The final whistle has nearly blown on a busy season of rugby for all the teams at the club and that’s no different for the third team on the pitch in every game.
From U10s all the way up to Vets, just about every team at Harlow has had a club referee in the middle at some point over the season. We’ve even been asked to provide referees for our neighbours at times! I want to say thank you to all the referees who have given up their time this season.
Darryl Guy, Darryl Brooks, Fozzy Brown, Matt Selway, Luke Hammond, Paul Eynon, Tony Howell, Kerrie Mouncey, Fred Holgate, Nathan Sandles, Dan Ricketts.
These referees have officiated over 50 matches for both the club and also in the West Essex secondary school district rugby competitions and Harlow Primary tag rugby festivals. I also want to thank Matt Todd, Tony Hills and Alan Price for offering their wisdom to the referees in watching and advising them from the touchline.
It has been really exciting to see new referees coming through and this season has produced Kerrie Mouncey, Tony Howell, Luke Hammond and U14s boys player Fred Holgate. All of them have worked hard to develop themselves and they have taken on a number of games with Tony even going straight onto the pitch coming off a night shift! Luke Hammond has joined the London Society of Referees and is already making progress up the ranks in Essex Merit Leagues.
Thank you also to all of the coaches who have welcomed referees to their games. It can be a tricky balance to have an unfamiliar face running a game and sometimes making mistakes but coaches have been, on the whole, patient and supportive. We have also set up a feedback system for coaches to give comments post match and this helps us to identify areas where we can develop as a team. As always the breakdown and the ruck, the thing that makes rugby the brilliant game it is, forms the part of the game that needs the most attention!
Finally, we are always looking for more referees and we are hosting an Introduction to Refereeing course at the club on April 26th from 9am to 12pm. This is a very practical session and will give you the essential tools to get in the middle of a game of rugby. It really is the best place to watch a game of rugby from! If you are interested in attending please email me at hrufcreferees@gmail.com.
Remember: No ref, no game!
Regards
Dan Ricketts
HRUFC Referee Co-ordinator
