Welcome to East Grinstead Rugby Round Up. If you are reading this on the website, or via Facebook, please sign up to receive this Newsletter via email, which contains loads of pictures and other content, please email m.marriott@btconnect.com and we will add you to the list.

SENIOR RUGBY
Anyone who made the journey to Saint Hill on Saturday to watch our 1’s take on a Teddington side unbeaten for two seasons, certainly got some great entertainment as our 1VX played some lovely stuff to push Teddington all the way. To read about it, please click here: Match report

To look at Molly’s pics, click here: Match pics

Our 2’s also put on a show at Uckfield! To read all the action, follow this link: Match report

Massive thanks to Lou, for these great pics: Match pics

On Sunday, our Women travelled to Worthing for a very close match. To read how the game unfolded, please click here: Match report

Massive thanks to Ben for these shots: Match pics

Next weekend is another big weekend for our Men as our 1’s travel to Sussex rivals, Eastbourne and our 2XV pop down the road to neighbours, Crowborough.

JUNIOR RUGBY
On Sunday, 12th November, We had a full house at HQ for all the junior sections and it was great to see so many poppies on show to commemorate the date.

Whilst some dashed off early to the remembrance parade in town, the U11's hosted Uckfield for a joint training session followed by the much anticipated friendly match. This would be the first chance our U11’s had to play against an opposition team this year, and the players were raring to go. We started the session lightly with some ball handling skills. However, this quickly moved on to tackling and rucking drills, which enabled the players to really welcome each other to the session. All groups had a mixture of players from both clubs in order to let the players get to know each other and encourage communication with people that they don't know, which all coaches believe is an important lesson in life.

Once these drills were completed and all players had been fully coached in the tackle and ruck situation, the all-important match took place. East Grinstead had enough players to field two teams of 9, whereas Uckfield had 1 team with a few substitutes. It was therefore decided we would play 4 quarters of 8 minutes each, which enabled the two East Grinstead teams to play two quarters each. During the quarters, some great rugby was seen from all three teams, and it was great to see from East Grinstead's point of view that areas of the game that we have been working on, actually being performed in a game situation.

The game was followed by a 2 minute silence in remembrance of the fallen, which the players respected and showed great understanding of.

Lastly, and probably the most important for some, was the food afterwards. It was great to see some of the players mixing with the opposition in the clubhouse and was good practice for the years to come. The highlight for the U11's coaches was the praise that Uckfield coaches gave to our players and the rugby ability that they have. The U11s would like to thank Uckfield U11's for coming up to East Grinstead, and we look forward to the return fixture in February.

If you would like your children to be part of this amazing game and club, please email: junior-chairman@egrfc.com

INTERMEDIATE RUGBY
Two matches at HQ on Sunday - Two wins

U13’s Report from Head Coach - James Seal
What a result today!! So very proud of our U13’s team who soundly beat Shoreham for the win of 35-5, in the Sussex waterfall league match.

The team communicated well and worked hard for each other, as the amazing team we know they are. Try scorers were Sid Ward-Harris(1), Jack Brown (1), Leighton Langridge (3) and Gethin Ellis with his first try for East Grinstead Rugby Club

Again all would have not been possible without the work of the entire team.
Congratulations to Alfie Powders who got Shoreham's players player. Well done lads!

Our U15’s played a Surrey Cup game, beating Camberley 35 - 0.
Leading 14 - 0 at half time, EG pulled away swiftly from their visitors in the second period. Resolute defense, was rewarded with stopping Camberley getting on the scoreboard.

With one more match away to Haslemere in the cup to play, a win would make it 4 wins out of 5 matches, before a trip to the Finals Day on 10th December, where our boys look set for the second place final match. A great achievement. A huge well done to all the boys.

Some brilliant news for the Darch family, with both Benjamin and Emily picked to play for Harlequins, in the U16 match against Saints, and U18 game against Exeter respectively. Benjamin had a stormer in attack and defense in a narrow 46 - 39 loss, while Em scored a cracker in a 79 - 0 rout of Exeter. We just need to persuade her to come back and play at EG!!!

Well done both!

