Tynedale v Harrogate RUFC
Saturday 16th November 2024 (KO 2pm)

WELCOME
This Saturday we extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Harrogate RUFC.
We also, of course, extend a warm welcome to this week’s match officials Gavin Jones, Matt Daubney, and Simon O’Neil along with Performance Reviewer Hanson Haigh.

Enjoy your day everyone.

TYNEDALE V HARROGATE
HARROGATE’S RECORD AT TYNEDALE PARK
This is Harrogate’s sixth League visit to Corbridge. One match which should have been played here, in December 2015, was transferred to Kingston Park, the home of Newcastle Falcons because of the effects of Storm Desmond, which flooded Tynedale Park.
Having lost on their first five trips to Northumberland our visitors reversed that trend in November 2021 when they won 31-38 here at Tynedale Park, and will be hoping for a similar result today.
In the six most recent matches played, at home and away, Tyne have won five times and lost that one time:-

RECENT SEASON’S RESULTS
NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO (NORTH)
2016/17 10.09.16 Tynedale 20 Harrogate 16
2016/17 17.10.16 Harrogate 15 Tynedale 22
2021/22 13.11.21 Tynedale 31 Harrogate 38
2121/22 2.02.22 Harrogate 16 Tynedale 26
2022/23 26.11.22 Tynedale 15 Harrogate 8
2022/23 25.03.23 Harrogate 12 Tynedale 24
The teams have also played a number of pre-season friendlies, in August 2004, August 2006, 28th August 2010 at Harrogate and 20th August 2011 at Corbridge.

TYNEDALE’S LEAGUE RECORD AGAINST HARROGATE

Played: 13
Won: 9
Lost: 4
Points For: 280
Points Against: 221
Win %: 69.2%

TYNEDALE’S HOME RECORD THIS SEASON
!4,09.24 - Tynedale 19 Billingham 19
28,09.24 - Tynedale 7 Sheffield 38 Lost
!2,10.24 - Tynedale 32 Lymm 37 Lost
26.10.24 - Tynedale 22 Fylde 45 Lost

4 matches.1 Draw, 3 losses. Is this bad luck? See below.

WATCH OUT FOR THAT CROW

Tynedale supporters of a superstitious nature may have noticed that, at our three lost home matches, there was a single Carrion Crow standing atop the goalposts on the first team pitch before the games kicked off. Only one. Was this an omen? The bird flapped off on to the neighbouring pitches during the matches, and stayed there, feeding.

Was this corvid just being sociable, or was it a harbinger of doom? It’s not by accident that this bird, aptly named, sometimes gathers with other Carrion Crows in a group called a “Murder”. Menacing or mysterious? Is our anxiety understandable or mere apophenia?

More importantly, if the bird is here today, will we, after the match, be able to crow? (Douglas Hamilton)

---

DAVID TINDLE
Tynedale Rugby Club members will be sorry to have noted the absence of two of the club’s most dedicated spectators, David Tindle and his wife Pam, at this season’s 1St XV matches.

The couple have hardly missed a home match in recent years - sitting at the east end of the stand, two rows in front of Tynedale’s cognoscenti in the back row. There they exchanged banter and commented on some of the referees’ decisions (often in a much more thoughtful way than the ‘experts’ behind them.)

David suffered a stroke at the end of May whilst watching a televised rugby match. Pam recognised the symptoms immediately, so David was rushed into the RVI in Newcastle, He was soon transferred to the Freeman hospital where he spent 22 weeks recovering, before returning to their home in Chapel House, Newcastle, at the end of October.

David had lost feeling down his left side and his speech was slurred. His speaking has recovered over time, and regular daily visits from physiotherapists are helping him recover movement in his left arm and leg. Whilst David is now delighted to be home, he still has some way to go. He relies on regular carer visits as he still needs a hoist to move him, and two people are needed for that! His short- term target is to move seats without using a hoist.

Despite playing rugby, as a hooker, for Northern FC, David has been a long-time Tynedale supporter. It started when he was coaching the Northumberland County Colts in his early thirties. He befriended Cyril Parker of Tynedale and some of the Tyne colts in the county squad. In 1984 when the Tynedale Colts coach David Matthews died suddenly, David stepped in to help. The Colts at that time were run by John Clark, Jimmy Bell and Peter Robertson, so they all became friends.

Much later, in 2011/12, David agreed to coach the Tynedale U16’s and many young players who moved into Senior rugby benefitted from David’s coaching expertise. Two seasons ago, for example, Theo Nwosu-Hope played in the back-row for the formidable Rotherham Titans at Tynedale Park, and David was delighted to see how the young man had progressed.

David and Pam have been sorely missed. We would all wish him well in his battle to recuperate, and look forward to seeing them both back at the club before too long.

---

HARROGATE THIS SEASON
Like Tynedale, Harrogate have had a disappointing start to the season and like Tynedale they have won only one of their 9 matches to date. A close look at Harrogate’s results, however, shows Gate losing their last two matches by the narrowest of margins and we are sure to be set for another close competitive game.
HARROGATE’S LEAGUE RESULTS TO DATE:-
Billingham 33 Harrogate 12
Harrogate 29 Wharfedale 35
Sheffield 57 Harrogate 19
Harrogate 31 Preston Grasshoppers 38
Lymm 57 Harrogate 24
Harrogate 22 Chester 16
Fylde 61 Harrogate 14
Harrogate 33 Sheffield Tigers 34
Hull Ionians 25 Harrogate 23

HARROGATE WEBSITE
https://www.harrogaterugby.com/

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Gavin Jones
AR1: Matt Daubney
AR2: Simon O’Neil
Performance Reviewer: Hanson Haigh

BALL BOYS
Tynedale Under 14’s

WEATHER FORECAST
Dry, sunny intervals, gentle westerly breeze, 9 degrees

OTHER TYNEDALE (Senior Section) MATCHES THIS WEEKEND
SATURDAY
Tynedale Raiders WO v Harrogate Georgians (2pm) - Yorks & NE Premiership
Ashington II’s v Tynedale Hadrians (2pm) – CaNDY League 2N
Novos III v Tynedale Centurions (2pm) - CaNDY League 3N
Peebles Colts v Tynedale Colts (1pm) – Border League
SUNDAY
Tynedale Colts v Darlington MP Colts (2pm) – HALBRO NE & Cumbria League

SELECTED SQUADS