Cumnock
Cumnock
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Iain McKenzie is an U13s coach and has played himself
for the past seven years starting late in the day, aged 36.
He told us, “My wife Leslyn is from South Africa and
after returning home from London, originally meeting in
Inverness, we set up home in Cumnock. When our son
Seth came along, my wife being a rugby fan was keen to
see him involved in the sport so we took him along to the
club and now he plays no.10 for his team.
As U13s coach I can’t speak highly enough about the
current squad and the great parents who support their
kids through all our sessions. I ended up playing second
row for the 2nd team which I loved and had the honour
of becoming captain too.
Cumnock Rugby Club have a great family inclusive
feel about it, experienced no less by my wife who arrived
sections the mood has been very positive for some time,
with high numbers of players available and our teams
challenging well in their respective conferences, and
tournaments.
Due to the construction of a new academy on the old
Broomfield playing fields we were temporarily relocated
to playing on nearby pitches at Netherthird. This short-
term upheaval has paid off for us as a club as we are
now lucky to have the use of the two new artificial grass
rugby pitches, with two grass pitches coming on the
grounds of the old academy. These fully flood lit pitches
have made a great difference to us as it has allowed us to
train and play at the club whatever the weather or time
of day.”
The Off-Season
“In order to address some of our areas requiring
improvement following our relegation from West 1,
we began our pre-season training earlier than usual in
from halfway across the world and was instantly made
to feel welcome by the club’s great people. I would like to
wish all my friends at the club the very best of continued
success for this season!”
June. This allowed us to bring a gradual increase to the
intensity level rather than the usual pre-season shock to
the system and also meant there was time to work with
players who have holidays or seasonal work.
We wanted to also use the pre-season as an
opportunity to ease the transition for the young players
from U18 into the senior game so we included them
within the senior pre-season sessions. This worked as it
allowed them to get to know the senior players, making
walking into the senior dressing room on their first cap
less daunting, and got the young players used to the
style of game we are looking to play this season.
The feedback on this approach has been good from
both the youth and senior players and has already led
to an increase in the number of young players looking
forward to playing with the senior teams this season
and next. This has been helped by Morton previously
coaching the U18 team so there was a familiar face.
The off-season is always a difficult time for the club
as there is less revenue coming in but we are lucky to
have some key members in our committee (including
my Mum Catriona Hunter) who work hard to make sure
there are functions on and things are being organised
ahead of the coming season.” honour for the senior teams. We also encourage our
senior players to help with coaching the younger teams,
either through one off sessions or becoming an assistant
coach to one of the teams.”
This Season Community
“Our on the pitch aim for this year is to develop our
senior squad, building the positive attitude, bringing the
younger players through and hopefully to get our 1st
team back into West League 1, although we know that
will not be an easy task with some of the competition.
Off the pitch we are looking to build on our profile in the
community, in particular with the senior club to attract
more supporters, volunteers and sponsors.” “We have a strong following from many in our local
community, with the club having a welcoming family
atmosphere to all who wish to attend regardless of age
or ability. We have close ties with several other social
and community groups within the area and we aim to
support each other through providing facilities or by
attending events.
We are lucky to have the support of many local
businesses who sponsor our teams right through the
club, many who have either played for the club or have
family who play or have played for the club. There is
a strong family atmosphere to our club, with many
current players being the 2nd generation from their
family to play for the club. We are very grateful to all
our sponsors as without them we wouldn’t be able to
survive as a club.”
Youth
“Youth rugby is the lifeblood of our club, as we rely
on home grown talent for our senior teams. Without our
youth sections we wouldn’t have a club. The whole club
is proud of the success of our youth section especially
when we see our home-grown talent coming right
through to senior level and then going on to bigger and
better things. The most well-known product of our youth
section being Mark Bennett who has went on to represent
Scotland and to compete in both Commonwealth and
Olympic games.
The new academy being built adjacent to the club
is going to be a rugby school which we are hoping
will boost the interest in rugby in the area and bring
more young players to the club. We have tried several
times over the last ten years to field a girls’ team with
varying success, the highlight being our U18 girls team
winning their final at Murrayfield. Sadly, however we
have always struggled for numbers but hopefully the
new stronger links with the new school can also boost
the numbers of women playing and we can field a team
again.”
Integration
“As well as including the U18 players in the senior
squad pre-season, we have included them in the senior
awards night and encouraged them to come along to
other senior social functions within the club. To bridge
the gap further down the age groups and becoming
familiar with the senior squad, last season we trialled
short mini matches during half time of our first team
matches, with the mini players forming a guard of
Challenges
“Due to our location, as a senior club we have the
constant challenge of retaining players, with many of
the talented young players who have come through the
club going off to university in Glasgow, Edinburgh and
further afield where it is difficult for them to travel for
training and matches.
While we are lucky that some of the players return to
play and bring the experience of playing with University
teams, it does cause issues as players retire due to age,
injury or other commitments. We are always on the
lookout for new players and all ages and experience
levels.”
Ambitions
“Over the next five years we hope to build on our
successful youth section through our links with the new
rugby school, and bring our 1st team back into West
League 1. We want to build on the depth of our senior
squad by retaining home grown talent and attracting
outside players so we can comfortably field two strong
squads each week. We are in a very positive position
with our new facilities and we want to make the most of
the opportunities available to us.”
Jamie Keenan’s rugby playing days came to an end when he left school and followed his passion for cycling but he has
always remained a fan of the sport and of its values. He told us, “My nephew Paul Steven’s son Ryan is involved with Ayr
Rugby Club now which is fantastic and it seems that the influence of rugby is attracting people to play and have fun.
Cumnock are a great club who offer the community a place to go to and we have enjoyed a long association with them
over many years. This season we took on sleeve sponsorship in addition to our usual and we were keen to give this great
club something back for their loyal support over the years. Myself and everyone at Keenan Coaches wish Cumnock Rugby
Club and all its members young and old the very best of continued success!”
28 Issue 88
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