Tel: 01782 594016

News....

4th Jan 2013 - RFU Touch Rugby Centre

1st Dec 2012 - Junior News Update

Update from Steve Lodey:

As the weather is now changing for the worse can you please ensure everyone comes to training/game in appropriate winter clothing.

Again because of the weather if you feel training/games may be off please check your email and/or the website as I will let you know via these as soon as I know of any cancellations.

There will be a Christmas party at the club for the whole club on 15th December starting at 7.30pm - everyone is welcome. Entrance is £2 pay on the door and is bring your own nibbles. Under 12's are free.

We will be having a shut down over the festive period. The last day of training/games will be 16th December and we will recommence on 6th January.

The RFU raffle is currently running again this year and I would urge you to support this if you can.

There are details in the club but tickets are £1 each and the club get £0.90 of this at no cost to us and the top prize is £10000.

I have not sent a book of tickets to everyone this year but  there are a number of people who have had multiple books and will be looking for people to buy.

Could those people please contact me to let me know how many books they have sold and how many they still have.

If anybody wants to help and can't find any books please let me know and I will sort it out.

7th Sep 2012 - Programme NEWS

13th Aug 2012 - Junior Fundraising

We raised £170.00 at the bag pack last Saturday which I thought was a tremendous effort. This will go towards the cost of the replacement minibus that we will need this year to replace the unreliable one we have at present. The main club is financing half of the cost but we still need to raise £2000.00 from the Mini/Junior section and this will have to come from fundraising as subscriptions will not cover this.

So thanks to the following players, and their parents obviously for all your help on Saturday (if I forget anyone I apologise but please feel free to let me know). We will be doing this again at some stage so I will be asking for more volunteers nearer the time. It only needs to be one hour but the more we have the less hours other people have to do. Thanks also to the people who let me know that they could not make because of holidays.

o Rhys Gregory Under 15
o Lewis Russell Under 12
o Ana Russell Under 9
o Mitchell Johnson Under 12
o Marcus Brindley Under 12
o Lewis Hurst Under 14
o Josh Mercer Under 12
o Alex Mercer Under 9
o Ewan Robertson & his Sister Under 10
o Patrick Lafford-Lucas Under 15
o Sam Williams & her Sister Under 12

13th Aug 2012 - Junior Subscriptions

An early reminder that subscriptions fall due on September 1st although don't be shy, you can pay me as soon as you want to :o). All subscriptions should be paid by no later than October 31st but you can pay by standing order over the season or by instalments if you wish, just come and see me in confidence and we can sort that out.

The subscriptions have been held at £35 which is much, much less than other local clubs and sports.

18th Mar 2012 - Victory at Newcastle 10s

Congratulations to the 3^rd. XV in winning the Newcastle 10’s competition last Friday evening. They beat Leek and Trentham in the qualifying rounds and then triumphed over hosts Newcastle in the final.

18th Mar 2012 - U17s Cup Semi-Final

Congratulations also to the U17 team in reaching the final of the Staffordshire U17 Plate competition. They travelled down to Birmingham and came back with a victory despite some rather indifferent refereeing.

18th Mar 2012 - Longton Trucks

We are monitoring with interest developments on the announcement of a vehicle assembly plant coming to Longton in the next 12 months. Longton Truck will be making a mid-range commercial vehicle under the name of “Longton”, a perfect match for a partnership with the County’s leading rugby club Longton RUFC.

15th Mar 2012 - New Players

4th Mar 2012 - 200 Club Winners Feb 2012

17th Feb 2012 - Congratulations to Dan

Dan Robson has been selected as first choice scrum half in this season’s England U20 team and we send him our warmest congratulations. Dan is one of a handful of players from last season’s squad still eligible at this age group. He has recently signed a one year extension on his Gloucester contract and will, no doubt, be hoping to play in some Premiership games this season. 

17th Feb 2012 - Well Done Sam

With the unfortunate injury to our young scrum half, Jordi Shuttleworth, his team mate, Sam Moores, has come into the first team and has made an immediate impression, scoring his first 1^st.XV try recently against high flying Rugby Lions. Sam normally plays at stand off half for the U18 team which makes his success at scrum half in National League 3 Midlands all the more remarkable. If we can get Jordi fit again, who knows, we may see Jordi and Sam as the half backs for part of a game before the end of the season.

17th Feb 2012 - Farewell to Hendry

This Saturday is scheduled to be the last game for our star Fijian, Hendry Vaka, who is joining the army shortly. Hendry goes to Catterick for his basic training as an infantry soldier before being posted to a UK base initially. In his short time with us Hendry has made a superb contribution to our team, showing strength, class and an abundance of skill. Good luck, Hendry, we shall certainly miss you.

17th Feb 2012 - Winter Blues

15th Feb 2012 - Former Players Association

17th Dec 2011 - Longton v South Leicester

Todays home game is off

26th Oct 2011 - Longton Ladies Fundraising Raffle

The Ladies team are running a fund raising raffle to win a Limited Edition Longton shirt framed and signed by the 2011 World Cup Squad, please see Laura Brown for tickets or behind the bar!! Support your teams!!

The draw will take place on Saturday 19th November at the club at 4pm!!

Thanks for your support, Laura. 

