Its Cup Week and the boys have one more practice before they take the field for the Gee Gage and McCormick Cup this Saturday and both games will be held at Fletchers Field:
Beach 2s vs Oakville @ 11:30am
Beach 1s vs Brantford @ 3pm
There is a supporter bus that is available that is being organized by Rick Honeyford. Please email him for details and to reserve your spot. rick@greatloans.ca
A reminder that the Fog’s Celebration of life is being held on Sept 28th from 1 – 4pm at the Balmy Beach club. Please make your way to the club and celebrate the life and legacy of John and raise a drink to salute him.
ORU 2s – This weekend, the Blue and Gold 2s played the Toronto Buccaneers in their 2nd round robin game of the Gee Gage Cup playoffs. The Buccaneers were no match for the Balmy Boys with the Centre Elax Karego Maswi receiving a beautiful offload from Simon Onyango to score in the first 2 minutes. The boys never looked back, with the forwards mopping the floor with their opposition in set pieces and on defence. The backs exhibited classic champagne rugby with some phenomenal runs and lovely offloads. Trys were scored by many, which highlights the depth and overall skill of the 2s team this season. Hugh Barry, Matty Mufandaedza, Simon Lavado, Braeden Andreoli, Caleb Pilz, Kyle McCallum, Tom Ashcroft all managed to make their mark on the score sheet. The final score at the whistle was 74-12 for Balmy.
ORU 1s – The Blue and Gold 1s faced the formidable Waterloo County Lions. If anyone had a heart condition, this was not the game to watch. It was a back and forth nail biter that had everyone on the edge of their seat. The Beach drew first blood with a penalty kick from Captain Jason Park, followed by a penalty Try as Waterloo collapsed maul on their goal line. But the Lions woke up and came back with 3 unanswered Trys, resulting in a 19-10 scoreboard. Fortunately, the boys turned it around with Denzel Borrice and Mark Lawless edging the boys ahead to 22-19. And this is where it got interesting…
Waterloo, tied it up with a penalty kick, and then took a 3-point lead with another penalty kick, 25-22. Denzel Borrice would answer the call again, touching the ball down, for 5. Owen Lavado would follow suit and score another 5. However, neither try was converted and the scoreboard read 32-25 for the Beach with time still on the clock. Waterloo wasn’t done, and then would score 7 just before the end of the game. When the clock hit 80 minutes, the score was tied, 32-32, and sudden death overtime would be needed to determine who would advance to the next round.
Beach would kick off to Waterloo, who would kick it back deep into Beach territory. The ball would make its way to the hands of forward substitute Demitry Christopher, who would offload it to winger Josh Bald. Josh would then take the ball hard into contact, and slipped out of one tackle, dodged another and ran the ball 60 metres to win the game.
Weekend of September 23rd – So what’s next? There are no Balmy Beach rugby games this weekend. The ORU 2s have a bye-week in the Gee Gage Cup, and the ORU 1s are off. Time to enjoy some Rugby World Cup!
Weekend of September 30th -Both teams advanced to the finals on September 30th at Fletcher’s Fields.
Kick-off for the Gee Gage Cup is at 11:30 and the Balmy Beach 2s opponent has yet to be decided.
Kick-off for the McCormick Cup is at 3:30 and the Balmy Beach 1s will be playing the Brantford Harlequins.
Information about supporter buses will be provided shortly.
World Cup of Rugby results
France 27 – Uruguay 12
New Zealand 71 – Namibia 3
Samoa 43 – Chile 10
Wales 28 – Portugal 8
Ireland 59 – Tonga 16
South Africa 76 – Romania 0
Australia 15 – Fiji 22
England 34 – Japan 12
Wins all around for the Blue and Gold boys! The ORU 1s booked their ticket to the McCormick Semis with a convincing win over the Barbs. Try scorers included Mark Lawless, Denzel Borrice, Max Riseham, Jason Parks, and Demitry Christopher. They’ll host Waterloo at home next weekend as they look to return to the finals for the third consecutive year.
The ORU 2s kicked off their Gee Gage Cup campaign against our old rivals the Toronto Scottish. A mix of experienced grey beards in the forwards and fresh blood in the back line allowed the Beach to punch some holes up front as well as cutting the Scottish D out wide for some early scores. Set piece dominance and a strong performance from the halfbacks saw us ahead 26-0 at the break. Fresh legs off the bench kept momentum going and the Bomb Squad closed the game out strong with a final score of 40-12. Try scorers included Braeden Andreoli, Myles Marques, veteran Jesse Henkenhaf, Brock Clancy with 2 and Tom Ashcroft with one and some conversions.
