Paul joins the club from Featherstone Rovers where he has acted as assistant coach since 2018. He led the team out at Wembley in July for their 1895 Cup win before a loss to Toulouse cost them the chance of a place in Super League.

Paul has been involved in the professional game for the last 26 years and joins us with a wealth of experience, having turned out in Super League for Wakefield Trinity and Huddersfield Giants, before spells with York City Knights, Hunslet Hawks and Keighley saw him cut his teeth in coaching.

Marchy is no stranger to the club. He joined us as a player in 2017 and went on to hold the role of coach, but feels that both parties are better equipped for success this time around. He said “I have had the coaching job here before, but joined mid-season at a bit of a messy time for the club and it was all about bringing some stability. It probably wasn’t the right time for me to take it as I had a lot of other commitments, but I was asked to take charge and I couldn’t say no in the club’s time of need. Now that I’ve stepped away from the professional game I’m ideally placed to give this my all, while still gaining some all important extra time with my family. The club have had a couple of lean years, results wise but I think the lads have turned a corner recently. The lads are all getting a bit of experience under their belts and we have some cracking young lads making their way up to open age rugby. There is a good vibe around the club and we’re really starting to see people having fun again, which is why we all play the game.”

Open Age Chairman Mick Turner is delighted with the appointment and excited for the future. “Getting Marchy over the line is a big coup for the club and the first big step in making Shaw Cross an attractive place to be for local talent once again. He brings with him masses of knowledge from the professional game, but also having played at our level knows exactly what to expect on the field, which I feel is very important. As we head into our 75th anniversary in 2022 it’s great to know that the team is in good hands as we look to nurture our young talent and get the best out of our more senior players.”

If you want your fix of Rugby League, our winter Pennine League team will travel to Almondbury Spartans Tomorrow for a 2pm kick off, as they look to continue their strong start to the season.