Hoylake News, Views and much more!
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Many thanks to Gerry Mort for this photo of the Hoylake Cygnets team from the 1949-50 season.
Back row Geoff Maclelland, Gerry Mort, J Fleet, R Ashton,Ken Woodhouse, B Saunders, Norman Beech, Mr Woodhouse, R Burns,
Centre row – Gerald Fleet, R Smith, C Rice.
Front Row – Brian Lett, T Lucas, M Roberts, H Davies, R Jenkins. The team were league runners-up, Hoylake Athletic cup runners-up and Robson Cup Winners
AC Hoylake (website - AC Hoylake Meteors under 7s pictured) Chairman Paul Williams writes about the success of our local football teams and how you might be able to help:
After years of searching for a permanent home we have finally acquired a long term lease for the playing fields and changing rooms pavillion at Acres Road, Meols. This is a major development for the club with much work to be done but it will mean lots of exciting plans for the future.
AC Hoylake started in 2001 and over the years have steadily grown their player numbers to over 250 kids from all over the local area. This amazing progress has been possible due to the work of relatively few volunteers who have been working tirelessly to make the club one of the most fun, well run and most enjoyable clubs for young people to play for on the Wirral, culminating in the club being awarded Charter Standard status in 2011.
Despite this success, the club continue to make major strives forward to become an even better club than ever, ensuring that ALL children get an equal opportunity to enjoy themselves, make new friends and develop their skills in a fun, safe environment. At AC Hoylake we want to create MORE and BETTER players.
Acres Road gives us the opportunity to make the next step forward in creating a bigger and better club for all its members. With all the modern day distractions of playstations, Xbox’s and the Internet the opportunity to fall in love with football at a young age is not as easy as it was for previous generations and opportunities for young people to arrange their own streetgames has diminished with changes in our society. This is why we believe it is so important to develop our own site to hold matches and training sessions. It will be a home for several of our teams, which will give the club a sense of identity.
With the possibility of 3 or 4 teams playing or training at the same time, it’s an ideal opportunity for coaches, players and parents to interact with other age groups. The younger age groups’ players and parents will benefit from seeing older age groups in action. A chance to share a coffee or tea between parents and coaches of different teams will also help develop awareness of the club and larger social connections.
Our club has over 250 boys and girls members aged between 6 and 18 years old. We have been in existence since 2001 but have struggled to find a home of our own. We have been using various different fields dotted around West Wirral. With the help of the local council we have just secured a 10 year lease on the pitches and a 20 year lease on the changing pavilion, there are 2 eleven aside pitches, 3 mini soccer pitches, the mini soccer pitches are in line with the FA’s new guidelines for the future of grass roots football, which is unique in the locality.
However due to heavy and regular water logging the pitches are in desperate need of land drainage to allow us to play continually throughout the season. The club has raised funds through a range of activities to contribute towards the cost of the project. We pride ourselves with the good morals and provide excellent coaching we work very closely with the FA and have recently been award the FA Charter Standard. Our club wishes to continue to grow to provide football for local children in the area but these facilities our crucial to us as they are the only ones available in Hoylake.
The project will not only benefit members of the club but will also create a useful resource for the wider community. Currently the field is ,in many areas, unusable due to the lack of sufficient drainage. By improving the site the project will enable access to a diverse range of local people including older people and families. By increasing access to the site the project will enable people to persue a range of healthy activities such as; jogging, dog walking and childrens play, all of which help to raise and maintain peoples mental and physical well being.
By improving the general environment of the site the project will help to motivate and encourage people to make use of this accessible outdoor space. Currently the site is much underused and in many cases inaccessible to the public, particularly to those with mobility issues.
The project is intended to benefit a wide section of the community by creating a green space which can be used for a wide variety of activities rather than being improved for one particular purpose or beneficiary group.
The need for this project has been identified due to the severe and regular waterlogging that takes place on the field and football pitches which lie within it. The waterlogging occurs due to a combination of the topography of the site and the lack of sufficient drainange measures. This assessment has been backed up through consultation with professional contractors who have vast expereince of this type of project.
If you are able to assist and require any further information please feel free to contact our club chair – Paul Williams (paul.williams@achoylake.com – 07817684682), or our club secretary – Rich Magee (richard.magee@achoylake.com – 07916311804).
Many thanks to Mark Phillips for providing the latest news from Hoylake Rugby Football Club.
Report follows:
Hoylake Under 8s have finished off their season in stunning fashion over the past few weeks.
