As all of you are hopefully aware, Karl is to finish as lead coach at the end of the season. I am sure you are all grateful for the commitment and time that he has shown you. Kevin is happy to continue and has asked for some assistance for next season, hopefully Mark will also keep going.

The rugby club have asked me if I would be prepared to step in and help and I have confirmed that I would. For those of you who do not know me, I have been involved at the club for about 16 years having had a son who has gone through the ranks. He is now playing first team rugby at Shrewsbury. In recent seasons, I have been involved in coaching the Colts team, whilst my son has been away at University.

The plan going forward is to do our best to ensure that you can compete in the National Under 17s framework. From experience, this will require a squad of about 25 players and school, study, work and social commitments will all start to get in the way. Some players within the current team will find it difficult to commit to future years, but hopefully the majority will be able to continue. We will need to add to the squad and this is not an easy task. I would like each player to do his best to encourage one other new or returning player, to come along to training at the start of the season. We have quite a lot of work to do so training will start at the begging of August, Schedule will follow.

I will be speaking to some of the school coaches to encourage boys to get involved and will also speak to the Sixth Form College and SCAT at the start of next year. We need to have good numbers at training at the start of the season.

Playing at this level will require great teamwork, both on and off the field. I am hopeful that if we all work together, we can make this a great success and enjoyable time for the players, but no doubt it will be hard work and we will have some tough fixtures. It will take commitment from everyone, Players, Coaches and Parents alike.

There will be other coaches involved with the team to help the boys develop. This will include Paul Pryce and Paul Suckling. Both of whom have run very successful teams in the Junior section and they will bring a wealth of experience with them.

I would ask all players and parents to join together in promoting the team and raising the levels of interest in the team. We will need to hit the ground running in the summer. It should be an enjoyable experience.

I know that we all have different skills and access to our own Networks, so If you have any questions or feel that you can help or offer your support in any way, please do not hesitate to give me a call on 07977 246633.

Get your heads in the books and good luck with your exams. Enjoy your summer break and come back fresh of energy and enthusiasm.