Rugby League will resume in Norfolk at the end of this month – thanks to a group of ambitious enthusiasts in the Norwich area.
A new club – Anglia Vipers – has been launched, with a men’s and a women’s team due to play in 2022. And the men’s side will, on Saturday 30 April, entertain North Herts Crusaders in the East RL Cup.
The club is based at Wymondham, a small town near Norwich, and will play at Barnard Fields, a superb modern stadium that is the home of Wymondham RUFC.
Treasurer Ed Lambert told League Express: “We have an enthusiastic committee, a great ground to play at (probably the envy of most National Conference League sides) and a good relationship with the host union club.
“In fact we’ve got everything in place except 17 players (the hardest part), but we should be able to get that sorted as soon as the local union season is over; we have people who want to play but either they don’t want to train twice a week or their clubs won’t allow them to until they’re finished for the season. We’ve even got our kit and merchandise sorted.”
He elaborated: “The club is the brainchild of the three directors, Rob Humphries, Chris Wildish and David Parkin – who have had the idea of starting a Rugby League club in Norfolk for a couple of years but were delayed by the pandemic – and they are now supported by four more enthusiastic committee members.
“The Vipers is the only active Rugby League club in the whole of Norfolk and Suffolk; there have been teams in the area before but for various reasons none are still playing. We have already developed a strong level of cooperation with the union club, and we also have the support of various local sponsors.”
The team, which will play in red & blue colours, will operate in the East RL competition from the start of May to end of July. There will also be a women’s team that is already in training and which will play friendlies this year, with the aim of joining the East RL Women’s League in 2023. The club also aim to set up youth and children’s sections next year.
Lambert said: “The committee is ambitious but we know we need to walk before we can run. Under the stewardship of coach Nick Greenhall, the objective for 2022 is to complete all matches and finish the season, and then in the following years to become one of the strongest clubs in the region.
“If all goes to plan we would then like to join the Southern Conference; who knows where we’ll be in 10 or 15 years time, but we’re going to enjoy the ride.”
Anyone interested in playing for the Vipers or being involved in any way should email info@anglianvipers.com, or contact the club via Facebook or Twitter.
There is also an Anglian Vipers club shop at Anglian Vipers (iconsports.co.uk).
Previous Rugby League sides in Norfolk include, recently, King’s Lynn Black Knights and, a shade over a decade ago, South Norfolk Saints and Norwich Saxons.
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National Conference League giants West Hull have paid tribute to founding father Johnny Whiteley, who passed away in February at the age of 91, by renaming their ground in his honour.
Best known for his feats as a fine player for Hull FC and his superb achievements as a coach, most impressively steering Great Britain to Ashes success in Australia in 1970, Whiteley also helped form Wests, and chairman Terry Everson said: “John Whiteley was heavily involved in the formation of West Hull ARLFC in the early 70s and he suggested that the present, Aussie-like green and gold strip should be adopted following his own involvements as a Great Britain player and coach against the very impressive Australian teams of the 1950s and 1960s.
“John was also responsible for persuading Wilf Mooney, a local club owner, to make a gift to West Hull of his Gillett Club business, which provided the rugby club with a very substantial income for a considerable number of years.”
Everson continued: “ln addition, John continued assisting West Hull through the years, attending most of our annual dinners and always being available for good sound advice when requested. Therefore, he will always be remembered at West Hull for his involvement with our club in addition to his brilliant involvements with Hull FC and Great Britain.
“After our committee decided that they would wish to have John remembered at our club by renaming the ground the matter was discussed with John’s family, who agreed that this would be a nice way to carry his name forward. We are therefore changing from the present name of West Hull Community Park to John Whiteley Park.”
He concluded: “Each year we have a new intake of four-year olds, who are all potential players, and each year they will commence their involvement in Rugby League by being sat down in the West Hull Clubhouse to be told the story of the great Johnny Whiteley, Hull’s favourite son.”
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Amateur Rugby League clubs were given a financial fillip last Monday, when Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) announced that its ‘CreatedBy’ small grants programme is again open for applications.
The initiative, backed by the National Lottery and Sport England, was put on hold last year, when the World Cup was postponed, but grassroots outfits had already benefited massively, with over £1.6million being granted to almost 200 projects – and some 18,787 participants – in terms of kit, equipment and facility improvements.
Jon Dutton, Chief Executive of RLWC2021, said: “We had to make the difficult decision to pause our small grants programme last year but, with less than 200 days to go until the rescheduled tournament begins, I’m delighted we are able to re-open the programme, allowing yet more organisations to benefit from a fund which has already made a significant difference in local clubs and communities.
“Thanks to the investment from The National Lottery players and Sport England, we have at least £400k to invest. We encourage any club or community organisation interested to make an application, particularly if the funding can be used to make improvements that focus on environmental sustainability that will help to reduce a club’s financial outgoings, or increase participation from girls, women, and disability sport.”
Oldham outfit Waterhead, who appeared in yesterday’s BARLA National Cup Final, can vouch for the benefits of applying. Official Nick Wood said: “Our club received a grant in late 2021 which we put towards building a gym. The building work is now almost complete and we are delighted with what’s been achieved, thanks to the CreatedBy funding partners and many hours of fundraising from a talented and dedicated team at the club.
“Within the next four weeks, the gym will be fully kitted out with state-of-the-art weight training equipment and close contact area that will provide a first-class training environment for all the club teams and also for the local community.
