This Saturday we welcome the players, officials and supporters of our near neighbours Blaydon to Tynedale Park for the third of our three successive home fixtures.

TYNEDALE V BLAYDON OVER RECENT YEARS

2011-2012 Tynedale 34 Blaydon 25
2011-2012 Blaydon 25 Tynedale 19
2012-2013 Blaydon 15 Tynedale 10
2012-2013 Tynedale 13 Blaydon 19
2013-2014 Tynedale 25 Blaydon 24
2013-2014 Blaydon 51 Tynedale 7
2014-2015 Blaydon 15 Tynedale 10
2014-2015 Tynedale 17 Blaydon 27
2017-2018 Blaydon 12 Tynedale 33
2017-2018 Tynedale 32 Blaydon 31
2021-2022 Blaydon 19 Tynedale 14
2021-2022 Tynedale 27 Blaydon 24
2022-2023 Blaydon 26 Tynedale 30

Since Leagues were introduced in 1987 there have been 27 league matches between the two clubs, with 14 wins for Tynedale and 13 for Blaydon. Tynedale points 563: Blaydon even better on 578. It couldn’t be closer.
11 wins have been away from home. 6 for Tynedale; 5 for Blaydon. Home advantage never seems to mean much!

FOLLOW MY LEADER
Blaydon’s promotion in 2001 from North 1 followed Tynedale’s promotion in 2000, the previous season.
Then Blaydon’s 2007 promotion beat Tynedale by one year with Blaydon winning promotion to National One and Tynedale following in 2008.
Tynedale were demoted in 2015 from National One and Blaydon followed closely in 2017.
The two clubs’ paths through the leagues have, eerily, followed each other closely – both up and down!
Generally, the two clubs, whilst great rivals, often bring out the best in each other on the playing field, and in their aspirations too. Long may that rivalry continue.

BLAYDON RFC – A BRIEF EARLY HISTORY

• Isolated matches were played from 1880 by Blaydon Star.
• There is a continuous record from 1888 to the present day.
• Just like Tynedale the original Blaydon club had many junior clubs nearby and the original Blaydon Star played Benwell Juniors, St. Cuthbert’s (Shotley Bridge), St. Peter’s Institute (Jarrow), Jubilee Rovers, Stargate, Chopwell, Blackhill, Newcastle Rangers 3rd’s and Hexham Excelsior.
• In fact, Blaydon’s first recorded match against Tynedale district opposition was against Hexham Excelsior in 1888.
• By 1892, with Blaydon growing from a village to a town, Blaydon RFC, (who had dropped the ‘Star’ from their name) had three teams,
• Blaydon first played on Dick Gibson’s field at the Sandhole Path Head, adjoining the Summerhill in the grounds of Stella Hall.
• In 1893 the Blaydon club moved to the Racecourse on Stella Haughs. The famous Blaydon Races took place on this site until 1916. The Blaydon Rugby club moved to and fro between Blaydon Haughs (The “Spike”) and the Racecourse until 1908.
• Next to the Racecourse was the Sawmill ground, held by the Stella Coal Co. Ltd., but owned by the Townley Estates. As sub-tenants Blaydon RFC paid £5 per annum as rent.
• In 1952 the club moved to its present site at Crow Trees, Swalwell, when the Racecourse was purchased by the North Eastern Electricity Board to build the Stella Power Station (demolished in 1995).

RECENT DERBY MATCHES
Our derby matches have all been extremely close in recent seasons, the match at Blaydon earlier this season being no exception with Tyne holding on for a narrow 30-26 victory with Blaydon scoring 4 tries to Tynedale’s 3 tries - Jake Rodgers penalties making the difference. The last derby at Tynedale Park on 23rd April 2022 ended in another tight match, Tynedale edging a 27-24 Tynedale victory despite late Blaydon pressure on the Tynedale line.
The squads that day were:
TYNEDALE
Forwards: White, Fletcher, Caudle, Cousin, Wearmouth, Bell, Tiffin, Blackburn
Backs: Outson, Leslie, Todhunter, Miller, Clark, Cooke, Parker
Replacements: Carmichael, Johnston, Stanwix, Blackett, Wainwright

BLAYDON
Forwards: Brantingham, Winter, Dodds, Wright, Phillips, Varley, Harrison, Charlton
Backs: Clarkson, Marshall, Somersall, Clark, Cooney, Ashman, Stephens
Replacements: Thompson, Chaplin, Hall-Lyon, Appleton, Bailey

It’s fair to say that Blaydon have not had a good 2022-2023 season but, as they have shown in recent seasons, form goes completely out of the window in Tynedale/Blaydon derbies with Blaydon supporters, I’m sure, only wishing the Blaydon performances against Tynedale could be replicated every week.

The Blaydon league results this season to date:-
Blaydon 21 Hull Ionians 34
Blaydon 26 Tynedale 30
Rotherham 50 Blaydon 3
Blaydon 7 Wharfedale 46
Fylde 42 Blaydon 7
Blaydon 15 Sedgley Park 42
Huddersfield 24 Blaydon 7
Blaydon 32 Sheffield 19
Sheffield Tigers 34 Blaydon 22
Blaydon 12 Otley 28
Chester 31 Blaydon 19
Blaydon 22 Preston Grasshoppers 22
Blaydon 19 Rotherham 47
Wharfedale 22 Blaydon 3
Blaydon 12 Fylde 31
Sedgley Park 75 Blaydon 0
Harrogate 43 Blaydon 0