Simon was an integral spoke to the Wheelers when the club was formed in 2015. A very keen cyclist who always had a choice words with a few hills!

His chats during the rides will be missed, always learning something new along with a history lesson that we all used to get when he was out on his bike riding around the Leicestershire countryside!

For those of you that knew Simon, his enthusiasm for everything that he did was second to none. Always having time for everyone, and in things that he did with such detail and perfection. Whether it was watching rugby, touring, coaching, referring, cycling, work and most importantly a family man.

Words can not really sum this up. It’s a life taken from us all for too early.

Thoughts and prayers to Jo and family at this difficult time.

Wheelers inaugural outing back in 2015

Rutland Sportive 2018

Re-hydration break on a Wheelers outing 2019

Oadby Wyggestonian RFC would like to dedicate this month’s newsletter to Simon Cole, who so sadly passed away since our last issue. Our thoughts and hearts go out to his family, also to those who were his closest friends, colleagues and to his brothers and sisters in rugby.

Sarah Horner – OWRFC Chairperson

It simply wouldn’t be right to start this newsletter without marking the passing of Simon Cole. Others who knew him better will, I’m sure have written far more fitting tributes to Simon than I ever could – I’ll simply say his smiling face and his happy go lucky demeanour that always accompanied his standard request for “a pint of your finest lager” will be so sadly missed……..

It’s that time of year again!!! The annual Raffle Prize Draw is a major fund raising event for the Club and as always your support is very much appreciated Tickets will be on sale at the Club from 12th March onwards and will be distributed to the Age Groups teams over the next week, so don’t miss the chance to snag yourself a prize.

Another massive thank you to all of you who have already donated raffle prizes. If you would like to donate a prize, then the last day to bring these to the Clubhouse is April 9th.

With an eye to the future, its been a case of ‘strength to strength’ for the OWRFC Unde 6 Group. Over the years this age group has proven to be worth its’ weight in gold , producing a pipeline for aspiring new rugby players and indeed coaches.

Coach Dave Butterworth says, “We’ve had a great year so far, having started with a group of just 4, we now have 12 players and we are expecting to build on this number. We’ve also added another coach, Jenny and we’re really enjoying watching the kids develop”

“We’ve been focusing on passing and movement, and they have developed really really well. We’re now introducing tag rugby to them and starting to think about their positioning in preparation for competitive rugby as next season’s Under 7s”

“It’s been a fantastic year for us so far, and we can’t wait to see what they can do!”

For those of you who have been around the Club for many years, it’s just brilliant to see these young players joining the Wyggs family and of course its fantastic to have people like Dave and Jenny committing their time to developing the kids.

Saturday 26 Feb saw our Under 10s team travel to Welford Road to play in the Prima Cup Shield Finals day at the home of Leicester Tigers. The squad had all been looking forward to this fixture for weeks, and with some great family and friends support, we were able to take close to 100 noisy Wyggs fans down for the day!!

After enjoying watching Tigers dispatch Gloucester, the Under 10s had the chance to take to the Welford Road pitch to play in the tournament against teams from all over the country. Our first match saw the Wyggs claim a narrow victory over Staffordshire-based team, Shipston-on-Stour with some lovely free-flowing rugby on show. Then, as the evening wore on, all the attention turned to the final fixture of the tournament between the only two unbeaten teams – Wyggs and North Walsham from Norfolk.. Unfortunately North Walsham narrowly pipped Wyggs in a very close match, but again the quality of rugby on show was a real pleasure to watch and the match could have gone either way right down to the final whistle.

All of the Under 10 squad thoroughly enjoyed their chance to play on the big stage, under the floodlights and with a cheering crowd encouraging them on, and as coaches we were really proud of the way the players performed throughout the day. Not only did the players play some great rugby for the fans to enjoy, but also their impeccable behaviour and great sportsmanship throughout showed the team to be excellent representatives of Oadby Wyggestonian RFC.

Coach Max Westerman said, “All in all, we had a brilliant day out and would definitely recommend entering the Prima Cup to any of the junior age groups below us as they reach Under 10.”

Wyggs Under 10s in action at Welford Road on another attack.

Great ball retention after a perfectly executed ‘long place’

We really do seem to be in unprecedented times on so many fronts and it is worth just reminding ourselves that “easyfundraising” provides us with opportunities to raise money for OWRFC while shopping at thousands of both online and High Street names.