Cheshire Cup @ Macclesfield 18/4/10
On 18 April the Hoylake squad, along with parents and supporters, made the long trip to Macclesfield to compete alongside the counties finest teams in the Cheshire Cup. Initially Hoylake were placed in pool with teams from Old Parkonians, Marple, Macclesfield and Congleton. The team played some magnificent rugby with all the squad contributing and won every game to qualify for the knockout stages of the Cheshire Cup event.
In the quarter-final they faced one of the favourites for the event, Lymm. In an absolute classic encounter and with the scores level at the end of normal time Hoylake triumphed courtesy of the first try scored rule. So the team progressed to the semi-final where they met the hosts A team, Macclesfield. This result was never in doubt with Hoylake out performing the home team in every department to claim the win.
So the final beckoned with Sandbach the opponents. After scoring first Hoylake started to tire and make mistakes in their play. Sandbach capitalised and eventually managed to win 4 – 1 leaving the Hoylake players distraught.
Throughout the day coaches, referees and even supporters from other teams paid their compliments to the Hoylake squad. Firstly in the way the team conducted themselves and in the way they played the game. All eleven boys from Hoylake were outstanding and certainly left an impression on all who watched them and all they competed against. They came up just a little short in the end but this was an outstanding performance against physically bigger teams and bigger clubs.
Hoylake Mini 7s @ Hoylake 25/4/10
One week one from the Cheshire Cup event the Hoylake squad found themselves on home turf with another challenge. This time they found themselves pitted against Waterloo, Sefton, Caldy, Wirral and Northwich for the pool games.
Yet again the Hoylake squad were unbeaten throughout these games and so qualified directly to the main event final where they would meet another Waterloo side who had topped the other pool.
What a game this turned out to be. At half time Hoylake were looking down the barrel. They were 5 – 2 down and emotions were starting to get the better of the squad, especially after losing a final the previous week. The second half was a different matter. Hoylake raised their game with some outstanding defence, scintillating attacks and brilliant interceptions. Waterloo responded and at the end of normal time the scores were level at 8 – 8. Extra- time came with absolutely nothing to choose between the two sides. This was an absolute classic encounter between two exceptional teams and it was no surprise that the game drew the biggest crowd of the day. Again the final whistle went only for the referee to look towards the heavens when he realised the scores were tied again at 10 – 10. After a brief meeting between the officials and coaches from both sides it was agreed to have joint winners for this event as we could have still been playing at midnight to try and find a winner. Bedlam ensued with players, parents and supporters of both teams all joining in to celebrate what had been a fitting finale to the day.
It has been my pleasure and good fortune to be involved with the Hoylake squad for the past few years. A finer bunch of kids you will never meet. In the two events mentioned above they have pitted their skills and their energy against all comers and have not been found wanting. They have had numerous compliments from coaches of other teams and have made a lasting impression on all they have come across. They are a credit to themselves, their parents and they come from Hoylake RFC.
Many thanks to Mark Phillips for providing the latest news from Hoylake Rugby Football Club.
Seniors
1st XV
Hoylake 19 – 25 Sale
Warrington 9 – 29 Hoylake
Oswestry 21 – 16 Hoylake
Bowdon 19 – 35 Hoylake
Dukinfield 17 – 31 Hoylake
Hoylake 34 – 25 Ormskirk
2nd XV
Hoylake 41 – 0 Prenton
Oldershaw 25 – 12 Hoylake
Hoylake 55 – 5 Mold
Prenton 54 – 33 Hoylake
Sefton 10 – 91 Hoylake
Caldy 7 – 72 Hoylake
Hoylake 74 – 24 Port Sunlight
Junior Colts
Hoylake 30 – 7 Broughton Park
Under 10s
Formby Vikings 5 – 85 Hoylake
Oswestry 15 – 30 Hoylake
Hoylake 20 – 25 Ellesmere Port
Hoylake 50 – 25 Birkenhead Park
Under 8s
Formby 12 – 20 Hoylake
Hoylake 17 – 14 Helsby
Oswestry 1 – 4 Hoylake
Hoylake 17 – 8 Ellesmere Port
Hoylake 10 – 13 Caldy
Under 7s
Formby 5 – 15 Hoylake
Hoylake 17 – 20 Helsby
Apologies to all the avid Hoylake Junction readers for the lack of rugby news these past few months. I’ve been busy changing nappies and enduring countless sleepless nights due to a new arrival in the family in early January and I’m only just finding time to play catch up. So here goes….
