Following on from yesterday’s news of improved ticket sales at Quins RL this season it has been reported that former Great Britain RL star Joe Lydon will be joining the marketing team on a part-time basis.
Lydon who has spent much of the last 7 years working as a skills coach for the RFU is looking to re-establish himself in rugby league club administration. Although Lydon is not known as an administrator, he is recognised as one of the game’s highest profile personalities due to his involvement with the RFU and his reputation as an articulate broadcaster.
Hopefully Lydon will be able to provide a fresh impetus to a Quins RL marketing team that has looked short of ideas on occasions this season and recently saw the departure of long-time marketing manager Chris Warren due to his own broadcasting commitments.
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Storm Dream Team announced
South London Storm announced their dream at the weekend, the Thornton Heath based outfit who are the reigning Rugby League Conference Premier champions are currently celebrating their tenth anniversary
To see the full list click here.
To see the full list click here.
Good news from Quins
Harlequins RL yesterday announced a year on year uplift in ticket sales for the season to date, and with further high profile home fixtures remaining it is hoped this will continue.
The news comes as a welcome relief for many Quins fans on the back of long standing sniping criticism from the fans of many M62 corridor clubs about the level of support for London based clubs. Rugby league is a sport infamous for the parochial agenda of some fans who resent the expansion of the game beyond its traditional “heartlands” in the northern counties of England, despite the financial reality that modern professional sports need to be progressive in their outlook if they are to remain healthy. It was Sky Sports, the sport’s major paymaster, who facilitated the elevation of London Broncos to the inaugural Super League competition realising that a club in the British capital was crucial to establishing a higher profile for their investment and whilst all the clubs were happy to take the money on offer not all fans were happy with progress.
The status of Quins RL and its earlier incarnations as British rugby league’s most significant expansion club has attracted criticism of special treatment from the game’s administration, sometimes credible and sometimes based more on mythology than any substance (particularly in the case of the London Broncos holding company which was forced into liquidation by the Inland Revenue in 2005). Whilst it is true that Quins have been given special exemption from the player quota for several years, the quota has increasingly become a paper tiger due to the loopholes allowed by EU employment law, whilst flexibility with the laws of the game has never been a feature unique to the treatment of London based clubs.
The movement of the club from base to base over the past 27 years has undoubtedly hindered the development of the club, at each stop off the club has attempted to build-up a local presence only to see it abandoned with the next move. A firm settlement as Quins RL, at a modern stadium like The Twickenham Stoop which offers much needed facilities for hospitality, with solid management from the likes of Ian Lenagan will hopefully finally allow the club to develop the strength and depth it needs to become a serious challenger to the M62 clubs.
It’s also good to see the announcement that there are now 15,000 school children covered by the Quins development programme headed up by Kurt Pittman, the flow of players coming through the development system in the last couple of years has been a major bonus for the club and has removed the reliance on overseas players. With the Super League looking to reduce the number of imports and the club itself seeing the end of any advantage the quota may have once given, the development programme offers the chance to compete on a more even basis with the M62 clubs when it comes to tapping into the young player pool. There is massive potential in the South East of England and the growing improvement in the academy system and grass roots development is beginning to attract envious glances from some in the traditional heartlands.
Whilst there is a long way to go for Quins RL to truly establish itself as a serious threat to clubs such as St Helens, Bradford and Leeds improved ticket sales and promising youth development are positive steps in the right direction.
The news comes as a welcome relief for many Quins fans on the back of long standing sniping criticism from the fans of many M62 corridor clubs about the level of support for London based clubs. Rugby league is a sport infamous for the parochial agenda of some fans who resent the expansion of the game beyond its traditional “heartlands” in the northern counties of England, despite the financial reality that modern professional sports need to be progressive in their outlook if they are to remain healthy. It was Sky Sports, the sport’s major paymaster, who facilitated the elevation of London Broncos to the inaugural Super League competition realising that a club in the British capital was crucial to establishing a higher profile for their investment and whilst all the clubs were happy to take the money on offer not all fans were happy with progress.
The status of Quins RL and its earlier incarnations as British rugby league’s most significant expansion club has attracted criticism of special treatment from the game’s administration, sometimes credible and sometimes based more on mythology than any substance (particularly in the case of the London Broncos holding company which was forced into liquidation by the Inland Revenue in 2005). Whilst it is true that Quins have been given special exemption from the player quota for several years, the quota has increasingly become a paper tiger due to the loopholes allowed by EU employment law, whilst flexibility with the laws of the game has never been a feature unique to the treatment of London based clubs.
The movement of the club from base to base over the past 27 years has undoubtedly hindered the development of the club, at each stop off the club has attempted to build-up a local presence only to see it abandoned with the next move. A firm settlement as Quins RL, at a modern stadium like The Twickenham Stoop which offers much needed facilities for hospitality, with solid management from the likes of Ian Lenagan will hopefully finally allow the club to develop the strength and depth it needs to become a serious challenger to the M62 clubs.
