On a blustery windy day Wharfedale entertained Blackburn in a friendly pre-season match which would include up to 30 players for new Head Coach Simon Verbickas to assess.

The game was split into three 30 minute sessions of which Blackburn won the toss and kicked off with the slope and wind.

After sustained pressure through multiple penalties and possession, Blackburn opened the scoring with a well worked try by Jake Foster, converted by Josh Jarrod

The rest of the period was stalemate until Jake Foster crossed in the corner and Josh Jarrod converted to make the score 0 – 14.…

Pre-season friendly

Another hot day at the Avenue greeted Billingham from the North East. Wharfedale struggled to show any fluency early on and were guilty of some sloppy play and allowed the visitors to score two converted tries in the first 20 minutes to lead by 14 points. Dale then started to improve and a break by Harry Bullough and a kick ahead by James Coulton led to Bullough himself scoring. Ben Blackwell converted.

More shocking play followed by the home side and Billingham touched down again for an unconverted try to leave the score 7 – 19. Dale then …

Rugby returned to the Avenue with a double header. A good crowd enjoyed the sunshine and were entertained by first the Foresters playing Old Rishworthians and then 1^st Team taking on old friends, Macclesfield. The results preseason are not the most important thing but it is important for the coaches to see players on the field against good opposition.

Macclesfield played some good rugby and, despite the score, were strong opponents. The match gave the players the chance to impress Wharfedale’s new Director of Rugby, Simon Verbickas. All players took the chance and played some superb eye-catching rugby.

Dale …

(Thank you to Fred Bullough for kindly providing this!)

To the solid band of Foresters supporters, do not be alarmed. The final score does not truly represent what you have come to expect from the Foresters normal squad of players. The Club itself were very short of players for the two matches that took part on the 6^th of August and consequently it was very difficult to field two teams against the Old Rishworthians and later the first team against Macclesfield. Therefore, to even consider playing both games, several players turned out for both of the Wharfedale sides. Yes, …

Whilst as a club our aim is to provide an excellent environment for young people to improve their sporting and rugby skills, as they reach 16 and beyond careers also need to be considered and forged.

With this in mind the club has set up an apprenticeship scheme with a number of local companies. Apprenticeships combine learning and qualifications with earning a wage which is a huge win for all concerned.

More details of the scheme are available by clicking on the Apprenticeships tab near the top of this page.

We would like to take this opportunity of expressing our …

We have now launched an online shop for the purchase of all Gilbert-branded playing/training kit for mini, junior and adults, including a range of Gilbert branded bodywarmers and outerwear. This is now available online 24/7 with quick delivery times so you can shop from the comfort of your home. All purchases will generate commission for the club. Please visit www.Gilbertrugbyshop.co.uk/WharfedaleRUFC for more details.

As this is a new venture, we are keen to get feedback on service levels, delivery times and the range of stock on offer. Please let us know what you think by e-mail to shop@wharfedalerufc.co.uk.

The …