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The Great Escape
Paul Clark26 Apr 2016 - 15:10
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The Great Escape “I love this team, I love this club” Tom Vooght, 3.40pm, Saturday, 23rd April 2016
The “Great Escape” that our young first team pulled-off by clawing their way out of the relegation zone after losing 7 of their first 8 games culminated in mathematical safety as they beat Chinnor at home on Saturday. I am extremely proud of our players and coaches, and from the many comments that I have received, I know the whole Club feels the same.
Whilst we were beating Chinnor, our good friends and arch rivals down the road, Reading, were performing their own Houdini trick through one of their best performances of the season to gain a bonus point win against high-flying Salisbury and secure an eleventh hour reprieve from relegation as their campaign in South West I concluded. I am delighted for Craig, Andy and all our friends at Reading, and I am also pleased for the town, because we want local Berkshire sides to play at the very highest possible level to provide a target for the wealth of talent that is produced by the clubs and schools in the town, and throughout the county.
I could not comment on ours and Reading’s achievements without also mentioning what my good friend and Abbey Captain, Sam Hallett, and all the Abbey players and coaches, have done in securing consecutive promotions, which now also places them in South West I and creates a wealth of terrific local derbies for the 2016/2017 season. Grass roots rugby is really starting to thrive in the area, and we should proudly tell everybody about it and encourage as many as possible to turn up and support their local teams and enjoy the hospitality, fierce competition, and enthralling encounters that Berkshire rugby offers.
There is also plenty of enjoyment to be derived outside of watching club 1st team rugby. Early Sunday afternoon, I trotted across to Holme Park to watch our Colts play Reading in their final game of the season. It was an astonishing spectacle of great running, slick handling, hard tackles and some of the best offloads I have seen all season, and this applied to both teams.
It is the grass roots rugby clubs, with their junior and senior sections, and a host of willing volunteers that lay the foundation for the sport to flourish in this country and we should never tire of reminding the RFU of this. If we are to produce prodigious young English talent, then we should allow youngsters to develop in competitive games through their clubs and counties and stop whisking so many kids off to the sterile and stifling environment of the academies.
Finally, my thanks to all the Rams supporters and volunteers who have backed our 1st XV all year and were instrumental in encouraging a tremendous second half of the season. It is your journey too, and I look forward to your company as we campaign for a place in National I in the 2016/2017 season.
Gary Reynolds
CEO & Director of Rugby
Whilst we were beating Chinnor, our good friends and arch rivals down the road, Reading, were performing their own Houdini trick through one of their best performances of the season to gain a bonus point win against high-flying Salisbury and secure an eleventh hour reprieve from relegation as their campaign in South West I concluded. I am delighted for Craig, Andy and all our friends at Reading, and I am also pleased for the town, because we want local Berkshire sides to play at the very highest possible level to provide a target for the wealth of talent that is produced by the clubs and schools in the town, and throughout the county.
I could not comment on ours and Reading’s achievements without also mentioning what my good friend and Abbey Captain, Sam Hallett, and all the Abbey players and coaches, have done in securing consecutive promotions, which now also places them in South West I and creates a wealth of terrific local derbies for the 2016/2017 season. Grass roots rugby is really starting to thrive in the area, and we should proudly tell everybody about it and encourage as many as possible to turn up and support their local teams and enjoy the hospitality, fierce competition, and enthralling encounters that Berkshire rugby offers.
There is also plenty of enjoyment to be derived outside of watching club 1st team rugby. Early Sunday afternoon, I trotted across to Holme Park to watch our Colts play Reading in their final game of the season. It was an astonishing spectacle of great running, slick handling, hard tackles and some of the best offloads I have seen all season, and this applied to both teams.
It is the grass roots rugby clubs, with their junior and senior sections, and a host of willing volunteers that lay the foundation for the sport to flourish in this country and we should never tire of reminding the RFU of this. If we are to produce prodigious young English talent, then we should allow youngsters to develop in competitive games through their clubs and counties and stop whisking so many kids off to the sterile and stifling environment of the academies.
Finally, my thanks to all the Rams supporters and volunteers who have backed our 1st XV all year and were instrumental in encouraging a tremendous second half of the season. It is your journey too, and I look forward to your company as we campaign for a place in National I in the 2016/2017 season.
Gary Reynolds
CEO & Director of Rugby
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