With another rugby season at domestic level on the horizon, it is all systems go at Hatrick Park where Rainey Old Boys continue their preparations with training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7.00 p.m.
Newcomers are particularly welcome to come along to these sessions which have been well attended. Coaches Chris Campbell and Richard Boyd and new captain Simon Hawe will be praying that they can come through the opening fixtures with a clean bill of health, so that they hit the ground running come the start of the AIL on October 1.
After an injury-hit start, Rainey struck a rich vein of form last season, winning fourteen of their last fifteen matches and, with any luck, should do well this time round. The first block of fixtures sees them play Ards(h), Nenagh Ormond(a),NUIM Barnhall(a) and Sunday’s Well(h). The four junior provincial champions have been admitted to Division 2b and Rainey entertain Armagh while travelling to Sligo, Boyne and Cashel. And while there will be four Ulster sides in the division, all seven of Rainey’s away games involve cross-border travel.
Rainey will have to do without ace place-kicker Mark O’Connor,who is bound for National 1 Coventry, where he hopes to play professional rugby and complete his studies. The full-back was the leading try-scorer last season and will be hard to replace. Long-serving loose-head Nathan Amos is off to play professionally in Germany, but the club is fortunate to have a number of promising young props contending for a place. Joining the club are four school-leavers from Coleraine, one of whom is an Ulster U19 prop. Three of last season’s Rainey school team – Damian McMurray, Mark McErlean and Owen Devlin – will add to the overall depth of the squad. Nathan Rankin, an Ulster Under 20 lock, comes from Malone and Limavady lad Peter Wilson can operate at either scrum-half or wing. Randalstown pair William Montgomery and David Goodrich will push for places in the centre. Fans will also be delighted to know that little Wellington dynamo Peter Sciascia is staying for another season. After missing much of the last campaign, he made an outstanding contribution to deservedly win the Player of the Year award.
On Saturday Rainey welcome former senior side Academy for a squad session (1pm) which should help both to blow away the cobwebs. The Roughfort-based club enjoyed a very satisfactory return to Qualifying 1 last term, claiming a number of notable scalps. On August 20 Rainey are in Fivemiletown for the Derek Lee Memorial Trophy game with Towns’ Cup winners Clogher Valley. The Seconds will kick-off at 1pm, with the firsts at 2:30pm. As usual, Rainey face most of the big guns in the First Trust Senior League in the opening block of fixtures. First up, on August 27, are Ballymena(h).
Youth Training Restarts
Convenor Des Chada and his very capable squad of coaches were rewarded when all four sides in the 13 – 19 age group were involved in finals at the business end of last season. A much earlier start to the leagues means that training sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays ( 6.30 p.m.) will commence on August 15 for all u13, u15, u17 and u19 Rainey Rhinos teams. The Under 13 panel will be targetted for a real push this year, with many of last season’s mini-rhinos moving up to the Rhino section. It is hoped that a Youth Development Officer will soon be in place to assist with this. Newcomers to the game are also very welcome to come along and join in. Success at youth level depends, as always, on the willingness of parents and senior players to lend a hand, so anyone available to help out in any capacity should have a word with Des or Ian Lamont.
