Colchester
Rugby Club were prominent at the 2003 Colchester and District Sports Personality
Awards, with six honours going to the club or its members.
Colchester
Mayor Dr Chris Hall presented Shane Steward with the U18 Sports Forum Award.
Shane suffers from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and
joined the rugby club when he was 14. Despite
some difficult episodes he and his coaches persevered and Shane learned to
channel his aggression into the game. His rugby ability has developed to the extent that he played
for Colchester’s First XV just two weeks after his 17th birthday,
and he is a regular member of the Ravens, Colts and U17s.
Colchester
U17s were named U18 Team of the Year after lifting the Eastern Counties Cup. What
makes this achievement remarkable is the title was won with a team predominantly
made up of U16s.
To qualify for the
competition they had to beat Ipswich in the Suffolk Cup final.
The Ipswich side were all U17s and included a England U18 player.
Colchester dominated the game winning 20-5, then they faced Cambridge in
the Eastern Counties Cup semi-final, winning 23-12. A week later
Colchester played the Norfolk Champions Wymondham away from home in the final,
where again they were by far the better team winning 21-8.
With most of the side still eligible to play in the competition this
season, there is every chance they could retain the title.
Colchester RFC was awarded The Wilkinson Sword Trophy for the second successive year, and for third time in five years. It is presented to organisations for the development of youth sport in the area, and after winning the award in 2002 for the Girls Rugby initiative, it was presented with it again for their work during 2003 in implementing procedures to provide safe, effective and child friendly club for players aged 5 to 18, This included developing a Child Welfare Policy, a Coach Development Programme and a programme to help players realise their potential.
These initiatives earned the club the prestigious Sport England Clubmark and the RFU Seal of Approval, the first club in the region to receive these accolades.
There were Colchester Sports Council certificates of commendation for the Colchester First Team, who completed a second successive promotion in 2003, for Pete Smith who narrowly missed out on selection for the England U18 side, and for long serving committee member Ron Hatch.
13/2/04