By 'Barney'

NEW SEASON 2003-2004 Welcome to our season 2003/4. All you in WWW land. Week 1 Eton Manor Tournement 30-8-2003. 22 Players attended and a good day for the club. We were the only club representing Essex league as East London pulled out, as did Saffron Walden - London III. We had two pools of 4 team clubs coming from London I down to London IIII. Losing games to Campion and Romford and beating Manor II this put us third and in the plate final. We played our hearts out all day and was a big ask but Woodford from London II were too strong and beat us 27-0, but we give them a game. The great thing was everyone was talking about us at the end of the day on how well we performed and conducted ourselves at all time. Well done the 22 that attended. Week 2 Powergen vase. Kings Cross Steelers. After the week before we needed a good start and got it. Moves worked well, 9 players down on squad 53-12 win to Dagenham. Two soft tries from interceptions didn’t go down too well. Week 3 Ravens 30 – 7 Dagenham. First league game needed 2 points. Stop and start from ref who would not keep game flowing. Had the cheek to tell me about coaching from the sideline, he was Burnhams president, must have had something to gain from stopping us playing. Took some injuries from this game, didn’t need them so early with players still absent as well. Week 4 Powergen vase. Finchley at home. With injuries and unavailability, boy was we close to nicking this win. 12-6 down at half time and back in the game, unable to stop big packs rolling malls from line-out and they scored but we got back with a great try. Then with 10mins left had a try disallowed would have put us 18-17 up but not to be. Then one massive mistake bad pass a miss kick and they put the kybosh on moment of glory. But very proud of the boys. Week 5 Loughton away lost 36 – 18. Lost two players at 12:30pm unable to get anyone in to bench, not the best of starts and it got worse. Attitude nil or we have already won this game, Wrong! This was one fired up Loughton side with a point to prove and the better side won. We were out fought and played big time. The only thing keeping us in the game was good percentage play. But in the end missed tackles and bad scrummage let us down. Well done Loughton. Week 6 Bancroft home. Win 33 – 14. Still injuries but more people coming back and brand now center partnership, Dico’s broken thumb and Stuart’s shoulder, Martin and Micky came in. Within 2 minutes 7 – nil down another soft try 10 dog going through untouched by a hand, really pealed off. Come back kicking 3 penalties. Go percentage play, then it happened again 10 dog having a great day at our expense, again untouches 9 – 14 down, and they hadn’t had much of the game. Then the chance, good charge down score under the posts right on half time 16 – 14 up. Second half was the first time we finished off a game the right way, 17 unanswered points major improvement, that meant so much to me boys, well done!! Week 7 Barking III away win 24-22 England v’s South Africa trying get the lads heads out of this game was hard, but got there in the end. Two good tries to start with, then yet again not looking and facing on quick try penalties. 12- 5 up half time. Second half started sloppy and back come missed talkies loosing ball in contact two tries later and they were down to 14. We then started to change things around and good score though the hands leveled thing up, then another sloppy try people not listening to each other yes they scored. By this time yes I had miscalculated the score. Then with 3 minutes to go penalty just right off the post good move taken and Tank going in under posts thought the kick to Draw, but it was to take the lead, ok I am only human! Some good things came out of the game lineout went well as did all set pieces still a win away from home. Well done boys. Still looking for new players long term and short term all standards, our aim is to get to London 4. Mark Collins (Barney) Mobile 07710642698 Home 02085958551 Call me it wont hurt a bit Ta Barney Coaches report 20.08.03 As we did not finish playing until 17.05.03 I would not start our pre season training until 02.07.03. This has gone very well with numbers ranging from 21-29 respectively, some faces still missing in action presumed wounded. We are still waiting for some equipment but I have been told that it will be here soon. Here’s hoping chaps. Signings for the new season have gone well and some key positions have been filled where we needed some strengthening. We now have three weeks until our first game with training seasons running out we never seem to have enough time. The seasons we have left 20, 23, 30 august Eaton Manor tournament 15’s and 3rd September then the off. 06.09.03 Kings Cross stealers in the Power Gen cup, what a way to start the season. I still wish to recruit new players for the coming season so all are welcome. Lastly it just leaves me to thank Wycham one of my Bok players a safe journey home and a big thank you for all you help and support last season, it was a pleasure coaching him. Anyone interested in playing for Dagenham R.U.F.C. please call Mark Collins (coach) 02085958551 07710642698 Mark Randall (chairman) 07768942387 Pat Feeley (vice chairman) 07768438404

