Honours even  in this closely fought contest at Chellaston which just about brings down the curtain on Derby’s 06/07 season. The home side battled hard to keep out Derby’s superior forward momentum and it was Melbourne who managed to score and convert their effort to take a 07 - 00 lead early in the first half. Derby came back strongly and it was full back Liam Helleby who took his chance and got over for a fine try. The conversion was missed.

The game ebbed and flowed for the remainder of the first half with neither side being able to establish overall superiority.  

After the turn round Derby scrum half  Tom Rusga, who had a fine match,  got over from close range after some determined running, but not before Melbourne had scored another try – leaving the score at 12 - 10 in the home side’s favour. Again Derby pressed through their forward effort and the irresistible force of prop Joe Pass clattered over the try line near the posts. Tom Rusga converted Joe’s effort to take the score to 12 - 17 in Derby’s favour. A late try for Melbourne after some poor Derby tackling saw the eventual score end at 17 points all.  

This was Liam Helleby’s last match for Derby. We’ll miss his strong running from full back and the pace he’s injected into the back line. We wish him and his family all the very best in their new life in Australia. And at least now he knows that there are two Melbourne’s – one in Derbyshire – and one in his new adopted country. The team is on tour next week, thanks to the hard work of Clive Keble. They’ll enjoy their time in Ireland that’s for sure!  

There are still the NLD sevens to look forward to – the rugby World Cup in the autumn – and of course next season.  

Cheers and thanks to you all for a great season. 

Derby did however make heavy weather of the whole affair despite enjoying forward domination from the start which should have resulted in at least a couple of tries early on. But it took an unconverted Burton try – against the run of play - to spark some collective home action. Again the force of the Derby pack dictated matters, resulting in a try for prop Josh Harvey which fly half Ollie Ruddock converted. We turned round at 07-05 in the home side’s favour.

It was something of a shock when Burton stole another try at the start of the second half, leaving Derby trailing by three points. The wind and the slope were now in front of them adding to the home side’s frustration. But they continued to turn the forward screw and Derby began to probe for openings through their back line. A foray from winger Vlod Surma was stopped by foul play when he was on the floor resulting in a Burton sending off. Down to 14 men you’d have thought the visitors had learned their lesson. Not so, the rest of the match was sullied by blatant punching from one player in particular, not seen by the referee, who continued his close quarter unpleasantness to the end. He’s not worth identifying but that kind of wanton play really shouldn’t have a place at any level. And rugby being the great leveller the game is has its own way of sorting out the fighters from the free runners and thinkers.

If only all games could be like this one. A sumptuous forward feast for the rugby aficionado served up by Derby; a match played with little niggle or gripe from the opposition or the visitors; and good food and good hospitality served up in an old fashioned club house which reeks of the great social side of the fifteen man game.

The drive over to the Eastern side of the country isn’t one to relish but the welcome and the result were worth it. Stamford have respect for Derby which I’m sure is mutual. They play fair, tough rugby and first spoils went to them. They got over the Derby line – against the run of play in the first half – after a snaking run by one of their centres who evaded some poor tackling. The try near the posts, was converted.

Before then Derby had come close twice – Rory Gallimore seizing on a high  through kick and almost reaching the line before a despairing tap tackle stopped his run. Winger James Waterhouse came close later too.

From the turn round I don’t think that Stamford managed to get into the Derby half. The visiting pack was rampant, charging up and down the muddy half of the field, winning scrums, line outs, rucks and mauls almost at will. And their first try, fittingly, came from a great line out steal from second row Joe Wilkinson. Prop Josh Harvey took the plundered ball and thundered over the line from close quarters.

The visitors continued to enjoy compete forward dominance and frankly Derby’s backs should have made better of it. They must learn to mix up their game, when not to kick, and when not to run back inside to the comfort zone of forward power. With two pace men wide out it should be a simple matter of putting the ball through the hands for them to do their work. That’s not the answer to everything - but variation, backing up and moving the ball swiftly - can only help their cause.