With Covid restrictions finally lifted, you might be looking to book a holiday, so its worth noting that holiday companies like TUI, Virgin Holidays, Expedia, On the Beach, Sandals, Booking.com, etc are all offering significant donations if you book holidays or flights, etc via “easyfundraising”. For you skiers out there, you can also find ski holidays!!

Alternatively, with rising inflation you might be looking to switch providers for energy, broadband/TV or Phone services. Again, U Switch can help you and if you go online via the fundraising app, you can raise a significant donation for OWRFC at NO ADDITIONAL cost to your wallet/purse.

Just go to the App store where you can search out and download the easyfundraising App. Then you are ready to start raisng money for your club at no additional cost!!!!

Click on the link below to sign up and raise a donation just by joining and making your purchases.

https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/step-1/?char=249379&invite=OZTAD7&referral-campaign=c2s

The Leicester Tigers Swifts Project is an initiative being run by the Tigers for players from a Black Asian and Minority Ethnic background, who may have difficulty accessing community rugby facilities.This Project is now being resurrected, following Covid, and the club are supporting the initiative through hosting the weekly sessions at Oval Park, for Year 7 and Year 8 boys, beginning on Monday 14th March from 6-7pm..

Several Secondary Schools have been approached to engage players and assist promotion generally – as part of showcasing the initiative the U13’s and U12’s have been invited to participate in this first session to support incoming players. This might be an immediate opportunity to signpost players to the club as parents are also going to be invited.

For further information, please contact Kieran Reynolds, the lead Rugby Development Officer for the initiative, on 07596 856193

A couple of rest weeks saw a slow start to February for the Colts. However, the remainder of the month was full on and provided some outstanding rugby. In another floodlit fixture, the Under 17’s hosted local rivals South Leicester in front of a large and vocal crowd. In what was a tense and committed performance from both sides, Wyggs came out on top 32-29. If the score line wasn’t dramatic enough, it came down to penalty in the dying minutes, converted by (ex-South Leicester Colt) Curtis Livingstone. Nerves of steel. The reward was a place in the last 8 of the County Cup. Given that Wyggs are the only side in the tournament that does not currently have an Under 16’s age group, this has been a fantastic achievement.

The Colts continue to grow and are delivering some outstanding rugby. Of note this month was a fixture against a combined Market Bosworth and Ashby side. With typical half-term availability, we paired up with Market Harborough who were also light on numbers. Four county sides coming together to make sure that a game of rugby could take place, albeit during Storm Franklin….

With a lot of clubs struggling for pre-COVID numbers, the collaboration between clubs, coaches, players and parents has been fantastic this season. Ensuring that the smaller squads have been able to continue playing and, in our case, grow their player base.

– Ryan Hammond, OWRFC Colts Coach

A massive thank you from Oadby Wyggestonian RFC to all of you who have already donated and raised over £700 in support of the growing Ukrainian refugee humanitarian disaster! It’s a very fast moving and evolving situation, so don’t worry if you haven”t had chance to donate yet, there is still opportunity to donate via the Club, who will ensure that the money reaches where it is urgently needed. You can donate via direct bank transfer using the following bank account details:-

Account Name: Oadby Wyggestonian
Sort Code: 56-00-55
Account Number: 34711511
Reference: Ukraine Refugee

The Club will also accept cheques (made payable to Oadby Wyggestonian RFC) and cash at the bar but if you do prefer to donate using bank transfer please be sure to reference Ukraine Refugee as above.

During the Covid seasons, here at OWRFC we worked very hard to secure the future of our club, attracting continuing sponsorship from existing business partners and also establishing new friendships with some further outstanding local business sponsors. As a club we are very grateful for the support of all our sponsors.

We are a grassroots, community rugby club with a long and illustrious history, with several hundred members and providing rugby for children from the age of 6 through to 18. We run 15 teams in mini, junior, colts and regularly put out 3 senior teams. In addition, we are extremely proud to have recently added a women’s team to our line-up.

Of course, the job is never done and the club needs to keep developing. While we have some of the best facilities in the county, as we ground-share with Leicester Tigers at Oval Park, these facilities do come with ever increasing costs. Just like running a home!!

As such, we are seeking additional sponsors to join our growing team of businesses that have kindly supported our club so far. The best place to start this search is among us, our own membership!! So if you are involved in a business, who could supports us with sponsorship, or you have connections with people or businesses who could help, please contact Sarah or Paul Horner.

Please see sponsorship opportunities that currently available by clicking below

http://www.oadbywyggs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Oadby-Wyggs-Sponsorship-Deals-2022.pdf

Are you en ex-player? Or maybe you’re a parent who spends hours each week on the touchline watching you son or daughter play rugby. Have you ever thought about being a rugby coach.?

