Match Day Programme PLRFC v Lasswade RFC, 7 January 2023

A very happy New Year to you all and welcome back to The Pennypit. A warm welcome to our visitors from Lasswade. Well done to our senior players and coaches who were heavily represented in the Festive Fixtures at The Oriam on 30 December; representing both an East Lothian Select & The Hearts & Balls Charity Team.

Following the loss of games to the weather in December, it is great to be back in league action again. Fantastic to have ‘The Grousebeaters’ back in the club today. I hope everyone has enjoyed lunch. Thank you very much for your ongoing support. Let’s get behind the boys on the pitch today. This is a further rest week for the 2nd XV this weekend and youth and mini rugby returns this week too.

Many of you will have seen on our socials that our U16s Girls Squad (East Lothian Girls) enjoyed fantastic wins on finals day on 10 December. An absolutely fantastic achievement. Girls’ rugby is the fasted growing part of our game and we are all very proud of this achievement.

Trailer Trash is back pitchside today with Ben’s amazing burgers. Hot drinks are available from our own PL Pitstop.

Here’s to another great day of rugby at The Pennypit. Please join us back at the clubhouse afterwards.

Simon Fairbairn

Harris Weir sponsored by The Weir Family 1 Graeme Cook

Luke Reynolds sponsored by Archie McEwen 2 Calum Sinclair

Paul Dixon sponsored by Colin & Anne-Marie Dixon 3 Rory MacKenzie

Chris Dixon sponsored by Joe Ray 4 Stephen Hunter

Henry Sykes 5 Alasdair Lamond

Scott Thomson Sponsored by Signature Security Services 6 Liam Greig

Scott Brown sponsored by The Brown Family 7 Blair Smith

Jack Gordon (C) sponsored by Pat & Gerry O’Brien 8 Dale Robertson

Morgan Foulner Sponsored by Prestongrange Décor 9 Russell Gladstone

Dale Gordon sponsored by One For The Road 10 Alan Haynes

Jamie Gallagher sponsored by The Gallagher Family 11 Kyle Smith

Scott Clark sponsored by East Air Conditioning 12 David Hall

Gus Hillhouse sponsored by Tam Jardine 13 Grant Innes

Nathan Ross available to sponsor 14 Ciaran Lamont

Finlay Hughes (VC) sponsored by Dynamic Properties Services 15 Matthew Smith

Pete Johnstone 16 Paul Wilson

Murray Ferguson available to sponsor 17 Chad Nisbet

Blair Robertson sponsored by Brian Robertson 18 Nick Elliot

Cammy Simpson Sponsored by J Hastie & Son 19 Lewis Clarke

NEIL CLYDE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH

I played my first game for PL rugby club in 1984 at the age of 15 - on the wing for the 3rd XV against Royal High at the Jock’s Lodge pitches. I remember it well, as I was still at school and thought all my Christmases had come at once when the card came through the post on the Friday (yep selection cards were posted out to all 5 teams!). I continued playing for the first XV on and off up until 2004, when I retired from competitive rugby. A few years were spent on the touchline next to Rod Allan, but for the sake of my hearing I had to take up another role and have been strength and conditioning coach for the club for the last 4 seasons. I played my final game last year (against my better judgement) - so I think after 38 years it’s time to hang the boots up - or perhaps burn them, just to make sure…

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE

On behalf of all senior players and our coaching tea, I would like to welcome you to Pennypit Park. Last season was a real crazy one. Coming back after COVID, no team really knew where they stood. After a long discussion our key aim was to survive in the league given a few players and coaches had moved on. That suddenly took a turn after a great win against promotion favourites, Stew Mel and we embarked on a 7-game unbeaten run. This really showed what great character and team spirit we had last season. Unfortunately, we just missed out on promotion but finished strongly in 5th with some great wins to remember.

