WELCOME After a gap of four years it gives me great pleasure to welcome as visitors our neighbours from Darlington. We actually met three times in 2008/09, twice in North One and again at Darlington in the National Intermediate Cup. We won the league games pretty comfortably, 25-6 at home and 45-9 in the return, but the Cup match was a much closer affair at 9-3, courtesy of three Simo penalties.

It goes without saying that Darlington are not enjoying the best of seasons and just to rub salt into sore wounds they have had five points deducted to leave them stuck at the bottom of the league. Although Darlington conceded over 60 points on the opening day at Northern, in their second match at home to Keighley they lost narrowly by 31-36 and got a losing bonus point and a try-scoring bonus point. Alas those were the only points achieved by our visitors until they beat Durham City a fortnight ago, when they saw a 15-3 lead become an 18-15 deficit before running out 22-18 winners. They have conceded 670 points, leaking 70 or more points five times.

TEAM NEWS Three weeks ago... The blank week did us the world of good. The rest after our defeat at O Crossleyans also did a few of our injured players the power of good, enabling them and to the rest of the team to get back into harness to face Durham City with a spring in our step. Not only did the seven-try victory do our morale the world of good, it took us up out of the bottom three. We chalked up a bonus point before half time with tries from three of the players returning from injury, Richie H, Wrighty and Bellers, plus one from Simo. A brace from Connor Foley and a second for Simo, plus five conversions from Jack gave us a comfortable 45-13 win. It was reportedly the strongest side fielded by City to date this season.

In a most satisfactory afternoon the Wasps earned their hat-trick of wins by inflicting on Percy Park only their second defeat of the season (the other was against the mighty Tynedale) in a keenly contested game which ended 15-12; the Lions trooped in from Tollesby with justifiable wide grins – a try at the death earning the lads a 15-14 win against Acklam (does Bobby T still qualify as a ‘lad’?); and the ‘A’ team completed a full-house with a 25-8 victory at Acklam (see the separate ‘A’ team report). Can I just add that it’s great to see Acklam turning out three sides at a time when so many clubs are struggling for numbers. Unfortunately on Sunday the Colts couldn’t add to the set of ‘Ws’ on the board. Against a very powerful Percy Park side in the Colts National Cup and, without several of their older players (the qualifying age has been reduced to U18), they lost.

Two weeks ago…Following our win over City we eased our worries at the lower end of the table with a 17-3 win at Morpeth, where good teamwork resulted in us dominating the game and scoring our first away win of the season. There was a good build-up for both tries, but they were well finished, first by Simo, who made an outside break on the 22 to go under the posts. He added a penalty on the stroke of half time for a 10-3 interval lead after Jack had been forced to retire. Midway through the second half the forwards created a platform for Rhys to show his pace as he burst through a gap and rounded the full back. Morpeth admitted they expected to beat us, but their pack, dominant in most matches this season, was under the cosh for most of the match. The weather curtailed other activity, resulting in the ‘A’ team being the only other side to get a game – they beat West Hartlepool 70-0! On Sunday the Colts lost to Doncaster in the County Cup.

Last week...Saturday was ‘Cup Day’ with the 1st team at Morley in the Yorkshire Cup, the ‘A’ team at home to Guisborough in the quarter final of the Tees Valley Merit League Cup and the Lions at home to Whitby in the North Yorkshire Trophy. Or at least they were our expectations…in the event Guisboro cried off citing lack of front row problems, giving the ‘A’s a bye into the semi finals.

On a freezing cold afternoon at Morley we were welcomed by two Richard Binks! Many of you will know the gnarled and fearsome ‘Binks the Prop’; he is the proprietor of Binks Vertical, a building firm. The other Binks, Chairman of Morley, is an undertaker. So…to some people one is known as ‘Binks the Brick’ t’other as ‘Binks the Box;’ to others it’s ‘Binks Vertical’ or ‘Binks Horizontal.’ But to the match; our boys played well to take an 8-0 lead into the break, courtesy of a penalty after 10 minutes by Simon O’Farrell and a typical forwards try from Richie Horton. With 7 replacements allowed in the Cup both sides made changes for the second half and unfortunately we shipped 5 points within a couple of minutes of the re-start. And then came the turning point in the match. Lewis Macsween, playing at full back, was sprinting back towards our line after Morley turned defence into attack when he reached out to try to intercept a Morley pass. He couldn’t quite grasp the ball but was adjudged to have deliberately knocked-on, and then sin-binned. These curious decisions cost us dear. During his absence Morley scored two tries to make the score 17-8. However we weren’t finished. Debutant Adam Nolson, who came on as full back, did pick up an interception deep in our own half and set off on a run with at least three-quarters of the field before him. As he weaved one way
then the other I felt sure he was going to be pulled down by the back-tracking opposition. But he wasn’t – he dumped the ball under the posts for Simon to add the conversion and make it 17-15. Adam then put his life on the line with a try-saving crash-tackle on a monster of a Morleyman bearing down on him at a rate of knots. In the end Morley did score another try to make the final score 22-15. Sadly, that was the same score – and the same result – in the Lions/Whitby match.

On Sunday morning the Colts got the all clear to travel for their match at York, only to find the pitch unplayable; the referee agreed; York refunded travel costs, fed the lads and sent them on their way. The weather has also played havoc with the Juniors’ recent fixtures, including the U14s Yorkshire Cup match at home to Pocklington last Sunday, but there is a page of reports in this edition on earlier games. Late News: the U7s, 8s and 9s are invited to a post-Christmas ‘Pool Party’ at Splash Stockton on Sunday 13th January at 1630 – see Lee Walker or Gary Pollard.

CLUB NEWS Dates for your diary: we have another home match next week against Northern, preceded by our Christmas Lunch…the Members’ Christmas Draw next Sunday…the world-famous 4th Annual Acklam Park Pie Baking Competition on Wednesday 19 December… followed by the Carol sing-a-long the following evening… the Children's Christmas Party on Saturday 22 December…and the Annual Ball on Saturday 29 December at the Thistle Hotel.

The address to access an article on the Club which appears in the latest edition of ‘Rugby Club’ is www.rugbyclub.biz/rugbyMags/Rugby_Club_Issue_29 - and finally congratulations and best wishes to Scott and Heather McNeill, who were married on Sunday at Guisborough Hall.

SPONSORS Today we are delighted to welcome Ashley Deakin of Carlsberg, today’s sponsors. Carlsberg report that the UK beer market is in long term decline with on average 3% less beer being drunk each year. However, with the considerable assistance of Middlesbrough Rugby Club members Carlsberg UK continues to perform well.

REFEREE’S CORNER Today I am delighted to welcome Peter Ashman, a regular visitor to Acklam Park over the years – as has been his refereeing wife Helen. Peter played at No 7 for Houghton and has been a referee for over ten years; originally with the Northumberland Society he transferred to the North Yorkshire Society. He is a Scientific Officer in the engineering fabrication business producing stainless steel containers. I hope he enjoys his return visit with us today.