ECCLES RFC THE HOME OF HOME GROWN 1897 Photo by Angus Matheson. Southport 2XV 17- 58 Eccles 2XV. ECCLES v SEFTON NORTH TWO WEST SATURDAY 14TH DECEMBER K.O. 2.15PM
CLUB INFORMATION
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Welcome to Eccles Rugby Football Club A warm welcome to all the teams playing at Eccles RFC this weekend. This is officially our 122nd anniversary and although we’ve only played here at Gorton Street for the last 71 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. The 1XV gained promotion last year playing attacking rugby with renewed conviction, something which we hope cascades down through the club this season. 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. For the start of the new season the club has installed a new 3G artificial turf floodlit training area which all teams will benefit and the technical area on the edge of the first team pitch has also been replaced and expanded meaning that some players will not even get mud on their boots ! 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’m 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 also now offer ‘Walking Rugby’ on Monday night at 7pm which, for those who’d like to give it a try, has no age, gender, or ability limitations. I would also like to thank our volunteers who operate our DofE section which complements the ethos of rugby and offers so much to young people in their future life. Congratulations to the groups who have achieved their Bronze, Silver or Gold award this year. 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 refreshments. Mark Dutton, President, Eccles RFC
CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME Welcome to Eccles Rugby Football Club. I would like to offer a warm welcome and a very Merry Christmas to Sefton and all our club members for this final 1st team game of the year. Sefton, although bottom of the table with only two wins, are very unfortunate to be in the position they are in with all their games being close scoring encounters. Today’s fixture will be seen by both teams as a must win game and with 6 losses in a row, Eccles will not be looking at giving away any early presents. We hope everybody can join us in a Christmas drink to prepare our vocal cords for the Coppull & Standish Band and all your festive old favourites including mulled wine, mince pies and Father Christmas at 5pm today. Please remember that on Saturday 28th December it is the 10th Anniversary Chris Tickle Memorial Game 2.15pm KO. This is our Annual Christmas fundraising event. Players are £10 which includes a memorial gift and after-match food. Please also remember to support our young men on the 22nd December when the colts have a 2pm kick off at home to Bury. ‘Home Grown’ is in our veins and our roots and our Junior programme at Eccles regularly produces talented male and female players vital to our sustained future success. We believe in Rugby for all and we take pride in our inclusive principles. In 2019 Eccles was recognised with two ‘Club of the Year Awards’ and was a nominated finalist for two more prestigious awards, a significant achievement thanks in no small part to the efforts of our dedicated volunteers and the generous support of our sponsors who share our ambition and passion. My thanks also go to our referees this year, who like players, work during the week and then step out onto the field to officiate. They do their jobs under pressure and I encourage spectators and staff to be more appreciative of their role in rugby. Without them we would have no games. Cheers, Thorpey. Paul Thorpe, Chairman, Eccles RFC
HEAD COACH NOTES Hello and welcome to everyone visiting Gorton Street today. The club has only the 1XV at home this weekend facing Sefton on Saturday, with our 2XV away to West Park St. Helens, our Ladies do not have a fixture this week and our U18 Colts are away to Birkenhead Park on Sunday.. The 1XV will certainly be looking to return to winning ways today after recent poor form. Our defeats against Bolton, De La Salle and Manchester however, were consistent in our inability to be creative enough or strong enough in the second half to seize control of close contests. In all three of those games we did not capitalise on the early points and pressure we accumulated. Furthermore, the players did not