This season we will be looking for a higher place finish and hopefully pushing for promotion. We have had outstanding commitment from the boys at training and great to see some familiar faces return to the club with a good number of colts coming through. We’ve set our standards and team goals about where we want to be and get to over the next few years. I feel this really showed against premiership Musselburgh; taking the win in the Jardine cup. This meant a lot to us and the club. We also have a great coaching environment with Steedy, Clydie, Davie and Brady continuing their roles also the bonus of spud (John Anderson) & Blair Cowan helping with scrum, lineout and breakdown work, and Fraser Woods coming in as our media manager and fellow team manager. The work these guys have put in should not go unnoticed. It has been nothing short of outstanding.

We are mainly a very young team with some experienced heads which is great, but more importantly we have a lot of boys who are hungry to learn and improve. We are pushing hard to get out 2 competitive teams this year and looking to give you all something to cheer about . As always, your support it’s massively appreciated, and we would all love to see as many of you down at the Pennypit on match day.

Thanks again,

Job Role: Apprentice Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineer

We have an excellent opportunity available for an ambitious candidate. We are based in East Lothian and carry out work across Scotland. The successful applicant will combine working onsite immediately with attending college to work towards successfully gaining a SVQ level 3 in Refrigeration or Air Conditioning. The successful candidate must:

Have an enthusiasm and ambition to learn a trade

Have Excellent Timekeeping

Hold a driving licence or have a desire to gain a driving licence

Take pride in their work All tools, PPE and transport will be provided along with a competitive salary, company pension and bonus scheme. To apply, please send your CV to info@eastaircon.co.uk

S1 SQUAD

Wishing everyone a very happy New Year. We have arrived at the halfway stage of our S1 season. A huge well done to the lads. As a Preston Lodge S1 team we have -

* Increased our squad numbers with amazing players!

* Made every player feel welcome and valued.

* Developed our confidence in attack and defense.

* Worked extremely hard and had a lot of fun at Tuesday and Thursday training sessions

Most of all though, we have created a fantastic group of S1 rugby friends that are just at the beginning of this rugby journey. We have also been extremely fortunate to have had help/coaching expertise from our PL Director of rugby, PL senior players and more recently a former Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby legend! There will be a lot more of that in 2023! Topped off with an end of year fun session where laughter, funny faces and "pooing" in buckets was just the norm!

Proud sponsor of Jack Pollard

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE FOR THE SEASON

Welcome back to Preston Lodge and the Pennypit as the 2022/23 season gets underway. After a glorious summer I think everyone is ready to get back to a bit of rugby A new season to build our hopes for the coming campaign and look forward to all the best this great game of ours can deliver.

Last year yielded a fifth-place finish in the league which after two seasons lost to the pandemic was a great result; we started out focusing on simply securing our place in the league and ended up delivering a great string of results with many memorable games on route against some very tough competition. At no point though did we look in danger of dropping and instead at points the prospect of promotion was tantalisingly close.

This season we find ourselves in great spirits with high hopes for the campaign ahead. A lot of hard work and prep has already been invested so we’re all primed to dive straight into the campaign ahead. Mark Steedman has stepped up to the Director of Rugby role, we’ve expanded our coaching team and a lot of hard yards have been put in the training field. Again, we continue our programme of investment in the game with new rucking shields, turtle pads, crash pads, step ladders and even GPS all lined up to help us get the best out of training. This has undoubtedly helped all our teams train harder and more effectively and our senior team has never been in better shape. The road ahead is looking positive.

However, before the season properly gets underway, it goes without saying, a huge thank to you the many, many people for all the support they give in making the club what it is. To our generous sponsors, a hard-working committee, the volunteers and parents who give up time to help out and of course all the players from the youngest mini to the oldest senior player To you all, you have my deepest thanks. Without your tireless support and contribution, none of this would be possible.

So here’s to the season ahead, with high hopes, big ambitions, and a big does of optimism for what this year’s campaign will bring.

Sunday morning at The Pennypit is the place to be for fun, engaging rugby sessions. Sessions are open to all kids P1-P7 and help build teamwork, communication, co-ordination, balance, throwing, catching and problem solving.

