Fixtures and Results 2015 - 16 Club President Wolves Vikings Developmentals N1W Standish Media Services 1 Raging Bull 3S NIGEL DAY September 5 WARRINGTON L WARRINGTON W U OF LIVERPOOL VETS HWO 12 Eccles W BURNAGE W Manchester 2 L Welcomes 19 ALTRINCHAM KERSAL W Altrincham Kersal W LYMM W 26 BROUGHTON PARK W Broughton Park W Widnes 2 L VALE OF LUNE October 3 Blackburn W LIVERPOOL COLLEGIATE W BROUGHTON PARK W 10 LEIGH W Leigh AWO Glossop W 17 Vale of Lune W CREWE & N’TWICH (Cup) W University of Liverpool (Cup) L Our visitors today are our friends from Vale of Lune with whom Wilmslow has had a long association over 24 ROCHDALE W Wirral L WIRRAL 31 the seasons. Only three games survived the weather last weekend, one of those was Vale at home to Widnes and the result, 24 - 5, went the way of Vale, and I quote from the match report, on a pitch resembling Crème November 7 Widnes W BOLTON W Dukinfield 2 L 14 CARLISLE W ALTRINCHAM KERSAL W Brulee! One of the others was Wilmslow away at Altrincham Kersal, where the pitch resembled more of an 21 Penrith W BLACKBURN W Burnage W Eton Mess! However the result eventually went Wilmslow’s way, 37 – 20. These results see Vale sitting just 28 CREWE & NANTWICH W FIRWOOD WATERLOO W four places below Wilmslow, with two games in hand. Let us hope the weather is kind to us today and the December 5 KENDAL L Preston Grasshoppers 3 P BROUGHTON PARK 4 P 12 Kirkby Lonsdale L MACCLESFIELD 3 P Marple 2 W game is played on the pitch as against in it! We extend a warm welcome to all Vale officials (always smartly 19 ECCLES L Burnage W MANCHESTER 2 L turned out), players, coaches and supporters 26 January 2 MACCLESFIELD 3 W Today the Vikings (2nds) are away, in a ‘top of the table’ clash, at Crewe & Nantwich who currently sit 9 Altrincham Kersal P ALTRINCHAM KERSAL W Lymm P second to the Vikings, just six points behind. Neither side played last week so both will be fresh and set to 16 Broughton Park W BROUGHTON PARK P WIDNES 2 P 23 BLACKBURN W Liverpool Collegiate W Broughton Park 3 W go! 30 Leigh W LEIGH W GLOSSOP February 6 Altrincham Kersal W The Hawks (3rds) were due to be travelling across to Blundellsands, unfortunately Firwood Waterloo 3rds 13 VALE OF LUNE Crewe & Nantwich Firwood Waterloo 20 Rochdale WIRRAL Wirral have not been able to fulfil their commitments to the league on four occasions and have been dropped from 27 Rossendale OLD BEDIANS 1 the league, as have Broughton Park 4ths. It is never good news when you hear of a club having to lose a

March 5 WIDNES Bolton DUKINFIELD 2 side, as we know to our own cost with the Ravens (4ths) a couple of seasons ago. Next week, the Hawks 12 Blackburn BURNAGE (3rds) travel to their nemesis of earlier this season, Wirral, who sit two places above in the league. 19 Carlisle ROSSENDALE Old Bedians 1 26 After the first weekend of the Six Nations, there probably weren’t any major surprises concerning the results, April 2 PENRITH 9 Kendal PRESTON GRASSHOP- Broughton Park 4 probably more surprise as the points difference in each game. Certainly 2 point difference between France 16 KIRKBY LONSDALE PERS MARPLE 2 and Italy hasn’t been seen for a good while. Eddie Jones has set out with a win and no doubt there will be 23 Warrington Macclesfield 3 U of Liverpool Vets Warrington plenty of commentary concerning selection for the game against Italy this weekend. Everyone is a pundit, and why not…we expect the best from our respective national sides.

Raging Bull Senior Colts League D Three weeks ago, over a hundred Wilmslow players, past and present, were royally entertained both by the September 6 Bolton L January 3 Oldham Wolves who turned it on against Blackburn on the pitch and Rusty, Fran and the house crew, off the pitch. 13 LIVERPOOL ST H L 10 ALDWINIANS It is always good to catch up with those who haven’t been around for a while and there was plenty of that 20 Fleetwood L 17 27 24 Rossendale going on. Looking forward to next year, already!

October 4 Sedgley Park L February 7 County Cup Rd 11 OLDHAM W 14 BOLTON For those of you all over social media, you will not have failed to notice an event that took place last Sunday 18 Aldwinians W 21 when two Wilmslow players, nay brothers, faced each other across the pitch when Irish hosted 25 ROSSENDALE 28 , these two were, of course, the Mulchrone boys, Fergus and Charlie. For the record, th November 8 New Brighton W March 6 League Cup Rd Irish, came out on top 20 – 13 with the return fixture on Saturday, 26 March, at Worcester despite the 15 Liverpool St H L 13 League Cup Rd result it was a special moment not least for Paddy and Fiona, very proud parents! 22 FLEETWOOD W 20 League Cup Rd 29 County Cup Rd 27 29 Seven weeks tomorrow, Sunday 3rd April, Wilmslow Rugby Club is hosting the Waters Wilmslow Half December 6 April 3 County Cup Rd Marathon, run by Wilmslow Running Club who, if you didn’t already know, is a major sponsor and 13 SEDGLEY PARK 10 League Cup contributor to the rugby club. The event first appeared in the athletics calendar back in 1984, and has 20 17 27 24 League Cup Finals developed in to a permanent fixture for a large number of serious athletes. Our thanks go to our main sponsors, Waters, for their continued support of Wilmslow Rugby Club and of the Half Marathon. My May 1 County Cup Finals other reason for mentioning this was to ask you, Wilmslow Club members, to put the date in your diaries and be prepared to answer the call to arms for volunteers on the day. You do not need to do anything just yet however when you get the call, please respond! We need you! Thank you. Saturday 23rd. January North 1 West Wilmslow 40—15 Blackburn This was a game of two very different halves. A strangely limp and almost comatosed Wilmslow team struggled to get in to it for most of the first half. They didn’t manage to get their hands on the ball for the first twenty minutes by which time Blackburn were 10-0 ahead and even when they did manage to get on to the scoreboard, just before half time, Blackburn still finished the half deep in the Wolves’ twenty two. Whatever Wilmslow coach Richard Jones said to his men during the interval won’t have been for the faint hearted but it had the desired effect of rousing his side from its inertia to produce a second half of compelling rugby, producing three tries to kill off the game by the end of the third quarter and another two shortly after.

From the Blackburn perspective, it will have been a traumatic experience. They had dared to believe and really should have had at least another ten points on the board by half time to have left the Wolves with a mountain to climb. 10-7 though, as Bob MacCallum said afterwards was a manageable deficit to make up. Blackburn’s players must have thought that if they continued as they were doing, they had a good chance of getting something from the game. What they couldn’t have expected and couldn’t cope with was the ferocity of the Wolves, fangs bared, as they produced thirty minutes of rugby, totally unrecognisable from the putrid fare they served up in the first half. In rugby, there are times when you have to dig in to weather the storm. Eccles did that here a month ago and held out to take the spoils. Blackburn were unable to do just that.

It took Leon Fifield, Blackburn’s kicker and centre, less than five minutes to land a straight forward penalty. A good break from midfield found Wilmslow’s defence lacking on the quarter hour and only a misplaced pass to left winger Cameron Boulter prevented the opening try. No matter, moments later Wilmslow obliged by kicking away possession in their own twenty two badly. It was fielded in midfield with plenty of space and a neat little kick ahead through the defence opened the way for No. 8 Jordan Pearson to take the bouncing ball for a try, converted by Fifield. In their enthusiasm for the contest, they then took out Wilmslow’s Mike Clifford as he went for the high ball. MacCallum’s penalty set up a good position, the Wolves caught and drove before releasing their backs for centre Ed Stobart to break the Blackburn line and score. But that still didn’t settle the Wolves. No 8 Pearson found the Wolves defence awol and after a good run, he only had to time his pass to winger Dan Birkett for a second try. It was ruled forward by the referee. Another fluffed clearance direct to touch gave them a final opportunity to extend their lead before half time but they were unable to make anything of it.

