The sight of Fabrice Muamba’s sudden collapse in the fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers showed that even seemingly fit and healthy people can be affected by SCA and other cardiovascular conditions.

However, the risk of suffering such an event can be reduced by avoiding risk factors such as smoking, obesity and high blood pressure and the part that health eating and regular gentle exercise can have in improving quality of life.

Over the past few months, the North Derbyshire Chargers have been working hard to promote Touch Rugby League as a gentle re-introduction to exercise in order to reduce the number of cardiovascular incidents across the surrounding area.  The sponsored walk is therefore an opportunity to take part in a gentle, social exercise activity whilst raising money for charity and for the club.

Activities available on the day in addition to the sponsored walk currently include:

• Primary Rugby League (Under 7 – 11)
• Touch Rugby League (14+)
• Mascot race
• Photo opportunity with professional players
• Bouncy castle
• Face painting
• Refreshments

The Heartbeat of Sport team will also be on hand to give out information relating to their work within sport and we are currently working with club partners to host a health eating event to show how to reduce your risk of suffering a heart attack or other life changing event.

There will be loads of activities and stalls at the Sponsored Walk with lots of fabulous prizes to be won, so please free to come along and have a go and watch the walkers raising money and join in the fun.

If you are unable to attend the event, you can use the button on the right to donate to the event and for those taking part, please ensure that you register to say you are attending and download our sponsorship form.

If you are a local business who would be interested in attending or sponsoring this event then please get in touch via the contact form on the web site.

The match was played in perfect conditions and some early possession by Hull Victoria saw the Chargers defending early on in familiar fashion.  Some strong running by Matt Bullars and Ben Doxey saw the ball being carried easily out of their own half with Hull putting in a number of strong hits on the forwards.  The deadlock was broken in the first five minutes with Ben Doxey fending off the attention of a number of Hull defenders to cross the line close to the posts and after a successful conversion from Harry Chapman the Chargers were leading 6 – 0.

However, the lead was not to last long and within two minutes the scores were again level at 6 – 6.  The next ten minutes saw both teams locked in an arm wrestle for dominance with both packs working hard to find a weak spot in the defence and the Chargers containing their opponents to prevent the obvious overlap on the wing.  After some excellent carries from forwards and backs alike, the Chargers were again to extend their lead through Ben Doxey, crossing for his second try of the game which was successfully converted again by Harry Chapman and the Chargers were again leading 12 – 6.

The remaining two points from the half were to come from the boot of Harry Chapman on the back of a number of penalties against the opposition.  Both kicks came from the centre of the field, with the first being the pick of the bunch as Chapman successfully slotted the ball home from around the half way line.  Nerves settled, the Chargers saw the rest of the half out without conceding any more points.

The second half saw the a change to the playing pattern for Hull as they looked to create space out wide to stretch the defence.  After a scrum in Chargers half, Hull broke from the base and a spirited run by the number 4 saw him break through the defensive line and cross under the posts to provide a simple conversion opportunity, which was duly taken and Hull closed the gap to 16 – 12.

Five minutes later and the Chargers were awarded another penalty very close to the Hull try line.  A moment of genius by Macauley Watkinson saw him take advantage of a moment of confusion in the defensive line to plant the ball over the line in perfect kicking distance for Chapman and the gap was ten points at 22-12.  This was to be the Chargers last score of the game as fatigue began to take it’s toll on the team.

Hull’s next try came from a strong break from the forwards, breaking through the defensive line and crossing close to the posts again as tired Chargers legs struggled to get back into position after a previous break and the score was now close at 22 – 18.  Hull were then to go on to score three more tries out wide, as they used quick hands to spread the ball across the defensive line to make use of their natural overlap, despite resolute defending from centres and wingers alike who did their best to defend the line and disrupt the scoring flow of the opponents.

