Another very busy weekend at the club, kicked off on Friday night with the Sportsman's Dinner. This is a fabulous event and probably my favorite night at the club as it is truly an event that welcomes members of the club from across every age group and section of the club.
This year, the guest speaker was Andy Goode, a brilliant rugby player, a proper "rugby man" and a brilliant speaker who not only gave us some great stories, but also a Q&A session where we all gained more insight into professional rugby.
Stroudy compared the night in his inimitable style and appeared to be a big hit with Andy Goode as they were last seen going into Rev's at stupid o'clock with Nick failing to make an appearance on Saturday where he was supposed to be playing for the Bandits!
The event, was organised mainly by Nick Wood and our thanks go out to him for his superb efforts in making this such such a brilliant night. Thanks also to the whole catering team and the bar staff, the food was excellent as always and the bar ran very smoothly from start to finish.
The pre-match lunch on Saturday, was noted for the number of people that had also been there on Saturday, again being fed by Jane and her team. There is no danger of going undernourished and I think we should probably pop round to Jane's house for Sunday lunch to wrap up the weekend!
Onto the rugby, and for the third week in a row, we put out 3 sides. A magnificent achievement and one of the clubs main objectives this season. If you look back only a few years, we were hard pushed to get 2 teams out on occasions, yesterday, the 3's had 25 players, a credit to the whole club and the players and coaches in particular.
The first team welcomed Newbury Blues to Oak Lodge Meadow. Newbury have not lost a match all season, topping the league with every expectation of going up next year. It is a huge credit to our players that this weekend was the first time that they have been behind at half time following a magnificent first half display from BRFC. Newbury are not top of the league for nothing, they are a large, physical and skilfull side who had no intention of ending their winning streak. Despite a very brave performance from our side, they were eventually overcome with the final result of 36-16 belying the effort and bravery of our players.
Many Newbury supporters in the bar afterwards commented that this was their toughest match of the season so far and we have the best front row that they have played against!
The seconds were away at Bracknell, another very tough club to play against and despite our very best efforts, we eventually lost 26-23 in a very tight game.
Last, and by no means least, the Bandits were playing A&C at home and they really brought home the bacon. Even having lent A&C 2 of our players, the strength of our side was such that we had a magnificent win 65-5. Well done lads, always a great game to win!
Next week, there is no league rugby only the small matter of the Six Nations. The club will be open on Saturday for your viewing pleasure so do make the effort to come down, enjoy a pint and some banter whilst watching England take on Ireland!
The following week, the 1's are away to Old Centralians in Gloucester, we won the home fixture so can expect a very tough game away. Please do try and make the trip down, it means a huge amount to the players and can make a real difference. If Gloucester is a bit to far, the 2's are at home to Reading Abbey and the 3's are at home to Pinner, so plenty of rugby to watch.
Whichever match you can get to, make a noise and let the players know you are there.