Review of Harlequin Amateurs' 2003/4 Season

By Hillary Carr
July 14 2004

The Harlequin Amateur Rugby Football Club has grown in strength since it was re-established four years ago to uphold the founding principles of amateur social rugby that had always been played at The Stoop. Below, Coach Hillary Carr reflects on the 2003/4 season.

The 2003/4 Squad at The Stoop

2003/4 proved to be a period of consolidation for the Amateurs. After the success of winning promotion to Middlesex & Herts Division 2, the squad was blighted by injury from the outset and our campaign was slow to get going. It wasn't until November before the team started to assert itself and put some wins on the board. With the league so evenly contested it was disappointing that we missed out on further promotion by only one point at the end of the season. However, our improvement as the season progressed was significant, buoyed by the addition of new squad members in the latter months to the point that in our last league game, played at The Stoop, we demonstrated some of our best rugby we d played all season. The result showed how the team had gelled to winning multiple phases of the game and converting possession into points.

It all bodes well for the new season, but we know there is a lot of further development to be done both in the coaching, with team plays and with players - individual skills before we can begin to see the full flair of Harlequins Amateur rugby emerge that the squad has the capability to achieve.

That will come about through strengthening our squad further with new players to ensure that there is significant competition and back up for each position in the season to come, and to allow us to put out 2 sides each week, guaranteeing everyone a regular game.

Amateurs League Results: Played: 16, Won: 8, Lost: 8, Points For: 231 Against: 232

Wanderers

With so many injuries throughout the season, the Wanderers XV suffered from being decimated to provide the back up to the 1^st XV. This meant that we were unable to fulfill our schedule of Merit Table matches. But when the Wanderers did take the field, it was with some considerable success.

Wanderers Results: Played: 5 Won 4 Lost 1 Points for: 199 Points against: 22