‘League 1 South’

[DoubleD]

8 hours ago, Saint 1 said:

Bedford Tigers are pretty strong by regional standards I think. They lost the East Grand Final this year, but I remember a few years back them competing in the Harry Jepson final. They also have a 2nd team. Beyond that, they have set up their own mini-league around Bedford with 3 satellite teams run by them at u14s and u16s and also now have their own ground (one of only 3 clubs in the South to do so AFAIK, the other two being Nottingham Outlaws and Hemel). According to their season review here - http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bedfordtigersrlfc/news/2018-season-review-2346914.html they're also looking to set up a club at the local university this year. Their chairman has been one of the main players in getting this competition, along with Lionel Hurst.

I can't speak on behalf of Outlaws but while the travel would possibly be less in NCL, there are potential trade offs. First of all, Outlaws would have to be approved and voted in as members, but also stuff like the NCL having minimal capacity to rearrange games and stuff - the gap weeks in CLS previously worked quite well. One for the rest of the committee to work out! 

Thanks, I wasn’t aware they had such a good setup. 

Its really sad that the likes of Coventry Dragons, Northampton and Leicester have fallen by the wayside in recent years. All would’ve potentially been looking at this level but it shows how fragile some of these clubs are and the need to put down proper roots and infrastructure and not just be reliant on a couple of people. 

I’d imagine the likes of Devon Sharks and possibly Cornwall will also be looking at this league so there will be a lot of travel involved. I just think the NCL is a safer bet for the Outlaws but that’s only coming from an outsider perspective and I don’t know all the other factors that might affect your side’s ultimate decision. 

An initiative like this needs to be driven by the clubs though with a strong committee, like the NCL, because the RFL have shown they cannot comfortably juggle all these balls in the air they currently have and don’t have the skill set or dedication required. I just hope the travel contribution is not just a hollow gesture because as others have pointed out, there needs to be a lot more support - either financially or with development officers, focused on youth development. 

I do like the idea behind this with a longer season and hopefully a strong committee pulling in the same direction and sharing ideas on how to develop the game in each region. As Bedford have shown, (and the North East) it can be done if everyone buys into it. Unfortunately too many clubs have not had strong enough support or base to be sustainable. I’ll keep my fingers crossed 

[RoverBear]

Has anyone thought this might just be Lionel talking ######?

[bbfaz]

1 hour ago, RoverBear said:

Has anyone thought this might just be Lionel talking ######?

Strange hill to choose to die on though.

[Marauder]

1 hour ago, RoverBear said:

Has anyone thought this might just be Lionel talking ######?

He'll be in good company.

[Marauder]

5 hours ago, DoubleD said:

Thanks, I wasn’t aware they had such a good setup. 

Its really sad that the likes of Coventry Dragons, Northampton and Leicester have fallen by the wayside in recent years. All would’ve potentially been looking at this level but it shows how fragile some of these clubs are and the need to put down proper roots and infrastructure and not just be reliant on a couple of people. 

I’d imagine the likes of Devon Sharks and possibly Cornwall will also be looking at this league so there will be a lot of travel involved. I just think the NCL is a safer bet for the Outlaws but that’s only coming from an outsider perspective and I don’t know all the other factors that might affect your side’s ultimate decision. 

An initiative like this needs to be driven by the clubs though with a strong committee, like the NCL, because the RFL have shown they cannot comfortably juggle all these balls in the air they currently have and don’t have the skill set or dedication required. I just hope the travel contribution is not just a hollow gesture because as others have pointed out, there needs to be a lot more support - either financially or with development officers, focused on youth development. 

I do like the idea behind this with a longer season and hopefully a strong committee pulling in the same direction and sharing ideas on how to develop the game in each region. As Bedford have shown, (and the North East) it can be done if everyone buys into it. Unfortunately too many clubs have not had strong enough support or base to be sustainable. I’ll keep my fingers crossed 

How can you promote Nottingham into the NCL before the teams that have finished above them in the YML Premier, I watched them a couple of times this season and they aren't a bad side but will get better by playing more at the level they're at now, if they do two up and two down they will be joined next season by two teams (Heworth & Cutsyke) who I also got to see this season and both are very good sides.

[DoubleD]

51 minutes ago, Marauder said:

How can you promote Nottingham into the NCL before the teams that have finished above them in the YML Premier, I watched them a couple of times this season and they aren't a bad side but will get better by playing more at the level they're at now, if they do two up and two down they will be joined next season by two teams (Heworth & Cutsyke) who I also got to see this season and both are very good sides.

Because they’re different leagues and requirements. There’s nothing stopping others in YML applying and Batley Boys might get in. It would be good to see Heworth back. 

NCL 3 is probably a lower standard than YML Premier anyway. 

