A very warm welcome at our annual Under 15 Festival to all Players, Referees, Coaches, Managers, Parents, Supporters and Spectators in what promises to be a fantastic end of season celebration of rugby.
We are delighted to host our guest teams, old friends and new.
At the time of writing, there are no less than 20 teams taking part, drawn from all around the East of England plus :-
We particularly welcome Sheffield from Yorkshire, who have used this festival as their annual tour.
Essex is represented by Rochford, Old Brentwoods, Southend and Dagenham – I am very pleased to welcome my old club, Old Brentwoods in their second season of youth rugby.
3 clubs cross the Thames from Kent, old friends Dartfordians and Sevenoaks, together with first time visitors, Medway.
We welcome Cheshunt and Bishops Stortford from Hertfordshire.
Eastern Counties is also well represented with Cambridge from Cambs, and I am particularly pleased with the support from our home county Suffolk clubs, with old friends, Bury, Woodbridge, Hadleigh, Sudbury and Southwold joining 2 squads from Colchester.
We are confident that all competing clubs will be playing some new opposition. We hope that new friendships are made in the great spirit of the game of Rugby Union.
Colchester Festivals are aimed to be “Rugby for All”; initial pools are drawn at two standards, with 2 Trophy pools, and a Development pool for smaller clubs and second teams of larger clubs. We hope for a showpiece final of a very high quality, but we want teams of a more modest ability to enjoy their rugby, and consequently, after the pool rounds, we also plan 5 different knock-out competitions. That is the nature of Colchester Festivals.
Teams will compete for Ron Hatch Trophy; this is a new piece of silverware donated this season to the club by our very old friend, Ron Hatch, a former long serving Secretary of Colchester RFC. Ron, as Tournament Umpire, has been a great supporter of our annual youth festivals for many a year.
Good Luck to all – enjoy the day !!
Ross Cowie – Chairman of Youth Rugby – Colchester RFC