ECCLES RFC 1897-2022 125TH ANNIVERSARY 1897 Official Match Day Programme Season 2021-22 - Price £2 ECCLES v DIDSBURY TOC H LANCASHIRE ADM PREMIER DIVISION 12TH MARCH 2022 - K.O. 2.15PM ECCLES 2XV v LIVERPOOL UNI. VETS. 12TH MARCH 2022 - K.O. 3.00PM
CLUB INFORMATION President - Mark Dutton Chairman - Chris Gaffey Honorary Secretary - Dave Nicholls Honorary Treasurer - Mike Bateman Fixtures Secretary - Don Edmondson Director of Rugby - Sam Simpson Safeguarding Officer - Heather Thorpe D of E Chairman - Mark Baines Mini & Junior Chairman - Dan Nicholls Junior Fixtures Secretary - Leeann Aspinall Ladies Captain - Rowanne Smalley Mens’ Captain - James Wright To play rugby Contact: Mens’ Head Coach Sam Simpson 07935 403171 Ladies Head Coach James Wright 07791 227616 Mini & Junior Chair Dan Nicholls 07789 202189
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Welcome to Eccles Rugby Football Club A warm welcome to all the teams playing at Eccles RFC this weekend, 2022 is officially our 125th Anniversary and although we’ve only played here at Gorton Street for the last 75 years we’ve always had our home in this community. One of the great things about our club is our inclusivity; teams for Mini’s, Juniors, Girls, Colts, Ladies and Men means you can come down to the club Saturday or Sunday and be entertained. At Eccles RFC we place great importance on developing youth and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing some of our talented Home-Grown colts stepping up to play in the seniors this coming year alongside our new recruits. It has been a strange year with everything that has been going on but the club has still been extremely busy. The money we raised through Crowdfunder, £40K+, has put us in an exciting position to commence several ground improvement projects. The club would also like to thank all the volunteers for their dedicated effort. We’d not be able to operate without their contributions. I can’t name all them all as I am limited to one page, but you all know who you are. The club would also like to thank their sponsors as the financial support you contribute greatly helps with maintaining our facilities and activities. We can offer something for everyone including ‘Walking Rugby’ on Monday nights at 7pm which, for those who’d like to give it a try, has no age, gender, or ability limitations. Once again, welcome to the club and please enjoy your day. Our clubhouse bar is CAMRA award-winning and (for those over the age of 18) I’m informed has a fine selection of match refreshment, especially with our new friends from the First Chop Brewery. Mark Dutton // Eccles RFC President
CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME A warm welcome to all our supporters and visitors at Eccles RFC today. The recent wet conditions have seen lots of waterlogged pitches and cancelled fixtures across the region. So far, Eccles have been fortunate in avoiding major disruptions due to weather and I’d like to acknowledge the weekly efforts of our dedicated grounds team that keep our pitches in great playing condition despite the weather. If you are reading this, you can assume the match is going ahead and if you see a 'fossil’ in the bar please buy him a pint! Our 1XV opponents today, Didsbury Toc H, arrive unbeaten at the top of the ADM Premier. Eccles players and supporters will recall several memorable events from the fixture earlier in the season at Ford Lane which Toc H won 38-22, and will no doubt be looking to avenge that away defeat today. Since October the 1XV has continued to suffer from a long injury list and inconsistent line up. As with the game at Didsbury, I expect today’s team sheet will feature a number of our homegrown former colts who are showing great promise as we build to the future. Our 2XV men are also at home today to face Liverpool University Vetinarians. I wish both teams the very best of luck in their exploits. Although our Senior teams have struggled to find consistency on the field this season, there’s certainly been a renewed camaraderie within the squads and the atmosphere in the clubhouse at the weekend is now returning to its best. We’re working hard here at Eccles to overcome the set backs of COVID by promoting the game and invigorating its growth within our community. Since last summer, the club has taken big strides forwards with its Mini & Junior rugby, with increased numbers across all 10 teams. Whilst other clubs have curtailed their development of youth due to a decline in numbers, we’re a hive of activity and bursting at the seams on Sunday mornings! Our Community Rugby Coach is engaged with local schools and the club is now growing at a healthy pace with over 460 members. Of course, this surge in participation and the maintenance of our facilities would not be possible without the invaluable assistance we receive from our sponsors and the continued commitment of our volunteers. Donating your time to support the club's activities can be very rewarding so if you’d like to get involved and put something back in please do step forward. Whichever team you’re supporting this weekend, I hope you enjoy your match experience at Eccles and you keep returning throughout the season. Thank you for your support in our 125th Anniversary year. Let’s get stuck in! Chris Gaffey // Eccles RFC Chairman
