LEAGUE RUGBY RETURNS
Welcome back everyone, and a warm welcome to local rivals Scarborough, who make the short trip south for the 1st league game of the new season.
Both sides’ last league outing was on 14 March 2020 – since then we have all been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic – it will be great to get back to some sort of normality, with an afternoon watching North One East league rugby.
The league for the 2019-20 season was finalised with York as Champions, moving up to North Premier this season. Huddersfield YMCA, West Hartlepool and Percy Park were relegated, and Kendal moved back across to North West. These spaces were filled with Ilkley and Morpeth, who were relegated from North Premier. Old Brodleians, Heath and Consett all gained promotion and join life in North One East.
The 1st XV squad have been keeping active during the lockdowns and are all in great shape for the season. During the summer we signed Tosh Askew as coach, and he has headed up the club’s training during this summer. He has also held coaching courses for other club coaches, with the aim of developing a 1-club playing style – that should mean we can move players between teams more easily. Alongside Tosh, Alex Piercy returns to the club as backs coach and Ed Falkingham returns to Driffield from his spell at Hull Ionians. Ed comes back as player / coach, taking charge of the forwards helped by Mitch. Making sure that everything is going in the right direction we have Coops and Bash as usual.
As usual our pre-match meals have already been a great success, with limited tables available already, and sold out from Christmas onwards.
Let’s we all enjoy a great 1st game back, and keep safe.
Driffield 1st XV
- 15 Ryan Murray
- 14 James Short
- 13 Gary Stephenson
- 12 Ben Johnson
- 11 Owen Scurry
- 10 James Watts
- 9 Joe Robinson
- 1 Henry Furbank
- 2 Guy Brumfield
- 3 Felix Nellen
- 4 James Dinsdale
- 5 Ed Falkingham
- 6 Jack Sowersby
- 7 Rob Mewburn (c)
- 8 Matthew Jenkinson
- 16 Mark Blenkinsop
- 17 Ben Blacker
- 18 Sam Robson