A little help gets Raiders on the field

THE SHIRTS were stuck in Pakistan, one player was still in bed 15 minutes before kick-off, and the man putting out the flags was not sure a full side would turn up.

"I'm just a helper but I might have to go on," the volunteer said as kick-off loomed, joking that he may have to play.

But then everything fell into place. Wearing borrowed shirts, North Devon Raiders brought rugby league to the area for the first time on Sunday and did so with a style that suggested it is here to stay.

The club name may have been drawn from basketball, the badge copied from a team in Australia and the home line-up had a strong East Devon Eagles influence about it, but the primary object of the exercise — getting over the start line — was safely accomplished.

Raiders founder Keith Fillingham said: "The main thing is to get games played this season.

"If we win a few, lose a few, it is just to get people interested and see how we go from there."

It began with a defeat. That much was expected.

For their opening match in the South West division of the Co-operative Rugby League Conference, Raiders hosted 2009 champions Devon Sharks at Barnstaple's Pottington Road rugby union ground.

Less expected was how well the Raiders would fare.

When the Sharks played their first game four years ago they lost 68-0 to Eagles.

There was no such debut-day hiding for Raiders, who went down 58-20, but winning plaudits as they went.

Sharks captain Matt Jackson said: "They gave us a game, they showed their worth."

All this in less than six months. As they entered 2010 the Raiders had no ground and no players. But they did have three men determined to get the game started in North Devon.

Fillingham, a Plymouth resident who wanted to start a team because he was moving to North Devon, joined forces with chairman David Luggar and secretary Roy Spear.

Luggar said: "We had only one player turn up to our first training session in March."

But redoubling their efforts to get the message out to potential players, they also hit the jackpot when it came to securing a ground.

Fillingham said: "Barnstaple Rugby Club have been very helpful. Martin Mogford (chairman) and Kevin Squire (director of rugby) have given us more than we asked for."

And so, after a frantic few weeks, Raiders were ready, complete with impressive 24-page colour magazine, including a good luck message from broadcasting's so-called voice of rugby league Ray French.

Staring out from the cover was a bearded Viking.

"Canberra Raiders in Australia — it's similar to their badge, the idea came from that," said Fillingham.

And the club name? "The idea is not to have just a Barnstaple team but to include the whole region," said Fillingham. "In Plymouth the basketball team is called the Raiders — it just went well with it."

Instead of the intended blue and yellow, the Raiders ran out in Plymouth Titans' green and black away shirts.

"Our shirts are still in Pakistan," said Fillingham. "They've been due to come for the last three weeks but, with the volcanic ash cloud, they haven't made it."

More important than the shirts, Tony Emmins and Nick Smith made it, so did Jason Slade and Winston James.

Emmins and Smith, curiously, were Eagles players wearing Titans shirts but playing for Raiders. Emmins is not just any Eagles player either.

The captain last season of England Lionhearts, the Rugby League Conference representative team, Emmins is also the Eagles' player-coach.

Fearing they may be short, Fillingham contacted Emmins two days before the game and he answered the emergency call, not only by making himself available but Smith as well.

Emmins said: "Nick and I are keen to develop the sport in the area and we came to help out."

But they will not be helping out on Saturday when Raiders travel to Exmouth to play Eagles.

"They might have cheered me this week but next week they are going to hate me," said Emmins.

Praising the Raiders set-up as "fantastic", Emmins could do little to help stem the Sharks' early tide as the visitors from Torquay went 20-0 up inside 20 minutes.

Then James ran from inside his own half to score Raiders' first points.

Not bad for a player who claimed to have got out of bed only 15 minutes before the 2.30pm kick-off after a long night celebrating Barnstaple's win in rugby union's Landscape Devon Senior Cup final at Brixham on Saturday.

Sharks added two more converted tries to lead 32-4 at half time, though there were signs towards the interval that the Raiders might prove difficult opposition in the second half.

And so it proved. Slade, who had joined James in figuring in Barnstaple's squad at Brixham, scored an early second-half try, followed by another from James, which the latter converted.

At 32-14, Raiders looked the better team, but Sharks' experience told and they ran in five more tries in the last 20 minutes, of which three were converted.

In reply, Raiders managed only one, by Will Topps, converted by James.