This Saturday we extend the warmest of welcomes to the players, officials and supporters of Fylde RFC who will be looking to continue their challenge for top spot in the league which has become very much a two-horse race.

The Fylde teams have always contrived to play attractive, attacking football, and over the 25 League matches played against Tynedale they have scored an average of 23 points per game.

THE FIRST MATCH - 1990
Tynedale’s first visit to Fylde’s Woodlands Memorial Ground was a friendly, played on the 10th February 1990.
Tynedale’s team that day included Mark Richard, recent President of the Northumberland Rugby Union plus Gary Taylor and Graham Yates, both Vice-Presidents of this club.
Also playing that day in the forwards were Steven Dunn, Richard Parker (the Captain that season), and Martin White, all of whom have sons, Graeme, Robert and Angus who are key members of the current 1stXV squad.

TYNEDALE v FYLDE MATCHES
The clubs next met on the 13th September 2003, with nine further league matches in the five years up to 19th April 2008. There was a three-season gap from then until October 2011 when the two clubs did not meet in league fixtures, although the teams played in a pre-season match at the Woodlands in August 2008.
When fixtures were renewed in 2011 the first match at Fylde was a very fine match which the home side won 39-28. Of the Tynedale squad that day two are still playing for Tynedale - Graeme Dunn and Jonathan Cousin, Mattie Outson plays for Bracknell RFC, whilst Chris Harris has gone on to play for Newcastle Falcons, Gloucester, Scotland and the British Lions.
There were then seven fixtures until 2015, when Tynedale were relegated from National One. Fylde followed in 2018, and the contests began again:-
2018-2019 Tynedale 59 Fylde 15
2018-2019 Fylde 31 Tynedale 5
2019-2020 Tynedale 27 Fylde 34
2019-2020 Fylde 50 Tynedale 10
2021-2022 Tynedale 24 Fylde 48
2021-2022 Fylde 38 Tynedale 26
2022-2023 Fylde 43 Tynedale 10

A total of 25 league matches played.
Fylde WON 13 (Points for 574)
Tynedale WON 11 (Points for 535)
One match drawn.

THAT DRAWN MATCH - 16th September 2006
Draws in rugby are fairly rare. In the last twenty-three years Tynedale have played 619 league matches; only 19 (under 3%) have ended as draws. The ending of this one at Fylde was not just unusual, but bizarre.
The match was tied at 14-14 right on full time when Tynedale were awarded a penalty under the Fylde posts. The referee indicated that this would be the last play of the match. Will Massey, Tynedale’s full-back and kicker, mistakenly thinking his side were leading 13-14 proceeded to kick the ball out of play to safeguard Tyne’s “victory”, much to the consternation of bemused players and spectators.

PROMOTION YEAR - 2008
One of Tynedale’s most memorable days came on the 19th April 2008, when after eight seasons in National Division Two (North) the Tyne team eventually won promotion to National League One. It was a great honour that Bill Beaumont of Fylde came to present the League trophy to the captain Phil Belgian, and gave medals to the members of the 1stXV squad and the coach Tom Borthwick. (He also came to watch his son Sam, who played for Fylde that day!)

SIR WILLIAM BEAUMONT
The name of Sir William Beaumont is synonymous with the Fylde club. He was a one -club man, who joined Fylde as a 17-year-old in 1969 and stayed until injury forced him to retire in 1982. He played for England 34 times, 21 times as Captain, captained the British Lions in South Africa. and was Manager of the Lions in New Zealand in 2004. He was Chairman of the Rugby Football Union from 2012 to 2016 and has been Chairman of World Rugby since 2016. Bill was knighted in 2019.

Last match between sides at Tynedale Park
The last time Fylde visited us was on 2nd September 2021 which as well as being the first match of the 2021-2022 season marked the return to rugby after the Covid pandemic and was also memorable for the fact the the Tynedale Beer Festival was on an adjoining pitch adding several hundred to the normal spectator numbers. Fylde won that match 48-24, the Tynedale squad that day being:-
Forwards Carmichael, Lowdon, Batey, Dunn, Wearmouth, Cousin, Wainwright, Bell
Backs J Outson, M Outson, West, Miller, Clark, Hutton, Cooke

Replacements Moloney, Craney, McCullough, Hutchison, Todhunter

This Season
This season the league leadership has been very much a two-horse race with Fylde competing with Sedgley Park for the one promotion spot. Interestingly Fylde host Sedgley Park next Saturday (March 4th).

The Fylde league results to date:-
Fylde 34 Chester 29
Preston Grasshoppers 6 Fylde 22
Fylde 74 Harrogate 5
Hull Ionians 31 Fylde 34
Fylde 42 Blaydon 7
Rotherham 16 Fylde 41
Fylde 43 Wharfedale 3
Fylde 43 Tynedale 10
Sedgley Park 30 Fylde 20
Fylde 57 Huddersfield 14
Sheffield 5 Fylde 24
Fylde 20 Sheffield Tigers 11
Harrogate 0 Fylde 52
Fylde 22 Hull Ionians 15
Blaydon 12 Fylde 31
Fylde 30 Rotherham 23
Otley 28 Fylde 27
Fylde 32 Preston Grasshoppers 29
Wharfedale 6 Fylde 24