I am running in the 27th Marathon Des Sables in April 2012.
Organised by the French this is billed as the toughest footrace on earth. Full
details of the race are
here.
Briefly, it is a footrace of 250K or thereabouts run in a series of
marathons over 6 days in the Sahara, save for day 4 which a run of about 80K.
Competitors carry their own kit which must include food for the duration being
a minimum of 2000 calories a day, medical kit, cooking stove, compass and
apparently a venom pump! The only kit not carried by the competitors is water
(rationed at checkpoints) and a tent.
Daytime temperatures are in the
range 80-120F.
Having paid all the entrance, travel and associated costs
from my own funds all the monies you donate will go to the Weldmar Hospice
Trust. Every penny and pound really does help. You don't need me to tell you
about how very important their work is and what it means to the patients and
families that they support. Please do take the time if you can to look at the
hospice website.
If you would like to donate then please visit my
JustGiving
page.
Thank you. Ben
03.12.2011
Fundraising for Weldmar Hospicecare Trust
The members
of the club raised around £700 with their moustache efforts during
November, proceeds of which will be going to the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust.
The month long event was rounded off with a judging evening in the
clubhouse where the many and varied entrants were assessed. (Those giving up
along the way of course got their just deserts!)
Prizewinners
were:
Most distinguished - Kev Robbins Most pathetic -
Ted Curtis Overall best Moustache - Pat Quinn
29.10.2011
Fundraising for Weldmar Hospicecare Trust
Our Rugby team has registered at
movember.com, deciding to take on the most arduous and
daunting of challenges - growing upper lip hair for a full month in aid of the
Weldmar Hospicecare Trust. The full promotional poster can be viewed
here.
Sign up here at
movember.com and join the Blandford Rugby team, for a
sponsor form see Keiran or download
here.
The best
moustachioed man will be judged on Saturday the 3rd of December at 7pm in the
Clubhouse by a local celebrity.
11.09.2011
Fund raising in support of Leukaemia
Research
Joe Brake, has successfully completed his challenge to raise
funds on behalf of Leukaemia Care. Joe would like to say:
Thanks to
all who sponsored me. I raised £234. Many thanks, Joe
One of our Senior Players, Joe Brake, is again this year
trying to raise money on behalf of Leukaemia Care and is asking for your help.
Joe says:
I'm doing another challenge for charity, this time a 10km
river swim down the river Dart. The event is on 3rd September from Totnes
down to Dittisham and I'm doing it for Leukaemia Care since my dad has
leukaemia. I’d welcome any sponsorship and the webpage for anyone
wishing to make a donation is
http://www.justgiving.com/Joey-Brake.
I am sure
you all wish Joe the very best in his challenge and will be willing to offer
your support.
08.07.2011
Club Clearup Day is 16 July 2011
Starting around
11 am, we need a wheelbarrow to clear the patio rubbish and trailer to take the
rubbish to the tip. We aim to repaint the Gents loos and Forwards Lounge, fix
toilets and waste pipes.
PLEASE COME AND HELP - BACON BUTTIES ARE
INCLUDED !!
27.06.2011
Club Appointments made at the 2011 AGM
Blandford
RFC held its annual AGM last Monday, with a few changes to the committee, the
officers elected were:
President
Bryan Burrows
Chairman
Justin Frampton
Vice Chairman
Ben Ryan (Dave Burry stepping down after a few
years thank you)
Club Captain
Joe Grinter (Phill Meaden stepping down after
many years thank you)
Treasurer
Doug Thring
Hon Secretary
Joy Pentney
Fixtures Secretary
Dave Stringer
Sponsorship Secretary
Dave Burry
1st XV Captains
James Burry & Andy Williamson
2nd XV Captain
Matt Farwell
Vets Captain
Simon Worfolk
Club Developmant Officer
Helen Oliver
VP’s Secretary
Matt Hilyard
Membership Secretary
Moe Mitchell
Referee’s Secretary
Sally O’Shea
Coaching team
Head Coach Chris Curtis assisted by Andy
Marriott, Mike Pyrgos and Rodney Hutson
Academy Chairman
Louis Minchella
Thank you to the officers standing down, and
to the new ones standing.