HEAD COACH NOTES
ECCLES JUNIORS Spotlight on … Eccles U7s. Eccles Under 7s have been riding high since their formation 3 seasons ago. A flagship team in the biggest and best Minis section in town, they have quickly grown to be a formidable presence across the club. As the team has grown, the issue has been less around finding more players and more about finding enough coaches to support them! Head Coach Simon is ably assisted on a weekly basis by Skills Coach Chilli©, assistants Lillowski, Martin and Andy with expert support provided by Team Manager S. Fielding 4-5 teams on a weekly basis with a focus on building not only the rugby skills but also developing the children’s teamwork and communication to support them to be successful in everything they do. We use sport as a building block to well-rounded characters at Eccles. The team has a mix of new faces and some names synonymous with the most successful eras of the men’s section of all time. It also has 4-5 girls regularly playing and this is an area we are looking to further develop to enable us to develop a strong pipeline of talent who have played together for years when they make the transition to girls-only rugby at U12s. Whilst we have a strong emphasis on enjoyment and discipline, we are facilitating elements of competitiveness which reward not only scoring and tackling but also, what it takes to be a good teammate. This team is full of potential and I have no doubt that many of the team will develop to the highest level, but the luckiest will hopefully get to follow in my footsteps and get to play for 30 plus years for this great club. Coach Simon
ECCLES PLAYER SPONSORS ECCLES COLTS
ECCLES LADIES Salford University Lionesses join the #PrideOfSalford At the beginning of the 2021/22 season Eccles Ladies established a partnership with Salford University Ladies to #GrowTheGame in our local community. After no rugby the previous academic year we, as a section, were committed to engaging a new cohort of student athletes within the game. This commitment has begun to bear fruit with the university side unbeaten in the league and no fewer that 7 girls making their senior debut at Eccles RFC bolstering a growing group. We are positive this relationship will continue to grow over the coming years and it's fantastic to welcome the ladies into the family. Pebbles Whailing Mills attended her first session at the start of the 2021/22 season following in her fathers footsteps. A shy unassuming girl attended with a keenness to learn and an unbelievable inner drive. As her confidence grew so did her ability, regularly taking part in games within the Greater Manchester Girls Network, it was clear she was transforming into a very competent player and a fantastic member of our team. Pebbles trialled at Lancashire U18s this week and successfully passed the first round of selection leading to a second trial later this month. This is an unbelievable achievement having never touched a rugby ball just months earlier. As she prepares to follow in the footsteps of #homegrown players like Freya Waterhouse, Molly Young, Molly Landers, Leah Christian, Jessica Whitling, Holly Bawden, Molly Wild, Rebecca Roden and Georgia Cunliffe by starting her senior career we know amazing things are to come. The future is bright for young players at Eccles RFC. James Wright // Eccles RFC Ladies Head Coach
WALKING RUGBY Numbers attending Walking rugby at Eccles are slightly down in the past few weeks due to self-isolating and some very poor weather. We do however have four new members to the group - a mum of a Junior player, two former senior players and a new recruit who heard about us from a friend. Eccles RFC were one of the first clubs in the region to embrace Walking Rugby and our group remain the largest to date. We are now approaching our 2nd year and until the Covid lockdown in March our activities had been continual. We recommenced Walking Rugby activities on the 7th of September and had 19 participants at the first session. This response is a good reflection of our group of guys and gals who have a strong bond, turn up regularly, and play enthusiastically every Monday evening at 7.00pm, on the 3G pitch, regardless of the weather conditions. Our challenge in the months ahead will be to re-instate the momentum we had gained and get our Walking back up to speed! The game itself encompasses a touch tackle rule so we’re within the RFU guidelines, and we’re also coming to terms with the necessary technology to make registration and playing possible ( we also keep a paper record of participants for those who are not smart phone savvy) We keep in touch through our own What's-app group and new players from within the club are always welcome so why not give it a try! To join the Walkers call me on 07747 570345 Alan Bent // Eccles RFC Walking Rugby
