How Malton made history (From Gazette & Herald)

How Malton made history

When Richard John took over as Malton and Norton head coach this season, he believed his team could do well.

But he didn't envisage just how well they would do. Only Beverley prevented them from completing a historic league and cup double, beating them in the Yorkshire Shield final after Malton had won the Yorkshire One title by seven points.

"I know I said we weren't looking to consolidate, but if I'd said we would win Yorkshire One and reach the final of the Yorkshire Shield, I'd have been saying it tongue in cheek," said John.

His side first sensed they could do well after their opening-day 21-13 win at pre-season promotion favourites Old Brodleians, who had finished third in the league the year before.

But it was the victory at second-placed Pontefract at the turn of the year, which brought home the realisation that a third successive promotion was on the cards for the Gannock men.

Some of the older members of the club rated that performance as one of the best in the club's 51-year history.

"We played so well, especially being away from home. Everything we'd worked on in training came off," said John.

Malton clinched the title with two games to spare, winning 18 of their 22 matches and losing only two.

The reasons for their success this season have largely been the same as in the previous three years, when their upward curve began with the Tetley Vase success at Twickenham in 2001 under coach Pat Stephenson.

The key has been a large and talented squad, coupled with a tremendous will to win and exceptional fitness levels.

With many second-teamers proving capable of making the step up to first-team level, John has a squad of over 30 players at his disposal. Pleasingly, three-quarters of these are local players, many of whom have come through the junior ranks.

John also paid tribute to the club's Antipodean contingent, which includes skipper Chris Creber, Willy Barber, Jason Simpson, Liam Vaughan and players' player of the year, James McKay.

He believes their will to win, a trait synomous with Australian and New Zealand rugby - but now also associated with England after the World Cup - has rubbed off on the rest of the players and helped them win tight games.

Narrow wins against Keighley (27-23), Goole (15-13) and Old Crossleyans (19-16) were all occasions when Malton dug deep to come from behind in the second half. At Old Crossleyans, they won with a last-minute try.

Games like these also illustrated Malton's superior fitness compared with other sides. When John took up his coaching role three years ago at the club, he introduced SAQ techniques.

Short for Speed, Agility, Quickness, these modern training methods are used by successful teams such as the England rugby national team and Arsenal.

The technique is designed to improve the neuro-muscular system (essentially how the brain controls the movements of the body). By doing exercises which imitate the typical movements made by a rugby player, this type of training can make these movements more explosive, precise and instinctive.

Rather than traditional 'old school' training, practice nights at Malton involve SAQ methods - ground-based cone, ladder and hurdlework to develop quick feet; dynamic flexing, a fluid warm-up rather than static stretching, involving movements which replicate those made during games; work with bungee-cords to develop explosive movement. All these drills are designed to increase coordination between the brain and the body.

This style of training, which John has picked up by attending seminars and also watching Leicester Tigers and the Rotherham development squad practise, has given Malton an edge on their rivals by keeping injuries to a bare minimum.

"Our physio has been redundant this year, apart from collisions that you are always going to get in matches," said John, who hasn't come across any other team in the Yorkshire leagues who use SAQ.

Malton face a journey into the unknown next season when they enter North Two East for the first time in their history to face teams they have little knowledge of such as West Hartlepool, Redcar and Westoe. It could be tough, as York came straight back down after gaining promotion from Yorkshire One the year before.

But John believes his side can hold their own. While he has identified areas that may need strengthening, he will keep faith with the same players who have made the club into one of the most progressive in the north of England since 2001.

Aussie Liam Vaughan is set to stay for another season, while the club is hoping Willy Barber will return from New Zealand. Matt Miers and possibly Jim Fisher will return from their trips down under.

With an average age of about 26, John believes many players can get better and that his side has yet to reach its full potential.

With a thriving minis and juniors section offering yet more promise for the future, let's hope the Malton and Norton success story has only just begun.

Updated: 12:21 Wednesday, May 12, 2004