In a rare twist for the Masters season, Catterick Crusaders welcomed Doncaster Toll Bar under bright sunshine rather than the usual downpour. Doncaster made the trip north in great spirits, the banter flowing from the moment they arrived. The Crusaders squad — boosted by two players from North East Thunder Masters — were equally upbeat and eager to get stuck in before enjoying the traditional post‑match social. The game began in true Masters fashion with handshakes all round before the Crusaders sent a deep kick into Toll Bar territory. Doncaster immediately showed their class, settling into their rhythm and demonstrating why they’re such a well‑drilled outfit. Throughout the match, the black‑and‑white‑shorted visitors delivered strong defensive efforts while also displaying sharp attacking play. A special mention goes to the Crusaders players making their debuts — each one embraced the Masters ethos and slotted in seamlessly, proving they belonged on the field from the first whistle. There was also a battle scar earned on the day, with our very own Carpark picking up a shiner after bravely stepping into yet another tackle. An unfortunate stray elbow caught him high, but it certainly didn’t dampen his performance or his enthusiasm. As is tradition in Masters Rugby League, the match finished with a nil‑nil result — a reflection not of the action on the field, but of the spirit, camaraderie, and respect that define the game. A huge thank you to Doncaster Toll Bar Masters for making the journey. We look forward to seeing you again later in the season.

Today, our Masters side take on our friends Doncaster Toll Bar Masters at Robertson Rd. The “not available” list, is fairly lengthy with Jase, Ian, Mark, Longers, Baz, Jay, Andy, Domo, Mike and Dean all not available. However, despite this, Crusaders still have 14 players available. Don, Ben, Darren and Ali remain the teams ever presents, could we have four Masters of Steel this year? On debut we have Blackie, Pete and Kenton. Also joining in the fun are Barry and Den from North East Thunder Masters. Kick off is scheduled for 2pm at Robertson Rd, with our very own Clarkie officiated. It would be great to see some spectators on the sideline and at the post match drinks at The Hildyard Arms.

It was a perfect day for rugby as five players from the Catterick Crusaders U16s travelled to join forces with Yarm for a tough fixture against Gateshead Storm. Played 11-a-side with just one substitute each, the game demanded effort, resilience and teamwork from every player on the field, and the Crusaders lads certainly delivered. The match got off to the perfect start when Storm knocked on directly from the kick-off, allowing the team to capitalise immediately and run in the opening try. It was an early boost and set the tone for a highly competitive contest. Storm soon settled into the game and responded with tries of their own, but the first half remained incredibly tight throughout, with both sides trading scores in an entertaining battle. At the break, the teams were locked level at 18-18. The second half started brilliantly once again, with Mackenzie making a powerful break before Euan finished the move by going over the line. Jackson was outstanding from the back, repeatedly making strong carries and gaining valuable metres to keep the team moving forward under pressure. Storm managed to edge ahead for the first time in the game after scoring a couple of quick tries, but the response from the team showed real character. Great passing from Will created the opportunity for Mackenzie to crash over for another crucial try. One of the biggest moments of the match came when Gateshead looked certain to score again, only for Sam to produce a huge tackle that lifted the entire team. From that moment, momentum swung back our way, and the boys marched back downfield to score under the posts and secure an excellent 40-32 victory. The Crusaders lads played with tremendous grit and determination throughout the afternoon, and all five players should be incredibly proud of the part they played in a fantastic team performance. A huge thank you also goes to all the parents for getting the lads there and supporting the team throughout the day.

