NORTH DISTRICT CLUB RUGBY FORUM

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1 MARCH 2016 Chairman s Report.. Mike Monro, North League Representa ve on the Sco sh Rugby Council Rugby Council and member of the SRU Board, writes: Welcome to the first North Newsle er of Again the delay in ge ng this done is en rely mine. Gordon Cox, who is con nuing to recover, has constantly been reminding me that we have been due to send this out for some me. Every week he has been making sure that the leagues have been updated ready for the Newsle er to go out and at last we have got there. NORTH DISTRICT CLUB RUGBY FORUM Could I, as ever, thank those clubs who have welcomed me since last Newsle er. I had the pleasure of standing on the touchline last weekend at Northfield, which is the coldest place I have come across, to watch North Police Scotland v Banff. A far cry from the Stadio Olympico in Rome but s ll thoroughly enjoyable even allowing for the pitch which was not wholly marked and is obviously a public ground used by people to walk their dogs with no thinking of the consequences! Could I bring the following ma ers to everyone s a en on:- Club Conference I, along with a few representa ves from North clubs, was at the Club Conference at BT Murrayfield on 17 January. I have to say it was very worthwhile and a lot of good things came from it. I appreciate that clubs in the North, and indeed those in the far South- West, had transport difficul es ge ng there for a Sunday morning, par cularly a er a full programme of rugby the day before. Certainly, the responses from the clubs who a ended are such that there will be another Conference, perhaps even next season. I INSIDE THIS ISSUE go to page 2 BT Awards Come North, Again! 5 Par cipa on Agreement Bonus 7 Club Sustainability Fund Update 7 View from the Press Box with Jack Nixon 9 Le er to the Editor 10 Highland s Ar ficial Pitch 11 BT Caledonia (North) Leagues/Caledonia Shield/North Bowl 12

2 from page 1 worthwhile. it have asked those who organised it if they could re-consider the date so to make more user friendly for clubs that have to travel a considerable distance. Unfortunately, we have not been able to organise visits by Ed Crozier to a collec ve group of clubs. However, I have chaired what I thought were two very successful Forum mee ngs in Aberdeen and Inverness. Many thanks for so many clubs coming along. It makes these mee ngs worth while. There are papers available from the Conference and if, therefore, you want to contact Nick Rennie or Keith Russell then I am sure they would be able to assist there. President s Roadshows and Forum Mee ngs Mark Salter, our Caley Administrator, was at both mee ngs and found it very useful. In addi on, in Aberdeen, Nick Rennie was there and in Inverness, Keith Russell. They were able to answer any ques ons that I side-stepped and passed onto them. Again, as is always the case, if you have any queries get in contact with us. I would also like to thank our Vice President, Rob Flockhart, for coming to the Aberdeen mee ng. Unfortunately, he had a previous engagement the night of the Inverness mee ng. However, at least to compensate for that, Rob and I were both up in Inverness at the turn of the year. Pitch Rental etc Both the Forum Mee ngs raised the ques- on as to the availability of pitches for clubs both in the North-East and the North. I am well aware of the fact that so many of our clubs are subject to the vagaries of local authori es as to the availability of a pitch on any Saturday. I am aware of the decisions taken by local authori es to declare pitches unplayable, even on a Thursday when it may be a game between two clubs who do not have to travel a great distance. What I want to do therefore is to collate all the informa on that I can from the clubs advising as to the landlord, whether it be private, school or local authority. I have spoken to Keith Russell about this and I have also taken the opportunity of speaking to a few of my fellow Council members, par cularly those for regional clubs. It seems to be a situa on that is ge ng worse and if we can get facts and figures together it might be worth my mee ng along with Keith or Nick with the relevant authori es to see whether we can get some kind of proper thinking about the use or otherwise of rugby pitches. It would be very helpful therefore if someone from your club contacted me at my address or even by phoning me (details on back page of the Newsle er), to let me know of any problems that you do have with your landlord. I do not want to interfere par cularly if it a private rental situa on. What I do want is to have available examples of pitches being declared unplayable. It would also be helpful if at