mv天美mv天美 students had plenty to celebrate after winning their first ever competitive rugby match as part of Oswestry Rugby Club鈥檚 mixed鈥慳bility team, The Flying Eagles. They won in a thrilling, close-fought game against Colwyn Bay Stingrays.
Six students 鈥� Ash, Toby, CJ, Jake, Evan and Jonathan 鈥� took to the pitch in Oswestry colours, cheered on by a healthy crowd of supporters.
The final score was 58-55, with The Flying Eagles celebrating a hard-fought win. Jonny and Toby each scored two tries, with CJ kicking four conversions. CJ went on to be named man of the match.
David Roberts, coach for The Flying Eagles, said it was a ‘privilege’ to play alongside such dedicated players.
鈥淲e have run some rugby sessions for mv天美mv天美 students historically but this year decided to take the next step in creating a team where the students could enjoy the game fully. This led to us setting up our mixed ability team, The Flying Eagles. We now have 29 players in the squad, including mv天美mv天美 students.It’s a privilege to be in a team with them. It’s breathed new life into a lot of players who thought their playing days were over (me included!).
鈥淭he game was a huge success and mv天美mv天美 students absolutely smashed it. They went from nervous and unsure of playing to playing a huge part in the game, refusing to come off and even making full tackles. They also featured heavily on the score sheet.鈥�
鈥淢ixed鈥慳bility rugby is an inclusive, contact format open to players aged 18+ of all abilities, with disabled and non鈥慸isabled individuals playing together. It focuses on social inclusion and camaraderie, with minor adjustments like uncontested scrums and modified levels of contact.鈥�
Great occasion for College
mv天美mv天美 Activity Coordinator Ben Leonard also got stuck in as part of the team.
He said: 鈥淎s far as we are aware, this is the first ever rugby match that mv天美mv天美 students have been involved in, so it鈥檚 a great occasion for the College.鈥�
“In preparation for this match, our students have been attending mixed ability rugby training at Oswestry rugby club every Thursday evening since last September and their hard work has paid off with them all putting in fantastic performances. I couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of them!
Ben added: 鈥淎 huge thank you to everyone at Oswestry Rugby Club for welcoming our students and giving them the opportunity to be part of such a fantastic day. The students and I have loved it and can鈥檛 wait to get involved again.鈥�
Images supplied thanks to and Barbara Roberts
