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The Bugle
Malcolm Knowles6 Sep 2024 - 20:24
Here we go again.
And all of a sudden, the new season is upon us. Some might say that Ionians are fortunate to be in N2N, but irrespective of a poor season, they are able to welcome old friends Harrogate and Chester back to Brantingham Park rather than setting the sat. nav. to find the likes of Alnwick and Percy Park.
Billingham have a second season in N2 and will hope to reproduce the form they showed in the early part of their first campaign. They won one more match than I’s but an inability to pick up bonus points left them tied on the same number of points and finishing the season second bottom.
They have had a successful pre-season and will expect to challenge all teams on their plastic pitch (though I would rather see it and all the others dug up and replaced with grass).
Chester return to N2N after a brief sojourn into the West. They enter their centenary season in good heart having enjoyed success in a busy pre-season, with wins over Macclesfield and Anselmians. They look to have recruited heavily from over the Welsh border and with Guy Ford amongst the coaching team they will be competitive and combative.
Fylde recovered well after a disappointing start to last season and will undoubtably want to be one of the sides vying for promotion. They will need to overcome the loss of a number of key players, including Ben Gregory, Tom Carlton and Scott Rawlings, to achieve it and much will depend on how the phalanx of new recruits’ gel into the team.
Harrogate bounce back to N2N and it looks like Woody is still in charge, which is nice. They came out top in a very keenly contested league, overcoming the challenge of Heath and York, to re-claim a place in the national leagues. There is little rugby news on their social media but they did defeat Selby in a low scoring pre-season fixture.
I can also inform Ionians supporters that a pre -match meal is available when I’s visit the Apollocapitalgroup stadium.
Hull have Mike Umaga and Tony Penn still in charge down Chants. Ave. and the strong links with Bishop Burton allow them to assemble a strong squad to compete in N2N. They lost narrowly to DMP in a pre-season friendly but with the return of long-term absentees Keane Naylor and Mike Adlard they will pose a threat out wide to any side in the league.
Leeds will undoubtably overcome the disappointment of being pipped to the title last season: the long time pace setters couldn’t hold off the challenge of Rotherham but face another season in N2 with plenty of confidence. They have attracted a plethora of new players to the club and retained the majority of last seasons squad so competition for a game will be fierce. Expect them to be there or thereabouts.
Lymm had a very respectable season in their first foray into level 4 rugby. Much of their success was down to the performance of Tom Shard, who’s rotund physique belied his abilities. He may have looked like a third team prop but he had the last laugh and was rightly recognised for his contribution with an inclusion into both the TRP and NLR team of the season.
Lymm look to be relying on the bulk of last years squad with a smattering of new signings from local clubs.
Otley are another club who have retained the majority of last years team, they have also found rich pickings at Leeds Beckett to bring in additional recourses. The club seem to be stuck in the dilapidated facilities for the foreseeable, but on the pitch they have plenty of talent, including the much travelled Callum Irvine, to test the best. This was shown in a pre-season victory over Leeds.
Preston Grasshoppers are keeping their cards close to their chests, with no announcements of coming and goings on social media. They have had two pre-season matches, against Blackburn and Macclesfield, winning the first and drawing the second. One thing we do know, they have worked had on defence over the close season, Saturday will prove if it has done any good.
Sheffield were perhaps the surprise package last season, finishing third. They had a good settled squad and some fine individual talent, so perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a surprise after all. Antony Posa has added at least five new recruits, all of whom featured in the narrow defeat at Sedge Tigers. Don’t be surprised if Sheffield do well this season.
Sheffield Tigers would concede they had an average season, mid table and a 50/50 set of results says as much. Under normal circumstance it may have sufficed but the success of local rivals at Abbeydale will have wrangled. Their best result was the hammering of I’s on Dore moor. There are a good number of fresh-faced youngsters signed for the new season, with the club continuing with a policy of developing players from within, it’s a good policy to pursue if it works, only time will tell.
Tynedale start with a trip to Leeds Tykes, probably not the fixture they would have chosen. There is only news of three departures on their website, no incomings were spotted. With Dean Richards as part of the coaching set-up it would be a surprise it there weren’t a few new faces. However, as a thriving traditional club running 5 senior mens teams, a full array of M/J sides and women’s rugby it will be business as usual in Corbridge.
