And they're off! And this time, they're off to a winning start.

Clitheroe 2nd XV, after a steady year last year were hoping for much more as they started this season's league campaign. With some younger faces in the 1st XV, the 2nds have been strengthened by some of the more experienced players in the club. Captain Bob Wilkinson certainly had a much stronger hand to play than at the same time last season and was also blessed with some significantly talented younger players too. Club Captain for the previous 3 years Ollie McEntyre turned up for duty as normal but this time without the worry and time-consuming requirements of fulfilling any other role than that of Number 8, something I now he quite enjoyed, especially after only recently pulling through a life-threatening experience with a large feral cat in the wild areas around Whalley. Ollie was joined in the older generation department by last year's 2nd XV Player of the Year Paul Procter, 2nd row Dowson, flanker Kiwi Harper and evergreen backs Simon Gretton and Andrew Caunce, who, as a group with Wilkinson boast some 150 years rugby experience between them . The exciting young talent came in the form of Holland and Shread in the front row, Harrison, Shorrock and Jackson in the back 5 and backs Brown, Lafranceschina, Clemmey, Hardy, McLean, Birch and Keough. Altogether a squad of 19 shows in itself a healthy improvement on last year.

Chorley have been determined to expand their playing sides and have taken the bold and promising move to run a 3rd team this season. Captain Marc Brook admitted he was struggling for numbers with a number of people away but he was absolutely determined to bring a team along to Littlemoor and although they only came with 11 players, much credit should be given to Marc and his team for taking on the challenge. In order to balance up the numbers, Clitheroe donated 4 players to the opposition and thanks to Procter, Gretton, Jackson and Caunce, as well as to referee Beveridge, a good game of rugby ensued.

Clitheroe are notoriously slow starters and with the disruption of moving players around they could perhaps have been forgiven for not starting the game well, however, this wasn't to be. The home team took the bull by the horns and tore into Chorley pretty much front he off. Dowson and McEntyre continually drove the ball in hard from in and around the ruck whilst Brown was providing effective ball delivery to Lafranceschina who in turn was releasing the ebullient Hardy and McLean, where the latter was experiencing his first taste of competitive rugby. As the half progressed, Chorley were being pinned deeper and deeper into their own half and despite some heroic defending it was only a matter of time before the line was to be crossed. During an entertaining first half Clitheroe crossed for three unanswered tries that came from McEntyre, Lafranceschina and new man McLean. Keough added one conversion.

The second half was for the most part a continuation of the first, however Chorley did rally for a 10 minutes period in the middle of the half and scored their only try of the game. The remainder of the half was dominated by Clitheroe with the highlights being the hat-tricks for both Lafranceschina and McLean and a further try from the industrious Dowson. McLean played excellently in his first game of rugby and will certainly be pushing for higher level rugby if he continues to show such strength in contact and fleet of foot. He was much deserving of the Man of the Match award.

Next week, Clitheroe 2nds travel over the hill to play Colne & Nelson 2nds. C&N went down 49-10 away at Leigh at the weekend and will be wanting to repeat their home win over Clitheroe from last season.