Category: News

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

Girls Rugby Camp

Come and TRY rugby with us

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

Subject to RFU approval, and generously sponsored by SEC Works Group, we have organised a girls’ two-day training summer camp for ages 7-15. Most activities will be game based using rugby and multi sports to develop rugby skills. We are always excited to welcome children who are new to the game and want to experience rugby for the first time and invite players of all abilities.

Leading the camp will be qualified rugby coaches*. If you require further information about the camp please email secretary@cantrugby.co.uk

Date – August 3rd and 4th – 9.30am to 3pm
Cost – £10 per day per child

All players should bring a packed lunch, water bottle and wear appropriate sports clothing for the weather conditions on the day. Rugby/football boots are recommended.

*All the Rugby Camp coaches will have valid and current DBS checks

Register by July 15 and claim a free t-shirt

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Places are limited

Sponsored by SEC Works

GBWR 3v3 League: Tournament One

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

On June 18, at Stoke Mandeville stadium, Canterbury Hellfire burst back into action after an extended break including, and surrounding, the COVID-19 pandemic by participating in the newest format of wheelchair rugby – 3v3.

The focus of this 3v3 format is to encourage low-point players to have to carry the ball and play a different part of the game to that which they are accustomed.

This was the first of three tournaments which make up this league, and the results were phenomenal for the Canterbury side: four wins, one loss.

They opened the day’s play with a maximum score of 25 to defeat Stoke Mandeville Maulers WRC, and the same pace carried to the second game winning 14 – 2 over Mavericks.

The third match of the day was close, being brought into overtime by a try scored by Canterbury with 0.2 seconds still showing on the clock, and possession for the restart in the hands of the black & amber, giving a third win to the Canterbury side.

Fourth up were Ospreys WRC who played well and made sure to give their all against the starting-to-tire Canterbury side, but were no match for the expertise of Canterbury and were eventually beaten 23 – 16.

Finally, after a day of double duty for all three Canterbury players playing both 3s and 5s, the fatigue set in and the only other team to be as-yet-undefeated was last up – West Country Hawks WRC. Going into the game both teams were unbeaten, both teams had won with a maximum score, however that closeness in performance to that point would have to be broken: there would have to be a winner; and that winner was Hawks.

All teams involved in the 3s tournament provided an excellent atmosphere and enjoyed the experience of something new, and we would like to thank all our opposition for travelling from all over Great Britain and providing a great day of rugby.

Thank you to our players for representing Canterbury so strongly, sports is largely decided by performance on the day and the performance delivered was the standard we all strive to throughout Canterbury Rugby Club.

 

Teams in the league are:

Canterbury Hellfire WRC
Mavericks
Ospreys WRC
Stoke Mandeville Maulers WRC
Team Solent Sharks
West Country Hawks WRC
Marquee entrance

A big thank you to our staff, volunteers and partners

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

It has been an extremely busy time at Marine Travel Ground with two hugely successful events on consecutive days, the Mark 22 Ball on Friday 10th, and the Barretts Ball on Saturday 11th June. With nearly 1000 guests across the two nights, we would not have been able to achieve them without the mammoth efforts of our staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly in the background to ensure all was correctly set up and in place to welcome revellers and give them the best possible experience. The club would like to take the time to acknowledge and applaud them. Thank you all for the work, effort,  and expertise you put into making these events possible.

We would also like to thank our partners:

Maypole Marquees, for assembling an excellent venue for two fantastic nights;

1st Setting, for supplying all the crockery and cutlery we could ever desire;

Saucy Flo’s for catering such a quantity two nights on the bounce;

Orbital for ensuring our network of tills operated with perfect connectivity;

Ritty for supplying extra tills so our staff were never waiting to be able to serve our guests drinks;

MorePour for installing the many fonts from which beer could flow;

121 Cleaning for their amazing quick, early morning turnarounds which guaranteed the venue was spotless for the next event;

SEC Work Groups for printing two stunning facias which adorned the entryway to our marquees;

Luckhurst Scaffolding for assembling a great towering structure upon which the facias could be installed;

Smiths Family Fun Fairs for operating the ever-popular dodgems;

Canterbury Bouncy Castle Hire for bringing us Twister;

The KD Dance Orchestra for playing the songs that kept the dancefloor filled and the party in full swing;

Paladin Innovations for assembling a fantastic lighting rig, a booming sound system, and making sure the party would go long into the night;

Temptationtowers for the selfie mirror, giving us hilarious memories of the two events;

Max Shand and Team for being on-site both nights to provide confidence, security, and safety to all there.

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.

Pride Canterbury

Pride 2022

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

Canterbury Rugby Club are proud to be sponsors of  Pride Canterbury this year. Seeking diversity in unity is a must so as a collective we can benefit from the best of what we all have to offer. Respect for one another is a tenet that we advocate not only on the pitch, but also off it, and within the many communities of which we are a part. This is something we teach our mini and youth, all the way through to our senior players.

Though recent times have been challenging for many, we have seen people come together in a way that we have not seen in such a long time. Public opinion and sentiment are changing for the better. There is, however, still much to do and we at Canterbury Rugby Club will continue striving to keep finding ways to move forward in a positive and inclusive manner.

Giles Hilton MBE.Chair – Canterbury Rugby Football Club

To find out more about Pride Canterbury, what’s on and where, visit the website at www.pridecanterbury.com

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.

European Touch Championships 2022

Canterbury players receive England call up for the European Touch Championships 2022

Posted on | by Denys Andrianjafy

10 England teams have been named for this Summer’s European Touch Championships in Nottingham. England has entered a team into every category in a bid to retain the Overall, Opens and Seniors crown won in 2o18, the last time the European Championships were staged.

37 clubs from as far as Exeter, Wigan, and North Tyneside had players selected, and we are proud that some of our current players and alumni have been called up to represent England. Congratulations to them all and we wish them the best of luck in the competition that taps off on August 1st this year.

England Juniors U18 Girls

  • Iris Nasir
  • Abigail Pritchard
  • Alice Summers

England Womens Open Team

  • Danni Gregory
  • Lydia Ticehurst
  • Erin Payten (Non-traveling reserve)

England Mens Open Team final training squad

  • Vaughan Meredith
  • Max Howard – Canterbury Touch Alumni

England Mixed Open Team

  • Daniel Mayall –  Canterbury Touch Alumni
  • Eliot Nye (Non-traveling reserve)
  • Alice Summers (Non-traveling reserve)

England Mens 50’s Team

  • Spencer Nys
  • Adrian Riggs

“This has been a lengthy but rewarding process,” commented High-Performance Director, Ben Powell, “and by the time we arrive at tap off for ETC22 on August 1st, it will have been over 1,400 days since the last European Championships.

“We have assembled excellent squads through a process that may be the most competitive to date for England Touch. We are really looking forward to the opportunity to compete at ETC22 and feel all of our squads have a great chance to challenge for top honours.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped us get to this point – the High-Performance Panel, our excellent coaching team, our medical team, strength, and conditioning, and most importantly our dedicated and talented athletes.”

We congratulate them all and will cheer them on through the competition!

To find out more and follow the competition, go to the European Federation of Touch website – http://www.toucheurope.org/etc/

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.