Welcome We are delighted to welcome CALDY RUFC to Kingston Park, Newcastle- Upon-Tyne. This is our fourth relocated home match due to the floods at Tynedale Park. We are again grateful to the management and staff at Newcastle Falcons for providing the use of their facilities in order to play our home matches. Caldy RUFC – Club History (Courtesy of Caldy web site) On February 27th 1924 when some Old Boys of Calday School, with the encouragement of the then Headmaster, R. T. B. Glasspool, they decided that they must carry on playing rugby together so the 'Old Caldeians' R.F.C. came into being at a meeting held at the Blenheim Café in West Kirby. They started playing in a farm field at Caldy cross roads and changing in the farm buildings at Croxton Farm, bathing facilities were somewhat primitive they used a tin bath which was filled from a tap in the farm Yard. In 1925 Sir Alfred Paton, an Old Boy of the school, bequeathed to The National Trust 20 acres land bordering Thurstaston Common with a proviso to the bequest stating that this area was to be available to the Rugby Club to use as a playing area in perpetuity. So Paton Field came into existence. In 1928 the club finally took possession of Paton Field and built a Clubhouse with three changing rooms. The club continued to play Rugby during the war years with the support of the school and members who came back home on leave. During the conflict the club lost a number of members killed. In 1944 J.D. (Tommy) Thompson, a Master at Caldy who had played for the club since 1932, and other masters and members organised the first Sevens Competition at Paton Field. The event is now the Oldest continuously run Club Sevens in England. Over the years the club continued to flourish but in 2003 the club needed to rebuild after a disastrous last season and re appointed Anthony Atherton as Director of Rugby to oversee the restructuring of the first XV through to the Mini section. Concentrating on the strength of our current youth and Mini sections, rather than looking outside for players, he rebuilt the first XV squad which was the key to the subsequent success of the club. The Club won the league title and were successful in getting back to North 2 West at the first time of asking. Caldy was the 5th club in England to be awarded the RFU “Seal of Approval” and Sports Match Accreditation. It was recognised by Wirral and awarded Sports club of the Year. It also won the Merseyside Sports “Community Club” of the Year and the prestigious Rugby World Magazine “Team Of The Year” in competition with all other clubs in the UK and Ireland. 2004 – The Club were Runners up in North 2 West and just lost out in the play-off away at Middlesborough 21-13. Caldy was promoted to National League 2 North as champions of the now National League 3 North in the 2006/07 season. They are currently fourth in the table this season. TYNEDALE v CALDY RFC. Tynedale have played Caldy three times before, in season 2007/08 and earlier this season. 15th September 2007 Caldy 5 Tynedale 35 5th January 2008 Tynedale 29 Caldy 6 17th October 2015 Caldy 40 Tynedale 29 15th September 2007 This match took place at Paton Field, West Kirkby, and the visitors won 5-35. On the picturesque Caldy ground the match was played in extremely hot conditions. Tynedale went into an early lead on eight minutes with a penalty from Phil Belgian. There were no further scores until the 32nd minute when full-back Rob McDermott scored a fine try after some good approach work by the Blue and Whites. Belgian converted to give a 0-10 lead. Celebrations by Tynedale were short-lived, however, for soon afterwards Jamie Murray was carried off with a severe knee injury, followed soon afterwards by Grant Rastall with damaged ribs. Belgian then kicked another penalty to give Tynedale a 0-13 half- time lead. Caldy enjoyed their best period of the game for ten minutes after the break and Matthew Lamming scored an unconverted try for the home team. Caldy player-coach Simon Mason, the ex-Ireland international full-back missed a simple penalty - and then Tynedale applied consistent pressure. In the 53rd minute Belgian powered over for a try which he converted, and he then kicked a penalty to give Tynedale a 5-23 advantage. Tries for No.8 Andrew Murray and fly-half Rob Miller after a 40 metre run soon followed. 