The score matters, but sometimes there are things that are more important than the score. Whether we win or lose matters, but how with deal with success and failure matters more.

Today I watched a spirited Baildon performance in a friendly match that had been billed as an opportunity for our players to blow away some cobwebs after the Christmas/New Year period, before the more serious league matches resume. As it happens we were winning until the last play of the match, but that is unimportant. What is more important is the performance for the shirt that each and every Baildon player gave.

When the final whistle blew one player sank to the turf and could not move for a full ten minutes. He had given his all. Had he been more reasonable and less stubborn, he would have left the pitch five minutes before the match ended when he was injured. At the age of 58, Pete Haydock, is still playing the game he loves. It is some months since he last played and he was anticipating a gentle run out for ten or fifteen minutes; a cameo role. But like all the players who pulled on a Baildon shirt today, Pete was not going to let his team mates down. It was not just stubbornness or unreasonableness that kept Pete on the pitch. It was something more than that.

There were other performances that caught the eye: Jamie Mitchell and Tom Peel in the loose; Jonny Picken playing his first game for over a year; JJ O’Connell showing his footballing skills and appearing to win the match with a drop goal in the last quarter. Nick Murphy, Phil Wilson, Sam Simons and the Strauss brothers playing themselves into the ground.

There are, of course, many talented players at our club. Many skilful. Some strong. Some fast. Some experienced. Also many young players with the potential to become even better players.
Yet none of this potential, none of these talents, none of these skills can be realised without the sort of spirit shown by the likes of Pete Haydock today. Pete enjoys his rugby, but what transcends and flows from this enjoyment is dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty…..the words do not come easily to describe Pete’s commitment to his team mates, for commitment is best described by deeds not words.

Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship are what makes our sport special. These are the values that our great sport promotes. These are the values that our supporters, volunteers and players put into action each and every time they contribute to our club. These are values that our community and our world need. I have a saying: “the whole world is a rugby pitch, if you look at it the right way”. Rugby players are special: we understand that there are some things that we are given that we cannot change: the pitch or the weather. Some things that we have to adjust to other things that we can influence or seek to control. If there is one thing that I would like us to influence, it would be to take the example of Pete Haydock and spread that spirit it to all those involved with our club and beyond.

I wish all our players, coaches, supporters, sponsors, volunteers and committee members a successful 2016 and hope that you will continue to be as inspired by the deeds of your fellow club members as I have been today.