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SENIOR RUGBY
Thank you to all who travelled to support the 2XV on Saturday. It was a hot and sunny day in Crowborough as G’s and Ditchling, two of Counties 2 heavyweights, squared off in the Sussex cup final. the first quarter was all G’s. Paddy scoring from a fine charge down, then a pen from Luke’s boot left the score at 10 - 0. The pressure was relentless, but Ditchling held the boys out on their line time and again and slowly gained a foothold, eventually breaking free and scoring an unconverted try. A further score just before the half was gutting and left the scoreboard showing 10 - 12 to Ditchling.

Worse was to come as two further scores stretched the oppos score to 10 - 24 and it looked all over... But was it???

Or Shay bundled over and then Ryan went in!! 22 - 24, momentum shift, all to play for!!

More pressure from G’s as they pressed for the winner in the dying moments, then heartbreak. A turnover and huge 50/22 boot down the pitch left Ditchling with a lineout deep in the G’s 22. The boys defended valiantly, but eventually the dam broke and Ditchling went over in the corner to break G’s hearts!

Massive congratulations to Ditchling who played a blinder. Next year G’s!!!

To see Molly’s pics of the game, click here: Match pics

So that’s it for the 2’s, but the 1XV are still in the hunt for silverware as they travel to Ashford in the Papa Johns Cup quarter final this Saturday. Two more wins away from a final at Ashton Gate - Home of the Bristol Bears!!!

SUNSHINE 7’s
EGRFC hosted the 67th Sunshine Sevens on Sunday in what can only be described as glorious sunshine! – and what a difference it made. The competitions had a different shape this year, with many of our normal Women’s teams deciding to support the England Women’s final match.

With the biggest crowd we have seen in years, the Elite tournament the strongest that we have seen at Saint Hill and firm pitches, meant that the teams could really put on a display – and they did.

The Elite Tournament – Last years winners Ramblin Jesters faced strong opposition this year with new Elite sides joining the chase for the Lady Astor of Hever trophy. Hammerheads, Saints 7 and Norway 7 certainly bolstered an already strong field. Results all afternoon were pretty close which emphasised that any side could this year. With the quarter finals being some of the best games, it was two of the Shogun sides, Osaka and Akita, who made it through to face Jesters and Apache Raiders. Osaka 32 Jesters 14, and Akita 32 Raiders 10. So with a Shogun – Shogun final it was as hard fought as any with Shogun Akita winning 26-0. Great to see the Shogun family picking up the Lady Astor trophy as they have been so close on so many occasions.

In the Plate semi-finals Apache Braves beat a spirited Ratana Toa, with Wooden Spoon Marauders just losing out to Mavericks. Final could have gone either way, but Mavericks came out on top 17-10.

The Penny Farthing Player of the Tournament watch and tankard went to Shogun Akita’s Alex Garrett who was outstanding all day.

The Mens Open Tournament –
With a few late drop outs this was a still a great and competitive tournament. As always, the EGRFC players conjured up a replacement side – the evening before – producing the aptly named side 7 Burgers, who gave a good account of themselves to be fair. It was left to East Grinstead and Saints 7 to decide it in the final which ended up 24-24. Saints winning through on points difference. Thanks all for making it happen.

The Presentations Party had the Mayor of East Grinstead, Stephen Ody - Garry Gordon Sunshine Sevens chair, and Colin Prior from Main sponsor Challenge Packaging. Stephen Ody thanked EGRFC for all the hard work that goes into the event and the good that it does for the local children’s charities. Garry Gordon thanked the organising committee and ground staff for again putting on fantastic event, and hopefully the Sunshine Sevens can donate more than the £42,000 it did last year.

Finally, thanks must also go to our main sponsor Colin Prior, Challenge Packaging for their continued support and Steve Rogers from Penny Farthing for his generosity.

Save the date 26th April 2026! – 68th Sunshine Sevens.

Massive thanks to DiVision for the amazing live coverage of the day. If you missed any of the Elite games, don’t worry, you can watch them now! Just click here to view: Elite games

To see Louise Oliver’s pics from the day, please click here: Lou's pics

To see Molly Adam’s pics from the day, please click here: Molly's pics

JUNIOR RUGBY
What a last weekend to the 2024/25 season it was for the juniors. There are so many pictures that we can’t include them all here, but please click this link to see a good selection of all age groups across the weekend: Junior pics

With the Sunshine 7s hosting at Saint Hill on the Sunday we had a change to our usual set up hosting the Richmond RFC and Brighton at HQ on Saturday. Richmond RFC were on tour in Sussex and it was a honour to be asked to host their penultimate fixture. At U11s, Brighton also got in on the action sending a team to join in the fun. Richmond sent a number of teams across all the age groups and we were once again blessed with a warm, sunny spring day. Across the board from both visiting clubs, the players, coaches and parents were a joy to host with many of them sticking around to enjoy the hospitality laid on by our wonderful staff an volunteers at the Gearon Pavillion.

