Author: Denys Andrianjafy

Around the Ground

Around the Ground at the MTG

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy
Last weekend turned into a washout, with all senior fixtures bar the Deacons being called off due to pitch conditions, and the Zingari having to call off their game because they couldn’t raise a team. Player recruitment into our 5ths team is becoming increasingly a challenge. An open invitation has gone out to all who have played and want to get back in the game, or those who are playing and want to get involved in some social games contact Colin Scurr at zingari@cantrugby.co.uk, and you may well get a run out with the team.

Last weekend’s scores

Saturday
Crowborough v Pilgrims – Match postponed
Canons (3rds) v Sevenoaks Match postponed
Aylesford 2 47 – 7 Deacons
Leigh 1 HWO Zingari
Colts A 27 – 17 Sidcup

This weekend’s fixtures and training

Saturday
1st XV v North Walsham – Home KO 3.00pm
Crowborough v Pilgrims – Away KO 3.00pm
Canons v Sevenoaks 3rds – Home KO 3.00pm

Sunday
Canterbury Women v Tonbridge Juddians Ladies – Home KO 3.00pm
Colts v Aylesford – Home KO 11.00am Main Pitch
U16’s Girls v Bass – Home KO 11.00am Bottom Orchard
U15’s v TJ’s – Home KO 11.00am Langton Artificial Pitch
U14’s v Sevenoaks – Home KO 11.00am Top Pitch

Mini & Youth Training

U6’s and 7’s Grids
U8’s and 9’s Langton Artificial Pitch 9 till 10.30am
U10’s bottom Orchard 9 till 10.30am
U11’s Top Orchard, 9 till 10.30am
U12’s Training 9.00am till 10.30am Training Pitch.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all the visiting supporters, clubs, and teams.
 

6 Nations round 4

Its round 4 of the 6 Nations. As ever, we invite you all to come and watch the games with us at the clubhouse where we will be showing the games on all of our screens.
If you are playing in our Fantasy 6 Nations league, don’t forget to set your team. Can anyone knock Squeeky off his perch this round?
Saturday
Italy v Scotland – KO 2.15pm
England v Ireland – KO 4.45pm
Sunday
Wales v France KO 3.00pm

We wish you all the best of rugby weekends!

b&m

A partnership for the community

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

Canterbury Rugby Club is very lucky to have strong links with the business community, which allows us to grow our reach further than our home ground, taking sport to the wider community, giving an opportunity and access to those who do not have the means, thought sport wasn’t for them, did not think they could participate, or just didn’t know how to get involved.

Led by Nathan Morris, Head of Player Pathway, our Community Department has been working hard within East Kent taking sport to all. These activities have been made possible by the by the relationships that have been forged with companies like b&m, a leading construction consultancy company based in the South East of England. From our first meeting it was clear to see that our community vision aligned with theirs and that their involvement with Canterbury Rugby Club would turn into a partnership.

Paul Duffy, b&m Business Development Manager, remarked that “by increasing the accessibility of rugby to children, b&m and CRFC could inspire young athletes, promote active lifestyles and foster a lifelong love of rugby.  Playing rugby does not only have physical benefits for the children, but also educates them about teamwork and respect, which are values the b&m community strongly believe in.”

b&m are already looking to next year and at how they can continue to work with us, as the Community Department seeks to increase our presence, with satellite centres in Sandwich, Faversham, and Ashford, whilst also increasing their presence in primary schools in East Kent.

The continued expansion of the program has the goal of increasing the numbers of girls and children with special needs and disabilities to the sport, to develop future teams within the club.  Lead Coach, Alice Hayward, will help develop children’s emotional regulation and social understanding through the power of sport.

We are proud to have b&m on board with us on our community journey.

Around the Ground

Around the Ground at the MTG

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

It was a tough weekend for our senior teams. Friday Night Lights was again a success, with a good number of supporters cheering on both teams. Unfortunately, the Deacons were not able to prevent Snowdown from completing the double over them. Frank Morgan ran out for his 100th cap for the 1st XV, and despite being in the lead at half time, they could not build on it and let the home team get away from them through some costly mistakes and unanswered Westcombe tries. Our youth teams fared better with some big wins and fantastic rugby played by our rising stars. Special mention goes to Jake Robinson, Joe Fraser, Fin Akhurst, and Barney Burden for good shifts representing the U13’s.

