Saturday 12th January – Blaydon V Lymm, From the Touchline

If its not too late a Happy New Year to everyone and a welcome to our first home game of 2019 versus Lymm.

We visited their ground in late September and won 26-13. They are located in the attractive Cheshire countryside and are a welcoming social club who attract the majority of their players from the immediate locality. They have a private gym next to their Clubhouse but that’s where their similarity with Swalwell ends. We welcome their team and supporters today and hope that their player /coach, Andy Davies, a former Blaydon scrum half, is able to attend as he missed the last game with flu and I understand that he may now have an injury. It would be nice to see him again at Crowtrees.
Last weekend we were most unfortunate not to win at the League leaders Hull with an excusable knock on at the final whistle which would otherwise have won us the game after a fine performance from the team and a deserved opposition Man of the Match vote going to Matthew Jenkinson. That win gives Hull some breathing space but we must remain hard on the heels of Billingham if we are to achieve at least a play off position at the end of the Season
Congratulations also go to our Georgians team for their fine win against Darlington Mowden Park.
Both Northumberland and Durham County’s Clubs are to debate the RFU proposal that teams with strong 2nd teams be able to enter lower leagues and play against other Clubs 1st teams on a regular basis within a League. Blaydon, DMP, Billingham etc are all for it as this will provide regular and competitive rugby to our 2nd team. However it appears that those clubs already struggling in lower leagues are against any such proposal as they fear for their 1st team future. We shall see, but we need to encourage competitive rugby, and reduce the number of games being cancelled already at 2nd team level because of potential mismatches.
Sorry to see the Falcons take a bit of a battering against Harlequins last week and we all hope they start to pick up points after the European games
Lets hope for another good game today
Bill Locke