That said it was two tries from the backs which sealed the match. Winger Vlod Surma got over on the left after some good inter passing work. Flyer James Waterhouse got over for his try on the opposite wing by following up a through kick, surprising the Stamford cover with his straight line speed. Neither was converted .There were more chances , but cold hands and driving rain probably stopped the rugby from flowing. The game ended in the Stamford half with Derby still camped firmly there .Thanks are due to Stamford for their never say die doggedness in battling to keep Derby out.

Sadly, in just two weeks it’s almost the last game of the season. I hope it’s a dry and bright Sunday and Derby put together one final display of what they are really capable of.

A close encounter of the muddy kind this one with conditions akin to a ploughed field, with only two small areas of green to be seen on the entire pitch. Hardly a day then for running rugby then but the two sides produced a hard fought contest with Derby narrowly missing out in the end.  

Leicester scored early on and were soon two tries to the good before Derby’s forwards took matters in hand, besieging the visitors from a maul near their line, allowing hooker Callum Proctor to crash over after some good work from flanker Brad Heywood. The conversion from wide out was missed.

A few personnel changes at half time brought an early try for fly half Olly Ruddock who followed up a kick – again the conversion was missed leaving Derby trailing by only two points at 10-12.

The pressure continued on the Leicester forwards but they managed to get another break away try after some loose kicking from the home side. They converted that one.  

The last 20 minutes saw Derby crossing the line twice, only for the scores to be disallowed. But in the dying minutes Chris Ruggins did manage to get over wide out .The conversion was missed leaving the final score at 15-19 to the visitors.

A  good day for the team despite the loss who played well in atrocious conditions and never gave up the quest for victory.

Derby kicked off fielding, more or less, the strongest team available. However, Lichfield started confidently, showing good handling skills from the outset. Strong running and slick passing resulted in a try for the visitors, wide out to the right, after only two minutes. The conversion attempt missed narrowly – Derby 0 Lichfield 5. For the next twenty minutes or so, Derby were under the cosh but with increasingly determined and focussed defence they kept the Lichfield back row and three-quarters at bay. Ollie Ruddock, kicked well to touch during this period, relieving the pressure on several occasions. Late on in the half, Derby progressed into the visitors twenty-two, with the line out scrum and rucks coming under their control. Initially, this resulted in a penalty opportunity – a good call to go for goal by Captain Tom Rusga, but a narrow miss with the kick. Lichfield then failed to move back into the Derby half and some good work by Derby, resulted in a storming run and touchdown on the right from Josh Harvey, showing a genuinely impressive turn of speed for a prop-forward. Tom Rusga put over a good conversion - Derby 7 Lichfield 5. The half time whistle came, with Lichfield looking a little non-plussed and on the back foot, Derby, on the other hand were increasingly confident and resolute. 

In the second half, Derby were positive from the outset, with Ryan Holmes on for Josh Harvey (a well deserved rest after that sprint!). After five minutes or so, following some good work by the forwards, with Sam Hallam Gray featuring well in ruck and maul, from the resulting play Ollie Ruddock put up a considered and skilful kick behind the Lichfield defence, followed it up and took the ball to score a good try. This was converted by Tom Rusga – Derby 12 Lichfield 5. The play continued to be competitive, but with Derby creating some more good pressure. 

It was a really good match to watch; not as much movement of the ball wide by Derby as usual, but none the less impressive for that. After a shaky start, the home team  grew in confidence, displaying good defence and an attitude that the game must be taken to Lichfield. I have mentioned some players individually, but all on the field must take credit for a good performance – Liam Hellaby, Callum Smith, Vlod Surma, Chris Ruggins, Stefan Haynes, Tom Thompson, Ollie Ruddock, Robbie Newport, Sam Hallam Gray, Lewis Bracey, Ryan Jones, Joseph Wilkinson, Joe Pass, Callum Proctor, Ryan Holmes, Josh Harvey and Tom Rusga. 

How scorelines can be deceptive! This one suggests a close encounter. But this was far from it, the visiting Derby fifteen team full of bristling development squad players anxious to show their worth, completely dominating territory and the match.  

A bright sunny Sunday in Leicester brought with it perfect handling conditions and the Derby forwards and backs enjoyed a surfeit of possession which should have brought them a bucketful of tries. Credit to Belgrave who harried and tackled all through the sixty minutes of action to frustrate Derby’s valiant efforts. 