Last weekend’s scores

1st XV 27 – 14 Westcombe Park
Deacons 13 – 31 Snowdown 1st XV
Maidstone 2nds 40 – 0 Zingari
Colts 1 26 – 33 TJ’s
Colts 2 22 – 19 TJ’s
U16’s 59 – 31 Bromley
U15’s 38 – 17 Sevenoaks
U14’s 45 – 5 Vigo U14/U15’s
U13’S 30 – 0 Aylesford A
U13’S 35 – 25 Whitstable A
U12’s Spitfires 60 – 5 Old Gravesendians
U12’s Hurricanes 45 – 20 TJ’s

This weekend’s fixtures and training

Saturday
Crowborough v Pilgrims – Away KO 3.00pm
Canons* (3rd XV) v Sevenoaks – Home Main Pitch KO 3.00pm
Aylesford 2nd XV v Deacons – Away KO 3.00pm
Leigh v Zingari – Away KO 3.00pm

*Please note that our 3rd XV has now been renamed Canons to align with the Pilgrims, Deacons, and Cardinals.

Sunday
Colts v Sidcup – Away
U16’s v Deal and Betteshanger – Home Langton artificial pitch KO from 9.00am
U15’s v Blackheath – Away
U15’s v Gravesend – Home Langton artificial pitch KO 11.00am
U14’s v Bromley – Away
U13’s v Maidstone – Home Bottom Orchard KO from 10.00am
U12’s v OE’s  – Home Top Orchard KO from 10.00am
U12’s v Saffron Walden – Home Top Orchard KO from 10.00am
U10’s Richmond Festival – Away
U7’s,8’s,9’s and 11’s v Ashford – Away

Mini & Youth Training

U6’s Training Grids

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all the visiting supporters, clubs, and teams.

City Lunch

Just a reminder that we still have places available at our March 7th City Lunch, with our guest speaker Kelly Brown sharing insights and experiences from his illustrious rugby career. As a former Scotland international and seasoned professional, Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the game that is sure to captivate our audience. Come and enjoy a delicious meal with fellow club members and the wider rugby community. Contact kirsty@cantrugby.co.uk for details and to book. Tables of 10 – 12, £70 per person. Don’t miss out on this fantastic event.

6 Nations round 3

Congratulations to Matthew ‘Squeeky’ Pinnick for winning round 3 of our Fantasy 6 Nations Competition. Can you carry it through to the next round?

300 Club

Congratulations to our February winners!
97 x Charlie Coleman
47 x Chris Fullbrook
89 x Richard Cripps
4 x Matthew Pinnick
125 x Peter Giles

We wish you all the best of rugby weekends!

Around the Ground

Around the Ground at the MTG

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

A weekend of mixed fortunes and what could have beens. The 1st XV pushed hard against National 2’s second placed team and looked like they were going to get something out of the game, but Barnes dug in and showed why they are chasing the league leaders. Pilgrims continue their unbeaten run with an impressive win over Charlton Park. Canterbury Women again put in a magnificent shift to dominate Pulborough Women. It was fantastic to see Canterbury Hellfire host their own tournament and massive thanks must go to Canterbury College (EKC) for allowing the club the use of their facilities. Our U12’s and U14’s put in a good shift, with the U14’s having to reschedule their fixture against Gravesend at the last minute and finding a game with Thanet Wanderers. 3 fantastic trys by Jonson Foster and Isaac Little’s immaculate boot secured a big win for the team.

Weekend scores

1st XV 20 – 29 Barnes
Pilgrims 60 – 12 Charlton Park
Pulborough Women 12 – 33 Canterbury Women
Hellfire Tournament

Game 1: Brighton Buccaneers 22 – 11 Canterbury Hellfire
Game 2: Berkshire Banshees 21 – 19 Canterbury Hellfire
Game 3: Canterbury Hellfire 11 – 27 Stoke Mandeville Maulers

U12’s 50 – 20 Cranbrook
U14’s 52 – 0 Thanet Wanderers

Fixtures and Training

Friday Night Lights
Deacons v Snowdown 1st XV – KO 6.30pm

** Bar open and BBQ from 5.30pm **

Saturday
1st XV v Westcombe Park – Away KO 2.00pm

This will be a milestone game for Frank Morgan, as this game will be his 100th Canterbury appearance.

