Cambridge Rugby is delighted to share more information on a brand-new side to be added to the current set up for 2023/24 – the 1923s.
In celebration of our centenary season, the new side will feed into the club’s senior rugby pathway, in line with our new RFU Championship status.
The Championship Development team, named the ‘1923s’ in recognition of our centenary year, is aimed at young aspirational players across Eastern Counties who are working towards a Championship and/or National One playing standard.
The 1923s, will train as part of a senior squad with the 1st XV on a Tuesday and Thursday evening, and will benefit from the excellent provision of coaching, medical care, and strength and conditioning. Contracts will be offered to players attaining the required standard.
In what is a huge milestone for the club, as they begin their second century, the new team will also benefit from the investment in the coaching set up to support it. Taking the charge as Head Coach of the 1923s is Ben Scully who joins the club with a wealth of experience.
Previous Head Coach roles at Norwich, Colchester and Sudbury are not the only accolades Scully’s CV boasts but also a tenure with the RFU where he undertook an internship under Eddie Jones for the senior England men’s team in 2016 and a three-year stint on the international circuit as Head Coach for Norway between 2017 and 2020.
Ben will be supported across the season by the rest of the senior Championship coaching squad and is looking forward to welcoming and developing the Blood and Sand’s next generation of senior players.
The new squad will play 10 competitive fixtures in a local league and take on a further six to eight traditional fixtures across the year, some of which the club has enjoyed in the past. The fixtures, aimed at challenging the young side, will include the historic clash against Cambridge University and new match ups against other Championship Academies.
Speaking about the new team, Championship side Head Coach Richie Williams said;
“This is not only an opportunity for our own colts and club members to benefit from an enhanced pathway to the 1st XV, but also for the many players across Eastern Counties who aspire to play at a higher level and benefit from improved standards of coaching, training, and performance programmes.”
Club Chairman Tim Hague is excited at the prospect a new side brings to the club;
“We feel a level of responsibility to represent the Eastern Counties area in the Championship, which means we should facilitate a pathway which widens the access and opportunity for many more to get involved. The 1923s does exactly that, and it also provides a clearer identity for our Exiles to push forward with social rugby and continue to develop.”
For players who are aspiring to play Championship standard rugby over the next few year (especially those aged under 24), please contact Dick Tinley on 07866 731914 or info@tinleyeco.co.uk