Next weekend we head to Sunnybrook where a win against the Toronto Buccaneers should see us into the final to chase the Gee Gage three-peat.
The Fog – Normally around this time of the year, you start seeing emails advertising the fall dinner but this year is going to be a bit different. After much discussion, the Alumni executives have agreed to cancel the fall dinner out of respect for the Fog’s Celebration of Life. Here are some kind words from Jake Lipsett to honor the Fog and we all ask you to make your way to the club to remember our friend John
John Fogarty ( Fog), passed away during Covid, hence there was no public service for him, but rather, this was to be acknowledged “at a later date”. This later date has arrived and there will be a Celebration of Life for Fog, at the Balmy Beach Club on Thursday September 28 from 1:00 to 4:00.
Fog enjoyed a long career as a Firefighter and reached the position of Captain with the TFD, which he was very proud of.
Fog started his Rugby career at the club in the early 1960’s and like many players of this era started on the Wing before moving to the front row, as body shape dictated. Off the field, Fog acted in various roles including Rugby Club President and Tour Manager.
Finally, Fog has exemplified his generosity to the Rugby Alumni and Junior Rugby, by donating a substantial amount of money to our cause. Please consider attending John’s Testimonial and support the Rugby Alumni.
Lastly the World Cup of Rugby is underway and here are some scores from this past weekend
France 27 – New Zealand 13
Italy 58 – Namibia 8
Ireland 82 – Romania 8
Australia 35 – Georgia 15
England 27 – Argentina 10
Japan 42 – Chile 12
South Africa 18 – Scotland 3
Wales 32 – Fiji 26
Bill Webb – The Canadian rugby community is mourning the loss of Bill Webb, the co-founder of Canada’s first professional rugby team, the Toronto Arrows. Bill was involved in the rugby community on so many levels from holding a seat on the Rugby Canada’s board of directors to being an advisor to TIRF (Toronto’s Inner-City Rugby Foundation). Please take a moment to think about the Webb family during this most difficult time. The Passing of Bill Webb
Denis Johnson – Its with a heavy heart I am letting you know that Denis Johnson passed away on Monday.
Here is the recap from last week’s games against the Scottish. Remember the gents are on a 3 week break as they prep for the McCormick Cup run.
This weekend saw the Balmy Beach 1s and 2s square off against the annoying Toronto Scottish. Earlier this season, the Scottish got the better of us and the boys were looking for redemption.
ORU 2s – The ORU 2s, under the leadership of Captain Hugh Barry and the physically-dominant veteran prop and Vice-Captain Brock Clancy, came out of the gates like a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, Brock Clancy had to leave the game within minutes of the kick-off due to injury and this loss would impact the game immensely.
It was a game of two halves with the first having gone very much our way with us out scoring the Scottish 4 trys to 1. Our backs play was good, accuracy in our hands meant we were able to get it wide as often as we liked. The combined size and speed of our 12/13 combo meant we were also able to go up the middle when needed. Our forwards were dominant in open play and provided a platform for our backs off of the scrum. While our lineouts didn’t function the way we would have liked, we were able to secure ball and steal a few when really needed. Try scorers in the first half were rookie flanker Elax Karego, veteran fly-half Tom Ashcroft, and the rookie sensation winger Evan Dermott who scored 2. This is Evan’s first season playing rugby. He was previously a Team Canada aerial skier.
The second half was a much more interesting 40 minutes as we made wholesale changes. While our defence remained solid the Scottish had to resort to grubbers behind our defensive line to make ground and score. The Scottish out scored us 3 trys to 1 in the second half but the win was never in doubt. Captain Hugh Barry scored the final try for the Beach and put the nail in the coffin. The final score was 33-24 for the Blue and Gold.
ORU 1s – The ORU 1s, led by captain Ben Jones and vice-captain Denzel Borrice had their work cut-out for them as injuries from last week resulted in several personnel changes. Regardless, the forwards gave an extremely strong performance on Saturday. The front row of Justin Gleben, James Roseborough, and Dave Hartnett drove back almost every scrum and created perfect secure platforms for the backs to play from. In the air, we were able to win our own lineouts and disrupt the opposition’s. These set pieces led to trys from 8-man Ed Matthews and fly-half Tiarnan Neville. Despite the success of the set pieces, the Blue and Gold were down by 5 points at the half.
After some choice words at the break, the boys came out inspired. There was some absolute finesse shown by the backs breaking through the lines and the naughty cross field kicks putting wingers over the white wash. Wingers Denzel Borrice and Josh Bald both scored a pair of trys. The final score at the whistle was 36-22 for the good guys.
