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On Saturday Crusaders Masters return to action, this time at Blackpool as part of the National Masters Festival. Crusaders have been placed in session 2 for the popular event. This see’s them take on Chester Gladiators Masters and 2:30pm with a quick turn around to play Huddersfield Masters at 3pm. Both games are on Pitch 4. Crusaders again are putting out decent numbers despite a number of players being away on holiday and other commitments. Gold shorter Rich Kenny makes his debut for Crusaders having joined us a month or so ago. Big Foot, Barry S and Barry Mc from our neighbours North East Thunder Masters also boost our numbers, as well Scotland representative players Chris Rich and James McDermott.

This Saturday saw some of our Masters players hit the road to get some Masters game time in. Our very own Club Chairman, Ben Smith, made the trip down south to play for United Kingdom Armed Forces (UKAF) against Medway Dragons at The Garrison Grounds, Chatham. On the way down the weather was looking ok but 10 minutes before kickoff the heavens decided to open up and it didn’t stop raining until the final whistle was blown. For the game Ben was put in at scrum half where he took command ensuring the team was in the correct positions to attack a strong defensive line from the Dragons. A personal highlight for Ben was, off the back of a scrum he spotted an opportunity to get the UKAF Masters over the line. From 15 meters out, Ben feed the scrum and picked the ball from the back to attack the line drawing in two defenders before a slick pass to the winger who then drew in the last defender allowing Ben to loop around to receive the ball again to score in the corner. After the game concluded with a draw the masters made their way to the Canon pub for the post match festivities Where over £500 was raised for the Soldiers League charity. Master of the match for UKAF picked by Medway Dragoons was our very own Ben Smith who said it was a great honour and a privilege to be named Master of the match for UKAF. Closer to home, Jase, Goadie, Darren and Gaz travelled over to The Recreation Ground in Whitehaven to take part in David Farrell’s Green Short Celebration match which also raised £500 for Cancer Charity, Maggie’s. Arlecdon, Carlisle, Maryport, Barrow and Crusaders were spread across two teams. Darren, Goadie and Jase were mixed in with the team headed up by Arlecdon. Whilst Gaz joined the team headed up by Carlisle, which also contained former Great Britain International and Cumbrian Rugby League legend, blue shorter, Paul Charlton. Paul Charlton who represented Great Britain 18 times. Jase, Goadie and Gaz found themselves warming the bench at kick off. However just 10 minutes into the game, Jase was deployed to the front row as an Arlecdon player unfortunately took a knock that finished his afternoon. Goadie wasn’t far behind, taking up residency in the second row, pushing Darren up to the front row to join Jase. Gaz, also was short of game time and also found himself in the front row against Jase and Darren. Comedy moment of the day came at the expense of Jase. Not for doing anything wrong infact quite the opposite. Jase offered himself up to hit the ball up, having caught the ball he deployed his world renowned (honest!!) Marra Shuffle which caught his opposite number flat footed. Unfortunately for Jase it also caught his opposite number flat handed …….. right around Jase’s chops! There was no malice, and apologies and handshakes couldn’t come quick enough, as is the Spirit of Masters. After pints, pies and peas the Crusaders quartette headed East, stopping at The Chamley Arms in Warcop for a swift one, before ending the day with a curry at Asha in Catterick Garrison. A fantastic day out. #budgiebomb

