It was a fun Friday night at Derby Rugby Club as players from all levels gathered for an evening of humour and enjoyment. The atmosphere was friendly and permeated an atmosphere of togetherness. The lack of players was reflected in the number of games cancelled with all three men’s teams affected. Derby was not alone in this regard and Mark Bradley confirmed a worrying statistic, revealing that the number of players in England had dropped by 50,000 since the pandemic started. The obvious conclusion is that many teams will be trying to recruit from a smaller pool of players for next season. On the plus side, several new players will be joining Derby by September 2022.
The proceedings were introduced by the chairman, Martyn Murney, who invited representatives from each team to make the awards. The most encouraging was the announcement that the Bucks (Mixed Ability) had a successful season and attracted more players. They also got the loudest applause.
Mickey Hawkes announced the awards for
Mixed Ability, Bucks went to: –
Players’ Player Ricky Gardener
Coaches’ Craig Roome
Most Improved Sam Thompson.
Dav Heir announced the awards for
The 3rd XV made light of the very few games they had.
The 3rd XV awards went to: –
Players’ Player Max Thompson
Coaches’ Sam Baker
Most improved Adam Todd
A special trophy went to Jaromir Zizka for his outstanding contribution.
Ade Cook announced the awards for
The 2nd XV awards went to: –
Coaches’ player Jamie Wilson
Young player James Cantrill
Most improved Cameron Finlay
James and Cameron moved up from Colts this season to become regular 2XV, Cameron had also played for the Bucks
Taisiya Marsh announced the awards for
The 1st XV Ladies went to: –
Coaches’ player Harriet Furness
Players’ player Amy Lakey
Most improved Laura Curtiss
Young player Matilda Cawdell
Supporters’ player Matilda Cawdell
Matilda also played for the 3-Counties.
Andy Brown, the retiring Captain, announced the awards for
The 1st XV men went to: –
Players’ player Sam Tebbs
Coaches’ player Rhondell Stabana
Most improved Jerry Oldfield.
Barend Gildenhys announced the awards for
The VETS
The most improved player at the age of fifty+ was Rob Booth
They emphasised the importance of togetherness in the Club and thanked the few, who behind the scenes, kept the Club going during the very challenging time. During the season they supplied players to the 2nd and 3rd XVs.