Hoylake’s 1st team have managed to climb away from the relegation battle that they were being dragged into prior to the Christmas break. A number of away wins, most notably against high flying Bowden, has eased the team toward mid table and seems to have banished any prospect of the team dropping out of the division. They have managed to win four out the last five games in an impressive run of form and look to continue when they travel to local rivals Anselmians on 20 March.
The 2nd team have continued their impressive high scoring form and have notched up 70 plus points in the last three outings. Two defeats against other local teams, Oldershaw and Prenton, seem to have spurred the team on of late. We now have a good blend of youth and experience within this team as some of our Colts make the progression to senior rugby.
The Junior Colts season has come to a close with Hoylake firmly placed in mid table within their league. A commendable effort from players and coaches alike as for a large part of last summer it looked highly unlikely that we would be able to field a team. But come together they did and over the second half of the season have performed admirably. I seem to recall that the first two or three games were lost by quite a distance but the team put the hard graft in and reaped rewards over the second half of the season.
Hoylake under 10s just seem to grow in confidence and belief week after week. Stunning performances against the likes of Formby Vikings and Birkenhead Park have made everyone sit up and take note. The boys have also put in huge efforts against the likes of Ellesmere Port and Oswestry, teams who in the not so recent past have perhaps been a little too good for us. But not now. The boys have run these teams very close and the hard work of Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings is really starting to pay off. Next up for these boys is a trip over the water to visit Sefton RUFC on 21 March.
The Under 8s have won 5 out of 6 played recently. They have dominated games from start to finish including getting revenge on the Oswestry team who had previously beaten them at Melrose Avenue earlier in the season. The only blip on the score sheet was against the old foe from up the road Caldy, who are the current Cheshire Champions for this age group. I say blip but in three games played, one won and two lost, there was only two scores different in the try count. I know I am biased but some of this team look like they could go a very long way in the sport should they choose to. Excellent stuff.
The Under 7 squad continue to shine. They outclassed Formby Vikings and lost a closely fought contest with Helsby. The boys continue to grow and develop into the game as do the number of players in the squad. These little starlets are a credit to themselves and their coaches.
Three items of note in the forthcoming weeks are;
1) Hoylake XV vs. Invitational XV Charity Game in aid of Alder Hey Eye Unit on 24 April 2010 at Hoylake. All are welcome to attend.
2) Under 7s Cheshire Cup at Bowdon and Under 8s Cheshire Cup at Macclesfield on 18 April 2010.
3) Hoylake Mini Sevens Festival on 25 April 2010. This is one of the biggest Mini Rugby Festivals in the North West. An absolute feast of rugby, hopefully in decent weather.
Hot on the heels of the announcement of the forthcoming Hoylake Womens Open the R&A has chosen both Hoylake and Wallasey as hosts for the 2013 Boys Amateur Golf Championship.
I wasn’t aware that Royal Liverpool members founded the Wallasey Golf Club way back in 1891. For further information visit the R&A.
Here’s the latest results and fixture list for Hoylake RFC courtesy of Mark Phillips. At the end of this post is a gallery of photos of the teams in action.
Seniors
Hoylake 9 – 15 Wigan
Hoylake P – P West Park
Junior Colts
Buxton 45 – 26 Hoylake
Under 13s
Hoylake 0 – 40 New Brighton
Under 10s
Hoylake 20 – 15 Liverpool Collegiate
Under 8s
Hoylake 17 – 13 Liverpool Collegiate
Under 7s
Hoylake 2 – 3 Liverpool Collegiate
Saturday 12 December
This set of games turned out to be the last prior to the Christmas break with the 1st XV game at Oswestry, due to be played on December 19th, falling foul of the weather. Unfortunately for the senior sides it was not a day to remember with the 1st team failing to register a try in a dour game at Melrose Avenue. The optimism of a few weeks ago has now been replaced by a stark realism that unless results improve, relegation from their current league is a distinct possibility. Unfortunately, again, there were too many unforced errors from the home side in a game which they could have won. Wigan were no great team and are currently placed below Hoylake in the league but they came away after scoring two tries with an all important win. Hoylake now have to wait until 9th January to resume their league campaign when local neighbours Wirral are the visitors to Melrose Avenue….