6th Sep 2011 - Watch The World Cup At The Club

This Saturday 10th September

England v Argentina k.o. 9.30am

Breakfast Available

2nd Jun 2011 - Committee Meeting - 9 June 2011 - 7:30pm

23rd May 2011 - AGM Notice 2012 Tue 26th June 7:30

13th May 2011 - FA Cup Final

Club open Saturday for the FA Cup Final, come and watch Stoke win

11th May 2011 - 200 Club Winners

January

£100- B. Sherratt

£50- M.Wheat

£30- T. Derrington

£20- N. Carrick

11th May 2011 - 200 Club Winners

Feburary

£100- B. Hadley

£50- R. Benson

£30- N. Carrick

£20- B. Amor

11th May 2011 - 200 Club Winners

March

£100- J. Beckett

£50- B. Amor

£30- R. Bailey

£20- D. Finney

11th May 2011 - 200 Club Winners

April

£100- M. Hamer

£50- D. Davies

£30- Wc Print

£20- D. Banks

6th May 2011 - Committee Meeting - 12th May 2011 7:30

30th Mar 2011 - Mini/Junior Presentation Night 16th April

26th Mar 2011 - Committee Meeting - 14th April 2011

If you have items for the agenda please contact Neil Pickering Hon Sec

2nd Mar 2011 - Committee Meeting - 11 Mar 2010

1st Feb 2011 - Six Nations

Wales v England this friday 4th Feb 7.45 k.o £2 a pint

7th Nov 2010 - Staffordshire Cup

Last week, unfortunately, we had to withdraw from the Staffordshire Cup at the semi-final stage having won the trophy for the last five years. The nine leagues games and two warm up games in the last eleven weeks have taken their toll on many of our players, several of whom are currently carrying knocks from match to match. The opportunity of a week off before we tackle six more league games in the next six weeks had to be taken.

Regrettably, the County Cup has to take second place to our league ambitions these days as there is no financial or national reward for winning it. Naturally, we would have liked to have had the opportunity of retaining the Staffordshire Cup once again but Staffordshire as a County stands a better chance of retaining its single county status if Longton are promoted to National League 2.

The penalty for pulling out of the Cup this year is that we shall be banned from next year’s competition, although the whole future of all county cups, especially in Staffordshire, is in doubt in its present format.

7th Nov 2010 - Sports Club of the Year

This week at the Palace Hotel, Manchester, Longton RUFC was one of five finalists in “Club” magazine’s “Sports Club of the Year” awards competition. We were featured in an article a couple of months ago. Broadcaster, Steve Rider, is hosting the black tie dinner and Mick Wheat and Ed Horton will be attending on behalf of the Club; news of the outcome will be posted on the web-site.

27th May 2010 - Derek (Joe) Holmes

Derek (Joe) Holmes

With much regret, we report the death of “Joe” Holmes a very popular member of Old Longtonians in the late 50’s and much of the 60’s.

Derek Holmes gained the nickname Joe during his first year at Longton High School in 1952 due to his similarity to a famous Beano character Big Fat Joe.

It was a name that stuck with him for life and he was known as Joe to all his many friends in North Staffordshire.

At school Joe, despite his bulky frame, soon demonstrated a natural aptitude for all ball games. He was in the school sides for rugby, cricket and basketball. He went on to captain the school first XI at cricket and played for Staffordshire Schools at both rugby and cricket.

On leaving school in 1959, Joe joined Old Longtonians and immediately became a first team regular. He was a powerful forward and a front of the lineout expert, where his timing and ability to catch a fast low throw regularly defeated taller men. Joe’s natural talent also made him an excellent goal kicker. His politeness to referees, who he always called “Sir” sometimes allowed him to get away with “sins” for which others would be punished.

While Joe was a good rugby player, who you always wanted on your side he was an even better cricketer. He opened the batting for Caverswall for many years and could bowl either left arm medium fast seamers or left arm spin frequently off the same run-up and in the same over.

Joe was a big guy with a big personality who was great on the pitch and fun in the bar. He will be fondly remembered by his many friends still associated with Longton Rugby Club.

Our condolences go out to all his family.

3rd Feb 2010 - Help for Heroes

3rd Feb 2010 - Staffs U20s Fixture at Longton 7/2/10

4th Jan 2010 - New Year News Round-up

Great Stuff Dan

In an earlier news item we congratulated Dan Robson on being selected for the England U18 squad to face Australian Schools at Sale. Well, Dan made the starting line up at scrum half and made the first try in a narrow England win. Although Dan was listed as a Gloucester player on the team sheet, he is still currently registered for Longton and we hope he will be able to return to our squad in the New Year.

Brother Ben’s Return

While on the subject of a member of the Robson family we are delighted to welcome back Dan’s elder brother, Ben, who has signed for us on loan from Loughborough Students. Ben has been really unlucky with a series of shoulder injuries which have hampered his progress. Just as he had made first choice scrum half in the Loughborough team he injured his shoulder once again. However, he is now fully fit again and maybe we will have a half back pairing of Ben and Dan Robson sometime this season.

Praise for Hard Work

It is time we acknowledged the hard work done at lower team level where we find some of the young emerging talent and some of the heroes of yesteryear. Gareth Edwards, Gaz Humphries, Simon “Fester” Redford and Alan Christian have been doing yeoman work in the 2^nd, 3^rd. and Vets. XV’s. Our biggest struggle this season has been at 2^nd.XV level where we have been regularly let down by opponents who fear a drubbing. The problem stems from the fact that our team is generally far too strong for other club’s second teams in the Staffordshire Merit Table A. Consequently, they would rather cry off and concede the points than play the game and risk taking a beating. Naturally, our boys want to play rugby. Next season we may need to assess whether we can enter a higher quality merit table outside Staffordshire.

