BSRFC OFFICAL MATCH PROGRAMME BISHOP’S STORTFORD RFC vs EXMOUTH TAKING IT ON THE CHIN(NOR) HUGH MICHELL GETS THE TOUCH DOWN GREAT MINDS THINK (AND ACT) ALIKE WIN A BOTTLE OF WINE... WHO ARE THE MYSTERY SANTAS? PhotoVikki by Lince (£5.00 FOR BSRFC MEMBERS) £10.00 **EXMOUTHRFC** Helpfully Productive Bringing together print technology, digital wizardry and marketing mastery to help you work wonders with your communications. Talk to us about why it really is better printed. #makingmagichappen 01279 757 333 proco.com PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Season’s greetings rugby watchers! Welcome to Silver Leys for our final home game before Christmas and of course 2016. I would especially like to welcome the Players, Officials and Supporters of Exmouth RFC. Everyone lucky enough to be here for our last home match against league leaders Chinnor will agree that they witnessed a compelling game. Even better it resulted in us registering a five point win over our rivals whilst restricting them to just the one try bonus point. Whilst the outcome of the match was never going to have a decisive impact on either team’s future. Our victory certainly made things a lot tighter at the top and sent the majority of those present, home with a smile on their face. I did say that a vocal crowd would make all the difference and so it proved. In the process we also discovered that we have some very capable ‘Banter-mime villains’ in our midst –Boo-Hiss!! Last Saturday at Redingensians was just as exciting. We managed to snatch a bonus point victory from half-way down the throat of defeat. Whilst we undoubtedly deserved to win the game, a combination of us failing to score enough points in a first half which we dominated and our host’s outstanding midfield defence, meant that it looked for all the world that we were going to lose out. But our guys somehow managed to find a way through with the last play, Man of the Match - Ryan Hutler delivering an inspired little grubber kick that totally wrong footed the Rams defence allowing Nick Hankin to apply the final golden touch. Today’s opponents Exmouth were promoted as Champions of National Three (South West) last season. However as countless teams have found in the past, the step up to Level 4 can be daunting and they have won just once & drawn another of their matches to date. Yet those bald facts don’t tell the whole story. They clearly know how to attack having scored nine tries in their last two games. We’ve said many times before, this is a highly competitive league and there can be no room for complacency from our guys, as our visitors are more than capable of delivering us a shock. In other senior’s related news, our Blues haven’t played for a couple of weeks but today entertain Ampthill in a Zoo Shield Div. 1 fixture. Our Mitres have recorded two good wins in the last fortnight beating both Fullerians 2’s & Hertford 3’s to currently sit 2nd in Herts Middlesex Merit League One. On Sunday 18th our Colts play host to Old Rutlishians RFC (Wimbledon- seeing as you asked) in the 4th round of the National Colts Cup. KO 1pm. Also on that day our Minis section are holding their traditional festive fancy dress themed Coaches vs Parents ‘Touch’ Rugby match, raising money for my charity – Ellies Fund. Your support for both these events would be greatly appreciated. As indeed it will be if you’re minded to travel to support the 1st XV at Bury St Edmunds next Saturday. All of which just leaves me to say, I hope you enjoy your time at the club today and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a successful New Year. Perry Oliver President BMW Elms The Ultimate Stansted Driving Machine ELMS STANSTED, YOUR LOCAL BMW RETAILER. SPONSORS OF BISHOP’S STORTFORD RFC. As an authorised BMW Retailer, Elms Stansted offers the highest levels of service and expertise to the local area. Whether it’s a new or BMW Approved Used Car, or even a service, our commitment is to maintain the highest of dealership standards. For more information or to arrange a test drive*, call us on 01279 755906 or visit www.elmsstanstedbmw.co.uk ELMS STANSTED Stansted Road, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire CM23 2BT 01279 755906 www.elmsstanstedbmw.co.uk *Test drive subject to applicant status and availability. BMW Elms The Ultimate Stansted Driving Machine D.O.R SAYS THE boys are working really hard at the moment and we are in that sticky patch of the season where the weather is starting to close in and people pick up knocks. It is a difficult time of the season