Follow our socials, @prestonlodgerfc, @plpirates for full details. Most sessions are 10.30-11.30 am, Sundays at The Pennypit. Drop us a message anytime at prestonlodgeminirugby@gmail.com

Rugby Development Officer

The youth boys’ programme is now in full swing as is the mini section. All squads are back at training and The School of Rugby at the high school has restarted. We have a major increase in numbers for The School of Rugby across all age groups which is fantastic. We plan to run programmes at the primary schools as soon as possible. Each age group now has a programme to work on this term leading up to Christmas.

Some of our boys are currently playing at representational level with East Lothian Falcons. One of the lads is currently with the Scotland U18 squad which is a fantastic achievement. Our aim for the season is to keep developing skills and increasing numbers within age groups.

The School of Rugby programme continues in partnership with Preston Lodge High School. This is a long established relationship on which we continue to build. Anyone looking to join the squads or get involved with the School of Rugby can drop me a message at plrfcdevofficer@gmail.com.

VOLUNTEERS

A huge thank you to everyone who offers their help at Preston Lodge RFC. It takes a huge effort to manage a rugby club & it’s impossible without you. Please give us a shout if you can help in any way.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership packages are available now. Drop Carol Quinn a message with any queries, plrfcmemberbership@gmail.com. Please ensure you send Carol a completed form to help ensure your details are up to date and we comply with data protection issues.

SPONSORSHIP @ PLRFC

Debbie Hare our Business Development Manager, plrfcbusiness@gmail,com is always happy to discuss our sponsorship package We can all do our bit by networking across our personal and professional contacts.

BOOKING THE FUNCTION HALL

The clubhouse can be booked for a variety of events including birthdays, engagements, weddings, baby showers, gender reveals and many more. Drop our diary coordinator a message at plrfcgrangebookings@gmail.com

Book seats on the away team bus via our Facebook page or speak to Gemma.

PLRFC ON TOUR

Did someone say road trip?

Proud sponsor of Scott Clark

Jack Gordon (C)

Finlay Hughes (VC)

PLAYER SPONSOR BOARD 2022/23

Pat & Gerry O’Brien

Dynamic Property Solutions

Jack Pollard T ward shipping Ltd

Luke Reynolds Archie McEwan

Blair Robertson Brian Robertson

Paul Glynn

Morgan Foulner

The Glynns & Guineys

Prestongrange Decor

James Johnstone Rod Allan

Jordan Hare Shampoodles Dog Grooving

Raymond Mackie

Dynamic Property Solutions

Paul Dixon Colin & Anne-Marie Dixon

Scott Thomson

Signature Security Solutions

Scott Clark East Air Conditioning

Jamie Gallagher

Frank & Gillian Gallagher

Ryan Clark Karen & David Clark

Scott Brown Sheila & Billy Brown

Allan Whittingham

Joe Ray

Jack Quinn Dean Quinn

Eck Allan WSA BB Criminal Defence Lawyers

Cameron Simpson

J Hastie & Son

Blair Cowan East Air Conditioning

Ciaran Foulner

Harris Weir

Chris Dixon

Ali Steele

Prestongrange Decor

Weir Family

Joe Ray

Stan Murray-Zmijewski

Dale Gordon One For The Road

Gus Hillhouse

Fraser Falgate

Tam Jardine

The Muppets

Lachlan Graham ‘THE’ Ladies

Proudly sponsoring

Scott Thomson

GIRLS’ RUGBY AT PRESTON LODGE RFC

Our girls continue to grow as a squad playing across U14, U16 & U18 age groups. This is one of the fastest growing areas of the game. Last season our U16s made it all the way to Murrayfield as Scottish Cup finalists .

WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT!!