respond well to handling the pressure of the different interpretations of the laws by match officials, week by week. Both things we look to improve upon today as Eccles, after a positive start to the campaign, now find themselves mid-table with 4 wins and 7 losses. Our opponents Sefton, currently in bottom place, arrive in good form with hopes of raising the team from the bottom slot The 2XVs, also struggling to find good form this season, have the opportunity with a win to move up the table alongside their opponent West Park St. Helens 2s, Good Luck to everyone this weekend and thank you for all your support. Sam Simpson, DoR / Head Coach , Eccles RFC
The Duke of Eccles - Still the best Bates to play at the club. Ultra Welding Equipment Proud to support Eccles RFC
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MENS LEAGUE TABLES ECCLES MEN 1XV NORTHERN DIVISION NORTH TWO WEST Rochdale Manchester Glossop Leigh Anselmians Southport Bolton Winnington Park De la Salle (Salford) Tarleton Eccles Aspatria Aspull Sefton GAMES RESULTS P W D L POINTS F TOTALS 12 12 0 0 354 166 188 55 7 12 10 0 2 476 187 289 50 9 11 10 0 1 340 179 161 48 8 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 7 2 3 333 247 86 41 7 7 0 5 362 310 52 37 6 6 1 5 275 338 -63 32 5 5 1 5 270 284 -14 26 4 4 0 8 307 355 -48 25 5 5 0 7 218 375 -157 22 1 3 0 9 266 334 -68 22 5 4 0 8 289 350 -61 21 4 3 0 9 286 333 -47 19 2 3 0 9 239 420 -181 17 2 2 0 10 220 357 -137 15 3 A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 0 1 0 2 3 1 0 4 1 5 1 5 3 4 ECCLES MEN 2XV County Courier Services Division 2 North Leigh 2XV Tarleton 2XV Orrell 2XV Keswick 2XV Leyland Warriors 1XV Aldwinians 2XV De La Salle (Salford) 2XV Littleborough 2XV West Park (St. Helens) 2XV Eccles 2XV Oldham 2XV Southport 2XV GAMES 10 10 9 8 9 10 9 8 10 10 10 9 P W D L RESULTS POINTS F TOTALS 7 0 3 294 161 133 39 0 6 0 4 203 171 32 36 0 6 1 2 301 144 157 35 0 6 0 2 190 62 128 31 0 5 0 4 182 134 48 30 0 6 0 4 217 206 11 27 0 4 1 4 211 223 -12 26 0 4 0 4 136 174 -38 25 0 3 0 7 141 240 -99 23 0 3 0 7 213 291 -78 22 0 3 0 7 144 278 -134 19 0 2 0 7 138 286 -148 17 0 A DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
MENS FIXTURES-RESULTS Date Mens 1XV HA Results 31-Aug-19 Aldwinians - CUP A 07-Sep-19 Southport 14-Sep-19 Tarleton 28-Sep-19 Aspatria 05-Oct-19 Anselmians 12-Oct-19 Aspull 19-Oct-19 Bolton 26-Oct-19 De La Salle 02-Nov-19 09-Nov-19 Manchester 16-Nov-19 Glossop 23-Nov-19 Leigh 30-Nov-19 07-Dec-19 Rochdale 14-Dec-19 Sefton 21-Dec-19 28-Dec-18 04-Jan-20 Tarleton 25-Jan-20 01-Feb-20 Anselmians 08-Feb-20 Aspull 15-Feb-20 Bolton 22-Feb-20 29-Feb-20 De La Salle 07-Mar-20 Manchester 14-Mar-20 Glossop 21-Mar-20 Leigh 28-Mar-20 Rochdale 04-Apr-20 Sefton 11-Apr-20 18-Apr-20 Southport 25-Apr-20 A 29 - 64W H 37 - 35W 21-Sep-19 Winnington Park A 49 - 25L H 16 - 10W A 29 - 12L H 46 - 22W A 28 - 20L H 15 - 17L H 52 - 22L A 24 - 00L H 22 - 33L A 22 - 10L H A 11-Jan-20 Winnington Park H 18-Jan-20 Aspatria A H A H A H H A H A H Littleborough 2XV Oldham 2XV De La Salle Orrell 2XV Keswick 2XV Leigh 2XV Aldwinians 2XV Southport 2XV Tarleton 2XV A H A A H A A H A West Park (St. Helens) H Leyland Warriors 1XV A Mens 2XV HA Results Leyland Warriors 1XV H Post Littleborough 2XV Oldham 2XV De La Salle 2XV Orrell 2XV Keswick 2XV Leigh 2XV Aldwinians Southport 2XV Tarleton 2XV H 35 - 29W A 17 - 00L H 12 - 29L H 12 - 38L A 52 - 07L H 6 - 21L H 7 - 17L A 17 - 58W H 26 - 35L West Park (St. Helens) A
Eccles 1XV Sefton 1XV 1. Mark Greenhalgh 2. Tom Egerton 3. Rich Owen 4. Michael Holland 5. Nick Spooner 6. Matt Lambert 7. Tony Haunschmidt 8. Adam Christie # 9. Sam Long 10. James Wright # (Capt) 11. Will Parkinson # 12. Chris Fortune 13. Luke Cullen # 14. Gavin Ackers-Johnson 15. Cammy Oates # 16. Ross Eaton 17. Cameron Higginbottam 18. Damola Ayanlaja-Lowo # #Home-Grown at Eccles RFC Coach-Sam Simpson # 1. Tom Montova 2. Matt Faulkner 3. Kev Mainwaring 4. Jack Beckwith 5. Christian Caine 6. James Dempsey 7. Tom Fletcher 8. James Keegan 9. Wayne Tymms 10. Chris Caine 11. Steve Johnston 12. Jonathan James 13. John Fenton 14. 15. James Evans Liam Brown 16. Wayne Osborne 17. Sam Gallear 18. Alex Evans TODAY’S REFEREE: George Nuttall (MADREFS) TEAM SHEETS
