Local rugby club North Ribblesdale in Settle is celebrating its centenary season this year and began its season with a Charity Ball at Stirk House, Gisburn, in August (pictured below) attended by 250 people. What a fantastic event it was and made me extremely proud as club chairman that so many attended, and we raised £7,500 split between three charities close to our hearts. It was a truly memorable occasion, and a great night was had by all.
That was merely a prelude to the playing season and a game against our first ever opponents in 1923, Giggleswick School, took place on 27th August.
Rules now dictate that schoolboys cannot play against men, so it was an ‘Old Boys’ team that took to the pitch for a festive game (pictured above) that Ribb won by a couple of scores. The score did not matter, it was the occasion that mattered and our centenary season was well and truly underway.
The club has made many modifications to its facilities since covid, not least being a vertical disabled lift to allow access to all in the local community, which was installed as a large investment without any substantial grant money. It was a big commitment for the club but one we felt was needed, as we want to be attractive to everybody in our community.
We are, we believe, truly a community club providing rugby for all genders from the age of four through to our mature members who play Walking Rugby on a weekly basis on Friday afternoons. There are several Octogenarians who attend so please do not think you are ever too old. A warm welcome is guaranteed so please come on down and get involved.
On the playing side we welcomed Thomas Davidson as head coach who played at Ribb as a youngster before playing ‘Over t’ill’ at Wharfedale with much success and several county caps. More of our playing record in future editions, but suffice to say we are having a successful season and under Tom’s tutelage our young side are improving game by game.
So, for anyone who is unaware that a thriving rugby club is on your doorstep please come down and support us. We endeavour to make it a welcoming place to be and for those of you who maybe think that rugby clubs are a place full of drunken men please give us a try and I know you will be pleasantly surprised at what you will find here.
Gavin Davidson
Chairman, North Ribblesdale Rugby Club
northribblesdale.co.uk
Top Photo: Jim Bellis