the same me you could tell me whether your landlord tends the pitch. I am aware of some instances where a pitch is marked but similarly aware of when the club is le to do everything. If you want to speak to me about this then please contact me, failing which such details would be of great assistance. Clubs of the Month I was delighted to (eventually) present Club of the Month Boards to Highland and Deeside for their being Clubs of the Month for the whole of Scotland for November and December respec vely. In addi on, Paul Vavangus of Ellon was Volunteer of the Month for December It was great that clubs in our area are ge ng this kind of recogni on and is evidence that it is not just go to page 3 Page 2

3 from page 2 clubs of the higher echelons and volunteers of such clubs who receive these well merited awards. (see page 5) Funding from BT Murrayfield In the last Newsle er I made men on of this. I can now formally announce that Highland Rugby Club were successful in their applica on for funding towards their new clubhouse and sports facility. Despite the severe financial constraints at BT Murrayfield the Union is keeping to its undertaking of providing sustainability both of larger amounts and also of smaller amounts. As I keep saying, contact Brian Bell in connec on with this ma er and do not be frightened to seek financial assistance from the Union. If I can help, give me a call. BT Sports Sco sh Rugby Academy, Caledonia I a ended a really interes ng mee ng on 24 February in Aberdeen where Bruce Frame, the BT Sports Sco sh Rugby Academy Manager for Caledonia, gave the fourth of his presenta ons to parents of children involved in the Academy and other interested par es. It was a very detailed presenta on but well received. What Bruce has made available is a PDF of the presenta on that was delivered and which was also delivered in the Midlands and in Inverness. He also has available the most up to date Stage One and Rep Season Programme for If you wish a copy of this or wish to contact Bruce he is based at the Hillhead Centre, Don Street, Aberdeen, AB24 1XR. His address is bruce.frame@sru.org.uk and his mobile number is ed there will be problems to look at and solve but everything does seem to be in a good place. With that in mind the following appointees have been made:- Caledonia U 20 Head Coach: Derek O Riordan Caledonia U 18 Head Coach: Colin Phillips Caledonia U 16 Head Coach: Graeme Smith A complete name list and contact details of exis ng and newly appointed coaches can be obtained from Bruce. Youth and Schools Back in January I a ended a mee ng chaired by Graham Lindsay concerning the Red Conference Advisory Group. It really was a very posi ve mee ng. We seem to be moving in the right direc on with regard to Youth and Schools. We all will remember the difficult mes that existed less than twelve months ago when the Youth and Schools Programme was being pronounced. Whilst obviously the manner in which it was ini ally dealt with was subject to cri cism what is really good is the way that the clubs have got together on this. Naturally there were teething problems which I know have been looked at by Colin Thomson and he and others visited a club in the North recently. All this can only be good for the game, and I am sure further good progress will be seen next season. If you need to contact Graham please do so at graham.lindsay@sru.co.uk Women s Rugby From speaking to Bruce I know he is more than happy to meet clubs on a one-to one basis if you think that is of any assistance to you. I really have to say that with the Chairmanship of Graham Kerr, my Midlands Council colleague, the Advisory Group and the running of the Caley Whilst I fully appreciate we are having problems with postponed fixtures and clubs not being able to fulfil matches, I was happily astonished to learn from the two Forum Mee ngs as to how many clubs are advancing with the crea on of women s Academy is now well established. It is appreciat- go to page 34 Page 3

4 from page 3 teams. I had the opportunity of speaking to Sheila Begbie who is in overall charge of Women s Rugby in Scotland. I was delighted to learn that we have in place a Rugby Development Officer for Women s and Girls Rugby here in the North. The contact for that is Kimberley Jamieson. She, too, works out of the Hillhead Centre. Her address is kimberley.jamieson@sru.org.uk and her mobile number is I am going to be mee ng up with Kimberley in the near future and I really think that we should be working hard together in the whole area with regard to the women s game. Promo on, Relega on and Postponed Matches Obviously, clubs will be aware that Kinloss Eagles, for opera onal reasons have had to pull out of the league. I