HALTON FARNWORTH HORNETS arlfc
Cast your mind back to the 2007/2008 season.
It's when the HFH U15's embarked on an end of season tour to the Czech Republic to play a friendly game against Beroun. The U15's were also going to pay a cultural visit to Usti nad Labem, a town which was 'twinned' with Widnes.
And who would have thought news would be coming through now, of a newly formed rugby team in Usti nad Labem!
Well the news came in the form of an email from Andy Fairhurst, who at one time was the RFL's Czech Republic Rugby League Development Officer. Andy was in this post when the HFH U15's toured the Czech Republic.
Here is Andy's good news email of 14th January 2012:
"Hello again. An update following your trip in 2008; I left CZ later that year and was replaced by Andy Mulhall (in Cc) who set up a successful domestic comp (the Beroun team your lads played are still together, won the comp in 2010 and lost in the 2011 grand final). The most recent news is that Usti Nad Labem, the city we visited as part of the twin-town link, now have an open-age Rugby League team. I'm sure the guys at the new Usti club would benefit from getting in touch with an established RL team from the heartlands and there may be some link-ups you can work out in future that are of benefit to both clubs.
Out of interest I'm Development Manager at Broncos now, if you have any plans to come down for Widnes game and fancy a game against a London team let me know.
All the best,
Andy"
Neil Meadows, who was the Head Coach of the HFH U15's a the time, was notified of this great news as follows:
"Neil
It was a very big and great surprise when I opened the email below from Andy Fairhurst.
You will recall that Andy was the Czech Republic Rugby League Development Officer when the HFH U15's embarked on their end of season tour 2007/2008.
It's good to hear the Beroun team is still going strong. Could their success be down to the HFH Club sending their U15's across there in 2008 and showing the players' how it's done?
The Beroun players confidence must have been boosted not only from the experience of playing against the U15's but also from receiving the tackle shields and rugby kits, etc, which the U15's took across for the Beroun team.
Let's hope the HFH Club, along with the U15's efforts and sportsmanship, were contributory factors in what is obviously Beroun's continued development and success.
But as you will no doubt remember, it wasn't the Beroun team who the U15's visited first. No, it was the planned cultural visit to the Widnes twinned town of............... Usti nad Labem. To be precise, it was the school which the U15's visited, and we were greeted by the Lord Mayor of Usti nad Labem, Mr. Jan
Kubata.
Well the news is that Usti nad Labem now has an Open Age Amateur Rugby League team. Isn't that great news for RL? And all down to the HFH Club and the U15's spreading the word.
Once again as a token of generosity and thanks, the U15's left Usti nad Labem this time, a couple of rugby kits, HFH Club ties and more importantly rugby balls.
Rugby balls....................something which the kids at the school had never even cast eyes up on before. I remember the training sessions you held on the schools outdoor facilities. It was a red hot day, everybody there watching, and plenty of the school kids giving it a go. It was so funny seeing the Usti kids in fits of laughter themselves when they seen what a rugby ball can do when it hits the ground. They thought it was great fun, thinking the ball would be heading in their direction when it bounced off the floor but seeing it go haphazardly in any direction.
Well.......for the HFH players who then played for the U15's, for the HFH Club, for Halton Borough Council and for the town of Widnes, this certainly conjures up a sense of pride. It's a pride of knowing that a visit to this Czech town back in 2008, with the bearing of rugby gifts, has now grown into a
local rugby league sport.
If that's not a success story, I don't know what is. Congratulations to all those who were involved.
At some point Neil I'll add this story line to the HFH website. I'll also have it added to the Clubs Facebook wall. Through your communication channels, could you please broadcast this brilliant and
positive news to those players who actually went on the CZ tour?
As Andy says in his email, there could potentially be future link-ups waiting to be made between HFH and Usti nad Labem/Beroun. It certainly sounds as though there is one ready and waiting down London way!
John McMullen,
Hopefully this is a 'good news story' for the RFL. Could you please look towards having an article written and added to the RFL website? You could possibly seek further information from Andy Fairhurst if you felt the story needed additional facts. Your help in this matter would be highly appreciated.
Richard Stevens,
Since it was Halton Borough Council who awarded the HFH Club the 'twinning town' grant funding, I send this news as a positive reaction feedback. For HBC to know that the 'twinning' grant money has
resulted in this excellent news, can only be beneficial for all.
Finally, on behalf of the HFH Clubs Executive Team, I would like to thank everybody involved with the original Czech Republic tour. And to those folk who will now advertise this story line, and also to those people who just might take-up the challenge and continue this story, a sincere thank you and good luck.
HFH Club ET"
So all's well that ends well.....................yes it does but this story just might have many more miles left in it to run. Time, as it did in the first instant, will tell!
To view photographs from the 2008 Czech Republic tour, please CLICK HERE [OPENS IN A NEW WINDOW]