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Chairman’s Welcome
Welcome to Amersham and Chiltern’s online match programme. A particular welcome to the players, officials, and supporters of our visitors.
After promotion last year, our 1st XV play in the Regional 1 South East league of the RFU’s London and South-East Division. This is Level Five of the RFU pyramid and provides a standard of rugby that is very testing for a club from a relatively small town like Amersham. We are proud to compete here.
Thanks to the vagaries of RFU administration, our 2nd XV is in the South-West Division, and play in the Counties 2 Tribute Bucks, Berks and Oxon South competition. Like the 1st XV, they were promoted last year.
The Third XV play in an informal competition for Bucks third teams, usually under lights on a Friday evening. They provide competitive but social rugby for those who cannot commit to weekly league matches and training.
Like most clubs, we are always looking for new players. If you would like to join in, at any level, please contact our Director of Rugby, Pete Gibson, or get in touch through the club website. Alternatively, go old school and ask at the bar, or speak to anyone involved with one of the teams. You will be very welcome.
As well as our adult sides, we run extraordinarily successful Mini and Junior Sections, providing rugby for age groups from
Under 6 to Under 18. Last year we won the County Cup at every age group. The club is absolutely buzzing on a Sunday, when training and matches take place. If you have a child who would like to try rugby or one who already plays, please contact Ryan Westmacott (Minis) or Richard Clifford (Juniors) - or just bring your boy or girl along.
If you have five minutes before the game starts, please flick through the other pages of this programme and check out our fantastic sponsors. They are all great local companies; without their support it would be very difficult for us to continue. If you could use any of them, and mention where you saw their name, you would be doing the club and the game a real service.
Along with the rugby, we have a full calendar of social events, details of which can be seen elsewhere in this programme, on the website, or on the posters in the clubhouse. Whatever your level of interest in rugby, it’s a great club to be a member of, and we’d love to have you join us.
Huw Thomas Chairman
President: Peter Kenyon; Chairman: Huw Thomas; Hon Sec: Ralph Hayward; Hon Treasurer: Chris Tavender; Membership Secretary: Sandra Hitchman; Director of Rugby: Pete Gibson; Mini Chairman: Ryan Westmacott; Junior Chairman: Richard Clifford
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Old Amersham Hotels are ready to welcome you to our breathtaking venues across the Chiltern Hills.
Whether it is a hearty pub lunch by the fire at the Kings Arms, a cosy night in a luxurious suite at the Crown Inn or a stylish celebration under the glittering chandeliers of the Kings Chapel we’d be delighted to have you!
The Centenary Fund
For the next100 years
The centenary of our great club will be marked by many events at the club during the season 2024-25. We are an ambitious, friendly and successful community club providing an exceptional and inclusive rugby and social experience to all our members of all ages and backgrounds.
We are entirely dependent on the support of our members and many generous sponsors. The annual cost of running a big sports club is considerable and we always need to spend large sums on clubhouse and ground maintenance.
The Centenary Fund has the target of raising £200,000 and we hope that members past and present will support this project - it will make so much difference to our club and benefit all our members. The Fund will be used exclusively to support key projects around the club, including:
• Clubhouse refurbishment and upgrade
• Extended patio area with multi-weather surface
• Pitch and floodlight improvements
• Resurface north car park
• Improved gym facilities
• Expanded solar panelling
Please support the club by donating at JustGiving/The Centenary Fund - and please tick the Gift Aid option as the club receives an additional 25% on top of your donation.
For donations over £1000, please pay directly into the Fund’s bank, complete a Gift Aid declaration and let me know via email. Fund bank: Amersham & Chiltern RFC, sort 40-2417, account 2266 4879. Any queries, please email.
Peter Osborne Chair,
The Centenary Fund posborne@osbornesamuel.com
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REGIONAL 1 SOUTH EAST LEAGUE
Match Report - Saturday 26th October 2024
472 572
Oundle ‘Top of the Pops’ as Amersham really are ‘flat as a pancake’
‘’Workin’ hard to get my fill Everybody wants a thrill Payin’ anything to roll the dice Just one more time Some will win, some will lose Some are born to sing the blues Whoa, the movie never ends It goes on and on and on and on Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’ streetlights, people’ SUNG BY THE US BAND - JOURNEY 1981.
This game missed Amersham’s lucky linesman and trusted team Manager. It’s rare that I am un-available to encourage and support our boys and clearly, I was missed! It really is not that often that we are ‘nilled’. In fact, not just ‘nilled’ but really ‘nilled’ - Yes!! ‘Nil points’, love, zero and not even any points for artistic impression. So, whilst I was away in Glasgow,
refreshing my accent, supping Tennant’s lager and eating the odd white pudding supper A&C travelled to the home of Oundle RFC, in Occupation Road on the outskirts of Peterborough. Only formed in 1976 (that was a hot hot summer) this young ambitious club started the day 2nd in the league and finished a well-deserved ‘top of the pops’. By all accounts a well drilled, fit and impressive side and very welcoming in what I believe was the very first fixture against each other.