Finally to Wharfedale. A fourth placed finish represents steady progress. ‘dale are another traditional club that relies heavily on a thriving M/J section and promotes from the very successful Foresters. The players section on the website is still under construction but even incomplete it illustrates the number of youths that have made the transition to the first team.
Billingham have a second season in N2 and will hope to reproduce the form they showed in the early part of their first campaign. They won one more match than I’s but an inability to pick up bonus points left them tied on the same number of points and finishing the season second bottom.
They have had a successful pre-season and will expect to challenge all teams on their plastic pitch (though I would rather see it and all the others dug up and replaced with grass).
Chester return to N2N after a brief sojourn into the West. They enter their centenary season in good heart having enjoyed success in a busy pre-season, with wins over Macclesfield and Anselmians. They look to have recruited heavily from over the Welsh border and with Guy Ford amongst the coaching team they will be competitive and combative.
Fylde recovered well after a disappointing start to last season and will undoubtably want to be one of the sides vying for promotion. They will need to overcome the loss of a number of key players, including Ben Gregory, Tom Carlton and Scott Rawlings, to achieve it and much will depend on how the phalanx of new recruits’ gel into the team.
Harrogate bounce back to N2N and it looks like Woody is still in charge, which is nice. They came out top in a very keenly contested league, overcoming the challenge of Heath and York, to re-claim a place in the national leagues. There is little rugby news on their social media but they did defeat Selby in a low scoring pre-season fixture.
I can also inform Ionians supporters that a pre -match meal is available when I’s visit the Apollocapitalgroup stadium.
Hull have Mike Umaga and Tony Penn still in charge down Chants. Ave. and the strong links with Bishop Burton allow them to assemble a strong squad to compete in N2N. They lost narrowly to DMP in a pre-season friendly but with the return of long-term absentees Keane Naylor and Mike Adlard they will pose a threat out wide to any side in the league.
Leeds will undoubtably overcome the disappointment of being pipped to the title last season: the long time pace setters couldn’t hold off the challenge of Rotherham but face another season in N2 with plenty of confidence. They have attracted a plethora of new players to the club and retained the majority of last seasons squad so competition for a game will be fierce. Expect them to be there or thereabouts.
Lymm had a very respectable season in their first foray into level 4 rugby. Much of their success was down to the performance of Tom Shard, who’s rotund physique belied his abilities. He may have looked like a third team prop but he had the last laugh and was rightly recognised for his contribution with an inclusion into both the TRP and NLR team of the season.
Lymm look to be relying on the bulk of last years squad with a smattering of new signings from local clubs.
Otley are another club who have retained the majority of last years team, they have also found rich pickings at Leeds Beckett to bring in additional recourses. The club seem to be stuck in the dilapidated facilities for the foreseeable, but on the pitch they have plenty of talent, including the much travelled Callum Irvine, to test the best. This was shown in a pre-season victory over Leeds.
Preston Grasshoppers are keeping their cards close to their chests, with no announcements of coming and goings on social media. They have had two pre-season matches, against Blackburn and Macclesfield, winning the first and drawing the second. One thing we do know, they have worked had on defence over the close season, Saturday will prove if it has done any good.
Sheffield were perhaps the surprise package last season, finishing third. They had a good settled squad and some fine individual talent, so perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a surprise after all. Antony Posa has added at least five new recruits, all of whom featured in the narrow defeat at Sedge Tigers. Don’t be surprised if Sheffield do well this season.
Sheffield Tigers would concede they had an average season, mid table and a 50/50 set of results says as much. Under normal circumstance it may have sufficed but the success of local rivals at Abbeydale will have wrangled. Their best result was the hammering of I’s on Dore moor. There are a good number of fresh-faced youngsters signed for the new season, with the club continuing with a policy of developing players from within, it’s a good policy to pursue if it works, only time will tell.
Tynedale start with a trip to Leeds Tykes, probably not the fixture they would have chosen. There is only news of three departures on their website, no incomings were spotted. With Dean Richards as part of the coaching set-up it would be a surprise it there weren’t a few new faces. However, as a thriving traditional club running 5 senior mens teams, a full array of M/J sides and women’s rugby it will be business as usual in Corbridge.
Finally to Wharfedale. A fourth placed finish represents steady progress. ‘dale are another traditional club that relies heavily on a thriving M/J section and promotes from the very successful Foresters. The players section on the website is still under construction but even incomplete it illustrates the number of youths that have made the transition to the first team.
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