Overall the game had playoff intensity, and the team’s success with the numerous personnel changes highlights the depth of talent and spirit within the club this season. The Blue and Gold are on the right track heading into McCormick Cup Season!
With the 2 victories over the Toronto Scottish, the Balmy Beach won the Marshall League Club Championship. This is based on the combined success of the 1s and 2s, something the Balmy Beach RFC has not done before.
Congratulations to the women on bringing home the TRU Bowl 48-5 over Barrie RFC. Well done ladies
Here is a note from Jeremy the head coach: I just wanted to share with you details on the TRU Bowl Championship game that just passed. I’ll start a little from the beginning of the season since it is important to how we finished it. After our camp to start the year, we met as a team to define who they wanted to be this year and how they wanted to not just finish but continue to be going forward. Two points the girls made that night helped define the final game: to play with confidence and to play to make each other better. They showed those points almost perfectly by putting on the best team performance this season. Each and every player contributed to the success on the field that day, I can’t even think of an individual that stood apart since they were all in sync with one another to achieve their goal. From the ride up the energy was high. There were nerves, excitement, aches and bruises but all that was centred and focused for the opening kickoff.
Technically, they outperformed the opposition on set pieces, winning all of our scrums and all but one of theirs and stealing several of their line outs. We controlled the point of contact stopping Barrie’s go forward on attack and defence.
I will end on this again from that meeting after camp which summarizes the season these strong empowered women had:
Mission “We are Balmy Beach Women’s Rugby. We champion community, radical acceptance and excellence on and off the field. We prioritize respect for those alongside us and those across from us”
Vision “To empower the next generation of Balmy Beach Women’s Rugby players”
Unfortunately there was no recap for the men’s games but here are the scores
ORU 1’s Marshall Semifinal
Beach 24 – Brantford 35
ORU 2’s Beach 50 – Brantford 15
More details later this week for this weekend’s fixtures as we are up against the always tough Scottish at Fletchers. This will be the last game of the summer before the gentlemen get a break to recover and reload for the McCormick Cup run that starts on September 9th
Eric Currie – Thinking about Eric and his family during this most difficult time – Eric Currie – Toronto Star
Hopefully you had a great long weekend – Another big weekend this Saturday as the women take on Barrie in Barrie for the TRU Plate Championship. The ORU 1s and 2s will be making their way to Brantford to play in the Marshal semi finals. There are no TRU games this weekend as Cobourg has defaulted the third place game to us.
ORU 1s @ Brantford 3:30pm
ORU 2s @ Brantford 2pm
Beach Women @ Barrie 12:30pm
The men’s team has organized a bus to go to Brantford and there will be some extra seats available. If you are interested in travelling with the team please reach out to Rosie (Rugby Section President) jamesroseborough55@hotmail.com. Please note that space is limited. Please save Wednesday September 27 in your calendar for the annual fall dinner to be held at the club. Details to follow….
Here are your recaps from last weekend’s games.
TRU I – Beach lose 34-0 to Lindsay RFC
ORU II – In rainy conditions the ORU II’s took to the field at Trent University after flooding caused the games to be moved from Peterborough’s home field. This game was a back and forth affair from the beginning with try’s being traded back and forth. A hat-trick from on the wing from Beach newcomer Samuel saw Beach up by two tries shortly into the second half. Unfortunately, Peterborough was able to battle back in the second half and with a final try scored right on the whistle to end the game in their favour. Final Score: Beach 31 – Peterborough 35. Although this game was a loss, the achievement of 2-bonus points (scoring 4 tries, and losing within 7 points) see’s the ORU II’s finish league play in 1st place in the entire ORU.
ORU I – With rain still coming down Beach started this game started slow with Peterborough scoring first to put them up 5-0. Beach answered back to score in the corner, putting us up 7-5. After about 15 minutes of hammering Peterborough in their 22, hooker Owen McLean Lavado found himself within 3 meters of the goal line, diving over for a try to put us up 12-5. From here on out the sun arrived to dry out the field and ball, and that was really the end for Peterborough. The dry conditions let our backs fly and what started out as a close game, became a blowout with multiple try’s being scored by outside center Leigh Keegal, winger Tomas Larouch, and impact sub Josh Bald. Final Score: Beach 73-24. This bonus point win secures them top seed in the Eastern Conference and 3rd seed overall, setting up a big 2022 McCormick Semi-Final rematch V Brantford in Brantford on August 12. Lots of work to put in still before that epic clash.
July 25th – Sorry folks no recaps this week but here are the scores from last weekend
Womens TRU QuarterFinals – Beach 79 – Mississauga 5
Beach ORU I – Beach 50 – Aurora 27
Beach ORU II – Beach 47 – Aurora 12
Beach TRU I – Beach 70 – Mississauga 5
Beach TRU II – Beach 26 – Mississauga 26
Last Week:
TRU II – Beach Lose 20-17.
