It was around nine months ago when the very future of Haverhill Rugby Club seemed uncertain - the team was unable to field fifteen players regularly for games and, following the failure to amass a squad for two away fixtures already, reluctantly pulled out of the Greene King IPA Eastern Counties League Division One to avoid expulsion and an enforced lengthy duration in the wilderness. Following the departure at the mid-way point of a season that began so full of promise, a frustrated coach Andy Price duly walked away from the club whose players he had previously slammed for lacking commitment.With the turmoil in full flow, the mere continued existence of the club looked bleak, with senior players such as Paul Bergin appealing to keep the club going. Following their voluntary departure from the EC League structure, the worst was confirmed - Haverhill would be condemned to the Suffolk Merit Leagues until the 2012-13 campaign at the earliest. The news came as no surprise - it had seemed fanciful that by dropping out they could return as early as 2011-12 - but it was still another bitter blow.
The 2010-11 season had started with so much promise - it did threaten to be a relegation scrap from the beginning, but there was still a genuine hope and belief that, should Haverhill survive, they would become an established EC One side. But that all quickly unravelled as the team was unable to field sides and struggled in many fixtures - Price was damning in his condemning of many of the players' commitment levels, and openly said he preferred playing those who were always available over those that were only available when it suited them, meaning some of the better players were left out when available for home games for others to take their place.What a difference a few months makes. Almost as soon as Price had left, players began to commit again and Haverhill had larger squads for friendlies than they could field for competitive games. There had already been murmurs of discontent under Price's rule, and these seemed enforced by the number of players who came back to the fore following his departure. Haverhill went from being unable to field one full match-day squad to having such an abundance of players they could afford the luxury of a second XV. With the club making preparations in the aftermath of Price's departure, a new, internally based management structure was announced and things were looking rosy for the season ahead. Haverhill will be forced to languish in the Suffolk Leagues for one season, but with this level of reorganisation going on it looked set to be a temporary banishment.
And that is how events are transpiring. Ever since dropping down the ladder, Haverhill have proven a strong side, superior to all in the division when on their day, and even showing their superiority to many EC sides. Their league record reads played eight, won five, drawn two, lost one. Of those negative results, the 14-7 loss at Bury St Edmunds III (October 22) was a blip, the 15-15 at Stowmarket II (on September 17) the result of poor kicking, and 13-13 draw with Diss Saracens was actually quite an achievement, coming against a team that many feared the even play but that Haverhill and captain Gavin Hope relished the challenge of facing as a test of their mettle. They also complemented those positive league results with a couple of wins to claim the Suffolk Shield - first thrashing Hadleigh 65-20 at Castle Playing Fields in the four-team mini-tournament before inflicting an even greater humiliation on EC Two side Felixstowe, beating them 60-5 in a one-sided final, winning the club's first ever cup. That result has earned Haverhill a place in the Suffolk Plate, where they will entertain Woodbridge on January 21.The second XV is also going strong - their record reading played eight, won six (including a recent 50-8 thrashing of Ipswich YM III), lost two. The strength in depth does not just extend to the second XV either, with Haverhill boasting a wide array of youth sides. Tony Hope and co are now in talks with the EC League to confirm they can return to their 'rightful' place next season - and on recent evidence it is certainly where they belong. The players are in a similar position to the hockey team (albeit not quite so all-conquoring) in lacking a decent standard of opposition to face following their 'relegation', and are on course to return to the higher echelons of rugby to face sterner tests next autumn.
So the last nine months have seen quite a turnaround, from a club whose existence was at stake to one fielding two sides and easing past most teams they face. If their progress continues, and player availability remains this high and the club this unified, then a return to the EC Leagues looks a certainty. The main reason for not competing there is the inability to guarantee a first XV could be fielded, but by regularly fielding a first and second XV since their departure, they should have no problem meeting that obligation. If Haverhill continue their resurgence, which was finely rewarded by bringing home the Suffolk Shield, then they should have no problem in returning to EC Two next season - and, on this evidence, establishing themselves in that division. They may even prove enough to - whisper it - return to, and perhaps become established in, EC One. If the players remain unified and committed - which they have since Price's departure - then there is no reason for this objective to be unachieveable. Price promised EC One rugby within three years, and achieved it in two. That achievement was short lived, but with his departure Haverhill may yet fulfil that promise in the long term.
