January 2004 - Update BECCS NEEDS YOUR HELP Unfortunately I have to start this note on a very serious matter and request your assistance. As you have probably noticed we’ve been trying to avoid training on the bottom end of the 3 pitches due to the appearance of stones which have risen over the past couple of months. This is obviously causing great concern. We have been discussing the state of the pitches with Bromley Council for a number of months and have had little response apart from telling us to let nature will take its course and they will eventually go away (and before you ask I don’t understand either) or not play on them. Dealing with Councils is a difficult and delicate matter, so please do not contact them directly as it needs to go through the appropriate club channels (the Executive Committee). They have been sympathetic to the situation and it has to be appreciated that from the Council’s perspective it’s about priorities with a limited budget. However, it is also felt that with a bit of effort we could try to recover the situation on the 2nd and 3rd pitches. For this we are planning a stone picking exercise with the entire club (Senior Men’s, Ladies, Youth and Minis) on Sunday 1st February after the Mini training session in the morning, starting at about 11:45. We do not see any other option available to us which will also leave us with some pitches for the remainder of the season. This is where we need your help, we need as many volunteers as possible for approximately 1 hour to assist in walking down or up the 2 pitches digging out any stones you come across or find just below the surface. Please bring a fork – large or hand and anything that may help in the collection process. We’ll be getting a skip and a small tractor to transport the stones from various collection points to it. In addition we’ll get some topsoil to fill in any large holes we make. Hopefully if we clear the majority of the ones we find that are approximately within an inch of the surface then we’ll have a reasonable playing surface for the remainder of the season. With Spring approaching nature should then take it’s course and create a suitable matting of grass to prevent any further occurrence. We desperately need your assistance – please make every effort to help. All we are asking for is approximately 1 hour of your time or whatever you can afford. Please help. Thank you in advance. Results One a lighter matter, since the last newsletter, ENGLAND won the World Cup in what will become one of the most dramatic finals in the history of any sport. It tells us all one thing, never give up until that final whistle blows, there is always still a chance to win the game in the final minute of play. Believe in yourself, your ability and the team. Beccs Mini’s have also done well with good performances at Bromley and Old Colfeians where from discussions with most of the coaches, most sides came out on top overall with team performances. Warmwell Tour 16-18th April. We have a huge number coming on tour this year, approximately 250 in total, which is absolutely fantastic. However, for those going, final payments are now due and I need these back by the end of January. Please pass these back to me directly or via your coach as soon as possible. A couple of coaches have muted that a few non-tourists may be considering traveling down to Bournemouth for the Festival on the day. If this is the case then please let your coach know so that we can arrange suitable directions and entry into the Festival. Beccehamian RFC Website I’ve mentioned this a couple of times that we are re-designing the club website and we have virtually completed this and just awaiting the allocation of club contact e-mail addresses instead of personal addresses prior to going live. If you have any pictures you wish to put onto the site then please e-mail me at putner@gotadsl.co.uk with a short description and I’ll try to get them on in due course. It would greatly help if each age group had a match reporter who kept track of the scores, the scorers and maybe even wrote a short report for the matches played. Any volunteers greatly appreciated. Membership If you’ve been down for a few weeks then you now need to join. Family Membership is £40 if you’ve been taking part before Christmas and reduced to £20 if you’ve only just turned up. The coaches have loads to do already and to think about and it’s difficult / awkward to keep reminding those who haven’t joined yet. Please help them to have one less thing to think about!!! KIT for Clubs Some of you who been upstairs may have noticed the poster requesting you to collect tokens off any Kingsmill bread product. There is a collection box behind the bar. By collecting tokens we can redeem these for kit and equipment for free. So please collect and put them behind the bar. The more we collect the more we get. Regards, Nigel