2010

President - Colin Mavor

Secretary - June Campbell

Accountant - McKenzie Chartered Accountants

Club Captain - Barry Fox

Premier Captain - Nic Webster

Senior Captain - Phill McCauley 

JAB - President Gary Marsh once again led the JAB. Numbers were consistent with last year with teams from under 5 to under 12. 

Senior - Coached by Reece Kiwara and Graham Smith and Manager Nicky Gibson.Unfortunately Valley were the only team in North Otago with a senior side and with no local competition we joined up with the South Canterbury Presidents Grade. This only had Harlequins and Paeroa but between the three teams they had an enjoyable home and away season with Valley savouring more wins than their opposition. They were awarded the Burns Shield for the Season as they were the only North Otago team in the Competition.

Premier - Coaches - John Schultz and Cuppy Sheppard, Managers - Duncan Kingan and Craig McKayNumbers were good this year with a number of new players and Gerrard Sweeny from Ireland. Two full rounds were played and Valley once again made it to the semi-finals only to be beaten 19-17 by Old Boys in  very medioca game. it was a stop and start season with a bye causd by Athletic entering two teams which was a huge mistake with their second team not even up to senior standard. Valley finished 2nd in the competition. 

Fundraising- A Motorcross was organised   over a new course but again it rained and flooding meant another cancellation. The council indicated that they wanted  the northern end of the ground cleared so Valley cut down 32 trees and over two working bees we sold $6000 worth of wood. 

Trophies ? Excelsior vs Valley ? Maheno vs ValleyTither Memorial - Athletic vs Valley

Life Member - Malcolm Allison was awarded life membership to the club. Due to ill health the award was made at Malcolm house by deputation from the club. Colin Mavor, Allan Paterson, Ian Mavor, Barry Fox, and Ian Gold. Unfortunately Malcolm’s health deteriorated and he died of cancer soon after. Malcolm joined the club in 1989 and played premier rugby, playing over 100 games for the club. he joined the committee in 1991 and became bar manager, a position he held for 16 years. His contribution to the club as huge through his playing career, club administration, social convenor and sponsorship. He was 52 at the time of his death. 

Clubrooms - Big expenditure this year with a portion of the roof replaced over the bar and spouting and interior painting. 

North Otago Rugby Awards: Captains Trophy - Nic Webster

Players conduct and dress - Doran Cup

Most Points in Club Competition - Mark Roney

Burns Shield - Senior

Valley Rugby Awards

Senior: Back of the Year - Greg Moore

Forward of the Year - Ryan Ambler

Player of the Year - Scott Gibson

Most Improved - Dion Andrews

Premier: Back of the Year - Hamish McKenzie

Forward of the Year - Cameron Schultz

Most Conscientious - Craig Kingan

Most Points - Mark Roney

Most Tries - Mike Mavor

Most Improved - Cameron Rowland

Player of the Year - Hamish McKenzie

Players Choice - Hamish McKenzie

Contribution to the Club - Renee Hooper

North Otago Heartland team Representatives - NZ Heartland Meads Cup ChampionsDave Simpson, Hamish McKenzie, Billy Gyton, Josh Collier, Cameron Schultz 

New Zealand Heartland XV Reps: Josh Collier (Flanker), Billy Gyton (Fullback) Josh Cotier also nominated as one of three players for the NZ heartland player of the Year. 

North Otago Awards: Cameron Rowland - Development Player of the Year and Forward of the Year.