[Marauder]

21 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Because they’re different leagues and requirements. There’s nothing stopping others in YML applying and Batley Boys might get in. It would be good to see Heworth back. 

NCL 3 is probably a lower standard than YML Premier anyway. 

I've been told it is but that probably only applies to the top three in the YM & the bottom three in NCL 3, Lets not forget why these disparities exist today.

The problems our leagues have now is there is no structural standards because of flags on maps and the split between summer and winter, can you remember when premier divisions got introduced in the RLC, that also had a disruptive effect IMO because the standards of the teams where so far apart.

PS Don't overlook Bentley for the NCL

[Bath Rugby League]

On 9/18/2018 at 7:40 PM, Tattersfieldtreiziste said:

Sounds to me like a reinvention of MASWARLA from the 1980s, of which Lionel Hurst was a prime architect.

My team Redditch Halcyon were in it and there were teams from Gloucester, Cheltenham(Pittville), Hemel, Plymouth and Bristol, plus Uni/Poly based teams. And even West Midlands Police had a team.

 

I understand David Kay from the old Bath club in the 1980's/1990's was also instrumental in the MASWARLA league, sadly I understand he has now past away. 

[Marauder]

1 hour ago, Bath Rugby League said:

I understand David Kay from the old Bath club in the 1980's/1990's was also instrumental in the MASWARLA league, sadly I understand he has now past away. 

He was the chairman in the 1991/92 season and lived in Bristol the full committee was; Secretary J Simkin (Solihull) Chairman D Kay (Bristol) President A Larkin (Dursley) Treasurer D Sheehy (Port Talbot) & Fixture Secretary P McGee (Chippenham)

The league was made up of; Abervon, Bath,  Birmingham, Bristol, Crewe, Dibcot St Birinus, Nene Valley, Oxford Sharks, Plymouth Tamarside, Redditch Halycon, Swindon, West Midlands Police, West Wiltshire & Wolverhampton Borough

[Marauder]

East Midlands also had The Angel Inn, Clowne, Clowne. Derby City, Garibaldi, Leicester, Nottingham Crusaders, Peterborough & Shirebrook.

The Midlands looked in a healthy position at this time.

[newbe]

Does mean there will be a League 1 North to counter this, can see a lot discussions on this, were is the line drawn? 

[Impartial Observer]

https://goldenpointrl.blog/2018/09/20/rfl-league-restructure-further-changes-on-the-horizon/

 

This seems to to be saying the league will start in 2020.

 

[The 4 of Us]

3 hours ago, Impartial Observer said:

https://goldenpointrl.blog/2018/09/20/rfl-league-restructure-further-changes-on-the-horizon/

 

This seems to to be saying the league will start in 2020.

 

Brad. I like to take picture. That’s nailed on.

I was definitely enthusiastic until I read 

“The ultimate and preferred target is a league that will consist of 12 teams compromised from two teams”

[headtackle]

On 9/18/2018 at 7:40 PM, Tattersfieldtreiziste said:

Sounds to me like a reinvention of MASWARLA from the 1980s, of which Lionel Hurst was a prime architect.

My team Redditch Halcyon were in it and there were teams from Gloucester, Cheltenham(Pittville), Hemel, Plymouth and Bristol, plus Uni/Poly based teams. And even West Midlands Police had a team.

 

Remember it well - played for Bath 1986-1990 and remember all of the teams above

Dursley, Aberavon, Bridgewater  & Exeter Uni were also in it if I remember right. Like you say there was quite a spread of teams

As an aside Bath were the first southern team to beat a northern team in the Barla national cup when we beat a team from round Wakefield way. 

Great days

[Tattersfieldtreiziste]

8 hours ago, headtackle said:

Remember it well - played for Bath 1986-1990 and remember all of the teams above

Dursley, Aberavon, Bridgewater  & Exeter Uni were also in it if I remember right. Like you say there was quite a spread of teams

As an aside Bath were the first southern team to beat a northern team in the Barla national cup when we beat a team from round Wakefield way. 

Great days

Yes, they were great days and as truly amateur sportsmen we travelled over 200 miles, a journey of four hours or more, only to lose 116-0 at Plymouth!! And then come back late into the night.

Halcyon did not fare so well against Northern competition the first time we played in the BARLA cup, we lost at home to Spotland Rangers 0-98.

I found out afterwards the ref had ended the game a few minutes early to save total embarrassment of a three figure score.

However, on a positive note we had a video made of the match, had a programme printed (i still have spare copies) and...........

.............a crowd of over 200 spectators in Redditch. Happy days indeed!

[Marauder]

12 hours ago, headtackle said:

Remember it well - played for Bath 1986-1990 and remember all of the teams above

Dursley, Aberavon, Bridgewater  & Exeter Uni were also in it if I remember right. Like you say there was quite a spread of teams

As an aside Bath were the first southern team to beat a northern team in the Barla national cup when we beat a team from round Wakefield way. 