he Catterick Crusaders U13s/14s travelled to the Yarm Wolves Festival yesterday for a challenging afternoon of rugby league, taking on strong opposition and gaining plenty of valuable experience along the way. The opening fixture against Yarm Wolves 1 proved to be a tough test. The Wolves were a well-organised side with powerful runners who caused problems through the middle, while their quick ball movement allowed them to find space out wide and score several well-worked tries. Despite the result, the Crusaders boys continued to battle throughout and showed great effort against quality opposition. The second game against Yarm Wolves 2 was a much more evenly matched contest and produced a brilliant response from the team. Yarm struck first with an early try, but the Crusaders reacted superbly, crossing twice to swing the momentum in their favour. Defensively, the team showed outstanding determination, holding Yarm up over the line on two separate occasions during intense periods of pressure. Mason was outstanding throughout the game, leading the defensive effort with countless tackles and relentless work rate. The boys then turned defence into attack in style, with Charlie racing away for an important score. It was a close and competitive encounter, but the Crusaders held firm to secure a deserved victory. The final game saw the boys face Gateshead Storm, a side featuring several U14 players. Against bigger and more experienced opposition, the Crusaders found it difficult to build momentum, with pressure from Storm forcing handling errors and limiting attacking opportunities. Storm controlled the game well and scored some excellent tries, but the fixture provided another valuable learning experience for the squad. There were plenty of positives to take away from the festival, with the team showing resilience, commitment and flashes of excellent rugby throughout the day. Special congratulations go to Monty and Shay, who both made their rugby league debuts for the Crusaders, and a warm welcome to Charlie, who recently joined the club from Cramlington and made an immediate impact. Player of the Tournament was awarded to Mason for his outstanding defensive display and a superb long-range try that capped an excellent afternoon personally. Finally, a huge thank you goes to all the parents and supporters who travelled and helped make the day possible.

On Saturday two members of the Crusaders Masters team will take part in a historic fixture for Scottish Rugby League, as Scotland Masters take on Wales Masters in Edinburgh. The first ever Scottish International Masters fixture to take place in Scotland. Ian McKechnie continues in his role as Scotland Masters Head Coach for the fixture having previously coached the side in the autumn against England Masters and Ireland Masters, in London. Making his debut for the Bravehearts is Andy Gray, who registered with Crusaders Masters this season having previously played as a guest from United Kingdom Armed Forces Masters. Everyone at Catterick Crusaders from the Cubs to the Masters wishes Ian and Andy all the best for the fixture in the Auld Reekie. Enjoy the experience and don’t forget to bring back some Haggis and White Pudding!

Catterick Crusaders took four determined under 16’s players to Chester‑le‑Street to link up with Yarm Wolves for a hard‑fought fixture played in truly miserable weather conditions. Despite the relentless rain, spirits were high and the lads were ready to dig in. Wolves opened the scoring with a strong early run to claim the first try of the match. With the game played nine‑a‑side due to Chester being short on numbers, conversions were left out to keep the flow of play moving. Handling was always going to be a challenge, and a few knock‑ons crept in thanks to the wet ball and some big defensive hits all round the field from both sides. Jackson put in an outstanding shift from start to finish — rock‑solid in defence and making powerful runs throughout the game. Wolves crossed again before Chester responded with a couple of well‑worked tries of their own. After a few changes at the break, the Crusaders/Wolves side found their rhythm. Some brilliant passing sequences opened up space, allowing Euan and Sam to break through and get themselves over the line. Chester weren’t done yet, adding more points to keep the pressure on, but that only fired the lads up even more. The highlight moment came when Mackenzie, supported brilliantly by his teammates, powered over for a try. In true enthusiastic style, he celebrated with a dramatic dive — and immediately winded himself, convinced he was on his last breath. A moment of comedy gold that had everyone laughing once he realised he was absolutely fine. In the end, the combined Crusaders/Wolves effort secured a fantastic 44–28 victory, built on teamwork, determination, and a refusal to let the weather dampen their spirit. A brilliant performance all round — well done, lads. If you would like to get involved please contact the club for more information.

