Achievements bring a lift-off for the Rockets
2018 was always going to be an important year for Northumberland club Cramlington Rockets.
Having been crowned National Rugby League Club of the Year in October 2017, the question the club’s leadership had to answer was: “what comes next?”
The answer was simply more of the same.
International call-ups were again a theme for the club, with seven players representing England Youth, Scotland Under-16s and Under-19s and Great Britain Pioneers.
Lewis Davey captained the Pioneers in the first ever international test match in Turkey.
Closer to home, more than 20 Rockets progressed to the Newcastle Thunder Academy and enjoyed a successful year which featured a number of Super League Academy scalps - including a famous win over Leeds Rhinos.
Two players made the step up to the first team, Oliver Gowing in particular impressing and picking up Thunder Under-19s’ Players’ Player of the Year Award.
With the Rockets’ under-16s becoming the first North East side to reach the Yorkshire Cup final after finishing third in the Yorkshire Premier League, head coach Jordan Robinson was appointed coach of Scotland Under-16s.
The Rockets also reached three more finals and finished in the top four of the Men’s Premier League.
There were a number of individual honours across the year.
Under-16s’ player Alex Donaghy was named a Sport Newcastle Rising Star, adding to his Thunder Under-16s’ Players’ Player of the Year accolade.
Clubmate Mark Roberts picked up the Thunder Under-16s’ Coaches’ Player of the Year Award.
Sarah Stephenson was named North East Volunteer of the Year for her work as team manager of the club’s under-12s and Lochlann Thomson was named North East Under-12s’ Player of the Year reflecting his team’s victory in the North East Cup Final for a second year running.
A large part of the Rockets winning its national accolade was due to the work of its community team.
One of its greatest achievements in 2018 was launching SENsational - a new programme bringing all its disability coaching under one umbrella.
Bellway Homes and Nando’s were additions to its roster of corporate partners, the Nando’s-inspired Barci’s Buddies positive lifestyle programme proving a major success.