Great days

1976/77 season, Ealing14 v 5 Victoria All Blacks

[headtackle]

Happy to stand corrected. Was just going off the headline in the Bath Evening Chronicle at the time.

Dave Kay was heavily involved with the MASWARLA league and at Bath. A great character who certainly loved his rugby league.

Games were on a Sunday afternoon and with pub licensing laws at the time (closed 2-7pm if I recall) the after match beers and food required a little bit of skulking around and some friendly pub landlords.

Bath had a good pool of players and from memory even managed to put out a 2nd team a few times. Dave Kay and the committee also managed to arrange for us to play at Knowsley Road as a curtain raiser for Saints/Wakefield which was a great experience for all involved. We played Nutgrove coached by ex Saint Paul Forber, narrowly lost but enjoyed meeting players and Alex Murphy in the bar afterwards.

 

[Janner]

8 hours ago, Tattersfieldtreiziste said:

Yes, they were great days and as truly amateur sportsmen we travelled over 200 miles, a journey of four hours or more, only to lose 116-0 at Plymouth!! And then come back late into the night.

I played for Plymouth in that one (programme cover below) and refereed the game twelve months later when Plymouth won 126-4 (the Redditch try should actually have been disallowed but it was about 80-0 at the time). We used to have the same referee every home game, Terry Parker who travelled up from Penzance as he was nearest but he was unavailable that week.

The after match food and drink was always a bit of a challenge, with regular visits from the local constabulary to check that our "private party" wasn't 'selling' beer. Conveniently though, the day we entertained West Midlands Police there was a distinct lack of interest from the boys in blue!

Dave Kay visited Plymouth in a development role on a number of occasions, once with Peter Deakin from Open Rugby (at the time) where they brought a vhs copy of a New Zealand v Australia test match (gold dust back then). Unfortunately for them they left the video in the machine and left with a copy of Coronation Street or something similar by mistake.

Plymouth entered the National Cup twice, the first time was a visit to the Ship Inn, Keyingham (Hull). That meant leaving at 4am on the Sunday morning and getting back home at 1am on the Monday. We led 2-0 after about two minutes but ended up losing 70-2! 

[headtackle]

Looking back MASWARLA was a great league with some dedicated people and a good geographical spread of teams.

The committee were active and I remember one time they had the GB coach Phil Larder come down for the weekend to provide coaching for 2 days at Bath University - what would Southern clubs give for that now ?

Some long trips between games but not much else to do on a Sunday in those days.

The league was well ahead of its time as in those days in places like Bath & Bristol, league was a dirty word and they were still pretending to be amateur.

 

[superten]

I cant see the value of it . It would be park rugby . The Skolars are to important to our game to be put in a de valued league like that.

[Oliver Clothesoff]

1 hour ago, superten said:

I cant see the value of it . It would be park rugby . The Skolars are to important to our game to be put in a de valued league like that.

They’re not going to be in League One South. 

[Moscow01]

2 hours ago, superten said:

I cant see the value of it . It would be park rugby . The Skolars are to important to our game to be put in a de valued league like that.

Am I missing something re Skolars?

They've been going over two decades and they're languishing at the bottom of League 1. Yes they had a fairly decent season in 2016 but that's because they were using four London Broncos players most weeks.

The three times I've been to their ground there's been a couple of hundred supporters there. 

This season they've been a total shambles. 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

17 minutes ago, Moscow01 said:

Am I missing something re Skolars?

They've been going over two decades and they're languishing at the bottom of League 1. Yes they had a fairly decent season in 2016 but that's because they were using four London Broncos players most weeks.

The three times I've been to their ground there's been a couple of hundred supporters there. 

This season they've been a total shambles. 

They've named 17 man squads week in, week out, they've pushed Whitehaven away twice, the eventual champions York close, Hunslet and Keighley close and have continued their strategy in giving game time to London and South East born players, whilst continuing to grow their junior setup. 

A "total shambles" is frankly a massive lie. An underwhelming and disappointing season perhaps but nowhere close to being worthy of being called a shambles.

If you're looking for a "total shambles" you better look at heartland clubs in the likes of Leigh, Widnes and Featherstone before looking elsewhere.

[bbfaz]

There seems to be more to it than meets the eye though. A lot of Skolars stuff is often met with an eyeroll and a shake of the head.

[Londonfan]

20 years as a pro club and Skolars are still down towards the bottom of league one behind Coventry Bears. Skolars have  big budget and a use of duel reg players from Broncos and still can’t beat any of the northern teams and only wins came against West Wales, Hemel and Coventry. Surely questions have to be asked of the coach, the players and the people running the club. Fans want answers!! Hector what is your answer to such a disgraceful season