“The club, with this investment, looks and feels reinvigorated, with teams running all the way from ‘newbies’ (up to six years) to the two healthy open age teams and girls’ teams. The open age male first team is in the National Cup Final for the first time in its history and the club, despite the major cash outlay on the gym, is in a healthy financial state. Many thanks to the CreatedBy funding partners for providing a vital element into what is making our club and community a truly great one.”
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The prestigious Oldham & District League’s Standard Cup Final is again taking place on its traditional Good Friday slot.
Saddleworth Rangers and Waterhead Warriors have qualified for the 2022 decider, which will be staged at Oldham RUFC’s Manor Park.
The game, on Friday (15 April), kicks off at 11.45am and will be preceded, at 10.30am, by the Johnny Blair Memorial match between the two clubs’ Under 11s sides; medals will be presented by Linda Blair, Johnny’s wife.
Admission to both games will be £5 (£3 for concessions and children).
Oldham ARL secretary Phil Bradbury said: “Former winners of the Standard Cup Final’s Ben Powell man of the match trophy get free tickets.
“The Final is the highlight of the local Rugby League grassroots scene and, as such, is well supported.
This year, with the attendances currently being generated by both the Warriors and the Rangers, we are hoping for, and expect to get, a cracking crowd.”
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The Women’s Rugby League Association’s traditional Easter Sunday Challenge Cup and Plate Finals double-header will, for the first time, be streamed live on OuRLeague.
Featherstone Lionesses will take on West Leeds in the main event at the Millennium Stadium, Post Office Road, Featherstone on Sunday (17 April) and that game, which will kick off at 2.00pm, will be preceded at noon by the Plate decider, in which Leeds University will face Liverpool University.
WRLA Chair Steve Manning said: “We are delighted to have agreed live coverage of our Finals Day on Our League with the RFL.
“It will be another great promotion for the women’s game and we hope that showcasing the event will increase participation and encourage more women’s university sides to set up and join the WRLA league, which is an ideal vehicle for them, as well as for other sides wishing to play Rugby League over the winter months.”
He continued: “The historic meeting of the Universities of Leeds and Liverpool in the Plate Final will become the first women’s student fixture on OuRLeague, while current Challenge Cup holders Featherstone will defend their trophy against West Leeds.
“Easter weekend is always a busy time for Rugby League at all levels and fans of Betfred Super League, Championship, Division 1, Women’s Super League, Women’s Summer League and WRLA teams new and old will now be able to watch our games on Easter Sunday. It’s a big occasion for all the teams involved and we are again grateful to Featherstone Rovers for hosting the games at our spiritual home at the Millennium Stadium.”
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Wales Under 16s head coach Paul Berry, who is preparing for fixtures with England and Scotland later this summer, has named a 25-player squad, following a successful domestic winter programme and a East v West fixture.
He said: “The assessment and ID process has been thorough and ongoing since November. The quality of player is getting better year on year, and I’m really excited to see how these young men progress over the next few months as we prepare for our international fixtures.
“Seven of the squad are still eligible for Under 15s rugby so this is a fantastic additional challenge for them, on a personal level, and a great experience at such a young age.”
Berry concluded: “A really pleasing aspect for Wales Rugby League and the development pathways currently in place is that all 21 of the South Wales-based players in this squad have been involved with the South Wales Origin development programme, which shows the strength of the development work being undertaken by Mark Jones and his staff at WRL and Coleg y Cymoedd.”
The squad is: Oliver Ford, Calum Jones, Lewis Jones, Evan Morse, Ethan Paterson, Carter Pritchard, Rhodri Rees, Ethan Stebbings, Ryan Williams, Zak Williams (all Aber Valley Wolves), Jayden Grey, Brandon Richards, Troy Shearan, Charlie Stoddart (all Bridgend Blue Bulls), Daniel Bartlett, Dafydd Morgan, Henry Parker (all Cardiff Blue Dragons), Kaden Johnson (Crosfields), Lloyd McEwan-Peters (Guiseley Rangers), Ben Morris, Jake Nottingham, Cory Westermark (Swansea Stallions), Kade Woodward (Torfaen Tigers), Isaac Wheatley (Wigan St Patricks), Sam Grice (York Acorn).
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Woolston Rovers players Warren Robinson and Finlay James are unlikely to ever forget the number twelve!
The pair, who play for the Warrington outfit’s Under 12s team, recently completed the daunting challenge of running twelve kilometres on twelve consecutive days – with two worthwhile charities benefiting.
Matt Robinson, who coaches the side and who is Warren’s dad, said “I am massively proud of the pair of them; they both stayed focused and committed throughout, even in the severe weather, and kept each other motivated.
“They are sending out a really positive message to their teammates and to others their age; to challenge themselves the way they did physically and mentally, at 12 years old, takes some doing.”
He added: “They are also giving something back by raising awareness and funds for their chosen charities. In total the boys raised around £3,200 which will help both the national charity Cancer Research UK, and local charity St Joseph’s Family Centre, as well as their teammates.”
Finlay and Warren were been presented with Rovers’ Chairman’s Award by Woolston’s present incumbent Steve Moore at the recent National Conference League fixture with Beverley; Warrington Wolves star Joe Philbin, who provided Gripz socks to both lads, was also on hand.
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