In weather conditions more suited to the other code of rugby, the Catterick Crusaders Under 14s made their second outing of the season as they travelled to Cramlington Rockets for another tough test of their development. Joining forces with the hosts for the day, the combined side quickly adopted the name “Cramlington Crusaders” and headed into the festival full of energy and enthusiasm. Before the first game, the players gathered in a team huddle to discuss what they wanted to improve from the previous week. The answer from every player was immediate defence. Their opening fixture against Yarm 1 provided a strong challenge from the start. Yarm struck first after catching the Crusaders/Rockets side cold early on, but the response from the team was excellent. Following some strong carries through the middle, the ball was worked wide to Cramlington’s Charlie on the wing, who produced a superb run around the Yarm defence to score the team’s first try of the day. The difficult weather conditions continued to make handling tricky, and a spilled restart allowed Yarm to score again from close range before adding two further tries. Despite the scoreboard, the Crusaders/Rockets players never dropped their heads, finishing the game with a determined defensive set that denied Yarm another score and showed the attitude the coaches had asked for. The second game against Yarm 2 saw a few personnel changes, but the team continued to grow into the festival. Charlie again impressed with some powerful running to help the side double their try tally for the day. More importantly, the coaches could clearly see improvements in the team’s defensive shape and communication. There were plenty of strong defensive moments throughout the game, but what stood out most was the willingness of the players to listen, learn, and improve. For some of the lads, this was only their second or third game of rugby league, yet their effort and determination could not be questioned. The final fixture against Gateshead Storm proved to be the toughest challenge of the day. Storm were well drilled, physical, and organised, making life difficult for the Crusaders/Rockets combination. Even so, the players battled until the very end and could take plenty of positives from a performance that was a clear improvement on the previous week. The foundations are beginning to build for this young group, and with another week of training ahead, the squad will look to continue their progress when they travel to Yarm next weekend.

The coaches could not be prouder of the effort, attitude, and determination shown by the boys this weekend in some truly horrible weather conditions. Despite the rain and difficult pitch conditions, the team never let their heads drop and worked hard for every single minute of both games. The defence throughout the day was absolutely outstanding. The boys stayed organised, communicated brilliantly, and put in some huge tackles when it mattered most. Their teamwork and commitment made it incredibly difficult for the opposition to break through. The first game ended in a fantastic win, and not just by a small margin either. From the first whistle to the last, the boys controlled the match with confidence, discipline, and some excellent rugby on display. It was a complete team performance and a brilliant way to start the competition. The second game was a completely different challenge and turned into a real battle. The wet weather made handling and possession difficult for both sides, leading to mistakes from time to time, but what stood out most was the character shown by every single player. Even though we were up against a much bigger side, our boys never backed down once. Every player showed courage, resilience, and determination throughout the game. The defensive effort, willingness to keep getting back up, and heart shown in every tackle and contest was honestly inspiring to watch. The boys played with pride, passion, and a lion-sized heart from start to finish. To push such a strong opposition all the way and only lose by a single try speaks volumes about the spirit and togetherness within this team. And to be fair, the referee gave us that many calls we were starting to wonder if he’d accidentally turned up in our team colours instead of a referee shirt! 😂 A special mention also goes to Haydn and Ralph on making their rugby league debuts, a brilliant achievement and one they should both be extremely proud of. Well done boys, your coaches, parents, and supporters are all incredibly proud of you!

The Catterick Crusaders Under 10s kicked off their season in unforgettable style as they travelled north to take part in their first festival of the year, hosted by Gateshead Storm. With only five Crusaders available, the squad set off through what could only be described as a biblical downpour but true to form, they battled through the weather and arrived ready to play. Once they hit the pitch, there was no hesitation. The players jumped straight into their warm‑up, buzzing with excitement for the games ahead. With Gateshead Storm fielding four players, both clubs joined forces to create a combined team for the morning’s fixtures. Together, the Crusaders/Storm side took on two teams from Cramlington Rockets and one from Yarm Wolves, delivering three fantastic games that showcased just how far the players have come in training and highlighted a few areas to sharpen in the weeks ahead. Every young player wore their heart on their sleeve, showing grit, determination, and a refusal to give up despite the relentless weather. A huge thank you goes out to the parents and guardians who braved the weather to get the players there, and an even bigger thank you to the young Crusaders themselves, who gave everything right up to the final whistle.