Blandford RFC are looking forward to another
good season after gaining promotion, and are also now running a Vets team who
hope to play twice a month.
With the same highly experienced coaching
team leading us, we are investing heavily in our players; with the addition of
more floodlights for training and provision of new equipment.
There have
been 20-30 players playing weekly touch all summer and from the 28th of June,
will play touch twice a week.
Pre season build up is starting 12th of
July with Warren Vasey, Strength and Conditioning coach for the Army, taking
one session a week. There are also pre season games planned against travelling
side Thatcham, Bournemouth and Bridport.
New players are more than
welcome to come along and take part, of any age or ability, please check this
website for further details.
On the 17th of September Blandford RFC are
celebrating their 35th season and asks any former players/members to please get
in touch with one of the committee, or join us on the 6th of August for an open
club BBQ and watch the England v’s Wales international at the clubhouse.
30.04.2011
Details of the 2010/11 Presentations
The Annual
Awards for the season, presented during the Annual Dinner Dance, were:
1st XV Top try scorer - Rhys
Hughes
2nd XV Top try scorer - James
Baker
1st XV Player of the year - Ben
Krauss
2nd XV Player of the year - Mo
Morris
1st XV Young Player of the year -
Paddy
2nd XV Young Player of the year - Sam
Gritton
1st XV Most Improved player of the year
- Lee Mitchell
2nd XV Most Improved player of the year
- Tom House
Player's player of the year - Matt
Pearce
Clubman of the Year - Dave Burry
Social member of the year - Matt
Hillyard
Frampton Memorial Shield for the Unsung Hero of the
season - Doug Baker
Congratulations to all for your awards and thank
you to everybody who came along and supported our players during an impressive
season
04.04.2011
Blandford RFC the Rugby World Spotlight item
This
month Blandford RFC is the Spotlight Club in the Rugby World magazine.
A transcript of the questions asked by Rugby World and Jay Frampton's
responses can be viewed followng the link
here
28.03.2011
Jews Charity Game - 24 April 2011
Easter Sunday see’s the Jews Charity game coming back
to Blandford after a few years absence, being played last in 2008 at East
Dorset where a great day was had by all.
The game will kick off at 2pm
at the pitches then return to the Clubhouse for food and beers, and a charity
auction, let’s make it another year to remember.
It will be a
Blandford XV v a travelling team made from Lychett, East Dorset, Poole,
Ellingham, Wimborne and possibly Swanage & Wareham.
The event is all
in aid of charity (this years charity fund raising is for Breast
Cancer).
Blandford’s team is being organised and managed by Joe
Grinter, please contact him if you can play:
email: Mobile:
07917-002507
Further details will follow.
22.02.2011
Annual Dinner Dance - Menu
The menu for the Annual Dinner Dance has been finalised. The
menu will be:
Home made chicken and wild mushroom pate with pear
chutney
Braised shank of lamb with redcurrant and
rosemary
Seasonal Veg and roast potatoes
Rich chocolate mousse with passion fruit
coulis
Coffee and mints
Please note that a vegetarian option is
available - contact Helen for more details
11.01.2011
Annual Dinner Dance
The 2011 Annual Dinner Dance is being held at the new
Blandford School Conference Facilities, the date has now confirmed as Saturday
30th April.
Tickets will be £30-00 per person, but
secure your place now with a £5 deposit.
To book your tickets
contact Helen Oliver on 01258 455143.
02.01.2011
Details of the 2009/10 Presentations
The Annual
Awards for last season, presented after the Old Boys v New Boys match, were:
1st XV Top try scorer - Doug
Baker
2nd XV Top try scorer - Will
Osborne
1st XV Player of the year - Charlie
Richards
2nd XV Player of the year - Ralph
(Pasty) Hine
Young Player of the year - Stuart
Pentney
Most Improved player of the year - Toby
Kenneally
Player's player of the year - Lee Haim
Clubman of the Year - Ben Ryan
Social member of the year - Pat Quinn
Frampton Memorial Shield for the Unsung Hero of the
season - Lee Haim
Congratulations to all for your awards and thank
you to everybody for a fantastic day!