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ECCLES SENIOR COLTS A well-deserved first win of the season against Preston Grasshoppers this week was a great boost to players, coaches and parents alike. We have now played all the teams in the D division of the Senior Colts North West Halbro League with 6 games, 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses, 2 of which have been bonus point losses. As is often the case statistics do not tell the full picture. So far this season we have played with 14 or 15 lads for all our games and come up against large squads, some with a full complement of 22 players. When sides have the benefit of fresh legs at half time the performance of our squad demonstrates the commitment, resilience, talent and hard work of the small number of players we are currently fielding. We are delighted that the league has now adopted the RFU ‘game on’ principle, the aim of this is to ensure that players get to play rugby with equal numbers at all times. Even if this too late for us to be competitive so far this season, moving into the second half of the season lets hope keeping players playing competitive games will help us face the fixtures to come. As a club we are exceptionally proud of the performance of these lads as they uphold the traditions of Eccles Rugby Club. If you are a player aged 16 – 18 or know a player, whatever their experience who may be interested in coming to join us they will always be welcome to enjoy rugby at Eccles RFU.
ECCLES LADIES Over the last 21 seasons Eccles RFC Ladies have worked tirelessly to develop the women’s game in the Manchester area. We have been rewarded over the years with promotions, cup runs and country representation. As we enter our 22nd season we are proud offer rugby for women and girls of all ages and abilities. With a club and team ethos of rugby for everyone our qualified and skilled coaches offer a high-quality rugby experience for all whether complete amateur or old pro. After a difficult 2018/19 season we are extremely optimistic about the coming season with a new 1XV captain, multiple academy players graduating to the senior side and a strong preseason recruitment drive big things are expected. With the retention of our strong core squad and coaching team it is an exciting time to be an Eccles lady. Eccles back to winning ways and in style, the ladies returned to the home of an old rival on Sunday boasting and extremely strong backline, the prospect of a try fest has never been so real. Birkenhead Park Panthers are well known to the ladies section for there direct confrontational style and relentless physicality but this would not be the way this game was played. Eccles with a point to prove took this game by the scruff of the neck and went about picking apart this Birkenhead park side with phase after phase of controlled structure combined with glimpses of creative magic, that had the coaches and supporters purring at the possibilities. Final score Birkenhead Park 5 – Eccles Ladies 34. This team continues to grow week on week developing their skills and building on the foundations of comradery and determination engrained in our ethos. Eccles move forward this weekend into another fixture where they will hope to continue on this upwards curve and pick up there first back to back victories since the 2017/18 season. Any enquiries should be directed to james.g.wright@hotmail.com James Wright, Ladies Head Coach, Eccles RFC
ECCLES LADIES & COLTS TABLES ECCLES LADIES WOMENS CHAMPIONSHIP NORTH TWO Sefton Ladies Crewe & Nantwich Ladies Manchester Ladies Darlington Ladies Eccles Ladies Didsbury TOC H Ladies Birkenhead Park Ladies Sunderland Ladies GAMES P 8 8 8 6 8 5 6 7 RESULTS W D 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 L 1 3 3 3 5 3 4 5 POINTS F A 97 189 120 117 128 185 250 98 75 122 194 93 274 118 156 197 100 69 -11 -65 -23 -72 TOTALS 247 -154 DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 35 26 23 15 15 10 10 7 7 6 5 3 3 2 2 1 ECCLES SENIOR COLTS Conference League-Senior D GAMES Senior Colts Senior D (U18's) Birkenhead Park Colts Bury Colts Kendal Colts Makos Colts Wigan Colts Eccles Colts Preston G/Hoppers Colts P 8 8 7 8 8 8 7 RESULTS W D 6 5 5 4 3 2 1 L 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 2 4 5 5 6 POINTS F A 194 111 166 152 210 73 148 151 146 147 83 14 TOTALS DIFF PTS TBP LBP ADJ 34 30 29 26 19 137 -3 -1 128 228 -100 19 108 238 -130 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 2 1 -1
