About the White Hart Marauders, and the committee.

Over the years the WHITE HART MARAUDERS have developed into a renowned International 7's side that draws players from all sectors of the domestic and International arena. But we have never lost that sense of fun from the early days.

The White Hart Marauders have introduced a new dimension to the touring sides with such items as the "wobbly Wig" famously worn by Will Carling during his time with the WHITE HART MARAUDERS in 1993, whilst still Captain of England.

Other significant names that have joined the WHITE HART MARAUDERS have included Jeremy Guscott, Laurence Dellaglio, Peter Winterbottom and Dewi Morris to name a few.

Since those early years the WHITE HART MARAUDERS have introduced their flair for rugby and entertainment in many other tournaments including Hong Kong, Dubai, Lisbon, Cape Town, Toulouse, Kinsale, Croatia and of course the U.K, earning credentials as the World Famous International Marauders. With the ever increasing demands on the professional game our team selections now change day by day, however as stated recently in the program for the Heineken 7's in Amsterdam:

"As usual with the White Hart Marauders we know nothing about who will be playing, but as usual they will be among the favourites to win the tournament."

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The Thoughts of Chairman Billy White, on 2010

Well, last year I started my thoughts with a statement concerning the drive to get Rugby Sevens included in the Olympic Games and here we are a year later with that heady thought having been achieved. The Rugby fraternity is delighted that 2016 will see the game being played at the highest level, and we are proud that our efforts, on and off the pitch, have helped to achieve this.

My best memory of 2009 has to be our visit to Twickenham at the Middlesex Sevens and for us to beat the current holders, Harlequins in our first match. My main thought here is to use those two little words that golfers and rugby players use extensively. ‘If only’ we had not had so many top players injured in our first two matches we would have been challenging for the honours.

Unfortunately due to the short notice that all the Invitational sides were given, your Chairman was sunning himself in Crete when the event took place. Not only that, but having driven round the island for two hours on the match day to try to find a bar, restaurant, or friendly local Cretan who had a Sky contract, I eventually had to admit defeat and drown my sorrows. Anyway the DVD of the match was good to watch when I got home, so congratulations to Howard for another great display of rugby, and leadership on the field.

It was also good to see the Marauders Academy having such a successful first season, reaching 7 semi-finals, 2 plate finals, and a quarter final. I am positive that this year will see their first win. Well done Henry, keep the lads going!

In addition, the Marauders Vets went all the way to the finals of the World Masters Tournament in Sydney, where they won the Silver Medal. I urge you to take a look at the Vets page on our website and click through the photographs of this tournament. As you will see the standard of this event was world class and the Vets, led by ‘Lofty’, did us proud.

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In my opinion change for the sake of it is rarely for the better. On the other hand no change at all is generally a recipe for disaster. Positive change needs to be well thought through and clearly defined.

We are living in an environment of constant change, and indeed rugby Sevens and the Marauders are probably undergoing the biggest changes we have ever seen. If I go back a few years to when our beloved Shorty departed for sunnier climes and a complete change of lifestyle, it became clear that the Marauders were going to have to move up a gear in order to hit the targets we had set ourselves. Not only did we have to contend with potential cut backs due to the state of the economy, but we also needed to raise our game in all departments, from playing skills, through to management direction.

We had already started the process of protecting the White Hart Marauders brand and our history from potential ‘predators’ and it was evident that our brand had the ability to make it even higher into the top echelons of the rugby fraternity. Achievement of this goal would mean that the brand would be stronger and future top level players and management easier to attract.

If I cast my mind back, when a loose Marauders management style was enough to keep us going, the challenge was to find a way to retain the fun aspects of that era whilst initiating the necessary change in culture vital for us to survive and prosper in the future, more professional environment.

And so your new club constitution and committee was formed, enabling us to tackle matters which may have been overlooked in the past. The new management team has now been in place for 18 months and we have seen real benefits, such as better marketing through our new website and a well supported Annual Yearbook. Our approach to sponsors, is more professional, as we seek to develop stronger partnerships with them in the future.

I hope that you can already recognise some of these benefits, whether reading this as a player, supporter, sponsor or a potential addition to any of those categories. We still have some way to go, and have raised our sights again as we head into 2010, but we are determined to get there!

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White Hart Marauders Committee Members

(Tournament management are highlighted in bold letters)

• Peter Doyle - President

• Bill White - Chairman

• Barrie Torbett - Team Manager

• Howard Graham - Player/Coach

• David Bedford - Vice Chairman/Membership

• John Cozens - Secretary

• Mike Bedford - Treasurer

• Mark Cowley - Rugby Liaison/Sponsorship

• Ian Meikle - Webmaster

Honorary Life Members

• Dave Short

• Ian Meikle

• Fred Smith

• James Van Amstell

• Doug Page

Life Members

• Billy White

• Peter Doyle

• Mike Courtness

• Andy Zuanic

• David Bedford

• Harry Fish

• John Cozens

• Ali Watson

• Doug Fish

Annual Subscriptions:

• Ordinary Members & VP’s £25.00 (£20 via Direct Debit)

• Life Membership £200.00 (one-off payment for life)

Membership benefits

• White Hart Marauders - Elite team status

• White Hart Marauders Yearbook

• Thursday night “roll-up” at The Hart 

• White Hart Marauders kit shop so you can become the ‘discerning’ Marauder

• Your name will appear on the website as a member of the WHMRFC

• Invitation to free annual Marauders BBQ at The Hart

• Invitation to all White Hart Marauders tours as a paying supporter – Enjoy!

• Free White Hart  Marauders Thursday ‘roll-up’ badge

• Sponsorship opportunities for you and your company to tour with the White Hart Marauders