09.12.2010
Blandford RFC's Annual Old Boys v New Boys Match
The date for this fixure is January 2nd 2011 with a 1:30 kick
off. The match will be followed by both food and presentations from last season
in the clubhouse.
If you are interested in playing then contact your
Team Captain to register for the team and full match details:
Old Boys
(over 30's) Captain - JOE GRINTER TEL No: 07917 002507
New Boys
(under 30's) Captain - ALEX RICKETTS TEL No: 07827 912560
06.10.2010
Fund raising in support of Leukaemia
Research
One of our Senior Players, Joe Brake, entered a triathlon in
September to help raise funds for for Leukaemia Research. The triathlon
involved a mile sea swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run.
Joe has now copleted
his triathlon and asked that the following is published:
I raised
£545 I finished in 3 hrs 12 minutes Thank you to all
for your sponsorship
11.09.2010
Message from the Chairman
As we start the 2010/11
Season, Justin Frampton has written a welcome letter to Players, Social /
Family Members and Supporters to let everyone know what has been happening over
the summer and outlining what can be expected as the season
unfolds.
One of our Senior Players, Joe Brake, is trying to raise
money on behalf of Leukaemia Research and is asking for your help. Joe
says:
I’m doing a triathlon on 12 September for Leukaemia
Research since my dad has leukaemia. The triathlon involves a mile sea
swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run. I’d welcome any sponsorship and the
webpage for anyone wishing to make a donation is
http://www.justgiving.com/Joe-Brake.
I am sure
you all wish Joe the very best in his challenge and will be willing to offer
your support.
27.08.2010
Pre-Season Training Match
A Joint training match was held at home with Wimborne in
advance of the new season kicking off.
An encouraging start for our
players with around 30 players turning up from both the 1st and
2nd XV, many returning from previous years but also a few new faces
who are warmly welcomed to the team.
If you are considering taking up
rugby or an existing player looking for a team in this area, and missed seeing
this match being advertised, then contact Justin (Club Chairman) or one of the
Team Captains for more information about Blandford RFC and membership details.
See contacts page for their phone numbers.
17.08.2010
Provisional VP Luncheons announced
The following
dates have just been published for VP luncheons, subject to fixture
confirmations:
25 Sep 2010 - 1st XV home to North
Dorset II, 2nd XV home to Dorchester III
23 Oct 2010 - 1st XV home to Westbury
18 Dec 2010 - 1st XV home to Oakmedians
II
05.08.2010
New Kit unveiled
Today ther new team strips for
the 1st and 2nd XV were unveiled.
An online link will be available shortly so
items can be directly purchased from Raging Bull, more details to follow.
23.07.2010
Ferret Racing
A ferret racing evening is being
held on Saturday 31st July in aid of Blandford Amateur Dramatics
Society starting at 18:00 at the clubhouse.
Cost of entry is £7.50
which includes a ploughmans and your first bet.
Tickets are available at
the club, on the door or from:
Cherry - 455142 Sally - 459221
03.07.2010
Vets Matches
Andrew Booth will be arranging some
Vets Games for the 2010/11 Season. If you are interested in playing please
contact Andrew by phone (07768 153397) or .
Check back
regularly to find match dates.
08.06.2010
Annual Dinner Dance
Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances the Dinner
Dance being held on Friday 11th June has had to be
postponed.
Remember to check back here regularly for an update on when
the event is going to be held.
01.06.2010
Annual Dinner Dance
The Annual Dinner Dance being held at Gorcombe has now been
confirmed as Friday 11th June at 19:30.
Tickets are for sale
in the clubhouse at a cost of £30-00 per person.
Alternatively
contact Moe Mitchell on 07825 819468.
14.05.2010
Bar Steward Wanted
The club is looking for a new
Bar Steward for next season, with the expectation that the position will
commence from 1st July 2010.