The second half started with the Wolves stealing the ball and setting up MacCallum who was stopped just short. From the scrum No. 8 Alex Taylor broke but was also held up. Blackburn were forced to kick for touch where Adam Hewitt took a clean catch, setting up his backs with quick ball which enabled the forty year old veteran centre Rick Hughes to break the line and hold off the defence to score. Just five minutes of the second period had been played. Coach Jones made some tactical changes, bringing on Josh Whiteley and Max Harvey for Alex Donaldson and Matt Shufflebottom and was rewarded when full back Ben Day took and returned a hopeful high kick with interest, which bounced conveniently for the chasing Stobart, who put right winger Harry Patch away for the critical try, which put the Wolves two scores ahead. The whole intensity of the Wolves play had risen several notches, the scrum was now delivering decent usable ball on the front foot, lineouts were clean, from the breakdowns there was a steady supply of second and third phase possession and almost immediately, Blackburn were forced under pressure to kick away possession to Ben Day. This time he set up Patch, who showed his power and strength by taking on what seemed to be half the Blackburn side. When he was eventually hauled down, there were gaps all over the field. MacCallum, Hughes and Clifford took the ball to the Blackburn line, where it popped out for Harvey to gather and score.

With twenty minutes still to go, the game was now pretty well out of sight. Everybody wanted to score. Day was next when he intruded the line and the field just opened up for him. Coach Jones, now thinking ahead, decided to experiment by putting Barker on at nine, moving Andy Walker to the centre and calling off Stobart in order to rest his ‘hamstring’. Patch had another go for glory when he had at least two men unmarked outside him but they do that in the premiership as well. A loose ball was then flicked on to MacCallum, who to cheers and banter in equal measure from the crowd on the club house terrace out stripped the defence for try number six. The job had long since been done so as often happens the final minutes became scrappy and in just about the last play of the game, Blackburn centre Anton Garcia got his side a final consolation.

Coach Jones was both relieved and satisfied with the final outcome. He hadn’t been at all pleased with the first half showing but in the second period he singled out an outstanding performance from Rick Hughes as his man of the match and significant contributions from Bob MacCallum and Mike Clifford, both experienced players. Harry Patch too was conspicuous for his efforts.

2015 - 2016 SEASON Hon. President Wolves Captain Flooring and Carpeting : Furniture Wilmslow RUFC Nigel Day Mike Black Kings Road Immediate Past President and Vice Captains Student Accommodation : Refurbishment Wilmslow Hon. Club Chairman Ben Day and Bob MacCallum SK9 5PZ Jon Hitch Wolves Team Manager Hon. Secretary Mike Blackett Tel : 01625 522274 Rob Milner Vikings Captain Hon. Treasurer Matt Pearson pitchero.com/clubs/wilmslow Tony Kersh Vikings Team Manager Bryn Lewis Hawks Captain Chris Mc Hawks Team Manager James Senior Head Coach Magazine Editor and Club Press Officer : David Pike Rick Jones Andy Vassell wishes the Wolves and all Wilmslow Tel : 01625 525616 : 07886 588524 : Coaches [email protected] Richard Hughes RUFC teams a successful 2015/16 season.

NORTH 1 WEST : RAGING BULL NORTH WEST Wilmslow RUFC is an http://www.rfu.com LEAGUES http://www.rfunorth.com http://www.rfu.com Proud to open community http://www.nowirul.org.uk sponsor based club, offering a game to anyone SPONSORS AND ADVERTISERS 2015-16 Adam Taher coming through the in the front gates from the age of Alan Lang : Albert Road Opticians six upwards - with no Alderley Edge Golf Club Artisan Meat Co : Barker Brothers : Barrington Sports row. upper age limit. Barry Fisher : Beauchamp Charles : Bengal Tiger Lily Blacc Consulting : BOC : Byrom plc Concept FF & E Ltd., Unit 2, Adelaide St Nevertheless, Calder Peel FGP : Concept Group subscriptions and bar Co-op Funeral Care Salford : Connections Private Travel Macclesfield, SK10 2QS Country Home Furnishing : Creative.co : CVSL : easyfish Tel : 01625 432608, M : 07710 574449 receipts are just not Drew Donaldson : First Leasing Corp sufficient to maintain Gascoigne Halman : gas-elec : Robin Gregory www.conceptgroupuk.com the wonderful sports Gusto Alderley Edge : Hallams Property Consultants field we have here. Harvey Finance and Vehicles : Norman Herring Ian Stewart : Jimmy Toole & The Farmers Arms Jon Hitch : John and Tim Holloway We, therefore, Hubron Speciality : JW Financial Planning : Kinsella Tax acknowledge and KNH Plumbing Services : Lee Floorstok thank all those Lymm Truckwash : M2Recruit Maxwells of Wilmslow : Iain Milne : Morris Homes individuals and Modac Global : Motrax : On Point Developments organisations, who Paddy Mulchrone : P J Design : Printerland have supported the RHS Property Services : Run Creative club, the teams and Running Bear : S C & P Jones: Slater Heelis: Stig Terra Nova School : The Vets’ Place : the players this The Wilmslow Half Marathon season either by Wilmslow Preparatory School : TSG Properties sponsorship, TWP Wealth : Vision Express Wilmslow advertising or Waters Corporation : Wheatsheaf Press Wilmslow IT : Wilmslow Electrical donation. Without World of Business Change them we just would not be here. Mass Spectrometry and the Chemical Industry…

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BEST WISHES FOR 2015-16 Wolves Appearances and Point Spectator Conduct

Scorers : 2015 - 16

Explicitly calling the opposition  Act as a positive role

team’s touch judge a b model to all players. cheat because you disagree

 Abide by the RFU’s with him over where the ball

Child Protection went into touch, whether or not

Tries

Appearance

Drop GoaldDrop

Penalties Points Conversions Guidance in relation it was in touch at all or who the Jordan Ayrey 12 1 5 to verbal and throw has been awarded too is Nick Barker 14 4 20 emotional abuse. forbidden. Mike Black 12 Remember that Mark Brewis 1 children play primarily Abuse of Match Officials for their own Sam Cutts 18 3 15 enjoyment not that of Code of Conduct regulations Louis Davis 1 spectators. state that a person shall not Ben Day 9 2 10  Acknowledge good abuse, threaten or intimidate a Alex Donaldson 13 referee, touch judge or other play, effort and match official, whether or not Max Harvey 7 1 5 performance on the field of play. Crude or Adam Hewitt 17 3 15 irrespective of team abusive language or gestures Legin Hotham 14 8 40 or player. Shout ‘for’ towards officials is not Richard Hughes 13 2 10 players not ‘at’ them. permitted. Never ridicule a Lawrence James 1 player. Hone Karaka 2 2 10 Abuse is defined as individual James Keys 2 1 5  Respect match perception of personal Jack Masters 6 officials’ decisions degradation, be it mental, or even if they appear to physical before, during and Bob MacCallum 15 16 31 110 have made a after a game and includes Ollie McCall 3 1 5 mistake. Remember verbal or physical assault, Conor McMurdock 5 1 6 15 they are volunteers intimidatory conduct and/or Harry Patch 17 18 90 too. racial and sexual harassment.

