Newham Dockers Rugby League awards night

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The junior section of the Newham Dockers Rugby League Club held their presentation day on Saturday at their Memorial Park home.

The Dockers had a very good season in their first year of existence which included a full season for the under-14s and six games for the under-12s.

With eight games also completed by the senior section, chairman Steve Davis believes the foundations have been laid for a successful future.

He said: “The club was set up at the end of December 2011 and we had a very short turnaround to get teams up and running for the start of the season in March.

“The 14s got to the starting line but unfortunately the 12s were not ready in time to enter the league. They did, however, go on to play six games against sides that had bye weekends in the league.”

The 14s registered their first win in the preliminary round of the London Junior League Challenge Cup and coach Chris Williams was impressed with the rapid development of the new players.

He said: “It was very satisfying to see the group develop from newcomers to skilled players in a very short time.

“The club had three players selected for the regional Player Development Centers, which is a weekly development programme run by the Rugby Football League to offer specialised coaching for talented players.”

Dockers under-12s coach Ashley Greaves was head coach of the North Origin under-12s representative squad, which along with the under-18s squad was the only team to earn a series victory against their south-of-the-river opponents.

The Dockers are already preparing for 2013 and are contemplating the introduction of under-16 and under-18 sides to their ranks.

Davis added: “We are aiming to become a strong influence in the community for junior sports participation.”

The presentation day saw players awarded trophies at both age groups for Coaches’ Player, Best Attacker, Best Defender and Best Player, as well as an additional club award for the Chairman’s Player.

The Dockers will start their pre-season training on Saturdays in January and will be looking for new players and volunteers to join their growing community.

For more information, contact Steve Davis at steve.davis@londonbroncosrl.com