The requirements are detailed
here and anyone interested in applying for
the position should contact Justin Frampton for further information or to note
a formal interest:
Telephone - 07973642278 e-mail to In
writing to The Chairman Blandford RFC, 53A East Street, Blandford,
Dorset
Closing date for applications is 20th of June 2010
25.04.2010
BRFC Golf Day
The Blandford RFC Golf
Day this year is to be held on Friday 7th May at Canford Magna Golf
Course. There are still places left for teams so if you are interested or
perhaps have a prize to donate please contact Phill Meadon on 07771
605034.
Don't miss what promises to be an awesome day!
10.04.2010
Gentlemans Evening
A Gentlemans Evening is to be held in the Cluhouse on
Wednesday 14th April. This will take the form of a Curry Night
starting from 19:30.
The event is to commemorate David Barnes, Prop for
Bath, in his Testimonial year along with David Flatman, Prop England/Bath, Lee
Mears, Hooker England/Bath and Luke Watson No.8 Bath/Southern Hemisphere.
11.03.2010
Update on the EGM
The format of the
meeting has now been confirmed. The meeting is scheduled for 1845 with a 1900
start.
Mr Bryan Burrows, Club President will give a short presentation
on the proposal to relocate the Clubhouse to an area adjacent to the Leisure
Centre which is owned by the Blandford Secondary Schools Foundation (BSSF),
replacing the existing cricket pavilion.
This will be followed by 5 more
short presentations on this subject. On conclusion of the presentations there
will be an opportunity to ask questions. This will be followed by a short
intermission, after which a vote on the proposal will be taken.
PLEASE
Note: Only paid up members of the club may participate in the voting process.
The definition of a "paid up member" is one of the following:
Social
Member, Senior Player, One parent of a junior player (this also includes
families who have more than one junior player), Vice Presidents, Honorary
Members, Player/Family and Non-Player/Family (Player/Family and
Non-Player/Family will also only be entitled to one vote).
The Bar will
not be open for the duration of the meeting.
04.03.2010
Blandford RFC EGM
A whole Club EGM is to
be held on Friday 26th March in the clubhouse to discuss the
proposed Clubhouse move.
The meeting is at 18:45 for a 19:00 start,
expecting to finish around 20:00. This is your chance to hear the proposals and
make your feelings known.
If you are unable to attend then please email
your comments/suggestions to either or
03.03.2010
Upcoming Club Events for this Spring and Summer
10th April - VP Day. Our First XV will play a match against
Weymouth, full details available from . 3rd May -
Georgian Fayre Day. This event will include a family day and BBQ at the
clubhouse. 7th May - Golf Day. Will be held at Canford Magna Golf
Course. Full Details available from Phill Meaden at 11th June - Annual Dinner Dance/Summer ball at
Gorcombe, further details to follow.
Please remember to check back
here later, more details will be published nearer the date of each event.
30.01.2010
Blandford RFC's Annual Old Boys v New Boys Match
The date for this fixure has yet to be confirmed following rescheduling of
league matches.
Contact your Team Captain for updated meet times and
match details, if you are interested in playing then contact:
Old Boys
Captain - DAVE COX TEL No: 07765821730
New Boys Captain - MARC
RICKETTS TEL No: 07812033259
15.01.2010
Blandford RFC launches RSS feed
We have now launched an RSS feed to accompany
the website. This will be used to publish news and club updates for players,
coaches and parents.
Not sure what RSS is and if it is for
you?
RSS will allow you to easily stay informed on subjects of interest
by gathering the latest content from all your favourite websites automatically,
saving you the time and trouble of visiting all these sites individually. It
will also ensure your privacy as you will not need to sign up for email
newsletters. Feeds allow you to see when your favourite websites have added new
content, you can get the latest headlines and videos all in one place, as soon
as it’s published.
The number of sites providing RSS feeds is
increasing rapidly and already includes prominent names such as Yahoo, Amazon
and BBC News.
RSS feeds can be read using software called an “RSS
reader”, readers are available for your computer, PDA, Blackberry and also
for most modern mobile phones. There are many different versions of readers
some of which can be accessed using a browser and others are downloadable
applications.