Mat Shufflebottom 17  Never verbally abuse Abusive behaviour affects the Ben Stern 11 1 5 players, coaches, reputation of the club and will match officials or Ed Stobart 15 18 90 not be tolerated. Action will be fellow spectators. Adam Taher 7 taken against any member or Standing Figures’ Northern School Such abuse can Gareth Tait 1 other spectator considered to William Turner oil painting of create a negative pair of bronzes by Austin Wright, be in breach of the IRB Code Alex Taylor 17 3 15 environment for Capesthorne Hall sold for £2900 of Conduct. just sold for a local Robert Taylor 15 2 10 players, which their estate for £4,100 Vili Tuipulotu 13 6 1 7 47 behaviour will often James Venables 7 reflect.

Andy Walker 16 3 15

Charlie Wilton 1 Josh Whiteley 14 1 5 Ollie Wilkinson 5 MOTRAX MOTOR ACCESSORIES 88 CHAPEL LANE T 01625 522551

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Specialist in Domestic Extension Standish Media Services : Division 1 Design Team P W D L For Agst Diff Pts +/- Wilmslow 15 13 0 1 454 124 330 57 0

Crewe & Nantwich 15 12 0 3 388 260 128 51 0 Paul Sheridon

Preston Grasshoppers 3 15 11 0 4 489 138 351 48 0 Tel. 07969 790075 [email protected] Warrington 15 9 1 5 259 280 -21 43 0 Wirral 15 9 0 6 472 277 195 42 0 Paul Sheridon wishes Rossendale 15 6 2 6 331 286 45 38 0 the Wolves every Burnage 17 7 0 10 282 424 -142 38 0 success in 2015-16 Broughton Park 16 7 0 9 321 342 -21 37 0

Blackburn 13 6 0 7 200 252 -52 31 0

Altrincham Kersal 16 5 0 11 216 404 -188 31 0

Bolton 15 5 0 10 223 466 -243 30 0

Macclesfield 16 4 1 10 355 376 -21 28 0

Liverpool Collegiate 15 3 0 12 195 323 -128 27 3

Leigh 14 5 0 8 177 410 -233 18 -6 Tony Kersh wishes the Raging Bull Leagues : Division 3 South Wolves and all Wilmslow teams Team P W D L For Agst Diff Pts +/- a successful 2015-16. Manchester 2 15 9 1 4 329 229 100 46 0

Old Bedians 1sts 12 9 1 2 447 175 272 40 0 PO Box 595, Macclesfield SK10 9HF Dukinfield 2 13 8 0 4 217 238 -21 40 0 Tel : 01625 500090 Wirral 3 15 7 0 7 276 375 -99 39 0

Uni of Liverpool Vets 1 10 7 0 1 282 141 141 33 0 23rd. January Wilmslow 3 12 7 0 4 335 157 178 31 -5 Liverpool Collegiate 17—25 Vikings Broughton Park 10-28 Hawks Broughton Park 3 12 5 0 7 257 261 -4 25 0 30th. January Widnes 2 11 6 0 5 312 159 153 24 -5 Vikings 72-0 Leigh

Marple 2 10 4 1 5 195 170 25 23 0 Firwood Waterloo 3rd. XV have been removed Lymm 3 13 3 1 9 343 429 -86 23 0 from league Division 3 South for exceeding the number of games they are allowed to concede. Burnage 3 12 0 1 9 119 371 -252 11 0

Glossop 3 11 0 1 8 48 455 -407 10 0

easyfish in Chapel Lane WISHING LAWRENCE JAMES AND THE WOLVES A SUCCESSFUL SEASON

Six Nations – English – Touch, Pause ,Pause! VALE OF LUNE We’re always pleased to welcome Vale to the Memorial Ground knowing, that weather Is it ‘Aye up’ or ‘I say’ for English Rugby under Eddie Jones? permitting, we’ll see an attractive game, played in the right spirit. Of course, there may be the odd exchange between the players, that’s just natural but in the main both sides Touch, Pause, Pause! As the Six Nations is about to take over our lives once again for the next 7 weeks, and we will are too busy trying to play decent attacking rugby to have much time for anything else. rejoice in all things rugby, have you ever stopped to wonder why never get over the winning line? Off the field too, we’re always pleased to welcome their sizeable contingent of Even when revved his team towards glory in 2003, he only won the Grand Slam once in five years and travelling support, which seems to share similar views to ourselves over how the game England have only won the championship once in the past 10 years, in 2011. should develop in middling sized clubs, such as we both are.

Wales, on the other hand, with no more than 10% of The last nine meetings between Vale and Wilmslow have produced a total of 514 The Welsh have always been a lyrical, poetic and England’s players have recorded three Grand Slams and points. That averages at about 57 points a game. The highest scoring game was back in September 2012 which went 34- slightly mutinous disrespectful lot. Think, Dylan one championship win in the same 10 years. I think the 46 to Vale and the lowest a measly 37 points in January 2015, won 15-22 by Wilmslow. Wilmslow have won five of them, Thomas, Lloyd George, Roald Dahl, Richard Burton, answer could lie in an abstract assessment of where the Vale three and one has been drawn. Harry Secombe, Tom Jones, Katherine Jenkins, Max players come from and their background. Boyce, Mostyn Williams and Mark Shotton. Last October’s game at Vale produced 67 points with the Wolves winning 22-45. It had been 17-21 at half time, evenly

Eddie Jones’ brave new world which seeks to avenge the poised but Wilmslow scored three times in the third quarter to put the game out of sight and had the last laugh with their Now, we have Rob Shotton, clearly a full sized chip off crimes of the Lancaster regime of not even getting out of seventh of the afternoon. Ed Stobart got four of them. the same old block. the group in their home World Cup still contains players of a similar background to those of the previous ten years. It was also the second game in succession that the Wolves had registered seven tries. That, of course, was in the balmy This makes an absolute mockery of “Carry Them Home” and cries of “Swing Low” from the posh-hunter-welly-wearing days of autumn and was all to change in December as Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude and Henry all rolled in off goons from Kent. the Atlantic and now as I write we have Imogen. Wilmslow’s points fest came to an abrupt end, zero were registered at Kirkby Lonsdale, three against Eccles and twelve against Kendal. Things though have got back on track this year with 135 So, let us look at the numbers… points in January and February so far and twenty one tries.

th Of the 33 players selected in the “new-look” 2016 England squad, who take the field at Murrayfield on 6 February, 19 of Nor have Vale been slouches since the turn of the year, recording 103 points and sixteen tries. With nine wins from them were born in the South of England. Furthermore, the same number of players (7) who were born abroad have been sixteen, they now lie sixth in the table and with both Kendal and Kirkby Lonsdale now out of the way for this season at selected as to those who were born in the North (and I have included Leicester as North, which it clearly isn’t. Maybe the least, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t rise further up the table. Beware Fergus Owens, I say! Fergus seems to have selection panel class the North as abroad? Favouritism – the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person hit a rare bit of form in recent weeks. But for injury in the autumn of 2014, he could easily have been still a Wilmslow or group at the expense of another may lie at the root of something deeper at HQ, a bias of like attracting like. player.

On the other hand, and £6.60 later, , perhaps because the third best scrum half starts on the wing have a completely different approach to selection. Let me enlarge…

If you’re not born in the South of England and have not attended an independent school, you’re chances of walking out at Twickenham onto the pitch are slim to say the least. Indeed, being born North of the Watford Gap is less of a qualification than being born in the Southern Hemisphere. However, if one goes back to the “glory days”, when , Roger Utley, , , and Steve Smith strutted their stuff across the muddied playing fields of the North, England recorded as good a win ratio as any of the Southern hemisphere teams, possibly barring NZ in the past 24 months. It strikes me that the South Island Kiwi grit and Northern English toil are of similar constitution.

A simple point yes, but if England, in particular, and the Northern Hemisphere in general, want to employ someone to polish the William Web Ellis trophy, then they need to think very hard about what has brought success over past generations, and can do so again. A little bit like muscle memory, a country’s rugby etymology and its DNA doesn’t fall far from the tree. If you keep selecting public school boys born within shouting distance from the bells of bow, then as the old phrase goes, “you’ll always get, what you’ve always got”.