Coaching in Schools

We are embarking on a big push into junior and senior schools aided by the new directive for schools to have at least 2 hours of physical activity outside normal curriculum hours. Craig Wilson, George Glenn, Gareth Rawlings and Liz Fletcher will all be involved in coaching in schools, colleges and universities and in the drive to attract as many as possible to Longton. We need a really big push to attract more coaches at Club level for our mini and junior sections.

Welcome to Another Cornishman

Following Frazer Kellythorne from Cornwall we have welcomed another man from the South West in James Daniel (not Simpson Daniel ) who is currently working at JCB in Rocester. James has played for Moseley’s midweek team and has represented North Midlands; he can play in the second row or back row and is a fit, strong and powerful 6ft. 4ins. He has really impressed in training and but for the weather and Christmas holiday interruptions would have made his first team debut by now. Our second and back row strengths are looking very good at present and let’s hope that it helps to bring us success in the New Year. Good to have you on board James !

8th Dec 2009 - Longton Ladies news update

Longton Ladies' great start to the season faultered away at Buckingham a few weeks ago, one of those days that you wished you hadn't got off the bus! Although we have a good squad, as usual work commitments & injuries have led to us yet being able to put out a full strength team.

Oxford failed to turn up for our home fixture last weekend, having broken down near Banbury. Despite offering to wait for them and play the game under floodlights they decided not to travel and as a result we are claiming the game, and we are just waiting for the RFUW to confirm that.

Our fixture away at Whitney on the 13th Dec is to be re-arranged as they have half of their team away at a wedding so our next game will be Eccleshall at home. We hope to move this game to 5pm on the Sat (9th Jan) and play after the men's 1st team league fixture and create a bit of club day and get people to watch both games, we are just waiting for Eccleshall to confirm they can make it.

Full back Kayleigh Balchin has been selected for the Welsh U20s squad, unfortunately she picked up a knee injury at the trials and is due to be out for a few months. Three of the girls played for the county side in a triangular tournment involving teams from NLD & Leicestershire last month. The West Midlands trials are the first weekend after xmas, we are aiming to have a few girls selected for this squad.

8th Dec 2009 - Girls' Rugby update

A Y7 & Y8 girls' tag tournament is being run by the RFU CRCs at Fenton Manor on the 20th Jan 2010.  This involves schools from North and South Stoke, Newcastle and Staffs Moorlands.

Information will be given out at this event to girls/parents linking them into the North Staffs Sirens. The RFUW are happy for any girls outside the u15 age range to be involved in the Sirens' training as initially there will not be contact involved.

For further info contact Liz Fletcher or Doug finney.

8th Dec 2009 - 1st XV Mid-Season Playing Report

The 1st XV have reached the halfway point in the National 3 Midlands League and have a record of P13/W6/L7 and currently lie in 8th place, out of 14 teams.

After last years fortunate escape from relegation, the new Playing Committee set a 3 year plan in place to return Longton to the position of being one of the premier sides in the league. The aim for this season was to consolidate our position in the league and aim for a top half finish, to give us a position to build on next season. At the half way point we are just below half way, however, the position could be so much better and prospects for the second half of the season look positive with the return of key players.

Apart from a thrashing at Ampthill, where we went with a considerably weakened side, we have been consistently competitive in every game and my feeling is that we are now one of the stronger teams in the league. Of the 7 defeats, 4 have been by a score, and 2 of those can genuinely be described as games we should have won (the Bromsgrove last play shocker and the disallowed try in the last minute at Hinckley).

Every team has games they feel they should have won, but those 2 were real sickeners. Thankfully, the team responded in the best possible way by winning the following week and with a little more luck we could have won 5 on the bounce. However, I don’t want to rely on luck and I think with a little more precision and patience we can put a lot of sides away without needing to rely on last minute dramas. That is the challenge from me in the 2nd half of the season. We have a very good side now and I would like to see us improve our game management, which, if we can achieve it, will make us very tough to beat. The players are good enough but we have to apply ourselves, both in matches and on training nights, to get the best results.

Ampthill appear to be in full command at the top of the league and Luton appear to be able to turn it on at any time but seem to lack consistency. Other than that, I think that all the other teams are of a similar standard (Bedford Athletic excepted) with the results very much dependant upon the performance on the day and other factors such as injury and unavailability.

I strongly believe that we are in a very good position to enjoy a good second half of the season and climb into the top half of the table. Compared to last year, we have been relatively lucky with injuries (although we do have a number of players such as George Glenn and James Britton still on the sideline) and, although we have lost a couple of important players since the start of the season, we have more than made up for that with the signings of Gareth and Scott Rawlings and Mark Brandon since the season commenced, and a couple more new signings may be imminent.

Tony Wheat
Director of Rugby

30th Nov 2009 - Player Departures

In the last few weeks we have said farewell to three of our first team squad.

Ollie Pointon has secured a job in Singapore and has gone for an initial period of 12 months. He will be able to continue playing rugby in Singapore as there is a very active rugby union set up over there. We wish him luck and hope to see him back some time in the future.