It was an amazing experience for our players to play against the second oldest rugby club in England (so I'm told), and the day lived up to expectations. We have been awash with compliments about the club, and we are already looking at teeing up a return fixture in South West London next year.

U11s
The U11s had an absolutely fabulous weekend of rugby to round out the season. With the squad split in two, our Saturday team turned out prepared and focused - ready to take on a strong Richmond team and Brighton's finest. The pitch was set in a prime location down the middle of the first team pitch. With warm-ups done, it was back into the changing rooms for a quick minute to focus on the task ahead. Trotting out to the pitch, lined with parents and supporters, we could see the focused determination in their eyes. And did it pay off!

Game one - EGRFC U11s vs. Richmond - was a sublime display from the whole team. Off to an absolute flyer, and quickly regaining possession after the kick-off, they scored within the first two minutes - Jonah crashing over the line powerfully and setting the tone for the whole game. The rucking and passing were at times immaculate: the team was quick to the breakdown, counter-rucked powerfully, and jackled for the ball quickly and efficiently - Bobby regaining possession for the Gs numerous times this way. Justin made many yards for the team with crunching and powerful runs, and Harry got stuck in at every breakdown. With so much possession, more tries soon came. Beau made yards down the wings, Jonah ran powerfully over the goal-line again, Iestyn broke through to the line twice, and further tries came from Owen, Stan, and Murray - all running great lines, offering support, and being in the right places at the right times. The final score was 8-1 to the Gs, and a game to remember!!

Game Two - EGRFC U11s vs. Brighton - was another superb effort. With the sun beating down and some tired legs out there, the Gs got off to a slightly slower start. Brighton moved the ball superbly, they soon found some gaps in the Gs' tired defensive lines, and ran in a few tries. Regrouping at half-time and taking on fluids, Gs U11's found a second wind, dug deep, and started the fight back. Battling hard, they ran in three brilliantly worked tries from Finn, Justin, and Stan. Showing incredible grit and determination to come back so well but unfortunately just came up short, losing 5-3.

Game Three—Richmond vs. Brighton. With it being Brighton's turn to have tired legs, a fun and entertaining game ended with honours even at 5-5.

What an incredible day of rugby! Everyone involved, and rugby itself, were the clear winners! Well done, everyone - and many thanks go to all the usual and varied volunteers and helpers throughout the club, and to the parents who have helped make the season such an incredible and enjoyable success. And to Kermit of course! The best of all motivators, and a level head when it comes to the debrief! See you all next weekend for awards and end-of-season fun!!

U10s
Richmond were a little light at U10 with a number of the players engaged in other sports on the day. However, they managed one team who were a delight. We started with some joint training before splitting into teams to play a match. With Richmond only having enough to muster one team, EG lent some players to add numbers to the visitors' ranks.The game was played in great spirit with some great play all round. For some EG players such as Ivy Tristram it was their 1st competitive games against another club and they acquitted themselves well. At the end of the day, it was safe to say all the players had really enjoyed themselves and left the field shaking hands with smiles all round.

Thank you Richmond RFC and we hope that we will get to match up again at U11!

U9s
Saturday saw the first of a double header weekend for the under 9s, welcoming a couple of teams from Richmond in glorious sunshine at Saint Hill. It gave everyone a perfect chance to show off the skills we've developed in our first season of contact, and jolt some of the Richmond coaches out of their end of season tour hangovers!

We finished with some games in perfect conditions for running rugby and some committed tackling was on show from both sides. The perfect end to the season at home!

U8s
What a weekend for rugby, nothing like putting on a rugby shirt followed by suncream and a hat! This week we had a double header, Richmond on Saturday Uckfield festival on Sunday. I turned up early Saturday to set up and was greeted by a few early risers dressed in red spin passing the ball to each other at 20 yards, from then I knew these U8s meant business! We met the coaches and had a quick run through of the plans and cracked on with a joint warm up to get the acquaintances out the way.

As the Heavies were on tour, I decided to introduce an old tour game I played for many years “Dead ants” and it was greatly received, any coaches shouting dead ants meant everyone whatever you are doing must jump on their backs feet in the air. This was well handy when Richmond were on a breakaway run looking for the try line. We had some great games and the Gs certainly showed the touring lads what we were about. We finished the session with a treat for both teams as it’s been a long season of drills I supplied both sides with 80 toilet rolls so they could race at mummifying their coaches!

