WELCOME To those of you who couldn't attend the thoroughly entertaining Yorkshire Cup match against Sheffield two weeks ago, welcome back to the touchline after your summer break; I hope you come with renewed enthusiasm and a determination to support our young lads in their quest for success. To those of you who were here for the Cup game, welcome to the opening league game of our new season. Let us hope it is as entertaining a game as we saw a fortnight ago.

And so we are pleased to welcome back to Acklam Park our old friends and adversaries from God's Country – or Alnwick if your geography is a little haywire. We last met 11 years ago in North 2 East, when we beat our visitors 32-10 here in November but lost the return fixture 18-23 on 28 December, a game delayed a week because of the weather. Alnwick just missed out on promotion two seasons ago, when they lost the promotion play-off to Keighley. Not taking any chances they went one better last season, finishing on top of the D/N 1 table. Congratulations to them on their achievement, attained through consistency over the seasons.

THE NEW SEASON If you weren't here for the Cup match let me tell you that the game was a cracker! Having lost several players to retirement and job mobility we started competitive rugby (in the middle of August!) with at least six players not available against a Sheffield team which rumour had it had signed several players from Tigers as well as a rugby league acquisition. However it proved to be good game and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. We started well and could have notched up a brace of tries in the first 15 minutes but against the run of play Sheffield broke through the centre to take a five point lead. Simon Moore slotted over two penalties to give us a slender lead with half time approaching but our opponents again burst through the centre to add another five points. Five minutes after the break they added a penalty to stretch their lead to 13-6 but a good attacking move ended with a deft pass to Connor who ran in under the posts for Simon to make the score all square with ten minutes to go. Unfortunately our visitors added an other eight points to earn a tie at Cleckheaton. (Cleckheaton had beaten National 3 North Percy Park 12-24 in an away pre-season friendly when we were playing Sheffield, and then capped a great start to the new season by travelling to N3N Morley last week and beating them 14- 26 in the Cup.)

Last week we followed our Cup game with a pre-season trial match at Billingham, taking a combined 1st and Wasps squad to play two games. We played mix-and-match and although we lost both games (the 1sts by 48-11 after conceding scores in the last ten minutes, but the Wasps by the narrowest of margins, 20-19) the run-out proved invaluable with today’s match in mind. Meanwhile Eddie picked up a late fixture at home for the Lions against a combined 1st/2nd Barnard Castle team, winning by a slightly wider margin, 31-29!

The Scrum: The new scrum laws I summarised in the Sheffield programme have brought a heated response from Richard Cockerill, Leicester’s director of rugby, and others.
Reminder of the key changes. i) Engagement: the instruction is now ‘crouch, bind, set’ meaning both scrums engage with each other rather than standing apart and taking the hit. ii) The scrum-half cannot put in the ball until the referee says ‘ready’.
iii) Referees are to enforce the rule that the ball is fed into the scrum in a straight line down the middle of it.
Cockerill, a former international hooker, fears that the new laws regarding engagement will ‘de-power’ the scrum as well as present safety issues if the hooker has to strike for the ball with one foot off the ground while absorbing the push for an entire eight-man scrum in opposition. “With one foot up in the air, are you telling me that’s safe? You’re exchanging one mess for a different sort of mess,” he maintains. Brian Moore disagrees, naturally! “ It is maintained that it is dangerous because the striking hooker has to take his weight on his non-striking foot and is vulnerable when the eight opposition players push against his seven colleagues. Yes. It is called hooking; the clue is in the name”. I couldn't have put it better!!

CLUB NEWS Bank holiday Sunday saw what has become something of an enjoyable summer tradition for players, officers and members – the (infamous? notorious? laughable?) cricket match played on Andrew Gloag's field at Stoksley. Braveheart McNeill took three wickets – all Yorkshiremen to boot! They were Jabba (Whitby's finest), Brad (“I fix any alarm but don't ask me to climb a ladder”), and Tilly, our very own Barnsley Chop and Geoff Boycott's love child. “Is Colin a spinner?” asked Maureen of Moira, quite innocently. “No, he just chucks it” was her reply.

I mentioned in the last edition that Terry Wesson had been hospitalised at the beginning of the month to have a new valve fitted in his heart, “but is up and about again.” Not quite. His operation was five weeks ago, but for three weeks afterwards he developed bronchitis with an attendant hacking cough which, as you can imagine, caused him considerable discomfort - alright, he was in a lot of pain. However he is much better now, and is up and about again.

JUNIORS Although our Junior teams had a pretty bleak weekend, I am delighted to report that on Wednesday evening our U12s beat Yarm School by three tries to two. Leeds Carnegie will be here at Acklam Park for their first elite players session on Monday 9 September. Leeds are seeking to establish five Satellite Academies across the County for U13s-U15s, with Middlesbrough and Ripon identified for the northern area. Leeds’ coaches, players and physio support will come along on a Monday evening every two months, with sessions including coach development for our own coaches.

SPONSORS In his usual spot for our first league match - in the Function Room, entertaining his guests from ConocoPhillips - is Ian Horton of Hertel UK Ltd, as always our first sponsor of the season. I am delighted to welcome the company and their guests. Hertel is a worldwide organisation with its UK HQ in Middlesbrough, employing over 13,000 people worldwide. I hope that they and their guests enjoy themselves this afternoon...and I hope Ian is prepared to smile for the camera. Why? Well, if you're sitting comfortably I'll begin...

A few hundred years ago, when we were all still playing, not watching rugby, Ian lost his front teeth during one of those matches we played at Prissick Base, and no, it was not as a result of some underhand thuggery or well-placed fist-in-the-face. The teeth in question were not even on the field of play; they were back in the changing room, carefully wrapped up in an almost-clean handkerchief with the rest of his belongings. Some dastardly good-for-nothing broke into the pavilion and stole everything. Most people lost money, bank cards, watches and other pieces of jewellery, but Ian was the hardest hit – he lost his teeth. Whatismore he'd just landed a new job and was due to have dinner with his new boss that evening. But nothing daunts our lad – he came up with a brilliant ploy; he went dressed up as Dracula, saying he was sure it was a fancy dress party...

On behalf of everyone at the Club, to Ian, Hertel UK and all our other sponsors, can I say a huge 'thank you' for your support in advertising in our programme, sponsoring matches and taking advertising boards around the pitch. Your support is very much appreciated. The funds from sponsorship allow us to provide the best facilities we can for over 450 rugby players, from six year-olds upwards. We are, and with your help will continue to be, a thriving hotbed of rugby for people of all ages and ability. Again, thank you all.

REFEREE'S CORNER Originally we expected to have the pleasure of the Ashmans' company today, with Peter, who was in charge of that memorable game against Darlington last December, on the 1st team pitch, and his wife Helen taking control of our Lions game with Guisborough. Unfortunately Peter has had to pull out late in the day but I am delighted to welcome Simon Parks, a GP from Barnsley, for whom he played in the second row before taking up the whistle five years ago. I think his first tour of first-team duty at Acklam Park and I hope he enjoys his visit with us today.Type or copy & paste your content here.....