DUKE OF EDINBURGHS AWARD In 2011 Eccles RFC became the first rugby club in the UK to offer the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award scheme for its young people aged 14 to 24. A decade on, our DofE award scheme has grown from strength to strength, and can take great pride in the attainment of over 200 prestigious awards (48 Gold, 62 Silver, 127 Bronze) achieved by its players. This remarkable success is a testament to the committed effort and dedicated persistence of our participants and the club volunteers who lead the programme. The DofE award gives young people the chance to learn new skills for life. Consisting of four areas of personal endeavour - Volunteering, Physical, Skills, Expedition (plus a Residential experience at Gold level), the DofE inspires and encourages commitment, personal development and an adventurous spirit in young people to help resilience them gain to the confidence and successfully overcome whatever life throws their way. The award programme compliments Rugby activities here at the club and instills in our future adults the importance of team work and tenacity in reaching goals. To celebrate our 10-year association with the DofE Award scheme, this season the club decided to proudly emblazon all new Eccles RFC Mini and Junior Rugby shirts with the DofE award crest. This initiative was supported by Seward Refrigeration and the Morson Group who provided the financial security to ensure that every Mini and Junior player, aged 5 to 16, could be provided with a new full kit. Anyone who has visited the club this season on a Sunday morning will agree it's been heart-warming to see hundreds of kids running out in those sparkling new Navy and White hoops! Although our sponsors did not make their commitment for reasons ofpublicity we think it only right and proper that we take this opportunity to recognise and express our appreciation of their patronage, without which we could not do what we do. Eccles Rugby Football Club and our DofE award scheme is steadfast in its principles of inclusivity. There are many families within this district suffering hardship and it remains important to us that no member is denied the opportunity to participate as a result of financial contraints. Providing the DofE Award is not without costs. The club holds a central stock of equipment (tents, maps, compasses, cooking stoves, gas etc) but in addition to the annual £1500 licence fee we also need to replace the majority of our tents this coming year due to rodent damage caused whilst in storage during the Covid lockdown. So, we are delighted to confirm that the M&J Christmas events helped to raise £400 for our club's DofE section! Thank you all for your generosity and support it makes a difference. CG.
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GORTON STREET GAZETTE Today our 1XV entertain Didsbury Toc H RUFC. The 'Toc H’ organisation was founded in 1915 during the First World War by Captain (Reverend) Philip Clayton of the Sixth Division of the British Army in Poperinge, just a few miles from the British trenches in Belgium, when he rented what was to become Talbot House as a peaceful refuge for soldiers on the way to Ypres. The club was open to all men, regardless of rank and dubbed ‘Toc H’, being the abbreviation for the letters ‘TH' used by British Army signallers. After the war in 1920 Clayton founded a youth centre in London and Toc H developed into international Christian charity. In 1924 members of Manchester Toc H formed a rugby club situated at Victoria Park, Manchester. After moving to various sites, the club arrived in Didsbury in 1986 and the club’s name became Didsbury Toc H. The first recorded fixture between Eccles ‘A' and Toc H was on 23rd January 1924 soon after the Manchester club was founded. At this time Eccles RFC played at Redclyffe Road, near the Barton Swing Bridge on the banks of the Ship Canal. Games between Toc H and Eccles ‘A’ , Extra ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams formed a regular pattern in those years. However, it was not until the 1953/54 Season that Eccles 1XV played Toc H. On 16th Sept 1953 an extract from the Eccles Journal match report - "After having most of the play, Eccles lost to Toc H 8-6. Once again it was a case of missed chances and poor tackling that lost this game.” Later in the same season, 27th Feb. 1954, Eccles 1st XV played at the Toc H ground (the club’s three other teams also faced each other) with the match report stating "Eccles defeated Toc H at Stenner Lane on Sat. 15-0 and so avenged their home defeat earlier in the season. Conditions were far from ideal, but nevertheless, both sides contributed to make it an enjoyable game. There was a marked improvement in the Eccles play both in attack and defence. Stanley on the Eccles wing ran strongly to score three tries. Eccles took an early lead when Stanley scored from a quick passing movement. Later he ran 50 yards to score in the corner from a pass given by Eccles player Scholes. Stanley scored his third try after Broomhead had. The photo taken at a Sevens competition at Caldy in 1952, shows Harry Broomhead, Capt. (kneeling left) and Eric Stanley (kneeling centre) scorer of those 3 tries. Fixtures with Toc H have continued on a regular basis since then with the results broken away from a loose scrum.”
