Rye Rugby Club lost their home match against Newick on Saturday March 25 but put up a great fight, as the final score of 26 – 34 suggests.
On a gloriously sunny but windy day the match saw Rye and Newick give their all; attack was met by counter attack, one strategic ploy was balanced by another and there were several exciting phases of play.
At one point, Rye were trailing 17 nil but suddenly a few deft passes and exciting runs brought them within three points of Newick, who ended the first half 17 – 14 ahead. The fact that Rye’s Cooper and Clark were substituted through injury minutes before the team’s resurgence was purely a coincidence!
The second half saw Newick match their first half score. A strong wind, that even England’s kicker, Owen Farrell would have struggled with, meant that conversions were difficult but the quality of play from both teams was tremendous throughout the match. Rye’s Rory Creavin, whose skills combine speed and strength, was named the Harris & Rigby man of the match.
Rye’s next fixture is another home match, and they will be playing against Sussex Police, always an enjoyable fixture, at 3pm on Saturday April 1. A great afternoon of sport is always guaranteed – and the bar is pretty good too! For more information check out the club’s Facebook page.
Tony McLaughlin