Talk:Village Spartans RUFC - Revision history

Ross Burgess: /* 2000 */

2015-09-05T16:17:15Z

2000

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:17, 5 September 2015
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	It is fair to say that both groups were a little unsure of each other at first. How would the Old Salians players react to the Spartans? Would there be any homophobia? Or how would the Spartans come across to the Old Salians? Would they fit the stereotypes of gay men? It was an interesting time because each group was made up of individual characters, extroverts and introverts but they quickly found common ground in the game of rugby and a sense of humour in the bar. Jokes flew regarding the fact that the Spartans had joined the Old Salians when their backs were well and truly 'up against the wall', or had only shown interest due to the name of the Chairman, Mr Roger Bottomley! The Spartans named one Old Salian called Dewey, 'Julie' and were also amused to have first been demonstrated the benefits of a nail brush by an enthusiastic straight lad in the bath! It all helped to reinforce the relationship between the two clubs and this partnership proved to be one of the most important moments historically for the Spartans as it is where they are still based today. Several seasons were played with this partnership, but unfortunately, despite the pool of players from both Clubs, after struggling in the 2003/04 season the Old Salians dropped out of the league. They returned for another attempt in the 2004/05 season, only to drop out again for the final time and they folded.		It is fair to say that both groups were a little unsure of each other at first. How would the Old Salians players react to the Spartans? Would there be any homophobia? Or how would the Spartans come across to the Old Salians? Would they fit the stereotypes of gay men? It was an interesting time because each group was made up of individual characters, extroverts and introverts but they quickly found common ground in the game of rugby and a sense of humour in the bar. Jokes flew regarding the fact that the Spartans had joined the Old Salians when their backs were well and truly 'up against the wall', or had only shown interest due to the name of the Chairman, Mr Roger Bottomley! The Spartans named one Old Salian called Dewey, 'Julie' and were also amused to have first been demonstrated the benefits of a nail brush by an enthusiastic straight lad in the bath! It all helped to reinforce the relationship between the two clubs and this partnership proved to be one of the most important moments historically for the Spartans as it is where they are still based today. Several seasons were played with this partnership, but unfortunately, despite the pool of players from both Clubs, after struggling in the 2003/04 season the Old Salians dropped out of the league. They returned for another attempt in the 2004/05 season, only to drop out again for the final time and they folded.

	Despite the gradual decline of Old Salians, the Spartans continued to develop and write their own history. The London Kings Cross Steelers challenged the Spartans to a re-match, this time at their home ground at East London RFC, near West Ham. This would prove to be the Spartans first tour and the whole Club was very excited at the prospect. Having lost and gained a handful of different players, but still pretty much the same team as their first, the Spartans team headed to London in a coach with a small group of enthusiastic supporters. The date was 6th May 2000 and the rugby pitch was hard on a baking hot day making the efforts of both teams exhaustive and punishing. This account, written from the Spartans perspective, recalls the tremendous effort from the Spartans who had spent many weeks preparing for the match.		Despite the gradual decline of Old Salians, the Spartans continued to develop and write their own history. The London Kings Cross Steelers challenged the Spartans to a re-match, this time at their home ground at East London RFC, near [[West Ham]]. This would prove to be the Spartans first tour and the whole Club was very excited at the prospect. Having lost and gained a handful of different players, but still pretty much the same team as their first, the Spartans team headed to London in a coach with a small group of enthusiastic supporters. The date was 6th May 2000 and the rugby pitch was hard on a baking hot day making the efforts of both teams exhaustive and punishing. This account, written from the Spartans perspective, recalls the tremendous effort from the Spartans who had spent many weeks preparing for the match.

	An initial try was scored and converted by the Steelers which did not make the visitors' heads go down. Later, in his début for the team and playing as scrum-half, Matt Whiteley sneaked a quick solo run round the blind-side of a scrum and dashed up the line past the Steelers winger to score his first ever try for the Spartans. Later, after several moves from the backs, Matt Ince scored between the posts too. Neither Spartans try was converted but they were in the lead 10-7. The Spartans clung on to their lead for the rest of the hard-fought match but, after some very dubious refereeing decisions (referee being the Steelers President at the time and a former Tory MP) the Steelers scored again with only 5 minutes to go and took the score to 12-10. However, in what is now a part of Spartans Legend, a focused push by the Spartans front pack secured the ball for the backs who passed it down the line to the 40 year-old winger Paul Wright who strode away down the wing to score in the dying seconds of the match. The Spartans had won their first match, in only their fourth attempt with the score 15-12.		An initial try was scored and converted by the Steelers which did not make the visitors' heads go down. Later, in his début for the team and playing as scrum-half, Matt Whiteley sneaked a quick solo run round the blind-side of a scrum and dashed up the line past the Steelers winger to score his first ever try for the Spartans. Later, after several moves from the backs, Matt Ince scored between the posts too. Neither Spartans try was converted but they were in the lead 10-7. The Spartans clung on to their lead for the rest of the hard-fought match but, after some very dubious refereeing decisions (referee being the Steelers President at the time and a former Tory MP) the Steelers scored again with only 5 minutes to go and took the score to 12-10. However, in what is now a part of Spartans Legend, a focused push by the Spartans front pack secured the ball for the backs who passed it down the line to the 40 year-old winger Paul Wright who strode away down the wing to score in the dying seconds of the match. The Spartans had won their first match, in only their fourth attempt with the score 15-12.