A number of stoppages for injuries saw the second half stretching out to nearly forty minutes including stoppages with Hull pressing home their advantage.  However, even though the game ultimately ended what had been an unbeaten run in both league and cup since the first day of last season, it is difficult to find fault with the performance of the team.  As with previous games, the spirit and the commitment of all players within the squad is impeccable and this match saw a number of players up their game to inject an extra dimension to their game.  Ben Doxey, Macauley Watkinson, Harry Chapman, Jake Beech and Luke Walters were as committed in attack as they were in defence, causing no end of problems for the opposition and had the squad been the full complement of seventeen players the game would likely have ended in a victory for the home team.

Ryan Banner, Sam Bennett, Matt Bullars and Joe Holland were on hand to take some of the strain from the forwards and were successful in repelling a number of assaults on the Chargers try line, preventing the overlap on many occasions and putting their bodies on the line time and time again.  There were many positives to take from this match including the continued unbeaten run in the league.

The Under 16 team currently train and play at Creswell Rugby Club and are always on the lookout for new recruits into the squad.  They train on Saturday afternoon from 14:00 to around 15:30 and members of the squad are also welcome at Open Age training sessions which take place on a Wednesday evening at 18:30 at Netherthorpe School, Staveley.

Anyone interested in joining any of the junior or senior teams should get in touch via the web site.

The match remained scoreless for the first ten minutes, with the away side making the first break through scoring from close range, as with all of their tries.  The conversion was missed in increasingly blustery conditions which saw the wind direction changing constantly throughout the game, making the long pass and kicking game difficult.

The lead was not to last though, as Ryan Banner crossed in the corner within a couple of minutes as the Chargers moved the ball through many sets of hands.  Harry Chapman was unsuccessful with the conversion, but this was the only goal attempt that he would miss.

The next try (arguably the try of the game) saw Ben Doxey running onto the ball at pace, taking the pass around his own 30m mark and powering through the defensive line leaving the opposition in his wake covering at least 70m to score beneath the posts to the delight of both his team mates and the home supporters.

The final score of the half came from Wibsey, who took advantage of gaps within the Chargers defence to post a converted try and bring the score back to 16-10.

Now with the wind to their backs, the Chargers continued to press their advantage early in the second half.  Building pressure on the left, Luke Walters running from half back beat a number of defenders to cross the line and post the first score of the half, which was successfully converted by Harry Chapman.  Within five minutes, Wibsey were again to score and pull the gap back to a single converted try as the home team maintained their lead at 22 – 16.

Two tries from captain Macauley Watkinson effectively saw the team home.  Watkinson’s first try came from an excellent kick off from Harry Chapman which saw the ball driven hard along the floor before gathering pace and going over the heads of the Wibsey defence, crossing the dead ball line.  The resultant drop out from under the posts was gathered by Watkinson who crossed from 20m out.  Watkinson’s second try of the game was more typical, as the ball moved well through midfield and Watkinson exploited a gap in the defence to run 50m and cross beneath the posts.  Both conversions were successful and the score was now 34 – 16.

A series of penalties deep inside Charger’s territory provided Wibsey with an excellent opportunity to cross from short range and the subsequent successful conversion pulled the score back to 34 – 22.

The final try of the game saw Aaron Wycherley making one of his trademark runs as he easily punched through the Wibsey defensive line to break clear.  Pursued by a solitary member of the Wibsey squad, Wycherley showed both pace and evasion skills to again cross under the posts and to put the tie beyond Wibsey’s reach.

The team now have a home fixture to Hull Victoria in the semi finals which take place on April 28th at Creswell Rugby Club.  Photographs from this week’s fixture will be posted shortly, thanks to NFS Photography.

The club can therefore offer 25% discount on the standard ticket price to share the discount with purchases whilst also providing income to the club.  More information on this will be posted in the coming days along with an appropriate seating plan.

In a game played in perfect conditions, Brighouse were the first to score after an initial handling error by the Chargers on the half way line which was compounded by a couple of penalties close to their line.  The subsequent conversion was successful and the Rangers led 6 – 0.