Oadby Wyggs are looking for Coaches and would love to hear from you. If you think you could commit some time each week, to help coach and support our young players, please get in touch by speaking to Sarah or Paul at the Clubhouse or by e-mailing Ian White at <whiteia7161@hotmail.com>.

If you have rugby experience then so much the better but even if you lack playing experience, you can still bring support to our Coaching Team. Experienced or not, the Club will support your training and development, sponsoring you to attend relevant RFU courses and gain recognised qualifications.

Feb 19th
Past player reunion

Feb 23rd –
Colts “under the lights”

Feb 26th
Under 10’s in the Prima Cup – Welford Road. (Good Luck!!)

March 12th
“Chef Sticky” and Karaoke, whole club event.

April 2nd
Sponsors Barbeque

May 7th
Seniors 7’s tournament

May 8th
Presentation Day

Ever wondered about the main in the middle with the whistle during a rugby match? Or, expressed your surprise or even displeasure at a decision? Well, you know its much harder than it looks and the game needs referees just as much as it needs players. So it is great seeing one of our own starting his refereeing journey.

Jack Radford, who started playing for the Wyggs when he was only 6 years old and continued up to Under 13’s grade, was finally allowed to follow his dreams and become a rugby referee. After reaching the RFU rminimum age requirement of just fourteen, he got to go on the official RFU Referee course last November and is carrying on with the various webinar’s to become a fully qualified Referee. This is something he has been wanting to do for many years.

Unfortunately, he cannot join the Leicestershire Referees Society until he is 16 but he has been advised to Referee as many matches as he can up to Under 14’s. So if the U11’s,12’s, 13’s or 14’s require a referee and the Under 15’s are at home, then Jack will be only too glad to help out, so give him a shout.

All the best on your journey, Jack. Who knows? – maybe one day we might see you refereeing a Gallagher Premiership match or even a Six Nations fixture!! Nothing wrong with lofty targets.

Jack in action in December’s Oadby Wyggs Uner 15 fixture against Newark
Calling all those at Judgemeadow and Manor High schools!!

Our very own Harry Jinks is going to be running some rugby inspired PE sessions at both of these schools this month. So if you know any children of family or friends who are pupils at either of these schools, please give them the heads up.

If you already play for us and you are either a pupil or you know any pupils there, give them a nudge and let them know that Harry’s going to be there.

The beginning of 2022 has seen the introduction of scrums, rucks and mauls for the Under 10s.. The players have quickly got hold of the new way of playing and showcased some impressive skills in their last game against Loughborough RFC.

Momentum is now building for the teams participation in the Prima Tiger Cup, which will take place at Mattioli Woods, Welford Road stadium on Saturday 26th February. Our team will be playing at 17:40, after the Leicester Tigers vs Gloucester Rugby match. So if you will be at the match, it would be great if you could stay over or indeed come down to support our players and the club.

In a tough start to 2022, the U14s had suffered a run of heavy defeats, so it speaks volumes for the determination and the collective will of this group of players, that Sunday’s match against Leicester Forest brought deserved reward for the hard work and the renewed commitment from these remarkable lads.

After just 5 weeks into the adjustments of playing in recognised positions, many requiring specialised skills, the team finally found a foothold from which they can build over the coming weeks. While the 49-10 scoreline suggested a fairly easy victory, it was a hard fought battle, with the pack fronting up to Forest’s usual physical challenge and the backs finding their shape and showing some slick handling skills to get the ball wide in cold, windy conditions.

The nature of the performance was even more impressive than the result and it beggars belief that this is a combined team, when witnessing the close knit team spirit shown by this bunch of players – players, who prior to Covid were keen rivals on the pitch.

After a run of heavy defeats at the back end of last year and a mauling by Market Harborough in the County Cup in the first match of the New Year. The under 15’s seem to have turned a corner and have put together a good run of form , winning 3 matches on the bounce, the first being against Loughborough. After a slow start, Loughborough led at the 15 minute point by 7-0 but, the Wyggs started to play the rugby we are used to playing. With powerful runs from the backs and a more physical performance from the forwards, the Wyggs eventually ran out 48-10 winners.

The following week, we travelled to Leicester Lions looking to avenge a home defeat by them earlier in the season. In a gnarly physical game, it was all square at half time with the match finely poised. An early penalty in the second half seemed to settle the team and they began to raise their game, eventually scoring a ‘last play’ try to secure a well- earned 20-12 victory.

