Awards Night

The always dignified Awards/Christmas dinner took place on Saturday December 12 2009 at the Depot Pub in Gimsby.







Thanks to Bob Mavro for arranging the function and for the thirty or so who attended. The food and atmosphere was exceptional. We had some celebrities attend. Our only actual social member Eddie Viera and former Grimsby players Ian and Ross Matheson were there along with Melissa? a friend of Martin W. who he met that afternoon at a funeral. Nick Lemieux attended having just come back from Australia the day before. It was good to see Kevin Erb in attendance, he will be getting surgery on his knee in February and will unfortunately miss next season. And Prince, the player formerly known as Scully, was a hit showing his mutilated appendage to anyone who would look.

This year's player's awards which are voted on by the players themselves went to:

Rookie of the Year: Alex Stevenson
Most Improved Player: Jeremy Young
Comeback Player of the Year: Dean Gibson
Player of the Year: Jon Jeske
Clubman of the year: Bob Mavro

A new annual award was introduced this year and is called the Deer's Rear award and is intended to go to the individual who did something so outstanding that he represents the arse end of our stuffed deer head at the clubhouse.

The story behind this year's award goes back to our away game in Windsor in July. We are down 14 to nothing and with about 5 minutes played in the second half, Windsor punts which is retrieved by our side and we start the counter by giving to our center who makes a pass that is intercepted by their center who runs the ball in to score a try just outside the posts. This is bad enough, but our fullback chases gives the scorer a bit of a shove, which brings in their team to shove our fullback and this brings in our winger to help the fullback. The result is a converted try and two yellow cards. In the next couple of minutes of play, Windsor punts but our flanker late hits the kicker and gets a penalty which turns in to a yellow through arguing. Windsor scores quickly between the posts. The net result of this series of plays is two converted tries and three yellow cards (a new club record). So this year's Deer's Rear Award goes to the player who made the original pass that was intercepted, Mike Stuart.

This year the fun? awards were again given out by Bob Mavro and Kyle Wilson.

The Frank Shilte indispensable award was again won by er. Frank Shilte


Jon Jeske, Martin Wolfe, Kyle Wilson, Bob Mavro

This was the first year for the President, Bill S., who also took on the duties of Head Coach and so he announced a top ten list of things he learned this year. He noted that if you do not understand some of the topics on the list, then you are not around the club enough.

10 A kilometer of fence is a long distance.

9. Always listen to your elders, especially your parents who have a lot of life experience and probably know something about life. Your father knows a bit about rugby and so do not just tune him out when he is trying to get you to do something.

8. Always wear sunscreen, especially if you father has explained to you several times that you cannot put sunblock on once in a day and run around in the sun at a beach without a shirt. No wonder you get burned and can't play rugby.

7. Windsor is a long drive.

6. However in Windsor, you can earn enough money from older ladies to buy another jug by taking off your shirt and pants and dancing wildly in public.

5. Don't send an electrician and an accountant to put up a ceiling.

4. Don't let anyone stuff your ass with toilet paper and light it on fire, no matter how nice he seems.

3. Don't treat players like they are in high school, even though you are a former teacher and they act like they are.

2. It is never too late in a game to get a card nor too late in a career to get a drop goal.(as an aside Frank S. got a yellow at the 79th minute but was beaten by a former Grimsby member playing for St Catharines who got a yellow right after the final whistle and immediately retired from playing rugby)

1. Any "voyeur" joke is always funny (not).

At the end of the evening, as is our tradition, we went to the Legion to cheer up the veterans. In an unfortunate incident, Bob M. was escorted from the establishment and has already set the bar high for next year's awards.

The executive wishes everyone a good holiday and expect to see you for touch on January 1 for touch rugby.

Most Improved Player : Jeremy Young



Clubman of the Year: Bob Mavro



Player of the Year: Jon Jeske



Comeback Player of the Year: Dean Gibson



Deer's Rear Award: Mike Stuart



Nick Lemeux back from down under the day before and trying to keep warm with Australian ear muffs.

AGM 2009

We had just enough for a quorum for the 2009 AGM held on November 2 at the clubhouse.
Reports were given about the year and the following members elected as executive members

President: Bill Stuart
Secretary: Jon Jeske
Treasurer: Jeremy Young
Social Secretary: Bob Mavro
Club Manager: Kyle Wilson
Clubhouse Manager: Jon Millington
Fixture Secretary: Martin Wolfe
Junior co-ordinator: Martin Van Der Herk

Thanks to all who attended and ran for office.

At St Catharines August 29

Grimsby Gentlemen 7: St Catharines Tigers 20

Referee: Tony Kearsley

Conditions: Surprisingly nice considering it was supposed to be very rainy. Temperature about 20 degrees.

Attendance: Bubbles, Wolf, Kevin, Mark, Elizabeth, Jamie, two big black dogs

Presidents Report

It could have been better if we had come in and blown them away and won our last league game but St Catharines had a deserving win. Our problem was again a short bench and a few niggling injuries. We had several blocked kicks which led to complications and scores for the Tigers. At about 13 min a blocked kick resulted in a try and a lost lineout at 25 min caused them to drive over for a try. Derrick made a good play on a poor pass by the opposition and as little kick on resulted in a Grimsby try at 30 min and Dylan made a difficult conversion. The half ended with yellows being given to goth teams.

Half time score: Grimsby 7; St Catharines 10

In the second half the Tigers got their short lineout working well and we started taking a lot of penalties. A high tackle on the five resulted in a try for St Catharines at 53 min and a another blocked kick and pick up let to the fourth try at 68 min. Their coach (who was playing) got a yellow card on the last play.

Final: Grimsby 7; St Catharines 20

Team: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Kevin Murphy, Joel Leonard, Kyle Wilson, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber (C), Alex Millar, Mike Stuart, Andy Breuls, Scott Walker, Alex Stevenson.

Subs used: Bob Mavro for Andy Breuls at 50 min.

The beer up was a an interesting place (a boat in the Port Dalhousie harbour) but the food was not good and it took a long time (one of the poorer beer ups).

