BARNSTAPLE WELCOMES RUGBY LEAGUE TO POTTINGTON ROAD

North Devon Raiders Rugby League and Barnstaple RFC have agreed an historic groundshare for the 2010 co-operative Rugby League Conference season which will see rugby league played in North Devon for the first time in the game’s 115 year history.

The Raiders will stage their five home games at Barnstaple’s Pottington Road ground beginning with the visit of the current South Western League Champions, the Devon Sharks, on Sunday May 9^th (2.30pm).

Raiders spokesman Keith Fillingham commented, “We are very grateful to the committee at Barnstaple Rugby Club for allowing us to use their fine facilities in our inaugural year, particularly Chairman Martin Mogford and Director of Rugby Kevin Squire, who have been more than helpful in meeting our requests and are fully supportive of the venture. The Raiders committee of Roy Spear, David Luggar and myself have held a series of meetings with Barnstaple RFC and hopefully the deal will work well for both clubs and we will be at Pottington Road for many years to come.”

North Devon has a small but illustrious Rugby League history, despite the thirteen man code never being played in the area with former Barnstaple Colt Andy Tyers now Director of Rugby at Championship club Sheffield Eagles and Jason Kenneally, formerly of Bideford RFC now Academy Coach at the Bradford Bulls. Mike Blackmore played in League’s greatest showpiece, the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley for Hull Kingston Rovers back in the sixties and Kevin Squire graced the Headingley turf for Leeds Rugby League in the early eighties before a knee injury ended his career.

“Hopefully, the next professional Rugby League player from North Devon isn’t too far away. With rugby league being a Summer sport, and in particular for us in the South West, a rugby union off season sport, the two codes will fit together neatly to provide the Rugby Club with income through the Summer months, utilise the facilities twelve months a year and be a way for players from all of the clubs in North Devon to maintain their fitness and possibly learn new skills from the league game which can be used when they return to union in the Autumn.”
“We hope that supporters will appreciate the chance of watching rugby twelve months a year at Pottington Road and see what rugby league is all about.”

“Whilst the club will be based in Barnstaple for matches and training, we extend an invitation to players from all of the North Devon clubs to come along and give league a try. We see the Raiders as a North Devon representative side for rugby league and hope to play a couple of friendly games at other grounds in the area to thank them for their support.”

The Raiders coaching team will be on hand to give advice to all standards of player from the seasoned league player to the complete novice.“We have had a good response from all around the area with RMB Chivenor a particularly fruitful recruiting ground but all players will be welcomed.”

The Raiders will be launched on Sunday March 21^st, when a sign on / taster session will be held at Pottington Road, meeting from 1pm for a 2pm start. The session will be a chance to gauge interest in the game and an opportunity for prospective players, supporters and sponsors the chance to find out more about the club and its objectives. Registrations will be taken from 1pm at the Clubhouse before a light coaching session where the coaches will explain the differences between league and union with some drills and gameplay. Pre season training will begin on Wednesday evenings from April 7th then on Tuesday's from May. 

There is a full range of representative opportunities for those who want to go further in the game, from the South West Wildcats through the South of England to the England Lionhearts who compete in the Home Nations competition with Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Last season Exmouth RFC’s Tony Emmins and Richard Cadywould represented the Lionhearts last season so the opportunities are there for those who want to go further.To find out more or register your interest in playing for the Raiders go to www.northdevonrugbyleague.com, email mail@northdevonrugbyleague.com or call Club Secretary Roy Spear on 07738 983959.

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FIXTURE LIST ANNOUNCED
The North Devon Raiders Rugby League Club begin their inaugural season in the co-operative Rugby League Conference by hosting the current South West Champions in a tough opener on Sunday May 9th (2.30pm).
At the South West Clubs meeting in Exeter on Sunday, it was announced that the Raiders, who will announce their home venue shortly, will begin their ten game regular season against the Devon Sharks from Torquay, before travelling to Exmouth to tackle the reigning South West Cup holders the East Devon Eagles.

 

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Press release for second meeting at the Corner House on December 3rd. Versions appeared in the North Devon Journal, Sunday Independent and North Devon Gazette.

Following an encouraging inaugural meeting, the North Devon Rugby League Club will be holding its' second meeting at the Corner House, Boutport Street, Barnstaple on Thursday December 3^rd from 7.30pm.

Organiser Keith Fillingham was pleased with the response to the initial meeting and is hopeful that an even bigger gathering will attend the next one.

"To get fifteen like minded Rugby League people together in a Barnstaple pub on a filthy Thursday night in November was a pipe dream six months ago but now I can see the basis for a strong club in North Devon. Joe Catcheside and Julia Lee from the Rugby League were very impressed with what they saw and it is certain that North Devon will have a club ready for the start of the 2010 Rugby League Conference season in May."

Next Thursday's meeting will formally constitute the club so that it can affiliate with the Rugby Football League and make its' application for the RLC along with electing officers for the forthcoming year and deciding on the club name, colours and logo.

