THE main final of the Reuters Super Tens veterans’ rugby tournament at St Peter’s on Sunday was won by Richmond Heavies, 19-14 against Esher, although the game finished 14-14 and had to go into extra time.

Watched by a crowd of 600, including most of the 380 players and supporters from the 15 sides who travelled over, it took only two minutes for Richmond, the favourites, to break through the Esher last line of defence to score the ‘golden try’ which won them the game, and the trophy.

While Wimborne won the Bowl final, 28-10 against Cobham, the Plate final was between the hosts, Jersey Wanderers, and Swanage and Wareham.

In the preliminary round the Wanderers had showed potential, but inconsistency, in losing 7-22 to Wimbourne and 0-21 to Weybridge while beating last year’s overall winners of the main final, Old Blues, 28-22.

On points difference to two other sides they found themselves languishing in third place in their initial table of four, but played solid rugby in their plate semi-final, to beat Old Tavernians 28-7, thereby guaranteeing themselves their game against Swanage and Wareham.

‘Our first try came early on in the game, when Martyn Ching, who hasn’t played for the Wanderers for the last two years, crossed the line with at least two players trying to drag him back from ten yards out,’ said Wanderers’ captain, Clive Russell, afterwards.

‘Jerry Willis scored with the conversion and had an excellent individual’s game, stopping a certain try when he ran back to cover and tackled one of their players in the corner.

‘Our other try came when Guy Hinks jinked his way through a four-man cover, ten metres from the line.

Again Willis converted, but we allowed them a three-man overlap to score in the threes, and they also scored when they wheeled the scrum which meant there was no-one guarding the blind-side.

So, at 14-14, there was everything to play for when we began the second half.’ Even then the final score, which gave the plate trophy to Swanage, could be described as ‘a lucky bounce of the ball’.

For after the restart neither team seemed to have the edge before a tentative kick over the top of the Wanderers’ threes, which could have bounced anywhere, was neatly scooped up by one of the opposition threequarters who darted over the line.

The Wanderers, previous winners of this competition, had lost; but this was a triumph not only for the spirit of rugby, but for the links Jersey Rugby Club has forged with UK sides over the last nine years.

Then, there were nine teams who came over.

However, under the watchful eye of organiser Kate Adams, the Reuters Super Tens is now attracting as many, if not more, teams than can be accommodated at the clubhouse.

Among them are sides from France, including Rennes, who might not have won one of the main trophies, but who boasted the oldest player, ‘Jean-Claude’, born midway through the Second World War, in 1942; ie, a player currently in his 63rd or 64th year.