Coming fourth in a competition of six is hardly World Cup winning form. Contrast the nonsense associated with selecting as England Captain with Michael Cheika’s “get the best players, irrespective of where they’re playing, in my dressing room, and the only team that will beat us is the best team that has ever played”. I don’t think Cheika, by his own admission, an average number 8, gave a flying Scotsman’s hoot which school the players attended, where they were born, or in fact the nonsense that is where the players play their rugby.

If England persist of the myopic self centered governed-by-the-toffs “laws” then Wales, a “sheep shagging, up and under bollocks” country, select on talent and coach with raw hunger and desire from a man from guess where? Correct, North England, who attended a catholic school, where rugby was a religion and much more than just a sport. Reasonably typical of England, Shaun Edwards is allowed to ply his trade across the Severn Bridge, instead of creating supremacy for the infamous red rose.

Anyway… lets give the six nations a chance, there’s no relegation and no promotion, but lets add up the points at the end of the tournament and test the theory.

Over the page I have the England Squad with added statistics.

Rob Shotton Pictures from Vale v Wilmslow 17 Oct 2015 Eddie Jones’ New England

Josh Beaumont (23) : Born Blackpool, Arnold School, Durham University Saturday 23rd. January. (28) : Born: Leicester : Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College: (independent)/Robert Smyth College Some totally unexpected results to make you wonder what’s going on out there. Leigh haul themselves off the bottom of Luke Cowan Dickie (22), Born: Truro, Cornwall, Truro College/Mount Bays School the table by winning at Altrincham Kersal, who have recently slipped down to seventh place. Rochdale, winning away at (22): Born: Brisbane, Tillingbourne Royal Grammar School Warrington, was another unexpected outcome. Were these just temporary blips or is there something more fundamental (25): Born: Welwyn Garden City, Haileybury going on, like Leigh bringing past proven performers or getting help from RL ranks. Warrington, too, is another bi-codal Dylan Hartley (29): Born: Rotorua, Rotorua Boy’s School/Beacon Community School area and you immediately wonder whether there’s been trans code movement there. Eccles continue to puzzle by losing (30): Born: Windsor, Papplewick School/Wellington College at home to Vale of Lune. The other four games, however, went the way you could easily have expected, wins for Kirkby Paul Hill (20) : Born: Aschaffenburg, Germany, Prince Henry’s School/Hayfield School Lonsdale, Kendal, Wilmslow and Penrith. Maro Itoje (21): Born: Camden, Harrow/St George’s School (25), Born: Guilford, St John’s School, Uni Of Hertfordshire All the normal names seemed to be on duty for Warrington but they were just outplayed by a fired up Rochdale, whose (23): Born: Iserlohn, Germany, Blundell’s back row ruled the breakdown. Penned back, Warrington conceded two first half tries and a penalty to be 17-0 behind at (24): Born: Exeter, Christ’s Hospital the break. A Darren Norman penalty was then cancelled out by a third Rochdale try, leaving Warrington to score a (26): Born: Hackney, School: Kingsthorpe CollegeNorthampton School for Boys consolation through Steve Pilkington. A fine Rochdale performance. (25): Born: Eastbourne, Heathfield Community College Matt Mullan (28): Born: Brighton, Bromsgrove School Leigh were good value at Stelfox, outplaying AK for the first fifty minutes to go 27 - 7 in front. Only in the last fifteen (29): Born Redhill, Millfield/Cumnor House School minutes did AK score twice to reduce the deficit but the match had already been won by then. Tom Baker, Ryan Henry Thomas (25): Born: Kingston upon Thames, Millfield McInstrey and Matt Newton all touched down for Leigh with Ryan Elliott having a good day with his boot. Just the kind of (23): Born: Brisbane, Harrow win to raise spirits and confidence in the fight against relegation. (25): Born: Wellington, NZ, Millfield (28) (suspended): Born: , Saturday 30th. January (30): Born: Southampton, Wyvern College Storm Gertrude was the common factor this weekend bringing near freezing conditions, hail, sleet and general (29): Born: Leeds, Prince Henry’s unpleasantness. Elliot Daly (23): Born: Croydon, Whitgift The big shock was bottom of the table Widnes beating Warrington 24 - 10 in a local Ollie Devoto (22) : Born: Yeovil derby. Widnes got off to a flyer with two converted tries in the first fifteen minutes, the (24): Born: Wigan, St George’s School first from their long shanked centre Dave Welsh, combining with Kevin Leadbetter and George Ford (22): Born: Oldham, Rishworth School the second from Gareth Riley. A third, against the run of play, came just before half (27) :Born: Cambridge, St Faith’s/The Leys School/Oakham School, Uni of Hertfordshire time when leadbetter this time put winger Tom Spencer away with a well judged inside (22): Born: Exeter, QEGS, Plymouth/Ivybridge College pass.. Warrington got back into it in the second half with two strikes against the head Jonathon Joseph (24): Born: Derby, Millfield and some good lineout work. Full back Nathan Beesley then made a fine break and set (22): Born: Truro, Mount Bay Academy up No. 8 Max Walker to break out of tackles and to bring it back to 19 -10. The Widnes Anthony Watson (21): Born: Ashford, St George’s/Weybridge defence, however, was not for being over run by a Warrington side chasing the game (23): Born: Castries, St Lucia, Whitgift and they then delivered a final coup de grace with their fourth try when scrum half Chris (26): Born: Norwich, Gresham’s School/Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College Lunt broke from a scrum to set up Anthony Leadbetter. On the day Widnes were the better side and thoroughly deserved their win against an out of sorts Warrington. Is I have compared this to the Welsh squad this the start of a Widnes revival to get them off the relegation zone? Comprehensive Schools – 29 Elsewhere home wins for Broughton Park, Rochdale and Vale of Lune can’t have been unexpected and nor were away Independent Schools - 3 wins for Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale and Wilmslow, albeit very narrow as far as Kendal and Wilmslow were concerned. Not counted 4 (couldn’t find this) – Jake Ball/Bradley Davies/Dan Lydiate/Jamie Roberts

Saturday 6th. February Three re-arranged matches managed to be played whilst two were once again postponed. Nor were there any surprise My In Box, a couple of weeks ago, contained results. Wilmslow would have been most people’s form horse at Altrincham Kersal, those of us at Leigh last weekend the following exchange. won’t have been surprised that they were too good for Carlisle and Vale of Lune were always favourites at home against Widnes. Leigh swap places with Widnes at the bottom and Carlisle drop deeper into the relegation zone. Under 13s coach to Sunday’s referee: You were rubbish!

Vale of Lune 24 - 5 Widnes Referee to U13s coach: I know that I missed a handful of On a pitch which had the consistency of a Crème Brulee, the sweet course proved very tasty and was far from an Eton opposition off sides going on behind me, but that was because Mess, writes Stuart Vernon, a man who really ought to know. What referee Hiney would have preferred for the pudding neither of your flankers were binding properly in the scrum and course is not known but it is known that he’d had enough of it by the 73rd. minute when he brought the captains together both were breaking off too soon, the ball was always being put in to tell them that he couldn’t tell one side from another in the quagmire, and as far as he was concerned it was all crème crooked, frequently going straight through the tunnel, the scrum caramel to him, so he was abandoning the game. Probably a man for hot Sticky Toffee Pudding, our Mr. Hiney! Both was consistently being wheeled at least 45 degrees deliberately captains though agreed with him, shook hands and the score would stand as the final result. Fergus Owens seemed to or not, your scrum half was coming round off side the whole time, have enjoyed it all though, as he scored twice in the first half and also had a hand in Vale’s first try, when he put the winger there were hands in the scrum, your hooker was striking early and away with a perfectly timed pass. Anthony Leadbetter got one back for Widnes. In the second half, Jack Turton got the all all you’re worried about are their backs coming up off side. I was important fourth try when the ball emerged from the swamp to get Vale the bonus point. amazed when the opposition’s hooker complained that your player was striking too early. I haven’t seen a hooker striking for Leigh 16 - 3 Carlisle the ball in ages. And that was just the scrum to which you have to It was touch and go whether this game would get underway but the efforts of the Leigh members to clear the pitch add what was going on in the lineout and at the breakdown. All eventually paid dividends. Neither side wanted to take any risk in what for each of them was a critical match and with ten this in U13s rugby, before the front rows have learnt about not minutes to go it was still 3-3. Elliott Ryan then added two penalties in quick succession to the one he’d landed in the first Fergus and Charlie Mulchrone before turning out for coming in straight, not binding properly, pulling opponents down and Worcester respectively in last half and then converted Chris Boyle’s 78th. Minute try from a rolling maul. It sent Carlisle away with nothing and was and deliberately collapsing the scrum. The pros have it easy with week’s Premiership clash. Most of you will know Leigh’s second win in three outings as they fight to retain their level 6 status. two touch judges and a TMO. already what WWIMH stands for but if you don’t , it’s WILMSLOW WOLVES IN MY HEART! I’ll need eyes in my ♦♦♦♦, before you’ll ever be satisfied! Saturday 30th. January North 1 West Leigh 17 - 24 Wilmslow

