NERDS September 2024 – Not one but two teams entered!!

Saturday 21^st of September was a historic day for Blackadders and Rockcliff Touch Rugby. For the first time, our club entered two teams in an external competition and the Rockcliff Rattlers made their competitive debut at NERDS.

The Rattlers team which was comprised of many of our social touch regulars did themselves proud on their competitive debut. The team were competitive all day and really grew into the tournament. Led ably by captain Andy Carr, they lost narrowly in a drop off to the Ravens. The 5 tournament points richly deserved for their first outing and is something to build on for round 4. Being the only touch club in the region to enter two teams shows how far our club has come and is testament to all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

Blackadders went into the 3^rd round in joint 2^nd in the overall standings 1 point behind league leaders Stockton. We were able name a strong and experienced squad helped by the comeback of long-term absentees Cat and myself (Dermot). Some really good, structured touch and a very low error count allowed us to win all 4 of the pool games. Some highlights included a well worked team try which went all the way from left link to right wing with some quick hands allowing me to touch down in the corner, some excellent line defence against Yorkshire Thorns particularly from our captain Lesley and some moments of magic from our Aussie maestro in the mids Fish. We topped our group meaning we entered the final against Leeds University. The final unfortunately ended in a narrow 3-2 defeat. Our strong showing though meant that we are now joint top in the overall standings heading into the last round. Shoutout to Kyle who played every minute of the tournament on the wing. 

On a personal note, after over a year out of touch with a broken leg, it was great to return to competitive action and be part of a great team display on the day. Thanks to Stockton for hosting and to all involved in organising, volunteering and refereeing on the day. All to play for on October 12^th. Stay tuned on the results!