Rugby Club ISSUE 86 | Page 84

Ashford FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG Ashford RUGBY CLUB Ashford Rugby Club has been putting players on the rugby pitch for nearly 140 years and, as all clubs do, has experienced good and bad times,” said Chairman, John Norman. The last ten years have been very mixed for the club. “In a previous successful period, we rose to London and South East 2, the highest level we have reached, but a number of factors - a very young inexperienced side, a lack of strength in depth and the unexpected departure of our then coach – led to a downturn in our fortunes and two relegations in successive seasons saw the club back in Kent 1”. Despite the downturn, he said the club remained positive. “We took a long hard look at ourselves and queried everything we were doing. We adopted the David Brailsford mantra of improving everything we did, even if only by 1%, and driving up our quality. Our Director of Rugby, Chris Dengate, has been pivotal in focusing our efforts on shaping and structuring the club’s playing side from top to bottom. We look to our Youth section to develop tomorrow’s top players and to do so we need to ensure excellence in all we do. In recent seasons, we have had several young players making a successful transition into senior rugby, and we look to maintain this. “Season 2017-18 showed early evidence of improvements in performance, with the team enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run, and the club’s 2nd XV securing Tamlyn Wood of Webtex recently took the time to tell us more about their positive association with the club, saying, “As a company we are always keen to support the community and are proud to be able to support Ashford. The work that they do in the local area is really impressive and I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their efforts this season, particularly the progress they’ve made in developing their ladies section. Good luck for the future!” 84 Issue 85