The squads generally train Mondays & Wednesdays. Drop the coaches an email for further details eastlothiangirlsrugby@gmail.com

Proud sponsor of Jordan Hare

Proudly supporting Preston Lodge RFC & Proud sponsor of Morgan & Ciaran Foulner

SATURDAY 07 JANUARY 2023

BERWICK RFC 2:00 PM BOROUGHMUIR

DUMFRIES SAINTS 2:00 PM PEEBLES RFC

GLASGOW ACCIES 2:00 PM HAMILTON BULLS

KIRKCALDY RFC 3:00 PM CARTHA QUEENS PARK RFC

NEWTON STEWART 2:00 PM FALKIRK RFC

PRESTON LODGE 2:00 PM LASSWADE RFC

SATURDAY 03 DECEMBER 2022

CARTHA QP 19 – 23

LASSWADE RFC

DUMFRIES SAINTS 51 – 14 BOROUGHMUIR

KIRKCALDY RFC 22 – 24 FALKIRK RFC

NEWTON STEWART 59 – 5 BERWICK RFC

PEEBLES RFC 21 – 14 HAMILTON BULLS

PRESTON LODGE RFC 36 – 40 GLASGOW ACADEMICALS RFC

CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE

Team Played W L D F:A Diff TB LB Points

Glasgow Academicals RFC 10 8 2 0 293 : 127 166 5 1 38

Falkirk RFC 10 8 2 0 325 : 181 144 5 0 37

Peebles RFC 10 7 3 0 252 : 181 71 5 2 35

Newton Stewart RFC 10 7 3 0 235 : 136 99 6 0 34

Berwick RFC 10 5 5 0 240 : 237 3 4 2 26

Preston Lodge RFC 10 5 5 0 233 : 245 -12 5 1 26

Kirkcaldy RFC 9 5 4 0 241 : 246 -5 4 0 24

Dumfries Saints RFC 10 5 5 0 191 : 200 -9 2 2 21

Lasswade RFC 10 4 6 0 156 : 186 -30 1 4 21

Cartha Queens Park RFC 10 2 8 0 205 : 335 -130 4 2 14

Boroughmuir 9 2 7 0 122 : 278 -156 2 1 11

Hamilton Bulls 10 1 9 0 163 : 304 -141 2 2 8

RESERVE LEAGUE

DIVISION 3

SATURDAY 07 JANUARY 2023

ROSS HIGH 2ND XV 2:00 PM CURRIE CHIEFTAINS 3RD XV Rescheduled from 19.11.22 (Clubs' dispensation request).

SATURDAY 03 DECEMBER 2022

CALEDONIAN THEBANS 5 – 50

CURRIE CHIEFTAINS 3RD 28 – 0

CORSTORPHINE 2ND XV

WALKERBURN RFC

Insufficient players away

EDINBURGH NORTHERN 2ND 28 – 0 DALKEITH 2ND XV

Insufficient players away

Dalkeith sanctioned 1 point for 3rd non-fulfilment

HADDINGTON A 28 – 0 LISMORE 2ND XV

Insufficient players away Lismore sanctioned 3 points for 5th non-fulfilment PENICUIK 2ND XV 26 – 7 ROSS HIGH 2ND XV

WATSONIAN 3RD XV 28 – 0 PRESTON LODGE 2ND XV

Insufficient players away PL sanctioned 1 point for 3rd non-fulfilment & 1 point as per Reserve Leagu

Team Played W L D F:A Diff TB LB Points

Currie Chieftains 3rd XV 8 7 1 0 350 : 80 270 7 0 36

Preston Lodge 2nd XV 9 7 2 0 388 : 108 280 7 0 35 Watsonian 3rd XV 9 6 3 0 291 : 202 89 7 1 34 Haddington A 10 6 4 0 267 : 194 73 6 0 32

Penicuik 2nd XV 9 5 4 0 265 : 211 54 5 1 30 Edinburgh Northern 2nd XV 9 5 4 0 229 : 201 28 5 1 30

Caledonian Thebans RFC 8 4 4 0 145 : 229 -84 3 1 24

Dalkeith 2nd XV 10 4 6 0 207 : 284 -77 5 0 23

Ross High 2nd XV 6 4 2 0 238 : 111 127 4 0 22

Walkerburn RFC 8 2 6 0 175 : 453 -278 4 0 17 Lismore 2nd XV 9 2 7 0 112 : 307 -195 2 0 6

Corstorphine 2nd XV 9 0 9 0 14 : 301 -287 0 0 -7

Teams split after 10 fixtures into top 6 and bottom 5 for a further round of fixtures

MAN OF THE MATCH Sponsor 2022/23