The clear up was easy as I had Haribo in exchange for full bin liners of discarded tissue.
All in all, a great session with a real good bunch of kids and coaches alike making new friends for life.

U7s
EG Under 7 hosted Richmond on Sat 26th. Despite being low in usual numbers, EG put out teams of equal size to Richmond, demonstrating the depth and size of the U7 squad. The teams started with joint warm ups and training aimed at getting the players to integrate and learn some key rugby values.This was followed by several festival style games in which both teams demonstrated some great ball skills. The heat eventually took its toll but the kids (and coaches) had some great fun and all made new contacts. We are hoping to play at Richmond next season and continue the new club bond.

With a hugely busy Sunshine 7s event being held at Saint Hill on Sunday, our whole Junior section took to the road to play their last ever matches at their current age groups. For some, this will mean saying goodbye to their tags and starting the much anticipated step into contact rugby. Others, the introduction of scrums and rucks, and even kicking. A lot to look forward to!

The U9s and 10s travelled to the Sussex coast for the Brighton festival whilst the 7s, 8s and 11s nipped down the road to Uckfield. It was a hot a sunny day across the county and for some players this would be an energy sapping double header....or even triple header for those who were at Family Fun on the Friday night!

U11s
Our Sunday team turned out in more baking hot but otherwise immaculate conditions, equally prepared and focused. Four games were never going to be easy in the heat; however, all the boys focused on finishing the season well. With personal targets alongside their team targets, all the boys knuckled down to play hard and fair. Strong, straight running was a particular highlight, with Leo scoring an incredible try after an unstoppable run from nearly half-way! Freddie and Elliott did their usual incredible jobs, running confidently out wide while also putting in some superb tackles. Hugo showed his usual determination, and Jack ran some great lines, as ever.

Four brilliant and highly entertaining games, all the boys showed grit, determination and just how far they've progressed this season. Well done to all! What an absolutely fabulous weekend of rugby to round out the season! All Gs U11s for the 2024/25 season should be extremely proud of themselves, as the U11 coaches are extremely proud of each and every one of them

U10s
We headed to Brighton on Sunday with 2 teams for our last ever matches as U10s. It was a hot day on the south coast so it was going to be a tough one with 5 matches against are usual opponents with Rosslyn Park guesting as part of their tour. Another big strong London club to pit ourselves against.

EG1 started off and played very well. Quick to the breakdowns they were recycling the ball well as well as forcing turnovers. Great passing and strong runs made for some excellent tries. Seb put in some amazing tackles and our new boys for the year, Owen and Finlay were on fire. Its hard to believe they only took up the game this year. All the performances were solid and the team finished off the season with some outstanding play resulting in a positive in the win column.

EG2 Started slowly against Horsham and were down at half time. But they switches on to come back and end up with a draw. Winning the next 2, the team showed they have been taking on board the coaching this year and are developing into so great players. The double header and the heat started to take their toll in the last 2 games, especially against a very strong and well drilled Rosslyn Park team. There were some very tired players out there. We are starting to see some patterns in the players. Albert making his strong runs and proving hard to bring down. Bradley tenacious everywhere, Ollie H, making fast powerful runs. Cassius fleet footed and fast.

It was great to have Ethan Noyce back in the ranks after missing a fair chunk of the season. He bounced straight back, making some big tackles and powerful runs to get on the score sheet a number of times. It was also nice to see Harry regaining his confidence after coming back from injury. He made 2 match-saving tackles right at the death. Eloise was also enjoying her first competitive outing and got stuck in. She is a real team player. A big well done to all the G's. Well played. As always thanks to the parents for making the trip. Your support is crucial to their development.

Brighton put on a great festival to end the season, so our thanks to them and all involved. Special thanks from our parents to the weather gods, who got to bask in the sunshine rather than shivering at the side of a cold, windy pitch. We all left happy and looking forward to the challenges that U11 rugby brings.

U9s
On a warm, sunny Sunday morning, the U9s made their way down to Brighton RFC for our last festival of the season. We had three teams entered and with 6 matches to play, it was a full-on day of rugby action as our players took on teams from all over Sussex. With fairly minimal refereeing duties, it was great for the coaches to be able to stand back and watch the months of our players’ hard work and commitment on display. Ball presentation was spot on, tackling, carrying into contact and passing was much improved and some natural scrum half candidates appear to be emerging amidst the future wingers running from deep in their own half. Defensive line discipline still needs a bit of work, but we’ll worry about that next season now! What was important was the joy of playing and there was certainly a lot of that. A particular highlight was the highly-anticipated clash of EG2s vs EG3s, with coaches Neil and Mark shooting each other sideways glances whilst desperately trying to pretend that it didn’t matter which team won!