There are times when a game of rugby has to be accepted for what it is and that includes the conditions in which it is played. Gertrude was blowing hard from West to East at Leigh’s Hand Lane ground with malevolent looking clouds scurrying over, spitting out intermittent blasts of hail and sleat in a near freezing temperature. The ground was exactly as you would have expected it to be in January, very heavy, although to be fair recent drainage works, I believe, have improved the situation. On the undrained areas along the touchlines, the hardy had gathered in groups to view the spectacle, standing on sodden grass, churned up mud and some standing water, the more sensible had attired themselves in Wellington Boots. On the pitch, the players bounced up and down like rabbits as they tried to keep their circulation going and to generate some warmth. You get the drift! A close quarter game was in prospect, a classic of running passing rugby, it was not going to be.

Wilmslow had to face not only Gertrude for the first half but also a Leigh side which the previous week had hauled itself off the bottom of the league with a morale raising win at Altrincham Kersal. They were up for this one, keen to tilt their lances against third placed Wilmslow.

For twenty minutes, the Wolves played not at all badly. Although mainly in their own half, they kept possession when they had it, driving hard around the fringes, recycling tidily and giving their backs the opportunity to test their opposition’s defences. Twice they forced themselves into the Leigh twenty two and on both occasions scored. After ten minutes, the Wolves won a good attacking lineout out on the right touchline and after a handful of sorties close in, they released their backs for Bob MacCallum to draw the defence before offloading a delicious inside ball to Ed Stobart who wasn’t going to be stopped from just a couple of metres. It took referee Robert Sheard twenty minutes before he awarded his first penalty of the afternoon to Wilmslow in midfield. MacCallum found touch in the same right hand corner, the move was repeated and although held up No 6 Aldam Hewitt was across to take recycled ball and score in the left hand corner.

There was some controversy over whether he was in touch or not but the touch judge, Wilmslow’s President Nigel Day, no less, was right on the spot and adamant that Hewitt had touched down before striking the corner flag and photographic evidence suggests he was right. The third try followed five minutes later when right winger Nick Barker, replacing the injured Harry Patch, intercepted on half way and ran in close to the posts. That was as good as it got for the Wolves.

The game now took on the pattern that was to dominate for the next fifty five minutes. The Wolves dropped the restart and from the scrum Leigh set about their traditional pick and drive game. It wasn’t pretty and it made only slow forward progress so the Wolves try line only once just before half time looked in any danger. Mr. Sheard, however, did not like the Wolves attempts to turn over Leigh’s ball and nor did he like how long it took for them to release at the breakdown. Once a referee starts to notice things, he tends to see the same thing again and again. Five times in succession the Wolves were penalised in the ten minutes before half time and three times, it was in range for Leigh’s full back Elliot Ryan to take the points, narrowing the gap to just eight at half time.

If you thought that with Gertrude now behind them, MacCallum would be able to pepper the corners with his kicking and that Ms. Clifford, Hewitt and Taylor would clean up in the lineouts for Stobart and the Maori debutant Hone Karaka to run pretty patterns through the Leigh back line, you would have been wrong. In fact, it was the Leigh forwards who started to exert a stranglehold with their pick and driving game, forcing the Wolves to continue offending on the ground and corralling them for long periods in and around their own twenty two.

Ten minutes after the break, the Wolves got their only second half score when a couple of long kicks up field were returned weakly by Leigh’s defence, enabling fullback Ben Day to find space for a commanding run, like the Day of old, for try number four.

It was Wilmslow’s turn to now miss a clearing kick, which was taken on the Leigh right wing and the spread across field quickly for winger Jimmy Wilkinson to loop round Olly Shepherd and take the scoring pass in the left corner. Back they came again and with ten minutes left yet another penalty gave Ryan the chance to make it 17 – 24 and to set up an ‘interesting’ finish. The Wolves managed to use up some of the time left deep in Leigh territory but when it was ruled that they had lost control in a lineout, Leigh had a final chance to save the game. Aided by three penalties in quick succession, they besieged the Wilmslow line in the time remaining. The defence held though and when Clifford got his THE AREA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT ESTATE AGENCY hand to the final Leigh throw in the lineout, the ball was booted away to great relief all round from Wilmslow’s supporters.

It was tough on the home side which had looked far better than a bottom of the table outfit. It was yet another game, Wishing Wilmslow Rugby Club their seventh, in which they had to settle for a losing bonus point and then to find themselves at the foot of the table again as Widnes beat Warrington. A Successful 2015 - 16 Season

For the Wolves, it had been another potential banana skin and a reminder that on its day any side can beat another in 18 Offices throughout North Cheshire and South Manchester this league. They didn’t have many chances to score but they did well to make something of those few that came their way and they defended well to deny Leigh, for all their second half pressure, many clear cut opportunities. There will be 42 Alderley Road, Wilmslow, SK9 1NY concern at the 13 – 5 penalty count, which more than anything changed the flow off the game against them. t 01625 536434 f 01625 527772 [email protected] Saturday 6th. February North 1 West Altrincham kersal 20 - 37 Wilmslow

Yet another mud bath for the players, a sodden churned up but playable pitch, intermittent bursts of bad tempered rain spitting down and a surprisingly good game of rugby. Whatever the conditions, the Wolves will always try to play their preferred running and passing game, bringing their fleet footed backs into the picture as much as possible. They didn’t make a bad stab of it at Stelfox and some of their play was at times outstanding. But it takes two to make a match. Altrincham Kersal know they don’t have the same skills and pace in their back line but they do have a robust pack of forwards, who in the first half at least were masters in the scrum and lineout, pushing the lighter Wilmslow eight backwards and they’d clearly worked out a game plan, which included low trajectory kicks at the restart, skidding and bouncing across the turf to make it as difficult as possible to field the ball.

