While the on-field progression may not have been reflected in our final league position (albeit due to outside circumstances) the boys can feel positive about the rugby we played in the 2019/20. Losing just one of our first five games, gave us a confident start to the season. This was unfortunately curtailed, by a series of discipline and injury issues, which saw us winless throughout November. However, the boys dug deep and in true Campion Spirit, led by George Rogers, and seemingly unaffected by my absence, ploughed through the muddy ground of December to pull through! We then began to build towards a strong finish to 2019. At the turn of the year, more of the same followed, with the boys comfortably beating not only those teams below us in the league, but coming up just short against those at the top of the table, before the pandemic denied us a chance at three very winnable games, to add some shine to the season.

A mention should go to the school leavers making their debut seasons at the club, slotting into the team seamlessly: James Underwood and Matt Earing both taking responsibility at fly half throughout the season. Equally as impressive were the numerous eighty-minute efforts put in by the front row during the season, a sight becoming increasingly rare in the modern game but not at Cottons Park!

Looking forward, the boys will be chomping at the bit to get stuck into next season, inspired by Maguire’s Zoom workouts and the addition of some new local Derby’s to focus the mind during preseason!