Egremont Rangers
 | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Egremont Rangers Amateur Rugby League Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Rangers, The Mont |
| Colours | Blue White Red trim |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Website | Club Website |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
|
| Competition | National Conference League Premier Division |
Egremont Rangersis an amateurrugby leagueclub inEgremont,Cumbria,which plays at Gillfoot Park and competes in the National Conference League Division 1.[1]
Former players
[edit]Challenge Cup history
[edit]Egremont Rangers first formed in 1900 as the popularity ofNorthern Unionrugby spread across northern England after its split with theRugby Football Union.Egremont had a strong team early in its history as it twice qualified for theChallenge Cupin 1906 where they were defeated byKeighleyand in 1909 when they were defeated byRuncorn RFC.This was a sound foundation for the club to build on to become a major player in amateur rugby league in Great Britain. In 1922 they added the Rangers moniker to their name just as the Northern Rugby Football Union changed their name toRugby Football League.[2]
The modern era of rugby league was when Rangers were able to again qualify for professional opposition in the Challenge Cup when on 14 January 1996 they were defeated 58-6 byLeigh Centurions.[3]It wasn't long before they had a taste of the cup again when on 13 February 1998 they beatWorkington Town18-0 in front of 3000 spectators atWhitehaven'sRecreation Ground.[4]The next round saw them being heavily defeated 84-6 by the eventualChallenge Cup Champions,Sheffield Eagles.[5][6]
1999 was Rangers next attempt at the Challenge Cup when they were defeated byYork Wasps.It was 2011 before they would have a chance to play another professional team, after dispatching local rivalsMillomand Wath Brow in theearlier rounds,the travelled south to be defeated 60-24 byLondon Skolars.[7][8]2012 and again Rangers qualified for professional opposition when they took on and were narrowly defeated 22-14 byChampionship OnesideOldhamat theRecreation Ground,Whitehven. Egremont were praised for theirmagnificent defensive performancein the News and Star.[9]
National Conference League
[edit]Egremont Rangers were one of the ten teams that formed theBARLA National League(later renamedNational Conference Leaguein 1993) which began in the 1986–1987 season.[10]Rangers remained in the top tier of the National Conference League (National Conference League Premier Division) from 1986–2000, where they gained one of their greatest achievements when they were crownedNational Conference League Premier Division Championsin the 1997–1998 season.[11]
This period saw Rangers achieve two more major championships. In the 1988–1989 season, Egremont beatWigan St Patricks2-0 in theNational Conference League Challenge Cup Final.A year later they captured theBARLA National Cupwhen they beatSaddleworth Rangers11-4 in the 1989–1990 final.[12]
Return to the Cumberland League
[edit]In the 1999–2000 season, Egremont's ageing core of veteran players voted to withdraw from the National Conference League and return to play their senior rugby in theCumberland Leaguefor the first time in 14 years. This period saw many of the older players retire from the game, leaving mostly younger players to rebuild the squad over the coming years. The team played their rugby in theCumberland League Division 1and remained competitive although they failed to convert that into trophy success. Rangers twice made it to theCumbria County CupFinal but were defeated on both occasions by Wath Brow (32-6 in 2000–2001) and Ellenborough Rangers (16-10 in 2004–2005). Rangers also made it to the play off final of the Cumberland League Division 1 in the 2004–2005 season but were again defeated 52-10 on the day byKells. Under the guidance of their head coach (and former Workington Town captain)Gary Charltonand Club Chairman (former Workington Townsecond-row)Ian Hartleyin the 2004–2005 season the young players voted for and successfully applied for the return to the National Conference League for the 2005–2006 season.[13]
Return to the National Conference League
[edit]In the late summer of 2005 Egremont Rangers returned to the National Conference League when they competed inDivision 2.They young side got off to an unimpressive start and for the first three seasons they finished in the lower half to mid table positions. It wasn't until 2009–2010 season that they started to seriously compete in the Second Division as a new generation of youngster entered the ranks of the first team. The 2010–2011 season proved to be when Rangers matured into a team that could seriously challenge for promotion, in which they finished narrow runners up toHunslet Warriorsand gained promotion to theNational Conference League Division 1.[14]
Youth and reserve teams
[edit]Egremont Rangers have a reserve team which plays in theCumberland League Division 2as Egremont Rangers 'A'. The main purpose for this team is to develop youth players in their transition from youth rugby to national level open age rugby league. The team is mostly made up by teenage players built around a nucleus of seasoned veterans.
Egremont Rangers has a competitive youth system with teams in Mini rugby (under 8s, under 9s and under 11s) and youth teams (under 12s, under 14s and under 16s). The youth system at Egremont Rangers is the basis of Rangers open age squad. Almost all of the players in the open age squad have played at the club from the under 8s/9s/11s youth teams and every year a new batch of players emerges from under 16s with many of them gaining international honours in the years following their emergence into open age rugby.[citation needed]
Honours
[edit]- National Conference LeaguePremier Division
- Winners (1):1997–98
- National Conference LeagueDivision One
- Winners (1):2012
- BARLA National Cup
- Winners (2):1989–90, 2015
International honours
[edit]Since 2008 Egremont Rangers have had 10 players which have amassed over 25 separate international honours between them. Here is a list of players and their honours.[15]
- John-Paul Brocklebank-BARLAOpen Age Dubai 9's and Australia Tour, BARLA U21 Russia Tour, BARLA U18's Australia Tour
- Rhys Davies- BARLA Open Age Dubai 9's and Australia Tour, BARLA U23
- Alistair Leak- England Schoolboys South Africa Tour, England U18 France, Australia & Wales. GB U18 France
- Blake Mahovic- England Schoolboys South Africa Tour, England U18 France & Australia
- Leon Crellin- BARLA U17's Holland Tour
- Stephen Long- BARLA Over 35's Dubai 9's
- James McDonald- England U18 Community Lions, Australia, England U16 Schoolboys, France
- Jack Murray- BARLA U19 South Africa Tour
- Jarrad Stewart- England U16 Schoolboys, France
- Richard Farrer- BARLA Open Age
Jack Thompson England lions under 19s
References
[edit]- ^"Egremont Rangers Information".National Conference League. Archived fromthe originalon 26 April 2012.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Rangers History".Egremont Rangers.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Vs Leigh".www.rugbyleagueproject.org.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Vs Workington".www.rugbyleagueproject.org.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Vs Workington Town & Sheffield".Hexham Courant. Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2014.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Vs Sheffield".www.rugbyleagueproject.org/teams/Egremont_Rangers/records-teams.html.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Vs London".www.skysports.com.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^Wilson, Andy (4 March 2011)."Egremont Rangers Vs London Skolars".www.guardian.co.uk.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Rangers V Oldham".News & Star.23 March 2012.Retrieved13 May2012.
- ^"National Conference League Info".www.nationalconferenceleague.co.uk.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"National Conference League Premier Division Champions".www.nationalconferenceleague.co.uk.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"BARLA National Cup Champions".www.barla.org.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2014.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont To Vote For Conference Return".www.whitehavennews.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 5 May 2013.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont Promoted to NCL Div 1".www.newsandstar.co.uk.Retrieved24 May2012.
- ^"Egremont International Honours".www.pitchero.com.Retrieved24 May2012.