At half time AK led by 20-17, three tries apiece and a penalty on the stroke of half time being all that separated the sides. And then the game changed in the second half. The AK scrum found itself on the back foot and their lineout, so powerful early on, lost its momentum and accuracy. The Wolves grabbed the opportunity to run in three second half tries and a penalty without reply. For a period midway through the half, they just threatened to sweep AK away. The home side rallied though in the final minutes even though the game had been lost by then and they were unlucky not to get a fourth bonus point earing try. Analysis of a controversy. Wilmslow coach Rick Jones had had to shuffle his resources for this game. The Wolves talismanic skipper Mike Black was still sidelined, Robert Taylor was ill and Mike Clifford unavailable. They were replaced by Max Harvey, Adam Note the angle of the corner flag Taher, Jack Masters and Ben Stern. Harry Patch, on his twenty first birthday, no less, was back and there was a start in the top picture taken prior to for the New Zealander Kiwi Hone Karaka at No. 13. Not for many years has a Wilmslow coach been able to call up Adam Hewitt’s touchdown. such talented young players. Clearly there’s no change in the flag’s position in the second Nevertheless first blood went to AK. Their kick to start the game caused all sorts of difficulties for the fielding picture, showing that Hewitt had Wilmslow forwards. Left wing Sam Cutts eventually got it out of play on around the Wolves twenty two but from the touched down without making lineout the AK pack launched a disciplined drive, which the Wolves seemed to have no idea how to defend, for No. 8 contact with it. The third picture John Bishop to get the first of his three touchdowns of the game. taken a milli second later shows Hewitt being tackled, probably From the restart, AK tried much the same forward drive again but this time it went to ground and the Wolves had a out of play but there is no visible scrum. In the next play, AK got penalised but Bob MacCallum’s kick for goal from one of those 50/50 sort of sign of any touch line. Nigel positions, although struck well, was wide of the uprights. No matter, the Wolves were testing AK’s defence with their Day’s positioning seems to me to attacking play and when they offended again Wilmslow’s alert scrum half Andy Walker made a quick dart from just be impeccable. inside the twenty two and held off the defence for an opportunistic score. You can judge for yourself. Wilmslow’s forwards then failed to deal with the restart and found themselves conceding a scrum on their own line. The AK pack puffed and heaved its way across the line for Bishop’s second touch down. The Wolves response was immediate, they earned a penalty which put them into the corner and after keeping the ball alive through several phases No. 8 Alex Taylor wasn’t for stopping from ten yards. Barely fifteen minutes had been played and it was already 12-12. We had to wait about ten minutes before another series of Wolves’ attacks initiated from the lineout produced a first score for Karaka making the extra man out on the left.

AK now enjoyed their best period of the match. Both their driving lineout and scrum looked very dangerous on several occasions and it was no surprise when a second pushover levelled matters, just before the interval. There was still time for another attack from the scrum, which earned them three points from a penalty.

Whatever Jones had to say at half time about disrupting AK’s supply must have had more effect than even he could have thought possible. The Wolves attacked vigorously from the restart, AK offended in the tackle and MacCallum tied things up at 20-20. AK then spurned a penalty chance for a kick to the corner but this was the start of their lineout problems, four times they were denied by the Wolves and eventually after several attempts the ball was cleared. MacCallum then stuck a fine kick into touch in AK’s twenty two. The ball was overthrown and taken by Taher at the back of the line, who made a ten yard dash before offloading to Ben Stern for a straight forward run in, converted by MacCallum. Another attacking AK lineout was well defended and two penalties in quick succession found the Wolves just ten yards from the AK line again, where they worked a front of lineout move, releasing Josh Whiteley for try number five. For the next ten minutes the Wolves had AK bottled up in or near their own twenty two, threatening to score more than once. The sixth try eventually came when quick lineout ball was spun along the line, through the rain, and recycled for Karaka to burrow through at pace for his second try. An auspicious game for the young Kiwi, who hardly put a foot wrong all afternoon. .

The game had now been won and lost but there was still the matter of a fourth try bonus point for AK to pursue in the dying minutes. The Wolves were forced onto the defensive but the thin blue line held. In the end both sides had acquitted themselves with some distinction in difficult playing conditions, the difference being that the Wolves just had that bit more composure to create and take their chances. It seems ages ago now, but it is only three weeks since our Old Players’ Reunion on January 23rd, when we had a fine turn-out of players from different generations- 108 in all, We’re still in winter so this is another slow cooker dish which you can marinate overnight on Friday, prepare on Saturday which included 12 ladies morning and then leave the slow cooker to do its job until who once ran the kitchen you come in again. It’s another adaptation of a French for team teas. casserole with Spanish overtones. Hot, tasty and succulent. So here goes. It was great to see those ex-players who had travelled some distance to make the lunch; Neil Johnson from Verona, Daube de l’agneau provencal Chris Owen, from, I think, Croatia, the ever present Simon Daube is a southern French word for ‘casserole’ and Tebbett from Suffolk and the 1980-81 1st XV captain Barry ‘agneau’, if you don’t know, is lamb.

Sparks from the South West. This just confirms what I For 4 people, you’ll need: wrote in the programme on the day, we are a family club and all the better for not paying our players. Up to 1kg of diced leg of lamb, preferably cut by your butcher into approximately 3cm square chunks. We don’t To return to the “Ladies Committee.” Apart from raising need to be too picky about which cut it is, providing it isn’t money from the sales of food, they organised an Indoor bony stewing lamb that would be used for Irish stew. Market on a couple of occasions. There were a selection of stalls, from members and outsiders, and a large area in the 8 thick slices of chorizo sausage or similar, 12 bacon middle of the room filled with donations from members lardons, 1 peeled and chopped onion, 3 cloves of peeled and chopped garlic, 1 peeled and sliced carrot, 1 sliced who had factories (where are those factories today?) and celery stick, 4 tbsp. olive oil, 1 large can (400gm) of chopped jumble collected by the ladies. The general public came in tomatoes, 1 lamb stock cube dissolved in 100gm of hot droves and the event raised several hundred pounds. A water, fresh rosemary leaves, thyme, parsley,12 black major influence on the numbers came from a banner we olives, 2 large glasses of red wine, a Southern Rhone or put up across Grove Street. The banner may have done Rioja would be ideal, seasoning. very well, but to her eternal credit, Doreen Fitton, who painted it, missed out the first “l” in Wilmslow and a You can substitute the can of tomatoes with two or three photograph with a mocking comment appeared in the local spoonfuls of proprietary tomato sauce. I particularly like the ’putensca’ blend which includes some anchovy flavouring. paper. Not just the factories, but where are these volunteers today? All too busy working, I suspect; times Marinate the lamb overnight in red wine, half the olive oil, have changed. the carrot, stick of celery, onion, garlic and rosemary. The next morning, drain the wine marinade into a dish and set And now, “another story that can be told”, from our South aside. African tour in 1985. Our first game was in Durban and we were all put up by the members of Beria Rovers. Peter Now fry the lamb and bacon lardons in batches in hot oil Ross and I were very unlucky and were billeted with a guy until nicely browned all over. Set aside in the slow cooker. who had an exceedingly scruffy home and we had to share Next fry the vegetables from the marinade in oil until they a very uncomfortable bed settee. Rather than staying soften and start turning brown. Add to the slow cooker, another night or two, we decided to move to an hotel. We together with the chorizo slices, black olives, rosemary, returned that night, rather late and very tired. Peter said his thyme and a generous dollop of chopped parsley. feet were killing him and threw his shoes out of the window. The next morning, we found we were on the In the same pan, mix together the tomatoes or sauce, lamb seventh floor and the shoes were, of course, nowhere to be stock, and red wine from the marinade until hot and seen. They were the only pair he had, so he had to go to the bubbling. Season to taste. You need enough liquid to just nearest shoe shop in his socks. Incidentally, we lost 10-24 cover the meat and vegetables. Add to the slow cooker. to Beria Rovers, as the Southern Hemisphere had changed Mix everything together and set the slow cooker to come on the law to allow lifting in the line-out. Nobody told us so at about 1.00pm so that the daube is ready for your attention we were up against it from the start. at about 7.00pm.

