After several recent successful seasons, the 2018/19 season was one to forget for old boys and the club will be looking to bounce right back up to Gloucester Premier. This season we have appointed Andy Fearn as player coach, Darrel Minns as backs coach and Lofty Miller as team manager, plus Bill Tominey has also returned to the fold to help with the forwards, all of which are long term club men.
It has been a very successful preseason. Training has improved week on week, and we have had two strong preseason games with a 40-17 home win against Tewkesbury and a 53-12 away win against Aretians.
Now, the 2019-20 season will kick off on Saturday as we welcome Old Elizabethans. This will be the first time the two clubs have met in a competitive fixture in our histories and will surely be a great occasion. The second team will also be at home this weekend as we welcome Gordon League 2nds. There is a distinct buzz around the club thus far and much combination for places which will made for two strong teams representing Old Boys this weekend.
With player coach and captain Andy Fearn side-lined with injury, former club captain Ryan McGurk will be taking the armband for the opening game of the season and will be joined in the front row by Spencer Miller at hooker and Ben Thompson at tight head. James McIntosh and Niall Galvin are the two in the second row with Dean Cooper, Karl Wadley and Dom Chant forming the back row and finishing off a strong pack.
In the backs, Liam Aherne returns to the fold this season and starts at scrumhalf with James Murphy pulling the strings outside him at 10, James himself has had a very strong preseason campaign after scoring 4 tries in 2 games. In the centres there is much change this season and a league debut for Aled Halford-Tuffley at 12 who has joined Old Boys this season from Westbury-On-Severn and Josh Pearson at 13 who has returned to old Boys this season after a stint with Stow. The back 3 will consist of Niall Chandler and Greg Padfield on the wings after Greg has made the move from the back row and Liam Rosser at 15 after recovering in time from a minor injury.
On the bench, Adam Willis will be covering the front row, Matt Owen covering the rest of the pack and Kye Izatt covering the backs and completing the bench.
The game is due to kick off at 3pm. We have scheduled club photos to take place before the game starting at 12.15 and have a disco booked in for after the game to keep us going through to the late hours.