The 2nd team were scheduled to play West Park at the same time our 1st team were losing to Wigan. Unfortunately on the morning of the game West Park cancelled the fixture as they were unable to raise the required numbers. The next fixture for this team is another local derby against Anselmians at home on 2nd January 2010.
Sunday 13 December
Hoylake’s Junior Colts made the long trip to Buxton to take on the current league leaders. The game was a great advert for Colts rugby with Buxton claiming victory and remaining unbeaten this season. That said Hoylake put up a terrific fight and managed to score more points against their hosts than any other side had in the season so far. A fact that was noted by Buxton as they move toward the league title. The Colts were meant to play Broughton Park last Sunday (20 December) but again the game was postponed as a result of a frozen pitch.
Hoylake’s Under 13 side came off second best when they faced local rivals New Brighton. The physically bigger away team just proved too much against the host club although it is worth noting that Hoylake kept putting the effort in right until the final whistle. Their willingness to run, chase and tackle was there for all to see but they were well beaten by a decent outfit.
The Under 10s team are on bit of a roll at the moment as they followed up their recent victory against Formby with another home win. Hoylake’s main strength came from their forwards whilst Collegiate’s came from their fast back line. This lead to an intriguing match up with Hoylake claiming victory from the jaws of defeat in the last few minutes of the game.
Hoylake Under 8s played some indifferent rugby but still managed to come out on top against Collegiate. They scored some great tries but came unstuck in defence against a lively side. On the plus side of things Hoylake managed to put out two different teams for the first time this year and with the tries scored in this match it now means that everyone within the squad has now scored this season.
The Under 7s were caught a little short in more ways than one in their last game of 2009. Illness, both on the day and the previous night, robbed Hoylake of a few valuable players and meant that they had to take to the pitch with only six fit players. The Hoylake 6 managed to put up a sterling effort but faced a good Collegiate side and it was the visitors who eventually came out on top. This was only the second ever defeat for our little Band of Brothers who have competed superbly in their first season of competitive rugby.
From all at Hoylake RFC have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Here’s the latest results and fixture list for Hoylake RFC courtesy of Mark Phillips.
Glossop 29 v 28 Hoylake
Hoylake 71 v 12 Wallasey
Junior Colts
Hoylake 18 v 17 Crewe & Nantwich
Under 13s
Hoylake 5 v Macclesfield 35
Under 10s
Sefton/Widnes v Hoylake Postponed
Under 8s
Old Parkonians/Waterloo 21 v 26 Hoylake
Under 7s
Old Parkonians 0 v Hoylake 5
Despite the recent amount of rainfall almost all of the Hoylake teams managed game time over the last weekend. Only the proposed Under 10s game at Sefton fell foul of the conditions with the game being called off at short notice.
The 1st XV travelled to Glossop for a first ever league encounter with the hosts. Confidence was high after last weeks result but a heavier and stronger set of forwards swung the game for the hosts and means that Hoylake are still searching for their first away win of the season. Hoylake had their chances and an attempted penalty kick which drifted narrowly wide of the posts would of made the difference but alas it was not to be.
Hoylake’s 2nd team continued their impressive form of late and remain at the top of their league. They were always in control of this local derby against Wallasey and put together another impressive score line. Both the 1st & 2nd teams are at home this Saturday with the opponents Wigan and West Park respectively.
The Junior Colts side managed to get the better of their opponents last Sunday, but only just. One point separated the two teams at the end of a game which swung one way and then the other. Hoylake have managed to put together an impressive run of form lately winning four out of their last five games and they continue to climb up the league table.
Sad to say but the Under 13s under performed against mediocre opponents last weekend. Inconsistency seems to be the order of things at the moment with this team who can on their day compete with the best teams around. Unfortunately the game against Macclesfield will not be remembered as one of their best. Next up for the Under 13s is an intriguing local derby against New Brighton…hmmm!
The Under 7s & 8s made the short trip to Old Parkonians in Prenton last Sunday and game away with some mightily impressive performances. The Under 8 squad played a number of matches against the hosts and Waterloo from Liverpool. They lost one, won one against Waterloo and convincingly beat Old Parks in the last game of the day. Some outstanding play from these youngsters with very few unforced errors in their play despite the cold and wet conditions.
The Under 7s played a series of five games against Old Parkonians and managed to win every one. Hoylake’s youngest team are making a name for themselves this season. Their enthusiasm and boundless energy are evident for all to see when they play. On this occasion Old Parkonians were no match for Hoylake and they proved worthy winners.
