Silverware caps a remarkable revival

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.

Down and out

And so the sad story of Haverhill Rugby Club's trouble fraught debut campaign in the Greene King IPA Eastern Counties Division One came to a sorry end last week and the club chose to exit the division. Having found just eight players prepared to make the trip to fellow promoted side Harwich and Dovercourt last Saturday (February 12) for a fixture they won comfortable last year, those running the club thought it best to follow Fakenham's example and opt out of the league before being booted out, and the full consequences of that decision are still unclear.

Where will Haverhill Rugby Club be playing next season? According the Eastern Counties (EC) league, it certainly will not be in one of their divisions. Club chair Ian Forton was crystal clear in explaining to me that any team that chooses to end their EC season prematurely - including Fakenham as well - will not be allowed to play in another EC league next season. The official suggestion from them is that Haverhill should look to compete in the Suffolk Merit League, albeit with Haverhill having to shed the glory and play against second XVs where they previously played first VXs, though at least the shorter journeys and easier games may increase the squad numbers for the senior team. The idea would then be that Haverhill can regroup, and if they can prove to the EC that they can fulfil their fixtures and raise a squad, they can compete in the EC leagues again from 2012-13.

However, the club's understanding seems to be different from that of the EC. Chairman Chris Spencer explained that they had received conflicting advice from the EC and the league secretary, with the latter telling them dropping out would be more beneficial than being expelled. Forton told me that expelled clubs would face a four to five year wait to return to the EC leagues whereas clubs that voluntarily left could return after one season in exile, so the point would still hold true. However, the idea coming from the club is that by exiting they had hoped to return to EC Two next year, not spend a year in the wilderness before then. The club certainly would have been expelled had they submitted to another home walk over after failing to field sides at West Norfolk (on September 25) and Woodbridge (on November 13) this season.

Has there been a mix up or misunderstanding? As yet it's unclear. Spencer told me the club are hoping to meet with an EC representative within the week to discuss their position, and only then will the situation be fully understood. However, Forton was quite clear in telling me that the league's position was that Haverhill will not be an EC team next season, so it would be a surprise to see that view contratdicted.

As for the club's immediate future, that certainly appears to be secure, as Spencer was keen to stress to me. "The future holds a speedy return to competitive rugby and a healthy and flourishing rugby club in Haverhill", he said when I spoke to him for this week's Haverhill Echo (our tomorrow, Thursday, February 17). "This is not the death of the club - we have a thriving junior and youth section, and so this is only about the senior section, so it in no way affects the long term future of the club", he added. First XV coach Andy Price certainly seemed to place a long term future hope on developing players, and Spencer also added that there are numerous promising young players coming through the system that will soon be complementing the first XV.

But saying it is 'only about the senior team' somewhat negates the point that any club's flagship team is its senior side - Haverhill does still have a strong youth section, but ultimately everything should be in place to build up to the senior side, which has been a disappointment this season. They opened with a 74-0 thrashing at high flying Southwold, and things have not improved much since. It was the third game of the season when Haverhill first failed to raise a side, and two narrow defeats (6-3 by Holt and 18-14 by Ely) and a comfortable victory (25-6 at Fakenham, which was later expunged). League leaders Stowmarket reached triple figures when they thrashed Haverhill (104-6), and then they again failed to field a team.

Further thrashings followed in January including at Ely (60-5) and Holt (97-0) as Price appealed for players to bolster the team, to little avail, and Haverhill finally exited the league last week, their spirited home defeat by Stowmarket (33-12) transpiring to be their last game in EC One. The outcome perhaps would have been sooner had it not been for the postponed cancelled fixtures in December. Price told me in recent weeks about how he was using inexperience, retired and injured players, and that the aim had turned from surviving into having fun. Some senior players came to the aid of the club, with Paul Bergin saying it was their 'responsibility' to keep the club going for the younger generations, though operating on a shoestring squad was inevitable going to lead to one thing.

Price said the situation 'leaves us where I thought we would be anyway'. He added: "We were living on borrowed time, as when you only have 18 to 20 players available you can't rest people, and you end up playing people when they need to be rested, so when they have a minor injury they play and that compounds the problem. We only needed a few injuries and unavailability for this to happen." The coach said that he knew EC One would be a 'tough challenge', but said it was one he was 'totally confident of meeting'. Now he has been robbed of that opportunity, both to establish Haverhill as an EC One side and to prove himself as a coach at a higher level.

