Author: David Haigh

Pre-season training

FRIDAY NIGHT RUGBY

Posted on | by David Haigh

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.

Ambulance for Ukraine

Ambulances For Ukraine Send-off

Posted on | by David Haigh

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

Dave Darroch

David Darroch

Posted on | by David Haigh

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

Awards For Outstanding Volunteers

Posted on | by David Haigh

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.

September Derby Games

Posted on | by David Haigh

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.

Mindray Defibrillator

CLUB HITS DEFIBRILLATOR TARGET

Posted on | by David Haigh

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.

NEW LEAGUE STRUCTURES ANNOUNCED

Posted on | by David Haigh

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.

FRANK BOOTS KENT TO VICTORY

Posted on | by David Haigh

Canterbury fly half Frank Reynolds contributed nineteen points to Kent’s 44-43 win over Hampshire in the first round of the County Championship.

He was one of five of the club’s players to appear in the Division One game at Havant with debutants Max Halliday, Tom Williams and Will McColl joining Royce Cadman in the Kent squad.

Frank’s points all came from the boot with five conversions and three penalty goals, the last of which sealed victory three minutes from the end.

Kent were scheduled to meet Surrey in their second game on May 21st only to learn that Surrey have withdrawn from the competition. Depending on other results the county side could still appear in the Twickenham final on June 4th.

Canterbury 1st XV vs Henley Hawks

Match Report – Hawks Make It Blank Day

Posted on | by David Haigh

CANTERBURY 10pts HENLEY HAWKS 19pts

A pointless day for Canterbury after Hawks ran in a late try to seal victory in a game which often failed to rise above the ordinary. Henley deserved their success and might have won more convincingly had they taken all their opportunities but slack work at crucial moments and an obdurate defence denied them. Despite spending the first 20 minutes pinned on the back foot Canterbury eventually found a way out and went ahead through the only try of the first half. Hawks spilled the ball, giving Kyan Braithwaite and Tom Best the chance to combine and send Guy Hilton over. It left Frank Reynolds with a difficult conversion and he shanked his kick badly. It was a score that lifted the city side’s mood but a poor second half saw it wasted as life was made too easy for the visitors. Two minutes after the restart they fell behind as Braithwaite was caught in possession, Henley forced the penalty and Sam Lunnon was driven over from the lineout. Cail Coookland converted and was on target again when the visitors were gifted another bonus. A yellow card for Danny Herriott left the home side a man short and that handicap lead to points. Hawks went for the wide channels, Canterbury ran out of defenders and centre Will Panday strolled over. The score came in the 66th minute but memories of a late revival in Canterbury’s last home game quickly surfaced as they claimed a second try. An attacking lineout went wrong but Henley tapped the ball over their own line and Tyler Oliver swooped to touchdown. Reynolds’ kick went astray but there were to be no second miracles. Another Canterbury error, this time losing the ball in contact, was all Hawks needed and three minutes from the end Panday’s second try denied them the consolation of a losing bonus point.

Canterbury: K. Braithwaite, G.Hilton (repl J.Weaver), F.Morgan, T.Best, T.Williams (repl M.Halliday), F.Reynolds, B.Cooper, A.Cooper (repl W.McColl), T.King, D.Herriott (repl E.Lusher), R.Cadman, J.De Vries (repl A.Evans), J.Stephens, S.Rogers, T.Oliver

David Haigh

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v Henley Hawks

Images subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton
Barnes vs CRFC 1st XV

Match Report – All Square at Barnes

Posted on | by David Haigh

BARNES 20pts CANTERBURY 20pts

It may have ended all square but Canterbury had to find a shovel and dig themselves out of a hole before they claimed two mildly disappointing National 2 South league points. Trailing by eleven after a flat first half, to which Barnes brought energy and pace, they gradually felt their way back into the contest. The pack did the work with two close range scores which took them into a narrow lead and a glimpse of victory. A Barnes penalty goal ten minutes from the end of an error strewn affair made sure that did not happen. The city side had the opportunity to make their mark early in the game but were forced to settle for a couple of Frank Reynolds penalty goals. Josh Hammett kicked one for Barnes and after those early wobbles they took control. With scrum half Josh Davies calling the shots their enterprise and pace on to the ball was rewarded with tries from flanker Alex Farquhar and wing Frank Nickson, both converted by Hammett, and it left the city side with a salvage job on their hands. The transformation after the break was not spectacular but there was a fresh determination and more possession which shaped Canterbury’s game. The pressure built on Barnes and a driving maul, finished off by hooker Tristan King, broke their resistance. Reynolds converted and as the strain once again told on the home defence they collected a yellow card and conceded a second try. Jamie Stephens drove over, Reynolds was on target and the lead was three points. The final stages, like much of the match, were messy with yellow cards on both sides, Canterbury failing to punish Barnes errors and giving away a penalty for obstruction which allowed Hammett to level the scores. To a neutral spectator that might have seemed about right.

Canterbury: K.Braithwaite, G.Hiton (repl D.Heads), F.Morgan, T.Best, T.Williams (repl M .Halliday), F.Reynolds, B.Cooper, , W.McColl (repl A.Cooper), T.King, D.Herriott (repl E.Lusher) J.De Vries (repl R.Cadman), J.Stephens, W.Hunt (repl J.De Vries), S.Rogers, T.Oliver

David Haigh

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v Barnes - 23 Oct 2021

Images subject to copyright – Phillipa Hilton