Bettws
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Martin Stratton has been a long supporter of the club
with his business interests over the years, currently with
his company Quantum Traffic Management. He told us,
“I hail from Malpas and played locally for Bettws and
the Civil Service, starting as a winger and in later years
moving closer to the pack.
Working away a lot, on typical three-month contracts,
I would always join a local Rugby Club so have played for
many clubs including Ashford, Leatherhead and Watford.
A lot of local boys are involved with Bettws and
it’s great to see them doing so well. Ryan Draper has
tirelessly given his all and is a great and valuable member
of the club. I’ve been on many club tours but confesses
to be a late and spontaneous decision maker so maybe
if asked at the last minute could be on the trip to the
Bournemouth 7s! Best wishes to everyone at the club for
the season’s remainder.”
RC: What are your plans for 2019?
RD: The Plan for 2019 is to continue our unbeaten run in the
league and gain promotion. Also, we are looking to further
strengthen off the field and improve our facilities.
RC: Would you consider yours to be a community club?
RD: Bettws is one of the largest estates in the UK. The club is
becoming the heartbeart of the local community again. When
you walk around the estate and see people wearing the kit and
Ryan Draper said that Nigel Williams is a very
valued player, member, coach and sponsor of the
club over the years. Rugby Club Magazine recently
caught up with Nigel who told us, “I started playing
for the club in my early 20s in the front row at either
prop positions; friends from school had encouraged
me to play for the club.
I also played district rugby but when my son
was born I took a step back. I still train and play
and will play this season with both my sons. I keep
in good shape through rugby training and other
sports
I was a senior coach for eight years and my son
Martin is now a player coach at Bettws and plays
loose head. My other son Kyle plays in the 2nd row.
When I coached we had a lot of players who had no
experience which contributed to the challenges.
The club has had great success attracting
players who haven’t played before with many
turning out to be exceptional. Players who had
gone away for various reasons have now returned
and the current squad have a young and healthy
player average age of 24.
I have sponsored the club for many years with
my business `Newport Container Transpor’. If
the players keep to the drills whilst training and
continue with their defensive prowess they will go
up as champions.”
hats etc. it’s a great feeling. Almost all of our players live on
the estate.
RC: What do you believe could be some of the biggest
challenges the club may face in the coming years?
RD: Progression. We need to continue to improve and believe
that we can go several leagues higher, not just one. Another
challenge is finance; without the backing of our sponsors most
of what we have achieved this year like new kit etc. wouldn’t
have happened. We also need to focus on recruitment, making
sure we bring youth through into our team, it’s vital.
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