This lead wasn’t to last long, as some good work through the middle by the forwards followed by quick handling saw Matt Bullars cross the line in the corner for the first of his two tries of the day.  The try was successfully converted from the touchline by Harry Chapman to level the scores at 6 – 6.

More handling errors in the middle of the field saw the Chargers squander a number of chances to apply pressure before a perfectly positioned kick to the wing saw Joe Holland collect the ball, coming inside to beat three defenders to improve the angle.  The subsequent conversion was missed which kept the score at 6 – 10.

The final score of the half saw Callum Hallows breaking through from 15m out after some fantastic play by the forwards to drive the opposition back deep into their own half.  The try was successfully converted by Harry Chapman to bring the half time score to 6 – 16.

The second half continued in the same way, with fabulous combinations and half back moving the mobile pack around the centre of the field who were then consistently winning the initial contact and subsequently taking three or four defenders out of the game.  The speed and power of the centres and wingers provided both excellent sliding defence and potent attacking play and before long Matt Bullars crossed the line for his second try of the match after another devastating break from Ben Doxey.  The conversion was unsuccessful and the score was now 6 – 20 to the Chargers.

The next try was scored in typical fashion by Aaron Wycherley, collecting the ball within his own half and using power and speed to break through the defensive line and leave players in his wake; breaking straight down the middle and scoring under the posts provided the perfect opportunity for Harry Chapman to convert the try and the score was now 6 -26 to the Chargers.

Harry Chapman himself scored the last try of the game, throwing the dummy and breaking through the defensive line supported by Ben Doxey to provide a 2 onto 1 situation for the Brighouse full back.  With the defender drawn towards Doxey, Chapman evaded the defender and crossed under the posts.  The subsequent conversion attempt by Munashe Fumhanda was ruled as unsuccessful by the referee and the score remained 6 – 30 to the Chargers.

Another fantastic team performance again coupled with individual skill saw the team comfortably progress to Round One next weekend against Wibsey.  Committed defence notably from Luke Walters, Corey Cox, Ryan Banner, Munashe Fumhanda and Matley Brain allowed the team to settle initial nerves and to hold back a number of waves of attack.  Good interplay between forwards and backs saw a consistent number of holes open within the defence and with the speed and agility of the centres/wingers the Chargers were again reaching the peaks of last season’s form with Jake Beech and Junior Wheeler making multiple breaks through the middle and committing defenders to provide chances out wide.

Ben Doxey received the Coaches Choice of Man of the Match award for resolute defending and barn storming runs which opened up the defence.  Winner of the Player Of The Week award was Sam Bennett who built on his performance from the last match and proved dogged in defence.

Excellent leadership skills were again demonstrated by team captain Macauley Watkinson, who was supportive to players making early mistakes and who was on hand to help out in attack and defence in equal measure to vary the Chargers attacking options.

The conference is targeted at:

•  Coaches who are or would like to work with talented athletes and/or have an interest in sports science and athlete development

It may also be appropriate for:

•  Parents of talented athletes who have an interest in sports science and athlete development
•  Leaders (over 16 years) who would like to progress into coaching, have an interest in the field of sports science and want to work with talented performers

The conference provides an opportunity to learn from world class experts in their fields and will be opened by a keynote speech by three-time Commonwealth table tennis champion and two-time Olympian Matthew Syed. Matthew is a highly acclaimed journalist, broadcaster and author and his book “Bounce”, has been described as “a must-read for anyone interested in the science of success, and the mind-set and culture that support it”.

More information regarding the coaches’ conference and how to book is contained on the flyer.

If you have any questions regarding the conference please contact:

Suzanne Watson email: Suzanne.watson@derbyshire.gov.uk   Tel: 01773 571229
or
Allison Nolan email: coaching@derbyshire.gov.uk   Tel: 01332 387450

Bookings are being taken now at www.coachingderbyshire.co.uk  (go to Find a course)  Please book early as places are likely to fill up quickly.