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Latest News

Chargers claim biggest win on record

The Chargers have claimed their second win of the year with a magnificent performance over the Telford Raiders at home. A resounding 70-22 home win is by far their biggest win and score on record. Well done.

Chargers get first win

Chargers get their first win against Wolverhampton Warlords. The Chargers come out on top 26-10 in their second home fixture of what will be a tough campaign for the newly formed side.

Chargers get close to Forgers

The Chargers came close to winning their second league game with a narrow away defeat at Sheffield Forgers. The Chargers eventually lost 40-32 in a close game with tries coming from Helders, Short and Shirtcliffe and 4 from 6 conversions from Beckett.

Chargers open with a loss

The Chargers open their league season with a 30-8 loss at home to Nottingham Outlaws.

Press release

Important development in Derbyshire Rugby League Rugby league in Derbyshire took a major step forward with the announcement today that the Chesterfield Spires will combine forces with the North Derbyshire Chargers to form one club to serve the north of the county. The team will retain the Chargers branding but will play and train from the Spires' base at Chesterfield Rugby Club. Chesterfield bring three years experience of playing games at open age level and already have a relationship with the Rugby Union club in the town. The Chargers were formed in January this year as a way for pupils at Eckington School to extend the rugby league they have experienced at the school to club level. The Chargers have junior teams at the Under 16 and Under 14 age groups and will be playing in the Midlands League through the summer. In addition to the Eckington players, whose year 9 team are the current Derbyshire Schools Champions, the collaboration will enable the club to offer junior rugby league to rugby union players from the Chesterfield club and other players in the area new to rugby. Both clubs have entered teams into the Impact Sports RL Merit League at open age (16 and over) level but after discussions between the committees it was felt that one club, combining the strengths of both, would enable players to get better coaching and playing standards over the short and long term. Once joint training is fully under way, the club hopes to confirm that it will field two teams in the league, giving playing opportunities to the whole squad. The Chargers also have a women's section that has been training throughout 2008 in preparation for a season in the newly formed Women's Rugby League Conference. The competition allows teams to enter at their own level, with festivals where any numbers from a club can turn up and join forces with other development clubs to get game experience through to a full league program for clubs at a more advanced stage. The "Chargettes" will also play touch and tag rugby for those players who enjoy the skills part of the game without the rough and tumble of full contact. The Chargers' Chairman, Tim Fellows, is happy to see the collaboration. "As someone born in Chesterfield who has lived in three different villages in the area for most of my life, the development of the sport of rugby league in this part of Derbyshire is close to my heart. This club has the potential to develop rugby league from the ground up, through a pro-active junior development program." Spires co-founder Ken Huckle agrees. "Developing local junior players has been aim of the Spires since we started it, but there has been limited resource to act on the plans. The Eckington development program has accelerated this dramatically and enables us to drive our plans forward sooner rather than later." Luke Holt, introduced to rugby league by the Spires, is now at the Sheffield Eagles and two of the Eckington based juniors have been accepted onto the Eagles' scholarship program. The club is also looking to develop new coaches to add to the existing team put together by Chargers' Performance Manager Rob Potts and are looking for more volunteers in any aspect of club management or administration. Several sponsors are already in place, but the club is always on the lookout for help from companies or individuals who want to contribute to junior sport in the area. Training continues on Wednesday evenings with juniors (aged 13-16) and women from 6.00 - 7.15 and Open Age (over 16s) continuing from 7.15 onwards at Chesterfield Rugby Union Club, Tapton View Road (from May 14th, May 7th still at Eckington School). All players are welcome, regardless of rugby experience. For more information, call Tim Fellows (midlands_rl@btinternet.com, phone 07855-281746), Rob Potts (pottsrob@hotmail.com, phone 07980-625497) or Ken Huckle (secretary@chesterfieldspires.com)

Kick off time confirmed

Kick off has been confirmed at 12:00 for our 1st league game away at Sheffield Forgers. Confirmation of meeting time and directions to follow.

New on the website for 2008

Check out the new page on the website entitled "Player Statistics", here you can look at how each individual player is performing over the course of the season.