Coach's report Once again we were struggling for numbers but put up a spirited effort against the Tigers. We did well defensively but had little real offence for a long period except for a period early in the second period when we recycled the ball about ten times. Vic did very well on the lineouts and we were a bit stronger in the scrum. It has actually been a long season since last March but I hope we will get a few more games in the fall.

Coaches Man of the Match: Derrick Weber

Their pick: Vic Blaney



final record: Won two (Kent and Stratford at home), lost twelve.

Family Day Aug 15 2009

We are amazed by the job that Laura and Martin did with a very diverse group (size and age) in introducing flag rugby to Grimsby this past season.
They had about 15 players in two groups and gave them what seemed to be the appropriate amount of instruction and playing time to keep them coming back. On August 15th we brought the group to the clubhouse for a morining session and hotdogs, icecream and showers. Also some players children who were not part of the flag group came and leared some rugby.

This was with the Niagara Flag Rugby group and next year Laura and Martin hope to double the size and hold practices and a tournament at the clubhouse. Thanks for all your work.


Martin commanding attention



Military precision



Laura and the smaller (but more active) kids



typical Grimsby score



It was a hot day



Parents wishing they could jump in the sprinklers



Andy, get behind the ball

Cambridge at home

Grimsby Gentlemen 7: Cambridge Pirates 14

Referee: Ranbir Dhillon

Conditions: sunny, soft ground, hard rain just before

Attendance: less than 500

President's Report: Missed most of the game and caught the last twenty minutes when the game was tied 7 to 7. It seems we had a very good first half but could only score one try by Derrick W. and conversion by Dylan K. We could not finish and kicked the ball away a lot. With ten minutes, we were pressing and Jon M. had the ball over but was held up. At the end we lost composure, got unnecessary penalties and did not complete simple passes. Cambridge scored with 5 minutes to go. It was the second week in a row we lost in the last few minutes against a team much higher in the table than us. Once again, we just have enough players. Thanks to Bubbles for helping out by running touch and bringing water and cooking the hamburgers.

Team: Jeremy Young, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Alex Millar, Dean Gibson, Kyle Wilson, Bob Mavro, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Jamie Scully, Derrick Weber, Andy Breuls, Joel Leonard, Scott Walker, Frank Shilte

Their Man of the match pick: Derrick Weber

One game left.

Highland at home

Grimsby Gentlemen 13: Highland 14

Referee: Eric Ciezar

Weather: Clear sunny day, a bit warm (28 degrees but felt like 38 degrees)

Attendance: Jamie, Kalie, Bubbles and family returned from down under, Jim Levens visited a few of his former players. About 500 in total for a hot day.

Presidents Report: Highland came down with about 20 players to play a second game in Hamilton at noon and a first game in Grimsby at 3. It was a hot, energy sucking day and the players felt it. The chance was there to defeat the best team in the league but we came up short again at the last minute. After about 25 minutes Highland scored first and converted. At 32 minutes some good offloading and rucking kept the ball alive and gave Bob M. a run down the side line to score but the kick after hit the upright.

Half time score: Grimsby 5: Highland 7

At about 46 minutes Derrick W. hit a long 40 m penalty and then with 10 minutes left, Mike S scored to put Grimsby up 6 as the convert was missed. Unfortunately, with 5 minutes left we couldn't get out of our end and Highland scored and converted.

Final Score Grimsby 13: Highland 14

As president, I would like to get a team picture, but no one shows up in time to take it at the beginning and I forget at the end.

Team: Mark Hall, Andy Breuls, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Bob Mavro, Kyle Wilson, Joel Leonard, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber, Jamie Scully, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Alex Millar, Frank Shille

Sub: Ross McBride came on for Alex M at about 15 min and moved to flanker with
Bob M on the wing.

The sprinklers were a great hit.

Coaches Comments:

An energy sapping day but most of Highland had already played a game and we need to be in good enough shape to play in the heat. Scrums looked better and we did well in the lineouts. We played as well, but they took the ball on the burst and gave us problems in the backs with our tackling.

From under the Willow:

Good game, both teams played well but Highland had better field position most of the game and could not finish.

Could have won but not should have won.

Good game against the best team in the league.

Waterloo (a close second in the Jones division) plays their seconds (Cambridge) in the NRU A and their thirds in the Jones because they consider this division more difficult. We play Cambridge next week at home.

Coaches Man of the Match: Vic Blaney

Their pick as Man of the Match: Vic Blaney (who had left) then Mike Stuart who cannot drink as proven last week.

We picked their fullback.

Highland Away

Grimsby Gentlemen 12: Highland 54

Referee: Jeff Dahl

Weather: Soft day with light drizzle towards the second half. About 22 degrees

Attendance: 13 players, 1 coach, 1 rabid supporter (Jamie) and a bunch from the other team.

Presidents Report: Highland agreed to give us two players but only after they were sure of beating us. Even with thirteen, it took them thirty minutes to get four tries and the bonus point. We helped them score in the first five minutes with a hands in penalty on the 20 m line, they took a quick tap and we could have been called not 10, but in the ensuing ruck we did not roll away and they again took a quick tap and scored and we got a talking penalty. Oh My God! We got better but Highland scored again at 10 minutes with a ruck at 10 m from our line and our flat line was ball watching and not covering the players. Their winger eventually scored on the other side, a problem with being short-handed. They scored again at 20 min and at 30 min. At this point, they offered us a player to give us fourteen but our Australian friend hurt his leg covering a kick deep in our end and they scored off that play at 36 min. Back to 2 players down, but we pressured them after the kick off and Alex Millar (playing as lock) put the ball down at 39 min.

Half time score; Grimsby Gentlemen 5: Highland 35

Highland gave us a couple more players and Colin (and if you try to make me do a Zulu you will get a taser and a night stick stuck up your ass as far as it will go and you will get a parking ticket every day of your life, but don't worry you may not live long) Maisonneuve scored at 47 min with Dylan converting. However, Highland did not seem worried and scored again at 52 min, 54 min and at 39 min.

