Andrew Fenby
Encyclopedia
Andrew Mark "Andy" Fenby (born 24 October 1985) is a Welsh
rugby union
footballer who plays on the wing for the Scarlets in the RaboDirect Pro12.
, Conwy
, Fenby attended Rydal Penrhos
in Colwyn Bay
between the ages of 11 and 18; while there, he reached the rank of Welsh #2 in Under-19 squash
, while also playing for the school's rugby union 1st XV and Llandudno RFC
.
Upon leaving school in 2004, Fenby attended Newcastle University to study business, accounting and finance. However, a broken scaphoid bone
prevented him from competing in contact sports during his first year in Newcastle, and so committed his sporting time to playing squash, eventually becoming part of the university's elite sports programme.
; initially, he only played for the club's third team, but he gradually progressed up the ranks, eventually making it into the first team. After recording 21 tries in 23 matches during the 2007–08 season, Fenby caught the eye of the England Counties selectors, as well as the Newcastle Falcons
scouts. That season, he scored ten tries in four matches for the Falcons' development side, including six tries against Rotherham
and three more against Northampton Wanderers
.
These performances earned Fenby a call-up to the bench for the Falcons' senior side against Leeds Carnegie in a pre-season game in August 2008. He did not take to the field, however, and had to wait until 8 March 2009 for his next chance with the first team, being named on the bench for a Guinness Premiership match away to Sale Sharks
.
This time, he came off the bench to replace Danny Williams in the 46th minute, and scored a try within four minutes of coming on; Tom May received the ball in the fly-half position and threw a miss-pass to Jamie Noon
, who fed Fenby in to step past the last Sale defender and cross for his first senior try. Fenby followed up his debut appearance with a 70-minute cameo against Harlequins
the following weekend, before scoring a 77th-minute try in a 36–25 defeat away to Bath
on 21 March 2009.
Following Newcastle's signing of wing Charlie Amesbury
, Fenby was deemed surplus to requirements at Kingston Park
and he was snapped up by the Scarlets in May 2009. Fenby was forced to miss the Scarlets' first five games of the season with shin splints
, but he recovered in time to be named in an initial 25-man squad for the team's first Heineken Cup
game of the season against Brive
on 10 October. However, he missed out on the final cut for the matchday squad.
With several Scarlets players on international duty in November, Fenby was named in the starting XV for the first time for the Scarlets' 2009–10 LV Cup match away to Harlequins
on 8 November 2009. Five minutes into the second half, Fenby scored a debut try for the second time in his professional career, taking hold of a loose ball before out-running the Harlequins defence to the try line. Ten minutes later, he was in a one-on-one defensive situation against Harlequins' second-row George Robson, but the forward was more powerful and scored the try to bring the scores level at 15–15. There were no further points scored in the game, but with the other three Pool 2 teams losing their matches, the Scarlets went top of the pool at the end of the first week. Fenby's home debut came the following weekend on 14 November 2009 against Worcester Warriors, and he made his Magners League debut in the Scarlets' next fixture against Edinburgh on 4 December; he played a major part in the Scarlets' first try of the game, receiving the ball from Jonathan Davies before jinking past a couple of Edinburgh defenders and offloading out of a tackle to Richie Pugh
, who was left with a simple finish. Fenby made his Heineken Cup
debut the following weekend, playing in a 32–7 defeat to reigning champions
Leinster
.
Over the Christmas and New Year period, Fenby appeared in both of the Scarlets' Welsh derby matches against the Ospreys on Boxing Day and the Newport Gwent Dragons
on New Year's Eve. Against the Dragons, he crossed the line for a try after being played in by Jonathan Davies, but the ball was knocked from his grasp in a try-saving tackle from former Scarlet Matthew Watkins
before it could be grounded. It took Fenby until 5 March 2010 to score his first Magners League try, crossing in a 25–8 win over Ulster
; in the third minute, Joe Ajuwa
broke down the right wing, but he was brought down just short of the line. Scrum-half Tavis Knoyle
spread the ball wide left to Rhys Priestland
, and it was then a matter of putting the ball through the hands to provide Fenby with a simple run-in for the try. He scored again against Edinburgh three weeks later; after playing a part in his team's first try, with 10 minutes left to play, Fenby beat four Edinburgh defenders to claim a losing bonus point for the Scarlets. As a reward for his successful first season with the Scarlets, Fenby was given a new two-year contract with the region on 23 April 2010.
