BIG MATCH PREVIEW
Fylde make their first ever trip to N2N newcomers this season, Bournville RFC, at their Avery Fields Ground (B17 8DT) to the west of Birmingham, on Saturday (ko 15.00).
As clubs ascend the RFU league hierarchy, there are a handful who haven’t featured before on Fylde’s fixture list since the start of the embryonic league structure in the 1980s and Bournville, or the ‘Chocos’ as they are affectionately known, is the latest.
In fact, Bournville was founded ten years earlier than Fylde in 1909 as the rugby section of the Bournville Athletic Club. Its distinctive history is linked closely to the Cadbury Company as it began as a factory team made up only of the firm’s employees and wearing, appropriately, chocolate colours. This remained the case for many years before it became an open club.
The Club flourished in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and ran up to six teams each week during the season. The 1990s were much more challenging as player numbers dropped considerably and there was uncertainty over its Rowheath base. After 100 years of rugby at Rowheath a major change to the Club’s aspirations was the move to Avery Fields in Edgbaston This move has provided excellent playing surfaces and infrastructure, not least of all for the thriving and buoyant mini/junior section.
The main pitch is a splendid 4G surface so, hopefully, Fylde’s running backs will find the conditions more congenial than the paddy field of the Woodlands last Saturday.
One tangible link between Fylde and Bournville is that both are members of the Community Group’s family of, currently, eight clubs running distinctive and exciting community coaching programmes. The staff of the Fylde Rugby Community Foundation led by Head of Community Coaching Phill Mills are employed by the Community Group. So both clubs share the fantastic ambition to spread the rugby playing message through their local schools, colleges and general communities and to be major forces for change in these communities.
The Bournville club climbed the RFU hierarchy of divisions dramatically, from level 10 to level 4, arriving in National Two after promotion from the regional Midlands Premier division in 2019-20. Whilst producing home grown talent able to thrive at National League level, the Club has also recruited players from the Midlands and beyond.
Their early games this season showed great promise with three victories in the first four matches over Huddersfield (19-24), Harrogate (47-20) and Wharfedale (66-13), plus an agonising 48-46 last minute defeat at promotion favourites Rotherham. It then turned tricky and seven successive defeats followed, including a bad day at the office at the Woodlands when Fylde ran in 11 tries.
Victories at home to Chester (22-14) and at Harrogate (17-24) and a excellent, brave display at home to Rotherham (17-all) improved their league position but four successive defeats in recent weeks have been disappointing. However, Bournville have shown that on their day they have the talent in their squad to challenge the best and are likely to provide the most demanding opposition for Fylde who will be looking to get over the very disappointing home defeat against Sedgley Park last Saturday.
Bournville’s Head Coach, fly-half, playmaker and goal kicker is Australian-born Mitch McGahan. He’s made over a 100 appearances for the Club and has been incredibly influential in the rise of the Club in recent seasons. Greg Smith leads the points scorers in N2N with 196 but he’s followed by a group including 4th placed Mitch on 148.
Squad building last summer included the recruitment of former Luctonians, Bridgnorth and North Midlands prop Ryan Smeilus and the return of young talent, Jonjo Fanning, a loose forward or hooker who has represented Northampton Saints and Bedford Blues Academies as well as Ireland U’18s.
Additionally, they have been able to call on some dual registered players from the Wasps Academy this season including centre Reketi Ma’asi White, prop Archie McArthur and wing Ollie Dawkins, who have all made the England U20 squad for the Under-20 Six Nations Championship.
Leading try scorer this season is Ollie Dawkins and the team is skippered by hooker James Weaver.