On Saturday Crusaders Masters made the trip over to Barrow, to take on Barrow Masters at Redwaters, the home of Roose Pioneers. The day started with a long awaited resurgence of the Breakfast Crew. Goadie, Jase, Gaz and Darren converged on Tebay Truckstop for some pre-match loading! A very pleasant surprise was that we were joined by our recent retiree, Don. Crusaders travelled light for the fixture due to holidays, other commitments and last minute drop outs, however this was never going to stop the team from enjoying their day away. Barrow kindly loaned a player across for each half and a great game of 11 v 12 ensued. Crusaders took some time to settle but after some encouragement and control from Lord Jonathan Farquhar Ruefuss Longden of Upper Eden, the team settled and started to complete their sets and gain good field position. For their part, Barrow played some great Rugby League and had Crusaders on the back foot on a number of occasions. In the second half Crusaders continued to improve and crossed the white wash on a number of occasions, although one was chalked off when Barrow’s Go Go Gadget Arms managed to tag Scott from 10 metres away 🤣. The second half provided 3 candidates for Richard of the Day. Firstly there was Ben versus Bomber. Ben offered himself up to run in a penalty for Crusaders only to be flattened by the shoulder of Bomber, Crusaders were awarded a subsequent penalty. Ben again volunteered to run the penalty in, only to be greeted by his new best mate, Bomber, with equal enthusiasm as the tackle before. This time the tough tackle dislodged the ball. The referee viewed it as a rip by Bomber and so Crusaders got their third penalty on the bounce! When asked if he wanted to take it in again, Ben replied “no, cluck (that’s very word he used - honest) that, I’m clucked!” The second and third contenders came from the same incident. During an attacking set Barrow chanced their arm shouting “5th and last” on the 4th tackle. Lord Longden wasn’t falling that trick (again), well at least he wasn’t until Green shorter Barry had a senior moment and backed up what Barrow were saying, telling his Lordship it was the 5th and last, Longers then impressively launched the ball skyward. This of course led to Crusaders being penalised. When the votes were in, it was Barry’s senior moment that took the honours. As with previous meetings between the 2 teams this year, the game was a great contest, played in true Masters spirit. Master of the Match for Crusaders was awarded to Butch who tackled hard, ran equally hard and bagged a great try. At the beginning of the 3rd half, there was a sausage roll off, with Goadie sampling Barrow's best effort of the savoury delight, having got the Barrow lads to sample Richmonds finest when they came to us. It was a good effort Barrow, however, Goadie’s are better, haha! Crusaders Masters would like to thank Barrow Masters for a great afternoon of Rugby League and hospitality. See you again next season!

On Saturday Crusaders Masters got out on the field of play for the second week running. This time it was off to Halifax to take part in a 4 way festival between ourselves, Boothtown, UK Armed Forces and Widnes. Turn out for Crusaders was again good, and in such hot conditions we were pleased to also be backed up by Barry and Tex from NE Thunder, also James, Brian, Chris and Ceri who play for Scotland Masters, and our newest recruit he just didn’t know it at the time, Scott. Having arrived in relatively good order Crusaders had a little bit of a shake out before the first game. This is where the decision was made that Jase was controversially nomintold, later, he was Richard of the Day. To be honest, Jase trying to utilise a player that was acting as opposition, was a bit of a howler, however, more on that later. “Is it beer time yet Jase?” Our first game saw us running out against our great friends Boothtown Masters. A great contest ensued with both sides showing potent attack and resilient defence. Crusaders knew Gold short outside to inside combo would give them trouble if they didn’t shut it down early, and in the most part they did. A great flowing game of Masters to start our day. “Go-go gadget Goadie” (you need to be a certain age to appreciate that one!) Our second game was against Widnes Masters, a game we knew would be tough. They are a team made up of mainly Black shorters, they are physical, fit and very skillful. Widnes played a great flowing game with a correct level of contact in defence. Crusaders did, however, find themselves well within the game with a good distribution of Gold and Green shorts within the defensive line to take the sting out the Widnes direct game. With ball in hand Crusaders were happy to work the hard yards before throwing the ball about. Indeed a darting run from Andy saw him tip on Don, who somehow managed to squeeze through 2 Widnes Black shorters for a try. Our first playing experience against Widnes was a bruising but enjoyable experience. After a short break to refresh, Crusaders took on their final opponents, UKAF. A number of our players have, of course turned out for UKAF previously so this was always going to be an interesting encounter. Again this was another new experience but proved to be a great game played in excellent spirit. Post match controversy soon struck! Having got the team together Ben was ready announce who he was selecting as Richard of the Day. No vote. His choice was to give it to Jase for the aforementioned howler despite he himself replacing his boots for soup ladles and executing a howler of a kick. HE justified it by saying HE couldn’t vote for HIMSELF! In his acceptance speach Jase ensured democratic order would be restored at our next match, when once again it will be selected by vote. Jase would also like to thank the hundreds of well wishers that contacted him about this harrowing experience! The therapy is working! However, one thing that could not be denied was the effort that Ben had put into his performance throughout the day. Quite rightly he was voted (can you see the irony?) Master of the Day for Catterick. A massive congratulations must also go to Don, who played his 25th game for the team, at the festival. Great commitment. All teams were treated to a glorious spread by Halifax RUFC. Ali aka Car Park, came up trumps on the raffle, well he would have but decided to select a Cas’ shirt as his prize! After much slating later, he saw the errors of his ways! Andy also bagged a raffle win, literally! “Suites you Andy!” Lesson learned, never leave your raffle tickets with Goadie!!! Crusaders Masters would like to thank the club kit supplier Pronto Teamwear. https://prontoteamwear.co.uk/product-category/club-shops/rugby-club-shops/catterick-crusaders/

