It was the end of an era at Ambleside rugby club over the weekend after they hosted a mixed touch rugby tournament at the club for the second season running.
Four members of the Ambleside Centurions rugby committee are having to move on for different reasons after three successful seasons.
Director of rugby Andrew Brown is stepping down to devote more time to his security and chauffeuring business.
Head coach Matty Kaye has had to also move aside due to work commitments of a new full-time job in Barrow and running his own business.
Assistant coach Archie Barber has relocated to Lancaster and started a new job while women’s director of rugby Greta Kelly starts a full-on PHD in September and cannot commit to all the hours involved in helping to organize everything to do with the Eagles women’s team.
Over the last three years the Ambleside club has been reborn, rising from the ashes to become a team unrecognisable from the one that almost folded in 2023.
Apart from going from a poor social team to a highly respected and competitive team in Counties 1 Cumbria they have won 20 matches in two-and-a-half seasons, 10 in the league and 10 friendlies.
Highlights include a first away victory at Wigton seconds, league victories against local rivals Windermere in some oytstanding local derby games, but the highlight must have been the very last game of this season.
A spirited Ambleside team came back in the second half from 27-0 down to beat a very strong St Benedict’s team 28-27.
The existing coaching team stepped down on Monday, exactly four full months before the start of the new season.
Kaye said: “Thanks to the efforts of everyone at the club the pitch and floodlights have been massively improved.
“The clubhouse has been completely renovated inside and out and is unrecognisable and the team is stronger than it has been for decades, playing some great attacking rugby.”
The club is now in a very strong financial position since Nathan Robson and Heather Hodgson took on the tenancy of the club.
This has ensured the rugby side of the club has the vital financial resources it needs to support the rugby committee in the continued improvement in the playing side of the men’s Centurions team and the women’s Eagles team.
The club is in the hands of long-standing honorary secretary Jeanette Irwin, her son Neil Irwin who is chairman, supported by a small but fully committed number of executive committee members.
Archie said: “The reason we have stepped down now is that we have given the club everything over the last three years, but it is now the right time for someone else who loves the club, the village and rugby to take on the baton in order to move forward.
“By stepping down now we have given Jeanette and Neil the chance to use the next four months to recruit a couple of people to take on the coaching roles.”
The AGM is to be held on the first Monday in June at Ambleside Rugby Club at 7pm.
Anyone who would like to be considered for a coaching position for the club can call Andy on 07786631456.
Andy said: “We are sure whoever Jeanette and Neil appoint to replace us will continue to bring success, strength and honour to the club.”
The final event on the field, the touch tournament was blessed with fine, sunny weather and 50 men and women enjoyed a great afternoon of touch rugby cheered on by a decent crowd of supporters from the village and the local university.
The event was successfully organised by Greta and raised over £1,000 to help with pitch improvements for next season.
The final was deservedly won by the Kendal Vikings captained by Kia Hitchcox.