Full time score: Grimsby Gentlemen 12: Highland 54

We went back to the Goofy Newfie (they are still working on their clubhouse) and they were generous with food and beer. Thanks Highland.

Team: Colin Maisonneuve, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Dean Gibson, Alex Millar,Matt the Australian footie player, Bob Mavro, no one, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber, Scott Walker, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, blank, Frank Shilte.

Coaches Report

It is difficult to criticize when we do not have good practices or enough players but we did well in the scrums considering we were down players and all right in the lineouts with different players in different positions. We still need to improve fitness which everone can do on their own and be more mentally prepared for the game itself. Individually, a number of prople did well. Colin played in his first complete game at loose head and was competitive. Dylan did very well on the penalty punts. Derrick was all over and we welcomed Frank back after a long time. Congratulations to the team for playing hard right to the end.

From under the Willow

It was certainly better than not playing.

We need more fitness and more players willing to travel.

We need to train more in beer chugging.

Coaches Man of the Match Colin Maisonneuve (good job at loose head, around the field, scored)

Their Pick: Mike Stuart for his couple of long runs and his drinking ability (they claim have already picked him for next week)

We picked their lock (the one who outran Webs for a try)

Highland next week at home. Kids day at 10:00 to noon.

Stratford Away

Grimsby Gentlemen 20: Stratford Black Swans 33

Referee: Mark Glendenn

Weather: A heavy rain storm as we drove up but the sun shone throughout the game although there was a black cloud over us. The field was in great shape.

Attendance: A large number of home town fans as there was a special memorial service after and several of the Stratford teams played.

Presidents Report: Oh-oh. Plan A was to beat Stratford convincingly but in a friendly manner as the Black Swans had not yet won a game and had been getting beat by very high scores. We put 53 points on them at home and we were planning to put as many on again to bring our points for and against to zero. We were also celebrating the second time we travelled with a team of 16 players. However, the sun did not shine on us and within five minutes we lost Mike A. to a lower body injury, then at 30 minutes Jamie S. had to leave with a rib injury, and at 35 minutes Scott W. also had to leave with a bad sprain. We played the whole second half with 13 players and it showed.

The Stratford team kicked off and kept Grimsby in their end for most of the first 15 min but Grimsby (Kyle W) managed to score first at about the 16 min mark and Dylan K. converted. However the Black Swans kept running confidently in the backs and made a break to score under the posts to tie the game at 25 minutes. They scored shortly after with a long run with support to go ahead by a converted try. Dylan kicked a penalty late in the first half.

Half time score Grimsby 10: Stratford 14

One minute into the second half Grimsby came closer with a penalty by Dylan. However the problems with thirteen men against fifteen resulted in a converted Stratford try at 50 min and an unconverted try at 65 minutes. With about 5 minutes to go, Grimsby got close with a great attacking kick into the endzone by Craig E. and Derrick W. fought off the defender to ground the ball and Dylan converted. We now were within six points, perhaps win the game, or at least get a bonus point, and win the singing competition (Plan B). However, Stratford was not finished and scored once more in the 79th minute and converted.

Final Grimsby 20: Stratford 33

This was Stratford's first win and they well deserved it. They they gave us a great beer up at a local pub and we lead in the singing.

After the game, Stratford had a tree planting ceremony for one of their former players who passed away a year ago. Darryl Van Den Tempel, who was only 21 years old and a strong member of the club, was killed in an ATV accident.

Team: Nathan Rowbottom (a nice surprise), Mark Hall, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Dean Gibson, Mike Antonelli, Kyle Wilson, Joel Leonard, Dylan Kinch, Derrick Weber (C), Scott Walker, Mike Stuart, Bob Mavro, Jamie Scully, Alex Stevenson,

Craig Evans came on at 5 min for Mike Antonelli and went to #10

The team picture did not work out, I was too rushed.

Coaches Report: Well we probably thought we could beat these guys with thirteen as we did so well against Kent with only thirteen. However, Stratford challenged us by running hard through gaps and making breaks with support. We did not seem to be able to find an and had difficulty getting through their defensive line. Mark H. did well at hooker for a last minute switch and so did Dylan K. who took over the scrum half spot and can still send a good pass. Our tackling was suspect, we often lost the ball in contact often, and tended to ball watch in defence. With only thirteen players we had trouble covering their kicks. We drastically reduced the number of penalties we took to about 3, compared to the last game although we seem to chirp at the ref a lot which takes us off focus.

Man of the Match: Derrick Weber for his fine play at fullback in the second half making a couple of try saving tackles and scoring near the end to bring us close. Also I liked the work of Dean Gibson who put in a workman like day all around the field. Honourable mention to all those who had to play out of position.

Their Man of the Match: Alex Stevenson (if he wins more of these he may become a drinker)

Our Man of the Match: their thirteen

From Under the Willow:

Plan C: We need to at least beat one other team (and pick up some bonus points) as I can see Stratford beating Kent and being tied with us in wins. The first tie breaker is the number of defaults and we have one. Next game is at Highland August 8 after a week off.

Windsor Away

Grimsby Gentlemen 3: Windsor Rogues 24

Referee: David Jameson (from the U.S.)

Weather: overcast at start with a little rain then hot then a little rain at the end (23 degrees)

Attendance: We had two supporters

Presidents Report:

The one game we had been dreading since the start of the season due to distance and numbers, actually did well and had fifteen players (+1)for an away game for the first time this year and we had two drop out the night before. Milli arranged for two vans and one van stayed the night. It was a four hour trip one way, but as Windsor keeps reminding us they do a lot of driving for their away games. We did better in the set pieces and got it out to the backs more and pressured them the first part of the game but we let the game turn into a rowdy undisciplined mess in the second half.

Team: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Scott Walker, Dean Gibson, Mike Antonelli, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Craig Evans, Jamie Scully, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Bob Mavro, Derrick Weber (C)

Subs: Kyle Wilson came on at half for Dean Gibson

Coaches Report: I thought we had the horses to actually win this one, reuniting our centers and having a full team. We did well for the first half of the first half until we missed a clearing kick (out on the full), we poached the ball from the ensuing ruck at our five but the clearing kick was blocked resulting in a 5 m scrum and the first score at 16 min. At 31 min, we did not cover a high kick well allowing them to run the ball back and score again.