It’s also good to see the announcement that there are now 15,000 school children covered by the Quins development programme headed up by Kurt Pittman, the flow of players coming through the development system in the last couple of years has been a major bonus for the club and has removed the reliance on overseas players. With the Super League looking to reduce the number of imports and the club itself seeing the end of any advantage the quota may have once given, the development programme offers the chance to compete on a more even basis with the M62 clubs when it comes to tapping into the young player pool. There is massive potential in the South East of England and the growing improvement in the academy system and grass roots development is beginning to attract envious glances from some in the traditional heartlands.
Whilst there is a long way to go for Quins RL to truly establish itself as a serious threat to clubs such as St Helens, Bradford and Leeds improved ticket sales and promising youth development are positive steps in the right direction.
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Quins slay the Dragons
Quins RL picked up their third consecutive win over Les Catalans Dragons this season with a 30 – 22 win at The Stoop yesterday.
The Dragons arguably played some of the most attractive rugby of the evening, but Quins countered with a more consistent performance throughout the match. The most controversial moment came with Rikki Sheriffe’s try just after halftime, a sublime break from talismanic Mark McLinden saw the Quins fullback offload as he was being dragged into touch, with Rikki Sherrife first to the resulting loose ball to claim the try.
A full match report is here.
Harlequins RL: (18) 30
Tries: Paul (2), Gafa, Sheriffe (2)
Goals: Sykes (5)
Catalans: (12) 22
Tries: McGuire, Greenshields, Raguin, Bosc
Goals: Bosc (3)
Crusaders overrun Skolars
London Skolars suffered a heavy defeat in Bridgend yesterday afternoon away to National League Two favourites Celtic Crusaders.
A full match report is here.
Celtic Crusaders: (14) 50
Tries: Duggan, Ballard 4, Van Dijk, Dalle Cort, Mapp 2, Wyatt
Goals: Van Dijk 5
London Skolars: (0) 6
Tries: Lynton
Goals: Thorman
A full match report is here.
Celtic Crusaders: (14) 50
Tries: Duggan, Ballard 4, Van Dijk, Dalle Cort, Mapp 2, Wyatt
Goals: Van Dijk 5
London Skolars: (0) 6
Tries: Lynton
Goals: Thorman
Monday, 2 July 2007
Featherstone end Skolars run
Featherstone Rovers brought London Skolars three match winning streak to an end yesterday at the Chris Moyles Stadium, running out 30 - 10 victors.
A match report is here.
Featherstone: (20) 30
Tries: Handforth, Dickens 2, Whittle, Kirmond, McHugh
Goals: Dickens 3
London Skolars: (0) 10
Tries: Hodgkinson, Coleman
Goals: Thorman
A match report is here.
Featherstone: (20) 30
Tries: Handforth, Dickens 2, Whittle, Kirmond, McHugh
Goals: Dickens 3
London Skolars: (0) 10
Tries: Hodgkinson, Coleman
Goals: Thorman
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Grey skies fail to dampen Quins resolve
The raggedness of Quins victory at The Stoop yesterday afternoon was rather fitting given the gloomy skies and intermittent drizzle. Leading into the match the fears were that Quins lightweight pack would struggle against the bigger Hull Kingston Rovers forwards, but in the end the greater mobility of the home side gave them the edge over a Robins side that often lacked invention outside of a couple of clever kicks from Paul Cooke.
Brian McDermott’s selections raised a few eyebrows with Zebastian Luisi, best known as a fullback, being selected at scrumhalf and Matt Gafa, who normally plays wing, again being selected in the back-row. Michael Worrincy started at prop, having been used in that position when Quins visited Craven Park in February, whilst Henry Paul moved from the back-row to standoff to cover the absence of Scott Hill.
In what was to be a scrappy first half the Robins took an early lead from a Cooke penalty, but it was Worrincy who crashed over from short range to give Quins the first try after ten minutes, Paul Sykes converting. Minutes later the scores were levelled when Ryan Tandy found a hole in the Quins defence to touchdown, but Cooke was off target with the conversion attempt.
At times it seemed that the home side were attempting to play dry weather football, distribution was frequently out of sync with balls being pushed to dummy runners who were then picked off with brutal effectiveness by the Rovers defence, whilst both sides regularly coughed up possession cheaply in the greasy conditions. However, it was clear from an early stage that Quins kicking game had the advantage over the men from Hull, with fullback Mark McLinden in particular coming up into the line to put in some effective kicks to turn around the big Robins pack.
Quins restored their advantage seventeen minutes in when Tyrone Smith pushed himself through a hole out wide as the Robins defence failed to slide quickly enough, Sykes adding his second goal for a 12 – 6 score line. Just three minutes later the scores were again levelled when Cooke received the ball first receiver from the scrum and put through a cheeky little kick behind the Quins defensive line, fullback Mark Lennon was first in the race to collect and Cooke added the conversion.
