Andrew Sheridan. The Sale Sharks, England an British Lions legend presented the awards at the annual Southport Sports Tours Junior Rugby Festival in May sponsored by Kukri What an absolute gentleman and a fantastic ambassador for the game of rugby.

Bar. The bar in the club house has been vibrant on Saturday afternoon and evenings and Sunday lunchtimes throughout the season especially with many former players, such as the Greenhalgh brothers, Mike Halsall, Martin Lockyer, Mark Causey, Roger Andrews, John Wright, Les Jackson, Jeff Windle, et al returning in their droves to recount past glories and support their successors. Long may it continue!

Colts. At least fifteen Senior Colts have come all the way through the Minis and Junior system to establish themselves in the senior teams this season. U19s Will Scott-Abbott, Danny Banks, Josh Critchley, Kristian Griffiths, Calum Monaghan, Elliott Walker, and Matty Woods, and U18s Dan Bernard, Jordan Caldwell, Hugh Ellis, Tom Hill, Josh Hyde, Jacob McMullen, Tom Peacock, and Dan Whalen have all given a great account of themselves. Banks (winning several man-of-the-match accolades), Critchley, Ellis, Hill and Monaghan each fulfilled the aspiration of any Southport youngster in making their debuts for the first-team. Ellis, Hill, McMullen, Monaghan, Scott-Abbott, Whalen and Woods all made significant contributions to the title winning 2nd team, likewise Hyde in the 3rd team.

Disappointment. In an otherwise excellent season for the club as a whole the 1st and 2nd teams lost winnable games at home to St Edwards Old Boys (15-25) and Moore (13-19) in the semi-finals of their respective cup competitions. In the 140 seasons the club has existed no Southport 1st team has ever won a senior cup competition; arguably there has never been a better opportunity but the chance wasn’t taken. Next year?

Extension and refurbishment. In the summer of 2011 during the close season under the direction of Mark Astwood an army of members help to extend and refurbish the club house.

Food Standard Agency. In October 2011 the Sefton Food Safety & Hygiene Agency visit Sue Astwood, Louise Dale and Pete King at the clubhouse to inspect the catering facilities and give a 4/5 rating. In March this is reassessed at 5/5, the highest accolade. No more so was the excellence of the clubs catering team there for all to see than the Patrons lunch before the first-team game against Marple on 21st April.

Grasshoppers. Monday 26th March saw the 85th anniversary of the first ever 1st XV fixture at Waterloo Road. On Saturday 26th March 1927 Southport played Preston Grasshoppers winning 11-0. By coincidence history repeated itself eighty five year later as on Saturday 24th March a Southport side was victorious over a Preston Grasshoppers side, Southport 2nd XV winning 24-10 in doing so secured promotion from the University of Salford NW League 4 (North).

Honour. On Sunday 25th March, the club was honoured to host the 2011/12 Lancashire RFU Schools Finals, the warm weather encouraging a large crowd to attend from throughout the town and all over the county. The Club welcomed players, teachers and parents in their droves from Arnold, Audenshaw, Bolton, Bury Grammar, Lancaster Royal Grammar, Merchant Taylors, St Edwards College, St Marys Hall, and Stoneyhurst College Schools.

In Memory. In September 2011 the club mourned the passing of one of it’s greats. Former player, official, chairman and Lancashire President Dick Bretherton sadly passed away in September.

Junior Colts, captained by Jamie ‘Forest’ Bailey win the Raging Bull NW League D, and were runners up in the League Bowl losing narrowly to favourites Sandbach 17-19 in the final. Elsewhere the U11's and U12's defeat tough opposition to make it to Lancashire Cup Finals Day at Wigan, both teams acquitting themselves really well.

Kukri. Southport is one of the smartest turned out clubs in rugby thanks to the brilliant ‘home-grown’ kit supplied by Kukri a company run by member-parents-coaches Phil and Woody Morris. Kukri also generously sponsor the hugely successful Southport Junior Rugby Festival which was held last weekend.

Lancashire. U15s prop forward Steve Green is selected for the county and makes three successive appearances. This is a tremendous honour for the Steve and a sure sign of the progress the club is making. In a tremendous season for the Green family older brother Paul is a member of the successful Junior Colts side.

Merseyside. There was further evidence that the Club's youth strategy is paying off in April when four players from the U14s - Tom Critchley, Josh Gorman, Toby Gjertson and Sam Whitfield - are selected to represent Merseyside which could lead to full county honours. Hopefully this another sign that Southport youngsters no longer have to de-camp to so-called establishment clubs for recognition.