Web-based readers such as Google Reader or Newsgator can
be easily subscribed to by clicking on an orange RSS icon and following
instructions. As well as subscribing to a reader it is necessary to enter your
favourite website web addresses so the reader can establish a link. The RSS
reader then checks your subscribed feeds on a regular basis for new content and
makes them available for you to read.
So if you fancy the idea of
reading updates from all the sites you love, automatically gathered and
delivered to your computer or phone, then an RSS feed is for you.
18.12.2009
Blandford RFC's Annual Old Boys v New Boys Match
This annual event will next be held on 2nd January 2010
at the rugby pitches, Blandford School. Kickoff is at 13:30, all
welcome.
MATCH POSTPONED until 06th
February 2010.
Contact your Team Captain for meet times and
match details, if you are interested in playing then contact:
Old Boys
Captain - DAVE COX TEL No: 07765821730
New Boys Captain - MARC
RICKETTS TEL No: 07812033259
Full details are also available on the
event poster available to view here.
09.12.2009
New Year's Eve 2009 - Samba Blandford Party
The
Rio Carnival starts at 21:00 in the Blandford RFC Clubhouse, East
Street.
Come along and enjoy the fun, but remember to be in costume as
there is a prize for the best dressed.
Posters for the event are
available here and here.
Please feel free to print these off and use to advertise the event to all club
members.
For more information on this extravaganza and details for
obtaining tickets please contact .
08.12.2009
HELP NEEDED TO PROGRESS THE NEW BAR IN THE
CLUBHOUSE
Please can members make one or all of the following times:
TUESDAY 8th 6PM TILL 9PM
SUNDAY 13th 10.30 TILL 2PM
WEDNESDAY 16th 6PM TILL 9PM
Please try and make these dates as many hands make
light work. All help very much appreciated.
23.11.2009
A whole Club meeting is to be held
on Monday 30th November in the clubhouse to discuss proposals for
the new location and build.
This meeting starts at 19:00 and all members
of both the Senior and Junior Sections are welcome.
13.10.2009
The club will be hosting a VP's buffet lunch on Saturday
5th December commencing at 12:30 in the clubhouse.
Afterwards all are cordially invited to watch Blandford 1st
XV play Westbury 1st XV at the Blandford School pitches, entrance
and parking are via the old Milldown Middle School entrance.
23.09.2009
The Blandford 2009 Oktoberfest Party - as presented
by Blandford Stour Rotary Club and Blandford Rugby Club
This
year's event is being held at the Blandford Rugby Club on 17th
October 19:30 for 20:00.
To join in the fun the cost is only £10
per head which also includes your first stein and food.
Come along and
enjoy an evening of music, singing and dancing - might also be a bit of
drinking!
Advance tickets are available from the Clubhouse Bar - get
yours early to avoid dissapointment.
16.08.2009
Blandford make Heineken Plate
Final.
Blandford fielded a mixed team in the Heineken 10s at North
Dorset on Sat 15 August 2009 and were drawn in a pool with teams from South
West 1 and Southern Counties. They lost to Sherborne in the Plate Final despite
being drawn in the hardest group that consisted of Wooton Bassett, Noth Dorset,
Ivel Barbarians and Sherborne.
The best performance of the day was
winning the Plate Semi-Final where we won 29-12 against Melksham, followed by
holding Ivel Barbarians to 10-0, all of the points been given away in the first
3 minutes, one of their tries was a nice crossing move, but we made them work
very hard for their win and we went close on a few occassions. Another good
performance was against Sherborne in the pool matches, Blandford were winning
12-5 with 3 minutes to go then came the 'penalty try' to make it 12-12 and then
we were caught on the hop in the dying seconds to make the score
19-12.
The team was John Young, Ben Jones, Alex Ricketts, Mark Ricketts,
Matt Farwell, Matt Focsarny, Andy Williamson (1 try and con), Steve Hancock,
Doug Baker (4 tries and 3 con), Lawrence Collins, Dave Judd(1 try), Lee Haim,
Toby Kennedy (2 tries and Man of the Match Beer Winner who played Centre, Lock
and Prop in different games!!!!), Adam Jones (1 try) and Tom Christopher.