Will Price stay at Haverhill? It's too early to say, but nobody could blame him for leaving. If a coach can ask for anything from a group of players then its likely to be commitment and effort, something that has been lacking so much it has ruined Haverhill's season. The club was optimistic after promotion last year, finishing just behind Harwich in a close fought title race that placed the top two well ahead of the pack in EC Two. The current problems had not surfaced, and Price, who had promised to get the club promoted within three years, had achieved that goal in two. Now the club looks likely to spend a season in limbo, he may well choose to go to a club with a more clearly defined target that is resourced to achieve it, though Spencer said the club would be keen to retain Price.

But then came all the problems of availability, which seems bizarre considering how well the team did last season. It may have been travelling further and longer, harder games, the loss of a winning mentality - only those players that would not make the effort to play will know. Although Price foresaw the imminent exit of the club from the league, he certainly did not see player availability becoming the issue it has. "I thought we'd have two teams and competitions for places, but that has obviously not come to be", he said. Price had previously slammed the commitment of certain players, hoping to get more available and find new players, but it had little impact in aiding the ailing club. He has said developing a first and second XV and bringing through youth prospects will help the club in the long term, but whether he wants to stay and see that come to pass is not yet certain.

Now the club will face a period of reflection and future planning, namely to address where and why everything went wrong this season and how it can be prevented from happening again. Exile from the EC leagues, even for one season, will likely cause frustration and the indignity of being in the merit league, but it will provide the club with exactly what the EC demand - the chance to show they can fulfil their fixtures, have a full strength and committed squad, and be competitive at this level. Haverhill's fate will be confirmed - probably within a week - and the club will be able to start planning long-term to ensure it become the 'healthy, flourishing club' Spencer envisions, while supporters will be hoping Price chooses to be patient and continue his work at Castle Playing Fields.

Anticlimactic endings and bitter beginnings

As the nights get darker and colder with the onset of winter, so one sporting season drew to a close as another began. The cricket club celebrated their hard earnt triumph as they were promoted to Marshall Hatchick Division One - albiet in the most anticlimactic manner possible. With the strength of rivals Ipswich breathing down their necks, the title chase was always likely to go down to the last day, and so it proved. Haverhill were stranded as their potentially tricky game against Brightlingsea was cancelled while Ipswich eased to maximum points, scoring 212-6 before dismissing Brockley for 91. In the end though it proved that the team had done enough, edging ahead of Ipswich on average points to become champions.

The only disappointment can be the amount of games called off - six have been cancelled this year, meaning Haverhill have played just 14 games - three more than second placed Ipswich. Has this perhaps skewed the table and made it rather unfair? Would Haverhill have continued their fine form to be kings of Division Two if they had played those extra features? Brightlingsea on the final day certainly would have been a stern test with the team third in the table, and Haverhill never met mid table Braintree.

But this must not detract from the team's achievements - with 13 wins from 14 games, a win record of almost 93 per cent, that would surely have been enough for almost any sports team to win any division. The manner of their victories has also seen them comprehensively defeat teams nearby in the table, notabley doing the double over second placed Ipswich to prove their superiority. So they have been tested against the best sides in this division, and they have come out on top.

Adam Dellar has inspired a number of fine performances from his side, and as numerous people affiliated with the club testify in Thursday's Echo, the number of young players that have ensured their dominance is surely positive for the club's future. They have triumphed without superstar players, only having Chris Silverwood as their celebrity player. They were humbled by the Lashings XI and needlessly dropped points in their early season defeat by Hadleigh, but apart from that have been focussed and driven in winning their division. When chasing a score they have proved to be unstoppable, with a good mix of strong bowling to dismiss the opposition before some fine batting to ease past the set score.

The average points scoring method may not seem a fair way to judge teams - why should Ipswich lose after playing three more games? - but it is surely the fairest method available. Next season they will be in Division One, hopefully with better weather throughout the summer to provide a fairer refelction in that division. The team will hope they can cope well with the jump in quality, and judging by how fair ahead of the pack Haverhill and Ipswich were this season they should have no problems being competitive.

However, as the cricket team celebrated their end of season success, the rugby club was left to commiserate a truly humbling start to life in Greene King IPA Eastern Counties Division One. Coach Any Price had been optimistic before the game - after all, last year they had only lost to opponants Southwold by a point in the Suffolk Cup at Castle Playing Fields, and that with a worse team to the current XV.

Southwold clearly had other ideas to welcoming Haverhill as they subjected the visitors to a thumping 74-0 defeat. Any per-season optimism or expectations will have been brought under check by that result - now Price must hope morale is not battered for the team to pick themselves up.