We’ve had a wonderful season in every respect. We’ve gained more players, confidence has improved dramatically alongside skill levels and most importantly, we’ve had a lot of fun along the way. We look forward to coming back and building on all we’ve learned in September after the summer break. In the meantime, we’ll be taking part in a lap of Twickenham as part of Quins’ Celebration of Community Rugby at the Big Summer Kick Off, so you may see us before the game!

U8s
Move onto Sunday, no time for aching legs, we’ve got 5 games to play! With the camp set up and suncream applied we set to warm up, although I was already sweating by 9:30. I promised the U8s I wasn’t going to shout at all as it was the last game of the season, to go out there, have fun, enjoy the day and gave them the most inspirational pre match talk I could put together! Fast forward 20 mins and I was screaming on the side line, I cant help it!

The Gs played some unreal rugby, we had 3 teams out and I managed to watch games from all 3 sides. I witnessed some real skill, grit and determination as playing in the heat was tough. It’s so good to see them all come into their own on the pitch after a long season of drills, it makes the soggy Sundays in November worth it. Too many names to mention but Elliot came back from breaking a finger on the pitch 6 weeks ago to scoring countless tries on Sunday so well done to him.

Highlight of the festival was shouting “dead ants” when we played Richmond and seeing both squads’ coaches and all hit the deck!!
Here’s to a great season and hanging up the tag belts for good. Next stop CONTACT

U7s
Despite the exhaustion of the previous day's event, EG U7 fielded three teams at Uckfield on Sunday 27th. Again, basking in beautiful sunshine, the teams played a range of games. Being the final set of games as U7, it was great to see how far the players have come this season.

There were wins by all three teams against some good teams, including Haywards Heath, Hastings, Eastbourne and Uckfield. Richmond also finished their tour there, and it was great to see the players going over to talk with the team from the previous day. Under 7 now move into U8 and their final season before they move to contact rugby, although many seem to have forgotten it is not touch rugby yet!

It has been a fabulous season across the board despite some incessant wet weather over the winter. It has been great to finish off with so many spring sessions being held in the sunshine.

COLOUR RUN
Next weekend we cap of the season with our traditional end of season junior awards from 9.30am and colour run from 11.30am. Keep those fingers crossed for the sun to hold out for one more week! We look forward to seeing you all for fun and games.

ALL VOLUNTEERS
A THANK YOU FROM US!!
As you see above, Sunday the 4th of May will see the staging of our much anticipated junior end of season awards and our annual colour run from 11.30am. However, that is not all because we are inviting anyone who volunteers for the club; groundsmen, coaches, managers, in fact anyone who helps us out at EGRFC to come and enjoy a free meal with us to say thank you for all your hard work over the season.

If you email julie.mason@egrfc.com or WhatsApp her on 07825 046637, letting her know your volunteer position, you will enjoy a free burger/sausage/Cornish pasty and chips and a pint/drink of your choice from midday, while watching (Or maybe participating in) this years colour run!!

SUSSEX RUGBY PLEA
We recently received this letter from Sussex Rugby. Can you help?

Dear East Grinstead RFC

After numerous years as Sussex Rugby’s Tours Administrator, Roger Edmondson has decided it is time for a rest and will be standing down from this role at the AGM in July.

The County is therefore looking for someone to replace Roger as its Tours Administrator. The role should not be too arduous, however without it being filled the County will be unable to sanction any rugby tours outside the domain of the English Rugby Football Union. To put it bluntly, no clubs will be able to tour abroad or receive touring sides from “abroad”.I am sure there is someone within our Rugby Community who would be prepared to take on this role. Please help us to find a suitable replacement for Roger, enabling Clubs to continue to tour “abroad” and host touring sides from outside England. Just a gentle reminder that Wales, Scotland, and Ireland have their own Rugby Union governing bodies and are therefore “outside the domain of the English RFU”.

Should anyone be prepared to take on the role or for any further information individuals, please contact me, p.harding@sussexrugby.co.uk

Best Regards

Paul Harding
Director of People Development
Sussex Rugby

CAMERON’S FUNDRAISER
Meet Cameron. He is a G’s U10’s legend, but now is taking on a new challenge. He is aiming to swim the equivalent distance of 35kms, between England and France in the month of April, in memory of his grandma and to raise money for diabetes UK.

For all the info and to donate, click here: Cam's JustGiving page

Please help if you can! We are all rooting for you Cameron.

AGM
Make sure the 11th July is in the diary!!

OTHER NEWS
If you have any news about any aspect of our rugby family here at East Grinstead, get involved and email m.marriott@btconnect.com. See you next week!!