I finish by noting that, in the last couple of away games, As there’s a strong Mediterranean influence in this dish, it Bob MacCallum has passed his 100 points for the season, follows that a hearty red wine from the Southern Rhone or Languedoc would be ideal for drinking. Look for what’s bringing his total to 2,149 points. Mike Tinkler’s 1972/73 called ‘GSM’, a wine blended from grape varieties such as record of 26 tries is also under threat from Harry Patch and Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Carignan is another Ed Stobart, with 19 and 18 respectively. Their tries have variety that turns up there. You could also choose a Rioja, been scored in fewer than half of the 41 games played by in which case go for one labelled ’Reserva’ or ‘Gran Reserva’ rather than ’Crianza’ or ’Jovens’. Mike. WHAT DO THE TAYLOR BROTHERS AND CALLUM WESTAWAY ALL HAVE IN COMMON. THEY’RE OLD BOYS OF WILMSLOW HIGH SCHOOL, THEY PLAY FOR THE WOLVES AND THEY ALL CHOOSE STIG FOR THEIR GROOMING

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Stationery Solutions, Chapel Lane, Wilmslow (excluding print cartridges) Chapel Interiors, Chapel Lane, Wilmslow Gusto, London Road, Alderley Edge Just identify yourself as a Wilmslow Rugby (see their advertisement to apply for a Gusto Club member by producing either your sponsorship card. Prior bookings advised) valid 2015 - 16 membership handbook at the Bengal Tiger Lily Indian Cuisine, Congleton Rd., following retail outlets or the participating Nether Alderley (restaurant menu only) retailer’s card to receive substantial S C & P Jones, 91-102 Chapel Lane, discounts off listed prices. Motrax Motor Accessories, Chapel Lane, RBS SIX NATIONS 2016

Saturday 6th. February France v Italy Stade de France 2.25pm. Scotland v England Murrayfield 4.50pm.

Sunday 7th. February Ireland v Wales Aviva Stadium 3.00pm Season 2015/16 Saturday 13th. February at the A J Bell Stadium France v Ireland Stade de France 2.25pm. Wales v Scotland 4.50pm. 23rd. October Worcester Warriors

Sunday 14th. February 1st. November Italy v England 2.00pm. 21st. November Pau

Friday 26th. February 28th. November Newcastle Falcons Wales v France Millennium Stadium 8.05pm. 19th. December Castres Saturday 27th. February Italy v Scotland Stadio Olimpico 2.25pm. 2nd January Wasps

England v Ireland Twickenham 4.50pm. 22nd. January Gwent Dragons

Saturday 12th. March 30th. January London Irish Ireland v Italy Aviva Stadium 1.30pm. England v Wales Twickenham 4.00pm. 13th. February

27th. February Saracens Sunday 13th. March Scotland v France Murrayfield 3.00pm. 5th. March Harlequins

Saturday 19th. March 26th. March Wales v Italy Illennium Stadium 2.30pm. Ireland v Scotland Aviva Stadium 5.00pm. 16th April Bath

France v England Stade de France 8.00pm. 30th. April Gloucester

12 21 League North 1 West Country Home Furnishing 2015/16 For over 40 years our family business has been giving the highest level of service, quality, design and P W D L PF PA PD Pts B Pts Adj TODAY’S OTHER MATCHES furnishings. We pride ourselves on our customer Kirkby Lonsdale 17 15 1 1 436 213 223 72 10 0 service, having built up a very loyal customer base, Wilmslow 18 14 0 4 557 270 287 71 9 0 Altrincham Kersal v nearly all our sales are generated from Rochdale Kendal 16 15 0 1 397 175 222 69 9 0 recommendations. With competitive prices to suit all

Warrington 17 11 2 4 465 325 140 57 12 0 Blackburn v Leigh needs, from studio apartments to prestigious Penrith 16 9 0 7 348 289 59 45 7 0 developments we offer solutions for all your home Vale of Lune 16 9 0 7 371 320 51 45 6 0 Eccles v Widnes furnishing needs.

Rochdale 16 9 0 7 287 289 -2 40 4 0 Kendal v Broughton Altrincham Kersal 17 7 1 9 297 303 -6 36 7 0 Park Our Chapel Lane showroom contains a large collection Eccles 17 6 0 11 221 353 -132 32 6 0 of classic and contemporary home furnishings. Blackburn 15 5 1 9 229 360 -131 24 1 0 Kirkby Lonsdale v Broughton Park 17 4 1 12 285 427 -142 21 7 0 Penrith

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League Fixtures & Results—2015/2016 PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING ALL WILMSLOW RUGBY CLUB TEAMS HOME

TEAMS

AltrinchamBlackburn Kersal BroughtonCarlisle Pk Eccles Kendal Penrith Vale of Lune Wilmslow Kirkby LonsdaleLeigh Rochdale Warrington Widnes

Altrincham Kersal 30-3 27-7 5/03 12-7 2/04 17-13 19-27 8-15 13/02 38-24 16/04 24-5 20-37

Blackburn P 20-7 2/04 16-11 16/04 18-41 13/02 P 5/03 21-30 19-19 12-3 11-35

Broughton Park 15-7 32-24 18-18 13-12 18-39 13-25 20/02 24-35 9/04 19/03 19-32 14-16 10-34

Carlisle 5-5 20-22 22-5 20/02 24-31 0-30 9/04 P 23/04 P 19-21 27-7 19/03 Eccles 23/04 10-6 16/04 27-24 6-14 2/04 19-18 5/03 21-36 11-31 24-20 13/02 6-34 2015-16 Kendal 33-7 P 13/02 25-5 19/03 20/02 23/04 14-13 37-10 34-3 27-12 32-0 9/04

Kirkby Lonsdale 9/04 23/04 5/03 30-10 32-18 24-19 22-19 13/02 22-17 37-21 19/03 34-7 3-0

Leigh 3-41 15-24 7-41 16-3 P 18-20 6-21 16/04 10-22 5/03 22-26 2/04 17-24

Penrith 19/03 9/04 34-17 41-8 12-5 8-10 20-34 19-10 36-10 23/04 20/02 24-0 0-34

Rochdale 13-3 18-5 P 36-10 17-15 15-25 P 19/03 21-16 0-14 17-23 16/04 20/02

Vale of Lune 27-12 20/02 24-7 16/04 51-0 0-5 13-19 23-10 41-31 2/04 26/09 24-5 22-45

Warrington 38-15 49-13 2/04 13/02 9/04 5/03 12-12 29-22 36-14 10-22 45-23 38-3 23/04

Widnes 20/02 19/03 23/04 15-10 14-22 P 3-37 20-27 17-30 10-21 9/04 24-10 19-23

Wilmslow 31-12 40-15 50-25 46-7 3-7 12-32 16/04 47-7 2/04 32-12 13/02 30-47 5/03 Sunday 31st. January The Dirty Dozen League Wilmslow 45 - 5 New Brighton A morning pitch inspection showed League N1W Forecasts With the recent severe weather having caused such a it playable but heavy so we got Sponsored by The Artisan Meat Company large number of postponed games the League down to reorganising our side so that we had proper contested Fixtures Panel have decided to extend the league Things are definitely hotting up as we approach the spring and the last eight weeks of the season. Kiwi is still out front scrums. Will Allen went into the season by two weeks through to Sun 13th March. and looking hard to catch but he always gives you a chance by sending in his predictions very late and if he misses a cut front row and Sorrel Cowan played off time, like 2.15pm on a Saturday, he’ll be disqualified for that particular week. Braveheart, Percy Hotspur, two scrum half. Priority in rearranging fixtures will be given to those adversaries for hundreds of years across the Borders, and the Zoo Keeper lead the rest but there’s very little in it so I

teams at the top of their respective leagues where wouldn’t want to make any predictions as to how it’ll end up. The side made a good start but missed an early penalty there are some must play games which could affect before Cowan got the opening try. Further scores came at the outcome. I can tell you though that the Ribs of Beef from the Artisan Meat Company are excellent; the topside of beef is always the regular intervals from Marcus Atkinson (3), Josh Banner best you can get; and you can inspect the porkers energetically digging up roots in their pen, knowing that when you see and Hector Tomlinson, Tomlinson landed three As a result the League Cup Competitions, which them on the slab ready for the oven they were eating the right things in a short but happy life. conversions and Atkinson one. normally start on the first weekend of March, will now

be slightly delayed and will assume a revised format; A good first game in 2016 against a short handed New further details to be posted shortly. Saturday