Last weekend arguably saw Wyggs best game in a long while. We travelled to a previously unbeaten Newark, who just five weeks earlier had dished out a 26-0 home defeat to the Wyggs. Only two minutes in, Newark cut through our defence to go 7-0 up. Wyggs then upped their game and took it to them, using direct running from our big lads. After three very well taken tries, Newark pulled one back, giving us a21-14 half time advantage. A tight, increasingly physical and scrappy second half prevailed and Wyggs managed another good try to pull away. Newark, never far away, almost scored on a couple of occasions, but we held out for a very well deserved 28-14 victory ending Newark’s unbeaten season.

Glen Radford
OWRFC U15s Coach

Oadby Wyggs player, Alastair “Owlie” Milner, represented Leicestershire U20’s on Sunday , playing against the North Midlands. Owlie came on at half time when the team were trailing by 7 points to nil and he played a key part in the comeback, with Leicestershire scoring 19 unanswered second half points to run out as 19-7 winners.

Additionally, Lewis Williamson, of the Wyggs was a part of the Leicestershire team, having been selected as a reserve.

Oadby Wyggs’ Chris Anderson was also there as he is a part of the coaching team. Ben Taylor, George Impey, Lewis and Henry Cooke, who have all been involved in the U20’s trials and training.

A further friendly fixture vs Warwickshire will take place on 20th Feb so they’ll all get the chance to press their claims before the next representative game against East Midlands U20’s on 27th Feb (away at Long Buckby).

Congratulations to Owlie, Lewis and of course to Chris.

Sunday 30th January saw the dawn of a new era at Oval Park, as the dream that the club has envisaged for a number of years now became a reality. That reality was the start of the Oadby Wyggs Senior Women’s Team!

An anxious wait soon turned into an overwhelming sense of relief and pride as one by one and even two by two the women made their way over to the dome to get involved in making history at the club. A total of 24 fantastic women made history that day, some of whom had never played before, some of whom have played for Tyrells Premiership sides and a couple from our very own Oadby Wyggs Girls section. What more could you ask for!

The session was very much a taster session, giving a flavour of what to expect from the rugby side of the club, whereas the Pizza and Prosecco helped give an idea of what’s in store when joining the #WyggsFamily. (Both of which seemed to be really well received, as I’m sure you can imagine.)

We have since had another session in which numbers were once again at 20+ women (6-8 who weren’t part of the first session) showing that this is only going to grow from strength to strength.

If you know anyone who would be interested in coming along please do ask them to get in touch with the new @oadbywyggswomens Instagram page or contact Lewis Jones (lewiscjones92@gmail.com).

Excited for what’s to come!

-Lewis Jones
OWRFC Coach

You just can’t keep a good guy down! Despite the ravages of the pandemic over the last 2 years, like the rest of our teams, our Vets team are also back in action.

The Vets recently played Market Harborough and while unfortunately suffering a 12-8.loss, its great to see so many familiar faces sporting a smile for the camera!!

As we continue our progress following the successful return to Oval Park post Covid, this month’s newsletter reflects and promotes the positives within our club. It is important that we take time to acknowledge how we have responded to limitations on our ability to function fully as a rugby entity and how we now stand nearly 2 years post lockdown.

I want to thank all of the committee for the support that they have shown and the efforts they put into managing the club from top to bottom, without them we would not have the club we call our own today.

Numbers at training continue to grow and as such our ability to become increasingly competitive across the entire senior section is improving. The input of Lewis, James and Arthur has been invaluable in driving standards attaining and putting a fresh positive spin on sessions. The responses have been fantastic and stand us in good stead as we approach the final games of the season.

It would though be remiss of me to not acknowledge that there are still areas of improvement to be had. This can only come from further increased participation from all and I am requesting that there is a renewed effort from all players of all ages to put on their boots a few more times in this last 10 weeks of the season to support us as we continue to push accepted boundaries both on the field and in the club house.

Despite us all having less time, jobs and families, I feel compelled to lace up my boots, mainly because I have lingering regrets about giving up on something that I am so passionate about too early. I genuinely believe that rekindling a true passion outside of work can lead to a healthier mind and soul, increased productivity and an improved work/life balance overall.

We have all made sacrifices, but now is the time to jump back in and to give something back to the game in general, to support the youth coming through, to give you an outlet, to come training on a Monday and Thursday.

I look forward to seeing you on the field soon.

Jon Lowden
Head Coach