Fixtures

Fixtures for 2008 season have now been confirmed, first game will be away at Sheffield Forgers on 10th May

News Archive 2007

Chesterfield Spires RLFC 52- 12 Wolverhampton Warlords

Chesterfield Spires kicked off their home campaign for the Midlands Merit League in the best possible style by breaking their record victory against Wolverhampton. The Warlords- Wolverhampton’s Second team, are a new side in the MML for this year and despite a very close first twenty , it was Chesterfield who broke the deadlock on 15 minutes through Cutts and then scored again from the restart to take a 10 –nil lead. Wolverhampton, though were not to be denied a say in the contest and struck back at the hosts through Noble to keep the game poised at 10-6. Spires then scored twice more in the half through Hill (2) the second being a fantastic individual effort from well within the Spires 20 metre line. Half time 20-6 The second half continued to be all about the Spires as they ran the rule over their guests who had no answer to Chesterfield’s power in the forwards and were increasing run ragged. As the Warlords looked dead and buried, despite a second try from Noble, the game became scrappy, allowing Warlords to put some pressure on the Spires line – but the spires were not to be denied – holding the Warlords up for six plays on the line in the last action of the match. Chesterfield Coach Colin Wood said “This was an awesome performance- definitely the best since I have been here. I cannot heap enough praise on the guys” which Secretary Ken Huckle added “ We’re a development team in a development league , but this result shows that the game is beginning to take root in Chesterfield and that we can develop into another sporting opportunity for the people of the area “ Anyone interested in getting involved with the Spires, either on or off the field, can contact Ken Huckle on 07887 945645

News Archive 2006

Spires Treble Celebrations: Chesterfield Spires 34-32 Telford Trojans

Chesterfield Spires celebrated their third anniversary as a club with a nail biting encounter against the Trojans at Gosforth Fields on Saturday. It was the Chesterfield team who started the strongest racing into a 12 point lead after good work out wide. But Telford immediately hit back to score two tries of their own, but missing one conversion to make the score midway through the First half 12-10. The Trojans would go on to rue that miss. The Spires, however, spurred on by their early success showed real fight to again utilise good speed on the wings and race in to a 24-16 half time lead. The Trojans however were not to be beaten that easily and fought back to take a 32-30 lead midway through the second half and lead to a real Grandstand finish. With three minutes to go, the spires again crossed to make the score 34-32 but missed the resultant conversion and then knocked on from the restart to gift the Trojans possession 20 metres from the Spires line. It was then resolute defending from Chesterfield than managed to deny Telford a try on the last play of the game, tackling the player only two inches from the Try line to claim a famous victory. Meanwhile the Spires Third cause for celebration was that Prop Barry lane has been named Midland League player of the month for July. Secretary Ken Huckle said " Barry has taken a breather for today's game, but he won the award due to his excellent work at the York 9's and then he was captain in our friendly last week against the Social Team from Dewsbury, Heavy woollen donkeys, where we only narrowly missed out on a win. For a lad in his first Rugby League season, it's a tremendous accolade and he deserves every bit of the plaudits he is now getting

Nottingham Outlaws 'A' 40-8 Chesterfield Spires RLFC

Chesterfield travelled to Nottingham to face the Academy of one of the most established clubs in the Midlands - a side tipped by many to make the jump to National League Three next year. The Outlaws Academy were also hotly tipped to win the MML. Chesterfield however battled admirably and were no respecter of reputation in the first half; keeping the game poised at 0-0 for 20 minutes and then answering two outlaws tries with two of their own scored by Fellows and Barnard. The Spires were in fact very unlucky not to go in ahead at half time when what appeared to be a perfectly good Try from Huckle was disallowed by the referee. ( Halftime 8-8) The second half started in a very similar fashion to the first. The Spires matching their more illustrious opponents blow for blow , but it was a tired Spires side who conceded a try in the 50th minute and from then on , an obviously tired Chesterfield team struggled to contain a rampant Nottingham side who added a further six tries. Coach Colin Wood said " This game is a significant improvement for us, we competed very well with Nottingham for three quarters of the match , but fitness was a key and we need to address that in the coming training sessions" Anyone wishing to join the Spires and try out Rugby League can contact the club through Ken Huckle on 07887 945645.

Telford Trojans 62-8 Chesterfield Spires

A Brace of Tries from Full back Gaz Barnard could not continue the Spires mini revival at Telford. Barnard's first came in the opening 15 minutes in the corner after good work from Phil Raybould on the blindside. Chesterfield continued to resist the direct running from a well drilled Telford side for the opening quarter of the match and once again the Spires had the sniff of a shock , when a lack of concentration lead to Telford levelling the scores on 20 minutes. This then opened the floodgates for Telford who ran in a succession of tries to be 38-4 up at the break. The second half continued as a carbon copy of the first. Barnard again went in and exposed a gap on the blind side to double the Spires tally; followed by some strong defence from the Chesterfield lads, but it was in the final 15minutes that the heavy pitch and humid conditions sapped the strength of the Spires who had battled hard all afternoon, and the Trojans stamped their authority on the game

