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It’s a seaside trip for the senior squad this weekend as they continue the pre-season build-up with a game against Brighton on Saturday (August 20th). It’s a 2.30 pm kick-off. If you fancy driving down to Sussex by the Sea the ground address is Waterhall Road, Brighton BN1 8YR.
The final pre-season friendly is at home to Westcombe Park on Friday evening, August 26th. Kick-off will be 7.30/8 pm and all bars and restaurant facilities will be open. Admission to the game is free.
Pace and accuracy shifted this game decisively Bishop’s Stortford’s way as they dominated the second and third quarters. Just one score in front after the opening 20 minutes the Division One side ran in another five tries to remind Canterbury of their status. When the chances were created through sure handling and quick thinking they put them away and while the home side’s competitive instincts never deserted them their lack of accuracy and basic errors hobbled their ambition. That said, Canterbury did hit back strongly in the final quarter of a match played in 20 minute blocks and frequent changes to accommodate expanded squads. Stortford had to defend solidly in the early stages before their backs served notice by creating an overlap try for Charlie Parkhouse converted by Dan Cole, The lead didn’t last long as Will Waddington latched on to a shrewd kick from fly half Frank Reynolds for a Canterbury touchdown which Reynolds converted. Scrum half Connor Lloyd sniped over to recapture the advantage for Stortford but in the next 40 minutes they took command. Tries from Jake Morris, Parkhouse, Charlie Garwood and Luke Bury, plus three Cole conversions, put them well clear, The final session, however, saw Canterbury roar back into the game thanks to a pack which dominated the set scrums. Their work rewarded with a pick up and strong finish from Number Eight Harry Andrews. Tom Best converted and on a pitch that was in top class condition in this hot, dry summer they ended on high note when Best’s break set up a converted score for fellow centre Frankie Morgan.
It is with great regret that the club has learned of the death in the USA of Doctor Michael ‘Mick’ Banks, a former first team full back who continued to be a huge supporter and friend of Canterbury Rugby from his home in America. Mick, who was 70, followed the fortunes of the team through our match reports and was regularly in touch with us as a committed supporter. On his visits to England to see family members he always made the club one of his important points of call. He played for the first team in the 1980s after moving from the Sheppey club and then taking up an appointment with the Pfizer company in Sandwich. He was always modest about his rugby talents which he underplayed in his gently, humorous way. He had no need to be. Mick was a Northumbrian who came to Kent to establish a distinguished professional career in the pharmaceutical industry which culminated in him becoming a Vice president in Pfizer’s American operations. After his retirement from the company in 2011 he set up a successful consultancy. Mick lived in New York State for many years but shortly before his death had moved to a new home in Florida. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Mick’s wife Janet and children Michael, Paul and Katie. There are plans for a celebration of Mick’s life here in Kent at a later date.
The senior squad is back in action on Friday this week, August 12th, with the first pre-season fixture against Bishop’s Stortford. Kick-off is 7.30/8pm and the bars and Saucy Flo’s restaurant will be open. Newcomers Nathan Morris, Cameron Murray and Dave Irvine are all expected to be involved against the National Division One side. It is the first of two Friday night fixtures before the season proper opens in September. Kent rivals Westcombe Park visit The Marine Travel Ground on August 26th when the Pilgrims will also be in action against Dartfordians.
More help for the Ukraine, organised by Marine Travel Company boss Dave Thompson, is set to leave from the club on Tuesday next August 9th. Two trips with vital supplies for people in the war torn country have already been made with donations from Club members and supporters as well as from the East Kent community and England football fans. The latest project was to raise funds for the purchase three reconditioned ambulances and drive them to the Polish border for delivery to the Ukraine. The vehicles, together with medical supplies, will leave the club on Tuesday evening, August 9th between 6pm and 8pm. Come and join the send-off party prior to the club AGM.
The ambulances have been acquired with great help from Marine Travel, Dynamix, Canterbury Rugby Club, Focus, Canterbury Mariners Walking Football Club, 7r Group and The Red Lion Cribbage and Pot Boys Guild, Further funding has been promised which will be used this to get the vehicles to Poland, feed the drivers and find them somewhere to sleep en-route. To celebrate the Ambulances departure for Poland there will be a small departure party with the chance to mingle and chat to those that have made this project possible and of course to our drivers. We hope to invite some of our local Ukrainian community to join the party and also Anatoly Yurkov who has been given special permission to leave Ukraine to fly to the UK and drive one of the Ambulances back to Poland and into Ukraine. Anatoly has been instrumental in organising transport in the early days of the invasion, to get people out Kyiv and Odessa and to relative safety, helping many across the Polish border and then taking aid from Poland to Ukraine. It is highly dangerous work and his team have suffered losses whilst delivering aid within Ukraine, but nevertheless continue their work.