know from speaking to them that was not a decision taken lightly. Hopefully they will be available to play next season in what will be Division 3 North which may be re-shaped in any event. Again I just have to ask that clubs make sure that they fulfil as many fixtures as they can. I s ll keep being asked as to promo on and relega on. Again it is crystal ball gazing in many ways. As things presently stand Caley Division 1 is a straight fight between Gordonians, Highland and Glenrothes. Gordonians presently lead the league as you will see from the leagues at the back of this Newsle er but Highland have such games in hand that they can s ll win it, as indeed can Glenrothes. Also, it may be that relega on from Na onal 3 may not involve a Caley team. If no-one gets relegated out of Division Three into Caley 1 one team will s ll be promoted into Na onal 3, as is the same with East and West. That may result in only one team being relegated out of Caley 1. The winners of Midlands 2 and North 2 will be automa cally promoted into Caley 1. Relega on from Division 2 North will again be dependent on what is required to create a ten team league as that is the ideal. The composi on therefore of Caley Division 3 North is dependent on what happens above. All that can be said is that the winners of that league (presently being led by Banff) will be invited to be promoted to Caley Division 2 North. Again the mantra is, just play the games. North Mini Conference As it is not intended to have a full blown conference this year it is s ll thought by your commi ee that it be advantageous to have a mini conference to discuss the format of our lower leagues in the North and also to consider whether the me is right to have a formalised women s league in the District. It would be intended to have this conference perhaps on the first Sunday in June and only for a couple of hours followed by a buffet lunch. It may well be also that on that date we would have presenta ons by those who are seeking elec on to be our SRU Vice- President for the two years commencing August At this me I genuinely have no idea how many persons are standing for elec on. However, the proverbial heads have to be above the parapets long before the beginning of June. If there are other pressing ma ers that you think should be raised when we can all get together in Elgin (being the easiest place for this), then let me know. Indeed, if I have had sufficient response from clubs with regard to their tenancy situa on then we might raise that as well. Finally Could I again ask that you distribute this Newsle er to all your club members. I know some clubs do, but I also know that other clubs do not as I get asked ques ons about items which I know are in this Newsle er. Mike Monro Page 4

5 BT Awards come North Again!.. Details of the BT Awards which have recently come North, as reported by Mike in the first ar cle, are: HIGHLAND WON BT CLUB OF THE MONTH FOR DECEMBER 2015 The club, whose first XV play in the BT Caledonia League Division 1, have been recognised for se ng high performance standards across all playing sec- ons and for the development of their youth sec- on. At present, the first XV are unbeaten in the BT Caledonia League Division 1, with eight from eight leaving them in third posi on behind Gordonians and Glenrothes, having played fewer games due to postponements. The club has also secured its place in the BT Caledonia Shield Final on January 30 where they will take on Glenrothes, a er defea ng Strathmore in the semi-final on November 28. Highland President, Geoff Begg, said: Everyone at the club is thrilled to win BT Club of the Month. The commitment from the players and coaches in all the age groups has been excellent and they are deserving of the award. It is especially rewarding for all the volunteers, supporters and sponsors associated with the club and it also recognises their commitment to the club s long-term goals. Highland s youth rugby sec on is con nuing to develop with the club finishing fourth in the Club Youth President s Conference this season and all age groups fulfilling their fixtures. Highland s Development Officer, Laurie Cuthbertson, works closely with youth clubs, primary and secondary schools, while also using rugby as an exercise tool for children with disabili es at Drummond School in Inverness. Club Chairman, Andy Li le, said: Our work in the local schools and the community is bearing posi ve results and is reflected in good numbers throughout all our age groups." This is the third year in a row that Highland have won a BT Club of the Month award and it reflects the on-going commitment from all at the club to improve standards both on and off the park. The recent success of our