Half time Grimsby 0: Windsor 14

In the second half, most of the play was in the centre until Windsor intercepted a pass and scored again at 18 min. This led to a bit of unnecessary temper which resulted in two yellows to us and one to them. On the restart, we managed to get another sin bin putting us down two players. They quickly scored from a scrum and ruck to put Windsor up 24 points. We did not get whitewashed as Dylan kicked a penalty late in the game.

Final score Grimsby 3: Windsor 24

The scrum did well compared to the week before as we pushed them around a bit. We still had a dozen penalties with three yellows. We have to be more disciplined and better coached if we expect to win games. We need to be quicker in the forwards and backs need to run straight and with a purpose. We need to make sure or our kicking game.

From under the Willow:

We need to have a killer instinct when we are in their end.

We look slow and do not appear confident we can win these games.

Windsor is still a place where a male can take off his pants and dance and make money.

Man of the match: Vic Blaney

Man of the match picked by Windsor: Vic Blaney who lost decisively to a 47 year old in the drink off. (Elizabeth, I am not responsible if Vic did not make it home) You will have to come to practice to hear about what happened to those who stayed the night in Windsor because I do not print lies.

Windsor at home

Grimsby Gentlemen 5: Windsor Rogues 10

Referee: Heather Jones from Erie

Weather: Muggy with a temperature of 25 degrees and a fairly strong wind blowing northish.

Attendance: A good crowd bolstered by our injured players

Presidents Report: Not a good start to the second half of the season as this was a winnable game in a season without a lot of wins so far. We started slow and Windsor used the wind to kick which we did not handle well. They scored twice early in the first half to complete their scoring. Grimsby scored on a quick penalty tap by Dylan K. and a good offload to Jon Jeske to score with about two minutes to go in the game to avoid being blanked.

Team: Nathan Rowbottom, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Kevin Murphy,
Dean Gibson, Kyle Wilson, Joel Leonard, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber (C), Bob Mavro on the wing, Alex Millar, Alex Stevenson, Jamie Scully.

Reserves used: Andy Breuls for Alex Millar at about 30 min, Joel Leonard out and Craig Evans in at about 40 min (Craig to #10, Derrick Weber to #13, Alex Stevenson to #15, Kyle Wilson to #8, Bob Mavro to #6)

Coaches Report: The referee had a lot of whistles which led to a lot of scrums which did not bode well for us. We had difficulty taking them on in the set pieces. We did not do well on the ups especially at the start when they were close to our line. We need to look ahead (not ball watch), nominate our man and then take that man. In the second half, they had a number of scrums on our five but with good desperate scrummaging we were able to keep them out of the end zone.

From under the willow: We had trouble with the scrums and even when won and not pushed back still had difficulty getting a good ball out.

Slow start. Need to be ready to play.

Not enough penetration with the ball, getting over the gain line.

Coaches Man of the match: Jon Jeske the hard working half back

Other teams pick of man of the match: Jon Jeske

We chose their hooker.

Next week away against the same team in Windsor.

Mid Season Review

At the start of the season (April) it was possible we may not have a team this year as we did not seem to have enough players committed. Also several players indicated that as we moved up a division to Niagara A and would have to travel more, they were not interested in playing or would only play home games. Therefore it is a struggle getting fifteen each week and we are now recognized as one of those teams that do not travel well. We did get 25 players registered with a number of new players and one would think that we should have enough dedication to get at least fifteen each week, home or away. We welcomed seven new players: Jon Jeske, Colin Maisonneuve, Jemie Scully, Chris Sears, Alex Stevenson, Jeremy Young with Nathan Rowbottom from Waterloo playing 5 of the 7 games. We also welcomed back most of Dean Gibson (but not all).

However, we also have had significant injuries, Stuart English played only 5 min of the first game, Kyle Wilson has only played in two games and Scott Walker (all the way from London) has only played in one game due to injury and distance. Craig Evans, Chris Sears, Colin Maisonneuve, Ely Raddick have missed many games through work. A number of others have been injured, sick or working. This has meant that we have been short for every away game and have had few substitutions in home games. And because there are fewer people available, we have less at practice to go over our skills and game plans and we are less efficient on the field.

We have a 2 and 5 record (one being a default: we played but borrowed two players), but it could have been 3 and 4 with the close last minute loss in Kent. On the good side, we have won 2 games and have been competitive (made a game of it in our losses)in every game. We have scored 109 points (thanks Stratford) for an average of 15.6 points per game and have had 133 scored upon us for an average of 22.2 per game. Congratulations to Derrick Weber in his first season as captain and in a new position at #10. He has done well during difficult times. With a few more players (a couple of Americans we hope) and some recovering from injury we should be able to show the teams that we belong in this league.

Scoring after 7 games

Dylan: 4 P, 4 C (20 pts)
Alex S: 4 T (20 pts)
Mike S: 4 T (20 pts)
Derrick W: 1 T, 5 C (15 pts)
Joel L: 2 T (10 pts)
Kyle W: 1 T (5 pts)
Jon J: 1 T (5 pts)
Jon M: 1 T (5 pts)
Frank S: 1 T (5 pts)

I know this adds up to 105 but I am not sure why.

Skills competition results

Closest to the bag(kick 25 m): Andy Breuls
scrumhalf pass: Jon Jeske
Drop Kick (20 m): Dylan Kinch
Longest Kick: Andy Breuls (50 m)
Placekicks: Andy Breuls (6/8)
Fastest 250m: Jon Jeske and Alex Stevenson (38s)

Man of the match competition:(coaches and opposition picks)

Three votes: Alex Stevenson
Two votes: Jon Jeske, Vic Blaney, Mike Stuart
One vote: Kyle Wilson, Sean Padulo, Joel Leonard, Derrick Weber

Bob Mavro has attended the most practices since April 2 (20/23). Only Bob, Mark Hall, and Jeremy Young have played in every league game and Bob also went to Rochester.

My statistics may be wrong, please sign in and correct me.

