Simon Clayton-Hibbott ('Hibby')
Rugby Career (1977-2001)
- Start of Rugby Career
- Started playing rugby in 1977 for Tynedale Under 9's.
- Played against Northern in first cup final - winning 8-0 (as
usual Tynedale's goal-kicking wasn't vey good!).
- Coach was Alan Bowman and fellow team mates included Andrew
Dixon, Lewis Richardson, Nick Johnson and Andrew Graham.
- First Senior Match
- First senior match was for Tynedale 2ndXV in 1986 - can't
remember the opposition but do remember Barry Hope pulling his
hamstring walking down the steps onto the pitch.
- Team mates on that occasion included Jimmy Batton (alias Chris
Richardson), Kevin Marshall, Angus Herdman, Andrew Cuthbertson,
Martin White, Johnny Mathews, Craig Johnston and Billy Robson.
- Tynedale First XV Debut
- Made 1stXV debut against the Northumberland County XV in a
warm-up match - Tynedale won.
- First time in 1stXV squad was away to Otley for Tynedale's
first ever league fixture. (Don't know who was more pissed, Micky
Lee or the bus driver - also a game Huw Mainwaring would like to
forget about!)
- Final Game
- Final game was against Stourbridge - a defeat as I remember.
Spent most of the game tackling and more tackling.
- Clubs I've Played For
- Tynedale
- Ohaeawai (New Zealand)
- Bath
- Scottish Exiles
- Scottish Exiles U21's
- Northumberland
- Northumberland U13, U16, Colts(1986-89), U21
- North of England Colts(1987-89)
Most Memorable Matches
- Playing at Twickenham for Northumberland in the County
Championship Final.
- Playing at Lansdowne Road for the Scottish Exiles.
- Playing at Okara Park for Ohaeawai.
- Tynedale against Hull Ionians (twice) in promotion season.
- County Cup Final against Newcastle Gosforth in 1993.
- Semi Final of County Cup against Newcastle Gosforth in 1992.
- Favourite Grounds (other than Tynedale Park)
- Okara Park, Whangarei, New Zealand
- Northumberland's old County Ground
Least Favourite Ground
- Broughton Park's ground, "dogshit alley" - need I say more !!
Favourite Coaches
- Iain Harris - excellent, more than can be said about his
drinking!!
- Alan York - he taught me to pass and kick the ball.
Favourite Captain
- Alan Gledson - he led from the front and by example.
Favourite Players I have played with
- The Ohaeawai team.
- James Ponton
- Angus Herdman
- Richard Cramb
- Iain Harris
- Freddie Woodman (ex All Black)
- Peter Walton
- Dick Parker
- Epi Taione
- John Fletcher
- Stevie Bowen - even though he is Welsh !!
- Most Memorable Tries I've scored
- My second try against Sandal (2000-2001) - From the base of a
ruck I broke right, kicked the ball one side of the winger &
ran the other side of him & from the 10 metre line beat the
full back to the touch down.
- Winning try against Berwick in 1996 County Cup Final - broke
blind and scored from about 40 metres out. (These two tries are
memorable because I was never reowned for my pace)
- Against Fletch and the England 'A' team - I just ran at the
one I knew didn't like tackling very much !
Memorable Personal Performances
- Against England 'A' in the R.F.Oakes Memorial Match.
- For Ohaeawia against Otamatea in a Grand Final.
- Tynedale 2nd XV Cup Final at County Ground in 1988.
- 1992 semi-final against Newcastle Gosforth.
- 1993 Final against Newcastle Gosforth.
- One or two games in our promotion season!!
Worst Personal Performances
- Too many to mention !!
- Halifax 1989
Most Difficult Opposition Player
- Ian Williams, a No 7, he played for Wigton, Liverpool St
Helens, Newcastle Gosforth and Cumbria.
Best Scrum Half I've played against
- Steve Douglas, a very good all round player.
Hardest Opposition Player
- Ian Williams, steve Douglas and a guy who played No 8 for
kaitaia - I think he was called Don Stephenson and he was a very
hard Maori.
Best Fly Halves I've partnered
- Tony Drayder
- Jamie Paton
- Richard Cramb
Most Memorable Moments
- Captaining Tynedale in the 1999-2000 season
- Being the first Tynedale captain to pick up the County Cup
twice.
- My New Zealand tour in 1991
- The county tour of USA in 1997.
Favourite Referee
- Has to be Mr Andrew Tong - he did send me off but he's now my
boss !!!
Least Favourite Referee
- I thought they were all excellent !!!!!!!!!!
Funniest Memories
- Being in selection with John Shotton - his descriptions of
some situations and players abilities are just amazing !!!
- Bullet - he always made me laugh at training and always kept
the bus amused on away trips.
Hardest Opponents
- Has to be Worcester - they were so professional, fit and big!
It was good for us to score an excellent try against them.
Hardest Matches
- 1993 Cup Final against Newcastle Gosforth - a draw after extra
time (we could have won had the goal kicker on the day kicked all
his kicks -I wonder who that could have been....Simon !)
- A game against Macclesfield when I played two thirds of the
game with a broken jaw.
Worst Match
- Probably against Halifax in 1989 among many others.
Worst Memories
- Not too many - just the number of penalties I gave away, but
then again I did earn a few !!
Best Memories
- Making so many friends due to rugby.
- Getting the chance to travel thanks to rugby.
- Knowing people have enjoyed the way I played the game.
Any Regrets
- That I didn't meet up with Kirk Barclay (fitness coach) when I
was a bit younger - then perhaps I could have played a little
higher standard.
- Never being consistent enough to have been Tynedale's Player
of the Year.
What Do I Miss Most About Not Playing
- The crack on training nights.
- The actual training !!!
- The buzz I got out of playing, scoring or putting a good solid
tackle in.
What Do I Enjoy About Not Playing
- Waking up on a Sunday morning and NOT feeling as if I've been
kicked from one end of the pitch to the other.
A Few People Who Have Influenced My Career
- Mum and Dad - got me started playing.
- John Shotton - helped me at Tynedale.
- Edward Robson - got me the chance to go to New Zealand.
- Don and Flick Jack - they looked after me in New Zealand.
- Keith Laidler - got me my England Colts trial.
- Kirk Barclay - kepy me fit towards the end of my career.
- AND MANY MANY more folk as well.