Ollie Greatholder has decided to return to his old club, Stafford, who continue to struggle in Midlands 2 West. Ollie’s studies at university, plus the return of Rich Kelly and Gareth Rawlings would have inevitably led to fewer first team appearances for him.

Andy Green, who had become a fringe member of the first team squad, has signed for Leek who play in Midlands 3 West. Again, Andy felt that his chances of first team action at Longton were very limited and he believes that he can still do a good job for another first team at a lower level. It has become fairly common practice nowadays for players to skip from club to club seeking a “greener pasture” (and not always finding it). So many players today have no club loyalty and often have more clubs than Jack Nicklaus or Lee Bowyer.

On the plus side we have seen the return of a number of our Fijian players who have been working in the London area in recent months. Naz Narewa, Rex Karati, Ulli Uvascu and John Rabebe have all come back. John Tavakece (Smith) is making a real name for himself at loose head prop in the first team and Laka Waqanaviere (the “Godfather” of the local Fijian community) has made some telling contributions from the bench.

30th Nov 2009 - National League 3 Midlands News

The top four teams in the division have opened up a gap of 10 points on the 5th. placed team with Ampthill looking particularly strong.

Our two injury time defeats away to Bromsgrove and Hinckley have clearly helped those two clubs to remain right up there in the top four. Had we won those two matches we would be up around 5th. or 6th. We must remain optimistic that with our current squad we can climb up the table in the New Year.

Bedford Athletic continue to struggle and are already beginning to look doomed. Kettering and Newport who have both performed poorly of late pulled off away wins last week. Kettering at Kenilworth, a real surprise this one, and Newport at Bedford Athletic.

We have two home games to come in the next two weeks with today’s game against Kenilworth and next week against South Leicester. We must hope for two victories.

30th Nov 2009 - Injury Blow

We suffered a major blow against Hereford when Scott Rawlings picked up a nasty leg injury after he had put in a clearance kick. Bone and ligament damage has been diagnosed and we await further news as to how long Scott is likely to be out of action. Scott, himself, is determined to be back in action in the shortest possible time but he may be out until the New Year.

11th Nov 2009 - Ladies update:

The Ladies have had a great start to the season and remain unbeaten.

Bonus point wins against Worcester and Loughborough have seen Longton Ladies rise to second place in the league, one point behind leaders Oxford and with a game in hand.

The Ladies have two tough games coming up, 3rd placed Buckingham away on the 22nd Nov and top of the league Oxford at home on the 29th Nov.

10th Nov 2009 - Latest Club News

County Recognition
Our superb facilities are being recognised by Staffordshire RFU who have allocated two senior county games ( one warm up, one championship ) and an U20 County match to our ground. The warm up game and the U20 match will be on Wednesday evenings under floodlights. In addition, both the Senior side and the U20’s will be using TF for their training sessions. The coaches for the two teams are Tosh Askew and Simon Robson.

Congratulations to Dan
We all give our warmest congratulations to Dan Robson who has been selected for the England U18 squad at fly half. Dan, of course, has been playing at scrum half for us and doing a splendid job. We wish him every success over the coming weeks with England. The downside is that we shall sorely miss him in our team for a number of games.

Fillip from the Rawlings boys
What a tremendous boost the return of Gareth and Scott has given to our first team squad. There is a new belief and confidence in the side as shown by the performance against Bedford Athletic and in the travesty of the two point defeat at Bromsgrove last week.

Welcome to “Irish”
With all the glare of publicity from the return of the Rawlings brothers, our new scrum half, Mark Brandon, has slipped in under the radar. Mark is a mature student at Staffordshire University and hails from Ireland (hence the nickname), where he was a member of the Connaught Academy. When he was not offered a full time contract there, or at Leinster (stiff competition, hey !), he decided to get himself an education and where better than Stoke-on-Trent – the Academy of Real Life?! Mark has played two games for the first team and has fitted in superbly well. We welcome him warmly to Longton.

Travelling Drummer
Captain, Chris Buck, currently away in Eastern Europe with his band, is being kept up to date with text messages from the boys. He is expected back by the end of this month when, injuries permitting, we should have a real scrap for places.

Injury to Tom
Former Club Captain, Tom Hughes, whose job forced him to sign for Lymm at a level below us, is currently nursing a badly twisted ankle. First fears were that he had broken the ankle but, fortunately, it was not and we hope Tom will be back in action again shortly for table-topping Lymm.

National League 3 Midlands
The top teams continue to prosper with Ampthill, Hinckley, Luton and Bromsgrove  (all promoted this season) heading the table and beginning to open up a gap on the rest. At the other end of the table Bedford Athletic are still struggling, although improving a little on their results. Newport, after a reasonable start, have hit the buffers big time whilst the Herefordshire/Worcestershire teams of Luctonians and Malvern are gradually improving after starting badly. The Longton performance at Bromsgrove suggests that better times are ahead with Kenilworth, Peterbrough, Hereford and South Leicester in their sights. In the league below Burton are having a great season but fellow Staffordshire teams Walsall and Stoke are struggling.

4th Nov 2009 - RFU Grand Prize Draw

Once again Longton Rugby Club will be taking part in the Rugby Football Union's Annual Grand Prize Draw. For the last six years the RFU have been running their Grand Draw which raises money for participating Rugby Clubs.