Stratford at home

Grimsby Gentlemen 53: Stratford Black Swans 10

Referee: Jeff Dahl

Weather: Nice day for rugby. Warm (23 degrees) and slight wind. Field soft with lots of rain.

Attendance: 500 (a little under the season average due to summer holidays)

Presidents Report: Actually had 15 players at kickoff for a change (it was at home) thanks to the unexpected arrival of Nathan R of Waterloo. And we had a sixteenth with the arrival of Eli R. You could feel the excitement in the air with a full team playing a club even lower in the standings than us. Or maybe it was the expectation of Bob's Mom's homemade tsatziki sauce to go with the souvlaki that was served apres game. Thanks to Martin Wolff for being cook and emergency coach. Stratford played hard with several very young players and actually scored their points in the second half.

Team: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Nathan Rowbottom, Bob
Mavro, Kyle Wilson, Joel Leonard, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber (C), Alex Millar, Mike Stuart, Andy Breuls, Jamie Scully, Frank Schilte and replacement Eli Raddick at 60 minutes for Jamie.

Replacement Coaches: Martin Wolff and Adam Wilson

Coaches Report: The coach missed the second half, so I am going on the report of my able replacements Martin Wolff and Adam Wilson. I did feel like an active coach again as we had one substitute and I got to replace him (at least my assistants did)We were able to do a number of things better this game albeit with a weak opposition. The scrums were good, we did not get wheeled. We did a little better in the lineouts and scored off a drive. The backs got lots of ball with time. The forwards scored half the tries. The slow ball was better although it was very slow setting up.

Half time score Grimsby 27: Stratford 0

We scored fairly quickly after half but went off the boil for a while and got counter rucked, so ball was not coming out cleanly. Full credit to the young Stratford side for hanging in over a tough season. It got a little rough near the end and we had our first card of the season at the 79 min mark.

Well done by Joel L., playing at eight for the first time this year and Nathan R. at lock. We welcomed Kyle W. back after missing 5 games through injury and welcome to Jamie Scully who played very well in his first game at wing.

Full time score Grimsby 53: Stratford 10

Scoring: Joel Leonard 2T, Mike Stuart 2T, Kyle Wilson 1T, Jon Jeske on fire (first try for Grimsby), Jon Millington 1T, Frank Shilte 1T, Dylan Kinch 1 P, 4 C.


Coaches man of the match Jon Jeske

Kent Away

Grimsby Gentlemen 17: Kent Havoc 21

Referee: Steve Thomas

Weather: Warm day about 27 degrees a little humid. Their practice field was good, if a little bumpy.

Attendance: 3 Grimsby supporters. Mr and Mrs Erb and Jeremy's uncle.

President's report: Again we were short players although the night before we had fifteen. A couple of emergencies left us with thirteen players. I guess they should declare Pride Weekend a holiday and not have games. We did play the whole game with thirteen (12 + 1) until Kevin E. got hurt and we added a Windsor player late in the second half. Basically we felt we were lucky at 20 min to not be scored upon and Alex S intercepted a pass and ran to the endzone. Derrick W converted.
Essentially a good defensive half, we poached a number of ball and did not get ourselves into trouble or got out of it. We pushed them on their scrum, but they wheeled ours.

Half time score: Grimsby 7: Kent 0

Kent came out in the second half, and returned a poor kick to score and convert. However we came back and Dylan K notched a penalty and with about 20 min to go, Alex S made a slashing run through their backs, avoided the fullback and scored again. Dylan K converted to put Grimsby 10 up. However, the boys were getting tired and when Kevin went off less confident. With 10 min to go, their centre again ran through our line and scored and with three min to go, after sustained action, Kent managed to score to go ahead for the first time in the game. The kick was good and with three min of hard work to go, the game was history. Thanks to all those who went, we were well hosted at Boston Pizza.

Players: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Nathan Rowbottom, Jeremy Young, Bob Mavro, Joel
Leonard, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber (C), Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Devon Kinch, Kevin Erb

Coaches Report:
It is too bad we let what would have been a magnificent win get away, but we certainly do not want to criticize the effort of everyone who played. We got tired on a hot day covering for a two man overlap after a two and a half hour car ride. Thanks to all those players who could make it.

Man of the Match: The thirteen of you

Their man of the Match: Alex Stevenson- Alex scored 4 of the 5 tries that we scored against Kent in two games.

Our man of the Match: Their 13 who scored all three tries.

Cambridge Away

Grimsby Gentlemen 12: Cambridge Pirates 38

Referee: Scott Flemming

Weather: Rained in the morning and all the way up, but stopped when we got there and turned warm and muggy. The field was in great shape.

Attendance: Small but vocal, our supporters bus must have got lost.

Presidents Report: Once again for the second away game we end up short players. Thank you to all of those who did make the effort. We showed up with 14 and Cambridge loaned us a flanker to put on the wing (he kind of tried). We did not seem to be able to get into the game and were immediately put on the back foot by good attacking moves in the backs by Cambridge. It was often like a touch game as we did not tackle well and let the opponents run through us. Cambridge scored after about 3 min and then again 5 min later after a quick penalty. They scored three more times in the half and converted 4 of them.

First half game score: Grimsby Gentlemen 0; Cambridge 33

However, a different team showed up in the second half and we began to shut them down and they could not run as much against us. There was no score for the first 35 min of the half and then Mike S. picked up a loose ball on their 5 m line and scored. This caused Cambridge to come alive and in a couple of minutes scored again. However, Grimsby was not done and Mike scored his second of the game after the forwards (Jon Millington) did a great job attacking with the ball. Derrick W. converted.

Second half game score: Grimsby 12; Cambridge 5

Unfortunately. we have to add the half scores together.

Coaches Report: I was strange that the two halves were so different as there was no change in conditions and their captain said that any changes they made at half were not for better players. We again had difficulty with the set pieces, we had difficulty at the base of the scrum and stopping the wheel. The lineouts were also as dismal. We improved in that we took fewer penalties (only one - led to a try); thanks Scott. Especially in the first half we did not tackle well in the open and did not communicate with each other. Poor ups. We did have a number of people playing out of position and a player on the other team on our side but our tackling was poor and coverage slow. We need to get to the games and take the warm up seriously and we may be able to surprise a few of these teams.

