Bowman's Blog - 07/01/22

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Bowman's Blog - 07/01/22

Happy New Year All. Welcome back to rugby! I hope you all had a good break and, like all of us at the club, are looking forward to the action resuming.
Having seen our last games before the holidays cancelled (all fixtures across the leagues were postponed) it is great to be back. The players will have had a good period of rest and we resumed training this week to get any festive ,”rustiness” out of the system.
This Saturday we see The Gents away to Thanet and the Firsts playing CS Stags 1863. The Seconds this week are away and playing Bournemouth RFC, which is set to be an exciting challenge.
Sitting 4th in the league the First XV will has a tough challenge against CS. Although our visitors are struggling this season they have some good players and as I have said many times, there are no easy games in London SE Premier. We will need to be at our best and come out of the blocks quickly for what is our first game in a month.
As we enter the second half of the season, we know we are in a strong place to compete for a high finishing position in the league but will (cliche alert!) be taking each game as it comes.
The weather doesn’t look that good for Saturday, with rain likely and a sticky pitch probable but the boys will do their best to serve up another entertaining game. All support is welcome, giving you the first real opportunity to break that attempted ‘dry January’ 😃

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Happy New Year from Sevenoaks President, Michael Wooldridge!

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Happy New Year from Sevenoaks President, Michael Wooldridge!

As 2021 draws to a close, we reflect on how far we have come as a club over the preceding years, standing on the efforts of those that have come before us and looking to the future and how we can continue to evolve our offering both in terms of rugby but also as a community function, standing together with a common theme allowing us to all be there for each other.

The success we have seen over the last 5 years, from introducing U5s to expanding our senior squad and the training provision provided to all, both male and female, has allowed us to stay at the forefront of rugby and its offering as a truly team sport. As we drop our shoulders and drive through to 2022, we hope to bring further developments and enhance our offering further. As an amateur club, Sevenoaks aims to be as professional as we can be, striving to deliver the best rugby experience we possibly can, to make you, our members, players, parents and supporters, the best we can all be - we are a direct reflection of you all and we thank you for that.

Onwards and upwards!

Yours in rugby,

 
Michael Wooldridge, President of Sevenoaks Rugby Club

Post match interview from Nov 2016 below, highlighting the path Sevenoaks was taking and continues to follow!

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Westcombe Park and Carols Cancelled

Dear Members and Supporters,


With regret, we are having to postpone this weekend’s matches against Westcombe Park for the 1st and 2nd XV due to a number of covid cases with the squads, both at Sevenoaks and Westcombe Park. The rescheduled matches will be played on 5th February, 2022, by agreement with Westcombe Park and no penalties in league points for either side.

We have also taken the difficult decision to cancel Saturdays Carols event at the Club.

Yours in rugby,

 
Sevenoaks Rugby Club

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Bowman's Blog - 10/12/21

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Bowman's Blog - 10/12/21

Last week saw ‘four from four’ with the Academy winning their league match; the Gents beating Ashford, the 2’s winning at Medway and the 1’s defeating a feisty Tring team away from home. Well done to everyone! Senior fixtures this week will see the Gents travel to Canterbury, the Seconds away to Sidcup for the big Kent Cup semi-final and the Firsts hosting Maidenhead at the Paddock. 

It was a pleasing victory at Cow Lane in Hertfordshire as the Firsts managed the elements well to put in a very strong second half display, having coped well with adverse wind, slope, and blinding sun in the first half.  We now face a tough match against Maidenhead who although sit at the lower end of the league table has had a number of narrow defeats this season. It will be a tough game needing us meet the physical challenge posed and repeat the attacking precision we showed last week. The weather is set to be cold and wet so managing the conditions will again be a key factor.

The Maidenhead game, our last at home before Christmas, sees the completion of the first round of fixtures against all teams in the league. We currently sit 5th in the table, two points separating us from second place. Team selection for Saturday’s game sees Stuart Coleman return to the row, Awa Morris move to 15 with James Fotheringham starting at 12.  Charlie Naismith & Tom Simmons rotate roles, with Charlie starting at tight head and Tom starting from the bench.  Matt Holmes returns from injury and starts from the bench.  We also have a very strong team out for the 2s for the Kent Cup semi-final. 

The players and coaches look forward to doing everything we can to deliver a feast of rugby this weekend. For those who want a break from Christmas shopping, support will be welcome at the Paddock and at Sidcup for the 2s. 

Adam

PS I am delighted to say Emma, me and the boys moved into our new house this week. The house naming discussion has been had and you won’t be surprised to hear ‘Cherry Orchard and ‘Apple Blossom’ were soundly defeated by the more appropriate ‘The Paddock’ 😊


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Bowman's Blog - 03/12/21

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Bowman's Blog - 03/12/21

Well, what an exciting set of matches last weekend. A clean sweep of victories with the Gents winning a tight match away at Medway, the Seconds coming from behind to beat Canterbury and the Firsts edging a thriller against league leaders Dorking with the last kick of the game. Enough excitement to keep out the cold ……almost!