WEEK 8 8-3-2003 Since making the short journey from Romford to Dagenham, I have been impressed with the clubs attitude to the new training methods, and the committment from the players and the committee, with the structures I have eased into place. We are now coming into week 8 and already have massive improvement on training and structured play. There is still more to do, there will always be more to do to improve our game. As we only have Wednesday night to train and put conditioning and game plan together, means there must be a conservative effort from all players, new and old, to attend training. We have taken 6 points out of 8 during the last 4 league games. In this we, turning around a 41-0 loss to Burnham, into a 24-5 win, and a 64-15 loss against East London into a narrow defeat of 12-8, on which we were unlucky not to take the victory. I don't think everyone at the club realises what a fantastic improvement this is! On points percentage turn around I now class us as a top 3 side, if not top 2. If we continue to work hard there will be no more failures this season. We have 3 more league games left this season and quite a few merit games. 6 points from our remaining league games would leave us mid table. Hopefully, those players that have been missing training will be seen in the near future, working alongside the rest of us, helping us to better the club. Many Thanks Barney

WEEK 9 Loughton cried off, so we trained. A few moans and groans, and then injuries and pie and mash. Seeing this makes me want to bring it all back up. So we had a bosh session with a bit of ball work. 1. Never eat pie and mash before a game or training. 2. If you are injured, dont make yourself available for selection.

WEEK 10 Training numbers were down, not a good show. Everything went wrong with the workout. Then Saturday comes. Everyone on time, in backroom gameplan set, then the best performance to date. 19-3 win. Old Brentwoods didnt get a look in. Theres a moral there somewhere.

WEEK 11 Training still down, a few injuries and cry offs. Westcliffe away 49-0 win. Unhappy with the performance. No game plan and no structure. Good points out of this, young Billy and Rhys got their first team runouts and done very well after they settled down. Well done boys.

WEEK 12 Leading up to the game that was about to put us right in the middle of the table, after being at the bottom. Training well attended, brought a friend from my old club to take backs and give them a different look at things instead of listening to me all night. Things went well. Forwards done well with lineout and penalty moves. We were all set for our Big One!! Then Saturday comes, good preperation. Kick off. Bang! Here comes the sledge hammer. Everything we tried went wrong, you name it, it went wrong. I put this down to a bad day at the office. We lost 39-0.

Southend Floodlit Competition Lost, But back on track. 22-6 As Southend bolstered their team with a few 2nd team players. I know this as I knew most of them. Good first half turning round a 6-5 up. Second half lost a bit of shape 10 minutes in, with a couple of tries but had our chances. Well done to everyone who took part in the competition, I was very pleased to see the commitment of young and old. Barney

WEEK 13 Old Eds away D 18-18 This was the most ugliest game of rugby that I have had to witness in years. For the 1st 20 minutes of the game we were in command, after that we didn’t get past 1st phase rugby. As this was a local derby I expected more out of the team and we gave old Eds their 1st point in league rugby for 2 seasons. A very disappointing performformance.

