The 2013–14 season kept the First XV in the promotion race into April and gave the Second XV a run of wins in the inclusive game, while a good deal of the year’s work was done away from the pitch.

The First XV

Dean Bee captained the First XV, which competed in Division 5 East of the North West Intermediate League and finished the year in fourth place. The club’s record of Bee’s captaincy credits the side with promotion into Division 4 at the end of 2013–14, and into Division 3 the season after.

In February the First XV lost 10–15 to a Manchester side made up of players competing three leagues above them, with Rob Stone named man of the match. On 1 March the Spartans won 67–5 against Bowdon 4s, several Second XV players having been brought into the squad. With four league games to go they stood fourth and still in the promotion race, and at the end of March they drew 26–26 away at Eccles. The last league fixture, at home to Ashton 2s on 21 April, ended 5–27; the only Spartans score was Tom Sedgwick’s first try for the First XV, which also took him the man of the match award.

The Second XV

Andy Wignall captained the Second XV, which played ten fixtures and won eight, every one of those wins coming against another inclusive rugby club. The captaincy moved about during the year: Dave Marland stepped up from vice captain to lead the side, and five other players took charge on a game-by-game basis.

On 8 February the Second XV beat Newcastle Ravens 32–12, with Andy Wignall named man of the match; the same afternoon James Flanagan and Ryan Hallett played their first games for the club. In April the side travelled to Edinburgh to play the Caledonian Thebans, were level at 15–15 at half time and ran out 46–15 winners.

Two touring sides in one afternoon

The club had arranged for Soto del Real of Madrid to tour Manchester, and on 19 April both XVs played host. The First XV beat the Spanish side 50–29, with tries from Westwood (two), D Bee, K Bee, Whiteley, Wass, Allen and Courtney, five conversions from A Smith and man of the match to Rob Stone. The Second XV beat Birmingham Bulls 29–22, Leeke scoring twice and Heaton, S Smith and Fryer once each, Crookall adding two conversions and Jonathan Edwards taking man of the match. A hog roast at Sale Sports Club fed both touring teams, members and supporters afterwards.

The club off the field

The ground work of the year was unglamorous and necessary: repairs to the pitch floodlights and to blocked drainage, and an investigation into upgrading the shower area of the changing facilities to cope with weekly demand. Contingency training facilities were arranged with Pure Gym, and the relationship maintained in the hope of a new deal.

The website and its contents were rewritten, committee email addresses were set up at villagespartans.co.uk, and every award the club had previously won was researched and recorded on an honours page. A new structure was implemented for new members entering the club, Shaun Davies was appointed for sports therapy, and match-day support, leading the warm-ups, making substitutions and advising from the sidelines, came from Neil.

Profile and partners

On 14 January 2014 the club launched a new Manchester Village Spartans RUFC page on Facebook, opening it with an invitation to like and share. In February the Spartans took part in a Pride House Manchester event on Canal Street, held in solidarity with LGBT people in Russia. In March players ran a kit drive on a night out, raising funds for the club and recruiting players and supporters at the same time. That month the club also gained access, through the Rugby World Cup 2015 Rugby Community Ticket Programme, to six tickets for each of the ten Twickenham matches, both semi-finals and the final included, along with a further 128 tickets for games at other venues.

An in-kind sponsorship deal was set up with the radio station Gaydio, announced in June as a media partnership. Taurus Bar on Canal Street was described in the same month as a long-time supporter of the club.

Getting to Sydney

The 2012 AGM had agreed that a squad would attend the 2014 Bingham Cup, likely in Sydney, and that a major fundraising venture would be required to get there. The club also assisted with the organisation of the tournament alongside Marlon Morais. It was stated that around 25 players would travel to Sydney that summer, supported by a coaching programme to prepare them.

Awards and the AGM

The annual dinner was held in May. Simon Gammon was Player of the Year and Andy Wignall Second Team Player of the Year. Robbie Stone took both the Players Player and Best New Comer awards, Dan Wass was Most Improved and Chris Cartledge Highest Try Scorer. Neil Mason received the Chair’s Award, Jonathan Edwards was Supporter of the Year and Steve Sharpe took the Queens Boots.

At the AGM on 31 May the officers for 2014–15 were appointed: Matt Whiteley continuing as Chair, Marlon Morais as Vice Chair, Jonathan Edwards as Secretary, Brett Dawson as Treasurer, Neil Mason as Director of Rugby, Dean Bee and Andrew Wignall as First and Second XV captains, Rob Stone as Social Secretary, Andy Smith as Recruitment Officer and Gaz Longley on PR and media. Dave Brewster was named President, Alex Shaw and Phil Bowers took the First and Second XV coaching roles, Karl Bee became First XV vice captain, Simon Gammon fixtures secretary, Dave Marland team manager, Ianto Morgan supporters’ secretary and James Hand IT and systems support.

The Spartans ended the year with a settled committee, a new media partner and a squad preparing to fly to Sydney. The club’s honours record has the First XV going up into Division 4 at the end of the season, and up again the season after that.

Touch My Brum

On 19 July 2014 the touch side went to Touch My Brum, the tournament hosted by the Birmingham Bulls, and won all four pool matches, beating the Barbarians 6–0, Bulls Red 7–0, the Thebans 2–0 and Bulls Blue 2–1. The scores came from Samuel Gilmore, Robbie Stone, Simon Gammon, Andy Smith, Fryer, Chris Heaton and C Davis. Northampton won the final 2–1 and the Spartans finished second.

On the drive home Chris Heaton, Shaun Davies and Andy Pope sang Just Can’t Wait To Be King in the back of the car. Somebody filmed it, the club put it on YouTube two days later, and in October the Manchester Evening News ran it.

The Bingham Cup in Sydney

The season closed on the other side of the world. On 9 August the Bingham squad lost 34-38 away to Manchester 3 in a warm up match, with tries from Simon Gammon, Dean Bee, Carl Helps, Matt Whiteley, Joe Crookall and Gareth Longley, two conversions from Andy Smith and the match award to Jeff Edwards. Three weeks later the Spartans were at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney for the official opening of the Bingham Cup 2014, and talked to Gaydio’s breakfast show live from Australia about their preparations.

The tournament itself did not go well. The Spartans lost both opening pool matches, to the New Zealand Falcons and the Brisbane Hustlers, and closed the day two pool with a 13-3 defeat by San Francisco Fog in what the club recorded as a very hard fought and physical game. A 13-7 win over Kings Cross Steelers B carried them into the semi final of the Bingham Bowl, where the Emerald Valkyries won 29-7 on the last day, 31 August 2014.