MATCH REPORT
Weirdly I can’t report on any try scoring Amersham heroes this week. Neither can I report on any slick kicking for points. I don’t really want to talk about Dave Francis imparting his opinion on the referee only to be sent to the ‘Cooler’ then to the Changing Room on 30 mins.
I can’t even blame this going down to 14 men being the reason why we lost so heavily. It just simply wasn’t our day. However, I can shout out and celebrate Ryan Kinsella’s first Amersham cap at 2nd row. He was great!! :)
So, as we say - Once we have our first win we will be up and running. This week we welcome Shelford RFC to Ash Grove and
MATCH REPORT
with the home crowd behind us we aim for that to be our first win.
We last played Shelford a couple of years ago and suffered a narrow loss at home and away. This year they are 7th and therefore still in reach. It’s a home game and with your support our belief will be strong.
See you there.
MATCH REPORT
Team -
1. Charlie Swerling
2. Joe Batt
3. Pat Nash
4. Mike Phillips
5. Ryan Kinsella
6. Dave Francis
7. Josh Finch (C)
8. Kazeem Olayinka
9. Rory Vorster
10. Ben Pothecary
11. Will Swerling
12. Noah Jarvis
13. Dan Kingsley (C)
14. Tom Fawssett
15. Ben Harris
16. Raz Dranca
17. Leo Wilson
18. Alex Bower
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FROM THE TOUCHLINE
by Huw Thomas
It’s Shelford today. They come from the village of Great Shelford, about four miles south of Cambridge. I don’t know why the rugby club eschews the soubriquet ‘Great’, but they are certainly a formidable outfit for a club from a village of fewer than five thousand people. Shelford have been firmly established at levels four and five of the national pyramid for several seasons. Much as we do, they have a thriving youth section, which provides a steady stream of players for their four adult teams. If so inclined, you can find out more on their website, in the section ‘About Shelford Rugby Club’, which they have had the good taste to illustrate with a picture from one of their past matches against A&C. They come into today’s game in seventh place in our Regional 1 South East league, and we welcome their players, officials and supporters to Ash Grove.
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Chiltern find themselves at the foot of the table. Last week was a gap in the fixture list, which was just as well after a 73-0 loss to Oundle at the end of of October. It was a chastening experience for those watching, and a bitter pill for the players to swallow, but Oundle are a very strong side and lead the competition deservedly. The previous week, the boys had come close to recording their first win of the season. They were leading North Walsham 18-10 at half time but, having lost a substantial advantage when the scrums went uncontested, they were unable to hang on and lost 23-18.
Despite these setbacks, the players and coaches remain remarkably upbeat. They understand that playing at this level is the reward for last year’s triumphs and they know that they have been competitive in most of the games they have played. Training in the last fortnight has seen something of a reset, with a commitment to a simpler game plan and the more consistent selection which that allows. The side are convinced that the elusive first win is coming and that, when it does, they will be fine. Let’s hope it starts today.
The other men’s sides continue to make progress. The 2s beat (Redingensians) Rams 3s by 29-14 last time out and lost 26-15 at Maidenhead the week before that. They are fourth in the table, being the only team to have beaten leaders Tadley. It is becoming clear that they belong in this league and may challenge to progress from it in the next few years.
The 3s continue to defeat allcomers in their irregular but well organised Friday night league. Two weeks ago, they defeated Chesham 2s in a poignant match at which both clubs commemorated Neil Aves, who had played for both and passed away tragically young last summer. Going forward, the teams will play regularly for a trophy bearing Neil’s name.
The England v Australia game is on in the clubhouse, starting seventy minutes after the 1st XV. I hope you enjoy watching the second half, warmed by the recent memory of a Chiltern win. Huw 891 London Rd
THE TEAMS
SATURDAY 09 NOVEMBER 2024, KICK-OFF 2.00pm
AMERSHAM & CHILTERN 1XV
1. Raz Dranca
2. Joe Batt 3. Charlie Swerling* 4. Harry Bradshaw*
Mike Phillips
Mike Everett* 7. Josh Finch (Capt) 8. Kazeem Olayinka
Ben Harris*
Alex Bower*
Mackenzie South
Noah Jarvis*
Dan Kingsley*
Tom Fawssett 15. Ben Pothecary* 16. Max Morphey*
17. Andrew Toole 18. Rory Vorster
SHELFORD
1. Nathan Taylor
2. Adam Harwood-Hughes
3. Matthew Gregerson
4. Robert Conquest
5. Bradley Baker
6. Luca Martinelli
7. Harry Rogerson
8. George Cracknell
9. Thomas Duffy
10. Harvey Taylor
11. Louis Tang
12. Marc Koteczky
13. Cameron Patrick 14. Archie Calne
15. Oliver Barnes
16. Miles Huppatz
17. Michael Dunnett
18. Charles Baker
Referee - Mr Scott De Waymarn (Middlesex) * Home Grown Players
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UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
BENJAMIN HARRIS
Absolute pleasure today to be in the company of one of our many’ little fellas’ all of whom have big hearts and huge ambition.
