Over 100 members of Harlow rugby club attended the annual presentation dinner on Friday.  The club were pleased to welcome as guests, the Essex RFU President Gerry Mansfield and Essex Secretary Ivor Smith.  Presentations were made to the leading players of all the senior rugby teams and also to a number of club officials and volunteers, one of whom was made a life member.

Essex President Gerry Mansfield presented club President Chris Locke with the Rugby Football Union President’s Award for Volunteers in recognition of his long and exceptional service to the sport during which time he has held a range of key posts including youth chairman, club chairman and now president.  In introducing the awards club Chairman Alan Brooking stressed the high he importance which the RFU places on volunteers, without whom the sport could not function.

Gerry Mansfield also presented Essex RFU President’s Awards to three other long serving club officers in recognition of their contribution to the sports and to Harlow rugby club.  The awards went to Steve Foreman, Chris McFerran and Dave Sharp all of whom have held a range of posts at the club for very many years.

Dyfrig Powell was made early life member of Harlow Rugby Club in recognition of his contribution both as a player and more recently in a number of non-playing roles including the last 10 years during which he has been a touch judge for first XV matches.  Alan Price in introducing the awards drew on his experience as playing contemporary of Dyfrig to highlight the key points in his time at Harlow.

Of the three annual club Awards the President’s Award went to Chris McFerran in recognition of his services club Secretary for many years.  James Heaton who has worked jointly with club sports therapist Steve Smith received the Hurly Award.  The Spooner award for services to youth rugby went to Ken Potter who has worked for a number of years in the youth section as a very successful team manager while at the same time undertaking a number of additional roles for the club including the very onerous task of membership Secretary.

The players’ presentations featured a number of members who had made significant progress in their rugby careers this year, a good omen for the future of the club.  Having missed most of the previous season with a serious injury Kain Claridge came back strongly this year taking the 1st XV player of the year award and sharing the players’ player award with fellow back row player Shaun Roberts.  The most improved player award went to Luke Bowering who has developed very strongly this year as a centre and has the potential all to take his game to a considerably higher level.

Having been promoted last season Harlow ladies showed that they were more in than capable of holding their own at their new level; finishing third in their league and for a long time looking as though they may take the title.  In the circumstances with so many players performing well the selection of the award winners was an extremely difficult task.  The Player of the Year award went to Claire Lacey who plays a lock and is a particular force among the forwards in broken play.  The players’ player award went to Becky Conway who had a very good season at centre both in attack and defence.  The most improved player was Tina Baldwin who only took up the game early in the season but quickly established herself as a regular in the front row.

For the 2nd XV the Player of the Year was Dean Read with Matt Treves taking the Most Improved Player. Rob Kelly was 3rd XV Player of the Year and James Chapman the Most Improved Player. Danny Fitzgerald was 4th XV Player of the Year and James Mitchell the Most Improved Player. For the first time this year the club has fielded an occasional veterans team who recently won the Maldon Vets Tournament. The vets players’ award went to John Hewlett.

In addition to the players award Lee Harron made awards to Steve Forman, Kenvin Ellis and Wendy Ellis in recognition of their management and support roes for the first team. The Ladies team made a presentation to Kelly Cotterill who is standing down as team captain after a number of very successful seasons.