The photograph above has recently surfaced, and I had no idea that the club sent a team to Canada in 1949 - does anyone out there have any further information on this team or that tour? As the tour was 72 years ago, even if a tourist was a mere stripling of an 18 year old on the tour, they would now be 90, so I am not expecting too many folk to pop up from the touring party! Any further info, please send it to me - nickpatt@icloud.com.
There was a club tour to Canada in 1985, which also stopped off in Burlington, but I have no idea if there is any sort of a link between the two. I will wait for the clarification call from Pretz, who will no doubt still have a framed jock strap from the 85 tour hung in his orangerie…
Dates, dates, more dates. And no walnuts.
I would imagine everyone has the dates announced by Mr Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson this week, for easing us out of our collective purgatory, burned onto the back of their eyelids, so I won’t bother re-iterating them here.
With Phil the Greek due to notch up the ton and get a telegram from the wife on June 10, I thought there might be an excuse there for a Bank Holiday weekend with that double whammy - we get our freedom and Phil’s Big Birthday…but sadly, no.
However, the “roadmap”, set out for us living below the salt was announced by our cuddly mop-top on Monday last, containing a four step approach which the Cabinet Office has detailed in a snappy little 68 page document which you can find here:
if you fancy reading the blighter. I tried and its a page-turner. He lied.
I feel the boys in the Cabinet Office missed a chance here; they could have released a three step strategy and they would have instantly had a catchy little theme tune to go along with their 68 page tome - Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd - but maybe that would only appeal to a limited audience of a certain age…
Obviously, as the government and its spokespeople have emphasised many times, the dates they have published are a “best case” scenario, so our hope of meeting over a warm shandy may yet be torn from under us…but as a Club we are planning to get the bar open on Saturday April 17th, outdoors with table service.
We are still not sure what we are allowed to do in terms of putting some music or other entertainment on, but as organised Sport is allowed from March 29th, we hope there will be some sort of a fixture played on Pitch one…but more details will be released when we know exactly what’s what.
I have checked the Provisional fixture list for the Cricket Club and their First XI are scheduled to be away at Morley on April 17th, so I would assume there may be a Second or Third XI knock on the cricket field to help you on your way. Again, I will confirm the details when I know them.
It’s Your Club!
As we peep out from the oubliette of lockdown, there is an awful lot of pent up jollification out there in our community. I had to cancel my own significant birthday and the President’s Lunch due to the virus - and because we have been in and out of the shackles for nearly a year there is an almost certain chance that every member of the club and their extended family has missed out on some celebration over the last twelve months. As a venue, as a club, we would be absolutely delighted to host your event.
Louise Cochrane and Andrew Symonds will be co-ordinating things behind the scenes, so please contact them using the email address below if you have any idea for a social event, whether it is just for you and yours or as a wider club event.
Events Booking email: bradfordandbingleysportsclub@gmail.com
Latest from the RFU
The RFU send out a Pandemic response update every week, which I endeavour to summarise in these meanderings.
This week’s newsletter from HQ, doesn’t really have much that I can share for your edification and delight. It begins by re-advertising the various schemes of loans and grants available under their “Winter Survival” branding.
However, I have discussed these schemes with our local RFU chap and it seems that we are not really the target of this funding; there are clubs out there which are truly in the doo-doo - and at the time of writing this, I can assure the club’s membership that we are far from those desperate straights and with the prospect of re-opening on the horizon, we should be able to weather whatever the next couple of months chucks at us.
The next section of the RFU’s update states that they are delighted that Rugby will return from 29th March, but as they have not yet finished discussions with the government, they are not yet wholly sure what Rugby will look like in the Community in those early weeks after the return.
A return to Rugby Community Roadmap is promised.
The RFU have been offering various insights into what’s what at the elite level of the game and this week’s offerings were promised to be from Tom Curry and Billy V.
However, when I checked they had yet to be posted. However, everything the RFU has posted under its “Inspired to Play” heading can be found by following the link below:
100 Club
You may recall a posting I made a few weeks ago concerning the valiant efforts of Andy Collis to get the 100 club up and running. Following a request to repeat those details, I have included everything you need to know below:
Just to clarify, it is called the 100 club because we had to call it something; its not limited to 100 participants or anything like that. Any old how, Mr Collis provided me with the following instructions:
The cost of the entry to the draw will be £5.00 per month by standing order.
Players most have paid into the lottery for two months to be entered into the draw. The 1st draw will be February 2021 and every 2 months after this.
The 100 club is only available to members of Bradford and Bingley RFC and is not limited to 100 members.
Winners will be contacted by text message/WhatsApp/email and monies will be transferred into their account.
The account to send the money to is
Sort Code: - 05-01-66
Bank Account Number:- 37316145
Please use your name and 100 club as the reference for the payment and can you text Andy Collis – 07 960 961 92 to ensure your participation is noted. Please include your preferred contact details in that text message (e.g. your email address).
The split of the money will be 50% to the winner of the draw, the remaining 50% to be kept by Bradford and Bingley Rugby Club.
The draw will take place every two months at either a home 1st team game or at a committee meeting, which usually takes place on the first Thursday of a month.
Bingley Weekender
Those of you who follow the world according to Facebook may have seen postings this week from some one or something confirming that Bingley Weekender is definitely going ahead. Glen Shaw has confirmed this morning (Thursday 25th Feb) that he has spoken to the promoter and nothing has yet been decided either way. Glen is expecting a call back in the very near future to confirm the “yay” or “nay” verdict. The official website remains as it has been for weeks:
Six Nations - Round three
Somewhere, in a parallel universe, International Rugby continues. Or perhaps it doesn’t in the case of Scotland and France, as Covid seems to have got involved.
This weekend’s games are allegedly as follows:
Saturday 27th February
Italy v Ireland (14:15) on ITV
Wales v England (16:45) on BBC
Sunday 28th February
France v Scotland (15:00) on BBC
The England side has been announced on the RFU website and looks like this:
15. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 49 caps)
14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 48 caps)
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 36 caps)
12. Owen Farrell (Saracens, 90 caps)
11. Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 63 caps)
10. George Ford (Leicester Tigers, 74 caps)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 106 caps)
1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 64 caps)
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 56 caps)
3. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, 41 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 45 caps)
5. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, 6 caps)
6. Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons, 20 caps)
7. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, 30 caps)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 58 caps)
FINISHERS
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, 28 caps)
17. Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers, 25 caps)
18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 10 caps)
19. Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby, 18 caps)
20. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
21. Ben Earl (Bristol Bears, 10 caps)
22. Dan Robson (Wasps, 9 caps)
23. Max Malins (Bristol Bears, 5 caps)
Next Update…
The RFU have promised us a more detailed Roadmap and more clarifications are appearing from all directions, so there may be a newsletter next week, 5th March…
Pip, pip.