Our U16s gave everything they had in the final against Cramlington, showing great determination, resilience and team spirit from the first whistle to the last. Both teams started strongly, and an early high tackle allowed Cramlington to take the lead with the opening try. The weather was incredibly warm, but the lads didn't let that stop them. They settled into the game well and soon hit back with a well-worked try of their own. The match stayed evenly contested, but a knock-on from the restart gave Cramlington another opportunity, and they made the most of it to score again. From the following kick-off, Cramlington let the ball bounce into touch, giving us a great attacking platform. We came close to scoring after a brilliant run towards the try line, but unfortunately we were forced into touch just short. Cramlington capitalised on the turnover and added another try. Despite this setback, the boys defended brilliantly and refused to give up. Their hard work was rewarded with another try before half-time, leaving the score at 16-12 and everything still to play for. The second half proved difficult. The heat started to take its toll, and after a few decisions didn't go our way, the lads became frustrated. Cramlington took advantage and added a couple more tries. Our boys kept battling until the final whistle and crossed the line four times in total, but Cramlington finished with six tries to take the game 38-22. Although we didn't get the result we wanted, there were so many positives to take from the game. The scoreline was a big improvement on our previous meeting with Cramlington and showed just how much this team has developed. Every player worked their socks off and never stopped trying, which is all any coach can ask for. A huge thank you to Mackenzie, Samuel, Euan and Jackson for stepping up and joining with Yarm so they could play Rugby League. I am incredibly proud of every single one of you for your commitment throughout the season, travelling to every fixture and always giving your best. Finally, thank you to all of the parents for your continued support, encouragement and for getting the players to every game. It is hugely appreciated, and we couldn't do it without you.

Our Under 8s travelled to Yarm today for another fantastic morning of 4-a-side tag rugby. With eight eager players representing Catterick Crusaders, everyone had plenty of game time, and it was great to see the team developing with every match. Our first game was against Cramlington Orange, who proved to be a tough side to break down. The Catterick players kept working hard, moving the ball well and looking for gaps. Henry was outstanding, using his quick feet and brilliant hip movement to break through the defence and score a well-deserved try. Next up was Cramlington Black. The team played with growing confidence and supported each other brilliantly. Loulo was the standout player in this game, scoring a fantastic try before making several strong forward runs that kept the opposition on the back foot. It was also great to see our newest player, Mac, running with real determination and power, while Finley showed that all his hard work in training is paying off with some brilliant side steps to beat defenders. The final match was a friendly between our two Catterick teams, and it couldn't have been closer. Both teams gave everything they had, showing great teamwork, determination and sportsmanship. One of the standout moments came when Oscar looked certain to race away and score, but Finley produced a brilliant tag at just the right moment to stop him in his tracks. It was a great piece of defending and showed the effort every player put into the game. The biggest success of the day was seeing all eight players enjoying themselves, growing in confidence and playing with smiles on their faces. Every child gave 100% and should be proud of their efforts. A huge thank you, as always, to all the parents for bringing the future stars of Catterick Crusaders to the festival and for your continued support. We couldn't do it without you. We look forward to seeing everyone again at the next festival!

