Hackney RFC: 41

 

Hackney RFC’s celebrated in style this weekend at their end of season party and finished off the successful season with an emphatic win at Springhill. The Kings Cross Steelers were last minute replacements for an Ilford side which unfortunately had to pull out and deserve a lot of praise for organising a team to play at short notice. Alongside the main fixture there was a skills session run for the Hackney Bulls. And a Free BBQ, bouncy castle and Prize Draw for two tickets to the England vs Barbarians match provided by Primrose Finance Solutions kept spectators entertained in spite of the overcast conditions.

 

In a very open and fast paced game, the Griffins ran in three tries in the first half through James Hardwick, Stephane Jeagunaut and the season’s top try scorer, Jon Tully. Hackney dominated in terms of possession and territory and maybe should have scored more points in the first half. However, the Steelers defence was well organised and proved difficult to break down, and although they were starved of possession, they did manage to score, their inside centre slicing through the Hackney defence to score under the posts.

 

In the second half, Coach Neil Schofield made full use of the friendly fixture to give all the squad players a chance to play and also tested out individuals in different positions. Hackney scored four further tries with Matt Spencer grabbing two and Hardwick bagging a second to end the season on a high. Skipper Matt Clemens-Lary had the honour of taking the final conversion, his last kick in a Hackney Shirt as he leaves the club in good shape for the future.

 

The Speaker for Hackney council attended the game and was impressed by what he saw. Councillor Faizulla Khan said “Congratulations to Hackney who have put on a great day.  Speaking to new and old players alike, there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scene to make a club like this successful. I wish them all the luck for the future, both on and off the pitch.”

 

In the evening the guys headed into Stoke Newington for some karaoke. Darren Griffin was comfortably the worst singer anyone in the room had ever heard and did the karaoke tradition proud with his rendition of, well to be honest no one knew what it was he was singing.

 

On Sunday, the Hackney Bulls took over Springhill to showcase their successful season. All of their teams were represented from Under 8’s to under 15’s and spectators were treated to an exhibition of both “tag rugby” and full contact games. Following this, the Bulls held their end of season awards ceremony. Recognition of the young people’s achievements was particularly important this season as the club has continued to grow and develop.

 

The former President of the RFU Bob Rogers attended the ceremony to present the Hackney Bulls with an award. The national competition rewards clubs who use the most innovative ideas to meet the Community Rugby themes of: More People, Better Places, Access for All and Enjoyment. Certainly things the Bulls have provided in abundance.