Before the game last week he told me the jump in quality was sizeable - nevertheless, I still expected Haverhill to do well. Last season they eased to promotion from Division Two, along with champions Harwich and Dovercourt finishing ahead of Ipswich YM by some margin. They lost just twice - at home to Harwich and away to Ipswich - and so were clearly among the two best teams. However, they maybe one of those yo-yo teams that is too good for one division and not good enough for another.

Though it is early days and much too soon to judge the team. They have already identified some problems - namely giving away too many cheap penalties. In Division Two, with sides frequently kicking wide, this was not a problem, but in Division One, with more pleayers on target, it is. To let the opposition take 13 penalties is inviting a hammering.

Price was witheld and cautious when I spoke to him about his expectations, stressing that consolidating their position in that division rather than aiming for promotion was the realistic aim. On Saturday theu face their first home game of the season against Canterbrigian, and will be hoping for an improved performance to begin the season afresh with a home win, no doubt bouyed by the same strong home support they benefitted from last season.

And lets not forget that the hockey gets underway on Saturday as Haverhill host Norwich City I. Captain Tina Bunch's side certainly stuggled last season - avoiding relegation on the last day with an away win at Lincoln Roses, and need a poor Bourne and Spalding sides to fold and take their place in the drop. A league resuffle now sees them move over to Division 2NE, with Bunch hoping last year to end up in a different division. Hopefully they can capitilise on this and enjoy a more successful season than the last.

So congratulations to the cricket club for a fantastic achievement - hope things improve for the rugby club as they look to cement their place in Division One and not just fall straight back through the trapdoor - and good luck to the hockey team when they start on Saturday.

Nobody should be bowled over by team's promotion

It's been a good weekend for Haverhill's cricket and football teams. Save for their disasterous defeat against Hadleigh in their sixth game of the season - getting bowled out for 117 as the visitors eased to 123-1 mid May - they have been a strong and consistant side all season. Last Saturday's victory at Elsmstead Grasshoppers was their 11th successive win, and confirmed the side's promotion with two games remaining.

No doubt captain Adam Dellar will be still aiming to finish the division as champions though, and with just two games remaining it looks set to go down to the last day. Ipswich have been pushing hard, but Haverhill have showed their superiority by beating their title rivals convincingly both home and away this season. The team have proved they are the best in their division and lead the table comfortably, a testament to the season they have had.

Dellar has often spoken about the importance of a settled side, something Haverhill have largely enjoyed this season. They have not emplyed superstar names like some of their rivals - Chris Silverwood has boosted the team's chances but has not played a part in every game and they have certainly not struggled in his absence. The team has been relaxed, and able to play the game that suits them, winning 14 of their 15 games played (with five cancellations) and enjoying a perfect record when bowling first.

The team was comfortably defeated when they played the Lashings World XI, but against opposition of this quality it was nothing to be ashamed of. Their focus has been on winning the league - something they were unfortunate to let slip last season - and they have certainly achieved that.

The second XI also enjoyed their weekend as they closed in on the promotion places. Bury St Edmunds III saw their lead diminish as league leaders Brightlingsea II. The visitors, who now look almost certain to win the title, managed 161-9 as the hosts managed only 103 in reply. Haverhill II now have three games to close the slender gap between themselves in third and Bury above them to climb the ladder to division five.

Rovers' fortunes were mixed as they took a point from Norwich United. While a point was a good result against a team that had won three of their opening four games, only losing a home fixture to pre-season favourites Leiston, it can never be truly accepted as an achievement when the team let slip a lead to draw, as a point gained becomes two lost. Usually Rovers suffer because they are not clinical enough in scoring, to see them drop points due to their defence is different.

Tomorrow they host Ely City, who themselves have enjoyed four wins from their opening five games, losing only at Wisbech. Betts said to me before these two fixtures that his primary aim was to make Rovers 'difficult to beat' and 'hard to play against', and that the aim would be three points from the two games. A result against fifth placed Ely at New Croft is certainly achieveable and would get some much need points for Rovers to get their season back on track and compete at the upper end of the table as they push for a top ten finish.

As the football season continues and the cricket season draws to a close, it's worth remembering that the rugby and hockey seasons get underway next month. Haverhill Rugby Club will have to get used to life in Eastern Counties Division One quickly as Gavin Hope captains the side on their trip to Southwald for their opening game on September 11. Tina Bunch will lead the hockey club in their opening game against Norwich City. The side avoided relegation in their final game last season, and league changes sees them now competing in the EML Division Two North East, and will no doubt be hoping for a more successful campaign this time around.