Lincoln Rugby Club, located off St Giles Avenue, is the biggest playing membership sports club in Lincoln.
And why does it attract such a large membership base you might ask? Well, Lincoln Rugby Club has a friendly, committed and successful junior set up catering for youngsters aged between 6-17 with the addition of a colts team (ages 18-20).The Under-17 side play in a competitive league with the opportunity to compete Nationwide, whilst the other age groups continue to gain experience through friendly and cup matches.
Each age group trains on a different night of the week, with all of them playing their matches on a Sunday, so the dedicated junior coaches more or less spend their whole week up at the Lindum.
The junior section was established in the late 1970s by several parents, and boasts 150 registered players in its junior section, with more and more youngsters joining each year.A committee was set up in 2003 by Jacky McGrath, Dave McGrath and Jim Parker, helping to strengthen the club further.
Bill Green, former President of Lincoln Rugby Club, has been part of the set up since it first began and has seen several positive developments throughout his time at the club.
“When we started we were overwhelmed on the first Sunday,” said Green.
“We had no ‘mini’ equipment so the children were in danger of being knocked over by big wet heavy balls but that didn’t dissuade them as they, and some more, came back the following week.
“We’re proud to have been associated with the start of such a worthwhile and successful enterprise.”
Pete Small is the Chairman of the club and believes the junior section has been a huge success for Lincoln Rugby Club both on and off the field.
”The junior section is essential, they are the life blood of the club and the building blocks for the future,” said Small.
“It’s not all about winning.If we can give the juniors and the minis a good experience of rugby and a good rugby club, wherever they end up in life they will always be able to take their boots and get a game anywhere.
“The trouble with this game is once you’ve bitten it’s for life, you never get away.”
RFU Club Coaching Co-Ordinater, and Under-15s Coach at Lincoln, Andy Byrne, is also delighted with the progress of the junior section in recent years.
“Thanks to the hard work of various individuals it’s matured over the years into a well structured outfit,” said Byrne.
“Now we have a full set up in terms of coaching and coach development evenings, and the coaches are all well respected.
Byrne was also the former Chairman of the junior section before Frankie Noon took over at the start of the current season, and he continues to work tirelessly off the pitch along with all the other junior coaches and parents, to help the club strive forward.
“We have a child protection officer, Barry Todd.His predecessor Andy Sanders did a lot to make sure that all the coaches were CRB checked,” said Byrne.
”We have first aiders in each age group who go on first aid approved courses which is all paid for by the club.
“There are always meals for kids after the games, and we have a physiotherapist for the kids to see if needed.
“This is down to the hard work of all of the committee members over the years at Lincoln rugby club.”
Colts Coach Spud Murphy echoes the opinions of the other staff at Lincoln Rugby Club with the belief that the junior set up is getting better and better each year.
“The junior set up is going from strength to strength due to the committed attitudes of qualified coaches and their love of the game,” said Murphy.
”Young players need guidance and encouragement which Lincoln’s junior set up can offer in abundance.”
RFU Rugby Development Officer for Lincolnshire, Gareth Thomas also feels there is a bright future ahead for Lincoln’s juniors.
“Since I started four and a half years ago, numbers have increased in all age groups and the quality of the coaching has become a lot better,” said Thomas.
“The club has achieved the RFU seal of approval which is a charter standard for junior rugby clubs.
”More players have achieved county success in the different age group squads, and the retention of players has become far better this year with a high percentage of colts representing the senior teams.”
Although everyone at the club is delighted when any of the sides, whether it is senior or junior, records a win, the most important thing for the youngsters is not what happens on the pitch but to enjoy working together and playing a good team sport.
The junior sides train every evening up at the Lindum, and the club always welcomes new members, so anyone interested should call Membership Secretary Jacky McGrath on 07930 837040.
The different age groups train at different times as seen below.
Colts – Tuesday and Thursdays 7-9
Under-17s – Tuesday 6.30pm-8pm
Under-16s – Friday 6.30pm-8pm
Under-15s – Wednesday 6.30pm-8pm
Under-14s – Thursday 6pm-7.30pm
Under-13s – Monday 6pm-7.30pm
Minis 6-12 – Sunday 10.30am-12.00pm
SIDE BAR
Lincoln Rugby Club – On the Field Junior Success
Lincoln Rugby Club continues to produce several rugby talents for the future.The club has good links with Leicester Tigers, as not only did one of their own, Jamie Hamilton, go on to play for the Premiership side, but they also have three junior players currently playing for the Tigers’ Elite Player Development Centre – Simon Marwood, Alex Knight (Under-16) and Max McKay (Under-15).
Talent Development Coordinator for Leicester Tigers, Eamonn Hogan, is often seen up at the Lindum and knows their junior section is full of great players.
“On several occasions throughout the year, Leicester Tigers will ask for Elite Player Development Group players to attend training days where standards throughout the centres will be judged - Lincolnshire players are among that group on almost every occasion,” said Hogan.
Lincoln’s junior section continues to have an abundance of success stories.
Last season’s Under-17s had four players representing the county – Rob Jones, Andrew Cummings, Doug Maltby and Jamie Damerall.
Meanwhile, the current Under-16s have lost only four games in the last four years.They enjoyed an unbeaten season as Under-15s in the 2006/07 season, and are the current Nottinghamshire-Lincolnshire-Derbyshire (NLD) Cup champions, and have won the competition five times.They have also won at Twickenham in the curtain raiser games for England Vs Barbarians.The side boasts 15 players in representative rugby; 12 at county level and three at NLD, with Alex Knight selected to trial for the Midlands squad, one level below the National England side.
The Under-15s have no end of rugby talent with no fewer than 16 players representing the county - Ashley Holvey, Tim Williams, James Chambers, Jordan Buckle, Callum Mawer, Dan Carson, Tom Rose, Tom Barker, Archie Vickers, Frankie Cadona, Ted Polkey, Carl Southwood, Will Hodson and Aaron Lucas.Meanwhile, Max McKay and Gareth Byrne have also represented NLD.
The Under-14s booked their place in the semi finals of the NLD Cup earlier this month, after topping their group with a 100% win record.Under-14s players George Woodcock and John Feeney play at county level, while James Lendon represents NLD.
Meanwhile, Spud Murphy’s Colts side has not only been successful on the field but has produced an influx of talent who have broken into the first team this year.The introduction of Murphy as second team and colts coach has helped provide a link between the senior and junior sides.Full Back Jake Williams and Centre Ben Cummings are regulars for Lincoln’s First XV this season, with winger Rob Battersby and hooker Dave Murphy also making their senior debuts this year.Williams and Cummings earned NLD trials last weekend, with Cummings also representing the County Juniors Under-21s side on Tuesday.
Lincoln also has a ‘Minis’ set up with 185 members, starting from Under-6 upwards, who compete in various festivals and development games throughout the season.So if your children don’t fancy being the next David Beckham, and more like a Jonny Wilkinson, please contact Anthony Crimp on 07852 935 743.