On Saturday, Crusaders Masters had their first hit at hosting the North East Masters Festival. 3 weeks prior to the event things were not looking good, with only two other teams interested. It was looking likely that the festival would be cancelled and revert to a 3 way fixture at Robertson Rd. However, the Masters world galvanised and responses started to come in, eventually it was apparent that we could continue with our plans and run a 5 team format. Crusaders availability was great and despite losing a player on the day, we still fielded 14 players. Crusaders first game was against Morley Knights, a team our Masters lead, Smudge, regularly guests for. Crusaders kicked straight into gear guided expertly around the park by Andy and Longers which created plenty of space out wide to be exploited by Pete and Mike. In defence Crusader were settled and communicated brilliantly to keep the Knights at bay. It’s been a long time since we’ve played Morley Knights but it was worth the wait, great game. Blackie making new friends Crusaders had a bit of a break in the second round of fixtures but a few players backed up for Carlisle in their game. Round 3 saw Crusaders take on their Cumbrian neighbours Carlisle, always a good match up. Crusaders were equally as potent in attack as the first game. In defence we suffered from a little less communication and some over-read for Carlisle to exploit. The game saw an incident that would ultimately lead to Smudge recieving Richard of the Day! Not for this exploits in a Crusaders but for one in merry whistle blowers shirt. 10m from the line, Carlisle fumbled and appeared to knock on, indeed Smudge even blew said merry whistle, only to then shout “play on,” playing to whistle Crusaders had very much stopped, unfortunately the canny Cumbrians hadn’t and strolled over the line. At this stage John “l kick on the 3rd” Longers Longden burst out laughing, knowing he’d been let off the hook, alongside Pete “haveahandoff” Newton! Andy queueing up Doris for a trademark run. It was another great game against Carlisle during this season. “PLAY OOOONNN” Waterbreaks, common sense and patience was the order of the day throughout. So after a rehydration break Crusaders were ready for their final game against classy Cumbrian outfit Arlecdon Rams. The game, again, was a great advert for Masters Rugby League. Played in fantastic spirit with plenty of highlights. Arlecdon were very well organised throughout in attack and defence with Crusaders equally holding their own. A great turn out It was with big smiles that after a hot afternoon of rugby we were able to start the rehydration process by offering each and every player a super chilled tinnie to enjoy. Post match food was supplied by Hamilton’s Butchers in Richmond, a great selection of Pork Pies and Sausage Rolls ……. a Crusaders recommendation!! The fantastic bar staff from Richmondshire RUFC continued to take care of the rehydration process for us, we were in good hands! Indeed big thanks needs to go to Richmondshire RUFC who allowed us to use their superb facilities. They had pitches cut and marked, had a car park attendant as well as bar staff from arrival until departure. Thank you to the clubs kit suppliers Pronto Teamwear https://prontoteamwear.co.uk/product-category/club-shops/rugby-club-shops/catterick-crusaders/ The must have stash item being the Crusaders budgies! Get yours while stocks last! Faces removed to protect the unaware #budgiebombed Finally, the positive feedback we have recieved from the event has been outstanding. Lots of praise for how well organised it was and a great desire to see us host it again in 2027! “Oh go on then!”