With each ticket sold our club will receive 90% of the sales. Tickets are £1 each and are in books of 5 so for every ticket sold the club gets £0.90 and for every book sold the club gets £4.50 – FOR NOTHING. All the prizes and tickets etc are provided by the RFU. 

So this a great opportunity for the club raise to funds. In today's economic climate, finance is an increasing problem in many clubs and running costs, let alone improvements are increasingly difficult to fund.This year any funds you raise by selling tickets can be allocated to your team or section of the club if you wish. There can’t be a better way of raising the money required to fund the running of all sections of the club.  For your chance to win any of the 40 prizes all you have to do is purchase a ticket at £1 each or a book or even better sell some books. Tickets are available from Club Officials or contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange payment and collection or for additional details.  

THE PRIZE LIST

1st Prize  £10000

2nd Prize Two business class air tickets to Dubai

3^rd & 4^th Prize £1000

5th Prize London weekend break for two at an INVESTEC match in November 2010 incl. two nights’ accommodation and tickets

6^th Prize England rugby squad 2009/10 signed jersey

7^th Prize British Lions 2009 squad signed rugby ball

8^th Prize RWC 2003 rugby ball signed by Martin Johnson

9^th & 10^th Prize Hospitality package for two at an INVESTEC match in November 2010           

Plus 30 other tremendous prizes ranging from tickets to games to weekend breaks 

CLUB PRIZES

The top 9 clubs raising the most money will receive prizes ranging from Hospitality packages to cash sums.

So support your team and your club and your sport by taking part in this draw, you just never know it could be YOU going to an RBS 6 Nations game or even receiving a tidy CASH SUM!

Tickets are on sale NOW and will remain so until 20th February 2010

GOOD LUCK FROM ALL AT LONGTON RUGBY CLUB

30th Oct 2009 - Club Shop open saturday Oct 31st 1:30pm to 2:45pm Then post match till 5pm, Order now for Xmas!

27th Oct 2009 - Welcome back Gareth and Scott

The big news this week has been the signing of the Rawlings brothers, Gareth and Scott, who have joined us from Caldy in National League 2 North.

The loss of a major sponsor at Caldy has seen them having to retract some of their initial contracts and greatly reduce payments to players. Gareth and Scott had to travel over 450 miles a week, with training and playing, and this puts an awful strain on players and their families, not to mention the wear and tear on cars. Naturally, we are absolutely delighted to welcome Gareth and Scott “back home”.

They both bring a wealth of experience and ability with them.  Gareth played for Sale Academy and Manchester and then had a two year spell in France at Limoges, facing the likes of Victor Matfield and George Gregan. He also represented Lancashire in the County Championship Final at Twickenham.
Scott also played Division 1 rugby for Manchester and represented England Counties XV on tours to Russia and the United States.

Welcom home boys ! We look forward to you both making a considerable impact in our team.

27th Oct 2009 - Girls' Rugby in North Staffs

The North Staffs Sirens is a new girls' rugby team for the under 15 age group and is run as part of a joint project involving four community rugby clubs in North Staffordshire, Longton, Leek, Trentham and Stoke.

The aim of this cluster team is to develop and provide opportunities for girls in North Staffordshire to access rugby activities in a club environment and to offer an exit route for those already involved at the under 12 age group, as well as those who are new to the sport.

Eligible girls are invited to attend an open day of the North Staffs Sirens at Trentham Rugby Club, New Inn Lane, Trentham, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 8BE. 

The event will be on Sunday 15th November and will start at 1pm.  It will provide girls an opportunity to meet a women's England Rugby star and to take part in a training session and some fun rugby games delivered by qualified and experienced coaches.

3rd Oct 2009 - Staffs RU Cup Semi-final Draws

The draws for the Staffordshire RU Cup semi-finals (dates to be arranged) are:

STAFFORDSHIRE SENIOR CUP 2009 - 2010

INTERMEDIATE CUP 2009 - 2010 (The Lewis Taylor Cup)

OWEN CUP 2009- 2010

2nd Oct 2009 - 1st Team v Newport 3rd October 09

 1 J Staley. 2 C Wilson. 3 M Davies. 4 O Greatholder. 5 R Kelly. 6 J Smith. 7 L Miles. 8 J Booth. 9 D Robson. 10 C Buck. 11 G Hallam. 12 T Hughes (c). 13 O Pointon. 14 L Brogan. 15 P Green. 16. G Glenn. 17 K Healey. 18 A Edwards

28th Sep 2009 - Rugby Round-up

Despite playing three of our first four league games away from home we have got off to a flying start this season.

A narrow defeat in the first game at Kettering, which could so easily have been a win, and victories at South Leicester and Malvern, plus a good home success over Luctonians has set us up nicely for the bigger challenges ahead.

One real bonus has been our excellent defensive record to date; we have conceded just 23 points in our four games, the best defensive record in the country. The next best in National League 3 Midlands is the 52 points conceded by Ampthill. Bedford Athletic have already leaked 205 points in their opening games.

October is going to be a very tough month, however, with games against Peterbrough and Ampthill away and Luton at home following this Saturday's home match against Newport (Salop). 

To date, Hinckley have made an excellent an excellent start winning all four games. On Saturday they have a tough home fixture against newly promoted and high flying Ampthill. 