TRU I – Beach Lose 35-14.
ORU II – The last time we played Oshawa II’s we got thumped. With 40+ players missing across the club no team felt the impact worse than the ORU II’s as Oshawa ran in try after try for a big win. With the Beach playing at home and back to a full complement of players, the result of this tilt would not be the same. From the first set piece it was clear that this was going to be a game of men against boys. Outsizing Oshawa in the pack by a large margin any mistake saw Oshawa punished with a scrum or lineout maul that they were just not sized to handle. The ORU II forward “Dad Squad” went to work in the pack, winning possession after possession and leading to try after try for our backs. Before the first half was over Oshawa suffered two front row injuries leading to unopposed scrums, but the damage was too far gone, leaving it impossible for them to work their way back in. Final Score 42-12, but if we had been allowed to continue to scrum past the 30 minute mark there is no doubt that this would have been a near century.
ORU I – This was it. The rumble in the jungle, the rage in a cage, the battle for the top of our division against division rival Oshawa. Over the last two years Oshawa has proven to be a tough opponent. Last year we won our home game, and they won theirs. This year they won their home game earlier in the season. With league standings tightening towards the end of the season the men’s first XV had 4 tasks they had to achieve to come out of this game in first place:
1. Win the game
2. Obtain a winning bonus point (score 4 tries)
3. Prevent Oshawa from obtaining a bonus point (scoring 4 tries or losing within 7 points)
4. Win by 13 points (Oshawa beat us by 12 points earlier in the season and the standings tie-breaker is head to head point difference)
With so many boxes to check off this was a tough hill to climb, but we made a good start scoring first in the early minutes of the game to put Beach up 5-0. Oshawa hammered back and the game settled into a tight back and forth with try’s being scored by both teams. 10 minutes left in the game saw the Beach men up by the exact 13 points they needed to break a league points tie, but with Oshawa camped inside our 22. Any points, either kicks or try’s, would see the men leaving this game in second place despite the win. What happened over the next 10 minutes can only be described as the best Balmy Beach defensive effort seen to date as for 10 grueling minutes the boys straight up refused to let Oshawa score. Well aware of the 13 point differential the team threw themselves again and again into the attacking force of Oshawa refusing to let them pass. When a mighty double tackle from two Beach defenders led to an Oshawa knock on, right on the try line, the referee blew his whistle and the game ended. Final score: 32-19. This win sees Balmy Beach in first place in our division. Our destiny is in our own hands and winning the next two games VS Aurora and Peterborough will see us as a top seed for the fall’s Mccormick Cup.
Thursday July 20 – U16 Girls vs Toronto City 6:30pm @ SATEC (WA Porter CI)
Friday July 21:
TRU Men’s II @ Mississauga Blues 7:30pm
TRU Men’s I @ Mississauga Blues 9pm
Saturday July 22
TRU Women’s Playoffs vs Mississauga Blues 12:30pm
ORU Men’s II @ Aurora Barbs 2pm
ORU Men’s I @ Aurora Barbs 3pm
ORU II VS Ajax II – This game started in the middle of a downpour of rain. The environment seemed to immediately impact the game as this game started with a mis-kick and then 5 back to back scrums as both teams’ back lines got used to the wet and slippery conditions. The rain came and went in spurts and so did our offense. During the dry periods Beach was able to use our backs effectively in order to march down the field and punch in try’s. Unfortunately in the first half this only happened twice leading to a score of 12-7 at half time for Beach. Thankfully with the second half starting, the rain stopped. Our ORU II’s were able to string together much more consistent possession leading for another two unanswered try’s. Final Score 24-7 for Beach.
ORU I VS Ajax I – Still wet from the previous game this first half proved to be a slower, back and forth affair. After scoring early to put Beach up 5-0 Beach knocked on two further tries inside of 5m from the goal line. The next penalty saw Beach take the points to go up 8-0. Ajax hammered back with a maul from inside out 22 to close the gap 8-7. Shortly before half time Beach made a line break in order to put the good guys up 15-7. The conditions completely dried out for the second half which led to Beach being able to move the ball around in our typical Beach fashion. The second half saw a flurry of tries putting Beach up 22-7, 27-7 and then into the 30’s. Final score by the end of the game 43-14 for Beach. Next week’s home game V Oshawa sees Beach in a battle for the top of the charts across all four teams.
