What an exciting Six Nations and I was pleased to see so many watching games at the club. We are heading towards the last few games of the season and the men’s 1st team have now played their last league home game for the 23/24 season.

We have just held our monthly Committee Meeting; another really constructive meeting where we majored on our financial position and thinking about the start of next season. I was reflecting back on the start of the season when we had real worries about the impact of fuel prices and general inflation on our financial position and at that point the Committee took the decision that we would be very prudent this year and review our position towards the end of the season. We must still be cautious as inflation is still playing its part in our thinking - a recent example of that is that our grounds maintenance contract will be 6% more expensive next season and subs are slightly down on last year. We also need to remember that we are paying off our interest-free Covid loan, but we have done well with Sponsorship this year and so I am confident that we will report to you all at the AGM in a healthy position.

There are still a number of things that we are looking at doing over the next period. We will be working on the 1st Team pitch as early as we can to avoid the risk of a long dry summer, we will be doing further work on the floodlights once the ground is firm enough and we need to replace the bar tills and associated software that helps us manage the organisation of the club. We intend to replace the booths over the summer with a more flexible solution but are looking to have something a little bit more comfortable than the other tables. We are also going to have another look at the guttering to see if we can afford to get that work done.

All these things are aimed at making sure that the club is in a strong position for next season and is an attractive proposition for players and non-playing members alike. We will also be looking at subs, as we have held them at the current rate for a number of years now and when we agreed to hold them last year we also agreed that it would be the last year of the freeze.

Following on from the great response to our call for mini/junior coaches, we are now looking at how we provide catering on Sunday mornings next season. My wife, Val, ran this for many years, so if anyone is interested in helping with a Sunday morning kitchen provision, she would be more than happy to chat through some of the things she did. My personal view is that the provision of teas and coffees (and perhaps bacon butties) for supporters is a great thing for the club to be able to do and the provision of something for the kids to eat after the game with opposition players having the chance to socialise is part of what makes mini and junior rugby different from other sports. If we can find a small group of people who are able to share that responsibility over the next season that would be really helpful. Please do contact Annabel Taylor if you think you can contribute. We will be looking to line up a health and safety course for coaches and some parents at the beginning of next season so look out for the opportunity to join that training.

Hopefully you have noticed that the posts at the far end of the third team pitch are virtually up now. Huge thanks to Tim McCarthy and Lee Salisbury for their help in getting the sleeves into the ground and hopefully the posts will last for many years.

With some cancellations due to soggy pitches, the men’s first team only had a couple of games, losing to Finchley but securing a good win against Enfield Ignatians. These results now mean that we will finish 6th in the league whatever happens in our last two league games. Those watching the Enfield game will have seen Vetaia Kawea going off injured, unfortunately he has broken his arm and had to have an operation on it this week so we wish him a speedy recovery.

Our women’s team have also only had a couple of games and were victorious against Chelmsford and East London Vixens. They now stand 5th in their table with 2 games to go and, if results fall our way, they could end up 4th. The men's 2nd team had a close loss at Bishop's Stortford and managed to win at Biggleswade and are 6th in their league. It has been a fantastic effort by Ossie to get players out for our 2nd team fixtures. The Men’s 1sts will be competing for the County Tankard against Cheshunt, but the date and venue for that have still not been decided.

I hope all those that attended will agree that the Volunteers and VPs Lunch was a fantastic success with the Male Voice Choir giving us their traditional set before the lunch. Many thanks to the Under 18 girls for doing the serving honours and thanks to everyone who laughed at my jokes. As appears to also be a tradition now, Mick was guest chef and the beef was fantastic. This was the last pre-match lunch of the season, so a big thank you to all who supported them – they are something the club can be proud of and our guests are always impressed with the friendliness of the club and quality of the event.

Karen continues her work on the Dinner Dance at the end of the season (11th May) and I understand we are now at about 120 attending. Those of you who have put your name down please help by paying promptly as it is no fun for the organiser having to chase people for money to make sure that we have covered the cost of the event.

Finally, whilst there will be a few weeks with no home rugby, please remember that the bar is still open and the club can use the income, so please pop down for a pint and a chat with mates in the early evening.
Mark

Senior matches for the next few weeks are as follows:
Men’s 1st team
23/03 Old Streetonians away
06/04 Hackney away
Women
07/04 Wasps away
14/04 Chesham home
Men's 2nd Team
23/03 Cheshunt away
Men's Vets
To be advised