Pre Season – Chinnor Vs Caldy
This weekend sees the last of the pre-season warm up sessions for the Ravers ahead of their opening fixture at Paton Field at 3 pm on Saturday 19 September against Hartpury. Before this opening Elior Champ match the senior squad will be stress tested during a 48-hour period with a combined closed training session with Sale Sharks today (Friday 11 September) at their Carrington training ground and then on Saturday 12 September 2026 a journey to Thame in Oxfordshire for the final warm up fixture against Champ rivals Chinnor.
Caldy’s Head Coach Matt Cairns expects to take 30 players to each session with a degree of overlap amongst these squads. “We have just over a week before it all starts in earnest and both these sessions will help us prepare for our opening clash with Hartpury. Experiencing the professionalism and standards of training with Sale Sharks and the intensity of a match against Chinnor will signpost the standards we will need to reach and maintain in an increasingly competitive Elior Championship”
Matt has selected the squad below for tomorrow’s match:
It took 25 years, six promotions and one historic game against Sale FC for Caldy to climb from level 8 North West 2 up to level 2 the Elior Champ. Arriving at this level was an extraordinary feat for a small Wirral rugby club, but staying and being competitive in the Champ for the last 4 seasons has been truly exceptional.
A common denominator in that epic match against Sale FC and in the subsequent four seasons has been the massive vocal support from the Wirral public who have made Paton Field one of the most intimidating and formidable venues for visiting teams Elior Champ.
In April 2022 the crowd of 3,000 + swept the Ravers to victory over a hugely strong Sale FC and on to promotion, but when Caldy’s first ever fixture in what was then called the Championship came around on 10 September 2022 no one really knew what to expect and least of all Caldy.
On a truly glorious September day in 2022, the Ravers’ first ever Champ opponents were Hartpury and the Wirral public turned out in force. Some 1,500 Ravers supporters supplemented by a dozen bemused and unexpected Danish LFC fans who came to Paton Field to watch some live sport after their pilgrimage to Anfield had been cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Although the home side were narrowly beaten 22-33 by Hartpury their Director of Rugby John Barnes knew they had been in a battle “We are pleased with the bonus point win. It was a tough and competitive game in a glorious setting against a resolute well supported Caldy side. We have hugely enjoyed the Paton Field experience.”
On Saturday September 19th, Caldy will surely want to make the whole Paton Field experience more intimidating, less enjoyable, for travelling Hartpury side.
Four years ago, the accidental dozen Danes also loved their Paton Field experience, rubbing shoulders with their all-time hero LFC legend and Ravers’ supporter Robbie Fowler and so enjoying their Paton Field experience they came again to a Champ game later in the season.
For the last four years Paton Field and the intimidating passion and noise from the Bank and Party Stand have spurred on the Ravers and discombobulated visiting sides. Many marque sides have succumbed at Paton Field, Ealing, Bedford, Cornish Pirates, Nottingham among them and who can forget the huge fright that the Ravers and their supporters gave to Worcester Warriors last year at Paton Field. However, it took nearly 4 years for the Ravers to eventually get the better of Hartpury eventually winning 20-17 at Paton Field in April of this year.
On Saturday 19th September Hartpury are the visitors to Paton Field in the first game of the 26/27 Champ season. The Ravers are sure to have a number of new young players in the match day squad who have never experienced the special atmosphere created by the Bank and the Party Stand and Caldy’s Director of Rugby Gareth Davies knows just how important that a big Wirral support will be for this fixture.
“Our home support is vital, particularly at the start of a new campaign. There is no doubt we need a big crowd to kick us off and provide the support we need against a very tough opponent. It all starts in earnest at 3 pm on Saturday 19th September against Hartpury”.
Saturday September 19th will be a great occasion, marking the fifth year for Caldy in the Elior Champ. Be Part of what makes the Paton Field atmosphere so special!
Community Rugby – Sunday 13th September
Another season is upon us! The RFU have ensured that the drought swiftly ended with curtailing competitive matches until the end of the month, but that will not get in the way of the friendly fest that is Minis and Juniors rugby as long as the ground will take a stud!
Another training weekend this Sunday prior to our first games vs Anselmians next Sunday. The cricket season is still running, so our pitches around the cricket square are out of bounds.
Junior Colts kick off their season with a friendly game at home vs Crosby St Marys – kick off at 12.30pm on Pitch 3. I am sure they would appreciate any support for their first Colts game!
This Sunday pitch allocations
u6s, u7s, u8s, u9s training at home on the Ponderosa pitches
u10s, u11s training at home on Pitch 3, u12s training at home on Pitch 2
Girls training at home on Pitch 2 from 12.00 noon
u13s training on CGGS Glasspool Pitch 2, u14s training on CGGS Glasspool Pitch 3
u15s, u16s training on CGGS Glasspool Pitch 1
u17s Junior Colts at home v Crosby St Marys on Pitch 3 kick off 12.30 pm
u18s Senior Colts training – no game
Good luck to everyone & enjoy your rugby this weekend !
But please remember “No referees, No games” – disrespect or verbal abuse of rugby match officials is totally unacceptable & has no place in rugby.
Maffa’s Miles for Maggie’s
Good luck, Maffa !
Caldy Rugby Club’s very own Maffa Green is swapping the rugby pitch for two wheels this September, as he takes on the rather ambitious challenge of cycling 300km from Paris to London in just three days, from 19th – 21st September, all in aid of Maggie’s Cancer Charity.
For those who know Maffa, he’s no stranger to Caldy Rugby Club. A former First XV player, Minis Chair and coach of the new U12 Girls team, Maffa has seemingly decided that running around a rugby pitch wasn’t quite enough exercise !
A trimmed-down, leaner and slightly less mean version of Maffa has spent the last five months in training, putting in the miles in preparation for the challenge.
Go well, Maffa — and remember… it’s all downhill after Paris ! Good luck from everyone at Caldy Rugby Club !
One for your diary, Sunday 20th September – Oxton Parkonians Colts v Caldy Colts
This pre-season match is a week on Sunday at Oxton Parkonians RFC when we take part in a memorial game to help Parks raise funds following the recent passing of their head coach Dave Corker.
Dave, whose son plays fly half for their junior colts, was a great guy and the driving force behind Parks success through the mini and junior age grades. Dave and his team were regulars at our Caldy junior festivals and we have had a relationship of mutual respect and support for many years. We are honoured to have been asked to support their memorial match, and I want to encourage Caldy rugby fans to come along to support the event.
A celebration of the life of Richard Henry Williams
Family, friends and members of the community are warmly invited to join us at Caldy Rugby Club on Friday 18th September from 4pm for an evening of choir and live music, with tributes to Richard at 5.30pm.
No flowers, please. Donations are gratefully received in Richard’s memory for the Caldy Playing Fields Trust and the RNLI.
All are welcome, with no dress code.
