AS rugby players throughout the land awaken from their summer slumber the brave battlers from Bowdon suddenly realise that the season in almost upon us and there is much preparation still to do.

Training is now in full swing and several new players have been added to the squad to strengthen the clubs playing potential.

New club captain Mike Fogarty is very upbeat about the clubs prospects this season and having looked at the fixture list says that there is no-one in our league that we cannot beat.

The early highlight of the season will be the visit to the Isle of Man to play Douglas on October 2 and a mini tour is planned.

Further plans include a good run in the Tetley Vase and also in the Cheshire Cup which this year returns to the old format of all teams in the same draw giving small clubs a chance to be drawn against a seeded club in the later rounds.

Regretable the Bowdon club suffered from the attentions of an arsonist over the close season but even now plans are well advanced for the club to rise from the ashes like a Phoenix and the facilities will eventually be the best that the club will have ever enjoyed.

The Archery club which is a much respected part of the club suffered the worst loss but the new indoor range will be the finest in the country and the whole Archery club a centre of excellence for the whole of the North of England and will certainly produce sportsmen and women of Olympic standard.

Once again this season the fun factor will be of paramount importance at Bowdon although we like to win whenever possible.

No paid players, no paid coach, just good competitive rugby.

If you want to get back to this great and noble game in the spirit of how things used to be, then come on down.

Bowdon battlers swing into action

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.