GORTON STREET GAZETTE Extracts from the Eccles RFC committee minute books: 1952 - 70 years ago Before the meeting commenced, the members stood in memory of King George VI who had died on 6th Feb., The dance which should have taken place on 15th Feb at the Broadway Cinema's Cafe ( now Morrisons car park in Eccles) had been postponed to March 7th. - Beer prices, following an increase in Messers W. Youngers' prices for beer, the committee decided to increase the price of beer sold in the club as follows - beer, 1 pint - !/5d shandy, 1 pint - 1/1d as from 18th Feb. - It was agreed that a letter be sent to the County Representative requesting an extension of the playing season due to the number of cancelled matches (frozen pitches). The Eccles Journal reported on 29th Feb., "After playing only one game in the last 5 weeks, Eccles resumed their fixtures with a visit to Hightown (Liverpool) on Sat." Eccles 1stXV lost 12 - 11. -Mr. Waller (player), reported that the bath on Sat. was cold. The groundsman to be requested to turn the water on just before half time. 1962 - 60 years ago Eccles Journal reports another inclement weather story “ Eccles v Prestwich - Both sides fought a losing battle with the weather, the match was abandoned after 25 mins. play. The mist, which had been gathering all morning, eventually descended like a blanket, reducing visibility to about 25 yards. Conditions rapidly became farcical, high kicks being a source of danger to both attacker and defender, since the ball was immediately lost to view. The game ended with no score.” 1972 - 50 years ago invitations to sevens competitions, Colts - Broughton Park accepted, Buxton not this time. Men - Bowdon accepted, Oldham not this time. During Feb. the committee also discussed - Griffon competition, building repairs, club plaques, Lancs. County Cup competition, payment of bills, fencing, refreshments, Easter Tour, selection, training, facilities at other clubs, booking coaches (motorised) and replenishing the First Aid box. Committee man Ray Cook was assigned to do this. Ray, still a faithful supporter of our club, says it was probably because he'd used it more than anybody else ! Sheila Thomas // Eccles RFC Historian (with Chris Gaffey Chipping in)