The visitors finally breached their defence towards the end of the first half with a try from Callum Smith, which scrum half Tom Rusga just failed to convert. The second half continued in the same vein, forays into the Derby half by Belgrave were few and far between, but the visitors failed to find the try line to apply the coup de grace.  

Thanks were due to Derby squad players who spent the afternoon on the sidelines, kicking their heels. Belgrave only had one sub and we had nine! Praise to our development squad players who are now beginning to give the side strength in depth for the hard battles to come. And praise to the Belgrave ref – a much needed glimpse of how well a match can be handled with a firm and fair hand.    

Chesterfield’s mud bound pitch provided the perfect back drop for this battle Royal between two fine packs of forwards – with Derby eventually winning the war. 

From the kick off Derby’s front five took on the Chesterfield pack, which enjoys a strong reputation throughout the County for their scrummaging and line out skills. How good to see the Derby  forwards driving and mauling to such good effect, with second row Joe Wilkinson coming  back to his best, aided by front row colleagues Joe Pass, Callum Proctor and Josh Harvey. 

They provided a platform for the backs to work from, with fly half Ollie Ruddock having a good game in poor handling conditions. It was Ollie who exploited a kick and chase to score the first try for Derby, turning round with a 00 - 05 lead. 

At the restart it was the same again for Derby – who kept the Chesterfield pack on the back foot – eventually triumphing again through good follow up work from the backs, with centres Chris Ruggins and Rory Gallimore to the fore. Ollie Ruddock was again the beneficiary of their work and his through kick, which he converted from wide out.  It was also good to see wing James Waterhouse back to his free running best His pace wide out will add a considerable strike force to the team.  

Both sets of spectators enjoyed the encounter, with the English winter adding to the mix. Chesterfield got one late consolation try, which flattered them really, as they’d spent little time in the Derby half.  Praise is due to Chesterfield however  for playing their part in a niggle free game, involving two sets of competitive young men.

In challenging conditions, reminiscent of the Cardiff Arms Park of the 1960s, Derby met Hinckley in what it was anticipated would be a tough match. The only score came midway through the first half through a well taken penalty kick by Tom Rusga from about 30 metres out. 

On several occasions in the first half, the Derby forwards and backs combined well to pressure the Hinckley line, but the defence held firm. Conversely, good tackling was required from Derby to prevent Hinckley scoring on the break. So, the half finished with Derby hanging on grittily to a narrow lead. 

Changes in personnel allowed all of the Derby squad members to get onto the field in the second half. However, following some early pressure from Hinckley, the reshaped Derby team settled and threatened to score on at least three occasions, but a slippery ball and stout defence meant that, going into the last five minutes, the score remained at 3 to nil. This meant that it was still anyone’s game. Hinckley, again playing well on the break, looked as if they might snatch the game, but they were repelled! 

It was a fascinating match to watch, with some fiery moments on the pitch and much nail biting for the spectators. Both teams deserve congratulations for managing to play good open rugby under very difficult conditions. Derby showed good commitment and much improved tackling. All in all, therefore, a win albeit narrow, from which much pleasure can be taken. It should put the lads in a positive frame of mind for the forthcoming challenge of Paviors. 

Derby hosted Lutterworth, looking to bounce back from some poor results in recent weeks. An early kick off seemed to catch Derby still asleep, with many of the players looking uninterested. Lutterworth capitalised on some poor tackling to score twice near the end of the half, but would have been disappointed not to have a bigger lead to take into the second half.

The second half saw several changes made by both sides, before Derby seemed to awake from the slumber! Ryan Jones was the first to score, after good pressure in Lutterworth’s 22 and a resulting 5 metre lineout. Vlod Surma grabbed Derby’s second try on the right of the pitch, as Derby looked to up the pace and intensity again. More changes from both sides saw any rhythm the game had started to develop disappear again, and neither side were able to gain any advantage in the closing exchanges of the game.

Derby will be disappointed not to have taken a third try in the second half, which would have clinched the game, however Lutterworth’s successful conversions separated the two sides at the end of the game, as it finished 10 - 14.

The old adage that forwards win matches – and backs by how many points - was never more true than in this whistle infested match.