14.08.2009
The Seniors are pleased to welcome
their new head coach, Ian Neil.
Ian comes with a wealth of experience
from Havant RFC and with the Army around the world. The players are looking
forward to working with Ian to continue to build on their success last season
when they gained promotion to the Dorset & Wilts Division 1.
12.07.2009
Details from the Annual Dinner Dance held on Friday
10th July:
Congratulations to Jay Frampton for being
voted in as our new Chairman.
Awards presented at the Dinner Dance
were:
1st XV Top try scorer - Doug
Baker
2nd XV Top try scorer - Jim
Mathieson
1st XV Player of the year - Doug
Baker
2nd XV Player of the year - Luke
Murray
Young Player of the year - Marc
Ricketts
Most Improved player of the year - Chris
Kerley
Player's player of the year - Marc
Ricketts
Clubman of the Year - Ben Ryan
Social member of the year - Mo Byers
Frampton Memorial Shield for the Unsung Hero of the
season - Ernest Henley
John Gillingham who stepped down as Chairman
received Honorary Life Membership as a thank you for all of his dedication and
commitment to the club. Thank you very much for all you have done. Your
presence shall be missed.
Congratulations to all for your awards and
thank you to everybody for a fantastic evening!
09.07.2009
Blandford RFC are a small central
Dorset based Club with 2 Senior Teams currently competing in the Dorset &
Wilts Divisions.
Following a successful season in D&W Div 2 by the
1st XV, Blandford RFC are keen to move forward and build on last
seasons achievements. We are currently seeking a Coach to join the club and
help continue this momentum. Whether you’re a recently qualified coach
looking to put your mark on a team or just an experienced rugby person we would
like to hear from you.
Senior training during the season are Tuesday
and Thursday evenings and obviously matches on a Saturday. We would also hope
the right person would be able to assist our Youth Section in their hard work
on any level. At this time money is tight for all clubs however we would be
happy to cover travel expenses and your time to a satisfactory level for the
right person.
We are also a very warm and social club so if you are
interested in speaking to us further please just call! Come for a beer and meet
us!! Any initial queries please e-mail .
08.07.2009
The Seniors have entered a team for
the Heineken 10's Tournament being held at North Dorset RFC on Saturday 15th
August 2009.
Check back here soon for further details which will be
published as soon as they are available.
02.07.2009
Blandford are entering a team in the
O2 Scrum on the Beach event at Bournemouth on the 25th
July. We are looking for more team members to join Doug, Ben, Mike, 'Pasty',
Alex and Stuart.
This was a great day out last year with the
opportunity to meet England Internationals who were participating. For more
details of this year's events check out the O2 website
here.
If you are interested please contact Alex
(07827 912560)
02.06.2009
The date of the Annual Dinner Dance
has now been confirmed as Friday 10th July, Sealy Suite, The Crown
Hotel, 7:00 for 7:45.
Dress code is Lounge suits and posh frocks with
carriages return to the Club at midnight.
New award this year - George
Frampton Memorial Shield for the unsung hero of the season.
Tickets for
sale behind the bar £30-00 per person.
3 course meal:
Starter - Smoked Salmon
Main Course - Roast Sirloin with seasonal
vegetables
Dessert - Baileys Profiteroles/Cheese and
Biscuits
Tea/Coffee.
Any special dietary requirements please let a member
of the committee know asap.
02.06.2009
Congratulations to the 1st XV on promotion.
All the best for next season.
06.05.2009
The Annual Dinner Dance has had to be postponed, please
check back regularly for updates on this event.
27.04.2009
On Sunday the Junior Section held their 'end of season'
fun day which included a mixed 1st and 2nd XV team v a
combined U15/U16's in a game of touch rugby. This was followed by the
presentations of medals and awards to the juniors by Lee and Ben our two senior
team captains.
Photo albums of these events are available to view over
in the juniors web pages here.