Tables 2021-22 Season ECCLES MEN 1XV ADM PREMIER DIVISION LANCASHIRE LEAGUES Didsbury Toc H Widnes West Park (St. Helens) Liverpool (St. Helens) Aldwinians Liverpool Collegiate Eccles Oldham Fleetwood Ormskirk Wigan Burnley (Withdrawn) ECCLES MEN 2XV NOWIRUL DIV. 2 SOUTH HALBRO NW LEAGUES Broughton Park 2XV Warrington 2XV Anselmians 2XV Didsbury TOC H 2XV Macclesfield 2XV Knutsford Altrincham Kersal 2XV Manchester 2XV Eccles 2XV Crewe & Nantwich 2XV Liverpool University Veterans Bowdon 2XV GAMES 17 15 16 18 18 18 17 17 17 16 18 19 GAMES 16 17 16 15 16 17 17 18 16 16 16 16 RESULTS P W D L POINTS F TOTALS A DIFF PTS BP LBP ADJ 17 0 0 489 106 383 82 14 0 13 0 2 421 148 273 64 12 0 12 0 4 429 268 161 57 9 0 11 1 6 362 311 51 53 7 0 10 1 7 322 316 6 50 8 0 9 0 9 257 297 -40 44 8 0 6 2 9 260 354 -94 36 8 0 7 0 10 191 318 -127 34 6 0 5 2 10 233 314 -81 30 6 0 5 0 11 225 492 -267 25 5 0 5 0 13 173 438 -265 23 3 0 0 0 19 0 0 RESULTS P W D L POINTS F 0 0 TOTALS A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 16 0 0 584 139 445 80 0 0 14 0 3 439 222 217 74 0 0 12 1 3 281 185 96 67 0 0 9 2 4 416 200 216 57 0 0 9 1 6 451 260 191 48 0 0 7 0 10 338 455 -117 46 0 0 7 0 10 340 403 -63 45 0 0 5 1 12 359 616 -257 42 5 2 11 300 328 -28 39 0 0 5 0 9 218 478 -260 36 0 0 2 1 11 214 349 -135 26 0 0 3 0 13 236 541 -305 24 0 0 0 0 ECCLES MENS TABLES
MENS FIXTURES-RESULTS CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME Date Mens 1XV 28-Aug-21 Burnley - CUP 04-Sep-21 Ormskirk 11-Sep-21 West Park St. H. 18-Sep-21 Widnes 25-Sep-21 02-Oct-21 Wigan 09-Oct-21 Aldwinians 16-Oct-21 Burnley 23-Oct-21 Didsbury Toc H 30-Oct-21 06-Nov-21 Liverpool Coll. 13-Nov-21 20-Nov-21 Liverpool St, H. 27-Nov-21 04-Dec-21 Oldham 11-Dec-21 Fleetwood 18-Dec-21 West Park St. H. 24-Dec-21 28-Dec-21 31-Dec-21 08-Jan-22 Widnes 15-Jan-22 Wigan 22-Jan-22 Aldwinians 29-Jan-22 Burnley 12-Feb-22 Didsbury Toc H 19-Feb-22 Liverpool Coll. 26-Feb-22 West Park St. H. 05-Mar-22 Fleetwood 12-Mar-22 Didsbury Toc H 19-Mar-22 Liverpool St. H 26-Mar-22 02-Apr-22 Oldham 09-Apr-22 Ormskirk 18-Apr-22 23-Apr-22 Widnes A H H HA Results H 77 - 15W Mens 2XV A 22 - 24W Bowdon 2XV H 22 - 40L Manchester 2XV A 36 - 7L Warrington 2XV A 29 - 20L Warrington 2XV H HWM A 38 - 22L Crewe & Nantwich 2XV A Anselmians A 22 - 17L A 18 - 5L Didsbury Toc H 2XV Liverpool Uni. Vets. Knutsford H 13 - 10W Macclesfield 4XV H 11 - 11D Broughton Park 2XV A PP - PP Manchester 2XV H 15 - 23L A H 58 - 24W A A A PP 7 - 34L PP - PP HWM A 26 - 26D HA Results A 33 - 7L H 67 - 0W H 26 - 5W H 29 - 15W Altrincham Kersal 2XV A 34 - 19L H 24 - 37L H PP - PP A 27 - 24L Warrington 2XV A HWM Liverpool Uni. Vets. A 39 - 0L H 19 - 22L Altrincham Kersal 2XV H 24 - 27L A 7 - 12W H PP - PP Crewe & Nantwich 2XV A 14 - 29W AWO HWM Anselmians Liverpool Uni. Vets. Aldwinians 2XV Southport 2XV Broughton Park 2XV Bowdon 2XV H A H A H A H 57 - 5L H A 32 - 15L A 32 - 32D Didsbury Toc H 2XV H H
WISHING ECCLES RFC EVERY SUCCESS FOR TODAY AND THE 2021/22 SEASON.
