WELCOME After the uncertainty of whether or not pitches and games were playable caused by the recent totally unpredictable weather conditions, I am delighted to welcome all of you to Acklam Park this afternoon for our final home game of the season before our gathered players and members, past and present. Our annual reunions always add a heightened air of excitement in the Club and it’s wonderful to see so many familiar faces; what better way to swap a few tales of yesteryear whilst supping the odd pint or three of Ian’s wonderful wares! We are grateful that so many of you made the effort to join us, and let me thank our President Stu Micklewright for taking over the reins from Mike Wright in ensuring today is such a success. All we have to do now is enjoy the afternoon.

And to share in this enjoyment it gives me great pleasure to offer the warm hand of welcome to our Northumbrian friends from Morpeth. Contests between our two clubs go back a few decades – in fact to the days when Morpeth were ‘Old Edwardians’. Last season we beat our visitors 27-14 here but then lost the return fixture 18-13; this season we won 17-3 at Mitford Road, a result I sincerely hope we can repeat today.

Having just avoided relegation last term, finishing in 11th place, one place above the relegation places, Morpeth have improved their lot this campaign and currently sit in seventh position with 12 wins from 23 games, two wins more already than they managed last season. (Let me add that I’m not decrying their efforts last year. I’ll be absolutely elated if we are in 11th spot come the end of April!) They’ve won five of the away matches – against the bottom three, Durham, Darlington and Keighley, plus Pocklington (by 20-19!) and, last week, 13-3 at O Crossleyans. Since then they met Percy Park in the Northumberland County Cup final, unfortunately losing 11-25. They kicked off the season with a fine 23-7 win over Malton & Norton, although perhaps their best result was their last home outing against the then second-placed Sheffield, when they were 8-0 up at half time and held on to win 8-7 in a thrilling finale.

TEAM NEWS Two weeks ago, against a backdrop of forecasted snow and frost, and grave doubts that our match at Durham would be fulfilled, we eventually got the go-ahead to play at Hollow Drift. Free from snow it might have been, but the searingly icy Siberian blasts sweeping across the pitch was enough to freeze all bodily sensations and strip flesh from bones. It was certainly not ideal conditions for fast free-flowing rugby, and yet we scored four tries, all from backs, to earn a bonus five-point win. It wasn’t our best game of the season by any means. We probably had no more than a quarter of the possession in a match fractured by constant whistling and yet we were 12-3 ahead at the break, courtesy of early tries from Josh and Simon, with Simon converting the first. Two more tries without reply, from Bellers and Rhys, both converted by Jack, sealed a 26-3 bonus-point victory in a game that a few weeks ago we could easily have lost. In the event ours was the only game played that afternoon and we leap-frogged Keighley on points difference to move out of the relegation zone.

We saw a strange game the week earlier, when we lost 21-33 to Wheatley Hills. We raced into a 14-0 lead with tries from Rhys and Richie Horton, converted by Jack. It was a lead we should have taken into half time, but in the closing stages an attack by Wheatley, during which the ball definitely bounced on the line for what should have been a line out to us was unfortunately missed by their touch judge and all of a sudden it was 14-7. However it was just a little one-sided after the break. Wheatley dominated the scrums, scored another four tries to one more for Richie, again converted by Jack.
To mark the importance of the game at Durham City we reversed the Wasps fixture so both teams could travel together. Enjoying a much better season than last year the Wasps won 33-0; they are now unbeaten since mid-October. Just to top up the icing on the cake Jabba took a group to the seaside last weekend and won the Whitby Tens. They concede only one try in topping their group of five, beating Whitby Is en route, and then beat Whitby IIs in the final, conceding only one more try. Not only did they not include any ringers, there was a good sprinkling of ‘A’ teamers. Meanwhile the ‘A’ team continue their inexorable march in the Tees Valley Merit League. There are match reports in the programme of their last three games; victories over Darlington, Guisborough and Darlington Mowden Park by the accumulative score of 183-12. They have already won the league with a record-breaking season; many congratulations on a great season to Manager Wes, Captain Steven and the boys. They meet Acklam in the final of the Merit League Cup at Redcar on 27 April. The Lions have now played a very credible 24 matches, more than any other side in the Club. Unfortunately the last three have ended in favour of their opponents, their first reversals since early December. I suspect that Guisborough made a special point of beating our trusty warriors in return for the 85 points they shipped against the ‘A XV the week previous. The Colts were due to host Heath (second in the Premier Division) in the Yorkshire Plate two weeks ago, but the game did not take place – Heath were snowed-in! The game will now take place tomorrow, KO 1pm.

CLUB NEWS Many congratulations to Yarm School who beat Felsted School 17-15 in a thrilling Daily Mail RBS U18 Vase Final at Twickenham two weeks ago. Two of Yarm’s three tries were scored by lads associated with MRUFC. Their opening try was scored by Zach Kibirige, one of Paul Hodgson’s U17 team last year and now scoring for Newcastle Falcons, and their winning try and conversion were scored by Will Guthrie, one of Zach’s teammates in Hodgy’s team, along with Fola Ajekigbe and Josh Jones (and, incidentally, Will’s younger brother is a pivotal player in our U15s team). Yet more links to the Yarm team – Tom Mavin, Fezan Mughal, and Robbie Duggleby were key members of John Burridge’s all-conquering U16 team last season, along with Nathan Booth who was injured.

Another of Budgie’s old boys, Lewis Boyce, was part of the England U18 squad (a year young!) crowned European champions last Saturday for the second year in a row, beating France 27-22 in front of 15,000 fans at Grenoble. He started at tight head in the 80 point drubbing of Portugal, scoring from 40m, then came off the bench at half time in the 25-12 semi-final win against the Auld Enemy to secure England’s final spot. Ollie Hodgson (Hodgy’s boy!) was also in action for England at the weekend, playing against Ireland for the U18 Clubs & Schools. Although they narrowly lost he played the full 80 minutes and covered himself in glory. Congratulations to all these fine young men.

Please make a note that our Annual Dinner and Players Presentation Evening will be held at the Sporting Lodge on Friday 10 May. The format will be a little different this year, with a main speaker to entertain us before we launch into a truncated version of the Awards, leaving enough time to sink a few..er..refreshers.

And another reminder that two days later the “Cock-o-the-North” U19 Challenge Finals Day, organised by the North West Colts League and usually held across the Pennines will take place here at Acklam Park on Sunday 12 May 2013, when four senior colts’ finals will be held. Make a note in your diary to enjoy what will be a carnival atmosphere.

REFEREE’S CORNER For our final home match of the season I am delighted to welcome a newcomer to Acklam Park – Ben Blain. Ben has been a referee only three years; in fact he played scrum half for Carlisle on Tuesday night. I hope he enjoys his first visit to us, and that we see him again next season.