25.04.2009
A big thank you to all who turned up to help clear the
rubble at the clubhouse.
21.04.2009
Your Club needs you !!
The work to clear
up the rubble at the back of the car park being done on 25th April
will start at 9 am. We need your help in clearing the rubble and are also in
need of shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows. Of course there will be refreshments
and food to keep strength up. If you are willing to give us a hand keeping a
good name for the club then please put your name down in the Clubhouse or
contact . Many thanks in advance.
16.04.2009
This year the AGM will be held on Thursday
18th June 2009, with a 7:00 start.
Anybody interested in
joining please see a committee member or vote on the night.
16.04.2009
Blandford has entered two teams for the Senior Mens in
the Lytchett 7's Tournament. This event is being held on Monday
4th May 2009. 10:30 start.
The Lytchett Festival of Sevens
Tournament was first played in 1982. Held on the mayday weekend, teams from all
over the south of England attended and have been doing so ever
since.
The Lytchett Minster Festival of Sevens has grown in both numbers
and reputation to be the most successful sevens tournament in the South and
South West of England.
The weekend incorporates three days of fierce
competition for all age groups and genders. Combined with a barbecue, drinks
marquee, snacks and souvenir merchandise, all located on Lytchett Minster Rugby
Club's fantastic new pitches makes this a very good family weekend.
More than sixty teams, plus their families, supporters, officials and
sponsors (around 4,000 people) attend each year.
Please come along and
show your support.
16.04.2009
Our Dinner Dance, being held on
23rd May 2009, will be in the Corn Exchange:
Tickets are
£30-00 each and are available behind the bar now.
Timings for the
night are 7:00 for 7:30.
Book your ticket to ensure a grat night
out.
03.03.2009
The Blandford RFC Golf Day to be held on Friday
17th April at Canford Magna Golf Course has been announced today.
This is a fundraising event to help support our Club so come along for a great
day out with the added benefit of showing your support for the Club. An
application form can be found here,
further details are available from Phil Meaden on 07771 605034.
02.03.2009
This year our Dinner Dance will be held on
23rd May in the Corn Exchange. Check back here for updates on
timings for this event.
02.03.2009
Your Club needs you !!
Unfortunately somebody has dumped building rubble over the
wall at the end of our car park. BRFC owns the ground down to halfway through
the river and the Environment Agency has instructed us to clear up the rubble.
They will assist us by opening a gate through M&Co Car Park for us to get
to the other side of the wall.
This work will be done on
25th April to avoid too much vegetation growing. We need your help
in clearing the rubble and are also in need of shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows.
Of course there will be refreshments and food to keep strength up. If you are
willing to give us a hand keeping a good name for the club then please put your
name down in the Clubhouse or contact . Many thanks in advance.
H4H
International Rugby – Dorset ’09 is a two-day event held in
Meyrick Park, Bournemouth to raise funds for Help For Heroes, a charity
supporting servicemen and women wounded on operational duty.
The event
will include live rugby matches featuring a Combined Services XV, an
International XV, the British Lionesses, and a Regional Returning Heroes XV. In
addition, there will be displays and demonstrations from the Armed Forces,
concessionary stands and children’s fairground rides.
On the
Saturday night, we will be hosting a Gala Dinner for 300 guests, which will
feature a charity auction. Sunday evening will see the End Of Event Party,
which has space for 400 guests.
All of the profits from the event will
go to Help For Heroes, with a massive turnout expected over the course of the
weekend.
07.02.2009
Raggy Dolls Charity match in aid of
Help for
Heroes held today.
Sponsorship Bricks
Buy a brick and have
have your name or company marked on it. The bricks will be used on a wall
within the new clubhouse, this is a great way to support your
club.
Get a sponsorship form from Moe behind the bar
2007
The 2007 annual Dinner Dance was held in the Crown
Hotel, Blandford and was deemed a great success by those who attended.
2005
Blandford RFC Tour to Barcelona - Sponsored by A
R Bugg Construction.
A tour of excellence in both organisation and
management of the event, well done Jo Grinter and John Gillingham.