5th January 2008 Four excellent tries meant that Tynedale completed the double over Wirral-based Caldy at Tynedale Park. Caldy were fierce competitors who matched Tynedale in every aspect of the game bar one – the small matter of scoring points. In the absence of Ben Marshall, Barney Maddison made his league debut, and played well, but his fellow lock, Tim Swinson was man of the match with some ground-shaking runs and terrific play in the loose.Grant Rastall and Gavin Beasley scored tries for the home team, converted by Phil Belgian and Simon Mason kicked two penalties for Caldy to make the half-time score 14-6. Rupert Harden and Rob Miller scored late tries for Tynedale, and with Belgian converting one and kicking a penalty Tynedale ran out winners with a rather flattering 29-6 scoreline. 17th October 2015 A nine try thriller between Caldy and Tynedale ended with a bonus point win for the Wirral team but only after they had recovered after a difficult first 20 minutes. The entertaining game saw the lead change hands on a number of occasions before Caldy pulled away in the last 15 minutes. The Tynedale team started more brightly than the home side, dominating possession and territory. Tynedale quickly raced into a 12 point lead in as many minutes from a score in the corner by winger Dan Marshall which was quickly followed by a second from back-row Joe Mills. Starved of possession and looking very much second best it took Caldy a full 20 minutes to get into the game until a burst of scoring from scrum half Ben Jones sparked the Wirral side into life. After a penalty the no.9 crossed under the posts to take Caldy ahead by a point at 13 -12. Another try by Mills retook the lead for the visitors but Caldy closed the gap at the interval with a further penalty by Jones to leave the half time score 16 – 19 in the visitors’ favour. Tynedale stretched further ahead early in the second half through a second try by winger Marshall but the final quarter was all Caldy. The introduction of Caldy’s captain and full back Andrew Soutar on the 50 minute mark was the catalyst. Caldy’s forwards led by man of the match 2nd row Tom Sanders were now dominant in the tight and in the collisions providing opportunities for Caldy’s speedsters. A bullocking midfield burst by No 8 Stuart Cross enabled Soutar to put Forbes Edwards in at the corner and the powerful Caldy winger touched down for his second minutes later to take Caldy into a slim lead at 28 points to 26. Tynedale briefly re- took the lead from a penalty after Caldy were judged to be offside but this lead was short- lived as Caldy relentlessly attacked the visitor’s line. A jinking run by Ben Elliot which took Caldy into the visitors half, was taken on by Soutar who slid a kick in behind the rushing Tynedale defence for the speeding Nick Royle to catch and race in to the corner and squeeze Caldy ahead 33-29. Caldy made the game safe with a driven maul which put Stuart Cross in for the final try of the game. Match Report: Macclesfield 33 v 26 Tynedale, Sat 30th Jan. 2016 (Report courtesy of Brian Tilley, Hexham Courant) Another top drawer performance from Tynedale saw them become the first side this season to secure a four try bonus point at table-topping Macclesfield. Two tries from man of the moment prop Ben Haigh, another from lock Ben Bell and a welcome appearance on the score sheet for centre Jack Harrison made sure Tynedale did not return from Priory Park empty handed. Getting within seven points of the run-away leaders brought a second bonus point, and praise from the Macclesfield head coach Giles Heagerty, who said: “Tynedale are in a hell of a fight at the minute, and you could see the determination they had. They put us to the sword and played well late on to get something from the game.” Tynedale were trailing 21-0 after 25 minutes, and by 33-14 with seven minutes left, but produced a grandstand finish to reap a rich reward. They did slip one place down the table, swapping places with Sale FC, but have maintained a health gap between themselves and the drop zone. In the continued absence of regular locks Graeme Dunn and Jonny Cousin through injury, Ben Bell and Scott Powell took the second row slots, with Dicky Hall starting in the back row with the excellent Stuart Johnson and Nick Cairns. It was good to see Alex Westgarth join the fray from the bench on the hour, and even better to see Matty Charters come on for the second half, after a long injury lay off. Tynedale and Macclesfield were relegated together at the end of last season, but while Tynedale have taken half a season to get their act together, the team from Treacle Town are odds on favourites to bounce straight back again.