"Anyone with an interest in Rugby League is welcome to come along and hear what our future plans are and, if they want to take an active part in the club, stand for a position on the committee," added Fillingham. 
"Once the official business of forming the club is over, we can start recruitment of a playing squad for next season with coaching sessions planned to begin early in the New Year to give newcomers an insight into the differences between League and Union before pre season training begins in earnest at the end of March.
To find out more about the North Devon Rugby League Club visit www.northdevonrugbyleague.com or email mail@northdevonrugbyleague.com

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Press release for meeting at the Wrey Arms on November 12th. Edited versions appeared in the North Devon Journal, Sunday Independent and North Devon Gazette.

The inaugural meeting of the North Devon Rugby League Club is being held at the Wrey Arms, Bickington Road, Barnstaple on Thursday November 12^th (7.15) and anyone interested in the new club are urged to attend.

The club was originally due to be formed at Easter but was delayed whilst the Rugby Football League appointed a Regional Manager for the South West, a position filled by Joe Catcheside from Exeter who formed the Exeter Centurions club in 2006 and has previous experience of forming clubs including the Basingstoke Beasts in the nineties.Now the proposed club has a six month timeframe to put everything into place for entry into the 2010 co-operative Rugby League Conference which runs from May to August, in the Rugby Union off season.

Organiser Keith Fillingham is confident that the North Devon area can host a successful Rugby League club and has already fielded expressions of interest from potential players, officials and sponsors although he stressed that there was plenty of work to be done if the club was to eventuate.

 

"It is vital that we get a good turnout for this inaugural meeting to kick start the club and show the Rugby Football League that we are serious in our intentions to join the Conference next summer. The new Regional Manger has pledged his support to the venture and will be attending the meeting on Thursday to pass on the League's plans in the South West for the future. Although the meeting is being held in Barnstaple, as yet, there isn't a set venue for the club to play from but a couple of inquiries have been met with a positive response."The South West Division of the co-operative Rugby League Conference currently has six clubs - Exeter Centurions, East Devon Eagles (Exmouth), Devon Sharks (Torquay), Plymouth Titans, Somerset Vikings (Bridgwater) and South Dorset Giants (Weymouth).

To contact the North Devon Rugby League Club visit www.northdevonrugbyleague.com   or email mail@northdevonrugbyleague.com

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Initial press release - an edited version appeared in the North Devon Journal on Thursday April 2nd.

A new website, www.northdevonrugbyleague.com has been launched to test the waters for the formation of a Rugby League club in North Devon to play during the summer months. Since the switch from a winter season to summer, the game has seen a major expansion of clubs, especially in the South for this traditionally Northern game.
Rugby League in the South West is played during the Rugby Union off season from May to August and whilst some of the players are solely League players, the majority combine their League with a winter season with Rugby Union clubs, a state of affairs which has seen an enthusiastic response from at least one club, Exmouth RFC, who, after forming the East Devon Eagles in 2006 won the South West 2 title the following season just pipping Barnstaple to the title.
Players have commented that they find pre season training at their Union clubs less painful after maintaining their fitness playing League and that they have gained new skills from their experiences playing the thirteen a side code.
Speaking on behalf of the Devon County Rugby League, Keith Fillingham was enthusiastic about the proposed club.
"The website has been set up to ascertain the interest in Rugby League in North Devon and whether there is the appetite to form a club in the area. No decisions have been made as yet to where the club would be based, club colours, even the club name. We feel it is important that the club should belong to the players and supporters of North Devon and decisions not be forced upon them by outsiders. There is support available, be it financial, administrative or coaching, but the most important factor would be the interest and support of the locals. Hopefully we will unearth a few Mike Blackmore's from the local talent"
Mike Blackmore was a former Barnstaple Secondary Modern pupil who represented England RU under 15s, played for Barnstaple 1^st XV at the age of 16 and represented Devon 42 times, many as captain. After answering an advertisement in the local press, Blackmore joined Hull Kingston Rovers in 1961, the highlight of his 190 game career being his 1964 Challenge Cup Final appearance at Wembley in front of 84,000. On retiring from Rugby League he returned to Barnstaple where he lived until his death on New Year's Day 2008 aged 70.
The game has been played in the county since 1985 when Plymouth entered the now defunct Midlands and South West League but with the switch to summer, new clubs have been formed at Exeter, Exmouth and Torquay and these combine with clubs in Taunton and Weymouth to form the South West Division of the national co-operative Rugby League Conference. Initially, any new North Devon club would play friendlies this summer before applying for membership of the Rugby League Conference in 2010.
Anyone interested in the proposed club should make intial contact via the website and if there is sufficient interest, a meeting will be held to progress things further.
"We are looking for anyone who could assist with the formation of a club, players, supporters, facility providers, potential sponsors, whoever could help and is interested in this exciting new venture" added Fillingham. "With a number of Service bases, along with a strong Rugby tradition in the North Devon area, I'm sure we can form a Rugby League Club of which North Devonians will be proud".