A new season is upon us once again and after gaining promotion last year the 1st XV find themselves gearing up for what will no doubt prove to be a testing season in Midland East 2 (North) whilst the 2nd XV look forward to another competitive season in the NLD Pennant League.

We welcome the arrival of a new coach, Ben Wade (Wadey) from Sheffield Tigers, who has many years of experience playing top class rugby for the likes of Morley and Rotherham and who has already made a really positive impact at pre season training with a level of enthusiasm rarely seen in these parts.

It is unfortunate that promotion has coincided with the “retirement” of several key senior players, Ed Hutchinson, Henry Bagshawe and TC Crapper amongst them and we thank them for their tremendous contributions over the years. They will be sorely missed…….but “never say never” boys!!

We have, however, been joined by several new and returning recruits who are already showing real promise and trust they will enjoy their time at Mannerians.

More would always be welcome.

Minis/Juniors

My thanks also must go to Alison and Tree for their continued, mainly thankless, hard work with the Mini and Junior sections and to all the coaches and managers who give up their time in order that the kids have a great time on a Sunday morning.

After several years being the mainstay of the Mini section Alison is handing over the reins and we wish her successors well in keeping the Mini Section as vibrant as it has been in the past.

It seems to be a constant struggle to retain existing players and find new ones throughout all sections of the Club, with the Junior and Minis sections under particular strain. We are fortunate to have the help of Sean Wright from the RFU to help in this respect and he is in the process of visiting schools to promote the virtues of playing rugby for Mannerians at all levels.

Any thoughts, suggestions or actions to aid the recruitment/retention of players and indeed the recruitment of coaches and managers for the Juniors/Minis will always be welcome. As would anyone who wished to volunteer their services in any capacity.

New Home for Bakewell Mannerians !!!

Perhaps the best news of all is however that after decades of trying, the Club is now on the brink of having a home of its own!!

As you are no doubt aware, the Club is currently playing its home games on a temporary basis at Lady Manners School but Lord Edward Manners has generously offered us an area of land adjacent to the school which we would hope to be signing the lease for in the near future.

A planning application has just been submitted for the provision of two pitches together with a small welfare building/store which will provide a place where parents and children can shelter from the elements when necessary and enjoy a hot cup of tea!

This will be no small undertaking for a Club such as ours, with limited funds and resources, but it is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

The costs associated with making the land suitable for playing rugby will not be insubstantial and in this respect any support, help, assistance, expertise or suggestions that Club members can provide will be greatly needed and appreciated. Please feel free to e mail Chairman Tim Sargent (the.garden.room@talk21.com) or myself (djb5bcm@aol.com) if you feel you can contribute in this respect.

Vice Presidents/Sponsorship

Finally, there are two Vice Presidents days programmed for 4 Nov 2017 v Ilkeston and 24 March 2018 v local rivals Matlock. As well as the prospect of two hard fought games, the day also involves an excellent after match buffet at the Manners! It is hoped as many of the Vice Presidents as possible are able to attend.

If you are not yet a Vice President but feel you would like to become one, you can and for just the princely sum of a minimum of £25 a year!!! Not only do you get invited to the two VP's days, you also have the ability to apply for much sought after international tickets through the Club.

Attached is an appropriate downloadable Standing Order Request Form to hand into your bank. Alternatively you can use the account details provided via online banking.

If you are aware of any other ex players friends, relatives or just casual acquaintances who you feel might like to become a Vice President please feel free to put their name forward…..or better still get them to fill in a Standing Order Form!

On the subject of Vice Presidents, it has become clear that the Clubs data base is woefully out of date for mail and e mail shots and to make sure we are actually reaching people, it would be appreciated that if you are currently a VP you could confirm your contact details (address, e mail and phone) via email to me (djb5bcm@aol.com) .

Alternatively, if you would like to be involved through any form of sponsorship, we would of course be extremely grateful. Please feel free to contact Joe Oldfield (joe@oldfielddesign.com) who will be more than happy to discuss.

We would always appreciate any form of contribution to the Club as it moves forward and be more than happy to welcome you on board.

Here's hoping for a successful season on all fronts

Denzil Bowyer
President BMRUFC

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VPs Standing Order Request Form

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