Rugby Club Issue 58 | Page 11

billingham Billingham B ased on Greenwood Road in Durham, Billingham Rugby Club currently competes in the Northern Division of National League Three North. They are led by the team of Chair Mark Armstrong and President John Ker and the club is looking to progress under their guidance. Last season their first team put together a steady campaign as they compiled a record of twelve wins and fourteen defeats from their twenty six matches. This saw them finish in a safe mid-table position with sixty-five points on the board. This should provide them with a solid platform upon which to build in their new campaign and they have been working hard during the off-season to ensure that they can push on up the table. Up to now they have won two and lost three of their opening five matches and will be keen to build on this as the side gels together. 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 a successful campaign. It will certainly be exciting to see how they get on. One of the standout features of the Billingham set up is the superb youth section that they have in place. This part of the club looks to provide young players 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 and this is an area that they appear to have covered. In order to help ensure that these players enjoy a smooth transition into the senior game they also have additional sides in place. This allows them to gain experience of adult level rugby even if they are not yet considered ready for first team action which can be an important step in the development process. Another benefit of having extra sides is that it allows the first XV to benefit from far greater strength in depth. There is much to admire about the work that Billingham Rugby Club has been doing lately and hopefully they will be able to continue the good work for many years to come. Rugby Club Magazine wishes them the best of luck. www.billinghamrugby.co.uk- Twitter : @billinghamrufc www.sportip.biz 11