Ross Burgess: /* 2000 */

2014-01-15T17:28:33Z

2000

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:28, 15 January 2014
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	The Spartans held their first Annual General Meeting on 20th May 2000. The Club adopted its first Constitution and took the first steps to becoming part of a local Rugby Union (later accepted into Cheshire RFU). Committee elections were also held for the first time and Duncan Leckie stepped down as Chairman and Simon Stanley was elected to replace him. The following week, on 27th May the Spartans held their first Annual Dinner in the function room at Old Salians clubhouse. This was a chance for everyone to celebrate the creation and growth of the Club after only one year.		The Spartans held their first Annual General Meeting on 20th May 2000. The Club adopted its first Constitution and took the first steps to becoming part of a local Rugby Union (later accepted into Cheshire RFU). Committee elections were also held for the first time and Duncan Leckie stepped down as Chairman and Simon Stanley was elected to replace him. The following week, on 27th May the Spartans held their first Annual Dinner in the function room at Old Salians clubhouse. This was a chance for everyone to celebrate the creation and growth of the Club after only one year.

	The Spartans were soon in action again on 29-30th July 2000, taking part in the London Gay Games (promoted by ~~Walthamstow~~ Forest Council) where a rugby sevens tournament was organised in addition to other sports such as hockey (for girls) and [[football]] (definitely for girls). It was here that the Steelers and Spartans did battle again and for the first time met members of the recently formed gay team from Washington DC, the Renegades. This tournament was the first international rugby sevens tournament for 'gay' teams and prompted discussion amongst the leaders of the Spartans, Steelers and Renegades about the promotion of rugby within the wider international gay and lesbian communities. These were the first steps towards the subsequent formation of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB).		The Spartans were soon in action again on 29-30th July 2000, taking part in the London Gay Games (promoted by [[Waltham Forest]] Council) where a rugby sevens tournament was organised in addition to other sports such as hockey (for girls) and [[football]] (definitely for girls). It was here that the Steelers and Spartans did battle again and for the first time met members of the recently formed gay team from Washington DC, the Renegades. This tournament was the first international rugby sevens tournament for 'gay' teams and prompted discussion amongst the leaders of the Spartans, Steelers and Renegades about the promotion of rugby within the wider international gay and lesbian communities. These were the first steps towards the subsequent formation of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB).

	More partying in the summer of 2000 was enjoyed when the Spartans travelled to Scotland to help celebrate Ian MacDonald's 30th birthday. Ian had arranged a fixture against Falkirk RUFC (a club close to his home town) and, despite the out-of-season date of 12th August, the Falkirk players duly turned up with enough players to field two teams. It seemed that the challenge to take on this new and unusual team had appealed to many. At half-time the score was 14-14, which the Spartans were thrilled with as it was a score-line they had not had against a mainstream team before. The second half was a different affair though with the Falkirk team shored up by numbers from their 1st team, and the final score was 44-14. Still, the Spartans were very happy with their efforts and were warmly received by Falkirk RUFC in their clubhouse bar. They were impressed that the Spartans played so well in only their fifth match and presented the Club with a commemorative plaque. Historically, this was the first match for the Spartans against a fully established Club within the RFU, and one in a foreign country. Certainly it was the first rugby match featuring a 'gay' team in Scotland.		More partying in the summer of 2000 was enjoyed when the Spartans travelled to Scotland to help celebrate Ian MacDonald's 30th birthday. Ian had arranged a fixture against Falkirk RUFC (a club close to his home town) and, despite the out-of-season date of 12th August, the Falkirk players duly turned up with enough players to field two teams. It seemed that the challenge to take on this new and unusual team had appealed to many. At half-time the score was 14-14, which the Spartans were thrilled with as it was a score-line they had not had against a mainstream team before. The second half was a different affair though with the Falkirk team shored up by numbers from their 1st team, and the final score was 44-14. Still, the Spartans were very happy with their efforts and were warmly received by Falkirk RUFC in their clubhouse bar. They were impressed that the Spartans played so well in only their fifth match and presented the Club with a commemorative plaque. Historically, this was the first match for the Spartans against a fully established Club within the RFU, and one in a foreign country. Certainly it was the first rugby match featuring a 'gay' team in Scotland.

