This time last year the future of Holbrook Rugby looked very bleak. After failing to fulfil several league fixtures and with senior players moving on to other clubs the club was in dire straits.

Two of the then junior players then took control of our fortunes and over the summer managed to pull a squad together to allow us to start the 2016/2017 season with a little more hope. Captain Connor Pascoe and Vice Skipper Rob Boylett worked extremely hard at recruitment and provided us with a chance of survival. We were relegated to Sussex three but still had some fight left to start the new season.

Our first outing of the season saw us field a very inexperienced team who in some cases had never played a serious game of rugby before. It was no surprise to see us loose, although the thrashing we took was not deserved and we saw the side work very hard for little reward and the euphoria of survival did fade somewhat.

Oh how wrong we were!! We then went on a winning spree that saw us play some excellent rugby and the team gell into a formidable outfit. New Coach Seamus Higgins worked tirelessly to ensure the squad got the best support off the field and they more than repaid this with their performances.

We now have a strong, flexible squad of young players who have learned the game quickly supported by a core of more experienced players who have rediscovered their love for the game. Additionally we have seen some massive improvements and growth from our whole squad.

Winning the league is a fantastic achievement for this group of players and is down to a lot of hard work by players and backroom alike, let's hope that this now gives the club the impetus to grow further and allow every player to achieve their potential, both with the club and individually.

The clubs annual dinner and prize giving will be held on Friday May 5th. A time for Celebration, reflection and Reward, well done chaps.