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1985/’86 Season Summary

Captain: Alan Brooking

Vice Captain: Martin Polkinghorne

Performance: Played 43 Won 32 Drawn 1 Lost 10 For 999, Against 328. (Including Tour Matches)

Honours: Brentwood Silver Ball Winners, Essex Senior Sevens Winners

Coaches: Ray Harris, Marcus Russell,

Squad: Alan Brooking, Julian Heath, Don Smale, Trevor White, Simon White. Alan Lee, David Gordon, Ashley Drage,

Steve Foreman, Keith Handscomb, Peter Keeling. Peter Carr. Barry White, Mark Bruford, Simon Cook.

Martin Polkinghorne, John Lewis, Richard Drage, Duncan Bathe, Dave Candy, Jim Parsons, Paul Jenkinson, Richard May,

Molly Malone. David Hurley, Lee Smith. Adam Mace

The Season started very early with us leaving the UK on the 24^th May for a 7 day tour to Czechoslovakia. Our first game was against Ricany/Prague, W48-17, where Dave Candy scored probably the best try ever scored by a Harlow Player and who can forget the evening, 4 Teams from 3 Countries on their feet and on the tables being orchestrated by Duncan Bathe into singing his famous rendition of It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and of course Keith H and the Window and Steve F and the sheet, and then the coach journey from hell.  

Ostrava W9-3, where despite them releasing a fearful looking orange cloud prior to kick off, we managed to remain cool and Mr Cool himself, David Hurley on his Senior debut scored all 9 points from the boot and of course there was the famous 30 yard run from the Ostrava centre whose own boot came into violent contact with Ian Roalfes private parts.

Havirov W15-3, Havirov were fantastic hosts and did everything possible to ensure that we had great time, who can forget, the table tennis tables, Ray B and his naked Frisbee playing troupe, Vince F diplomatic envoy and destroyer of bus queues, Ian D’s expensive leather (sorry plastic) jacket, the visit to the mine and those awful pants and socks, Sooty and the red shoes, the swimming pool with the green slime, Keith H selling his clothes, Bruce W, Doctor heal thyself, the memories go on and on.

I would especially like to thank Noel Younger who had to endure many visits to Harlow Council, The RFU and the Czech embassy to obtain the necessary permits.

Then we came home and the season started, first we won the Brentwood Silver Ball beating Old Griffins in the final, 15-6, continuing the winning habit we went on to win the first 15 games, suffering our first defeat on the 13^th December to Tabard, who at that time where 5 leagues above Harlow, unfortunately we could not keep the pace up after Christmas and went on lose 9 games in the second half losing  to Barking 9-14 in the final of the Thurrock Cup, Southend in the Semi Final of the Essex Cup and finishing second in the Girobank Eastern Counties Division Three.

All in all to play 43 Matches, probably the most played by any 1^st XV, was a strain but we enjoyed every minute of it both on and off the pitch and I would like to thank everyone who played, coached, toured and  supported the team and especially Martin for captaining the team when I was out injured.

It would be unfair of me not to mention the 2ndXV, Captained by Paul Claque and Coached by Colin Jenkins, the team had an outstanding season, P 32, W 29, D1, L2, many members of this team went on to become the 1^st XV of the late eighties and the nineties.

Can you write a season summary?  You don't have to be a captain to do it. If you can jot it down and send it to paul.eynon@harlow-rugby.co.uk or leave it at the club for the attention of Paul Eynon/Dave Sharp. For more archive material click here