The Catterick Crusaders U8s showed fantastic teamwork, determination, and spirit this weekend in some extremely difficult weather conditions. With heavy rain, strong winds, and a very wet ball, the conditions were tough from the very beginning. In the first game, the team came up against a strong Cramlington side who looked much bigger than some of our players, but that did not stop our young Crusaders one bit. Every player gave their all, worked hard for each other, and showed brilliant effort throughout. The squad was mainly made up of Catterick players, with three of our players kindly volunteering to help form a Barbarians side alongside players from Cramlington. It was fantastic to see all the children connect so well together, showing great sportsmanship, teamwork, and enjoyment despite the conditions. Unfortunately, the festival had to be cut short due to players struggling with the cold and wet weather. However, for many of the children, this was their very first festival, and the coaches could not be prouder of the enthusiasm, effort, and positive attitude they showed all day in such difficult conditions. A huge thank you also goes to all the parents for bringing the children along and supporting the team in what can only be described as monsoon conditions! Well done to all the players, you should all be very proud of yourselves!

On Saturday Crusaders made the journey West to the Border City of Carlisle, for the Cumbria Festival. Always a good event. Despite the heavy football traffic, everyone arrived in good order and quickly got ready for our first game against Arlecdon Rams Masters. Arlecdon are a really good and experienced Masters outfit, so this game would also be a test on how far we’ve come in learning Masters. The game was an absolute cracker, Arlecdon were very effective with their tight support before shipping the ball wide to some well placed big runners. For our part, Crusaders managed some great line breaks of their own and some smart wide plays. Butch, Ben and Alex proved a handful in the middle. Whilst our guests Gaitesy and Gary were the start point for a very effective left hand edge, which started our scoring with a try for Darren in the corner. In defence, Ali “Car Park” was everywhere and his cover tackling got us off the hook on a number of occasions. Our second game was against another Cumbrian outfit, Barrow Masters. This game was going to be a lot different to the first, with the Barrowvians sporting no Black or White shorters, a few Red shorters, lots of Gold shorters some with the dreaded tags, some without. They also had the legend that is Vic in his Blue shorts. Barrow were superbly steered around by their Red shorters and were very effective on the wide shot. Crusaders worked hard for their yardage, keeping the ball alive and away from the sea of Gold where possible, to create some well worked tries. Unfortunately the game was cut slightly short when Jay decided to headbutt a Gold shorter, who was moving at pace, in the chest. Ouch! Luckily, after a brief stay in Carlisle’s finest NHS facility he is now back home, ringing in Catterick Best Kebabs largest ever order, having spent 24+ hours on Nil By Mouth! As always Carlisle Masters put on a great event and it was nice to have a couple of beers with the other teams and enjoy a great spread that was laid on. Jase, Alex, Darren, Don and Gaz decided to stay overnight, post festival. After a couple of beers in the hotel, they wandered into town and it was great to meet up with the Masters players from Arlecdon, Barrow and Carlisle. They were definitely jealous of the shapes the Crusaders lads were cutting on the dancefloor in Deja Vu …. honest! Our next Masters game is on the 23 May, at home, against Doncaster Toll Bar. Crusaders Masters would also like to thank the new club shirt sponsors; Fusion Joinery, Specsavers and Hearing Centre Harrogate, eCreative Designs and Emmels Tree and Garden Services. If you would like to get involved with Crusaders Masters, just drop us a line for more information.

Tomorrow (Saturday 25 April) Crusaders Masters have their second outing in as many weeks. This time it is an away day over to Carlisle to take part in the Cumbria Festival. Registration takes place at 12 midday with games commencing at 1pm. Crusaders will be in action on Pitch 2. At 1pm we are pitted against Arlecdon Rams and then Barrow around an hour later. Crusaders are travelling relatively light, compared to other outings this season with Don, Jase, Butch, Jay, Darren, Gaz, Ben and Ali making the trip. However in the true spirit of Masters we are back up by Alex and Barry from North East Thunder, Ken from UKAF and Gary from Leeds - thanks Gents. The Cumbria Festival is always a great, well run event, the team are looking forward to it. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRbSGP6R/ Crusaders would also like to thank the new club shirt sponsors; Fusion Joinery, Specsavers and Hearing Centre Harrogate, eCreative Designs and Emmels Tree and Garden Services.