Chesterfield Spires 8-34 East Riding RLC

Chesterfield Spires had 8 players return from injury for this opening home clash against the team from Humberside, and showed a marked improvement on the away game against Sheffield Forgers 2 weeks ago. The opening 10 minutes saw Chesterfield camped in the Rangers 20 metre line but couldn't turn the pressure into points. As the first half went on, the Rangers fought their way back into the game scoring their first and quickly adding three more tries to race into a half- time lead of 22-0, and then scoring again immediately after half time The Spires rallied bravely in the second half scoring tries through Colin Wood and Luke Holt, and giving Chesterfield a sniff of a shock win. Despite further pressure on the East riding line, Chesterfield , however could not break through and it was in the dying minutes of the game that the East Riding lads added a further try to put the match beyond doubt. The Spires now play 3 back-to- back away games at Telford Trojans and Nottingham 2nds before meeting East Riding again. The next home Match is on 27th May against South Humber Rabbitohs.

Photos of the Game -Courtesy of Gary Clarke - A Gallery is available on the Downloads section

Launch of the Midlands Merit League - Depleted Spires feel the Heat

The Chesterfield Spires launched the Midlands Merit League in an away game at local rivals the Sheffield Forgers but were hit by a series of injuries and a bout of flu in the week of the game that left them struggling without some key players. In the spirit of the league, which is for development clubs, they turned up and played 9-a-side, being helped out by players from the Forgers and from East Riding Rangers, their next opponents, who had travelled from Hull to watch the game. The Spires set off in fine style, scoring the first two tries after gaining possession and opening up the Forgers defence to lead 8-0. However the Forgers rallied and scored three well worked tries before the break to lead 16-8. In the second period the Forgers brought on their substitutes against a tiring Spires team and ran riot, running in 7 tries, all converted. The score at the end of the shortened game was 58-8. The Spires now have three weeks to recover from injuries and illness and with other players returning and available hope to give their friends from East Riding a tough game when they travel down to Dronfield

Rossington Sharks 80 - 8 Chesterfield Spires

Tries for Phil Raybould and Ivan Stevenson were reward for the courage shown by Chesterfield in this friendly clash with a higher division team. The Spires, missing 6 first team players, Started brightly enough but it was the a lack of communication in defence that lead to two tries from Chris Miller for the Rossington side. Chesterfield rallied bravely in the second part of the first half, but could not stem the further flow of tries from a Rossington team that now had the bit between their teeth, and were playing some excellent and fast - paced rugby. Chesterfield showed further improvement in the second half and and the Spires got their just rewards for a 10 minute spell of pressure when Raybould scored in the corner, and then with 4 minutes left to go a typically gutsy run from Fraser Mallen , and then by Bryn Locke , set up Stevenson to double the spires score. Spires Coach Colin Wood said " I think that a lot of the lads who were here today performed really well - and we have seen at first hand the standard that is required to move up from the MML - its what we have to aim for. " He added " I can see where we need to focus our attention in the next few weeks and I'm confident that the lads will be able to bounce back against Sheffield next week. The fact that we got some recognition from Rossington is also testament to us"

Press Release - 27th March 2006 Chesterfield Spires' game against Sheffield Forgers on 8th April 2006 to kick off the Midland Merit League

Officials from the newly form Midland league have confirmed that the Chesterfield Spires' game against Sheffield Forgers on 8th April will kick off the league, with delegations from the RFL and other interested parties attending the game. Before the match, Sheffield Eagle's players will run a skills school for youngsters and there will also be post -match hospitality for the guests at the match. Meanwhile, Chesterfield travel to conference side Rossington/ Worksop Sharks on Sunday (2nd) for a practice match. The hosts, formally based in Worksop moved in the close season to the village just south of Doncaster and with close links between the Spires and the Sharks having been forged in Chesterfield's formative years, it promises to be a game with special interest for all who have followed the game within North Derbyshire. Secretary Ken Huckle said, "You would think that the form book would favour the Sharks, they play at a higher level than we do and have a lot of positive developments under their belts last season, but we are a different side to last year too. We have a new coach with professional experience, and have added quality in key areas to the side. I'm sure we will have a say in the result, and probably raise a few eyebrows in the local Rugby League scene".

