A very warm welcome to all the Ladies joining us today for our Annual January Ladies Lunch. A very Happy New Year to you all! I hope everyone had a wonderful festive season and perhaps overindulged a little—I know I did. That said, I am now on Day 11 of no alcohol or chocolate. Let me tell you, this is no way to live, and I’ll likely be restarting the process tomorrow!

A special welcome to Clive Waller of CWC Research and his guests, our Lunch Sponsors for today. Clive, as President, doesn’t really get a choice when it comes to supporting the club, but his dedication to this annual lunch is unmatched. Thank you, Clive, for your continued support.

So, what does 2025 have in store for us? It’s off to a great start!

The Boxing Day Town vs. Gown match saw a fantastic turnout, with some familiar faces returning. For me, it was particularly special to see Jon Horsfall playing rugby alongside his two sons—that’s exactly what this fixture is all about.

Although the weather disrupted the opening Mini and Youth weekend, the 1st XV had a strong league performance at Wimborne last Saturday. In what was arguably our best team showing of the season, both sides played an open, running game of rugby. Field came away with a 46-18 win, and we were thrilled to see another Colt, Chase Thomas, make his debut.

Today, the 1st XV welcomes Andover to Penns Place. Colt Jamie Guthrie will feature after a masterful, try-scoring performance for Hampshire U18s last week against Hertford U18s. Let’s hope he keeps up his form! We suffered a loss at Andover earlier this season, marking the start of a challenging period. A win today would be a fantastic continuation of our recent success.

Meanwhile, the Mighty 2s host Chichester 2s this afternoon. A victory would secure a clean sweep over our West Sussex rivals, following the 1st XV’s home-and-away wins and the 2s’ away triumph in October. With a young, confident side on display, it promises to be an exciting match.

Tomorrow, Penns Place will be buzzing with four Youth fixtures, culminating in the U16 Girls’ match against Tottonians at 12:30 pm. Please make an effort to come down and support them—there’s so much happening here at the club!

Finally, a very Happy Birthday to my older sister, Ali Butcher. We’ll be making a fuss of her later today.
A huge thank you to Jolene and her team for today’s lunch and for keeping this club running so smoothly.

Enjoy your lunch, and don’t forget to head to the balcony at 3 pm to cheer on the boys.

Come on, Field!