Further donations will be welcome and can be made at:
www.gofundme.com/xgcgzp-ambulances-for-ukraine
Older club members will remember with affection David Darroch who has died aged 72. Dave was an all round sportsman who played second row in the club first team and was a seam bowler with St Lawrence and Highland Court cricket club. Educated at Kings School, Dave’s business career kept him in the London area for several years where he worked at the Baltic Exchange. In retirement he returned to the Canterbury area and continued his long standing support for both rugby and cricket clubs. Our sympathies go to his family and to his partner Lauren. Dave’s funeral will be at Barham Crematorium on Tuesday, July 26th at 4.40pm. His family invite you to join them in raising a toast to Dave at St Lawrence and Highland Court Cricket club after the service. If you are planning to attend the cricket club gathering please e-mail Mike Green who needs to know the numbers. michael.green49@btinternet.com
The outstanding work of the club’s volunteers was recognised at the Kent County Awards ceremony on June 10th with Canterbury honoured with four winners. Honda Volunteer of the Year awards went to long serving First Team Manager Andy Rogers-Unsung Hero; Liz Larkins and Sally Taylor, the Game For All prize, for their work in organising and promoting girls rugby, and the Beyond Rugby: Connecting the Community Award went posthumously to our late secretary Alison Williams who was deeply involved in all aspects of the club for 35 years. Her son Ben and his wife received the award. Club chairman Giles Hilton was named runner-up in the Kent County Volunteer of the Year category.
There will be two Kent ‘derby’ games in the first month of the new season with Tonbridge Juddians and Blackheath both scheduled to visit the Marine Travel Ground in September. Canterbury meet TJs on September 10th and Blackheath on September 24th. Both were relegated from National One last season. The opening day of the National 2 East season on September 3rd sees Canterbury travel to Norfolk to meet newly promoted North Walsham and to Westcliff on September 17th. North Walsham were our first ever opponents at National level when we were promoted to National 3 in 2006.
The full list of 2022/23 fixtures is available at the National Clubs Association web site: www.ncarugby.com
The club has arranged three pre-season warm up matches in August. Home games against Bishop’s Stortford and Westcombe Park will be played on Friday evenings. Bishop’s Stortford visit on August 12th and ‘Combe on August 26th. An away game at Brighton is scheduled for Saturday, August 20th.
A £30,000 fund raising initiative by the club will see all its teams and age groups provided with life saving defibrillator equipment. The fund raising target was passed in May and will pay for 24 defibrillators from London Hearts, the UK’s leading defibrillator charity. After hearing about a tragedy in the local community the club set about raising money including the auction of 15 Canterbury Bears dressed in club shirts. The defibrillators are a vital part of treatment of people suffering cardiac arrest. With the effective and speedy delivery of treatment the chances of survival can be raised to 70%, but this requires CPR and the use of a defibrillator. Survival chances decrease 10% every minute after a cardiac arrest, so the faster help can be given the better the outcome, meaning that having over 20 defibrillators at the club could make a real impact on people’s lives in the wider community. The successful fundraising also secured the money for enough batteries and extras to completely replenish their defibrillators in three years time.
In addition, and thanks to a generous donation from Dave Thompson, Managing Director of principal sponsor Marine Travel, 260 club members in the vulnerable category (aged 14-35) will be offered a free heart scan in November this year. The scan usually costs the individual £50 and is key to spotting the signs of heart disease.
Chairman Giles Hilton said: “I am proud of the efforts of our club in raising this incredible amount of money. Having this many defibrillators at the club and therefore in the community could make all the difference to someone, and that makes it all worth it.”
The club is no stranger to raising money, having contributed over £100,000 to good causes, from the Ukrainian appeal to Cancer Research, in the last year alone.
The new league structure for National 2 clubs in the 2022/23 season has been released with Canterbury placed in the 14-team National 2 East. Newcomers to this level will be Dorking, North Walsham and Sevenoaks. Kent clubs Blackheath and Tonbridge Juddians, both relegated from Division One last season, are also in the mix. The full list of clubs is Barnes, Blackheath, Bury St Edmunds, Canterbury, Dorking, Guernsey Raiders, Henley, North Walsham, Old Albanian, Rochford Hundred, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge Juddians, Westcliff, Worthing Raiders.
Canterbury Pilgrims will compete in a new Counties 2 Kent competition made up of nine first teams together with the Pilgrims, Westcombe Park 2nd and Sevenoaks 2nd
Counties 2 Kent: Canterbury Pilgrims, Dover, Gillingham Anchorians, Hastings & Bexhill, Maidstone, Old Dunstonians, Old Williamsonians, Park House, Sevenoaks 2, Southwark Lancers, Vigo, Westcombe Park 2.
Welcoming the new structures Head Coach Matt Corker said: “I am excited by the new leagues that our 1st XV and Pilgrims will be entering and feel that it is an extremely positive move for our players. The Pilgrims entry into Counties 2 Kent is a big step forward in our ability as a club to help our players develop and prepare them for national league rugby. The new National 2 East is full of great teams and offers us reduced travel times and more rest weekends which is a great help to players rugby and life balance. It will add a real excitement to pre-season, and I can’t wait for the first game.