Meet the People
John Austin
(President)
- From Kent
- Makes a living out of
breaking rocks.
- Sacrificed his rugby
career at Percy Park - played on with knee ligament damage in case
the opposition reversed a 50 point winning margin. (On the
recommendation of the match medical expert of the day - J B
Shotton Esq.)
- Favourite Meal: Raw
sausages after 9 or 10 pints - just before bed time.
Immediate Past
Presidents
Richard Halford and Ian Blyth
Keith
Johnson (Captain, 2nd Row)
- DOB: 09.11.76
- Ex-Colts Captain
- South Tyne Farmer
- Fittest player at
Tynedale but spends a lot of time with the Physio.
Steve
Olivier (Coach)
- Character assasination
"under construction"!
Alan
Gledson (Chairman of Senior Rugby)
First XV Coach
- Tynedale's 1st XV hooker
and captain for many years - also played for and captained
Northumberland for umpteen seasons.
- Coached Tynedale Colts
before becoming a successful coach at Northern and has coached
Northumberland for the past few seasons. Came home at the start of
the 1997-1998 season .
- Hard-up ex-farmer from
Wark.
- Strong, charismatic
personality - a legend in his own lifetime.
- Greatest achievement:
Becoming a successful rugby coach at Northern without anyone being
able to understand a word he said.
- Favourite player: Steve
Bainbridge
- Pleasures - drinking a
lot of beer and smoking a lot of cigars.
- Favourite song: "The
Blaydon Races"
- Contact
details
Keith
Laidler ( Management Committee)
- Ex-mountaineer who
damaged himself bouncing off cliff faces.
- No of replacement body
parts: unknown.
- Hobbies: Rugby, Fell
Walking, Drinking, Spilling Drinks.
- Has strong
anti-Conservative political tendancies. (haven't we all?)
- Tynedale RFC's main
peacekeeper.
Neil Foster
- Age 31 - going on
43.
- A Southerner - migrated
up north from Lancaster.
- Unpromising rugby career
cut short by injury - renowned for the games he missed rather the
the ones he played in.
- Playing career at TRFC
lasted only 3 minutes before dislocating his knee.
- Nickname: Lord Corbridge,
Shedfull (eh?)
- Hobbies: Hunting,
Shooting, Fishing, wearing stupid trousers.
- Favourite Music: Travis,
James, Paul Weller.
Tony
Coates