Kendal v Broughton Park Broughton v Kendal

Brighton side. But that’s colt’s rugby. Luneof Vale v Wilmslow

Kirkby Lonsdale v Pen- v Lonsdale Kirkby

Widnes v Lune of Vale 6th FEBRUARY Broughton v Rochdale

Warington v Carlisle v Warington

Blackburn v Penrith v Blackburn

Altrincham Kersal v Kersal Altrincham v Kersal Altrincham

FEBRUARY2016 13th

Blackburn v Leigh v Blackburn

2016

Eccles v Widnesv Eccles Tomorrow the colts have a home fixture against Carlisle v Leigh Weeks This Total League D P W D L F A Diff Pts Adj

Wilmslow

Bolton. Rochdale

Park

Total Bolton 11 10 0 1 429 135 294 31 0 rith

Liverpool St Helens 10 7 0 3 276 154 122 24 0

Sedgley Park 8 7 0 1 234 73 161 22 0

Fleetwood 11 5 1 5 207 180 27 22 0

Wilmslow 10 5 0 5 256 234 22 20 0

New Brighton 9 3 0 6 208 280 -72 15 0 Beer Keeper A H A H A 8 313 H H H H H H H

Oldham Senior 11 1 1 9 126 363 -237 13 0 Braveheart H H H A A 14 384 H H H H H H H

Aldwinians 10 1 0 9 143 460 -317 11 0 Chicken Sarney H H H A A 14 376 H H H H H H H Rossendale 6 1 0 5 42 195 -153 8 0 Draichgoch H H H A A 14 376 H H H H H H H

Wilmslow High School’s U18 team The Flying Scotsman H H A A A 14 364 H H H H A H H once again reached the last 8 of the Jonty H H H A A 14 371 H H H H H H H Nat West’s schools cup by beating Woodhouse Grove School 29 - 5, Kiwi H H H A A 14 410 A A H H H H H scoring four tries in the process. Millie 29 H H H H A 14 371 H H H H H H A

They then drew Whitgift, a past Nob H H H A A 14 371 H H H H H H H winner, away for a place in the semi Percy Hotspur H H H A A 14 382 H H H H H H H

final. Tha match was played on Super Ted H H H A A 14 342 H H H H H H H Wednesday 10th. February with Whitgift edging out the Wilmslow Uncle Fester H H H A A 14 360 H A H H H H H boys by 10-7. You can’t get much Zoo Keeper H H H H A 14 381 H H H H H H H closer than that. Results for Week 24-5 P 16-3 P 20-37 Last season the High School went out Wilmslow High School’s Sixth Form draws from a number of secondary schools in Cherry Tree the vicinity so not all the boys play club rugby and not all of them are attached to this at the same stage of the competition F a r m club. Some will be at Macclesfield, Manchester or Stockport. The ones that do play when they drew Dulwich College away. Lees Lane colts rugby at WRUFC are:- Others to advance were holders Mottram St. A n d r e w Back Row from Left, 1st. Marcus Atkinson, 3rd. George Wells, 7th. Brendan Behan Bromsgrove, QEGS Wakefield, and Middle Row from Left, 3rd. Broghan Wilson Warwick by a one point margin against Tue - Fri Front Row from Left, 1st Harry Gardiner, 3rd George Koido Bunt, Sorrel Cowan, Dan 8.00am - 5.30pm Waters, Nathan Forrest Hampton. Sat

8.00am - 5.00pm It’s worth just adding that whilst WHS boys probably make up the largesr contingent Sun in the club’s colts section, there are also boys from other schools in the group. 10.00am - 4.00pm

Matured Cheshire Ribs of Beef on the Bone, Fillets, Sirloins, Rumps : Hand Made Pork & Cracked Pepper Sausages : Herb Cured Pancetta : Cheshire Pork Loin Chops : Legs and Shoulders of Lamb, Free Range Poultry and lots 19 14 ALAN LANG 4 LINDOW PARADE CHAPEL LANE

100% British Produce from Cheshire, Cumbria and the Welsh Borders

PC AND LAPTOP REPAIR SPECIALISTS FINE BENGALI & INDIAN CUISINE Restaurant and Take Away Menus ♦ Faulty Components ♦ Power Supplies or Inlet Problems ♦ Keyboard Failures ♦ Broken Screens ♦ Viruses ♦ Loss of Data Congleton Rd. Nether Alderley Wilmslow IT ♦ 6a Hawthorn Lane ♦ Wilmslow SK9 1AA SK10 4TD Telehone 01625 533550 ♦ [email protected] Tel 01625 890379/890560 Knutsford IT ♦ 31 Tatton St. ♦ Knutsford www.bengaltigerlily.com Telephone 01565 650022 ♦ [email protected] PLAYERS AND THEIR NEXT GAME AT THE SPONSORS MEMORIAL GROUND The players and coaches would like to Saturday 13th. February 2016 thank those organisations and individuals who have supported the 5th. March cause of Wilmslow rugby by becoming League North One West their personal sponsors. All the funds North 1 West raised are directed towards funding WOLVES V WIDNES coaching, kit, equipment, physios and team travel. Wilmslow v Vale of Lune

If you would like to support the team by Next weekend the Wolves are away becoming a personal sponsor, then at Rochdale. please let either Mike Blackett or David Wilmslow XV and their Sponsors Vale of Lune XV Pike in on the secret. ROCHDALE RUFC,

Jordan Ayrey - MOORGATE AVENUE, OFF Nick Barker - The Barker Brothers BURY RD, ROCHDALE, OL11 15. Ed Stobart 15. Fergus Owens Mike Black - TWP Wealth 5LU Jimmy Toole & The Farmers’ Mark Brewis - Sam Cutts - Tim Holloway 14. Harry Patch Terra Nova 14. James Birchall Ben Day - M62 J20, take A627(M) towards Alex Donaldson - Drew Donaldson Rochdale. At exit from A627(M), 13. Hone Karaka World of Business Change 13. Jonty Higgin Max Harvey - Norman Herring bear left (by pass traffic lights). At 12. Richard Hughes Tim Holloway 12. Adam McLuskie Adam Hewitt - Robin Gregory and first traffic lights, go straight on Hubron Speciality 11. Sam Cutts 11. Tom Crookall Legin Felix-Hotam -Terra Nova (lane 2 of 4). At second lights, turn Rick Hughes - World of Business left into Bury Rd. and then right Barry Fisher Change Ltd into Moorgate Avenue. Lawrence James - Tom Levings, 10. Andy Walker Barker Brothers 10. Jack Turton Easyfish & U9s 9. Nick Barker 9. Ben Dorrington Hone Karaka - Terra Nova Jack Masters - Bob MacCallum - Ian Stewart Conor McMurdock - K N H Plumbing 1. Jordan Ayrey 1. Oli Cowey Services Harry Patch - Jimmy Toole and the 2. Alex Donaldson Drew Donaldson 2. Dan Baines Farmers Arms 3. Robert Taylor Harvey Finance & Vehicles 3. Aidan Yates Matthew Shufflebottom - RHS Property Services 4. Adam Hewitt Hubron Speciality & Robin Gregory 4. Dan Rainford Loui Staples - Paddy Mulchrone Ben Stern - Blacc Consulting 5. Mike Clifford 5. Al Crookhall Ed Stobart - Jonty Fallows 6. Ben Stern Bacc Consulting 6. Andy Powers Richard Storrow - Adam Taher - Co-op Funeral Care, 7. Mike Black (capt.) TWP Wealth 7. Sam Wallbank Salford and Concept Group Gareth Tait - 8. Alex Taylor Iain Milne 8. JackAyrton Alex Taylor - Iain Milne Robert Taylor - Harvey Finance & Vehicles Subs Subs Vili Tuipulotu -Terra Nova James Venables - Run Creative Josh Whiteley Jon Hitch Andy Garnett Andy Walker - Barry Fisher TODAY’S REFEREE Josh Whiteley - Jon Hitch Matt Shufflebottom RHS Property Services Ross Pillow Jack Walmsley - Connections Private Max Harvey Norman Herring Charlie Lomas Travel Daniel Taylor Ollie Wilkinson - Zak George and the Under 8s MDRURS Tommy Wilkinson -

Wishing the Wolves a Successful Season