Rugby Club Issue 56 | Page 8

hackney Hackney FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG B ased at Spring Hill in London, Hackney RFC currently competes in the London 3 North West League. They are led by the team of Chair Jessica Cobb and President Roy Irwin and the club has made a considerable amount of progress under their guidance. In 2014/15 they put together a solid league campaign as they compiled a record of thirteen wins and nine defeats from their 22 matches. This saw them finish in the top half of the table with 62 points on the board. This should provide the club with a perfect platform from which to build as they prepare for the new campaign. As long as they are able to retain their current group of players and perhaps make one or two quality additions they should be in with a good chance of claiming a higher league finish next time around. Club Representative Fred Pentecost took the time to tell us more about the set up they have in place. He said, “I’ve been involved with the club for over 20 years, having first been introduced by a friend. Perhaps my favourite moment was winning the Guinness club together competition (2009) and the lads playing at Twickenham prior to the Premiership Final. “The most challenging part of my role is keeping coaches and players on the same waveband. The most rewarding thing is knowing 60+ adults are playing rugby each weekend. “Last season (14/15) was a great success for the club with the 1st team playing in London 3NW following promotion and finishing 5th. The 2nd team were promoted to H&M merit table 1 and there were no fixtures unfulfilled by us. “I’d say the atmosphere is positive at the moment with everyone keen to build on past seasons achievements and eager to maintain momentum. In the coming years it would be great to see the club playing every weekend with a regular 4th team, regular 2nd ladies team and in each junior age group for both boys and girls.” Hackney RFC is certainly not a club to focus solely upon their senior section and this is reflected by the fact that they also have a number of youth sides in place. These teams look to provide youngsters from the local area with an opportunity to play the game in a safe and enjoyable environment whilst helping them to reach their full potential. It is important for any club to be able to produce their own talent if they are to be successful over a sustained period of time, particularly in the current financial climate and this is an area that they appear to have covered. It will certainly be exciting to see how their juniors can progress. Hackney RFC has been enjoying fantastic success on the pitch in recent times and this is thanks to the fine working being done behind the scenes. Hopefully they will be able to keep up the good work for many years to come and Rugby Club Magazine wishes them the best of luck. “I’d say the atmosphere is positive at the moment with everyone keen to build on past seasons achievements and eager to maintain momentum.” 8 Issue 56