PLYMPTON Victoria say there is a really good feeling around the club going into the 2022-23 season.
The Devon Merit Table side have endured some tough times over the years and in 2018 were made homeless after losing their Marsh Mills pitch.
But the following year they found a new home at St Mary’s Field in Plympton and they have been rebuilding ever since.
They are now expanding their club by creating a junior section and are also hosting new walking rugby sessions.
“We are starting a junior section this year with a couple of age grades (U7/8/9 and U13/14),” said Plym Vic’s Chris Hunt.
“We had to postpone some open days as they were down for the first red alert for hot weather, but we have moved them to September 11.
“We don’t have what an Ivybridge or Oaks have, but what we will do is give it our best shot and see if we can’t grow something.
“We are also working towards trying to get a longer term lease – well a community asset transfer is what we are going for. If you can get a 20-30 year lease then it is easier to free up money to then make improvements.”
Plym Vic are also building on the field with some new players ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. They begin their pre-season programme today when they visit higher league Plymouth Argaum (2.30pm).
“We are just looking forward to preparing for the start of the season,” said Hunt. “We have our first game on Saturday against Argaum.
“We are looking forward to the test. We wanted to play someone out of our league.
“It will be a good test and it will be interesting to see how we do against stiff competition. There’s no point in your friendlies just playing people that you know you are going to beat – you have to push yourself a bit. It is only in adversity that you find out what you are missing.”
They will follow up the Argaum match with fixtures against Plymouth Dolphins and St Columba & Torpoint.
Hunt says the club have been encouraged by the turn out in pre-season.
“We are not looking too bad,” he said. “We have kept the vast majority of last year’s squad and we’ve had a couple of extra turn up.
“The numbers at training have been pretty good, but we just need to get into the season and get into that rhythm of training and playing – getting that level of commitment.
“But there seems to be a lot of good feeling around the club.
“There is a real nice feeling this year – not that there hasn’t been a good feeling most years – but the lads are really keen and hopefully it will be a really good season.”
Among the other pre-season rugby fixtures today, Plymstock Albion Oaks will host Saltash, Tavistock will entertain Bideford and Okehampton in a three-way fixture, while Ivybridge will visit Truro and Devonport Services will head to Wadebridge.
Old Techs should have been hosting OPMs at Keyham also but the visitors have pulled out of the fixture. That means Techs are only likely to have one warm-up match – against Liskeard-Looe – before their league season kick-offs on September 3.