"Spires Accepted into Midland League"

Chesterfield Spires RLFC are to play in the newly formed Midland league from 2006. The league, affiliated to the Rugby League Conference, is based on the successful London League, up and running for around 10 years and which can boast having helped develop a number of South - Eastern clubs and has played its part in a Thriving Rugby League scene in the capital. The League marks a significant step forward for the game in the Midlands area. Ken Huckle, Chesterfield Spires Secretary said; " It's a great step forward for us and a testament to the hard work put in to develop the club we can look forward to a very competitive season and further development over the summer" He added " If you look at the London League and the teams that have started at that level, all have developed faster, and been stronger clubs than those that have developed in areas where this structure was not in place. We aim to follow in their footsteps and see all of our community offered the chance to play the game". The Spires first game will be away to Sheffield Forgers played on April 8th. Any person wishing to contact the club can do so by ringing Ken Huckle on 07887 945645

News archive 2005

Nichols Cleans up at Awards - 28th August 2005

Chesterfield Spires Rugby League Club hosted their first ever awards night last Wednesday at the end of the best season so far. In his initial address, Ken Huckle who has been acting as coach for the season and is one of the founding members said; "We've come a long way in 2005; It has been 2 years since 4 people met in the Welbeck Inn to discuss the possibility of a Rugby League club in Chesterfield and no -one who is involved in the club should underestimate the achievements to not only build a club from nothing , but to re- introduce a sport to our town that has not been played here for 20 years or more. We're playing games, we will be founder members of Midland ARL next year and best of all we're getting a lot of interest from the community. Everyone associated with the club should be optimistic about our future. Here's to more growth in 2006" The actual awards were dominated by Club Captain Oliver Nichols who walked away with the award for top Try scorer and the Player of the year. Other winners on the night were Luke Holt as top points scorer, Jack Short as young player of the year and John Newsome for an outstanding playing contribution over the season. The Spires will continue to train over the winter close- season at their Dronfield home and are more than happy to hear from anyone who would like to be involved either on or off the field. Everyone is welcome , regardless of age or experience

Telford Raiders 60 -16 Chesterfield Spires - 25th June 2005

Chesterfield Spires RLFC paid the price for a slow start against a polished Telford side as the home side raced into a thirty-point lead in only 20 minutes, with Telford's impressive half-back partnership causing a lot of damage behind the ruck area. As the half went on, Chesterfield found more resilience and made Telford work hard for territory and completed more and more of their attacking set, with young half- back Jack Short crossing for Chesterfield. After the break Chesterfield continued to work and fight hard for each other, scoring two more tries Jack Short getting his second and Captain Oliver Nichols also crossing for a try. Coach Ken Huckle said "This was a defeat but we can draw plenty of positives out of it. In a game like Rugby League it is a result for a brand new team to go away and score points but what was also pleasing was that we showed the character to fight back and cause Telford some problems. I'm sure that the lads will learn the lessons from that performance and be stronger when the two sides meet again" Meanwhile Chesterfield will play in the new Midlands ARL in the 2006 season. This new competition in which Chesterfield are founder members will sit below the summer conference and will act as a feeder league for that competition

Chesterfield Spires Play Their First Full Game... - 12th June 2005 Result: Chesterfield Spires 32-24 Sheffield B Eagles

Chesterfield Spires Rugby League FC played their first 13 a side game at their new home of Gosforth Fields on Sunday against the Sheffield Eagles supporters club. In a close first half there was little to choose between the teams but it was Chesterfield Second-rower Luke Holt who scored first to give the home side the lead, but Sheffield, who played an expansive game, replied almost immediately to level. The remainder of the first half followed this pattern , Chesterfield pulled ahead but were unable to retain a lead due to some excellent attack work from Sheffield. In the early part of the second half Sheffield pulled ahead and this seemed to spur the Chesterfield side into action, and towards the end of the game some magnificent Chesterfield defence and a strong direct running style paid off with Chesterfield pulling into the lead and piling on the pressure. Captain for the Game and the winning try scorer, Oliver Nichols, said, "It's a great start to our campaign, for many new teams its hard to go in and start winning straight away. We have shown a lot of potential for the future today and every single one of the lads can be proud of their approach and achievement today" Chesterfield will now concentrate on Games coming up against Wetherby and Telford, both away matches. Thanks to the Sheffield lads for an exciting game.

Chesterfield Spires Open Their Rugby League Account - 2nd May 2005

Chesterfield Spires Rugby League club played in their first competitive games on Bank Holiday Monday when they appeared in the inaugural Sheffield 7's tag tournament. Drawn in a group with teams from York, Bristol, Sheffield Rugby Union and Hillsborough Hawks, the team made a respectable start to their campaign finishing third within their group, with credible wins over the Bristol and Hillsborough teams. The third place in the group meant that Chesterfield had the opportunity to go into the cup competition by playing York in a qualifier and in a hard fought game, the club were edged out 6- 3. Club Captain Ken Huckle said " All of the lads can be proud of what was achieved today: All of the clubs we have played today have been together for a number of years and played competitively, we on the other hand have never played competitively and we have been building for the last couple of years." He added " I don't think anyone expected us to do this well , and we'll be looking to build on that in training." The full list of results and the pictures of the day will soon be available on the new Chesterfield Spires website , www.chesterfieldspires.com which also went live over the bank holiday weekend.