Well it is nearly a month since the last adult games were played and the various tours took place, and it has gone in a blink of an eye, and at the end of June the adults will be back in training, it is all a blur.

Here is how we brought the curtain down on a wonderful season.

Minis, Juniors and Colts 15th Birthday Party
We closed out the season in some style, with 600 Minis, Juniors and Colts celebrating their 15th birthday party all over the BEST pitches opposite the clubhouse. It was a resounding success, and expertly orchestrated by Phil Bailey, next year’s Minis Captain who is filling the big shoes of Boris Pomroy, who himself will be masterminding our Junior Girls growth.
A massive thank you to both of them, and of course the multitude of coaches and helpers in the Minis, Juniors and Colts, I would also like to call out the Duracell Bunny that is Chris Williams for his tireless enthusiasm and drive, ably supported by Peter Thomas and Ed and Katie Rodney-Smith, there are many more of you I know, so a think you to all of you that I have not mentioned.

The Barnes RFC City Lunch
The week after the 15th birthday gig came the Barnes RFC City Lunch, this year attended by 480 of the Barnes massif. It was a fantastic afternoon and evening, and we were regaled by a host of rugby stars, including: Danny Care, Simon Shaw, Serge Betsen (when he eventually got out of bed!), England Roses Sarah Hunter and Helena Rowland and last, but by no means least, the outstanding All Black legend, Andrew Mehrtens, who proved to be as funny off the pitch as he was ruthless on it. The day was managed brilliantly by the outrageous legend that is Mark Durden-Smith, who bought the curtain down on the season in some style. Next year’s City Lunch date is May 17th 2024 - stick it in your diary now as we will no doubt sell out in double quick time!

This is our major fund-raising event of the season and I am delighted to say that we raised over £60,000 thanks to the generosity of those present and the auctioneering skills of Kenny Worrall.

I also want to call out in dispatches Gemma Hill, our retiring Safeguarding Officer, who is heading off for pastoral pastures new, to become our own vicar of Dibley. I was delighted to hand Gemma her award at the City Lunch for being the overall Barnes RFC Club Person of the Year for her outstanding contribution to the club. We will miss you!

The season to end all seasons
So that is it for another season, except I would like to end with my own summary of what has been an extraordinary season.

I think the season just gone has been our best ever at Barnes RFC, certainly since I joined in 1989.

For me, the performance across the club was epitomised by the last six weeks of the season.

On 30th March it all kicked off with a Barnes Invitational XV of 40 old blokes from the Originals, and some even older gits that I have played with over the last 30 odd years, playing the House of Lords and Commons Rugby team on the hallowed turf of Twickenham.
On their way to 2nd place in National 2 East, our Men’s 1st XV smashed league champions Blackheath at Barn Elms in a set piece display of total scrum porn, resulting in 11 scrum penalties and three yellow cards against “Club” and our Wonder Women’s 1st XV beat all comers, winning their league at a canter, and victorious in their last 14 games on the bounce, gaining them promotion to the Championship. They were also voted Women’s Rugby team of the year by the RFU for Levels 3-5

The Occies were runners up in their league, and lost by a whisker in their cup final, the Colts won their Surrey Cup Final and the Under 22s won the inaugural Smith Shenton Cup.
Whilst all of this was going on we had Laon Rugby Minis on tour in Barnes, a party of 225 Minis marauding and glamping around Cheddar Gorge and Clifton Rugby Club, whilst the Under 14’s toured Wales, and the Under 12’s and the 13’s toured Ireland and, if that wasn’t enough, the Under 11’s carried out the their own annual pilgrimage back to Laon, who more than repaid the hospitality we had offered them in rainy Barnes a few weeks earlier! To all of you who played, supported and organized, I salute you!

It was quite an extraordinary end to the season, which was signed off in style last on 13th May with a 15th birthday jamboree for the Minis, Juniors and Colts, which took place in on the BEST fields opposite the clubhouse. This was yet another tour de force, organised as I said earlier by Phil Bailey and an army of volunteers.

And all that happened in just six weeks - isn’t that simply amazing?

The future of Barnow rugby is most definitely bright, the future is most definitely green and gold!

Barnes is an incredible rugby club, it runs on an enormous amount of goodwill, hard work and a shared love of rugby.

To all of you who help across the club, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, have a great summer, relax, recharge, and come back for more in September!
And don’t forget….pre-season training for the adults starts on 27th June!

Michael “Rhino” Whitfield – Chairman Barnes RFC