logo
Legendary international referee in attendance at Colchester Rugby Club

Legendary international referee in attendance at Colchester Rugby Club

Yahoo27-06-2025
Milestone - Colchester Rugby Club has been celebrating its centenary year (Image: BEANSTALK MEDIA)
COLCHESTER Rugby Club has been celebrating its centenary.
A highlight so far was the club's Celebration Centenary Dinner which hosted the legendary international referee, Nigel Owens.
Nigel spoke for 40 minutes and shared some of the great memories of his long career.
Advertisement
Colchester United discover Carabao Cup first-round opponents
He finished off by bursting into song with his fine Welsh voice and signed many shirts and rugby balls for the guests.
This memorable event was followed by a spectacular Golf Day at Stoke by Nayland Golf Club, to help celebrate the centenary.
The event brought together players, supporters and partners of the club in a day of camaraderie, competition, and unrelenting sunshine, all set against the stunning backdrop of the club's lush, rolling greens.
With clear skies and radiant sun, the hot conditions added a unique challenge to the day's proceedings, yet the enthusiasm of participants remained undeterred.
Advertisement
Team winners on the day were club kit partners, STC Ltd.
Individual winner of the day was Paul Relf on 42 points, closely followed by ex-player Matt Waddling on 41 points.
Straightest Drive, kindly sponsored by SRC, was won by Tony Byford, while Longest Drive, kindly sponsored by Oakheart, was won by Tom Burman.
Nearest the Pin, kindly sponsored by Ilecs, was won by Peter Duley.
The enthusiasm and support made this event a memorable celebration of the club's rich history and are looking forward to many more successes and milestones ahead.
This weekend, Colchester are continuing their celebrations by holding a festival of rugby, with something for all age groups.
All are welcome, whether you want to have a go at rugby or just observe - visit colchesterrugby.co.uk for more details.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hill happy with Daisy's display in final friendly
Hill happy with Daisy's display in final friendly

Yahoo

time17 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Hill happy with Daisy's display in final friendly

Daisy Hill rounded off their build-up to the start of the North West Counties League First Division North season with a comfortable 5-1 win away at Pause United on Saturday. On a showery afternoon in Morecambe, Daisy had built up a three-goal lead at the break courtesy of Regan Brown, Kaiden Barlow and Dean Singleton, and although the hosts pulled a goal back early in the second half, two further goals from successfully-converted penalties by Jake O'Brien and Liam Sheppard rounded off a good afternoon for Lee Hill's men. The Daisy boss said afterwards the game had worked out as he had hoped. 'It was a good workout today, and really pleasing to see some of the things we've been working on in training play out in the game,' said Hill. 'The lads have really bought into what we're trying to do which is great to see. 'We knew we would see more of the ball than we did against Padiham on Tuesday night. So it was about using the ball better, getting certain players higher up the pitch in areas that they can affect the game, and also finishing chances which we did. 'It was also good to get Liam Sheppard back, Nathan (Bartram-Conway) got minutes and so did Jack Iley. 'So overall, a really good day that allows us to go away and fine tune a few bits now.' Daisy began the game well, and after Alex Dodd had a good effort saved by the Pause keeper, Will Kitchen, they took the lead after 14 minutes. Dodd was involved once more, starting the move with a pass that played Sheppard through on goal, and he squared into the path of Brown, who rifled home into the far corner. Seven minutes later, Barlow doubled Daisy's lead with a cracking volley from an O'Brien cross, and although a cross-shot from home striker Zach Clark two minutes later almost caught out Daisy keeper Morgan Newns, it was the 34th minute before he was called on to make a save, diving low down to his left. After Brown's strong run into the box set up a shooting chance for Barlow that just missed the target, on the stroke of half time Daisy bagged their third goal of the afternoon. The Pause United defence failed to clear a beautifully whipped in corner by O'Brien, and Dean Singleton had the simple task of finishing from close range. Three minutes into the second half Pause United pulled a goal back from the penalty spot, but within two minutes Daisy had a penalty of their own, when a strong run from Jacob Ridings was halted when he was tripped in the box, and O'Brien made no mistake from the spot to restore the three-goal lead. Barlow, Sheppard and Brown all had efforts saved by Pause United keeper Kitchen, before Sheppard set up Ridings for a shot that cleared the bar. But six minutes from time, Daisy added a fifth goal from another penalty, awarded when Barlow was brought down in the box, and Sheppard stepped to make no mistake from the spot. Daisy are back in action this Saturday when they host Ashton Athletic at the Ginge Power Stadium, in the opening game of the season in the North West Counties League First Division North.

Liverpool forward closer to Napoli move
Liverpool forward closer to Napoli move

Yahoo

time34 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Liverpool forward closer to Napoli move