Chesterfield’s giant pack grunted and bashed its way around the field, but had no invention beyond their scrum half. Derby bristled with pace in a talented back line but failed to capitalise on their advantage out wide. Chesterfield took an early lead with a penalty following a Derby infringement, the sound of the referee’s whistle becoming increasingly incessant as the game wore on. This staccato style of play seemed to interrupt Derby's thought processes and it was not until the 25^th minute that they finally got the ball through hands and to winger Vlod Surma for him to score wide out. The conversion was missed.

So here it seemed was the recipe for success. Win the ball and move it away from the Chesterfield pack. Sounds very simple.  But the score stayed the same until five minutes from the end when persistent battering of the Derby line by Chesterfield’s pack allowed them to score an unconverted try. In Derby’s defence several players were out of position in the forwards – an attempt to out fox the Leviathan’s from the town with the crooked spire. That didn’t work.

The Derby scrum was always under pressure, the line out suffered the same fate. Derby’s forwards were always scampering back and never really had a decent platform to launch their backs at speed and in space. All in all a very frustrating day at the office for Derby and their fans. Lets hope someone feels the backlash soon.  

Paviors made a better fight of this than the score line suggests, but an early try by Derby scrum half Tom Rusga settled the home sides nerves and paved the way for his team to settle into a sporadic stride. Paviors had no answer to the determination of the Derby backs, with centre Chris Ruggins scoring two tries, winger Vlod Surma one, and number eight Ryan Holmes completing the total. Derby had less luck with their conversions tally, only one kick adding a further two points to their score. 

All in all a good Sunday morning’s work  for Derby – and a match which was played in a good competitive spirit by both teams, even though they had to move pitches after a Paviors player sustained a neck injury and could not be moved until, the ambulance arrived. We wish him a speed recovery.  

On a brilliant late autumn day the lads travelled down the road to Chellaston, (a place regarded as suburban by many but one viewed by the parents as having a positive allure compared to the oft visited tracts of Lincolnshire), to play Melbourne.

The pitch was good and the teams eager.

Using a range of players over the two halves of the match the team competed well throughout. In the forwards especially, strength and technique was required to overcome stubborn and committed opposition.

The rewards came through three tries in the first half and two in the second which were shared between Vlod Surma, Tom Thompson and Josh Harvey. Enan Kenyon chipped in with three good conversions.

It was an enjoyable match which provided a good workout for the challenges to come over the next few weeks. 

For the first half it was fairly even, with Derby taking an early lead through a set move allowing Ryan Jones to crash over the line and score. Enan Kenyon converted. Lincoln replied with a try which left a half time score line of 05 -07 to the visitors. The match was marred by some poor discipline from Lincoln, the penalty count against them and a sin binning of one of their players telling its own story, even to the casual observer. 

The second half however belonged to the home side. From the start they penned Derby into their own half, notching up tries through Derby mistakes and their own hard work. It’s difficult to put a finger on why Derby failed to fire after the turn round. The reasons why made for long and sober discussions on the journey back. There are some, but thankfully, they are not too complex.   That’s not to take anything anyway from Lincoln who found an extra gear or two in their back line as the game went on, scoring some free running tries. And Derby are not suddenly a bad side. The players and coaches will look back and I’m sure re-assess their strengths, make a few tweaks here and there, and come back all the stronger. Lincoln I’m sure will take great satisfaction from this victory. They’d have been kicking themselves if they’d lost. 

No real roar from a Lions side who were brushed aside by Derby, who racked up first half  tries through Chris Ruggins(2) Ryan Holmes(2) and Jordan Hughes, Enan Kenyon converting one.

The most spectacular sound after the turn round was the show laid on by the weather, with thunder, lightning and torrential rain soaking the players and spectators alike. Leicester tried to breach the Derby line, but the half stayed scoreless, thanks to some stout defence.

The weather certainly helped liven up the affair, particularly in the case of Derby prop Joe Pass’s dad Colin, who came to Leicester dressed for a balmy summer’s day, clad only in a T shirt and trousers. He won the Mr Wet Tee Shirt contest hands down. As Billy Connelly wryly observed there’s no real bad weather – just bad clothing. I’m sure Colin will address the issue as winter draws on!