Firstly, a massive thank you to all the parents that struggled to get to Henley RFC's festival on Sunday. Despite having 26 players in our match day squad, they all arrived on time (ish) having manoeuvred a chaotic travel situation in Henley. This is further evidence of the commitment within A&C RFC and the U8 group in particular. We should all be rightly proud of the squad's performance as well. Against some strong opposition the quality of defensive play was decisive in another impressive festival performance. The results highlighted the strength of our squad once again bearing in mind our commitment to picking mixed ability teams and making sure that all children get equal game time. Naturally we do not keep scores as it is all about taking part and not about winning but I did hear anecdotal reports to allow me to confirm informal results as follows:

Tigers: P5 W3 D2 L0
Cobras: P5 W3 D1 L1
Scorpions: P5 W5 D0 L0

The Scorpions were the team of the day with a 100% record and big smiles on the faces of Coach Nick and Coach Bev! It is also worth pointing out that having played 25 festival games this season we have been unbeaten in all but one game! I'm sure you will all agree that this is a fantastic achievement by our young superstars. My favourite moment of the day (and the loudest cheer for the Cobras) was when Leo, in a great supporting position, took a quick pass from a teammate and charged over the line for his first A&C RFC try. A great passage of rugby for one of our less experienced players and a very satisfying moment for the coaching team. The U8 official photographer managed to capture part of the medal ceremony. I heard one coach quip that this was the best line the kids managed all day!

Please pay special attention to this week's notices as they contain important information about forthcoming fixtures.

A&C Festival - 13 October 2019
If you have already confirmed availability to me for the A&C festival on Sunday your child will be playing. I will shortly be confirming the team via Pitchero which is accessible via the U8 section of the club's website or by the separate app. The system limits us to 30 players so please do not be concerned if your son or daughter are listed as substitutes. We need your support on Sunday for the following tasks:
Pitch marshals to ensure that the right teams are in the right place for our three pitches and the games start and finish on time.
Timekeepers to sound the klaxon for the start and finish of each game along with the half time minute
Raffle ticket sellers to raise club funds from all visiting parents (including A&C parents)
Beech House Hut attendants - we have nominated people on the rota but this will require extra people from 0830 onwards
If everyone mucks in I'm sure we can share the load and make sure everyone has a great day so please make yourself available to assist. We also hope you will bring all your family along to enjoy our excellent club and the local rugby community. By the way, if you think the traffic was bad last Sunday you will be shocked at how busy the club and its local roads get next Sunday. Suggest you get there as early as possible before the 1000 kick off.

Oakman Cup/Training - 20 October 2019
The Oakman Cup will be held at Allianz Park (home of Saracens) on the following Sunday. This is a great festival and was much enjoyed last year by everyone who attended. We are allowed only two teams so we are hoping to run home training alongside this subject to coach availability. Parents should confirm availability for either/both on the club website/Pitchero app and we will confirm the squad and whether training will run at home as an alternative. Anyone struggling with the online registering should let me know and I will do my best to assist.

Home Training - 27 October 2019
Sunday mornings return to "normal" on this week as we resume regular Sunday training. We will hope to apply the lessons learned in the early season festivals as the mud deepens and the temperature drops!

Please let me know if you have any questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.