first XV is down to the commitment and drive of our coaching team allied the feel good factor throughout the club. Highland have showed a con nued commitment to coaching, having hosted a range of specialist skills and core CPD (Con nuing Professional Development) evenings, in addi on to game coaching and Start Rugby Coaching workshops. There is also a spread of UKCC coaches across the age groups at the club and both Level 1 and Level 2 courses have been scheduled for this year. In winning the award, Highland will receive a prize of the value of 1000, through a 12- month BT Sport subscrip on and 200 cash. They will also win a table for 10 at the Sco sh Rugby Club Awards Dinner, and will be subsidised 500 for travel expenses to this event. Highland will also be in the shortlist for the BT Club of the Year award, to be announced at the dinner. DEESIDE WON BT CLUB OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY 2016 The club, whose first XV play in the BT Caledonia League Division 2 North, have been recognised for maintaining high performance standards and for the development of their growing youth sec on. The first XV are currently top of their league, following a run of strong performances a er gaining promo on to BT Caledonia League Division 2 North from Division 3 North last season. The club also competed in the BT Caledonia Regional Bowl North Final on January 30 where they narrowly lost to Aberdeen University Deeside President, Ian Finlayson, said: We have moved forward in the last two seasons with a group of young and enthusias c players, many who started their rugby careers at the club. The coaching team of Bruce Strachan, Eric Strachan and Donald Ballantyne have done a fantas c job in building a team who have built on their success from last season. The team are very focused on the league and to the player s posi ve a tude. This award reflects go to page 6 Page 5

6 from page 5 are training hard, we enjoyed our experience in the BT Caledonia Regional Bowl North and were just pipped in a very close game. Deeside have a growing number of mini, micros and youth players and have competed in the Club Youth Red Conference this season, combining with Aberdeen Wanderers to field teams across the age groups to win the Conference. Finlayson said: With the new Sco sh Rugby Conference structure, we realised that we had some gaps in our age groups when trying to field compe ve teams. The coaches got together with Aberdeen Wanderers and they agreed to join the two teams together. It was a great example of coopera on to ensure players were involved and that they con nued to increase their skills. There is also a spread of UKCC coaches at the club with two female coaches involved in the micro sec on, as Deeside strive to increase girls par cipa on in rugby. In winning the award, Deeside will receive a prize of the value of 1000, through a 12-month BT Sport subscrip on and 200 cash. They will also win a table for 10 at the Sco sh Rugby Club Awards Dinner, and will be subsidised 500 for travel expenses to this event. Deeside will also be in the shortlist for the BT Club of the Year award, to be announced at the dinner. PAUL VAVANGAS (ELLON) WON BT VOLUN- TEER OF THE MONTH AWARD FOR DECEM- BER 2015 Paul won the award for his contribu on to the club through his new role as chairman and efforts as a youth coach. The 38-year-old has always been involved with his local club and recently became chairman to relieve pressure from other coaches who were occupied with other roles. Paul s first engagement as chairman involved turning the club into a registered charity through the comple on of associated paperwork in record me. With the club s new status as a SCIO (Sco sh Charitable Incorporated Organisa on), Paul has encouraged and developed Ellon Rugby from having a small commi ee to now boas ng 11 trustees from across the club. On receiving the award, which was presented by Ellon Director of Rugby, Gareth Kemp, Paul said: To have been recognised is a great honour and I think it s outstanding that Sco sh Rugby take the me and trouble to do so, however I sincerely believe this award should be shared among all those who contribute so greatly to Ellon Rugby. When I look around Ellon Rugby Club I see so many people giving their me freely to coach, support, help and organise and this is replicated in all of the clubs across the country. Paul came late to the game of rugby when his second child started playing with Ellon, and he has since taken to the sport in a major way through his role as both chairman and coach. Having never played rugby, I took my son Logan (five at the me) to a training session and from the first moment he loved everything about it, the sport, the