For a time it looked as if the conditions would nullify the attacking threat of both teams, a run of knock-ons and dropped balls marking out the play, but the best move of the game was to come on the half hour mark when Chad Randall initiated a Henry Paul orchestrated piece of free running rugby which was to see the hooker fittingly finish off the move with a try. Sykes’s conversion was to send the sides into the halfway break at 18 – 12.
After the interval Quins tidied up some of their play, cutting down on errors and Julien Rinaldi picked up the tempo of the attacking game with some snappier distribution from the play the ball, but a genuine fear emerged that the side may run out of players as Randall, Joe Mbu and Worrincy all felt the effects of heavy knocks.
The first points of the half were claimed by Sykes via a long range penalty, but the hour was up before Chris Chester claimed the next try for the visitors, Cooke’s goal pulling the scores to 20 – 18. The response was almost immediate when two minutes later Gafa found his way over, Sykes goaled and an 8 point margin was restored.
Rovers continued to plug away but lacked any cutting edge, Quins resolute ball and all defence shutting down the middle channels. The main threat came from towering kicks from Cooke, but even in the poor conditions it wasn’t enough. In the final ten minutes, Rikki Sheriffe had the chance to seal the game for Quins, but dropped a ball from Sykes with the line begging although the pass was almost certainly forward. In the end it was prop Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook who exploited some tired legs to race through a gap on the stroke of fulltime for Quins fifth try.
In retrospect it may not have been the prettiest of wins, but given the conditions and the rather threadbare look of the Quins squad Brian McDermott will take much heart from his side’s gritty performance.
Harlequins RL: (18) 32
Tries: Worrincy, Smith, Randall, Gafa, McCarthy-Scarsbrook
Goals: Sykes 6
Hull KR: (12) 18
Tries: Tandy, Lennon, ChesterGoals: Cooke 3
Brian McDermott’s selections raised a few eyebrows with Zebastian Luisi, best known as a fullback, being selected at scrumhalf and Matt Gafa, who normally plays wing, again being selected in the back-row. Michael Worrincy started at prop, having been used in that position when Quins visited Craven Park in February, whilst Henry Paul moved from the back-row to standoff to cover the absence of Scott Hill.
In what was to be a scrappy first half the Robins took an early lead from a Cooke penalty, but it was Worrincy who crashed over from short range to give Quins the first try after ten minutes, Paul Sykes converting. Minutes later the scores were levelled when Ryan Tandy found a hole in the Quins defence to touchdown, but Cooke was off target with the conversion attempt.
At times it seemed that the home side were attempting to play dry weather football, distribution was frequently out of sync with balls being pushed to dummy runners who were then picked off with brutal effectiveness by the Rovers defence, whilst both sides regularly coughed up possession cheaply in the greasy conditions. However, it was clear from an early stage that Quins kicking game had the advantage over the men from Hull, with fullback Mark McLinden in particular coming up into the line to put in some effective kicks to turn around the big Robins pack.
Quins restored their advantage seventeen minutes in when Tyrone Smith pushed himself through a hole out wide as the Robins defence failed to slide quickly enough, Sykes adding his second goal for a 12 – 6 score line. Just three minutes later the scores were again levelled when Cooke received the ball first receiver from the scrum and put through a cheeky little kick behind the Quins defensive line, fullback Mark Lennon was first in the race to collect and Cooke added the conversion.
For a time it looked as if the conditions would nullify the attacking threat of both teams, a run of knock-ons and dropped balls marking out the play, but the best move of the game was to come on the half hour mark when Chad Randall initiated a Henry Paul orchestrated piece of free running rugby which was to see the hooker fittingly finish off the move with a try. Sykes’s conversion was to send the sides into the halfway break at 18 – 12.
After the interval Quins tidied up some of their play, cutting down on errors and Julien Rinaldi picked up the tempo of the attacking game with some snappier distribution from the play the ball, but a genuine fear emerged that the side may run out of players as Randall, Joe Mbu and Worrincy all felt the effects of heavy knocks.
The first points of the half were claimed by Sykes via a long range penalty, but the hour was up before Chris Chester claimed the next try for the visitors, Cooke’s goal pulling the scores to 20 – 18. The response was almost immediate when two minutes later Gafa found his way over, Sykes goaled and an 8 point margin was restored.
Rovers continued to plug away but lacked any cutting edge, Quins resolute ball and all defence shutting down the middle channels. The main threat came from towering kicks from Cooke, but even in the poor conditions it wasn’t enough. In the final ten minutes, Rikki Sheriffe had the chance to seal the game for Quins, but dropped a ball from Sykes with the line begging although the pass was almost certainly forward. In the end it was prop Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook who exploited some tired legs to race through a gap on the stroke of fulltime for Quins fifth try.
In retrospect it may not have been the prettiest of wins, but given the conditions and the rather threadbare look of the Quins squad Brian McDermott will take much heart from his side’s gritty performance.
Harlequins RL: (18) 32
Tries: Worrincy, Smith, Randall, Gafa, McCarthy-Scarsbrook
Goals: Sykes 6
Hull KR: (12) 18
Tries: Tandy, Lennon, ChesterGoals: Cooke 3
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