We travelled to Yarm to take on their U14s and were treated to a fantastic contest from the first whistle to the last. The sides were evenly matched throughout, but we came flying out of the blocks, scoring four unanswered tries in the opening 10 minutes. Leighton's try has to be a contender for Try of the Season so far. It was a brilliant example of teamwork and sticking to our game plan. The ball was carried strongly by the forwards, with Mason and Misa making hard yards before Reuben took it on and gained significant ground before being brought down. The ball was then quickly moved by Oscar to Odin. It looked as though Odin was going to go all the way himself, but he produced a superb late offload to Margus. Margus drew in the Wolves full-back before delivering a perfectly timed short pass to Leighton, who crossed for our fourth try. Even better, we still had two players in support all the way to the try line. Our attacking game plan has focused heavily on support play and ball movement, and once again it paid off with some excellent tries. Yarm fought their way back into the game and eventually closed the gap to within two points. At times our defensive line was a little slow off the mark and we conceded a few penalties for offside. Yarm took advantage of it and came away with some well-worked tries. However, there were some incredibly brave performances across the team, with players putting their bodies on the line to make tackles and slow down the opposition's momentum. Tom, Odin, Henry P, Oscar, Al, Jenson, both Masons and Brandon were right in the thick of the action throughout. Reuben's move into his new position has allowed him to become more involved in both attack and defence, and it was great to see him making such a positive impact. Players of the Match There were several standout performances. Charlie scored a number of tries and was heavily involved throughout the game. Oscar's presence caused all sorts of problems for the Wolves in both attack and defence. Misa scored a superb individual try and continued to beat defenders with his footwork. Al from Cramlington, who played his first match for Crusaders today, came on and seemed determined to tackle anything that moved. However, today's Player of the Match award goes jointly to Reuben and Margus. Their work rate both on and off the ball was immense, and they gave everything right up until the final whistle. Margus' leadership was outstanding, helping to keep the team together when we needed it most. Reuben consistently carried the ball out of our own danger area and organised the forwards superbly in defence. A huge well done to both of them. As always, thank you to everyone for your support and for allowing the boys to play today. Whether you've noticed it or not, the progress this group has made so far has been absolutely brilliant. This season was intended to be a building year, particularly as we have a large number of U13 players in the squad. I challenged them by asking why they couldn't compete this year rather than waiting for next season. Not only have they risen to that challenge, but their attitude, commitment and mindset have been outstanding. From a coach's perspective, what they have achieved so far has been incredibly rewarding to watch. Final Score Yarm Wolves 44 - Catterick Crusaders 44

Our Under 8s travelled to Newcastle on Saturday morning for another festival, taking a squad of 8 players who all represented the club brilliantly. The team played three games throughout the morning, with every player getting plenty of game time and showing great effort, enthusiasm, and teamwork. Despite the warm conditions, the players kept smiling and gave their all in every match. There were some outstanding moments across the festival. Finley produced a brilliant step to beat his defender, showing great confidence with the ball in hand. One of the funniest moments of the day came from Lou, who was playing for one of the opposition teams to help them out. After picking up the ball, Lou ran past her own teammates and crossed the line to score a fantastic try, much to everyone's amusement! Most importantly, all of the players enjoyed themselves and continued to develop their rugby skills in a positive and fun environment. The sunny Newcastle morning was certainly a different experience from our last visit, and it was great to see the team making memories both on and off the pitch. Well done to all of our U8s, we're proud of every one of you!

The Crusaders made the trip north to the Cramlington Rockets Primary Festival and delivered three outstanding performances packed with determination, teamwork, and plenty of flair. Game 1: Crusaders vs Rockets The hosts were up first, and the opening match had everything you’d hope to see from primary rugby—great support play, confident carries, and some cracking tackles. The standout moment belonged to Teddy, who produced an incredible defensive effort with six consecutive tackles, stopping the Rockets right on the line. A heroic shift. Game 2: Crusaders vs Storm The second match saw the Crusaders step things up another level. Jazz took control at hooker, providing sharp service to the powerful running duo of Theo and Oliver. James returned to action with real confidence, throwing in some cheeky offloads that left Storm scrambling. Kelly stole the spotlight with her blistering pace and brilliant spatial awareness, weaving through defenders to score a superb try. Game 3: Crusaders vs Yarm Wolves With two high‑intensity games already behind them, the Crusaders had to dig deep—and they did just that. James and Jazz continued to carry strongly, while Teddy led the defensive charge with his trademark tackling. Theo and Kelly backed him up with some excellent defensive reads and try‑saving efforts. The highlight of the match came from a bit of pre game plotting between Kelly and Teddy. The plan was simple but brilliant: Teddy would draw in defenders, then offload to Kelly, who would hit top speed down the touchline. The execution was perfect, resulting in a try that wouldn’t look out of place in the Super League. A huge well done to all the players for their effort, teamwork, and spirit throughout the day. And a big thank you to all the parents and supporters who made the journey north—your backing makes days like this possible.

