Name : Andy Foster
Position : Centre
Born : April 1961
1st XV debut : 1978 (Capt. 1981 – 83)
Former clubs : N/A
Honours : Notts. U19 (Capt.), U23 (Capt.), Seniors / NLD U19 (Capt.) U23 (Capt.), Seniors.
Awards : U19 Player of Year 1977 & 1979, Senior Player of the Year 1980
Current Position : Chairman
Occupation : Company Director
Email : andyfoster@maguiretraining.co.uk

Andy joined the club as a 14 year old from Garibaldi School in 1975. He made his first team debut at 16yrs old and played in the club’s first ever County Cup win in 1978. He was Colts Captain for three years before becoming First XV Captain at 20. After 12 years of first team rugby a serious knee injury forced his retirement from the game at 28. Following this, he took up coaching, becoming Senior Coach in 1991 winning the Notts County Cup for the next two years and losing narrowly in the NLD final. An active committee member for many years, Andy subsequently took over as club Chairman in May 2000 from Byron Edwards after 14 years.

Name : Byron Edwards
Position : Fly Half / Centre / Scrum Half
Born : June 1941
1st XV debut : 1959
Former clubs : Southwell
Honours : Notts Seniors, England Boys Club's XV
Awards : MDC Sports Personality Award - Administration
Current Position : Executive President
Occupation : Retired Head Teacher

Byron came to England from Wales at 16years old fresh from his hard earned Welsh Schools Soccer Cap where he played in Goal ! He joined Southwell Rugby Club for a brief spell before joining Mansfield in 1958. As Fly half, he became First Team Captain in 1971 and then Club Captain in 1973. During that period up to 1984 Byron introduced a number of different coaching and training methods that proved to be extremely successful for the club. He became Vice-Chairman in 1985 and took over as Chairman in 1986 until handing over to Andy Foster in May 2000 after 14 eventful years. Byron has seen and instigated many changes at the club both on and off the field and folklore records his reincarnation as a scrum half in his mid thirties, which led him to finish his first team career at 39, finally hanging up his boots at 48 years old. The joints had done enough!

Name : Dylan Howells
Position : Fly Half
Born : 1949
1st XV debut : 1972
Former clubs : Old Verulamians (St.Albans), Aberystwyth University, Britton Ferry (Neath), Redditch
Honours : London Welsh Schoolboys, Hertfordshire Schoolboys, Hertfordshire.
Awards : Player of the year 1977, Clubman of the Year, Stan Searle Bursary Award.
Current Position : Behind the bar. And takes a few snaps

Dylan joined the club in 1972, and for about 10 years was first team fly-half. He then migrated down the sides until he ran out of bandages in about 1990. Despite repeated attempts, and to the annoyance of his team-mates, he never achieved his ambition to kick a drop-goal. Dylan was one of the last running fly-halves, to the detriment of his kicking game. He could, however, consistently kick off either foot – equally badly. Embo once quipped “I told you to kick the ball into touch, not to lose it.”

Achievements to date include being the Sevens captain that won the first 1st team trophy for the Club –The Ian Coleman Trophy (Newark Sevens). Member of the team that won the Notts Cup in 1978. Colts coach/manager for 10 years. He's also been Committee member as Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Youth Chairman.

Name : Phil Richardson
Position : Wing
Born : March 1963
1st XV debut : 1980
Former clubs : N/A
Honours : Notts U19, U23, Seniors / NLD U19, U23, Seniors / Midlands U19
Awards :
Current Position : Coaching Advisor
Occupation : Engineer

Phil made his first team debut at 17 years old and was the first of a number of fast powerful wings to play for the club. County and Three Counties honours quickly followed culminating in playing for the Midland Colts. A serious knee injury cut short his career at 27, after which Phil took up coaching. He coached the second XV for four seasons winning two County Shield’s and three league titles before becoming Senior Coach for the next four seasons. During this period the first team won the Notts County Cup on three occasions.

Name : Eddie Phillips
Position : Fly Half / Wing
Born : December 1929
1st XV debut : 1956
Former clubs : Trinant Worcester TTC
Honours :
Awards :
Current Position : Bar prop – Supporter of Tony Woolley’s Barrelage bonus
Occupation : Retired Teacher/International Traveller and smiling at the young rebels who have now become the ‘old farts’ at the club

Eddie played in the first second XV that the club fielded. He was a regular Second XV player for many years, occasionally making appearances on the wing for the first team. Noteably, he was the first ‘Dad’ to proudly play rugby with his sons Tim and Jonty for the club. He played on for many years through the third and fourth teams and made more comebacks than Frank Sinatra before finally retiring at the age of 45! Eddie has enjoyed many club trips especially with the Colts going abroad and as he says with a smile “I have many, many happy memories”.

Name : Martin Spencer
Position : Wing Forward & Occasional Lightweight Prop
Born : 1955
1st XV debut : 1972
Former clubs : N / A
Honours : NLD U19
Awards : Clubman of the Year 1980
Current Position : Clubhouse Bookings Secretary
Occupation : Chartered Surveyor

Martin joined the club from the Manor School in 1971. He made his First XV debut the following year and played for the next 16years mainly in the 2nd and 3rd XV. He was a member of the County Cup winning 2nd XV in 1976 (but was tragically dropped for the final!). Martin was proud to Captain the 3rd XV for three years in the early 80’s – and as he says, guaranteeing a place in the team! When asked to sum up his rugby career he rather modestly offered “Perhaps it can best be summed up as, very enthusiastic but lacking any real talent”. A valuable committee worker, real rugby gentleman and popular club member, Martin is a regular member of the volunteer bar rota team and enjoys spending some of his time behind the bar at the club serving members and guests, but equally enjoys his time in front of it too!

Name: Andy Hewitson
Nickname: Sea Lion (toss him a ball and he just claps his hands)
Position: Prop (hooker back when he could bend at the waist)
Born: Dec. 1953
1st XV Debut: 1972
Former Clubs: Mansfield RFC (UK) 1971-1980,Bethel RFC (RSA) 1981-1984, Matlock Baileans RFC (UK) 1985-1990, Greensburg RFC (USA) 1999-Present
Honours: Knight Templar, Royal Order of Keith Richards Cultural Attache’, Sons of Eire Drinking Society, All-time sin bin minute record holder, Midwest RFU, USA
Awards: Allegheny Rugby Union Champions (2001-2002), 3 time Somerset County, Mountain Oyster eating champion
Current Position: President/Chairman/CFO, Greensburg RFC, USA
Occupation: Owner, Sherpa Mining Co.

Former Mod, Andy Hewitson, made his debut with the Mansfield RFC at the sprightly young age of 16. Andy fancied himself a contender as an U-19 International, until he was given Mansfield’s only new match ball by former chairman, Byron Edwards, for safe keeping and he subsequently lost it on the first day (he was then indefinitely relegated to the extra C’s). Son of a legendary rugby song-master, Andy was known mostly for his many social talents and odd bits of nastiness in the scrum. Andy has become the cornerstone of his current rugby club, in Greensburg Pennsylvania, USA, where he has taught the dark arts of the front row to impressionable youth, and how to sort out the sod who won’t keep his hands off the ball in the ruck. To his credit, Andy still makes first XV appearances at the age of 50, and in the modern era of multiphase rugby, has specialized in the skill of sucking all the oxygen away from the opponents tight 5 with a patented deep breathing application. He sings “Swing low, sweet chariot” in his sleep, yet secretly laments that he wasn’t born Irish.