The boys have been preparing for this week’s fixtures, which see the Gents hosting Ashford, the Second XV entertaining Medway and the Firsts making the trip to Tring. Oaks remain 5th in London & SE Premier with three fixtures left before Christmas, but our focus is very much on the visit to the attractively named Cow Lane to face a team who are having a strong season themselves, with 7 wins so far. It will be another tough fixture.

Regardless of the fact weather conditions were horrendous last weekend, we were delighted to keep Dorking try-less. Our defence this season has been a great strength (leading the league with less than 12 points conceded per game) and we will need to be on our mettle for this difficult away trip.

Team selection this week sees George Flatman and Josh Baldock start in the pack for Stu Coleman and Sean Derrick. Behind the scrum, Henry Galligan and Ollie Shirtcliff start at 9/10, with Patrick moving to 15. James Fotheringham comes onto the bench after returning from injury.
Just a final word on the support the teams received from the Oaks supporters at the Paddock last weekend. Those who cheered on the Seconds in the biting wind and for the tremendous support that helped us over the line against Dorking (you even get a mention in the Dorking match report!) …thank you. If you can make the short 75 mile trip to Tring that would be appreciated😊

We will do our best to bring as much excitement this weekend, on what looks like being another freezing day of rugby.

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Bowman's Blog - 26/11/21

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Bowman's Blog - 26/11/21

Last weekend saw a fine win for the Seconds away to Canterbury in the Kent Cup with a rest week for the Firsts. Midweek we have been gearing up for a big programme of rugby this Saturday; the Gents travelling to Medway, the Seconds hosting a home fixture rematch against Canterbury, whilst the First XV welcoming table topping Dorking to the Paddock. Having suffered a narrow defeat for the second week in a row when losing to Wimbledon before the break, the Firsts had a well-deserved rest before training hard this week in preparation for what will be a very tough fixture.

I have been very pleased with the commitment shown by the boys, with the players and coaches recognising the outcome of both matches came down to small margins, highlighting areas where we can do better. A Dorking side that is undefeated this season so far presents us with a challenge we look forward to. We have competed well with teams at the top of the league and now just need to reduce our errors in key areas of the pitch and be clinical when try scoring opportunities arise. We know Dorking will look to impose themselves physically, are a very dangerous side with ball in hand, and we have trained and prepared well this week in readiness.

The team selection this week sees Stu Coleman and Fred Richardson return to the starting pack, and Oliver Shirtcliff start from the bench after missing Wimbledon through injury. 

I have always said we need to reach the halfway point in the season before assessing the progress we are making in London & SE Premier, and with many of the teams towards the top of the table playing each other in the coming weeks, we will get a good sense of our potential for the full season by Christmas.

The weather for Saturday looks set to be cold with some chance of sleet and rain, but the pitch is holding up reasonably well, so we are hoping for good try scoring playing conditions for both games at the Paddock. As ever we welcome a vociferous backing from the Oaks faithful and the Firsts and Seconds will do their best to serve up an entertaining afternoon of rugby. Good luck to the Gents on their trip to Medway.

Adam

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Congratulations Tori! England U20s International Debut

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Congratulations Tori! England U20s International Debut

Tori Sellors started her rugby career at Sevenoaks in the U7s and was part of the inaugural girls section. Combining with T.Well to boost numbers, the unified team went on to win the Kent Cup and reached the national finals. As girls rugby continued to grow, Tori found her next squad at Aylesford for U15 and U16s and is now playing at Hartpury College where she is part of their Elite Academy. As a proud member of the England U18s squad, Tori was selected to play for England U20s at London Irish against Springbok Women yesterday!!

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Bowman’s Blog - 12/11/2021

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Bowman’s Blog - 12/11/2021

We have put the disappointment behind us of last week’s frustrating First XV final moments defeat against North Walsham. Lessons were learned and we have trained well this week to iron out some of the mistakes we made in a game where overall our performance was very good. Congratulations to the Seconds, who faired better with a thumping win at Southend, whilst the Gents unfortunately also suffered a defeat.

This week sees the Firsts visit Wimbledon, with all other sides having a rest weekend.
It seems a long time ago now but our last double header against Wimbledon in the 2019/20 season saw the Oaks First XV heavily beaten away at Barham Road, but gaining a famous bonus point victory in the reverse fixture. That’s all in the past, and what we do know is Wimbledon will present us with a significant challenge, where we must be ready to compete with their strong pack and nullify their pace out wide.

Team news for the Firsts sees Matt Holmes and Drew Narbey-Nimeti come into the squad for Henry Galligan and Fred Richardson. We will aim, with this selection, to play our fast expansive game in the right areas of the pitch, defend with intensity and organisation and maintain our strong set piece execution. It will be a tough game but the boys are determined to avoid a second consecutive defeat.

For the team and our supporters it is another M25 journey, this time 36 miles, with my BBC weather app telling me it will be a dry, mild autumn day. All support is gratefully appreciated. Here’s to a great weekend of rugby.

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