On Saturday Crusaders Masters welcomed our friends from Barrow Masters to Wavell Rd. The teams had met just two weeks previously at the Masters in the Lakes Festival in Ambleside. That game was a really good game and set the seed for another enjoyable encounter on Saturday. Crusaders unfortunately suffered from a couple of availability reversals but still managed a creditable 11 Crusaders which were backed up by a Flying BigFoot (see photo), the ever dependable Barry Sharrock, Jim “The Legend” Collins and Andy “Snake Hips” Shute. Thank you Gents, always a pleasure, never a chore! Our friends from Barrow were also tight for numbers due to various commitments but fellow Marra’s from around Cumbria answered the call! We must admit we find the stipulation, of “can you come to Catterick, but you must have Gold Shorts?” a bit strange, but whatever works for you guys 😉😂. The game was again, a cracker. Both teams were very evenly matched with Barrow able to capitalise on a couple of Crusaders errors in the first half. At half time Crusaders had a good chat and made few positional and tactical changes. Making much better use of our Gold, Green and Blue shorters, Crusaders made good yards forward. Added to that an improved defence, Crusaders spent the majority of the half camped in the Barrow 30. Only a superbly organised Barrow defence keeping Crusaders out. The game was played in the true #spiritofmasters and we look forward to heading West in August. A milestone was reached for one of our opponents. David Farrell who was guesting for Barrow, who will shortly reach the end of his 6th decade and Saturday’s game was his last in Gold Shorts ! We look forward to playing against him in the not too distant future, when he’s sporting his Green shorts. No David’s were injured making this photo! As usual, both teams were well looked after by The Hildyard Arms, post match. A few refreshing quaffettes and a tasty Ruby Murray, thank you John and your team. Congratulations to posh Cumbrian, Longers, who deservedly took the Master of the Match award. Jase was awarded Richard of the Day, for an off the field administration error, which may go to tribunal as he was suffering from a severe case of Manfluenza. Not only was he dehydrated it was actually touch and go whether he would survive the afternoon! LEGAL NOTICE: Claims Jase attempted to cheat in the Boat Race are baseless and should be disregarded. Jase appreciates the kind messages of support from around the Rugby League Masters World, and appreciates the support from the Support The Hildyard One Group! Finally!!! Our U12’s are booked onto the Rhino Challenge 2027. Like true Crusaders, they are trying to help their parents by trying to raise some money to fund the trip. Please take a look. https://www.gofundme.com/f/one-peak-one-dream-lets-get-to-leeds-rhinos-challenge-2027?attribution_id=sl:771b9cc6-e917-444f-a0eb-d48e3ea3774b&lang=en_GB&ts=1782149157&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_content=amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&fbclid=IwRlRTSASmdaFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe2B4QEWznDnhvGvelV4-3HCljAB1fxqSJwHqPK_jARq0zFr9zHyl85Afzd2s_aem_G896M0r5WgQ55o_bcZ9uhw

Yarm/Catterick U16s travelled to Cramlington looking to continue their development and were met by a strong home side. Despite some brave defending and big tackles early on, Cramlington made the most of their opportunities and took a 30-0 lead into half-time. The second half saw a much-improved performance from our players. After regrouping at the break, the team came out with renewed energy and determination, scoring some excellent tries and putting Cramlington under pressure. Evan crossed for a well-deserved try under the posts, while the whole team showed great commitment, teamwork and resilience throughout the half. Unfortunately, the game was brought to an early conclusion following an injury to a Cramlington player after a tackle from the restart. Everyone at Catterick Crusaders wishes the player a full and speedy recovery and hopes to see him back on the field soon. While the final score finished 40-16 in Cramlington's favour, there were plenty of positives to take from the game. The players never gave up, continued to work hard for each other and showed exactly what they are capable of during a strong second-half display. Well done to every player for their effort, attitude and determination. Final Score: Cramlington 40 – 16 Yarm/Catterick