Hi guys,


Rugby date 07/11/09 home against Preston Grasshoppers game called off

Totally unsatisfactory, that I feel sums up the weekend. Unfortunately we where forced in to crying off this weekends fixture against Preston due to circumstances beyond our control. Let me fill you in on a little background information. The way the league runs is that the first xv has to field a side, then the second xv then the third, we can not field a third team and not field a second string. the league would not award any points and would take a very dim view of us. That said, this weekend the first xv reported a record high in injured players, somewhere around 20 players not available. This therefore gave Andy Tom's one almighty headache, resolved by sending the majority of the second team up to fulfill the first xv fixture. However this resulted in him having to call upon the majority of the third xv to fulfill his second team fixture. And therefore resulting in us having to call our game off due to lack of numbers. I would like to point out that the league award one point for fulfilling a fixture, that's right turn up and even if you loose you still get a point. also the minimum number required to fulfill a fixture is 9, and the opposition have to match that number by no more than one extra player. i.e. we turn up with 9 they can only have 10 on the field at a time. And many times teams have turned up at our place with less than 15 and we have given them numbers to make more of a game of things so is the way of social rugby.
This All said we found our self calling off a home game, this I promise will not happen again. We have to field a team even if it all looks dark and gloomy and we haven't got 15, it does however mean a little more commitment to the third team. I know no-one wants to turn up knowing we are probably going to get beat, but that is not a forgone conclusion. And god forbid if we fail to fulfill fixtures we run the risk of loosing the third team forever, this is not an exaggeration you don't have to look far to see clubs folding and dropping teams, Lostock in our league LSH also struggling and many more. The third team is where I enjoy playing with good friends, but also it is a place for people who may not be a supper star, or maybe the players of the future to develop their skills and learn techniques be for going on to play in the higher teams. It is also a important piece in the social side of the club with many wives and girlfriends and children coming along to support their team and supporting many of the clubs functions. So with that in mind we must endeavor to do better and make sure that we fulfill our fixtures no matter how many players we have.
Now some well earned thanks for the players who where called upon by the second xv, Especially Paul Greenwood, Marc Grimes, Jim Colman, Andy Snape, Charles Page, Jamie Elston. All of whom put plenty of effort into the game some really shining, and even though we lost the score does some what flatter Rochdale 2's. They made as many mistakes as we did the difference was when they made a mistake we were 2 yards away when we made a mistake they capitalized. The only high point for myself was having Mark (Bully) Bullen rub my lower back with heat liniment which he managed to spill down my buttocks. Adding a little discomfort to a otherwise hard day aat the office, in which i was blowing chunks for the majority only getting my second breath ten minutes from time when someone mentioned a pie and pint in the bar.
This leaves us to look forward towards this weeks fixture away against BAE Warton, who may be struggling at the bottom of the league but manage to put a team on the field every week. A lesson there for us maybe.

Yours committedly Carlos (captain)