LANCASHIRE COUNTY RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18 THE SECRETARY’S OPENING REMARKS Firstly I have to thank the President, Steve Blackburn. Steve has done tremendous work over the year in travelling around clubs and representing the County. A truly approachable gentleman who has brought his own distinct sense of humour to the office. A lot of my Monday mornings have included a phone call from Steve starting with the phrase “I think I may have got away with it but……”. Needless to say the tales have me in stitches. As well as his Presidential duties he is an active member of the Disciplinary and Club & Community Committees which means he’s constantly on the go with his County missionary work. Steve has the huge support of his wife Val, who is also involved on the Mini & Junior committee. A couple entrenched in rugby and its administration, thank you both. To Rugby matters, Our Senior XV have reached the final and other reports in this booklet will cover how they got there, at the time of printing we are in the run up to the final at Twickenham against Hertfordshire whom we were runners up to in the final of the 2011-2012 season. Thanks to Mark Nelson, Steve Rigby, John Greenwood and all the backroom team, along with players who give up their time at the end of very busy seasons to support senior Rugby in Lancashire. Its an absolute joy to be involved in this side of County rugby and one which I look forward to each season. Again I am very proud to eulogise about the Lancashire Royals initiative and thank all involved in continuing its success. Success that is measured in the fact that other counties are showing interest in joining the club. As highlighted at the Financial AGM in November we remain the steady ship. Excesses can always be reined in and these savings directed to more worthy projects, this we will do by constant scrutiny which the finance team do well. The team of Chris Smail, Paul Deakin, Stephen Briers, Catherine Ryan and Mike Bailey are thanked for their continued work for the County. Our Mini & Junior Committee have been a real presence this season and have had a lot of work in organising competitions and fending parents questions and comments via social media. Generally supportive, every now and then not so, in which case I would say, don’t rant, volunteer. Ian & Christine Spivey along with Mike Murphy and the team should be applauded for their hardwork, patience and understanding. Our Club & Community committee is our vital link between ourselves and our clubs. They are responsible for ensuring our volunteers are rewarded and our clubs engaged and encouraged. Communications with clubs this season has seen surveys and conferences facilitated by the C & CR committee. I pass on my thanks to Malcolm Worsley and his team for the worthy job they have done his season. Our two RFU Council representatives continue to serve us and the RFU with distinction. Ken Andrews and Rob Briers, who under new RFU regulations, will now serve a further 3 & 2 years respectively. They always report with clarity what is happening within the Union and have a fantastic grasp of its day to day running. They have this knowledge due to the shear amount of time spent, this is far from being just a few Council meetings over the year, this is living and breathing the Union everyday. I for one am grateful for the work they do. The County Schools Union under the Chairmanship of Robbie Jones is in great form with established rugby playing schools competing with great energy within their respective competitions and the emerging schools competition going from strength to strength. This is thanks to this committee and to all teachers who give up their own time out of school to run these sides. As a County working from our strategic plan we have identified schools rugby as a key development area from which we can recruit children into our clubs. The Womens & Girls game continues to develop with initiatives such as the Inner Warrior campaign driving recruitment. This has lead to a number of new clubs growing teams who will hopefully take the next steps and progress to league rugby. Our girls growth will start to feed into the senior womens teams at clubs and further expand the game. I for one never expected my little princess taking the rugby field on the same team as her darling mother but that is what I have to look forward to this season. Thanks to Helen Duggan and all who support this area of rugby from County & Club coaches, players and parents. In club rugby I congratulate all who have gained promotion and with equal measure commiserate with all those who have been relegated. In that I include the NOWIRUL leagues whose management committee are to be applauded for the amount of rugby they organise on a weekly basis. Within this section I also remember the men in the middle. I thank all the whistlers of the Manchester & District, Liverpool District and Federation Referees Societies. The Disciplinary committee have been busier than ever this season providing one income stream that we would be happier without, referee abuse is on the increase and this is unacceptable, end of. John Greenwood has Chaired the committee ably advised by Brian Stott this season. Along with the other members of the panel they give up lot of time to what is generally one moment of hot headedness, thank you. My personal gratitude’s go firstly to Brian Stott the assistant secretary for covering for me when I have been unable to attend meetings and being a sounding board for decisions. Secondly, our Chairman, David Herriman, a great mentor. Anne Clarke for her help with minute taking, communications and the website which continues to grow and lastly Anne-Marie Briers, our Membership Secretary, the work done to produce the annual members book is a mammoth task. To club administrators at all levels, to my County colleagues, players and members, as ever, summer well. Mark Downs Honorary Secretary SENIOR RUGBY Our opening game saw us up in Newcastle at a very sunny Percy Park to take on Northumberland. We were a little shell shocked when they opened the batting in the first 2 minutes by scoring, not on the script. For the other 78 minutes it was a showcase of open running rugby with Lancashire coming away victorious at 20-64. Our first home game at Sedgley Park saw us entertain a young Eastern Counties side. I think that they also left their legs on the bus as by half time Lancashire were leading 35-0. We coasted the second half eventually coming away with the win 52-31 Again going into the final game with Cheshire we were neck and neck with Yorkshire, each having 2 bonus point wins under the belt but Lancashire having the greater points difference. Yorkshire kicked off early and we were eagerly following their results, they got a bonus point win but with a tight score of 24-21. It was all down to the lads on another glorious day at Fylde. They did not disappoint, overturning Cheshire 64-23. I am sure Yorkshire will feel hard done by but Lancashire have been winning and winning big which has set up apart. As of writing we are in the run up to the final and play Hertfordshire as the wheels well and truly fell off Trelawny Armies bus. Mark Downs Honorary Secretary LANCASHIRE ROYALS So after our inaugural season “The Royals” carried on where we left off with another 32 players making their debuts this a season adding to the 48 players from last season. Our first game was against the Cheshire Harvesters, the Wheatsheaf County’s snappy name for their version of the Royals. Despite being one score in it at half-time the opposition ran away with it in the 2nd half on a cold night at Sedgley Park. Cheshire kind of let the side down by picking several Full County Capped players and used it as more of a Senior County Trial. Not really what we intended for the Royals but they may revert to our way of thinking next season…….or not. Our now Annual fixture against the Anti-Assassins at Blackburn RUFC on the 30 th December was again a feast of fast flowing Rugby with the AAs just edging it this time. Once more a large festive crowd were entertained by both sides and the hospitality from Blackburn was 1 st class. Again the ethos behind the Royals is designed for those players from our clubs who may not get an opportunity to experience Representative Rugby and we will continue next season to focus on our Clubs from Level 5 down in the RFU Leagues and those Clubs in the new Lancashire County League. Howard Hughes Lancashire Royals Team Manager UNDER 20s My past two U20 Annual Reports touched on the edge of what might have been, this season we delivered on the promise of the past two seasons with what can only be described as a “Dream Season”. A good strong Trial was held at Wigan RUFC in early October, from that our Training Squad was selected under the tutelage of Martin Scott and Neil Ryan. Some good sessions in sometimes trying but typical Lancashire weather led to our first warm-up fixture against Notts. Lincs. & Derby (NLD). Except it didn’t as they cried off with a couple of weeks to go and we needed to find an alternative opponent.