ECCLES LADIES & COLTS FIXTURES Date Eccles Ladies 1XV HA Results 31-Aug-19 08-Sep-19 Darlington 15-Sep-19 Didsbury TOC H 22-Sep-19 29-Sep-19 06-Oct-19 Manchester 27-Oct-19 03-Nov-19 Sefton 10-Nov-19 17-Nov-19 Birkenhead Park 24-Nov-19 Sunderland 01-Dec-19 08-Dec-19 Didsbury TOC H 15-Dec-19 22-Dec-19 29-Dec-18 05-Jan-20 Manchester H 12-Jan-20 Crewe & Nantwich H 19-Jan-20 26-Jan-20 02-Feb-20 Sefton 09-Feb-20 16-Feb-20 23-Feb-20 Birkenhead Park 30-Feb-20 01-Mar-20 Sunderland 08-Mar-20 15-Mar-20 Darlington 22-Mar-20 29-Mar-20 05-Apr-20 12-Apr-20 19-Apr-20 A H A H Makos Kendal Tarleton A A Preston Grasshoppers H A A Post H 20 - 19W A 43 - 14L 13-Oct-19 Crewe & Nantwich A 86 - 10L 20-Oct-19 H 26 - 36W A 5 - 31W H 79 - 10W A 17 - 0L Preston Grasshoppers A 22 - 29W H Wigan Birkenhead Park Bury A H HW 26 - 11L Senior Colts Tarleton Wigan Birkenhead Park Colts Cup - Southport Bury Makos Kendal HA Results H Post A 53 - 26L H 12 - 16L H A 28 - 28D H 17 - 22L H 5 - 61L
ECCLES JUNIORS Christmas is upon us and the year has flashed by! From the normal soap-box grumble I compile here, I’d like to share some recent experiences of being able to watch some of our age groups from the U7s up to the U16s. With coaches Danny and Rachel Nichols now established with the U7s, the sight of these young pups running around the Astro turf on a cold Sunday morning would warm the rugby hearts of the grizzliest of front row players! Their excitement was amplified recently as Father Christmas turned up… Some can be excused for thinking it was either Dave Alcroft or Danny Taylor, but no, I’m assured it was genuinely Santa! I also got to coach a session with our U12s where we brought them together with the U13s. The blend was seamless and to see these boys developing their rugby skills in this way is testimony to Coach Martin Ogden. My group, the U14s: since they came ‘second’ to Preston GH, they have ‘turned a corner’ with their recent performances following wins against Orrell and Winnington Park. This Sunday they have a tough test in the Lancs Cup against Trafford MV, but if they produce the type of rugby they’re capable of doing, there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy a good cup run this year. We have a strong squad and the ability to bring on front row replacements during games is vital. I also got to watch our U16s at Sedgley Park recently; the standard of rugby these boys can produce is wonderful! Henry Dutton tackled his opponent, got back to his feet, ripped the ball then galloped off to score a try from nothing! Sam Crowther then threw the most outrageous pass from ‘the back door’ just as he hit the floor after a tackle, not only did it find the hands of his supporting player, it also created a try! The reason I wax lyrically here is due to the calibre of rugby that we are trying to emulate within the junior ranks at Eccles and it returns us to the club mantra of developing ‘Home Grown Talent’! Well done to all the age groups this year and a Happy Christmas to you all! Paul Fleming
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GORTON STREET GAZETTE ‘CHRISTMAS BLITZ’ Part 4 of the Eccles RFC WW2 story, told in instalments by Sheila Thomas and Chris Gaffey. In September 1939, the officers and members of Eccles RFC were determined to maintain morale with some ‘friendly’ action, but with the progression of war and the club’s facilities occupied by the army it became clear that rugby would have to cease. On Monday 22nd April 1940, at the Eccles RFC AGM held in the Rock House Hotel, Barton, a Lancashire Rugby Union Circular stated the county’s decision to abandon all activities until the conclusion of hostilities. Following discussion it was agreed that a War Emergency committee would run the club for the duration and messers Rider and Shaw would act as trustees of the funds held at the District Bank, Patricroft. On 17th August 1940, as the RAF and Luftwaffe battled above southern England, the rugby posts at Redclyffe Road were taken down. It would be 6 years before rugby was played there again. Eccles however would soon see plenty of activity of a different kind. Adjacent to the Eccles pitch stood Barton Power Station, essential to Trafford Park, a world famous