Chris Wearmouth is approaching 400 National League appearances and hopes to help Tynedale secure a top-four finish.
The 38-year-old second row played the bulk of his rugby at Blaydon but joined Tynedale in 2018 and loves the club’s close-knit environment.
He told The Rugby Paper: “It would be massive for me to reach that landmark. I’m not sure how many people get over that milestone but I know there won’t be many.
“Matt Riley at Sedgley Park played a lot but after that I’m not really sure certainly not many in the forwards.
“I’m not holding up too bad but if there’s a string of games together my body gets a bit tight by the end of it. I’ve been threatening to pack it in for the last three or four years but reaching 400 has always been a target.
“I love it at Tynedale. There’s no surprise that the lads that buy in the best tend to be the ones that go a lot further.”
Premiership stalwarts Dean Richards and Carl Fearns joined Tynedale’s coaching staff before the start of this season but after some teething problems, Wearmouth says they’re back on track.
Turning their season around
The northeast side lost their first six and looked to run the risk of a relegation battle but have turned their campaign around in recent weeks.
He added: “We had a terrible start to the season losing six on the bounce but most of them by a score but we’ve settled in now and put a real good run together.
“The knowledge of Dean and Carl is phenomenal. They see things here and there that us players don’t and they complement the coaches that are already there nicely.
“They wanted us to play slightly different to how we did last year. There’s a bit more emphasis on territory and the penny seems to have finally dropped and now we’re getting rewards.
“Dean’s picking sides with lots of ball carriers in and we’ve become hard to beat, those one-score deficits in the early stages of the season are now falling our way.
“We want to be pushing for the top four. Sheffield, Leeds and Lymm have run away with it but we hope to be the best of the rest. We don’t fear anyone, so we’ll see how far we can go.”
Being an all-amateur outfit, the club eagerly anticipate their meetings with the full-time sides in their league.
He said: “It makes it just that bit sweeter when we beat them. One of the best things about Tyn-dale is how we get 40 lads to train regularly and are able to put out four senior sides.”
Wearmouth balances his rugby with livestock farming and says the heavy lifting goes hand in hand between the two.
“I live quite high up in the hills so there isn’t much else to work in,” he said. “Sunday mornings are difficult because me being a bit older now, it takes more time getting in and out of the tractors but I manage.”
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