– who sponsored him through his business, accounting and finance degree at Newcastle University – and worked at their branch in Jesmond
. He passed his Associate Chartered Accountant
exams in November 2008, and gained around 380 of the 450 days required to become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant
before joining the Scarlets in May 2009.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer who plays on the wing for the Scarlets in the RaboDirect Pro12.
Early life
Born in Rhos-on-SeaRhos-on-Sea
Rhos-on-Sea also known as Llandrillo-yn-Rhos in Welsh, or Rhos or Llandrillo , is a seaside resort in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 7,110 in 2001. It is a mile to the north but effectively a suburb of Colwyn Bay, on the coast of North Wales...
, Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
, Fenby attended Rydal Penrhos
Rydal Penrhos
Rydal Penrhos is a private co-educational boarding school in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. It is located on multiple sites around the town including a site in the neighbouring village of Rhos-on-Sea where it keeps its watersports equipment for easy access to the beach.The school, as it exists today,...
in Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
between the ages of 11 and 18; while there, he reached the rank of Welsh #2 in Under-19 squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, while also playing for the school's rugby union 1st XV and Llandudno RFC
Llandudno RFC
Llandudno Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Llandudno, North Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Scarlets...
.
Upon leaving school in 2004, Fenby attended Newcastle University to study business, accounting and finance. However, a broken scaphoid bone
Scaphoid bone
The scaphoid bone is one of the carpal bones of the wrist. It is situated between the hand and forearm on the thumb-side of the wrist . The scaphoid bone is the largest bone of the proximal row of wrist bones, its long axis being from above downward, lateralward, and forward...
prevented him from competing in contact sports during his first year in Newcastle, and so committed his sporting time to playing squash, eventually becoming part of the university's elite sports programme.
Career
During his time at university, Fenby joined Blaydon RFCBlaydon RFC
Blaydon RFC are an English semi-professional rugby union team. They play in National League 1, having won previously National Division Three North. They play at Crow Trees, Swalwell, Tyne and Wear.- The Main Team :...
; initially, he only played for the club's third team, but he gradually progressed up the ranks, eventually making it into the first team. After recording 21 tries in 23 matches during the 2007–08 season, Fenby caught the eye of the England Counties selectors, as well as the Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons
The Newcastle Falcons is an English rugby union team currently playing in the Aviva Premiership. The club was established in 1877 and played under the name of Gosforth Football Club until 1990. The name was then changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in...
scouts. That season, he scored ten tries in four matches for the Falcons' development side, including six tries against Rotherham
Rotherham R.U.F.C.
Rotherham Rugby Union Football Club, or Rotherham Titans are a professional rugby union team from Rotherham, Yorkshire, currently playing in the English RFU Championship-History:...
and three more against Northampton Wanderers
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
.
These performances earned Fenby a call-up to the bench for the Falcons' senior side against Leeds Carnegie in a pre-season game in August 2008. He did not take to the field, however, and had to wait until 8 March 2009 for his next chance with the first team, being named on the bench for a Guinness Premiership match away to Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
.
This time, he came off the bench to replace Danny Williams in the 46th minute, and scored a try within four minutes of coming on; Tom May received the ball in the fly-half position and threw a miss-pass to Jamie Noon
Jamie Noon
Jamie Darren Noon is a rugby union footballer who plays at centre for CA Brive.-Career:Hard-running centre Noon joined the Falcons in the 1998/9 season, after a letter from one of his school teachers alerted the club to a player who had been totally missed by the representative rugby system in...
, who fed Fenby in to step past the last Sale defender and cross for his first senior try. Fenby followed up his debut appearance with a 70-minute cameo against Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
the following weekend, before scoring a 77th-minute try in a 36–25 defeat away to Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
on 21 March 2009.
Following Newcastle's signing of wing Charlie Amesbury
Charlie Amesbury
Charlie Amesbury is a rugby union footballer who plays on the wing or full back for Sale Sharks after signing from Newcastle Falcons in the Summer of 2011. He also plays for England Sevens....