Talking to other clubs as we travel around to their grounds it is clear that many are feeling the financial pinch. South Leicester and Malvern, both of whom paid players last season, cannot afford payments this year. Luctonians have lost most of last season’s back division and will be hoping the imminent arrival of three southern hemisphere players will galvanise their team in the coming months. The promotion of Hereford into our league means that both they and Luctonians are competing for a relatively small pool of players who are good enough to play at this level; the entire population of the area is only 170,000; Malvern is also not so far away, although they don’t believe that Hereford’s promotion has adversely affected them. Despite this they have evidently lost seven of last season’s team (no longer playing !).  

Bedford Athletic have begun the season where they left off last year. To date, they have lost all four games and it would seem that although they grabbed a couple of wins to stave off relegation last season, they are in for a tough time.  Judging by the first four games the league title is going to be a very close fought contest with as many as six or seven teams competing for the top spot – let’s hope we are in the mix !. 

It was good to see us turning out a Vets team last week and an excellent win over Ashbourne 4^ths was a great start. Old stalwarts Dave Wilshaw and Graeme Wilson evidently gave a good account of themselves. More fixtures are planned for these guys during the season.  

The Junior and Mini Seal of Approval presentation went very well with a good attendance of parents and juniors. The award was presented to Liz Fletcher, who did the bulk of the work, by Staffordshire President, Barry Tilston, with RFU Committee Member, Andy Campbell, and Staffordshire Rugby Development Officer, Tom Bartram, also in attendance. Congratulations to all concerned. Over the next year or so we must now work towards whole Club SOA.

28th Sep 2009 - Disability Football League

On September 27th Longton Rugby proudly hosted the first Staffordshire Football Association Disability League of the new season. These leagues operate on a monthly basis, and the fantastic facility here at Trentham Fields has become the regular home of the event. The League is the first of its kind in the county, and caters for both adult and junior players.   

22nd Sep 2009 - New Signings

This summer has seen an influx of many new signings, most of whom should be competing for first team places. Craig Wilson has returned from Manchester as Head Coach and hooker, giving us a powerful hooking duo with George Glenn, particularly as both can also play at prop. Tom Hughes has returned from Lymm and takes over the captaincy from Joel Booth who remains a key figure in the pack. Tom is also joint backs coach with ex-Manchester and Caldy fly half, Chris Buck. Ant Edwards, a centre/wing, has joined from Newcastle along with props James Staley and Stuart Tait.

The second team, with a good deal of youth, are looking like a very powerful outfit and will surely top the Staffordshire Merit Table A. Similarly, the third team, who have a blend of youth and experience, should have an excellent season.

This year we shall also be fielding an occasional Vets team on some weekends - new and former players all welcome!

31st Aug 2009 - Girls' Rugby in North Staffs

Girls' rugby in North Staffordshire has been given a boost with the formation of a girls' cluster league, which will get underway in September.

The cluster league is being established to address the problem of minimal girls' rugby for players in the under 15s age group in that region.

"The objective of a cluster project is to ensure that when girls reach the age in which they have to split off from the boys they have a route in which they can continue to play rugby at this level," said Liz Fletcher, who has been instrumental in organising the league. "The risk at the moment is that we will lose these girls to other sports as there is no where for them to go once they reach a certain age."

Four clubs in North Staffordshire (Longton, Stoke, Trentham and Leek) are working together to develop the cluster team where girls in the under 15 age group can come together to develop their rugby skills through advanced tag and contact sessions and suitable competitions and tournaments. These sessions will be on a Sunday and will start on September 6th at Trentham Rugby Club.

"Long term we hope to split up the cluster to create more under 15 girls teams who will feed into a cluster under 18s team that will work in the same format. From there they can go on to senior ladies rugby at Longton or one of the other nearby teams at Eccleshall and Stafford."
 

RFU community coaches George Glenn and Simon Jones will be going into schools in September to deliver rugby to Year 7, 8 and 9, and any girls who are interested in taking rugby up will be signposted to the North Staffs Sirens Team.

The North Staffs Sirens team have been assisted in setting up this cluster league through funding secured through the RFUW's club toolkit fund.

24th Jul 2009 - Seal of Approval

26th Jun 2009 - Stoke City Gifted and Talented Day

1st Apr 2009 - Team news v Kettering

Longton are boosted by the return of skipper Joel Booth after a six week injury layoff, forming a strong back row with workhorse Ben Grocott and the big hitting Fijian John Smith. Loose head prop Mark Baker makes a timely return from University to play at loose head with Kieran Johnson returning from a week off in the hooker spot.

In the backs the prodigious talent of Dan Robson has returned from Hartpury College to take the full backs jersey. Dan is the son of Longton coaching consultant and former England scrum half Simon, and the younger brother of former Longton, now Loughborough Students scrum half Ben and his pace will add a new dimension to the back line. Lee Brogan returns at fly half after missing last weeks trip to South Leicester and scrum half James Askew, son of Longton coaching consultant and former England ‘A’ coach Tosh Askew is back from Durham University to take over the number 9 jersey.

The pack has a very solid look about it this week and will hopefully produce enough quality ball for the pacy backline, led by recent returnee from Manchester, England Counties centre, Scott Rawlings, to use the wide open spaces of Trentham Fields.

