Champions!
Sandbach 2nd Team completed their season with a 31 – 23 win over a skilful Rossendale Team. The win confirms Sandbach as Winners of the Standish Media Services Division 1 League and gains automatic promotion to the BMW Bateman Premier League for season 2013/2014.
Not really playing their best rugby of the season, Sandbach took an early lead through winger Andy Funnel and never really looked in danger after that. Tries followed for Andy Pipe, Jonny Lea, Dan Massey and Tim Jones as the Bradwall Road side completed the double over Rossendale.
The team finished the season with an 84% win rate; statistically the best performance of all senior teams at Sandbach this season. Next year might be a little tougher as Sandbach will face opposition from the 2nd Teams of National Division 1 sides such as Fylde, Macclesfield and Sedgely Park.
Team captain, Russ Dymond was delighted with the season. “We set out to get promoted this season and winning the league is just the icing on the cake”. The BMW Bateman Premier League is the top tier in a massive structure of 14 separate leagues, designed to give structured competitive rugby to 2nd, 3rd, 4th and in some cases 5th teams of all clubs throughout the North West. The Premier League broadly equates to Level 6 in the RFU structure, which potentially rates Sandbach 2nd Team higher than the 1st Team of many local clubs.
Sandbach Director of Rugby, Pad Davenport, was delighted with the performance. “Promotion to the Premier Division is a massive achievement and combined with last season’s promotion for the 1st Team, speaks volumes for the quality of the set-up here at Bradwall Road. Over the summer, we will be continuing with our “Open to anyone” Touch Rugby programme each Tuesday at 7pm and anyone who perhaps fancies joining Sandbach next season can come down for a relaxed game and to check out our facilities.”
The future of rugby looks assured at Sandbach for many years to come as Sandbach Senior Colts lifted the League Plate Trophy at Sunday’s Finals day and, even more impressively Sandbach Mini Section lifted winners trophies in no less than 4 of the 5 age group competitions at Sunday’s Telford Festival of Rugby.