Players: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Kevin Murphy, Scott Walker, Dean Gibson, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber (C), Bob Mavro, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Kevin Erb, An Other.

Subs: Nathan Rowbottom came on for the last 10 min for Kevin M.

Man of the match : Mike Stuart for his two tries but honourable mention to Jon Jeske for his hard work along with Vic Blaney.

Other teams choice: Vic Blaney
Our choice: their 10, along with their 9

Next week we need to get everyone to Kent and make a game of it. Kent has not seen how well we can play.

Season Scorers:

Derrick Weber: 1 T, 4 C 13 points
Alex Stevenson: 2 T 10 points
Mike Stuart: 2 T 10 points
Dylan Kinch: 2 P 6 points

Kent at Grimsby

Kent At Grimsby June 13/09

Grimsby Gentlemen 21: Kent Havoc 0

Referee: Brian Chappell

Weather: Started overcast but got sunny and warm to 23 degrees, little wind

Attendance: For a nice day a little low at 600.

President's report: A good day for rugby, since we won our first game in four attempts, and we even had enough players at warm up time. Kent were big boys but had difficulty in putting very much together and we answered whatever they had with a solid defence. We had difficulty at lineouts but were awesome in the scrums. We were often undisciplined and several times gave unnecessary penalties to make up for the good work. Alex S scored is first try for Grimsby after chasing down a kick the ball bounced into his hands and he put it down under the posts. The conversion by Derrick W. was good.

Half time score Grimsby 7 Kent 0

I am sure Kent felt they should not be behind in the game but they really had difficulty getting through our defence and did not threaten to score in the second half. Eventually (about 15 min to go) Alex scored his second try with a nice aggressive run through the middle to the try line. Derrick W. completed his second conversion. And with about 10 min to go Derrick scored his try and converted.

Well done everyone.

Players: Nathan Rowbottom, Mark Hall, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Dean Gibson, Bob Mavro, Joel Leonard, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber(C), Kevin Erb, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Alex Millar, Frank Shilte.

Subs played: Andy Breuls for Mark Hall at half, Scott Walker for Jeremy Young at 50 min, Colin Maisonneuve for Dean Gibson at 60 min, Eli Raddick at 70 min.

Coaches Report:We did what we had to do for our first win of the season, namely shut down their fatties and tire them out. I was wrong in that their forwards were not as good as expected and the backs better. Alex's first try was because he chased down a kick (by himself) and got the bounce. His second try in the second half was straight ahead, determined running. Well done Alex. A good run by Derrick, put icing on the cake. Generally, we tackled high and tried to grab instead of driving with the shoulder. Next week we need to be better on the ups, less hiding in the rucks, and we need to support our runners more. The only good thing abour the lineouts is they saw us at our worst. We will be better next time. Next game in Cambridge.

My Man of the Match Alex Stevenson for his tries and hard tackling
Their pick: Alex Stevenson (first time they are the same)
Our pick: Their fullback

From Under the Willow:

Great job by the front five in scrums. Thanks Nathan for the last three games.

Wilmot Away

At Wilmot on Saturday June 6

Grimsby Gentlemen 0: Wilmot Warthogs 28 (default score)

Referee Adam Wilhelm

Conditions: a great day for rugby (not so good for Grimsby)

President's Report:

Our first away game this season, saw us travel with only thirteen players. Injuries, work, other led to a undersized squad. We borrowed a couple of players and had an exhibition game which turned out to be entertaining for most of the game. The score at the half was only 12 to 8 for the opposition with Mike ? borrowed from the other team scoring our first try of the season and his for Grimsby (this lead to a Zulu). Wilmot put in some stronger players and scored 4 tries in the second half.

Players: Nathan Rowbottom, Mark Hall, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Kevin Murphy, Joel Leonard, Bob Mavro, Vic Blaney, Jon Jeske, Derrick Weber(C), Chris Sears, Kevin Erb and Alex Millar

Coaches Report

Not much to say, it is very difficult for us to do well with only thirteen players.
Mark Hall was conscripted into Hooker and we may never get him out of there. We did have some difficulty on our own ball, but managed to push their pack around a few times. The back row did a yeoman's job of stopping their short game. Great games were again played by Jon J. at 9 and Vic B. at 8.

Coaches man of the match: Joel Leonard
Our pick for man of the match: their and our winger (Mike)
Their pick: Vic Blaney

Next game at home to Kent on June 13.

Beamsville at OFSAA

The Beamsville Girl's team was probably underrated at A/AA OFSAA in Belleville this past week. Their first game on Monday was against the number three seed Park Street of the Georgian Bay District. The game was tied 5-5 after full time and it went to several penalty kicks before Park Street went ahead. On Tuesday, with Beamsville on the consolation side of the draw, they defeated St Paul of Ottawa 22 to 0 in the morning. In the afternoon, it was again a nail biter as Beamsville tied the game late and missed the kick as the ball blew over. In overtime kicks it went to the fifth kicker before Beamsville came out the winner. In the consolation championship on Wednesday, the team came out flat and lost 12-0 to Burlington Central. Congratulations to all the girls and their coaches and with all the players back next season, they look to be strong again.

Paul Rohner

On May 31, 2009(actually last year) we inducted Paul Rohner as a life member in the Grimsby Gentlemen Rugby Football Club as an exceptional player, executive member and builder of the club. Paul was to be inducted at last years end of year dinner, but he had just had a knee operation and could not be there. This is essentially the text of the speech inducting Paul by Bill Stuart, President of the Club. Most of the speech was read from information given by Chris Atkinson also a life member of the club. Thanks to many of the St Catharines's team who stayed for the ceremony.

