What a great year 2023 has been! At the turn of the year, we had surprised ourselves to be in a healthy position in the league, after losing the first two games of the season. From there, we switched on and turned the screw, going on to win the league and gain promotion! That day in foggy Salcombe was certainly one to remember, as was winning away to Topsham II and away to Tamar Saracens.

The social has been second to none, not least thanks to Social Secretary, William Lloyd, but also, due to the fantastic bunch of people we have at the club at the moment. The Dinner Dance was held at the Duke of Cornwall and in my view, was the best for some time. Oktoberfest seemed to go down extremely well aswell! Well-done and thank-you to all involved.

Going forward, we have a fantastic coaching team in Deano and Jack… We have now supplemented this with the acquisition of Eddie McGinley, who will take on the role of ‘Backs Coach’. Hopefully, Eddie will invigorate the team and inject them with a fresh dose of something. Adding something extra to one of the most talented squads I’ve seen at the club in my 24 years. The Adult Men's section will be looking to push to have regular Chiefs and Wanderers squads into 2024 and carry on the great numbers that we have had toward the end of the year. Certainly, one of Deano’s pre-season objectives.

The Mini-Junior section continues to go from strength to strength (Cubs and Tigers). Karl, Nathan and all the coaches and volunteers have been fantastic this year, building a community around themselves. Enabling the volunteer-based model of running the clubhouse on a Sunday to work well. The tenacious attitude from Karl in keeping things going has shown great dividends with 9 age groups and over 150 active children. He continuously works to keep the cogs turning. From the youth section, we have seen the club both grow and knit together. We have gained adult men’s and women’s players from parents of our children. We have had current and former players join the coaching teams and really embed Argaum into their daily lives. Although, I should remain impartial, I can’t not comment on my u13s. They are turning into an awesome set of young men and their parents epitomise our club ethos of family and community. I know this will be mirrored within other age groups.

The Walking Rugby squad (The Drifters) has really settled itself. A successful tournament in Bodmin in the summer precludes future competitive outings. If there are any other walking rugby people out there reading that want a game, let us know. This autonomous section has grown it’s own leaders and out of it, we have found our club Treasurer (Bob) and helped sprout the new Women’s branch of our growing club. Thank-you to Adrian and Boothy, as well as the regulars, who seem to never be put off by the weather!

The new Women’s side, (the Tigresses) has had a lot of interest and a great soft launch in November saw a lot of keen ladies train for 6 weeks. Having had a rest for Christmas, we will be re-starting on 4th Jan, with a big Hard-Launch, hosting an RFU Inner Warrior event on the 11th Click Here for details.. Check out our socials for more info on this and any of our other sections (Adult Men, Junior, Walking). Alayna has been the driving force behind this and her enthusiasm has meant that we could do nothing, but give it a go. Never did I realise the underlying appetite that there is for this. It is awesome to hear the comments that have come from this group of inspirational women, and makes me very proud to be a small part of it.

Finally, for all those who have persevered with my mutterings… a great big thank-you to all of the #ArgaumFamily, be you a former player, a Chief, Wanderer, Cub, Tiger, Drifter, Tigress or a potential new member, for being part of this club. Thank-you to all of our sponsors and supporters, for contributing in a way that enables us to strive to be the best we can, and provide for our members. Thank-you to all of our Committee and Volunteers, who keep this machine both going and growing. I wish you a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, from all of my family, to all of yours!

Stuwie
Chair
Plymouth Argaum RFC