but we have to maintain our focus against Exmouth this Saturday. They might be bottom of the table, but to call them a potential banana skin is disrespectful to sides who have come up and we’ll make sure we do our homework on them. We know that they will make it difficult for us and will be fighting to make it hard for us so we have to stay disciplined. We want to put in a decent performance at Silver Leys, our final home game before Christmas to do that we need to make sure we get our basics spot on. With a few knocks it will be a good test of our squad and a chance to show the strength in depth that we have at the moment. A shining example of this has been Jack Scantelbury’s performances over the last few weeks. Jack has been great for the ELMS STANSTED, YOUR Blues this season and once again taken his chance in the 1st XV. ************************************************************ LOCAL BMW RETAILER. It was great to see England finish the year with another win against Australia, but again I don’t think that they played SPONSORS OF BISHOP’S STORTFORD RFC. particularly well. They were quite sloppy in attack and in the first 15 or 20 minutes Australia were all over them. As an authorised BMW Retailer, Elms Stansted offers the highest levels of service and expertise to the local area. Whether it’s a new or BMW Approved Used Car, or even a But to be under the pump and still come out with the win shows service, our commitment is to maintain the highest of dealership standards. just how they are maturing as a side. I think they are still a long way off the 2003 team, but they went For more information or to arrange a test drive*, call us on through a lot of lows before they had massive highs. 01279 755906 or visit www.elmsstanstedbmw.co.uk Having bonus points in the Six Nations is great as it catches up with other competitions around the world. ELMS STANSTED It promises to be a great tournament, with Italy having beaten Stansted Road, Bishop’s Stortford, South Africa, Scotland pushing and Ireland doing well also. Enjoy the game Hertfordshire CM23 2BT 01279 755906 www.elmsstanstedbmw.co.uk Herts & Essex Observer *Test drive subject to applicant status and availability. ELMS STANSTED Proudly support BISHOP’S STORTFORD RFC. As an authorised MINI Dealer, Elms Stansted offers the highest levels of service and expertise to the local area. Whether it’s a new or Cherished MINI, or even a service, our commitment is to maintain the highest of dealership standards. For more information or to arrange a test drive*, call us on 01279 216770 or visit www.elmsstanstedmini.co.uk ELMS STANSTED Stansted Road, Bishop’s Stortford Hertfordshire CM23 2BT 01279 216770 www.elmsstanstedmini.co.uk *Test drive subject to applicant status and availability. 31646_bs193435 Elms Stansted Press Ad 210x148_v3.indd 1 20/08/2014 11:21 NEWBIES Ryan Hutler Wing Threequarter Whilst Hertfordshire born in Stanstead Abbotts. Ryan now lives in Cambridge with his parents. He attended Wisbech Grammar School which being a rugby school led to his first ever game experience was non-contact, tag rugby at the age of 7. At 15 he was invited to represent the school’s 1st XV and 1st 7’s. This was normally an honour reserved for upper 6th boys so he feelt very privileged to have represented both school first sides up until this summer when he finishing ‘A’ Levels and left school at 18. Like so many amongst his rugby highlights include being brought on with only 5 minutes for his debut against Wasp’s U20’s and scoring the winning try, In his ssecond game against Ealing Trailfinders he went a few steps further by scoring a hat trick. Since then he has represented West Norfolk Rugby Club U15’s and U16’s - Norfolk (County) U15’s, U16’s & U17’s - Eastern County’s U15’s, U16’s & U17’s and Midlands U18’s Ryan is currently with Bedford Blues U21’s Academy. Sports runs throughout his entire circulation; a long term fan of Ma’a Nonu, nicknamed Rock the New Zealand Centre, “He has incredible line-breaking ability and aggressive crash-ball running”. From the round ball game sporting hero is Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid’s number 7. “He has an incredible work ethic and always strives for perfection”. Ryan also plays cricket for Wisbech Town and when not participating he enjoys watching NFL and cycling. Leaving school with 9 GCSE’s and 3 A Levels he is now taking a year out to see where his dream will take him. That dream or ambition is to become a full time professional rugby player, and one can strive for one day playing for England.