An Introduction to the evening

Welcome to West Bank Bears U'12s presentation evening. This evening marks the end to another highly successful and enjoyable season.

As a result of the hard work and effort of the boys on the pitch we have been rewarded with a place in next year’s division 1 and the chance to match ourselves against teams that we feel will give us real competition week in - week out, and to play at a standard that will allow all our players to further develop their game.

As usual, we need to thank many people for their part in the team’s success this year. Helen Kelly continues to manage the team wonderfully and the work Helen carries out behind the scenes is vital to the success on the pitch.

Graham Phillips, the team’s first aider, re-jigs shift patterns and has been ever present throughout the season. The tactical advice and motivational chats that Graham conducts with the boys whilst on the pitch administrating first aid play a huge role in the games we play. Graham, in many respects, is an additional coach and a highly valued member of the West Bank team.
A special mention needs to be made for Nige Douglas. Nige has assisted at every training session and has acted as coach and mentor to many of the lads, particularly the forwards, throughout the season. His advice and support are very much appreciated by both the coaches and team.

The sponsorship provided by Paddy Murray is massively appreciated. It has provided us with many of the essentials that other teams have to struggle for and allows us to concentrate entirely on matters on the pitch.

And to all our parents, we would like to say a massive ‘Thankyou’. You have supported the team through good times and bad – many of you since the boys were six and seven years old. Your dedication, we believe, is the best in the Northwest. It is a matter of real pride with the coaching staff that even in the darkest, coldest winter evenings we train outside with a full complement of players and have never been unable to field a full team on a Sunday. For this commitment you should take enormous credit.

This is the start of a new era for the boys – Genuinely competitive leagues in which results and performances will matter. We are confident that the team will rise to the challenge and respond to the targets they are set. We can look forward to the new season knowing that not only do we deserve to be in Division 1 but also that we will play with the attitude and style needed to prove that we can compete at the very top end of this division. As coaches, this is what we expect and with the team spirit that we have in this camp this is what we will achieve!

All the player received a momento of the season and the main tea awards went to:

Most Improved Player                                Sam Tedds

Top Try Scorer                                            Jack Filkins

Player’s Player of the Year                          George Nuttall

Player of the Year R/U                                Jack Phillips

Player of the Year R/U                                Tom Dempsey

Player of the Year                                       Jack Filkins