teamwork and the culture. Nowadays, you can rarely find him without a rugby ball in his hands! The S1 and under-18 / 15 girls coach also assists Gareth with all aspects of coaching from organising the team for matches to helping with the planning of training sessions. He said: As for coaching, I have a ended a couple of the Sco sh Rugby coaching workshops and have enjoyed working with different coaches across the age groups, it has really helped with my own development. Paul worked relessly to develop Ellon Rugby into a SCIO and he believes it will help improve the club s resources. Our charity status allows us to access grants, awards and dona ons which may otherwise have been unavailable to us. We want to ensure rugby is accessible to all and isn t limited by lack of resource. I believe it will prove to be an important step for Ellon Rugby to develop and become an even more sustainable club. Adding to his role as both chairman and coach, Paul also plays on the wing for the club s Golden Oldies over 35 team. Page 6

7 Par cipa on Agreement Bonus.. Brian Bell, Regional Club Development Manager for Caledonia, advises of money available to clubs as part of the Club Par- cipa on Agreement: As part of the Club Par cipa on Agreement clubs can qualify for a 500 payment under Organisa on/governance. In order to qualify for this payment clubs have been requested to provide the following informa on - 1. A copy of an Open and up to date cons tu- on with Dissolu on clause 2. Evidence of an AGM 3. A copy of the clubs most recent Annual Accounts 4. A copy of the Child Protec on Policy and the name of the Child Protec on Officer 5. A copy of the Code of Conduct The purpose of collec ng this informa on is to help ensure that there is a consistent standard of good governance across all rugby clubs. In addi on to this some of the informa on provided will be used by Sco sh Rugby to iden fy any common issues that clubs are facing and to use this to tailor future support to help clubs become more sustainable. It is important that all of this informa on is supplied by the 31st March 2016 in order to qualify for the 500 which will be paid to Clubs in May In addi on to this clubs will soon be contacted by Sco sh Rugby reques ng further informa on on Team Audit, Player Registra on and Club contacts which will also need to be completed. We also have a lot of useful informa on on the Club Services pages of Sco sh Rugby s Website. The link is h p:// shrugby.org/ club-development-planning. This covers all aspects of Club development and also contains the presenta ons from the recent Club Conference held at BT Murrayfield. As always, if you want to discuss any of the above or have any ques ons regarding Club Development please feel free to contact me on or at brian.bell@sru.org.uk Club Sustainability Fund Update.. Funding from Sco sh Rugby worth 340,000 will be shared across 12 clubs following last season s first round investment, with the fast-track strand of the fund awarded earlier in the season to 24 clubs. A sum of 1.6million was set aside by Sco sh Rugby for investment in the domes c game across a four-year period with other clubs benefi ng in the next two years. The successful clubs will also receive Na onal Lo ery funding worth over 300,000 from sportscotland with funding for further projects yet to be confirmed, which have a combined cost of 5.9million. This year, 14 rugby clubs applied for funding from the Club Sustainability Fund, which was created through BT s sponsorship investment in Sco sh Rugby. go to page 8 Page 7

8 from page 7 Ed Crozier, President of Sco sh Rugby, said: The Club Sustainability Fund enables us to improve the infrastructure of the domes c game across Scotland through suppor ng clubs and their project ideas. "Together with the BT sponsorship investment, we are helping to improve club facili es for grassroots rugby. We hope such investment will encourage more players and communi es to get involved with their clubs to help create a rugby legacy within the domes c game. Michael Cavanagh, sportscotland s Lead Manager, Sports Development, said: As we con nue to build a first class spor ng system for everyone in Scotland, our partnership with Sco sh Rugby when delivering the Club Sustainability Fund is key to improving rugby facili es for clubs and communi es. It will provide greater opportuni es for people to take part in sport while also genera ng new revenues for clubs. Funding applica ons were focused on either capital or revenue funding and assessed by Sco sh Rugby and sportscotland. Second round recipients include Marr Rugby Club who won Club of the Season in 2013/14 and have recovered from the adversity of their clubhouse being badly damaged by a fire