, Fenby was deemed surplus to requirements at Kingston Park
Kingston Park (stadium)
Kingston Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of Newcastle Falcons. The stadium is also used for the Newcastle United Reserves to play their home matches...
and he was snapped up by the Scarlets in May 2009. Fenby was forced to miss the Scarlets' first five games of the season with shin splints
Shin splints
Shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome refers to pain along or just behind the shins with sports that apply extreme pressure to the legs, such as gymnastics...
, but he recovered in time to be named in an initial 25-man squad for the team's first Heineken Cup
2009–10 Heineken Cup
The 2009–10 Heineken Cup was the 15th season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby...
game of the season against Brive
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
on 10 October. However, he missed out on the final cut for the matchday squad.
With several Scarlets players on international duty in November, Fenby was named in the starting XV for the first time for the Scarlets' 2009–10 LV Cup match away to Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
on 8 November 2009. Five minutes into the second half, Fenby scored a debut try for the second time in his professional career, taking hold of a loose ball before out-running the Harlequins defence to the try line. Ten minutes later, he was in a one-on-one defensive situation against Harlequins' second-row George Robson, but the forward was more powerful and scored the try to bring the scores level at 15–15. There were no further points scored in the game, but with the other three Pool 2 teams losing their matches, the Scarlets went top of the pool at the end of the first week. Fenby's home debut came the following weekend on 14 November 2009 against Worcester Warriors, and he made his Magners League debut in the Scarlets' next fixture against Edinburgh on 4 December; he played a major part in the Scarlets' first try of the game, receiving the ball from Jonathan Davies before jinking past a couple of Edinburgh defenders and offloading out of a tackle to Richie Pugh
Richie Pugh
Richie Pugh is Wales international rugby union player who plays at openside flanker. Pugh was schooled in Brynmill primary and Bishop Gore Comprehensive schools....
, who was left with a simple finish. Fenby made his Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
debut the following weekend, playing in a 32–7 defeat to reigning champions
2009 Heineken Cup Final
The 2009 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup, the 14th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after...
Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
.
Over the Christmas and New Year period, Fenby appeared in both of the Scarlets' Welsh derby matches against the Ospreys on Boxing Day and the Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
on New Year's Eve. Against the Dragons, he crossed the line for a try after being played in by Jonathan Davies, but the ball was knocked from his grasp in a try-saving tackle from former Scarlet Matthew Watkins
Matthew Watkins
Matthew Jason Watkins is a former Wales international rugby union footballer who plays at centre. He is commonly known by the name Matthew J...
before it could be grounded. It took Fenby until 5 March 2010 to score his first Magners League try, crossing in a 25–8 win over Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
; in the third minute, Joe Ajuwa
Joe Ajuwa
Joe Ajuwa is a rugby union player currently playing for the Scarlets. Ajuwa was born in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to the UK with his family in 1994. He first played rugby at school in Bath then played for English students while he was at university. His childhood rugby hero was Jonah Lomu...
broke down the right wing, but he was brought down just short of the line. Scrum-half Tavis Knoyle
Tavis Knoyle
Tavis Knoyle is a Wales international rugby union footballer who plays at scrum-half for the Scarlets....
spread the ball wide left to Rhys Priestland
Rhys Priestland
Rhys Priestland is a Welsh international rugby union player for Scarlets in the RaboDirect Pro12. His position of choice is as a Fly-half, however he occasionally plays at Full-back...
, and it was then a matter of putting the ball through the hands to provide Fenby with a simple run-in for the try. He scored again against Edinburgh three weeks later; after playing a part in his team's first try, with 10 minutes left to play, Fenby beat four Edinburgh defenders to claim a losing bonus point for the Scarlets. As a reward for his successful first season with the Scarlets, Fenby was given a new two-year contract with the region on 23 April 2010.
Personal life
Before Fenby went into professional rugby, he was employed by PricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
– who sponsored him through his business, accounting and finance degree at Newcastle University – and worked at their branch in Jesmond
Jesmond
Jesmond is a residential suburb and is split into two electoral wards just north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The population is about 12,000. It is adjacent to, and to the east of, the Town Moor, providing pedestrian and cycle paths to Spital Tongues and the city's two Universities...
. He passed his Associate Chartered Accountant
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales was established by a Royal Charter in 1880. It has over 130,000 members. Over 15,000 of these members live and work outside the UK...
exams in November 2008, and gained around 380 of the 450 days required to become a fully qualified Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
before joining the Scarlets in May 2009.