Match Preview

Welcome to today's game featuring SELBY versus KEIGHLEY RUFC

Good afternoon and welcome to Sandhill
Lane for the opening fixture of the 201718 season. I trust everybody has had an enjoyable Summer and is ready for the drama and excitement that awaits us over the coming months. I would particularly like to welcome all new players. Officials, sponsors and members to our great Club and hope that you thoroughly enjoy the hospitality and magnificent facilities that we are able to offer. To all Team Captains
I offer my congratulations and best wishes for a successful and rewarding season.

Today we welcome Keighley to Selby and hope that their committee members and supporters have an excellent afternoon with us and return home in good spirits after some first class entertainment, regardless of the outcome of the match. Last week both Selby and Keighley suffered similar defats, with Keighley on the end of a 15 points loss at Scarborough whilst Selby went down by the same margin at Moortown. With both teams looking to get their Yorkshire 1 account up and running I think we will be in for a fascinating contest and I hope that players spectators and officials are all able to get together over a beer or two to discuss a memorable game of Rugby in a spirit of friendship which seems unique to Rugby Union. Keighley finished mid-table in 7th position last season, winning 15 of their 26 fixtures whilst we eventually fought off relegation on the back of a stirring victory at Scarborough on the last Saturday of the season, so I am certain that both Clubs will have ambition to achieve even higher than they managed during 2016-17.

Thanks go to everybody who has had any involvement in preparing the Clubhouse and pitches for the forthcoming season, with a particular mention to Richard Nicholson who has produced a playing surface which looks better that at any time in the recent seasons. I have always said that if you can't play Rugby on a pitch like the one we are fortunate to provide, then you will never play Rugby at all. With any luck the weather will be kind to us this afternoon and will allow players on both sides to produce their very best and provide the paying public with a real Rugby spectacle. I expect all Selby members to show the level of courtesy to visiting players, supporters and officials that they would wish to be shown to them and finally hope that The Selby Team are able to reverse the narrow 13-17 defeat which they endured in the corresponding fixture last season.

Ray Adamson

President of Selby RUFC