WEEK 14 Old Brentwoods away L 22-6 although most weeks we are playing 5 to 7 players short this was an exceptional week, I lost count of the amount of times I had to re-shuffle and pull players into the side. We turned up like a rabble, in ones and twos. Had to share a changing room with the opposition as there was no other changing room available and was late. Warm up was done very quickly and our team talk was done in the showers. Not the most ideal preparation for a league match. For the 1st 15 minutes of the game we left our hearts and minds in the changing room and got completely over run by a big Old Brentwood pack and we were soon 22-nil down. On our 1st attack into the old boys half refusing to play catch up rugby we took 3 points and went back to re-group slowly getting a bit of structure to our game, we put pressure on for the last 15 minutes of the 1st half. We were unable to score a try but managed to gain another 3 points to finish the 1st half on 22-6 down. 2nd half continued in much the same fashion with us putting pressure on the Brentwood half. Every time we managed to get inside their 22 we would either knock on or get pinned for some other kind of mistake. The half ended 0-0 although we edged it, 0-0 isnt good enough. I give the boys credit for playing their hearts out in the 2nd half.

WEEK 15 Rest week to re-group and train.

WEEK 16 Burnham – Home W 30-10 This week fantastic prep before this game. Majority of 1st team available and training. Had a friend to come over and run the backs for me and an all round good training session. Although Burnham are above us in the league, we know when we have everybody together we are by far better than our league position shows. Burnham were never in this game from the off. One of our better games of the season.

WEEK 17 Chingford 2nds Home L 22-20 Yet again many changes due to work commitments, unavailability and injuries. General play overall was good, good work in between backs and forwards, but I have never seen a game with 3 breakaway tries against a run of play. This game went down to the wire with the final conversion attempt missed to level the game. All in all a little bit of inexperience and naivety from our young backs but overall, good performances from a higher opposition.

WEEK 18 Thames away L 12-11 Back to usual this week. Short on squad travelled with 17 players. This was a big game, top of the table verses mid table. Thames, a very mature side and on paper have been putting points on everybody. 2 minutes into the game I lost my scrum half with broken fingers. Not the greatest of starts. We were unable to contain their driving maul for their 1st score but came back with a 3 point penalty. We were undone by their scrum half who scored down the blind side, which they converted. We continued to play well scrummage and line out going well and scored to come back 12-8 half time. The second half was all us. We dominated everywhere. As on most occasions this year, we were unable to finish this team off. With 10 minutes to go we kicked a penalty to go 12-11 down but Thames held out for the final duration of the game. A fantastic performance from those boys that made the effort that week.

WEEK 20 Brentwoods 2nds Away W 21-3 Yet another week where certain bodies let us down and another bad training week. Another week where we moved up a grade in rugby. Anyone whos played against Brentwood knows that this is a hard place to come and win on their pitch. Playing up the hill 1st half, keeping the ball in hand only kicking to get out of trouble, wind and rain in our faces. 3 superb converted tries, a superb 1st round performance. 2nd half we dominated the game coming down the hill with Brentwood only making 2 appearances in our half, but unfortunately we had our Roy of the Rovers head on, and were unable to score in the second half with a 2 half 0-0 score line. But a good performance from the flat 15 that turned up.

WEEK 21 Old Brentwoods Home L 23-12 Again! Shortages, but a decent performance to when we played them a few weeks earlier. This game was nicely poised at 15-12 down when we had all the pressure 2nd half. Old Brentwoods scoring a late breakaway try to finish us off. At least we didn’t leave our heads in the changing room this time around.

2nd TEAM NEWS Over the last 6-7 weeks 2nd team results have come along quite nicely, only losing once. The young lads in this side have been coming along to training and are now playing part of the 1st team game plan. If they continue to train, some boys will be pushing for a 1st team placement in the next couple of years. Well done to Billy and Buster for their efforts.

I am just coming up to my first 12 months at the helm of Dagenham rugby football club. Its been a challenge building a squad from scratch, so far so good. A big thank you to Mark and Pat for their support, also the committee for all equipment purchased. Thanks to those players who have made the effort from July onwards. Summary off season so far, could do better.