Ross Burgess: /* 2000 */

2013-07-14T08:28:23Z

2000

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:28, 14 July 2013
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	The Spartans held their first Annual General Meeting on 20th May 2000. The Club adopted its first Constitution and took the first steps to becoming part of a local Rugby Union (later accepted into Cheshire RFU). Committee elections were also held for the first time and Duncan Leckie stepped down as Chairman and Simon Stanley was elected to replace him. The following week, on 27th May the Spartans held their first Annual Dinner in the function room at Old Salians clubhouse. This was a chance for everyone to celebrate the creation and growth of the Club after only one year.		The Spartans held their first Annual General Meeting on 20th May 2000. The Club adopted its first Constitution and took the first steps to becoming part of a local Rugby Union (later accepted into Cheshire RFU). Committee elections were also held for the first time and Duncan Leckie stepped down as Chairman and Simon Stanley was elected to replace him. The following week, on 27th May the Spartans held their first Annual Dinner in the function room at Old Salians clubhouse. This was a chance for everyone to celebrate the creation and growth of the Club after only one year.

	The Spartans were soon in action again on 29-30th July 2000, taking part in the London Gay Games (promoted by Walthamstow Forest Council) where a rugby sevens tournament was organised in addition to other sports such as hockey (for girls) and football (definitely for girls). It was here that the Steelers and Spartans did battle again and for the first time met members of the recently formed gay team from Washington DC, the Renegades. This tournament was the first international rugby sevens tournament for 'gay' teams and prompted discussion amongst the leaders of the Spartans, Steelers and Renegades about the promotion of rugby within the wider international gay and lesbian communities. These were the first steps towards the subsequent formation of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB).		The Spartans were soon in action again on 29-30th July 2000, taking part in the London Gay Games (promoted by Walthamstow Forest Council) where a rugby sevens tournament was organised in addition to other sports such as hockey (for girls) and [[football]] (definitely for girls). It was here that the Steelers and Spartans did battle again and for the first time met members of the recently formed gay team from Washington DC, the Renegades. This tournament was the first international rugby sevens tournament for 'gay' teams and prompted discussion amongst the leaders of the Spartans, Steelers and Renegades about the promotion of rugby within the wider international gay and lesbian communities. These were the first steps towards the subsequent formation of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB).

	More partying in the summer of 2000 was enjoyed when the Spartans travelled to Scotland to help celebrate Ian MacDonald's 30th birthday. Ian had arranged a fixture against Falkirk RUFC (a club close to his home town) and, despite the out-of-season date of 12th August, the Falkirk players duly turned up with enough players to field two teams. It seemed that the challenge to take on this new and unusual team had appealed to many. At half-time the score was 14-14, which the Spartans were thrilled with as it was a score-line they had not had against a mainstream team before. The second half was a different affair though with the Falkirk team shored up by numbers from their 1st team, and the final score was 44-14. Still, the Spartans were very happy with their efforts and were warmly received by Falkirk RUFC in their clubhouse bar. They were impressed that the Spartans played so well in only their fifth match and presented the Club with a commemorative plaque. Historically, this was the first match for the Spartans against a fully established Club within the RFU, and one in a foreign country. Certainly it was the first rugby match featuring a 'gay' team in Scotland.		More partying in the summer of 2000 was enjoyed when the Spartans travelled to Scotland to help celebrate Ian MacDonald's 30th birthday. Ian had arranged a fixture against Falkirk RUFC (a club close to his home town) and, despite the out-of-season date of 12th August, the Falkirk players duly turned up with enough players to field two teams. It seemed that the challenge to take on this new and unusual team had appealed to many. At half-time the score was 14-14, which the Spartans were thrilled with as it was a score-line they had not had against a mainstream team before. The second half was a different affair though with the Falkirk team shored up by numbers from their 1st team, and the final score was 44-14. Still, the Spartans were very happy with their efforts and were warmly received by Falkirk RUFC in their clubhouse bar. They were impressed that the Spartans played so well in only their fifth match and presented the Club with a commemorative plaque. Historically, this was the first match for the Spartans against a fully established Club within the RFU, and one in a foreign country. Certainly it was the first rugby match featuring a 'gay' team in Scotland.

Ross Burgess at 19:45, 11 May 2013

2013-05-11T19:45:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:45, 11 May 2013
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	This page is too long, too chatty, and would be difficult to keep up to date, --[[User:Ross Burgess\|Ross Burgess]] ([[User talk:Ross Burgess\|talk]]) 13:17, 6 March 2013 (CST)		This page is too long, too chatty, and would be difficult to keep up to date, --[[User:Ross Burgess\|Ross Burgess]] ([[User talk:Ross Burgess\|talk]]) 13:17, 6 March 2013 (CST)

	Previous content of the page is below		Previous content of the page is below. Some of this to be merged back selectively into the main article.

	== 1998 ==		== 1998 ==

Ross Burgess: Adding material removed from the article

2013-05-11T19:30:57Z

Adding material removed from the article

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Ross Burgess: Created page with "This page is too long, too chatty, and would be difficult to keep up to date, --~~~~"

2013-03-06T19:17:31Z

Created page with "This page is too long, too chatty, and would be difficult to keep up to date, --~~~~"

New page

This page is too long, too chatty, and would be difficult to keep up to date, --[[User:Ross Burgess|Ross Burgess]] ([[User talk:Ross Burgess|talk]]) 13:17, 6 March 2013 (CST)