in During the same year in which a third of the building was destroyed, Marr developed a clubhouse extension to improve catering and facili- es, strengthened es with Marr College to ensure the delivery of a school of rugby and their 1st XV gained promo on into the BT Na onal League 1. Yesterday s second round launch took place at Marr Rugby Club with Arthur Dunsmuir, a former president and club captain, who played a key part in establishing rugby at Fullarton Park during the 1960s. Kevin Quinn, Marr President, said: We would like to thank Arthur for all he has contributed to the club over the years. The Club Sustainability Fund will enable us to develop those facili es which were first established by Arthur and other members. Marr s changing room facili es are now set to benefit from a 50,000 cash injec on to accommodate the growing number of teams at the club and the development of a Ladies sec- on. Elsewhere, Kelso have also secured 50,000 for a changing room refurbishment with the hard working club looking to modernise their facili es to allow mixed usage. Highland are set to receive 40,000 to support a significant redevelopment project which will see the club build a new clubhouse and rugby facility with a 3G pitch. Waid Academy will be u lising Sco sh Rugby s Club Sustainability Fund to develop further World Rugby regula on 3G pitches as they cement a wider partnership with Fife Council. This announcement brings the clubs that have received funding from the fast-track strand of the Club Sustainability Fund to 91 in total from the first two seasons of awards. This season, 12 capital and revenue funds have combined with 24 fast-track investments, while last season 14 capital and revenue funds were awarded alongside 41 from the fast-track strand. Clubs who were not successful in the second round of funding will con nue to receive support from Sco sh Rugby in order to develop their projects to investment level Page 8

9 View from the Press Box by Jack Nixon Should Highland Rugby Club go on to win Caledonian Division 1, as seems pre y likely at this stage of the season, it would in my book go down as one of great success stories in the Caley area in a decade. The return of the Inverness club to the na onal leagues has in fact been a number of years in the making, but all the more welcome for that. None of your splashing out on big name players, but more of a return to basics in promo ng a good youth set up, which given their loca on in one of the outposts of the oval ball game, is nothing less than remarkable. Having said that there are others from even further afield, including Ross Sutherland who have commi ed their future to developing a youth policy. Highland in fact came to my a en on two or three years ago when they were playing in Caley 2 North and enjoying, or otherwise, a spell in the doldrums. A trip to Duff House on a cold December day to take in a game with Banff brought its rewards, as it had been my inten on to see just how much the Canal Park side had learned from a spell in the wilderness. The answer was almost immediate as no sooner had I caught sight of the smartly turned out team facing Banff, supported by a posse of equally well dressed coaches, I just knew that this was a team on the move. And so it proved to be, as by the end of the season Highland were on their way back to the top Caley league, though head coach Davie Carson will not thank me for reminding him that despite losing the game, Banff had the temerity to "win" the second half. Since that ou ng to the ultra friendly clubhouse at Duff House, the Inverness side has gone from strength to strength, leading to its current posi on in Caley Division 1, and poised to return to BT Murrayfield in the BT Shield, assuming they have seen off the challenge of Glenrothes in the Caledonia Regional Final. So while I am making some dangerous assump ons, I remain migh ly impressed by what they have achieved, not least by their style of play, organised, direct, and always entertaining. Having seen them on three separate occasions I have also been taken by their spor ng approach, no doubt stemming from their thoroughly decent head coach and of course their popular president. Any visit to Canal Park is a bonus for me, especially to be treated like royalty from the me I arrive un l the me comes to leave. Oh that some more senior clubs in Scotland had such a civilised a tude to the press corps. But let me quickly add that I have been generally well received on nearly all of the 45 grounds visited in following the fortunes of clubs from the Caley area, right from Langholm to Kirkwall and many points in between. There are others on the move including Deeside who are set to play in the top Caley