Telford Hornets head into 2010 hoping to continue their remarkable rise of the last decade.
The Hornets have grown into a major force in the county in the last few years – and their current status in Midlands West 3 North is a feat in itself considering where the club has come from.
“Going back five years we were really struggling,” club press officer Mark Dorey said. “To see where we are now and where we have come from is quite something. This season is the first for a number of years where we have been able to field three teams on a regular basis.
“And last season the firsts won promotion and jumped two leagues because of a re organisation so we are now playing at a very high standard of rugby.
“This year is one of consolidation for us and we’re doing ok. In this league I think on our day we can beat almost anybody.
“We’re a young side – the average age of the first team is only 23 and considering we have couple of old heads in there who are in the mid to late thirties it just shows how many youngsters we have.”
The conveyor-belt of young talent is thanks to a flourishing youth set up at Hornets Nest.
Youngsters as young as six come and train and learn tag rugby and then progress through the age groups until the under 17s – where players try and make the stepping stone to the adult scene through the third and second strings.
“The strength of the club is thanks to a lot of hard work by the coaches, parents and people behind the scenes,” Dorey added. “We do a lot of work with schools in the area and go in and visit them voluntarily to try and get them interested in rugby.
“We organise a number of tag rugby tournaments with schools around the area as well so we are really quite involved in the community and it’s paying off.”
The youngsters were even training this week despite the freezing temperatures – with indoor sessions held on Tuesday night. But the big freeze has hit the fixture list with the first team’s last game almost a month ago.
And this weekend’s match with Leek, along with scheduled fixtures for the seconds and thirds, already looks in doubt.
Dorey said: “We’re not expecting to play at all this weekend.
“The snow is getting quite heavy and even if that clears in time there will still be a frost. Looking at the forecast it seems highly unlikely that there will be any rugby.”
by Alex James