RUGBY ROUND-UP: The new season is almost upon us, and Warlingham have launched themselves into it with the help of the England captain to help establish an apprenticeship scheme under the auspices of the RFU.
Chris Robshaw, the England captain (left), and Kelly Wilson at last week’s Warlingham ball, where they donated autographed England shirts to help raise funds for the club’s apprenticeship scheme. David Hughes, centre, coach to the club’s under-12s, won the auction
More than 300 members and guests attended a fund-raising black-tie ball at a five-star hotel in Chelsea Harbour last week, where the guests of honour were Chris Robshaw and his fellow England international, Kay Wilson, both of them former Warlingham junior players.
Under the community apprenticeship initiative, Warlingham will be training young coaches to visit local schools to coach and promote rugby. The club has already trained more than 30 local teenagers, girls as well as boys, as part of the RFU Junior Leaders’ scheme. As a result of this, four of Warlingham’s young members have been invited by the RFU to act as ambassadors for the Rugby World Cup being staged in England in 2015.
The full-time coaching apprentice will work over a three-year period towards achieving numerous coaching awards as well as qualifications in first aid and the general business of running a rugby club, to BTEC level.
Warlingham stages its final pre-season match at Hamsey Green this Saturday with a local derby against Purley John Fisher (2pm kick-off).
The London 2 South East league programme begins the following Saturday, September 14, at home against newly promoted Maidstone, when the club will be inviting local residents to a special open day.
Old Mid-Whitgiftians got a pre-season wake-up call last Saturday, when they lost 34-10 against a “lively” Dorking side, whose home ground is a beautiful piece of National Trust property under Box Hill.
No push-overs: Old Mid-Whitgiftians, in green, got a solid work-out in the sun at Dorking last weekend. Picture by Gerald Murphy
MidWives suffered three breakaway tries, as they tried to take the game to the opposition with a relentless succession of running moves. Dorking were clinical in their finishing and had several excellent players even though this was not their first team.
MidWives were at less than full strength, too, for whom Andy Dean’s tackling was a feature, while flanker Tom Whitehurst also put in a notable performance.
Mids have another friendly at Horsham on Saturday, before they open their league campaign at home at Lime Meadow Avenue against Farnham on September 14.
Coming to Croydon
- Old Mid-Whits hockey open day: Sep 8
- Friends of Ashburton Park meeting: Sep 11
- Three plays in a pub: The Ship, Sep 24
- Have a cup of coffee and help fight cancer: Sep 27
- Inside Croydon: Croydon’s only independent news source, based in the heart of the borough – 262,183 page views (Jan-Jun 2013)
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