league a er only one season in Caley 2 North. They too have a vibrant youth set up, as indeed have a number of clubs, all bent on giving youth its chances. So while we can't all be Highland, or for that ma er Deeside, we can all endeavour to provide a pla orm for the game to grow, this in the face of long journeys, dreadful weather. More power to your elbows in making it a game to cherish. The 2016/ 17 season will, in fact, be my last one repor ng on the game I love. I might even make a trip to Kirkwall or Inverness to take in a Na onal League 3 game between Orkney and Inverness just to mark the end of 20 years with a lap top, mee ng lots of great people who I like to think have become firm friends. Jack Nixon Any ques ons or comments for Jack? Send to Editor Page 9

10 Le er(s) to the Editor.. As adver sed on the back page of this Newsle er, if you or your club has something of interest you would like the rest of the North Forum members to know about, or if you wish to comment on any of the ar cles in the Newsle er, feel free to send in an ar cle. It s fair to say that such comments have not been forthcoming, so it was good, at last, to receive a communica on, a copy of which is laid out below: Dear Editor, The story below that has appeared on the SRU web-site amused me in that it appears to be news when a club from the Central Belt travels to Orkney to fulfil a fixture yet Caley clubs, especially those in the North, have been going to places such as Orkney, Shetland & Stornoway for years without any recogni on for their efforts. OK, they may not be chartering a plane for 15,000, but the me and effort required for Stornoway to travel to Shetland and vice versa every year, for example, is surely worthy of a men on! Incidentally, scheduled return flights from Edinburgh depar ng Friday, returning Sunday could be done for half the cost of a charter! Also where is the recogni on of the efforts that Orkney RFC make for every away fixture? Haddington charter plane for Orkney fixture Haddington RFC chartered a flight for the first me on Saturday to face Orkney in the BT Na onal League Division 3 as their ba le for promo on gathers momentum. The team, who usually travel by bus to away games, flew from Glasgow Airport on Saturday morning to the Sco sh island and returned Sunday lunch me. The Reds narrowly lost to Orkney with all who travelled embracing the distance of more than 300 miles. Clifford Livingstone, Haddington President, said: The journey by plane was a first for the club and one which both the players and supporters thoroughly enjoyed. The flight went smoothly and it worked well in terms of keeping the players fresh for the game during the same day. Orkney helped to accommodate us with hotel arrangements in Kirkwall, allowing us to stay over night and fly back the next morning. The club held dinners and events leading up to the fixture to help fund the cost of chartering the plane, with players, members and supporters contribu ng to their 200 return flight and accommoda on expenses. Sco sh Rugby also helped with the cost of the flight, which totaled 15,000 from Glasgow to Kirkwall. Nick Rennie, Sco sh Rugby s Head of Club Services, said: It is great to see Haddington make the trip to Orkney and proves the commitment of clubs when travelling to away fixtures in the Sco sh islands. We were happy to support the club s travel and accommoda on expenses as we usually would for clubs travelling to Stornoway, Orkney and Shetland to par cipate in fixtures. Editorial Comment: To be fair, it s good that Haddington made such an effort which was in the spirit of the game, and also that the Union has publicised the event to the extent that other clubs outwith Caledonia North might be persuaded to follow their example and enjoy a weekend in Orkney, (or, for that ma er, Shetland or Stornoway) with all it entails! Ed page 10

11 Highland s Ar ficial Pitch.. HIGHLAND RFC will be playing on an ar ficial pitch and have a new clubhouse for the start of the season. The Caley 1 club has received 40,000 from Sco sh Rugby s second round of investment from the Club Sustainability fund, with the Inverness ou it one of 12 clubs to benefit from the ini a ve, whilst further funding could arrive from sportscotland. The club s current Canal Park home will be lost to the Inverness link road and a new ruby centre was last year approved by councillors. Work will begin on the clubhouse at the end of this season, while the new pitch is proposed to be in place by next summer, with Inverness High School a poten al home in the mean me. Highland head coach Davie Carson is delighted to see the club follow the lead of some of the leading clubs in Britain, and believes the new pitch will