If you think we are slow on the field, we are even slower recognizing people in our organization who have given greatly to the organization. We chose St Cathatines to honour Paul because he loved to play against them. Paul played with the club since the mid eighties and Chris remembers him being smaller, as many of us were and starting out as a winger. Yes Paul was small, but Chris cannot ever remember his being quiet. As a younger player, Paul played in the backs but found his position in the forwards as an eight man who was exceptional at reading scrums and lineouts both offensively and defensively. He became a great open field runner and tackler.

In the late eighties and early nineties, he was a stalwart player for our team, quite feared in the league both on the field and in the bar. When the Gents took a short hiatus, both he and Chris played for Ancaster and Paul was instrumental in getting the club re-established in the league (probably because he did not want to drive through any more cornfields with Chris). Through his post with the Club as Minister of Gambling, he could get people to bet on anything, like the Grey Cup, 649 numbers or who would go to the bathroom next. He could raise significant money, $5 a square at a time.

Some things to know about Paul:

He is fiercely loyal - he once lost a job to hang out with Chris and a few cases of beer which led to a lost week during which he still claims to have met Mark Twain. He also slept in Chris's truck and when Chris's sister found him, she thought it was a dead body.

He is a great cook. His food is legendary with a mixture of British, German and Italian influences. Chris knows where the first two came from, but not the third. The evidence of this proficiency can be seen on the bellies of a few members around the foom. (Paul won this year's New Year's Chilli contest, without really being invited.)

The straight arm was his friend and if you played in the NRU at that time and didn't get one, then you weren't around the ball.

He is a great conversationalist, just give him a few beers and sit him down with Donny Mac. Chris writes "We could have had the best rugby team on the planet if we could have turned any of those drunken schemes in to actual plays."

He once threw up in Chris's kit bag because he did not want to throw up on the shag carpet in Skid's dad's motor home.

He would buy all kinds of Schnapp sat the duty free on the trips to Batavia to test in the hotel room. He was one of the few who liked the taste.

Paul had a high tolerance for pain and played through a lot without showing it. He had shoulder problems, back problems and was finally done in by a knee problem caused not by rugby but by ball hockey. And speaking of heart, few played as hard or wore the Grimsby rugby jersey with such pride as Rohns. (When I was making the sign for the clubhouse, I had to call Rohns to make sure it matched the tattoo of the Grimsby crest on his leg.)

He was inspirational to his fellow players and universally feared in open play. We were never better than when we played open field, multi-phased running games and he was a great part of that, although Cris remembers getting yelled at a lot from this angry German both off and on the field.

Paul is a good man, a determined and gifted athlete, a great friend and he deserves all the allocades you can give him. From Chris "Sorry I am not there to buy you a beer Rohns, but I lift a glass in your honour often.

As president, I would like to add that Paul has done a great deal in working towards the completion of the clubhouse by getting us materials and simply doing the work. He and Michelle have also run 649 lotteries to generate money for the clubhouse.

Paul it is my great honour to award you with a life membership in the Grimsby Gentlemen Rugby Football Club.

Brooker Cup May 31 09

Grimsby Gentlemen 3: St Catharines Tigers 17

referee: Jeff Dahl
conditions: Cool (14 degrees) but clear with a swirling wind
attendance: 700 (a new record)

Ball sponsored by Wayne Hoskins a visitor from Bedwas, Wales


President's Report

Basically we played well but several injuries caused problems especially with the offence. We were without the services of Kyle W. and Kevin M. We lost Alex M., Mike S., Derrick W and several players played with injuries. Jon J. went to scrum half for Kevin E.(injured arm) at 25 min and played very well for his first time in many years. Sean P. (nice to see him back)came on at full back about the same time and Craig E. came on at #10 at the half. Colin M played the second half for his first ever rugby game and looked at home especially running with the ball. Chris S. played well on the wing for his second game since high school. Also Jeremy Young played his first game very well at lock. An experienced Nathan Robottom (as prop) played his first game for The Gentlemen as inside center and made some devastating tackles.

The social part went well again with Bob organizing and Bubbles cooking. Tori again was a stalwart behind the bar.

Team: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Jeremy Young, Dean Gibson, Bob Mavro, Joel Leonard, Vic Blaney, Kevin Erb, Derrick Weber, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Chris Sears, Jon Jeske, Alex Millar.

Subs used: Sean Padulo (25min), Colin Maisonneuve (40min), Craig Evans(40min),
Nathan Robottom (40min, Eli Raddick (60 min)

injured: Kevin Murphy

Score Line: Dylan Kinch (penalty kick)




Coaches Report:

For the second game we could not generate a strong enough offence to keep the ball in the other team's end for extended periods. The first half was against the wind and we hoped to get out without a score. However, they scored a try from a rolling mall at the lineout from about 10 m after 25 min. During one of the rare occasions in their end in the first half, Dylan scored a penalty kick (he is 2 for 2 on the season and our only scoring points). But the tigers scored at the end of the half off a quick penalty and converted

Half time score: Gentlemen 3: Tigers 12

A little more offence in the second half but not sustained and we were often on the back foot in defence. Tigers score at 55 min. and even though we pressed a little, we cannot get any more points.

Final Score: Gentlemen 3: Tigers 17

Player of the match: John Jeske for starting on the wing and doing a great job as a replacement for scrum half.
St Catharines choice: Sean Padulo
Our choice from the Tigers: their outside centre

Generally, we were on the back foot most of the game, letting them come to us. We need to have a stronger up and need to do less ball watching but spreading out on the flat line and looking up the field at our opposite number. We are still weak at rucking but better than last week and establish the slow ball plays and use the patterns. We need to block more at lineouts and hold the ball before the scrum half gets it.




From Under the Willow

The lads showed great enthusiasm and look like they are having fun out there, which is the whole point. Well done.

With a lot of new players, you still have to come together and gel as a team and the injuries did not help. The new players played very well considering.

We might have kicked away to much ball in the second half, perhaps we should give it to the forwards and let them sort it out.

I liked #5 (Dean) who may not have knowen where to go all the time, but was a pest to the other team and poached a couple of balls. Your #8 (Vic) played well as did the first scrum half (Kevin) who played with great enthusiasm until we lost two ball at the end of the ruck (actually Kevin hurt his arm).

