Tynedale Raiders finished top of both the CaNDY 1 League and the Yorkshire & North-East Premiership (YNE) League, as well as taking the runner up spot in the Northumberland Rugby Merit (NRM) League.
The winners of the NRM League were Tynedale Hadrians!

Raiders got the 2’s season underway on 2nd September with a resounding win, away to Middlesbrough Wasps. Six young men made their debuts in adult rugby that day, one of whom was Nathan Abrams who claimed two tries to set him on a path to finishing the season as 2’s top try scorer. Quite an achievement, especially considering the strength of the 2’s squad!

Just two weeks later, on 16th September, Tynedale Hadrians were established as an additional '2XV' alongside Raiders, with the club proudly fielding five sides across its senior section that day. Tynedale 1's, Raiders and Colts hosted Wharfedale, Wharfedale Foresters and Gala respectively, while Hadrians made the short trip to Ponteland 2s, and Centurions travelled to Sunderland. Our two 2s sides won their matches convincingly, setting the tone for Raiders' and Hadrians' fortunes in the months to come.

Raiders hit a bump in the road as the Autumn receded, exiting the Senior Northumberland Rugby Cup at the hands of a strong Alnwick 1stXV side. Raiders led 12-5 at the break but Alnwick came back well in the second half to seal the win and deservedly progress to the final of the competition.

Nevertheless, both Raiders and Hadrians continued to blaze a trail in their respective leagues, with a combined 14 wins and two losses (one each) by the end of November.

December brought heartbreak, with the untimely passing of Rory Cramb. A wonderful player, shining role model and tremendous clubman, Rory was a true gentleman who made people smile, put others before himself, and was eternally popular with his teammates. Rory was a talented first team centre who happily served the 2’s whenever asked, making several Raiders appearances between September and December, and setting the very best example at all times, both on and off the pitch. Rory is already sorely missed, but he will forever be fondly remembered for the fine man that he was, through the annual presentation of the Rory Cramb Award, which has now been established to recognise the contribution of the outstanding clubman of the season, demonstrating the values that all at the club lovingly associate with Rory.

The second half of the season saw both Raiders & Hadrians not only fulfilling existing fixtures, but also hunting for additional matches to keep the momentum of both teams going. Both teams largely continued to dominate their encounters and, in the final reckoning, the 2’s finished the season with a combined record of W28 L9.

Along the way there were many fine contributions, starting with Raiders' Captain and back row forward Jacob Brown whose trademark enthusiasm, passion and determination never let up from start to finish. Jacob even stepped up in the final match of the season to play hooker in the 2nd half, which will not be forgotten when the 2s get going next season.

Second rower Harry Askwith, in his first full 2s season, made the most 2’s appearances of anyone, and set a very high bar with his performances, week in week out. Several 2]s players made the step up to 1’s during the season, on the back of their consistently excellent 2’s performances, including Euan Forlow, Joe Tully, Callum Burke, Nico Sykes and Tom Donnelly.

An extraordinary 107 players made appearances for the 2’s over the course of the season, including some of the club's current senior Colts and many regular Centurions, without whom the 2’s would have inevitably faltered.
The contribution of Tynedale's 3’s players, guided by Martyn Hastie and Martyn Hutton (one of the 107 himself) was simply immense.
Rob Earnshaw and Bill Hudson were always on hand to help run the 2’s teams, and club physios Cat Florek, Pete Hall and Frazer Bell took care of us wonderfully, as ever. Underpinning everything, the club's Director of Rugby, Peter Southern, worked tirelessly to find suitable matches as the 2’s strived to field 2 sides consistently. Bullet enthusiastically supported all of the 2’s efforts throughout the season and made it all work.

Special mention must go to an exceptional 2’s player who brings something special to Raiders. He is well known within the club for his kicking prowess, but he offers much more than that, with his powerful carrying and outstanding defensive work setting the standard in the back line. When he plays 10 it's like having an extra 12 on the pitch at the same time. Players are lifted when they see Cam Grant's name on the Raiders team sheet and his contribution to the team's success is paramount. Aside from his excellence in general play, Cam scored 188 points during the season, bagging seven tries and slotting home 76 swipes off the tee for a 78% kicking accuracy rate.

Finally, a word on youth. Tynedale 2's flourished not only through the endeavours of established players such as Brown & Grant, but also from the development of quality youngsters, seven of whom achieved recognition during the season by representing Northumberland County under 20's in the RFU's national Jason Leonard Championship. Furthermore, one of those seven, Jake Turnbull, was appointed the season's County u20's skipper. We look forward to welcoming our new crop of ex-Colts players into the 2’s setup in the summer to give them the same opportunities and to strengthen the club even further.

All in all, an outstanding season for the 2s, and a great foundation for Tynedale's ambitions in the season ahead!

TEAM HONOURS 2023/24
CaNDY 1 League Winners - Tynedale Raiders
YNE League regular season Winners - Tynedale Raiders
NRM League Winners - Tynedale Hadrians
NRM League Runners up - Tynedale Raiders

PLAYER HONOURS 2023/24
Player of the Season (Coach's Award) – Cam Grant
Forward of the Season (Players' Award) – Jacob Brown
Back of the Season (Players' Award) – Cam Grant
Most Tries – Nathan Abrams (16)
Most Points – Cam Grant (188)
Most Appearances – Harry Askwith (22)
Representing Northumberland County u20's – Nathan Abrams, Harry Askwith, Henry Hayes, Jamie Hiles, Will Jobling, Aaron Murray & Jake Turnbull (Captain)

Ian Hiles
Team Manager
Tynedale Raiders & Tynedale Hadrians
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