The tour gives Slot a chance to assess his options ahead of the new campaign - with the head coach also having to integrate several new signings. He will be trying to work out formations that can include the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and - once confirmed - Hugo Ekitike. And we could end up seeing certain Liverpool players have their tour of Asia cut short in order to wrap out some outgoing deals. Chiesa NOT on Asian tour Chief among them are Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz - who could generate plenty of transfer income should Liverpool decide to part ways. One player however who HASN'T made the trip is . The Italian winger played and scored in Sunday's friendly win against Stoke City but will not feature on tour. He is out of the tour with a 'minor fitness issue' according to a report in the Athletic but his omission could spell the end of his short, unhappy spell at Liverpool. At least that is how the Italian media sees it, with Tuttosport describing his departure as a 'foregone conclusion' now that he's been left out. Napoli back in for Chiesa 'This is a clear sign for Chiesa, who is increasingly marginalized from Liverpool's coaching plans and ever closer to leaving the English club,' the report reads. Indeed, the same report suggests that Chiesa could now come back on the radar of Napoli - the Italian champions with a long-standing interest in the winger. Having signed Noa Lang from PSV and Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese, head coach Antonio Conte is still intending to improve his attacking options. Can Liverpool get their money back on Chiesa? A move for Bologna star Dan Ndoye has been complicated by Nottingham Forest's interest as well as the Swiss suffering an injury in pre-season. So the Partenopei could be enticed back to the table for Chiesa. 'Watch out for Napoli, who have long shown interest in the Italian winger and could make a move,' the report concludes. Liverpool signed Chiesa from Juventus last September for a fee that could reach £12.5m. The 27-year-old is under contract until 2028 - meaning the Reds should be able to get most of their money back on a sale. Wages could prove a sticking point however with Chiesa earning a reported £120k per week and Italian sides so far unwilling or unable to match those demands. **👉 **Liverpool set to increase transfer budget by £200m 🔗

Tierney has 'fire' to help Welsh rugby transform
Tierney has 'fire' to help Welsh rugby transform

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Tierney has 'fire' to help Welsh rugby transform

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Abi Tierney says she still has "fire in her belly" in the role and wants to help the Wales men's team return to the elite of world rugby. Steve Tandy has been installed as the new men's head coach as he takes over a side who suffered a record 18 Test defeats before a first win in 21 months when they beat Japan earlier this month. Wales have slipped to 12th in the world rankings after Tierney launched a new strategy in June 2024 where the aim was for Wales to be in the top five in 2029. "It was always an aspiration but it's getting harder to achieve that since we published that," said Tierney. "It doesn't mean we're giving up on it. I've got fire in my belly to get up there." It has been a tumultuous time in Welsh rugby since Tierney took over in January in 2024 but she says she will not walk away. "I have the fire to stay in the role, absolutely," said Tierney. "I'm not considering doing anything different. I don't give up easily." Tierney is currently in Australia where she is watching the British and Irish Lions tour and attending World Rugby meetings. When asked if suggestions that she would leave her post upon her return had any truth in them, she replied: "Categorically false." Will there be a cut in sides? It remains a tough time with the WRU considering halving the number of regions in Wales as part of a new domestic structure by the 2027-28 season. The governing body says it is entering a formal consultation and could reduce the number of regions from four to three or even two, with a final decision expected by October. "So one of the options is to keep four but fund them differently," said Tierney. "Another option is to go to three or you could fund them differently again. You could have a three on equal funding or a two plus one. "Other option is to go to two. From a performance level you can make them work. I think they've all got trade-offs." Mergers between sides have been mooted. "Everything is on the table," said Tierney. "In the formal consultation will be a direction of travel in terms of number of clubs and then conversations begin in earnest to see how clubs can make that work." The season 2027-28 has been highlighted for the time for change with Tierney stating the early date of 2026-27 could only achieved if there an agreement was in place. Tierney says they have spoken to the United Rugby Championship (URC) about reducing teams. "They have been as supportive as they can be and understand we need to do something," said Tierney. "Their preference is we stay with four teams but understand we may need to do something so it is about working with them." Tierney also stated the WRU's focus was on the URC rather than trying to go into an Anglo-Welsh league. 'Cardiff situation made us pause' Earlier this year, the WRU had previously stated there was enough money to fund four professional sides equally. Tierney says things changed when Cardiff went into administration in April and was taken over by the WRU. The current professional rugby agreement (PRA) that underpins the Welsh professional game runs out in June 2027 and was due to be superseded by a new five-year deal. The deal has been agreed by Cardiff and Dragons, but has still not been signed by either Ospreys or Scarlets, who say "key issues" have not been resolved. "When Cardiff happened, that showed just how challenged the system is," said Tierney. "It made us all pause, including the regions. That meant we weren't able to give sufficient reassurances to two of the regions for them to sign. "So when you don't have a deal, it's time to think about what to do different." Tierney say a drop in finances has affected their previous forecasts. "When we modelled the original offer, it was based on the numbers at the time but numbers have gone the wrong way since then," said Tierney. "We should have done a tougher downside but the headwinds that have affected rugby globally since were not reflected, especially competition income and media rights, while costs have also gone up with national insurance, player wages and costs of running a stadium. "We've seen revenue going down and costs going up. It means the gap to make up is larger for the regions. There's only so far the money goes." Ospreys and Scarlets are considering legal action against the WRU about their handling of the Cardiff situation. "That's always a concern," said Tierney. "They are all still talking to me about what's in best interest for Welsh rugby and want to find a way forward. "I remain optimistic we will find a way through this and can avoid legal action because that's the worst thing that can happen for Welsh rugby with delays and costs involved." Wales name Tandy as new head coach 'Big decisions needed for radical future' - WRU's Reddin Tandy needs 'patience' in Wales task, says Davies Committed to providing certainty Tierney accepts the current uncertainty in Welsh rugby is troubling. "It is a huge burden when you hear about players worried about their jobs," said Tierney. "It is not just the players, but all employees with the four clubs and the WRU because we are looking at changing the whole system. "This is not just about the number of clubs but it's about how we transform professional rugby and our pathways. "You take that seriously and we have committed to honouring players contracts. "Hopefully people will see we behaved with integrity around the Cardiff situation. "We will continue to try and make sure people get certainty as quickly as possible, treat people with respect and are as transparent and open as we can." Tierney says change is required. "We need to now put something in place that might be hard but put us on a sustainable footing going forward and won't require future change," said Tierney. "We all say we need to do something different and the message from clubs and players is to do that quickly and remove uncertainty."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store