A win will guarantee Longton’s status in Midlands 1 after a troublesome season that has seen an unprecedented injury list leading to a record number of nearly 50 players being used by the 1st XV. Motivation is extremely high in the Longton camp for this must win game and the mood has been significantly boosted by the return of a number of key players. A large crowd is anticipated at Trentham Fields and Director of Rugby Tony Wheat is willing them to get behind the team “This is a vital game for the club and the crowd can play a massive part by creating a great atmosphere for the players. We have a number of key players back this week and they will make a big difference to the team. Kettering have a pretty good away record this season including a great win at Newport in their last game so even though there is nothing significant at stake for them to play for, there is no pressure on them, so we are prepared to face a tough challenge. I am confident that we can win the game and if we do it will be a huge relief after what has been the most testing season that I can ever remember. We have ambitious plans for next season and are already well under way with our preparations but we need to ensure our position in this league as our first priority. We don’t want to rely on Bedford Athletic losing their last 2 games for our survival, far better to have it in our own hands, at home in our final game of the season at Trentham Fields.”

Team:-   

15 Dan Robson 14 Christian Wainwright 13 Oli Pointon 12 Scott Rawlings 11 Grant Hallam

10 Lee Brogan 9 James Askew 8 Joel Booth © 7 Ben Grocott 6 John Smith  5 Oli Greatholder

 4 Rich Thompson 3 Matt Davies 2 Kieran Johnson 1 Mark Baker  16 Neil Smith 17 Chris Ainsworth

18 Tony Wheat

20th Mar 2009 - Broadstreet v Longton 21 March 2009

Longton visit champions elect Broadstreet in a tough Midlands 1 game this weekend.

Longton bring in Joe Hall at scrum half after a series of impressive outings for the 2nds.  Frazer Kellythorn has an injured shoulder so Rob Wheat moves to wing with brother Tony reverting to fullback.

In the pack big Fijian flanker John Smith is in at blindside and recent injury victims Sam Winchcombe and Liam Miles make a welcome return to the bench.

The Longton team for Saturday is:
15T Wheat 14A Green 13O Pointon 12S Rawlings 11R Wheat 10L Brogan 9J Hall 8K Healey 7B Grocott 6J Smith 5O Greatholder 4R Thompson 3M Davies 2G Glenn 1K Johnson.  16S Winchcombe 17L Miles 18T Smith.

19th Mar 2009 - Junior Section Fundraising

A big "Thank You" goes to Gaz Edwards and Fester for raising £80 in aid of the Junior Section during last night's (18/03/09) 3rd team home game against Leek 3rds.  The money will be spent on some junior tackle shields.

And well done to the 3rd team on a great 33-0 win!

11th Mar 2009 - Floodlit Match for the Thirds

At 7pm on Wednesday 18th March our 3rd team will be playing a league match at home versus Leek 3rds.

It is sure to be a competitive fixture, and a feast for those watching.

The team would welcome as many spectators as possible, and will be raising funds on the night to support our Junior Section at the Club.

Please come along and lend them your support.

6th Mar 2009 - Longton V Kenilworth Team News

Longton return to Midlands 1 action this weekend and the task of retaining their status, with a tough encounter against playoff chasing Kenilworth. The visitors from Glasshouse Lane have enjoyed an excellent second season in Midlands 1 defeating top sides including Luctonians and Chester, so Longton have it all to do this Saturday.

Longton will be hoping to continue the good form shown in last weekend’s comprehensive 41-14 Staffs Cup Semi Final victory at Walsall where returning England Counties centre Scott Rawlings added some much needed fire power to the backline who as a result looked like a completely different outfit. Rawlings is paired with another returning player in Oli Pointon who has rejoined from Macclesfield giving the midfield a very creative and dangerous look. Fly half Lee Brogan had an outstanding game last week and struck up an immediate rapport with Rawlings, both constantly crossing the gain line with probing bursts. The rest of the backs remain the same as last week and should all benefit from the confidence of each scoring at least one try last weekend.

In the pack skipper Joel Booth remains absent with his broken jaw leaving flanker Ben Grocott to captain the side from the flank. The 2^nd row pair of Rich Thompson and Oli Greatholder worked well in the lineout last week and the front row of Johnson, Glenn and Davies has a solid look to it. The back row is led by skipper Grocott and also includes powerful number 8 Kieran Healey who is returning to his best form after a season disrupted by injuries, and open side Tom Bebbington who has shown up well in a number of 1^st team games this year.

Director of Rugby Tony Wheat said “This is a massive game for us and we would encourage all supporters to get right behind the team as we seek to gain a vital 2 points. It will be very tough as Kenilworth are a good side and thrashed us earlier in the season. However the last couple of weeks have seen a fairly major shift in our attitude and approach to the game and with the new personnel I think we are a much more dangerous proposition. The pack have generally done well this season but we have struggled in the backs, for a number of reasons, however the additions of Scott Rawlings and Oli Pointon have added some spark to the three quarters which was evidenced last week by the backs running in 5 out of our 6 tries at Walsall. We go into the game as under dogs but if we can produce the same level of continuity and support play aligned with solid defence and discipline then we have a good chance”.

28th Feb 2009 - Longton win Staffs Cup Semi-Final

28/02/09 19:37 Message posted on the Longton Rugby Forum by Doug Finney:

I watched a rejuvenated Longton side win the Staffs Cup semi-final comfortably , away at Walsall. And before the cynics say ' but it was only Walsall', they are a better side than several I've seen in Mids 1. They were always prepared to run the ball and often had Longton's defence under pressure. However, we held out and scored the tries when the opportunities came. Let's not get carried away with this but it is a big step on the road to recovery. It was good to see players wanting the ball and having the confidence to take on the opposition.It was also great to see a few of the younger, 2nds players getting a run and doing very well.

