Pre-season is now well underway and, thanks to the hard-work of the coaches, it has been thoroughly enjoyable so far. At times, numbers have been brilliant and we have regularly seen more than 20 people putting the graft in on a Monday and Wednesday night.

On behalf of all the players, I’d like to thank Si, Matt Trevithick and Stephen Nolson for the hard-work they’ve put in to training so far. Each session has been purposeful and enjoyable – I know everyone is feeling optimistic about the season ahead, and rightly so.

On Saturday, we have our first taste of competitive action as we compete in the annual Roundhegians 10’s tournament. For those available, this will be a tough run out. However, it will provide a great opportunity for everyone to put a marker down in terms of early season selection (as will friendlies against Old Crossleyans and Yarnbury in the coming weeks).

Off the pitch, the first social event of the year was a big success as over 50 players entered the annual ‘T and P’ tournament. More importantly, it was great to see so many spectators (family, friends, members etc) enjoying the sun and supporting the players. A special mention must go to ‘volunteer of the year’ Martyn Booth for his hard work in orchestrating the event. A huge thanks must also go to all those people who helped on the day: Matt Smith, Jim Dolan, John Lockwood, Jo Smith and anyone else who I may have missed.

As we look ahead to the coming season, I do so with optimism and confidence. Aireborough is a fantastic club that I’m certain will continue to grow and make waves in the Yorkshire Rugby circles. As players, we have a responsibility to ensure we give our all on the pitch to reward the efforts of the many people who give so much time away from the playing side.

Here’s to another fantastic year and I hope to see the clubhouse buzzing every Saturday over the season.