Eccles 1XV 1. Daniel Aspinall # 2. Tom Coe # 3. Ross Eaton # 4. Javi Manzanares 5. Zak Brooker # 6. Adam Christey # 7. Neil Williams 8. Andrew Frost # 9. James Wright # 10. Harry Candland # 11. Tim Balogun # 12. Chris Fortune 13. Tom Dutton # 14. Gavin Akers-Johnson 15. Rory McGrath # 16. Connor White 17. Mark Greenhalgh 18. Steve Lillie # 19. Will Parkinson # 20. TBA #Homegrown at Eccles RFC Coach-Sam Simpson # Didsbury Toc H 1XV 1. Josh Hearn 2. Harry Jones 3. Jonathan Beardsmore 4. Alex English 5. James Howarth 6. James Plested 7. Elliott Hagan 8. Harry Rigby 9. Josh Vize 10. Seb Sheratte 11. Dan Witter 12. Tom Bunn 13. Tom Andrews 14. Kieron Mckeever 15. Rory Gibson 16. Hugh Draycott 17. Tim Grant 18. Sam Thompson 19. Cameron Oldershaw TODAY’S REFEREE: Michael Keiley - (MADREFS) TEAM SHEETS
TEAM SHEETS Eccles 2XV 1. Rich Owen 2. Fin Cox # 3. Stuart Cork 4. TBC 5. Anthony Dutta 6. Tom Mayo # 7. John Whailing 8. Luke Cullen # 9. Tim Cullen # 10. Sam Long 11. Connor Spence 12. Mathew Twigg # 13. Damola Ayanlaya-lowo # 14. Wesley Chiriseri # 15. Cammy Oates # 16. Lukey Jones 17. Jimmy Mcguigan # 18. Josh Kinsella # 19. Alun Davies Liverpool Uni. Vets. 2XV 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Coach-Mark Greenhalgh #Homegrown at Eccles RFC TODAY’S REFEREE: Peter Logan - (MADREFS)
1XV IN ACTION SELECTION
1XV MATCH REPORT TEAM SHEETS Fleetwood 32 - 32 Eccles Eccles headed to a bright and breezy Fleetwood on Saturday looking to improve on the 11-11 draw at Gorton Street last December where the teams had slugged it out in appauling weather, with a resilient Fleetwood snatching a share of points with a late penalty. Fleetwood enjoyed the early possession, but Eccles were comfortable in their defensive work and soaked up the initial artillery from the home forwards. When the opportunity came to take possession and break up field, Eccles were quick to do so. A penalty was swiftly taken by Chris Fortune who seized the chance to catch Fleetwood napping, his pass to the equally alert James Wright, playing at scrum half, set in motion a rapid attack, finding Will Parkinson on the left wing who slid in at the corner for the opening score on 9 minutes. 0-5. Fleetwood responded from the restart and their Hooker crashed over the line on the left to equal the score on 13 mins. The strong wind was proving a problem for the kicking of both teams and the conversion was missed. 5-5. Eccles did not take long to respond themselves. On 17 mins a break out of defence from Rory McGrath, with quick work from Wright and Aspinall in the centre, set Gavin Ackers Johnson free on the right wing, who shrugged off tackles and swept around the fullback to run it in behind the posts; converted. 5-12. Playing at pace, Eccles continued to apply sustained attacking pressure on Fleetwood. On 34 mins, a series of line outs on the right inside the 22, with Zak Brooker providing dependable hands in the air, resulted in an Eccles penalty in front of the sticks, calmly dispatched by Wright. 5-15. Once again Fleetwood looked to reduce the deficit taking the game into Eccles territory. Following a Fleetwood scrum Javi Manzanares ripped possession from the attack and Chris Fortune was on hand to kick to touch to bring the first half to a close. Though Eccles had earned a decent lead through speed and better precision in attack, it was a competitive contest, and with the wind and a bigger pack behind them in the second period, a strong fight back from the home team was expected. HT 5-15. Eccles made a good restart, wining a penalty and a quick reaction once again from Wright and Fortune, released Gav on the right wing who swerved in and out to evade his challengers before offloading inside to the supporting Fly Half Harry Candland who steamed in under the sticks for a third Eccles Try; converted. 