Week 22 Romford II's Home L10-3 Just after crimbo just managed to get two sides out with bare 15's. My old club I look at the line up and they had 14 out of 19 players all involved in first team squad. Lucky for us we read their game plan. What a performance from Dagenham lads, Yes we can defend. Romford came at us for 80mins and we turned round half time 10-nil down and second half honours going to us. We stepped up a big level and the best side we had played all year, well done the boy's.

Week 23 Rayleigh away W50-0 Training imporved this week people back from holidays. A good win, made some changes which took 15mins to take hold but worked 21-0 half time. Second half scored after ten mins then started replacements all three used all done very well, a good second half performance we needed that after some indifferent away form. Rayleigh had won their last 3 games that was their heaviest defeat. The next 5 weeks are testing with one friendly, 4 league and cup games comming up. Not a bad start to 2004. Lets keep it up.

Still looking to recruit new players to move us onwards and upwards. Mark Collins (Barney) 0208 595 855 – 07710 642 698 Good luck for 2004

Old Edwardians (H) - Won 106-0 A win we could only have dreamed of - a club record. After drawing 19 a piece away from home, things had to be rectified. As with Rayleigh, I knew if we played well it could be a 50 pointer, I asked the boys for 80 mins dominance and we nearly had that. A few tries went begging through over complicating, but on the whole a good performance. Special mention to Louis Stevens, 13 from 16 kicks. Give credit to Eds who never gave up and made us play, and our boys who were professional to the last. We've all been on the end of something like that before. Well done

May & Baker (H) - won 23-8 to all of you in www.land, there is history in this tie. Dagenham split from M&B in91 so you can imagine what was in store. A battle from them, rugby from us, we controlled throughout. Bad start, down 5 inside 2 mins, after that it was all one way. Only trouble two off for blood. 17-5 at the break and more bad news in second half as Simon Argent left with a dislocated shoulder. Game deteriorated, Bakers lost second row (red card) and penalties were swapped with a nice drop goal to finish. Well controlled, disciplined performance with no retaliation at all.

South Woodham Ferrers (A) - lost 17-0 How we paid for our win over Bakers. 8 missing (3 injured and the rest unavailable) - not a good sign. Went with a flat 15, my first thought to play 10 man rugby, havent done this for years so went with game plan, nearly paid off and we had chances, but with backs against wall just failed. Louis unfortunte with two straightish kicks where he had been slotting them from all over in the past few weeks. Second half saw a disputed try and a penalty finish off, but when we moved it we looked quite good. not a bad effort.

Westcliff II's - 2nd XV Cup Semi (H) - lost 50-14 Boys have done well this year, their first ever semi. Losing to Westcliff no shame, their club has come a long way in last few years and have a very good youth section, not that our lads are doing too badly, improving all the time. Well done to the youngsters and the old'uns!!

Bancroft (A) - won 18-17 used our get out of jail free card. The saying of chasing a lost cause comes to mind. Perry Lock chasing a missed penalty lick and collecting 5 points instead of 3, good call. Under pressure through missed touches in first 20 mins but turned round 8-0 up. Second half they came at us for 25 mins and went 17-8 up. Last fifteen mins, two tries and finished the stronger. Lst year we would hve folded and given them 30 points. Good character, well done lads

Burnham (H) - won 28-20 - President Shield Semi Another piece of history for the club, a first ever cup final. The day started as ususal with burnham throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at us. Our first bit of structured play and we knock-on, the line at our mercy. First try though , through the backs to score under the sticks, second a well worked penalty move, half time 14-5. Second half started much like first, with a Burnham penalty, we hit back though with Mr Fitch under sticks, followed by Mr Honour scoring try of match, superb running lines and beat full back to go under posts. 28-8, then a try disallowed, very dubious! Last 15 mins we decided to have a chat with the ref and it turned the game around, two Burnham tries, 1 converted. On the whole though scrum and lineout went very well, defense not bad, backs lines very good on moves and Louis found his boots again with a 100% strike rate, but pressed the self-destruct button in last 15 with indiscipline Well done though boys - great effort