Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Kent trio among arrivals
RUGBY: CANTERBURY BRING IN A RAFT OF NEW FACES INCLUDING SPANISH INTERNATIONAL BACK Hockey
Canterbury Rugby Club have announced five major additions to the senior squad ahead of the 2016-17 season and will add a sixth in September with a strong emphasis on local talent.
Arriving at The Marine Travel Ground are Kent County players Hugh Mccormick-huston, an open side flanker, wing/full back Jonathan (JJ) Murray and prop Aaron Cooper.
They will be joined by Spanish international back Nil Baro Mestro and English- born scrum-half Kyan Braithwaite from South Africa.
The squad will be further strengthened next month by second row man Glyn Edwards who joins brother Tyler, who was recruited last season.
In another significant move, Kent back row or second row man Max Cantwell has signed for the club on a permanent basis after completing a season’s loan from Old Elthamians
Mccormick- Huston ( Old Col feians) and Mur ray ( Tonbridge Juddians) were both part of the Kent side which reached a Twickenham final last season and won promotion to the County Championship competition’s top division.
Cooper, who joins from the Dover club, toured Argentina with Kent early in July.
Commenting on the new arrivals, Canterbury’s head of rugby, Andy Pratt, said: “I’m looking forward to seeing our new signings pulling on the Canterbury shirt.
“Our future at this level depends upon local Kent players such as Aaron, Hugh and JJ and I’m sure they will acquit themselves well at this level.
“Kyan is a young man who comes over with real potential and we hope to be an important part of his development as a player and as a person.”
The build-up to the city club’s new season takes in three preseason matches this month.
Home games against National Division 1 side Esher (August 13) and Westcombe Park (August 20) are followed by a visit to Southend on Saturday, August 27. Mel Clewlow admits next season could be a transitional one for Canterbury Ladies but she hopes some of the club’s emerging players will seize the chance to make a name for themselves.
The Canterbury squad has undergone something of an overhaul this summer with player-coach Jen Wilson, Susie Rowe, Kirsty Greaves and Alice Brown among those who have left.
Rowe and Greaves have both gone to Kent rivals Sevenoaks where Wilson is now player-coach while Brown is looking for a team nearer where she works in London.
Cara Brogan-jones is unlikely to play first team hockey after giving birth last year while Hayley Turner is still awaiting clearance to play after missing the whole of last season with concussion.
With South African Line Malan currently sidelined with a torn Achilles and doubts about the availability of Susannah Townsend after the Rio Olympics it’s easy to see why Clewlow feels this season could be one of consolidation for Canterbury.
The 40-year-old defender and former captain, who has recently taken over as ladies’ chairman, said: “We’ve been fortunate to have kept the majority of the squad together for six or seven years.
“We’ve had a core group who have remained the same and at the same time we’ve been able to drip feed in the youngsters like Eliza Brett, Lizzie Neal, Lucy Hyams and before them, Grace Balsdon.
“This summer we’ve probably lost more players than we are used to losing but this is a chance for some of the youngsters and the other players coming through to stake a place for a shirt.
“Our view is that you don’t just get handed a first team shirt, you have to earn it and we hope some of the players who have been on the fringes will see this as an opportunity to push themselves forward.”
Clewlow – who will be part of the BBC hockey commentary team for the Rio Olympics – admitted it was a shame Wilson had left Polo after achieving so much success in her three years as coach but she says the club are close to appointing her successor.
The new man is expected to combine his ladies’ coaching duties with playing for the men’s first team and Clewlow said: “Jen did not leave until the end of May so we’re chuffed to have got the person we have in the time scale we were left with.
“He’s got a few loose ends to tie up his end and then hopefully we can make an announcement.”