(Rugby) Cully and the college team up in bid to unearth talent

Date: 02/11/2009

From Express & Echo, Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 23:00

CULLOMPTON rugby club and Exeter College have strengthened ties in an attempt to discover the next Ben Moon. Exeter Chiefs prop Moon — who played for England under-20s last season — began his playing career at the Mid Devon club as a youngster.
Now the city college will offer support to Cully's youth set-up by providing weekend training sessions with graduate students. Additionally, advice will be available to under-16s about the possibility of combining a decent standard of rugby with further education studies. Cullompton's senior team will also benefit from the scheme, with Exeter College's rugby academy lecturers — all past or current players with Exeter Chiefs or the Cornish All Blacks — offering coaching to the South West One West side.
In return the college will be able to use Cully's Stafford Park ground for a number of AASE and Elite Conference League matches this season. Cullompton members' secretary John Shepherd says he hopes the partnership will help continue the club's proactive approach to developing local players.
"Many of our players were first together in the junior sides and have stuck together at the club and that really makes the team work," he explained. "We are very much a community club. We have a well-respected junior section and we like to encourage players to build on their skills once they join us. This arrangement should help with our continuing support of them once they have reached their teenage years and beyond, at the same time as help bring in new blood via the college."
Exeter College were the first winners of the prestigious Daily Mail Under-18s Cup at Twickenham in 2005 — with a team which contained six Cullompton players. And there are now eight Exeter College rugby academy graduates playing regularly for Cully. They include Paul Baker, Alex Brooks, Chris Griffiths, Adam Pearce, Rob Stanley, Lee Powell, Jeremy Turner and Marcus Busch, who have all helped the club to unprecedented success over the last few years. And head coach Charlie Mahon believes the move is good for both parties.
"Any bridge you can build within the context of helping rugby in the community helps to grow the game and that's an important thing to happen," he said. "The junior section will benefit enormously from having people who are able to offer their expertise. The ideal scenario is that over time we will be able to establish playing links with the college — the kind that we have already had indirectly before. It also raises the profile of a club like Cullompton, where we have the standard of facilities that the college are interested in using for a number of prestigious games and events."
Exeter College sports academy director Chris Wall is also delighted by the links created between the two. "It's great to be able to continue our relationships with local clubs, particularly with one like Cullompton, which has done so well and is making progress within the leagues," he said. "It's also good to be working with one in which so many of our students have been involved playing rugby over the years. To be able to come and use a caliber of ground and facilities such as those available at Cullompton for the quality of fixtures we are now playing is excellent."