Hopefully this weekend sees a full set of fixtures for all the Hoylake teams prior to the Christmas break. Details are listed below:
Saturday 12 December
1st Team
Hoylake v Wigan
2nd Team
Hoylake v West Park
Sunday 13 December
Buxton Junior Colts v Hoylake Junior Colts
Hoylake Under 13 v New Brighton
Hoylake v Liverpool Collegiate Under 10
Hoylake v Liverpool Collegiate Under 8
Hoylake v Liverpool Collegiate Under 7
Non members are most welcome down at Melrose Avenue to spectate at any of the games. You can read more about the club, including their interesting history at the official club website
Here’s the latest results and fixture list for Hoylake RFC courtesy of Mark Phillips. You may recall that I mentioned we would be bringing you Hoylake RFC news here on HoylakeJunction.com
Hoylake 33 v 17 Anselmians
Ellesmere Port 14 v 14 Hoylake
Hoylake 40 v 0 Formby Vikings
All in all a good set of results for Hoylake RFC over the last weekend with the first team setting the standard with a superb team performance at home against local high flying rivals Anselmians.
The form book was well and truly upset as the home team produced an outstanding display of fast flowing attacking rugby coupled with resolute tigerish defence. A result that looks even better when you consider Anselmians were fielding an ex-Irish international and that his opposite number for Hoylake is still in his teens. Despite the heavy conditions underfoot the game was a credit to both teams.
Hoylake’s 2nd team were away at Ellesmere Port and had to work extremely hard to maintain their unbeaten run. Another hard game ensued with both teams battling each other as much as the testing conditions. By all accounts a draw was a fair result and keeps Hoylake at the top of their league.
With the Hoylake Junior Colts and Under 13 teams having a well deserved rest this weekend the spotlight fell on the mini teams, Under 10s, 8s & 7s, who were all expecting a visit from Formby Vikings. Unfortunately only the Under 10 team turned up to play and so the younger teams had to put in a training stint instead of the expected game.
The Under 10s produced their game of the season so far, scoring 8 tries and keeping a clean sheet in the process. Overall an outstanding display from our youngsters against valiant opponents who never gave up.
This weekend sees the various Hoylake teams scattered far and wide across the region:
1st Team
Glossop v Hoylake
2nd Team
Hoylake v Wallasey
Hoylake Junior Colts v Crewe & Nantwich Junior Colts
Hoylake Under 13 v Macclesfield
Sefton/Widnes v Hoylake Under 10
Old Parkonians/Waterloo v Hoylake Under 8
Old Parkonians v Hoylake Under 7
Non members are most welcome down at Melrose Avenue to spectate at any of the games. You can read more about the club, including their interesting history at the official club website
Mark Phillips is the current coach for the Under 8′s at our local Hoylake Rugby Football Club. Mark has been in touch and will soon be sending regular updates about the teams progress – which is a welcome addition to Hoylake Junction.
Here’s some information from Mark about Hoylake RFC
Hoylake RFC currently run two senior men’s teams, both in competitive leagues, and has a vibrant junior section. The club has always encouraged its junior players to progress through the ranks and has been commended for its warm and friendly atmosphere. There are games almost every weekend down at Melrose Avenue with the senior teams playing on Saturday afternoons and the juniors on Sunday mornings.
The junior section currently has approximately 70 plus youngsters playing for their respective age groups. The two youngest age groups are the Under 7s and 8s. These are classed as Mini Rugby teams and play a non-contact version of the game called tag rugby. From Under 9s and up the children learn how to tackle and move into the contact game.
We have at present teams at Under 7s, 8s, 10s, 13s and 17s, all of which can do more than hold their own against so called bigger clubs. Due to the rules set by the governing body the only team from the juniors who play in a league is the Junior Colts (Under 17s). All the other age groups play “friendlies” against other local clubs and from clubs a little bit further a field.
Non members are most welcome down at Melrose Avenue to spectate at any of the games. You can read more about the club, including their interesting history at the official club website and look out for forthcoming updates here in the sports section.
The next juniors fixture: Hoylake Under 10s, 8s & 7s vs Formby Vikings Sunday 29 November 2009 ko 11.00am
Improvements to the golf course at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) are in progress at the moment – I gather it’s a £600,000 project to improve drainage on the links course. The course is still being played – temporary greens are being utilised.
As you can see from the photo above, they’ve carefully peeled off the grass on one of the greens and laid it out on the rough. Look closely at the piece in the foreground …is that the hole?
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