PREVIEW BIG MATCH FYLDE V BILLINGHAM
We are delighted to welcome the players, officials and supporters of Billingham RUFC to the Woodlands today (ko 15.00) for only the fourth ever match between the two clubs and their second trip to the Woodlands. It is also great to host Billingham’s U’12s & U’13s who take on Fylde Juniors from 12.00 onwards – welcome lads! In the very brief history of fixtures between the two clubs, Fylde shade the bragging rights with a double victory last season (32-26 & 25-38) but a (39-17) defeat at Greenwood Road in February. Fylde have had a mixed two months since Christmas, to say the least. Six defeats at Chester (25-19), Billingham (39-17), Harrogate(27-24), Otley(19-18), Leeds Tykes (25-13) and home to Sheffield Tigers (28-32), and three victories over Hull Ionians (31- 27), Tynedale (27-19) and Hull (35-13) tell the story. The defeat at Billingham in January is particularly relevant as it suggested a recovery by the North Easterners and a determined effort to climb away from the relegation places. Although four defeats followed, a run of three victories in March – at home to Preston Grasshoppers (29-19) and Chester (29-23) and, especially, an excellent 22-35 win at promotion chasing Lymm – has seen them climb out of the relegation zone and they currently occupy 11th place on the same number of points as ‘Hoppers. Billingham started the current campaign in a healthy fashion with three wins and a draw in their first six games but then hit a bad patch with seven successive defeats. A very gutsy display at leaders Leeds Tykes ended with a n arrow 33-27 defeat and this has symbolised their recovery of form.
Billingham is situated north of the River Tees in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Gaining promotion from the North East Regional Premiership to the National Leagues marks the Club’s highest level achievement
in their long history. In 2022-23 they led the division for a long period and shaded nearest competitor, the Yorkshire club Heath RFC, by 12 points with a record of 19 wins and 3 defeats at the end of the season, with 812 points scored and just 292 conceded. Billingham Rugby Club was formed in 1924 as the rugby section of the Synthonia Sports Club at Synthetic Ammonia and Nitrates Company, which later became Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Once established, the club became a force in Durham County Rugby Union, especially after the Second World War and the first team was very strong during the 1950s and early 1960s. The early 1970s saw a downturn in the chemical industry and with the decline of ICI, the rugby club suffered. In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s the club became somewhat nomadic in its socialising, although still playing on Central Avenue. The 1990s saw an upturn in the club’s fortunes and three teams were regularly playing each week with socialising based at the Synthonia Cricket Club. The club moved to play on Greenwood Road in 1996 although until late 2000 there were no facilities whatsoever, just three pitches. For these years we had a three-site existence, changing, playing and socialising in different locations. However, December 2000 and a £750,000 lottery grant brought the opening of the new clubhouse giving the club a solid base and identity and that has served as a stepping-stone to current success and advancement. This is an ambitious club with very strong roots in the local community accompanied
Billingham Tynedale Billingham
33-12 19-19 19-17 40-26 14-33 27-12 40-17 10-45 48-22 26-36 47-22 32-12 25-26 34-17 33-27 39-17 40-26 14-32 51-15 52-17 29-19 22-35 29-23
Harrogate Billingham
W/H
D/A
Otley
W/H
Hull
Billingham
L/A
Billingham Billingham Wharfedale Billingham Preston G Billingham
Leeds Tykes L/H
Hull Ionians Billingham
W/H
L/A
Sheffield
L/H
Billingham
L/A L/H L/A L/A L/H
Lymm
Chester
Billingham Billingham Tynedale
Sheffield Tigers
Billingham Billingham Leeds Tykes Billingham Hull Ionians Billingham
Hull
W/H
Billingham
L/A
Fylde
W/H
Billingham
L/A
Wharfedale L/H
Otley
Billingham Billingham Preston G Billingham
L/A L/A
Sheffield
Billingham
W/H W/A W/H
Lymm
Billingham
Chester
20
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