WOMEN & GIRLS JOINT TRAINING
This Thursday evening at 7.30, our Women are teaming up with our girls for the first of a brilliant new initiative at the club. If you are new to the sport, or thinking of giving rugby a go, this is a brilliant way to start your rugby journey. Parents are welcome to join in and best of all, for just £3.50, we are all eating together afterwards in the club house. For more info, or to say you are coming, please email: women@egrfc.com

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

SUNSHINE SEVENS CHARITY LUNCH
Saturday was a great day at EGRFC, with great rugby from the 1st and 2nd XVs, the Sunshine Sevens Committee distributed £32,000 to local Charities and Good causes. The Sunshine Sevens moves into its sixty sixth year and this year is the largest amount raised to date. As a community club the ethos in EGRFC has always been to raise money to support local disadvantage children. This year the club raised almost £30,000, from the Sunshine sevens tournament, the wonderful Golf Day at the Birch Grove estate and generous donations from sponsors and members.

With the extra funds raised we have been able to maintain the support to our established charities but also bring new charities to the club. During the presentations there were some wonderful anecdotes on the work that these charities do and that a lot of the charities do work very closely together in the community.

Step by Step School for Autism has been a key charity for the club and celebrates its twentieth anniversary early next year. Gayle Adam and Debbie Kittow received a donation for £8,000, which will go towards new projects.

Wooden Spoon (Sussex) - EGRFC have a partnership status with Wooden Spoon and carry out some great projects in Sussex for disadvantaged children. Receiving a donation for £8,000 Nick Grantham-Hill thanks EGRFC and having travelled all over UK with Wooden Spoon had not seen anything like this community work.

East Grinstead Special Families – We have helped Special Families over the last few years. This is a small support group for parent-carers with disabled children from East Grinstead and surrounding areas. Offering activities, support, courses, and information for the whole family. Joanne Bradbury and Mary Barnard received a donation for £1,000 to help support and develop their activities.

Queen Victoria Hospital (Crew Project) – Hearing from Camilla Lane and Bev Omar the great work done in the Crew Project which sends children that have been through traumas on an activity weekend to the Isle of White with children in similar circumstances. Around thirty children go each year, and our £4,000 donation will secure the place for sixteen of these.

Court Meadow Group, Riding for the Disabled – This RDA group has been established for over forty years, giving young people the interaction and experience of horse, which is very therapeutic. With around forty students – some from the Step-by-Step school – there are over forty volunteers who help give these great experiences. CEO of Court Meadow Michelle Dolly-Hunton accepted the £3,000 donation.

Tadpoles Swimming for the disabled – Established at East Grinstead Sports Centre almost forty years ago, this swimming club has provided an hour a week for swimming for a wide range of children and adults. Again, we have students from Step by Step who attend. Supported by volunteers they are always looking for more people to help. Jenny Leigh and Ross Disney accepted a donation of £2,000.

Due to availability, there are some further donations to local schools etc. which will be done over the next few weeks, we will send a further update.

Closing the presentations, Chair of the EGRFC Sunshine Sevens Committee, Garry Gordon said “Today shows the amazing generosity that we have within the Rugby Club in both time and money, and I would like to thank the committee members for all that hard work this year. Finding these great new charities to support gives the motivation to do the same next year – or better! Finally, thanks to our main sponsor Challenge Packaging, Penny Farthing Jewellers, and the Birch Grove Estate and those that gave generous donations”.

The Challenge Packaging 66th Sunshine Sevens with take place on Sunday 28th April 2024. Help us Help the Kids.

ADMINISTRATIVE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Last week in Rugby Round Up, you will have read the article about volunteers urgently needed. Thank you so much to those who have been in contact about this.

We have three more urgent roles which we desperately need filling as soon as possible. They are:
• Coach co-ordinator - checks coaches certs arranges training and certification
• First Aid co-ordinator – as above but checks certification and arranges training
• Assistant Safeguarding Office – works with Safeguarding Officer on all safeguarding issues, GMS, CRB checks etc.

If you think you could spare a bit of your time to help out with any of these positions, please contact us on: operations@egrfc.com
In case you missed last weeks issue, and are interested about volunteering at the club, please click here to re-read: RRU 8. 11. 23.

OTHER NEWS
If you have any news about any aspect of our rugby family here at East Grinstead, get involved and email m.marriott@btconnect.com. See you next week!!