There has always been a tremendous spirit amongst Combination Clubs and this was no better demonstrated in the Howell Phillips Charity match in April where pretty much every Combination club was represented.

Graham & Bob
When looking back on the past year, one thought dominates all others, the loss of two great servants of Plymouth Rugby.
Bob Anstis was a driving force in keeping the Plymouth Combination on an even keel serving the committee in a number of roles for well over a decade. That was only a small fraction of what he did for local rugby though as he had very important roles for Plymouth Referees Society and OPMs.
Graham Emond was integral to the running of this club Devonport Services fulfilling numerous roles. He was a hugely prominent figure for rugby in this region with his work for Devon and South West Rugby. He was of course our cup steward and an integral part of cup final nights.
Both Bob & Graham have been sorely missed by all the organisations they have been involved in but we must always remember the greatest loss is to their friends and family.

Executive Committee
I would like to thank the executive committee this year especially. Despite being diminished in number they made sure that business was carried out effectively. You may know that the Exec meet once a month aside from these general meetings but they have also have had a number of additional meetings to organise events, resolve cup issues etc. (The Beacon Park Social Club accounts are looking very healthy on the back of those meetings!) They do this as well as involvement in their own clubs and organisations, they do it because they care passionately about local rugby.

Clubs
Running a rugby club in 2017 is possibly as hard as it’s ever been with clubs now having to sell an offer to a player rather than just expecting them to turn up as in the past. I therefore pay tribute to all clubs for their efforts this season, we as a Combination should do all we can to support them on and off the field.
There has always been a tremendous spirit amongst Combination Clubs and this was no better demonstrated in the Howell Phillips Charity match in April where pretty much every Combination club was represented. I am sure there will be similar support for the forthcoming Andy T and Paul Lethbridge events.

Referees
I can’t complete a report without mention the officials of the PRRS without whom we would not have a game. Anyone who saw the ‘teams of 3’ operating at events such as the cup finals, the varsity match or the sevens could not have failed to been impressed. But it is the less glamorous work week in week out in all weathers that keeps this game of ours going, we are very lucky to have such a good referees society.
History
Two of my great interests are history and rugby and therefore I am very pleased that Mike Yeats has taken it upon himself to compile the history of Plymouth Combination and its member clubs. I believe it is important they we retain our unique identity here in Plymouth & District and therefore I urge all clubs to check to see what they might have and let Mike know about it.
The President has generously agreed to donate his St Chads* Membership card and tie from his playing days as a colt.

Meetings
This past season we have moved the venue of the general meeting on a couple of occasions and I would like to repeat the experiment next season. So if member clubs would like to host us next season please let us know. Even in these days of email & social media it is important that we continue to meet once a month in person to foster the relationships which are such a feature of this great game of ours.

*1922-23 Lockie Cup Winners