So here we are the - day before the 2016/17 season kicks off. The excitement is building.... yes I am still very over-excited about this.
The rituals of a Saturday - looking worringly at the state of my club tie, trying to not drink too much at the pre-match lunch, wondering at what time exactly did Bully get here or whether he ever leaves, laughing at Keano's dreadful jokes, cheering on the lads on the pitch.... it's what makes a Saturday special. We all have our own routine for a Saturday, we all have our own way of being part of this club - the start of a season is a great time to think about that and smile. You are all part of something very special.

So a quick reminder of this weekend's fixtures:

2nd XV vs Richmond (2pm)
1st XV vs Dorking (3pm)
Ladies XV vs Bristol (Sunday)

Team sheets for the 1s and 2s are below. At time of writing I do not have the ladies team sheet - apologies.
Best of luck to all our players this weekend - let's go for the big first up wins!

BRYAN CROKE update:
As I mentioned in my earlier missive Bryan was nominated at the National Rugby awards last night for amateur player of the year. This was a huge honour and, even though he didn't win, just to be nominated is a MASSIVE deal. The event was a very special evening with numerous England players in abundance as well as the GB sevens team and a host of famous faces. We offer our full congratulations to Bryan for his nomination and to us Bryan - you're always a winner.

U21s vs Esher match report:
When you have less possession and less territory than your opposition, and give away over a dozen penalties you would expect to be on the end of a beating. However, that was not the case when Wimbledon’s U21s, led by Dylan Morris, beat Esher in the first match of the Surrey U21 Cup on Wednesday night at Barham Road. In the end great defence, a very dominant set piece and the sheer will to win saw Wimbledon through to a scrappy, but enthralling 13-6 win (1 try from Eric Sims, 3 Pens and a conversion from Jack Kremer). A good win and more than a few bob spent over the bar.

This is a great result chaps! Well done on what sounds like a thoroughly gutsy performance.

Right - that's enough from me. I'm too excited to type.
It all starts tomorrow!

Big Love

Badger

1st XV vs Dorking:

1 James Gillespie
2 Ben Brooks
3 Josh Bayford
4 Campbell Tait
5 Dylan Flashman (c)
6 James Hunt
7 Gary Crowe
8 Roy Godfrey
9 Rhys Morgan
10 Bryan Croke (vc)
11 Josh Charles
12 Aaron Lowe
13 Jack Reville
14 Tommy Moore
15 Dave Bennett
16 Jesse Muir
17 Shawn Renwick
18 Matt Gilbert

Touch Judge
Steve May

Hydration Specialists
Tyler Flashman & Sam Codling

Kicking Coach
Mark Scott

2nd XV vs Richmond

1 Ellis Morgan
2 Bradley Ugodulunwa
3 Ewan Lacey
4 Mike Wood (c)
5 Ben Simmons
6 Dan Bamford
7 Zack Wilkie
8 Dave Wayman
9 Ben Newman
10 Jordan Spittle
11 Adam Ike
12 Noah Jarvis
13 Finn Taylor
14 Nick Ogbonna
15 Callum Sloan
16 Dave Roberts
17 Dan Collins
18 Jon White
19 Nick Hulatt
20 Jude Garvey
21 Charlie Morgan
22 Mike Silvester