- Past-President
- Local Tycoon.
- Strongly challenging
Keith Laidler for the 'Bionic Man of Tynedale' title.
- Greatest Sporting
Achievement: Taking 10 wickets in a match and getting a mention in
Wisden. (I can only assume they couldn't handle his stock delivery
- the 'full toss').
- Holds the world record
for the most times a cricketer can blow his nose during the course
of a match.
- Sporting Hero: Tiger
Woods - he does in fact model his own golf swing on that of
Tiger.
- An ardent Newcastle F.C.
who fan used to support Sunderland F.C.!!!!
Douglas
Hamilton 
- Life member of
Club
- Past player, past
Captain, past Coach, past Chairman of Selectors, past Treasurer,
past County President, past Club President, past Chief Executive,
past
it, etc etc -
basically Douglas has done it all.
- Known as : "Duggy"
- Semi-retired Accountant,
Company Director
- Previous Clubs: Tynedale
only - a lifer.
- Hobbies: Bird Watching,
Walking, Drinking.
- Contact
details
Andrew
Cuthbertson 
- "Cubby"
- A very promising full
back whose career was cruelly halted at a young age by a severe
knee injury and an unsympathetic surgeon.
- Contact
Details
John
Shotton (Vice-President)
Chairman of Senior Rugby
- Very promising playing
career halted at an early age by serious knee injury.
- Past Club: Durham City -
Played only 20 minutes for Tynedale before being sent off.
(unfairly for head butting opposition player and knocking several
of his teeth out)
- Education: Expelled from
Durham School
- Sales Director for Agma
Chemicals Plc
- Married to Karen and
Tynedale Rugby Club.
- Hobbies: Phoning people
up, making chutney.
- Strengths: Energy,
enthusiasm, a hard forehead.
- Weaknesses: Prone to
slight exaggeration plus occasionally swears in public.
- Pleasures: Posing,
Blaydon losing, Newcastle Falcons losing.
- Favourite sayings: "He'
got more chance of a knighthood", "He'll never kick this as long
as I've got a hole in my a***", "If that's for me I'm not
here!"
- Contact
details
Mathew
Carter (Coaching Coordinator)
- Durham County YDO
- Played rugby for
Liverpool, Durham City, Northern and Tynedale
Wallace
Cousin (Chairman of Selectors)
Andy Deacon
(Chief Executive)
John Clark
(Colts Chairman)
- "Clanky"
- Life Member
- John is the man behind
Tynedale's successful Colts setup. For the past 25 years John has
succeeded in providing true Colts rugby for youngsters in the
Tynedale area - a feat envied and admired by many. John is
responsible for the life line of Tynedale Rugby Club.
- Contact
Details
Peter
Robertson (Deputy Chief Executive)
- A mainstay of the Club -
ex-President, currently on the Executive Committee
- Nicknames : Peter gets
called many names - none of which are printable here!
- Peter introduced Tynedale
to coaching in the early 70's - filling the head coaching role for
many years. During his 30 years at Tynedale Peter has missed very
few training nights.
- Another Tynedale "Jock",
Peter hails from the Borders and represented Hawick with
distinction before losing the sight of one eye. A member of
Hawick's all-conquering 7's side Peter was also close to
international recognition before his career was cut short.
- Took up refereeing and
became one of Scotland's top referees - he now occasionally
assesses referees in Scotland.
- Hobbies: Moaning,
upsetting people, generally being a dour 'Border' Jock.
- Favourite saying: "He'll
have to have his card marked"
- Weaknesses: Smelly
feet
- Pleasures: Taking his
shoes off, Watching players vomit during training
- Contact
Details
Martin Hastie
(Team Secretary)
Team Secretary, Player (anywhere when short),
Referee (if required), Chauffeur (if needed), Barman (when
necessary), Groundsman (when wanted), Team Manager (when lack of),
Cook Chef
- Martin epitomises the
type of person on whom traditional rugby clubs depend
- Martin likes everyone
(apart from Thatcher and ...........)
- Achievements: Martin has
founded 6 different Leek Clubs to date and arranged 357 Leek Club
social outings (he is yet to grow his first leek!)
- Talents: A limitless
enthusiasm for socialising and enjoying himself (how the hell does
he afford it all). The ability to work a maximum of 4 hours every
day and have a minimum of two hour lunch breaks in the pub.
- Favourite saying: "I've
been saying that for years but nobody listens to me" (We do really
Martin)
- Weaknesses: Can't resist
the latest in Sports Designer fashion
- Contact
details
Jimmy Bell
(Chairman of Ground)
Life Member of the Club - Jimmy present
duties are "Chairman of Ground" and Colts touch judge
- Connoisseur of fine wines
and cheap plonk
- No, its not a wig - just
a dodgy photograph
- Contact
Details
John Lee
(Groundsman)
- Jimmy Bell's partner in
drink, prefers whisky
- Tynedale CC's scorer in
the summer
Mike
Coulson (Membership Sec, Vice-President)
- Semi-retired
teacher
- Fully retired referee
(thank God)
- Mike is a tremendous club
man - he'll collect glasses, compile match reports, referee Junior
matches, etc. etc.
- Likes to talk - has been
known to send Peter Robertson's glass eye to sleep
- Contact
Details
Peter Simpson
(FirstXV Manager)
- Ex-Soccer player
- Yet another possessor of
a dodgy knee.
- Personal chauffeur to Epi
and Soa
- Honours: "Most improved
cameraman of the year - 1999/2000", "Find of the Season
(1999-2000)"
Huw
Mainwaring
- Welshman
- Editor of our excellent
Newsletter
Emma
Hopkins (Physiotherapist)
- Fully qualified Physio
who is now a fully qualified Dentist.
- From the Coventry
area.
- Honours:
Backside(biggest) of the Year 1998, Slimmer of the Year
1999.
- Favourite Players:
??
- Favourite Club: Doncaster
and their humble Physio.
- Favourite Coach: Mick
Mahoney
- Greatest Achievement:
Fitting on the loo seat of a Wrights Executive Coach(1998).
- Weaknesses: Pace over the
first 20 metres, the second 20 metres, etc
- Strengths: Ability to put
up with crap like this.
Simon
Allen (Stand Off)