Nationwide Produce Ltd. Club benefactor Bernard O’Malley yet again generously sponsor the club kit, each of the seventeen teams team from U17s to the Senior sides proudly wearing the traditional black red and amber Kukri shirts adorned with the name of Bernard’s Lord Street based company, one of the best known and most successful in the town.

On-line. The new club website www.southportrfc.com is launched by club chairman Andy Carney, webmasters Mike Sweeney and David Brown on January 1st in conjunction with new Twitter and Facebook Accounts. An initial target of 300 members registered on the site by the end of the year is set and this is reached a head of target during the Rugby Festival weekend with club stalwart Hamish Wilson officially credited as the three hundredth to register. The site incorporates a new on-line shop for SRFC merchandise in partnership with Kukri.. Wi-Fi is now available in the club house as well, and Andy achieves a life-time ambition by giving the first-ever power point presentation at the AGM in April.

Percy Park were extra-special visitors to Waterloo Road for the Southport Junior Rugby Festival its U15 team securing a narrow 7-0 win over the hosts in one of the round-robin games. This game had unique flavour as like Southport, Park was formed in 1872 with both sets of players contributing to a photo shoot for posterity after the game, and Park generously presenting Southport with a club shield displaying the famous Stanley lion and the date of the clubs formation.

Queens Diamond Jubilee. Gina Whitfield is organising the Southport RFC ‘street’ theme party on Saturday 2nd of June 2012 with fun and games for all of the family including an “It’s a Knock Out” competition. The theme of blue, white and red is wholly appropriate as they represent the original colours of the rugby club.

Rugby tours. Several Southport teams went on tour this season including 190 people from the club descended on Windermere and having a fantastic weekend with the under 9's,10's 11's and 12's Organised superbly by Miles ‘Away’ and Michelle Johnson there were great performances on and off the pitch and the compliments were coming thick and fast about the behaviour and spirit of the Southport contingent. Sides from Watsonions, Selkirk, Belfast and Otley and many others were there. Other Southport teams toured Ireland and North Wales.

Second Team. Martin Baileys boys are the Champions of the University of Salford League Division 4 (North). In a nail biting finale to the season the team secured a tense 10-5 win at Furness to pip challengers Keswick by a single point, having gone neck to neck since Keswick narrowly won at Waterloo Road in January, each side winning their thirteen subsequent games. The highlight for Southport in a memorable season was the Fuscoe coach trip on 7th April to win at Millom 31-10, a team previously unbeaten at home for at least three years. Steve Hunter scores a remarkable 30 tries.

Team photographs. The cocktail lounge in the club house was given a complete make-over during the close season with parent-member Phil Horner organising the scanning, copying and remounting of photographs of Southport 1st XVs from 1870s to the 1970s. The lounge is re-opened by Bernard O’Malley before the 1st team fixture on 29th October against Vagabonds (IoM) sponsored by his company Nationwide Produce PLC.

Under 11s coached by Phil Morris win the Sports Tours Cup at the Southport Junior Rugby Festival for the second year running, beating Waterloo 2-0 in the final. The u7s also win beating Sefton in the final. The U12s finish runners up to Market Harborough, and the U10s in third place. Dave Hignett's u6s debut play their first ever game under the watchful eye of Andrew Sheridan. Tremendous effort!

Volunteer. Club legend Shane Cook awarded Lancashire RFU Presidents Volunteer of the Year Award. Shane is in his third decade playing for the club having started out in the Colts in the Eighties, and whilst still strutting his stuff on occasion for the 1st XV also helps out with coaching the Juniors as well as tending the main pitch.

Women’s rugby. After a gap of many years the club announces it is re-introducing women’s rugby. A squad of at least eighteen ladies has been training throughout the season and the club eagerly awaits the first competitive match for the re-formed team.

X Factor. Definitely Louise Dales patrons lunch spread and Lynn Walton’s SRFC themed cup cakes! Simply stunning!

Youth. The Southport youth policy yielded another product off the production line in January but in a most unexpected way. James Dorans 3rd XV turned up short handed away at Moore but were grateful to Dean Hyde for being cajoled into making his rugby debut at the age of 47. Dean has watched son Josh come all the way through the Minis and Juniors into the Seniors had expected his usual afternoon on the sidelines partaking of the local brew but the he answered the SOS with aplomb. This was his first-ever game of rugby, and as such he could be the oldest ever Southport debutante, in fact anywhere? Past SRFC President Jack Glassberg apparently played until he was 55 into the 1980's but he started as a spring chicken, likewise Shane cook who is still going strong. Dean hasn’t been seen on a pitch since.

Zebra. At least two seen at the senior player’s end of season night out!

Roll on 2012-2013, which sees the clubs 140th birthday, 125 years since the colours changed from blue, white and red to red, black and amber, 100 years since the club changed its name from Southport Olympic…..