5-22. The 17-point cushion appeared to make Eccles complacent. A penalty inside the 22 gave Fleetwood a platform for thier tighthead prop to crash over to side of the posts. 12-22. A few minutes later Eccles were caught playing in the wrong areas and gifted an easy penalty in centre field. 15-22. A response was required and at 55 mins an Eccles break on the right resulted in defensive chaos inside the Fleetwood 22. From the penalty, Eccles kicked to the corner for the line out and the forwards executed an unstoppable driving maul in the corner for Hooker Tom Coe to claim the try. 15-27. Undeterred, Fleetwood forwards piled on the pressure and a long pass out wide left found the fullback who dived in at 20-27. With Fleetwood pressing for the corner. late points, a terrific jackal and turnover from Dan Aspinall regained possession and provided the opportunity for Eccles to regroup. Quick work from backs' created an opening on the left for Tim Bologun who weaved through the feild before opening up the gas to speed away into the open Fleetwood half to score a glorious try. The conversation kick into a strong head wind didn't make the target, but surely a 12-point cushion with 10 minutes to play would be enough, wouldn’t it? 20-32. The Fleetwood forwards pounded away and at 75 mins their scrum half sniped around the ruck to breach the Eccles line and score; the conversion hit the post. 25-32. From the restart Eccles lost possession in midfield, the penalty put Fleetwood within striking distance. The hosts kicked to the corner and from the line out the inevitable driving maul trucked over the line with the number 6 scoring at the death. 30-32. The conversion missed its target, but the referee insisted it was retaken because the charge down was not silent. The next kick was successful and remarkably the match ended in draw. Last play. Ten Tries. Two very different styles of play. Honours even once again. FT 32-32.
Tables 2021-22 Season ECCLES LADIES WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP NORTH 2 Bishop Auckland Sale 1861 Sheffield Birkenhead Park Manchester Didsbury Toc H Crewe & Nantwich Darlington Eccles GAMES 13 12 12 11 13 12 13 9 9 ECCLES SENIOR COLTS SENIOR COLTS U18s GAMES PRELIM. D HALBRO NWL Kirkby Lonsdale Rossendale Eccles Sale Southport Altrincham Kersal SENIOR COLTS U18s CONF. F HALBRO NWL Crewe & Nantwich Whitchurch Sale Rossendale Eccles TBA RESULTS P W D L POINTS F TOTALS A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 12 0 1 513 171 342 60 12 0 11 0 1 431 120 311 53 9 0 10 0 2 478 86 392 50 10 0 5 0 6 281 178 103 26 6 0 5 0 8 335 399 -64 24 4 0 4 1 7 227 416 -189 24 6 0 3 0 10 167 339 -172 16 4 0 1 1 7 45 339 294 7 0 0 9 39 468 -429 1 1 0 1 0 RESULTS P W D L 5 5 5 5 5 5 GAMES RESULTS P W D L 8 8 8 8 8 0 ECCLES JUNIOR COLTS JUNIOR COLTS U17s PRELIM F HALBRO Aldwinians Glossop & Marple Eccles Clitheroe Broughton Park & TMV TBA 4 4 4 4 4 0 POINTS F TOTALS A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 5 0 0 151 51 100 25 0 0 3 0 2 98 84 14 18 1 0 2 1 2 76 94 -18 15 0 0 2 0 3 109 123 -14 14 1 0 2 0 3 77 66 11 13 1 0 0 1 4 38 131 -93 7 0 0 POINTS F TOTALS A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 6 1 1 250 88 162 24 0 0 5 1 2 210 114 96 20 1 0 4 0 4 144 170 -26 20 2 0 4 0 4 114 160 -46 19 1 0 0 0 8 89 275 -186 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 GAMES RESULTS W D L F POINTS TOTALS A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 4 0 0 151 79 72 35 1 0 3 0 1 117 74 43 30 0 0 2 0 2 111 161 -50 26 2 0 1 0 3 65 97 -32 25 1 0 0 0 4 114 147 -33 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ECCLES LADIES & COLTS TABLES
