Bristol Sonics

Infobox_esl_club | clubname = Bristol Sonics


fullname = "Bristol Sonics Rugby League Club"
emblem = Concorde
colours = Maroon and gold
founded = 2002
sport = rugby league
league = TRL Rugby League Conference
ground = Aretians RFC, Little Stoke, Bristol (Coordinates: 51°31′46.40″N, 2°33′45.22″W)
web = [http://www.bristolsonics.com/ www.bristolsonics.com]

Bristol Sonics are a rugby league club based in Bristol in the South West of England. The Sonics play in the in the West Midlands Division of the Cooperative Rugby League Conference, alongside the likes of Oxford Cavaliers, Swindon St George, Telford Raiders, Wolverhampton Wizards, Redditch Ravens and Coventry Bears 'A'. Bristol Sonics are currently the Cooperative RL Conference West Midlands Champions, having retained the title they first won in the summer of 2007.

History

2002-2004: Early Days

Bristol Sonics were formed in the autumn of 2002 by a group of rugby league enthusiasts in the city. The club colours of maroon and gold were chosen as a tribute to Bristol's original rugby league club, which ran from the early 1980s to the early 1990s before disbanding. The Sonics name comes from Bristol's links with the development of the Concorde supersonic passenger jet, which was built and tested close to the club's original ground St Brendans Old Boys in Filton. An inaugural meeting was held in a public house near by, and an introduction from a former old boy saw the chairman from St Brendans O B agree terms with the Sonics' chairman Phil Cole to use the grounds and facilities at St Brendans (the old Bristol Combination ground) near Filton.

Following the formation of the club, the Bristol Sonics were granted membership of the TotalRL.com Rugby League Conference in January 2003, taking their place in the South West Division of the competition alongside Gloucestershire Warriors, Somerset Vikings, Worcester Saints, Cardiff Demons and Oxford Cavaliers. Before training began in February 2003, the Sonics agreed to host a heat of London Broncos' (now Harlequins Rugby League 'Prop Idol' competition. One of the Bristol winners, Michael Lowis, was announced as one of the three finalists and went on to train with the Broncocs [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/2698853.stm] , 'Broncos Home In On Prop Idol', BBC News Online, 02-06-2003] .

Despite the good publicity generated by the Prop Idol heats, Bristol Sonics initially struggled to attract players. Just 14 players, a couple borrowed from other clubs, took to the field for the Sonics' first game, a friendly against Cardiff Demons on Sunday 27th April 2003. The inexperienced Sonics lost to their local rivals 8-74, with captain Ben Morris getting Bristol's first ever try - a moment captured by a photographer from the Bristol Evening Post. [ [http://www.bristolsonics.com/index.php?id=124] , 'A Brief History Of Rugby League In Bristol'] This first Conference season proved tough for the Sonics, with an opening weekend win against Worcester Saints being followed by a series of heavy defeats, including one 8-100 loss to Cardiff - still the club's record defeat. At the end of the summer 2003 campaign, the Sonics finished bottom of the South West Division, having won just two of 10 matches.

For the 2004 Rugby League Conference season, national expansion and restructure found Bristol Sonics placed in the new Western division of the RLC. Cardiff Demons were replaced with Telford Raiders in an otherwise unchanged League. While the Sonics improved and won more matches - including their first ever away win, a 30-48 victory over Oxford Cavaliers - they still struggled on and off the pitch. Brief relief came in the form of a second successive trip to the York International 9s in June, where the Sonics made the Quarter Finals, securing a famous victory over French side Montpellier along the way. At the end of the season, it was announced that St Brendans Old Boys RFC had sold their ground to developers. This meant the Sonics were homeless, and would have to find a new home base before the start of the 2005 campaign.

2005-2006: Backwards Is The Only Way Forwards

An extensive search for a new home ground was undertaken in the winter of 2004, with a number of rugby union clubs approached. Discussions were also held with The University of Bristol about using their Coombe Dingle facilities, but these ended in stalemate. In the end, with no other alternative, the Sonics found themselves a home at Old Elizabethans RFC in Hallen, thanks to a deal set up by club captain Dom Swann (also a member of Old Elizabethans).

After the steady improvements of 2004, 2005 was another hit-and-miss year for the Sonics on the pitch. Things started badly when the RFL announced on the eve of the season that one of the South West Division's new clubs, Thames Valley Cougars, would not be entering the league. This withdrawal caused all sorts of problems for the remaining five South West clubs, with the number of gap weekends being the biggest. On top of this, Oxford Cavaliers and new club Plymouth Titans both had trouble fulfilling fixtures. Both scratched games in Bristol early in the season, though they did eventually make it down to Old Elizabethans later in the year (Bristol winning on both occasions).For the second year running the Sonics won more games than they lost, eventually finishing third behind old adversaries Somerset and Gloucestershire. The undoubted highlight of a troublesome year was a memorable 30-all draw with Somerset, watched by a reporter from BBC Radio Bristol.

For the 2006 summer season, Bristol moved grounds again, finding a home at Aretians RFC in Little Stoke, South Gloucestershire. It was not to be a good omen, as on and off the pitch the club were in disarray. Player recruitment had not gone well and suddenly the Sonics found themselves going backwards. In an expanded West Midlands & South West Division of 8 clubs, Bristol found it hard going. They only won three games all season, and player disillusionment led to the forfeiting of a game against bitter rivals Gloucestershire Warrirors - the only time this has happened in the club's history. The one bright spot of an otherwise miserable season was the formation of the club's first Junior side, the U16 'Sonic Youth' team. While the experiment has yet to be repeated, a number of 'Sonic Youth' graduates are now first team regulars.

2007: The Sweet Smell of Success

The 2007 season saw Bristol Sonics celebrate their fifth anniversary in style by becoming the surprise winners of the new-look West Midlands Division of the Cooperative Rugby League Conference. After a slow start to the campaign, the new-look Sonics began to gel as a side and played some brilliant rugby. After the regular league stage of the season, the Sonics finished second to rivals "Burntwood Barbarians" after going through the second half of the campaign unbeaten. That meant a home Qualifying Play-Off against third-placed "Carvell Coventry Bears Academy". In arguably their best performance of the season, Bristol triumphed 70-8 to earn a Grand Final showdown with Bunrtwood on August 11 2007. In a classic contest in front of several hundred partisan fans at Chase High School, Burntwood, Bristol triumphed 40-30 to become West Midlands Champions – the club's first significant silverware.

The following week, Bristol travelled to RLC East Division winners Bedford Tigers for a Cooperative Rugby League Conference Regional quarter final. Despite leading for much of the game, the Sonics were eventually beaten 22-18 to put an end to their hopes of a further silverware.

2007 Cooperative Rugby League Conference West Midlands Division - Final table

2007 West Midlands Play-Off Series Results

Qualifying Final (4 August 2007) – Bristol Sonics 70-6 Carvell Coventry Bears 'A'
Grand Final (11 August 2007) – Burntwood Barbarians 30-40 Bristol Sonics

2008 Cooperative Rugby League Conference West Midlands Division

Bristol Sonics carried their fine 2007 form into the 2008 season, remaining unbeaten to date and retaining their West Midlands title with two games to go. In the national Rugby League Conference play-offs, Bristol Sonics are due to face the winners of the South West Division in Taunton on Saturday August 16, 2008.

References