging start to the season. We currently have a small squad of 12 (to play 12 a side) but the boys make up for this with their commitment & enthusiasm so are making a lot of progress. In training we’ve emphasised ‘go forward’ in both attack & defence.
Our first fixture was at the Waverley festival, where with a few guest players from Guildford we played 4 sessions against a well drilled Farnham team. We lost but were competitive throughout & started to learn it is much easier to kick badly than to kick well!
We took 9 players to Alton & borrowed to make up numbers. They had a couple of large lads so our pack found it hard going. We played some great running rugby & were unlucky to be down but an excellent late try gave us a 14-14 draw from a game we could have won.
Our triangular date with Midhurst & Eastbourne was played on a bitter Sunday morning. Midhurst (including some U12’s) were our first opponents & as always we had an even contest.
They scored a couple of long range efforts early on but the boys battled back with some excellent attacking rugby to lead 14-10, however another break away try & conversion at the death saw Midhurst win 17-14.
Against Eastbourne we played our best of the season so far to dominate. The forwards did the hard work, giving the backs good ball to run with leading to some excellent scores. The final score was a 26-0 victory.
A larger squad would be great but we are looking forward to the rest of the season confident that we can run the ball, pass well & involve all our players in the game; we can continue to both improve & enjoy our rugby.
Quins Trip
A large group of Minis from various age groups recently went to play at The Stoop in the morning before enjoying seeing Quins draw 17-17 with Cardiff Blues in the Heineken Cup. The day was highly successfully organised by Tim Spence who unfortunately was not able attend, so it was left to Quins Director of Rugby to sweep up those who missed the coach & bring them home to Cranleigh.
Netball
18 months have passed since the Cranleigh RFC Netball Club formed & things have gone from strength to strength. Last season began with some friendly fixtures & tournaments in Surrey & West Sussex & despite some disappointing results the enthusiasm of the ladies remained. After some more disappointing results in the Guildford Summer League September saw the start of the Woking Winter League where Cranleigh RFC have been undefeated!! On the back of this success & the encouraging turnout at training there will now be two teams entered into this league. Tournaments have also been a success & we took home our first piece of silver wear this month in the Broadbridge Heath Tournament. We were kindly & generously sponsored by EHD a local general builders, building supplies & project management company which enabled us to subsidise our new kit which has obviously transformed our game! (Thank you EHD!).
We are now working towards the England Netball CAPS (Club Action Planning Scheme); a scheme directly linked to Sport England’s Clubmark scheme which promotes good practice in the development of players, coaches & umpires. Relationships between the club & the community have also been strengthened through a School-Club link with Glebelands School & further links may also be made with other local schools. Finally a big thank you to all who attended the Halloween Ball & the Ladies Night we raised in excess of £1000 to help towards court hire & entry fees to the league & tournaments (amongst other things!). Training is currently on a Thursday night at Cranleigh School from 7.30-9pm & we welcome new players of all levels.
Sian Parry - sian_15@hotmail.com
Anniversary Update
Past & Present Players’ 40th Anniversary Dinner
Plans for the dinner had to be put on hold as our intended star guest Simon Shaw was a little busy elsewhere during the early part of the season, so Robin Williams is currently trying to fix a date with him or find an alternative high profile guest speaker.
M&J Party
This was pencilled in for 23 November but also had to be postponed due to factors beyond our control, so please watch out for a new date to be announced shortly for our 30th Anniversary Party.
Minis
Christmas Party Sunday 16 December
Santa will definitely be making his traditional appearance at Cranleigh RFC with a present for every Mini, player so please make sure that you come over to see him in the Clubhouse after training.
Please make sure though that you bring a change of clothes or a tracksuit to put on over your muddy kit & also take your boots off BEFORE coming into the Clubhouse. Coaches & parents please note!
Simon Shaw Stars for England - RWC 2007
For Cranleigh Junior & 1st XV player Simon Shaw quite rightly finally earnt the rave reviews that his performances for Bristol, then Wasps & England have long deserved when he was many people’s England player of the tournament in France & was included in most commentator’s team of the RWC.
See if you can spot Simon, pictured below by the Surrey Advertiser whilst playing for Cranleigh 1st XV in his teens against Guildford in a Surrey Cup game.
Cranleigh RFC @ RWC 2007
A select band of Cranleigh Tourist were fortunate enough to travel to Nantes to Shawsey & the rest of the England boys get their RWC campaign back on track against Samoa, but further details cannot of course be disclosed as tour rules apply. Thanks go to Rob Wheeler who organised the trip in his own inimitable fashion.
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