Dave Simpson - North Otago Heartland Forward of the Year 

Josh Collier - North Otago Maori Player of the Year   

Valley Rugby Club - Valley of the Kings

Family and spirit - they are the two most common words used in the descriptions of the Valley Club. In small town provinces, rugby clubs provide many similar benefits of a strong, secure family life, and Valley is a shining example. The tight knit club attracts, players, coaches, administrators back, year after year after year, because their love of the place and the social benefits it offers. “Basically it’s a social thing. People of a like mind get to come together and enjoy themselves and play a bit of rugby’ Valley Stalwart Colin Mavor said.“It’s been like that from day one, for young and old. It’s just a good social centre of the community, and the family ties within the club are very strong. We’ve always fought above our weight and I think that shows what the club is made of.’Valley is based in Weston, a satellite town just 5km inland from Oamaru. The odd player comes from out of town but the majority are rural based. ‘We’ve got farmers, farm workers, stock agents, seed merchants, and one shearer this year,’ Mavor explains. Valley was formed in 1988 when three rural clubs within a 10km radius - Weeston Pirates, Enfield and Union (based at Ngapara) - realised they could not continue for much longer. “The clubs just weren’t footing it on their own. There weren’t so many young guys around and every club was struggling,’ Valley historian Allan Paterson recalls. “There was a lot of emotion at the time. I remember we went to a meeting at Union one night and explained what was going on and some of them were horrified. After awhile, people started to realise a merger was the best way forward. It was unanimous in the end.’Union retained its school boy section but the rest of the Valley club decked out in new blue and gold colours, made it debut in 1989.Valley has since won 4 Citizens Shields in 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2009. In 2005, it also won the combined North Otago-South Canterbury competition, which has sadly fallen by the wayside. Home base is the distinctive oval at the Weston Sports Ground. The bowl-style ground, created from farmlands by the Weston Progress League decades ago, allows people to park their cars and utes overlooking the action, creating unique views and atmosphere. Valley and it founding clubs have not produced any All Blacks but Valley has five New Zealand Heartland representatives: hooker Tobias Sekona and backs Ryan McCarthy, Scott Mayhew, Hamish McKenzie and Faaitu Tuamoheloa. Dean Paterson also played for a New Zealand Legends Team in 1999. The club has had its share of stalwarts and three of the greatest have been hooker Barry Fox, utility back Nathan Cunningham and midfield back Mike Mavor. All three have had long careers with both the club and North Otago. Off the field, people like Colin Mavor, Allan Patterson, Peter Twiss, Ian Mavor, long-serving secretary June Campbell and popular barman Malcom Allison keep things ticking over. Valley is fielding a premier team in the Citizens Shield this season, hopes to have a senior team and will have seven or eight school boy teams. The club also has netball and cricket teams, with its top cricket team reaching the final for North Otago club competition this summer. 

GREATEST MOMENT

Played 18, won 18, 909 points for, 140 points against, two trophies won.That added up to some sort of season for Valley in 2005, when it romped to victory in both the Citizens Shield and combined North Otago-South Canterbury competitions.Valley beat Maheno 35-25 after extra time in the Citizens Shield Final, and thumped fellow North Otago Club Old Boys 35-15 in the Aoraki Cup final.An unbeaten season is an extraordinary effort by any club at any level, but victory in the combined competition was particularly sweet for Valley. North Otago clubs dominated the competition to such an extent that South Cantaberians eventually pulled out. Veteran back Nathan Cunningham led Valley with 266 points and classy winger Scott Mayhew scored 30 tries, but everyone contributed in a tem coached by Barry Mathews, now a Highlander assistant, and Peter Rowland. The Club’s Senior B also won the second -tier of both the North Otago (Burns Shield) and combined competitions that year. 

CLUB LEGEND - Colin Mavor

You can’t go far at Valley without bumping into a Mavor, and Colin Mavor is the patriarch of a family that has given so much to the Rugby Club. “Snow” Mavor, a farmer at Airdale just over the hill from the rugby ground, was the founding president of the merged club, serving in the role for five years. He was the club’ first life member and is back serving as a chairman this season.  Mavor played for Enfield and Union, two of the clubs that formed Valley, along with his triplet brothers, Ian and the late Bruce. Colin and Denise Mavor have four sons - Stefan, Jason, Paul and Mathew - all of whom have played for Valley, with Jason an Stefan still putting on boots. Other Mavors, nephews of Colin, to have won the Valley jersey with distinction include Mike, Nathan, Geoff, and the late James. Another nephew, former Wairarapa-Bush and Heartland XV inside back Hamish McKenziem is in the present squad. 

Taken from the New Zealand rugby News, Wednesday 21st April 2010.