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Darlington Mowden Park Bid a fond Farewell to Mitchell & McCaulay

Darlington Mowden Park Bid a fond Farewell to Mitchell & McCaulay

Abbie Osguthorpe24 Jun 2015 - 11:46
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DMP say farewell to two players.

Darlington Mowden Park this year bid a fond farewell to 2 players who have been a huge part of the club for over 4 years, they have seen the club move from Yiewlsey Drive and now on to the stadium as well as being a big part of the promotion success of 2013/14.

Will Macaulay joined us in 2009 and has played in over 100 games for Mowden Park, a former Yarm school student he quickly battled his way into the first XV and never looked back. Will has been working over the last couple of years towards his PGCE and will now move south to take up a post at Holyport College and will continue his rugby with National One side Esher.

“I was 21 when I first joined Mowden and was one of the "young" ones. It is a great sociable club where everyone trains hard but can also have a laugh. I'm now one of the more senior members of the squad at only 26 and it shows that although the majority of players are young it is a club with great potential, moving in the right direction. DMP have developed their players from a young age and I have watched and played alongside some of those players like Liam Riley, Joe Craggs and Tom Larder who have come through the juniors. This comes down to good coaching throughout the club and a great ethos. I am happy to of had the privilege to represent Darlington Mowden Park and I have made some great lifelong friends along the way.

Danny Brown Director of Rugby said “Will has been fantastic for us both on and off the field, although he has had a couple of very nasty injuries he was worked tirelessly to come back. Some players would have thrown the towel in with such retched luck but Will has been there week in week out to complete rehab with the physio and I for one look forward to seeing him back on the field next season no matter who that is with. I would like to publicly pass on my huge thanks to Will who has been great to work with over the years.”

Meanwhile Cameron Mitchell will also move on this year as he finishes his degree at Northumbria University and takes up a post with CBRE as he continues on his chosen career path. Cam, as he is known to all, will not give up on his rugby and will continue at league rivals Richmond. Cameron has been at the club for 4 years now and has undoubtedly made a huge impression on his fellow players, the DMP coaching team and the Mowden supporters. In his first year as captain he took the team and the club to the highest league status ever, and in year two cemented our place in the third tier of English rugby. Cam represented the DMP 7’s outfit and will continue to do so but his highest accolade was representing his country as he pulled on the England jersey for games against France and Scotland in both 2014 & 2015. Cam lead by example as skipper and we are sure he will go on and continue to leave his mark on rugby.

“I have had a brilliant four years at DMP with four very successful seasons on and off the pitch that saw us get promoted twice and a move of our home venue to the arena. I have loved every minute of being a part of DMP, even the dreaded "stairs" in pre-season (probably the only down side to the move to the arena).
Mowden Park is a fantastic club to be a part of and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to play for them. From the fans and the committee members, to the coach's and the players, DMP really has been a fantastic place to have played rugby. My decision to leave was purely work related as I have had to relocate to London, however I hope to be back one day and get the opportunity to play for a Mowden Park team again. Said Mitchell on his reason for leaving and his thoughts on the club he now departs.

John Newton head coach said “When recruiting players it can be a case of the right place at the right time and we first saw Cam when he was involved with 7’s and I knew instantly we needed to get him involved at DMP, sure enough from the outset he really took the club to heart and, despite being the same age, a lot of the players looked to Cam for a spark and he always obliged. Some of the best partnerships we have seen at the club have involved Cam, with China (Chris Peace), Grant (Connon), Tom Hodgson and recently with Garry Law . Cam has taken us to the highest league position and that should not go unrecognised and I as a coach and a friend of Cam’s, on behalf of the club, could not thank him enough. We will look forward to playing against him next year and sharing a quiet beer afterwards.”

As we look towards the new season we will be announcing new signings over the next few days keep an eye on the website, Facebook and twitter.






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