In Ben Harris we have though a ‘little fella’ with a big brain. Being an undergraduate (Chemical Engineering) at Nottingham University has not been enough for him as he now feels at home again within the echoing libraries and the bustling refectories of Imperial College, London.
‘I love mixing chemicals Andy, and I always top up my chemistry set’ he says with an innocent smile. I tell him to be careful especially when using a Bunsen burner, I speak from experience. We briefly discuss fireworks and chemicals with red being his colour of choice through its sexual and quite devilish qualities.
Ben does indicate having a bit of a naughty side. Born in Cambridge on 2002 his is a lover of Southampton FC (must
be some family influences) and a supporter of Saracens RFC. His only wish at the moment is for his beloved Amersham and Chiltern RFC to stay up - bless!
Ben’s also a bit of a human dynamo. Always on the move, side stepping and a fast walker. He finds time for me to walk round a Waitrose with him. He explains that he finds the top shelves in a Waitrose easier to reach. With Christmas fast approaching we initially talk food. With a high
says with a wee smile. He enjoys growing his own peas and especially loves the peeling of the pods. Mango juice is his go-to-morning drink and smoothie protein booster with honey yoghurt calming his tummy, especially after a few beers.
I ask Ben if I gave him £50 now (unlikely) what he would buy? A new pair of rugby boots with extra-long studs he replies indicating that he does fall over quite easily. I was expecting he would take his beautiful girlfriend Emily out for a romantic dinner, dressed in red with the Chemical brothers playing in the background.
They met at Nottingham University and then spent time in Liverpool (they play in red).
Ben played National 2 at Chester RFC and worked at Unilever making Radox and the more exciting Lynx. Ben only wears his lifetime supply of Lynx on a Saturday night and knows how to make it in a bucket of water with rose petals.
Benjamin comes from a rugby family with another 3 younger brothers all at A&C. He now lives in Great Missenden and
enjoys lashings of ginger beer and pork scratching’s at the Cock and Rabbit in the The Lee. Unsurprisingly, considering his analytical mind he is also currently top of the A&C Fantasy Football league.
Benjamin Harris - No 9 , 10 , 11, 14 and 15. Not 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8!!!!
We salute you!!!
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SPONSORS AND ADVERTISERS
Why do we need Sponsors
and Advertisers?
The rugby club is run as a charity and in a good year the income from subs and the clubhouse events and sponsors means we just about break even.
This season we celebrate 100 years of our active presence in the local community. The senior club was founded in 1924 and just as importantly we were one of the pioneer clubs who started mini rugby 50 years ago. We continue to provide a wonderful rugby experience for players and supporters of all ages.
Peter, pictured here, always in his A&C attire, chatting on match day
Our loyal members are very supportive and over the years we have done various fundraising schemes to improve every aspect of the club. The clubhouse itself was the biggest and others have followed such as the solar panels, the new car park and of course the borehole. All of these investments make it possible to start the season.
Incidentally with our energy costs increasing dramatically we need to focus on ways to become more energy efficient. Pitch maintenance is another big expense, with an extra £20,000 spent this summer on more ground’s maintenance work and nearly £30,000 on clubhouse repairs. We continually invest and the Centenary fundraising offers a great opportunity to make more progress. One reason for doing this is to make the club house the kind of place people will want to use for events, from private parties to corporate away days.
Of course, our sponsors and advertisers are always welcome at the club for lunch on home match days.
So, without the support of our sponsors and advertisers it would just not be possible to contemplate the level of capital expenses we face every year. We have a huge responsibility to our members and to the wider community, we get no external support even though we are one of the biggest sports clubs in the area and provide outstanding pastoral care and specialist coaching to players of all ages and their coaches too.
We recognise that in return for the fantastic support we get we need to work with our sponsors and advertisers to see how we can help them.
Ruthie Brockett, our Sponsorship & Publicity Manager, will be delighted to hear from you with ideas and suggestions. Please contact her on sponsorship@chilternrugby.com.
Most importantly we want our members to enjoy using the products and services in this programme.