ECCLES LADIES & COLTS FIXTURES Date Ladies 1XV 19-Sep-21 26-Sep-21 Manchester 03-Oct-21 10-Oct-21 17-Oct-21 Sale 1861 24-Oct-21 Crew & Nantwich 31-Oct-21 07-Nov-21 Bishop Auckland 14-Nov-21 Birkenhead Park 21-Nov-21 28-Nov-21 Sheffield 05-Dec-21 Darlington 12-Dec-21 18-Dec-21 Didsbury Toc H 26-Dec-21 01-Jan-22 08-Jan-22 16-Jan-22 Sale 1861 HA Results A 50 - 24L H 00 - 52L A 10 - 00L H 10 - 19L A 60 - 00L H PP - PP A PP - PP H PP - PP A 90 - 0L 23-Jan-22 30-Jan-22 Crewe & Nantwich H 0 - 32L 06-Feb-22 Bishop Auckland 13-Feb-22 20-Feb-22 Sheffield 27-Feb-22 Birkenhead Park 05-Mar-22 Sheffield 13-Mar-22 20-Mar-22 Darlington 27-Mar-22 Didsbury Toc H 03-Apr-22 Didsbury Toc H 10-Apr-22 Manchester Date 05-Sep-21 12-Sep-21 19-Sep-21 Rossendale 26-Sep-21 Fleetwood 03-Oct-21 Southport 24-Oct-21 Littleborough 14-Nov-21 Whitchurch 21-Nov-21 Rossendale 12-Dec-21 Sale 16-Jan-22 Southport H 26 - 22W A 19 - 57W Southport H 8 - 17L 10-Oct-21 17-Oct-21 Altrincham Kersal A 7 - 7D Clitheroe H 16 - 53W Heaton Moor H 12 - 33L A 21 - 15L H 12 - 24L A 27 - 15L 23-Jan-22 Crewe & Nantwich A 36 - 0L 30-Jan-22 Rossendale 20-Feb-22 Sale 27-Feb-22 Crewe & Nantwich H 8 - 48L 06-Mar-22 Whitchurch H 14 - 22L A 31 - 28L A 60 - 0L A Aldwinians 0 - 0W A 58 - 10L H 33 - 12W H HWM Senior Colts H H A 72 - 5L H H A H HA Results Junior Colts Glossop & Marple Broughton Park-TMV HA Results A 36 - 10L H 58 - 55W A 83 - 0L
ECCLES PLAYER SPONSORS
The Duke of Eccles - Still the best Bates to play at the club. Ultra Welding Equipment Proud to support Eccles RFC
SPONSORSHIP AND FUNDING Eccles RFC is run by dedicated volunteers. With over 120 years behind us we are a resilient, ambitious, progressive, inclusive, community rugby club and welcome support from businesses who share our ambition and passion. Sponsorship opportunities 2021/22 Community Coaching sponsorship - £15k Platinum Club Sponsorship - £10k Duke of Edinburgh Award Sponsorship - £10k Senior Team Sponsorship - £5k Junior Team Sponsorship - £3k Pitch-side Advertising boards - £500 Programme advertisement - £250 Senior Player Sponsorship - £150 Our sponsorship packages are flexible. For more information please email us at sponsorship@ecclesrfc.org.uk 1897 You can raise money for Eccles RFC every time you shop online by using EasyFundraising.co.uk Just register on the website, name us as your cause and shop as normal. The club receives a donation for the purchases you make. Easy.
CODE OF CONDUCT Eccles Rugby Football Club encourage Spectators to: • Act as a positive role model to all. • Behave with dignity and generosity. • Support your club’s efforts to uphold its reputation. • Respect Rugby’s values. Discipline and Sportsmanship define our game. • Respect the match officials' decisions, even if they appear to make a mistake. Remember, they are volunteers and without them there would be no game. • Encourage all players irrespective of their ability. Never ridicule a player, regardless of the shirt they wear. • Appreciate good performance and achievement from all players, irrespective of their team. • Acknowledge effort and endeavour rather than the desire to 'win at all cost'. • Support the players. Shout ‘for’ them not ‘at’ them. • Never verbally abuse players, coaches, match officials or fellow spectators; such negative behaviour affects the players and referee’s performance and attitude. • Remain behind the barriers. The field is for the competitors. Remember children play rugby for their own enjoyment, not for that of the spectators. 1897
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