Welcome to the 1st XV Section

Next Games 13th April
home to Moortown - Yorkshire 1 KO 3pm

Rishworthians go into a home game with champions Moortown, knowing that even if they pull off a shock result, their Yorkshire One future will rest with other results. Moortown have been the outstanding team in the division and have only lost two league games in the early weeks of the season at fifth placed Beverley and second placed Heath.

Rishworthians are three points behind Hullensians who have a home game against Selby and must be favourites to stay up. Our team put in a great performance last week to win at Brods and complete a double over our neighbours, but while we have been achieving heroics in the battle to avoid the drop, so too have the teams around us.

For the last game however, against a team we have never beaten, we will have significant absentees in Anthony Shoesmith, Ed Cockroft and Ben Sutcliffe. “We will be doing everything we can to beat Moortown, but if we do go down we will be aiming to start next season with a stronger side than we started this,” said team manager Dan Ingham.

Player awards evening 2017-18

“We’re a club that’s on the up” was the message from officials when Old Rishworthians held their annual awards presentation evening. Player-coach Chris Stone praised all the players from the club for their achievements last season, when two teams won through to county finals. The first team had a “brilliant” season. After gaining promotion the previous season, the aim had been to ensure survival in Yorkshire One. “We went beyond all our initial expectations to finish sixth. We lost four games by three points or less and if we had managed to win those, who knows where we might have finished,” said Stone.

They also won through to the Yorkshire Shield final, where their side, depleted through injury and unavailability, went down 41 – 27 to already promoted Scarborough. It is anticipated the club will now be Yorkshire’s Level Seven representatives next season in the national Intermediate Cup. This has to be ratified by the Yorkshire Competitions Committee at a meeting on June 5. The club’s Colts side also reached the final of the Yorkshire Cup, eventually losing 21 – 14 to Sheffield. The Development team also had an excellent season especially after being rocked by the tragic death from meningitis at 19 of one its exciting young players Lewis Hilton.

Looking forward to next season, Stone said: “We now have to build on this season’s achievements and look forward to further success next.” He was particularly pleased with the performances of a number of young players who had emerged into the first team and said he hoped to see many more coming through from the club’s outstanding junior sides. Of the 49 players who made appearances for the first team last season, 32 had come through the junior ranks. He also praised the support players have received off the field from the supporters and the volunteers. “They are the heartbeat of this fantastic club,” he said.

The Geoff Eastwood Trophy for player of the year went to prop Harry Whitfield, who also picked up the players’ player trophy. Teenage fullback Sam Bake picked up the trophy for the most improved player, while the best newcomer award went to No 8 Jack Andrews, and the coaches’ award went to lock Callum Heseltine and was received in his absence by his brother Doug. First team ties were presented by captain Fraser Swarbrooke to Harry Whitfield, Ben Waud, Harry Robinson, Doug Heseltine, Jack Andrews and Harvey Keighley-Payne. Chris Stone received the Dave O’Boyle Memorial Trophy as clubman of the year.

Finally team manager Dan Ingham thanked head coach Chris Stone for all his work.