Maidstone 2nds v Zingari – Away KO 2.30pm

Sunday
U12’s Spitfires v Old Gravesendians – Away
U12’s Hurricanes v TJ’s  – Away
U13’S v Aylesford  – Home Bottom Orchard  KO 11.00am
U14’s v Vigo – Away
U15’s v Sevenoaks – Home Langton STP from 10.00am
U16’s v Bromley – Away
Colts 1 & 2 v TJ’s  – Away

Mini & Youth Training

U6’S grids 9.00am -10.00am
U7’s and 8’s Langton STP 9.00am – 10.00am
U9’s and U10’s Top Orchard 9.00am – 10.30am
U11’s Bottom Orchard 9.00am – 10.30am

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all the visiting supporters, clubs, and teams.

City Lunch

Just a reminder that we still have places available at our March 7th City Lunch, with our guest speaker Kelly Brown sharing insights and experiences from his illustrious rugby career. As a former Scotland international and seasoned professional, Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the game that is sure to captivate our audience. Come and enjoy a delicious meal with fellow club members and the wider rugby community. Contact kirsty@cantrugby.co.uk for details and to book. Tables of 10 – 12, £70 per person. Don’t miss out on this fantastic event.

6 Nations round 3

With England and Ireland the only nations still in the hunt for the grand slam, it will certainly be a great weekend of rugby. Come and watch with us in the clubhouse and enjoy a beer and a burger for £10!

Saturday
Ireland v Wales – KO 2.15pm
Scotland v England – KO 4.45pm

Sunday
France v Italy – KO 3.00pm

The clubhouse bar will be open from 12.30pm both days.

We wish you all the best of rugby weekends!

Around the Ground

Around the ground at the MTG

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

It was a weekend of ups and downs. We celebrated those who won and commiserated with those who didn’t, but as one club, we ready ourselves to go again.

Weekend scores

Dorking 42 – 22 1st XV
Dartfordians 1st XV 36 – 51 Pilgrims
Deacons 41 – 5 Folkestone 2nds
Weavering 36 – 35 Zingari
Canterbury Women 38 – 8 Dartford Valley Roses
Colts 1 14 – 19 TJ’s
U16’s 12 – 19 Thurrock
U13’s 40 – 5 Sevenoaks

The Pilgrims maintain their grip at the top of Counties 1 Kent and continue their so far unbeaten season. Canterbury Women looked strong and dominant against Dartford Valley Roses. The Zingari battled like true warriors only to fall short by the slightest of margins, but they pushed until the final whistle. Special mention goes to the U13’s 2nd team who travelled to Sevenoaks the weekend before, beating the home team 20 – 35 with James Trott earning a mention in despatches for his outstanding contribution.

Fixtures and Training

Saturday
1st XV v Barnes – KO 3.00pm – Main Pitch
Pilgrims v Charlton Park – KO 2.30pm – Langton Grass Pitch

Entrance to 1st XV game £10.00 without a valid membership card
Clubhouse bar open and food available

Sunday
Pulborough Women v Canterbury Women – KO 2.30pm
Hellfire Tournament – EKC Canterbury College, from midday
U15’s v Barking – Away
U14’s v Gravesend, top pitch – KO 10.30am
U12’s v Cranbrook Langton STP – KO 10.30am
Minis v Cranbrook – Away

Mini & Youth Training
U6’s – Grids 9.00am till 10.00am
U13’s – Lower Orchard, 10.00am
U16 and U17’s joint training, Langton STP 11.30am till 1.00pm

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all the visiting clubs and teams.

City Lunch

We still have places available at our March 7th City Lunch, with our guest speaker Kelly Brown sharing insights and experiences from his illustrious rugby career. As a former Scotland international and seasoned professional, Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on the game that is sure to captivate our audience. Come and enjoy a delicious meal with fellow club members and the wider rugby community. Contact kirsty@cantrugby.co.uk for details and to book. Tables of 10 – 12, £70 per person.

By the smallest of margins ..