Friday 15th April, saw
Blandford travel to Lloret de Mar and the Casino Royal Hotel. A quick meeting
and agenda check then off for some good food, for some, and burgers for others,
then a taste of the local nectar.
Saturday: A good breakfast followed
by the tours first court hearing, this was held by the resident Judge (John
Peniston) on the edge of the swimming pool where fines were issued for a few
minor offences. Then off to Barcelona for a two and half hour visit of the
local hostelries prior to the first match against Quimic Equip Rugby Club
Following the game, presentations were exchanged after which we were
provided with refreshments while the lads entertained the hosts with a beer
race, which we lost and some good English rugby songs lead by
Gilly.
More presentations were made giving us our first taste of a Bull
Fight followed by a chance glimpse of a strange old English habit, which the
judge had been trying to stop, “socks worn with sandals”. Let this be
a lesson to all. A great day even if we didn’t win and only one bum note
to be seen from the opposition.
Sunday and off to Barcelona nursing the
effects from the previous night (or an early morning) for an earlier than
planned match with Rugby Club CORNELLA. The venue, a sports stadium with little
shade, and a very hard pitch. The Blandford team changed from the previous days
line up due to injuries and the retirement of Willow. The game was followed by
another presentation of the Blandford RFC shield to the Cornella Team Captain.
Our hosts also had a good line in tee shirts at 5 euros a time, all
monies were to support the mini and youth rugby teams. We made our way back to
Lloret de Mar, for Judge Peniston's afternoon session in court, with the
club’s elders in assistance (Steve Crocker & Bryan Burrows). There
were some serious crimes committed so the penalties were hard.
However,
with the sun still high in the sky and the Mediterranean calling, we head out
for the infamous beach bar “The Piccadilly” for some cocktails and
watch the Saracens v Leicester match.
The day ended again with some good food and the normal
general debauchery at the Irish bar, but wait Gilly has an
announcement……. The coach will be collecting us tomorrow morning at
7.30 am to take us back to the airport, so get some
sleep………….. or find your own way home
Monday, All
present and correct and back to Blandford.
I am running in the 27th Marathon Des Sables in April 2012.
Organised by the French this is billed as the toughest footrace on earth. Full
details of the race are
Our Rugby team has registered at
Joe Brake, has successfully completed his challenge to raise
funds on behalf of Leukaemia Care. Joe would like to say:
Easter Sunday see’s the Jews Charity game coming back
to Blandford after a few years absence, being played last in 2008 at East
Dorset where a great day was had by all.
The menu for the Annual Dinner Dance has been finalised. The
menu will be:
The 2011 Annual Dinner Dance is being held at the new
Blandford School Conference Facilities, the date has now confirmed as Saturday
30th April.
One of our Senior Players, Joe Brake, entered a triathlon in
September to help raise funds for for Leukaemia Research. The triathlon
involved a mile sea swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run.
A Joint training match was held at home with Wimborne in
advance of the new season kicking off. 
The Blandford RFC Golf
Day this year is to be held on Friday 7th May at Canford Magna Golf
Course. There are still places left for teams so if you are interested or
perhaps have a prize to donate please contact Phill Meadon on 07771
605034.
A Gentlemans Evening is to be held in the Cluhouse on
Wednesday 14th April. This will take the form of a Curry Night
starting from 19:30.
The format of the
meeting has now been confirmed. The meeting is scheduled for 1845 with a 1900
start.
Blandford make Heineken Plate
Final.
The Seniors are pleased to welcome
their new head coach, Ian Neil. 
Blandford are entering a team in the
O2 Scrum on the Beach event at Bournemouth on the 25th
July. We are looking for more team members to join Doug, Ben, Mike, 'Pasty',
Alex and Stuart. 
This year the AGM will be held on Thursday
18th June 2009, with a 7:00 start.
Phil Vickery’s supporting
Friday 15th April, saw
Blandford travel to Lloret de Mar and the Casino Royal Hotel. A quick meeting
and agenda check then off for some good food, for some, and burgers for others,
then a taste of the local nectar. 