Aaron
Charlton (Hooker)
- DOB: 17.02.76
- Ex-Blyth
- Nickname: Savros
Mark
Clark (Second Row/Back Row)
Simon
Clayton-Hibbott (Ex-Scrum Half)
Scrum-Half
- DOB: 10.04.70
- Product of the
Mini/Junior section and Hexham HS.
- Previous
Clubs:
Bath, Ohaeawia
(club in New Zealand)
- Driver for Mathew
Charltons
- Known as: "Hibby", "The
Ginger Ninja", "That Ginger Bastard"
- Single, girlfriend Kathy
plays second row for Novos Ladies.
- Hobbies: Irritating
people, trying to run through 16 stone forwards.
- Ambition: To go through a
season scoring more points than penalties conceded.
- Strengths: Tackling,
Physical contact, Tackling, Physical contact, Tackling ........
Simon is someone you'd always prefer to have on your side.
- Contact
details
Ian Donkin
(Scrum Half)
"Donk"
- DOB: 24.03.68
Keith
Dungait (Scrum Half)
- DOB: 24.07.1976
- Previous Club:
Morpeth
Scott
Ferguson (Full Back, Winger)
- DOB: 30.11.71
- Ex-Colt
- "Scotty" - the flying
postman
- Scotty is as "hard as
nails!"
- Hobbies: moaning,
whinging
- Ambition: to play in the
back row for Tynedale
- Favourite Pub: The Tap
and Spile, Hexham
Gary
Fleming (Centre)
- DOB: 13.04.72
- Ex-Colt
- Haltwhistle
lad
- Ambition: To play for Northumberland
John
Fletcher (Centre)
- DOB: 14.03.71
- Ex-Colt
- Nephew of the one and
only "H. G. Fletcher" - who?
- The second best centre to
have played for Tynedale called Fletcher.
- John toured Canada with
England whilst a Tynedale player.
- Ex-Northampton and
Newcastle
- Playing career cruelly
dissrupted by a serious leg fracture whilst at Northampton.
- Northumberland
YDO.
- Ambition: To be as big as
his brother.
- Personal Secret: He's not
as old as what people think or as overweight as what people
think.
- Brother of Mark.
Ed
Holmes (Back)

- DOB: 27.05.78
- Position: Winger,
Scrum-Half, Flanker or Hooker!
- Ex-Hexham H.S.
Chris Irving
(Raiders Skipper)
DOB: 25.12.70
- Position: 2nd Row
Simon Jewitt
(Back Row)
DOB: 26.10.77
- Ex-Mini/Junior
- Previous Club: Dundee
University
Alistair Johnson
(Prop)

- DOB: 20.08.80
- Ex-Colt
- Brother of our
skipper
Craig
Johnston (Winger & Fixture Secretary)
- DOB: 17.02.68
- Ex-Colt
- Ex-Club Captain
- Teacher
- Physical Feature: The
deepening and strengthening of Craig's voice as the night
progresses.
Micky Lee
(Back Row)
- DOB: 22.03.63
- Ex-Colts captain
- Millionaire farmer from
up the Shire
- Made his 1st XV debut in
1981 (as a tearaway flanker!)
- Hobbies: Rugby, rugby and
talking about rugby (+ drinking)
- Strengths: Self Analysis
- Achievements: So far this
season Micky has attended 32 training sessions but only trained
for 53 minutes
- Weaknesses: Micky hasn't
got any
- Most Memorable Moment:
Micky remembers once breaking sweat in a match against
Middlesbrough in 1987 (Nobody else remembers it!)
Stephen
Lumley (Back Row)

Fergus
Mitchell (2nd Row)
- DOB: 25.03.70
- "Doom"
- Ex-Newcastle
- Father figure/Property
Tycoon
Alan Moses
(Back)
- DOB: 16.01.74
- "Remi" - a teacher in
Newcastle
- Previous Clubs: Alnwick,
Selly Oak, Moseley
- Most difficult opponent:
John Sleightholme
- Hobbies: Golf,
Playstation games
- Strengths: Kicking a
rugby ball, strong vocal chords
- Favourite Singers: Bob
Marley, Stevie Wonder
- Favourite Rugby Player:
Jeremy Guscott
- Favourite Sportsman:
Mohammed Alli
- Favourite Food: Lamb
Dupiaza
Andrew
Murray (Back Row)

- DOB: 29.06.80
- Ex-Colt
- Brother of Jamie
Jamie
Murray (Back Row)
- DOB: 04.03.79
- Ex-Colt
- Brother of Andrew, son of
Gus
Edward
Parker (Hooker)

- DOB: 05.03.66
- Ex-Colt
- Richard's younger brother
- Farmer from the
'Shire'
- One club man
Richard
Parker (Loose Head)
- DOB: 24.12.59
- Ex-Colt
- Brother of Ed.
- Has played 1stXV rugby
now in four decades.
- Captained Tynedale and
Northumberland for several seasons
Richard Ponton
(Back Row)

Andy
Roberts (Winger)
DOB: 08.03.80
- Previous Club: Newcastle
Development Squad
Andrew
Robson (Back Row)
- DOB: 17.08.77
- Ex-Colt
- North Tyne lad with
strong Border Park connections
James Shotton
(Full Back/Winger)
- DOB: 21.09.76
- Ex Hexham H.S
- Tendency to try and upset
people - where can he get that from?
Graeme
Smith (Second Row)
Peter
Southern (Prop)
- DOB: 21.06.78
- Ex-Colt
- Nickname: "Bullet"
- Raiders Captain
(1999-2000)
Pete
Steadman (2nd Row)
DOB: 07.11.78
- Previous Club:
Northern
Steve
Turnbull (2nd Row)
DOB: 27.09.71
- Previous Clubs: Northern,
Border Park