Beamsville High School

Congratulations to Frank Schilte and Chris Brown with help from Bill Stuart on the success of their girl's rugby team "The Bucs" in winning SOSSA. They have been invited to attend OFSSA (the Ontario high school championships) in Belleville from June 1 to 3. Good luck Ladies.

May 23 vs Wilmot

President's Report

Grimsby Gentlemen 3, Wilmot Warthogs 19
Ref: Tony Kearsley
Attendance: 521

After a hectic week of trying to get enough players registered to play, the first league game of the season took place at the fields at Alway Hall and Wilmot came away with a deserved 19 -3 win. It was a great day with only a little wind and the first 3:00 start in a long time. The Gentlemen were missing a few players and therefore only had one subsitute and an injury to that person soon after being substituted early in the second half, eliminated him.

We began off the boil as it were, and were kept in our half for the first twenty minutes although they did not seem to threaten. At a half an hour in, a quick Wilmot wing scored an unconverted try. Score at half Wilmot 5, Grimsby 0.

One substitute at half (Stuart was injured and Chris came back on, thanks Wilmot. At eighteen minutes in, Dylan had a successful penalty kick from the 22 about 15m in. Then 7 minutes later Wilmot, with the heavier pack, pushed the scrum a few times and combined a few missed tackles led to a try under the posts which was converted. Seven minutes after that with Grimsby tiring a high kick with a bad bounce led to a third Wilmot try under the posts. Final 19 - 3.


Team: Mark Hall, Dylan Kinch, Jon Millington, Kyle Wilson (PL), Dean Gibson, Joel Leonard, Bob Mavro, Vic Blaney, Kevin Erb, Andy Breuls, Chris Sears, Mike Stuart, Alex Stevenson, Alex Millar, Frank Schilte (C) Sub: Stuart English

Scorers: Dylan Kinch (penalty)

As usual, the social part of the day was well done by Bob and thanks to Tori for working behind the bar and Martin Wolf for manning the BBQ. Mark brought his theodolite? and engineered the lines on the field, with the help of Kyle, Eli, Milli and Bill. Except for the score and late players annoying the coach, a good first start. Nice to see the Wilsons with Ben at his first rugby game.

Coaches Report:

We had a slow start due to players arriving late and seem to be on the back foot for most of the game, as we never really threatened to score a try. As a small club, nothing can be sorted out beforehand without all the players there and ready. We must arrive on time for warm up and pre-game organization especially if there are low numbers at practice. We have introduced significant changes in our play and this was the first time using them and obviously need some work. I found a few players hiding in the ruck and not getting out fast enough both and defensively. The flat line needs to be more organized and players need to look up, not ball watch. We were pushed in the scrum a bit but lineouts were generally effective. We will have to see if the ELV's are used in the next game. The centers did well driving foreward but we were slow to the ruck and often had difficulty with holding the ruck (poor body position). The last try was a good kick (we did not put on pressure)for Wilmot and a bad bounce for Grimsby. Overall it was a good first game, and if the players want, a great deal to work with.

Coaches' man of the match: Kyle Wilson
Wilmot's choice of man of the match: Mike Stuart
Our choice was Wilmot's captain and #10

Next Week: The Brooker Cup 3:00 at Alway Hall Field

Rochester 2009

President's Comments

April 25 was a very warm day as the Gentlemen made the trip to Rochester for their first exhibition games. With a little help with some excellent American imports, a Canadian extra, and one player emerging from retirement we made the numbers. We were to play two fourty minute games against the Colonials and Montclair New Jersey. After trying to get the calls organized and the new laws explained we started against Montclair, who were a spirited team, perhaps too noisy,. Playing against a strong wind the first half, Frank scored at two and a half minutes in, but Montclair answered with a try about 5 minutes later. After half time, Mike Stuart barged over to a try, hurting a few players on the way but Montclair responed to tie the game again. Close to the end, Grimsby scored from a quick penalty (by one of the American imports - Mike) but then Monclair agressively kept the ball alive from a lineout in their own end to score a try in extra time. They converted to win the game 17 - 15.

Tries: Frank Schilte, Mike Stuart, Mike ?

We started the second game right after, with the wind, and Vic made a 40 meter run over and around a number of players to score the first try. In one of the best touch rugby plays ever, Bob intercepted a pass and galloped 50 m into the endzone which Derrick converted.

Tries: Vic Blaney, Bob Mavro
Conversions Derrick Weber

Team: Jon Millington, Dylan Kinch, Kevin Murphy, Brandon, Kyle Wilson, Nathan Rowbottom, Mike, Vic Blaney, Kevin Erb, Craig Evans, Martin Wolff, Mike Stuart, Derrick Weber (C), Bob Mavro, Frank Shilte.

Coaches Comments:

Overall a good day, we need more organization and confidence on the field which comes from practice. Kevin Erb did very well in his first attempt at scrum half. Bob Mavro returned to the wing and made some good runs as did Martin Wolff who came out of retirement to play (as good as ever) with his American cousins. Craig Evans, who reached an age milestone on Sunday, was selected man of the match for his cool playing at number 10. We tried a few moves which were generally successful but need more work. We did well on the rucks getting turnover ball quite often and the backs counterattacked well at pace. Good first effort by everyone.

Overall a good day and I didn't lose Vic.

Australia on Fire

Nick Lemieux, our intrepid young winger, left Canada for Australia early February and it looks like they prepared him a warm welcome. Nick will return in a year as either a teacher or a fireman. Good luck Nick and be sure to send Frank some lesson plans.

Peter VanRyn

On Wednesday January 28, Pete passed away as the result of a massive heart attack. Pete played tight head prop for the club between 1983 and 1988. He was a good friend to Grimsby Rugby and will be missed. Pete's daughter Shaunna plays prop for Grimsby Secondary School.

New Year's Levee and winter touch classic

In order to clear some heads, 2009 started with a classic game of touch by about seventeen hardy players about one o'clock rugby time. After about an hour, the group returned to the clubhouse for an even more exciting chili contest.
The chili contest was won by surprise entry Paul Rohner, he was awarded the Mavro. Frank hopes the rest of the year is better.






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