Well done to everyone. Now lets take that attitude into our remaining league games and finish the season on the front foot.

Why not register on our Forum to share your thoughts and have your say on Longton Rugby.

26th Feb 2009 - Team News For Walsall Cup Match

The team for Saturday's Staffordshire Cup tie away against Walsall is:

15 R Wheat, 14 A Green, 13 P Green, 12 F Kellythorn, 11 T Jones, 10 L Brogan, 9 T Wheat, 8 R Karati, 7 B Grocott, 6 K Healey, 5 O Greatholder, 4 R Thompson, 3 M Davies, 2 G Glenn, 1 K Johnson.

16 S Winchcombe, 17 J Smith, 18 A Birse, 19 T Bebbington, 20 T Smith, 21 J Hall, 22 AN Other.

Longton have decided to field as strong a team as we can this week even though we are conscious of the league games in the next few weeks.

Unfortunately Oli Pointon is unavailable as he has a BUSA Knockout match for Nottingham University but Paul Green returns to the side after missing last weeks game.

We are expecting a very tough game from Walsall who have definitely turned a corner over the last few weeks and will fancy their chances at home.

Losing skipper Joel Booth for the rest of the season is a big blow to us as he has been one of our standout players but Rex Karati is a strong runner and a punishing defender.

Longton have got a number of young lads on the bench who have done well in a successful 2nd team this season so we hope to give them some game time to enable them to continue their development up to 1st team rugby.

23rd Feb 2009 - Longton v Walsall 28/02/09 - Staffs Cup Semi-Final

Longton v Walsall 28/02/09 - Staffs Cup Semi-Final.

It will be good to meet up with our friends and rivals from Walsall again and they appear to be enjoying a resurgence over the last few weeks with an excellent win against Burton being followed up by a 40 odd point victory this weekend. They always play the game in the right way, taking every opportunity to keep the ball in hand and we are expecting a very tough match, particularly given our current horrendous injury crisis.  Skipper Joel Booth is definitely lost for the season and there are major doubts hanging over several key backs before the game.

We are also faced with the decision of what is our priority for the season and it is clearly retaining our Midlands 1 position. With this in mind we must decide whether to risk a number of players who are struggling with injuries this week, or rest them for the crucial league games that lie ahead. We are certainly not safe yet this season so the league must be the priority.  

Clearly we still value the Staffs Cup highly having won it for the previous 3 seasons but given the choice between another Staffs Cup win and Midlands 1 survival we will undoubtedly take retaining our league status. Training this week is likely to be fairly light given our injuries and we will make a decision as to the side that we put out this weekend.  We have Kenilworth at home the following week which promises to be a very tough game so we need our key players for that game, therefore we will look at the squad and select accordingly.

23rd Feb 2009 - Charity Barn Dance

The Dragon Square Children's Respite Centre in Chesterton are holding a barn dance at Longton Rugby Club on Satrday 20th March.  The Centre provides care for youngsters with physical disabilities and other needs.    Although funded by the NHS, the Centre needs additional funds to provide special treats for the youngsters.

The barn dance starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £10.

Everyone attending is asked to wear an item of denim clothing. There will be three 20 minutes sessions of line dancing led by the Groove Academy team of professional dance instructors. Jacket potatoes will be served and all the proceeds will go to the respite centre.

For more information or to book tickets call Diane Brassington on 07887 481926 or Andrea Leake on 07778 805542.

13th Feb 2009 - Free use of Phoenix Suite

The facilities at the Phoenix Suite (Longton Rugby's Clubhouse) can be hired for free by paid-up Club Members - for birthday parties, charity discos, and other events - on any day or night from Sundays to Fridays.

Contact Mike Robinson, Club Manager, on 01782 594016 for details.

1st Feb 2009 - Stoke City FC v Bolton 4th March 2009

PREMIERSHIP FOOTBALL

Longton Rugby will be open for the Stoke City v Bolton match on Wednesday 4th March.  Kick off is 7.45 pm.

26th Jan 2009 - Pre-match Lunches 2009

PRE-MATCH LUNCHES

Our next pre-match lunch will be on March 7th before the first team home game against Kenilworth and the next after that will be a Sponsor's Lunch on April 4th before the first team home game against Kettering.

Contact Mike Robinson or Jez Moss at the Club on 01782 594016 for more details.

26th Jan 2009 - Beer Festival at Longton Rugby

BEER FESTIVAL

March 7th sees Longton Rugby host its annual Beer Festival.  With many guest beers from around the globe, this is an occasion not to be missed. 

Further details can be obtained from the Club on 01782 594016.

26th Jan 2009 - Lions Lunches

LIONS LUNCHES

Longton Rugby will be showing all the British Lions Test Matches in South Africa.

See the Lions on the big screen on Saturday 20th and 27th June and Saturday 4th July at the Club.

21st Jan 2009 - Sponsorship Packages

SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES

Longton Rugby has just unveiled a number of sponsorship packages including perimeter advertising around the main pitch for 2 years for just £350. 

Further details can be found on the Sponsorship Page of our website. 

If you, or anyone that you know, would be interested in sponsoring Longton Rugby, please get in touch through our Contact Us page.