concentrated industrial city with vast Metropolitan Vickers engineering facilities, AV Roe aircraft manufacturing, chemical production and food processing making it an important target for heavy enemy bombers who used the Ship Canal as a navigational aid. The Christmas Blitz of Manchester 1940 killed an estimated 770 people and injured more than 2,000 when 467 tons of high explosive were dropped on the city over two consecutive nights, inflicting wide spread disruption and destruction. Salford alone suffered over 200 fatalities and 8,000 destroyed homes. At 6.35pm on Sunday 22nd December air raid sirens sounded as the bombers approached from the south east. Families ran to shelters as the first wave of the attack rained over 1,000 incendiary bombs down on Salford, Hulme, Stretford and the city centre. Albert Square was the first place to be hit. The Royal Exchange, the Free Trade Hall and Piccadilly were soon ablaze.
GORTON STREET GAZETTE A bomb exploded in Gilda Brook Road Eccles, killing 12 including a family with three children. Another hit a house in Monton Road, killing three children and a sailor home on leave. Power and telephone lines were cut leaving amateur crews of local residents using hand pumps to fight fires in the streets where they lived and attempt to recover the bodies of their neighbours. The injured were treated by candlelight. The second wave targeted the hundreds of fires ignited by the earlier attack and the bombing was relentless until dawn. At 6am Manchester Cathedral suffered a direct hit and at 6.30 am the all clear was eventually sounded. The attack continued the following night with bombs raining down on Firefighters who were still attending to burning buildings from the previous night’s raid. Trafford Park and the Docks were targeted with bombs falling across a wide area including Eccles New Road. Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and Salford Royal were both hit by and school boys worked in stretcher parties to evacuate the patients. In Hulme, the Manley Arms pub was obliterated killing 14 people attending a wedding party. Shortly after midnight on Christmas Eve, the all clear siren sounded. More than 31 acres within a mile of Albert Square lay in ruins. There would be few silent nights. In the months that followed both cricket and football grounds in Old Trafford would be wrecked by bombing raids. At Barton a parachute mine hit the roof of the Power Station but failed to explode. With a fierce fire raging metres away, Naval Lieutenant Denis James Patrick O’ Hagan rendered the mine safe by boiling out the explosive with steam from a railway locomotive, an act of ingenuity and bravery for which he was awarded the George Medal for gallantry and devotion to duty. O’Hagan was to undergo commando training and survived the D-Day invasion of Normandy to make it home to Canada. Remarkably, Barton Power Station and Eccles RFC both survived the war - as evidenced in this photograph taken in March 1947, a few months before the club moved to its new home at Gorton Street for the 1948 season. As we gather to celebrate Christmas this year let’s reflect on those who suffered and battled through the atrocities of a blitz 79 years ago so we might enjoy peace and our way of life today.
1897 September 2009, marked a tragic event in the club’s history when Christopher TIckle, whilst playing for Eccles RFC, suffered a severe neck injury and sadly died in hospital three weeks later. Chris was a popular 23 year old with a great love of life and sports, an infectious sense of humour, a willingness to help others and was about to begin studying at Salford University. In March 2010 he was posthumously awarded The Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award by HRH Prince Phillip. As a tribute to Christopher, Eccles RFC was to become the first rugby club in the country to establish its own DofE awards programme in 2011 and continues honour his memory each year with its Club Person of the Year Award and fundraising activities in aid of spinal injuries research. This season, in recognition of the 10th Anniversary, the annual Christmas Christopher Tickle Memorial Cup match will take on a special significance. More details on this event to follow later in the year.
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