enhance his team s style of play, with Highland chasing promo on to the na onal leagues for next season. Carson said, It s certainly the way to go forward. We all see the ar ficial pitches in the English Premiership, with Saracens and Newcastle Falcons using them, while Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend also wants to install one at Scotstoun. It will suit the way we play.. We can play everything up top and the backs will love it. It s not just good for the first team it s massive for the young players coming through all the age groups. Highland will follow an increasing trend in Bri sh rugby when it makes the switch from grass to an ar ficial surface next summer. Premiership champions and leaders Saracens became the first professional rugby union club to play on an ar ficial surface when they installed a synthe c pitch at Allianz Park in January Pro12 side Carddiff Blues followed Saracens lead in summer 2013 at the Arms Park. Newcastle Falcons also switched to an ar ficial surface at Kingston Park at the beginning of last season and although director of rugby Dean Ryan s side has long been out of the leading places in the Premiership the surface has transformed the club s style of play. Scotland created history in 2014 by becoming the first na on to host a full interna onal rugby match on a 3G pitch, when they defeated Tonga in an autumn Test at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock. Among those to voice support for the decision was Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend, who wants an ar ficial pitch at Scostoun which has been badly affected by the winter Page 11

12 BT Caley North Leagues/Cups BT Caledonia North Leagues and BT Caley Shield and BT Caley North Bowl fixtures/results for , following games played on 5th March: BT Caledonia Division 1 p w l d f a bp pts Gordonians Highland Glenrothes Caithness* Dunfermline Strathmore RAF Lossiemouth Carnoustie HSFP Mackie Acad FP* BT Caledonia Division 2 (North) p w l d f a bp pts Deeside Garioch Abdn Wanderers Ross Sutherland Moray Shetland Lochaber Stornoway Ellon Hillfoots* Kinloss Eagles withdrawn due to deployments * points deduction applied BT Caledonia Division 3 (North) p w l d f a bp pts Banff Highland Abdn University Abdn Uni Medics Gordonians Aberdeenshire Invss Craig Dunain Peterhead Dyce North Scot Police Fraserburgh BT Caledonia Shield Quarter Final : 7 November Highland 40 Gordonians 8 Carnous e 34 Caithness 12 RAF Lossiemouth 19 Glenrothes 27 Strathmore 25 Dunfermline 18 Semi Final : 28 November Strathmore 0 Highland 35 Carnous e HSFP 14 Glenrothes 34 Final : 20 February Glenrothes 5 Highland 39 BT Na onal Shield Semi Finals : 26 March Murrayfield Wdrs OR North Berwick v Highland Carrick v Duns OR St Boswells BT Caledonia Bowl (North) Quarter Final : 7 November Inverness Craig Dunain 7 Deeside 25 Stornoway wo Shetland wdrew Abdn Wanderers 3 Abdn Uni Medics 20 Abdn University 17 Ross Sutherland 0 go to page 13 Page 12

13 from page 12 BT Caledonia Bowl (North) Semi Finals : 28 November Abdn University 41 Abdn Uni Medics 0 Stornoway 3 Deeside 36 Final : 30 January Abdn University 29 Deeside 27 BT Na onal Bowl Semi Finals 26 March Millbrae v Grangemouth Stags Abdn University v East Regional Bowl Winners Miscellany.... As requested in Mike s main ar cle may we ask that those who receive this Newsle er by to send it similarly by to all your club members. Mike finds it is a bit disappoin ng to meet players and officials who say they never see the Newsle er. We know it gets sent to every club. Indeed, put it on your own website if you want. There is nothing in this which is secret. It s all about communica on! and, finally!.. COMMENT on any of the items contained in the Newsle er is welcomed. Addi onally, if you or your club has something of interest you would like the rest of the North Forum members to know about, feel free to send in an ar cle. Ar cles and correspondence should be addressed to the Forum Secretary whose contact points, and telephone, are listed on this page. Coming Up.. Scotland v France, Murrayfield Ireland v Scotland, Dublin North Mini Conference, Elgin Contacts SRU Council Representa ve North Forum Chairman Mike Monro / mem@mackieanddewar.co.uk North Forum Secretary Gordon Cox gordonljcox@hotmail.co.uk / North Forum Commi ee Vincent Fawce / Paddy Hart / phart5@btopenworld.com Alastair McKenzie alastair.mckenzie@nhs.net Frank Nicol frankbnicol@b nternet.com Bob Richmond bob@2bcsl.co.uk Gordon Cox Brian Bell (Caledonia Club Services Manager) brian.bell@sru.org.uk All ar cles and correspondence should be addressed to the Forum Secretary at the contact points advised above 3pm, Sunday 13 March 5pm, 19 March early June, tbc Page 12