Rugby Club ISSUE 86 | Page 98

Edinburgh Northern FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG We spoke to Mike Horner and Martin Scott, both ex Northern players and Directors at Blyth & Blyth. Mike has been Managing Director of Blyth & Blyth since 2003 and told us, “I am originally from Northern Ireland. I came over to Heriot Watt University, for four years played rugby for the University, and then went to work in Nairn for two years. I returned to Edinburgh and two of my good friends from University were playing at Northern and I went down on Thursday to train and see what the club was like and I’ve been a member ever since. I played my first game for Northern in October 1988, for the 3rds against Forrest away, was promoted the following week to the seconds, and we played Forrester away, the following week I was promoted to the 1st and realised that Northern did play other teams that just Forrester. I played as a lose-head prop and some of my most memorable games were on tour as Northern were one of the first teams to tour countries such as Prague, Hungary etc. I captained the side in the early 90s and was President in 2007 for three years and again for one year in 2013. It is a good social club with teams that will allow people of all levels to play and enjoy their rugby; it is a great club to meet people that go on to be friends for life. Blyth & Blyth have sponsored the Northern sevens for the past fifteen years approximately and I have been organising the tournament for twenty plus years. I’d like to encourage everyone involved to remember the qualities of the club that have made you feel welcome and stay, and make sure we continue to keep these qualities going for the younger generations.” Martin tells us, “I am originally from Perth but moved to Edinburgh for work in the late 1980’s. When I first moved to Edinburgh, I played at Edinburgh Wanderers, and then for a while drove back to Perth to play at Perthshire for a number of years, where I had started playing at around thirteen years old. I unfortunately suffered a bad injury to my right ankle and didn’t play for some eighteen months, and when looking to return, it was suggested that I go and try Edinburgh Northern. I had never heard of them! The rest they say is history. I started playing in 1996/7, finishing in 2001. I don’t play anymore but remain heavily involved with rugby, as Team Manager and Coach for the Stirling County RFC U15 squad, where my son plays. I predominantly look after the forwards, where my son plays in the back row. I previously was youth convenor at Kinross RFC for five years. I played at Hooker and occasionally could be found in the centres, not contributing much! Believe it or not, my first match, which was away to Ardrossan Accies was my most memorable. It was my first bus trip, and the vice captain at the time (who also is a Director at Blyth & Blyth), unfortunately broke his leg. We narrowly lost the match, but three weeks later, I was asked to be vice captain. It was some bus trip too. I was club captain for the 1999/2000 season, where I led the team to the Edinburgh regional championship as winners. The club is such a welcoming place. Most of my close friends now are from my time at the club, I met my wife through a distant connection with the club also. Whilst the social side was such a laugh, we actually had a really good team and played some great rugby. I have not really been able to be down at the club recently, but I do enjoy visiting (usually at the sevens) to look at the captains board and the pictures including me and my friends on the wall. pull together well as a group, and visitors/newcomers tell me how much they’ve enjoyed it, it gives me a real sense of pride. “I would say the atmosphere here is great! We have a strong player base for a club of our standing (two regular men’s teams and one over 35s side), enthusiastic members and the emphasis is on inclusion and enjoyment. “It has been a good year for us so far overall. Our 1st team just missed out on promotion and were only a try off making finals day at Murrayfield, and our 2nd team continued to punch above their weight in a competitive reserve league. We ran a very successful 7s tournament (now in its 65th consecutive year), and several brilliant socials including our club dinner and our burns night. The club also have our customary end of season tour shortly - this year we’re heading to Budapest. “From a playing stand point we’d really like to build on the promise this year and aim for league promotion. But it’s also going to be a year of planning, as we are 100 years old in 98 Issue 86 MULTI DISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY EDINBURGH, GLASGOW, ELGIN www.blythandblyth.co.uk PROUD TO HAVE BEEN MAIN SPONSORS OF THE ENRFC SEVENS TOURNAMENT SINCE 2003 WISHING THE CLUB CONTINUED SUCCESS Engineering design that exceeds expectations Had I not joined ENRFC, I would not now be working at Blyth & Blyth, who have such a long relationship with the club. Mike Horner and I played front row together for many years, usually debating each others skills during the game, became great friends and now work together. The company is proud of its sponsorship of the club and in particularly the sevens tournament.” 2020. We plan on turning the amp up to 11 to celebrate that, of course! “We aim to give a positive experience to members and by association the community around us. We are linked in with local groups in Inverleith Park (where we play), and we host some at our clubhouse for events from time to time. But we do want to do more, whether its supporting community led activities in the Stockbridge area, or using rugby to improve lives by working with teams like “The Clan”. “Our biggest challenges are encouraging and retaining players, and keeping ourselves financially sound. We know that young people have more variety of choice than ever, and seemingly less time, and we want to make sure that our club, and the game as a whole, stays relevant to them. It is our ambition to be a little further up the leagues, playing attractive rugby, and above all enjoying it. We’d like to still be going strong at 150 years!”