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

Canterbury 35 – 36 Weavering 1st XV

The Zingari lost out to a strong top of the table well drilled Weavering side by the narrowest possible margin after a hard-fought contest that went down to the wire. After a shaky start Canterbury conceding three try’s and two conversions within the first fifteen minutes until many players drafted into unfamiliar positions began to settle. Desperate to avoid their experience at Edenbridge under similar circumstances a few weeks earlier battled hard, and in the last quarter of the half managed to get the ball wide for the backs to show what they could do with two converted tries’ reducing the deficit. However, it was Weavering who had the last word of the half using their well drilled pack driving deep into Canterbury territory forcing an unconverted try to give them a 24-14 point halftime lead.

The second half saw Weavering make an early strike with an unconverted try to extend their lead. The city forwards redoubled their efforts in the light of this early setback, and Weavering never looked as dominant as they had previously. Both sides defences dominated and it wasn’t until halfway through the second half both sides exchanged converted tries. As the game went into the last quarter the Zingari step up a gear, even their scrum held up, and it wasn’t long before they were putting pressure on the Weavering in all departments. This gave the backs the opportunity to run in another converted try, and a few minutes later a combination of forwards and backs broke through to go under the posts, and with the conversion were within a point. With seven minutes on the clock, it was all to play for, Canterbury pressured the line time and again, but Weavering’s defence held out to give them the win with the narrowest margin in a game that was a credit to both sides.

Tom Best – 300

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

Tom Best, the long serving first team vice-captain, will reach a special landmark when he takes the field for Saturday’s league game against Worthing. It will be Tom’s 300tth senior game for the club in a career that encompasses fifteen seasons. He made his debut as a teenager in March 2010 and since then has been one of first names on the team sheet. Joining from Deal, Tom quickly established himself as a goal kicking fly half before proving in recent seasons to be equally effective at centre. He is still bringing high quality attacking skills, uncompromising defence and the ability to read a game which are an example to his younger team mates. It has not all been plain sailing for the 34-year-old who has had his share of long term injuries which, cumulatively, robbed him of two seasons playing time.. But he reckons the lows have been outstripped by the highs. In particular, Tom cherishes a victory over Henley, which took the club to a play-off place, and a famous day at high flying Hartpury College whose side included future internationals Ross Moriarty and Billy Burns In the dying minutes he kicked a difficult penalty goal to give Canterbury victory after trailing by 28 points at half time. From a rugby playing family, Tom had the pleasure of teaming up with his younger brother Ollie in the Canterbury back division for an extended spell. For the past eight years he has worked for the Kent Fire Service and pays tribute to his fellow firefighters for helping to sustain his rugby career. “They have been brilliant in changing their work schedules to cover my shifts,” he says. “Without them I would not still be playing.” And thoughts on retirement?. No decisions yet but coaching is in the sights of a player who never shirks a challenge.

Giles Hilton

Christmas message from our Club Chair

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

The Club heads into a well deserved Christmas break with its head held high.

The first half of the season has been punishing. More matches than ever. More players across the whole club than ever. More volunteers than ever. And more rain than ever!

It is an absolute testament to all those involved that we are in this position….long may it continue The support the Club is shown on and off the field is frankly amazing and without our incredible community partners, led from the front by our Principal Partner Marine Travel none of this would be possible We’ve had some incredible moments in the first half of the season We have a full diary for the second half coming up so please get involved further For all opportunities please contact myself on chair@cantrugby.co.uk or via our Club and Events Manager Kirsty kirsty@cantrugby.co.uk

Remember you are all part of The Rugby Club of Year 2023….enjoy that knowledge!!!

A very Happy Christmas to you all and please let’s make sure we look after those less fortunate.

Here’s to 2024!

Very best
Giles

Gus MacConachie

Gus MacConachie

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

We are sad to report the death of Gus MacConnachie, who played lock for the Pilgrims and 1st XV in the early 1970s. Our condolences to Pam and the family. Barry Mellish played with him:

“I moved to Canterbury in October 1971, working for the NHS. I started playing for the Club almost immediately. I met Gus at the Kent & Canterbury in late 72/early 73 and introduced him to the club. He soon was a regular player for the 1st XV/Pilgrims, although as a pharmacist, he had to work some Saturdays. He was only with the club for a couple of seasons before moving to Scotland late 74 early 75. He immediately became a VP and followed the club’s fortunes closely. He was last in Canterbury when Gus and I came down to the dinner April 2016”

Gus MacConachie