TRU I VS Toronto Buccaneers I – Final Score Beach 29 -27
TRU II VS Toronto Buccaneers II – Final Score Beach 26-0
Beach Women TRU – Women played a tough game against the Scottish on Saturday and had some big hits and runs but unfortunately fell short. There was a huge improvement from their first game against the Scottish to the last one and the ladies are excited to play Cobourg this weekend at home with a 12:30pm kickoff
Every week is a big one, but it truly doesn’t get bigger than this one. All four teams on the men’s side are either in first place, or within one game of first place. The ORU teams play Oshawa with the winner of both games earning first place in our division. The TRU teams will hop on a bus to head down to Coburg. Two wins will see the I’s remain tied with Lindsay and Brampton for first place, and a win for the TRU II’s will keep them within one game of first place
Rugby Volleyball – Another one in the books as Xmas in July did not disappoint. Another great day as the weather held up for way too much fun in the sun. Check out some of the pics >>>
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TRU II – This game did not occur due to the Dragons defaulting on Friday afternoon
TRU I – Clearly hurting from lack of numbers this game was a forgone conclusion from the first Beach try about 2 minutes into the game. 15min in and we had secured the bonus point 4th try, but with the back line being organized by young Jack Bryan at full back the try’s continued to rain down throughout this game. Not really much else to report here other than a ton of long distance line breaks. Final Score Beach 68 Dragons 3. This game sees the TRU I’s in third place in the TRU with 20 points, behind both Lindsay and Brampton with 25 points. Neither have had their BYE weeks yet so potentially this league is in a three-way tie!
ORU II – A tight affair sees the ORU 2’s up on Peterborough 24-12. The rain during the middle 30minutes led to a lull in the game as both sides tightened up, but our dominant set piece, combined with powerful back play eventually overwhelmed Peterborough once the sun returned to dry out the field. This leaves Balmy Beach ORU II’s tied for first place in our division with Oshawa with a big rematch brewing on July 15th.
ORU I – What a tail of two halves as Beach hit the ground with all cylinders firing. Controlling the game from the get-go the Beach quickly pumped in 2 tries to put us up 10-0. This game saw young Stephen Webb (17yo) back from his U20 Canada tour, before his U18 Canada tour, slotting in at scrum half, and speeding up the tempo of the game with bullet service. By half time the score was 20-0. The second half saw a return of the penalties that have been the bane of our season. Continued penalties inside our own half led to Peterborough being able to kick into our 22 and capitalize on set piece. Beach held onto the lead to win 20-19 in a game we made much harder than it had to be. The recent Beach First XV wins see us one game (5pts) out of first place. With three of our last 4 games being conference games, destiny is in our own hands as we head into the home stretch.
Women’s TRU – This game was also forfeited due to lack of numbers from Cobourg. Beach win 20 – 0.
Happy Canada Day, be safe this weekend. There are no games this weekend but right now 4 games are on tap for Thursday July 6th.
This is because Rugby Volleyball, the rugby section’s largest fundraiser will be going down on Saturday July 8th. It’s like Christmas in July
Joe Green – It’s with a heavy heart I must inform you of the passing of Joe Green. A longtime and active club member, Joe played with the BLue and Gold in the 60’s and has been a staunch supporter ever since. Unfortunately this is all the details I have at this time.
ORU II – The ORU II’s opened up with an early Beach score, but the Irish came out ready to play with a score of their own to even it up 5-5. Beach would put in two more tries before the half to make it 17-5. The Irish regained momentum in the second half to bring them close 22-17 with 5 minutes left in the game. Thankfully the dam burst open in the dying minutes with Beach able to pump in tries from both wingers Simon Onyango and Myles Marques put the nail in the coffin for Markham with a final score of 33-17.
ORU I – The ORU I’s hopped back to their winning ways after a two-week struggle. Kicking off the scoring early. Repeated penalties allowed the Irish to kick into position to maul and even up the game 5-5. Beach would strike again 5 minutes later to put us up 12-5. The Irish, determined to keep the ball tight and slow down the pace of the game maintained a lot of possession in this half running pick and goes, and off 9 pods repeatedly to keep the pace of the first half at a crawl. The dams burst In the second half as we shifted the ball to the wings and looked to attack the Irish edge defense. The try’s rained in this half to end the scoring at 50-17.
TRU I – TRU Beat Brampton 34-33 in a thrilling match going down to the last play of the game in a rematch of the TRU I cup game last year.
TRU Women – The women had a dominant performance against Ajax beating the Wanderers 56-12. The women are looking forward to their home game against Lindsay with a 12:30 KO.
Club Day at Tubs and Gee – 5 games on tap for the first ever Balmy Beach RFC first ever Club Day at Tubs and Gee field this Saturday: It’ll be an action packed day with the highlight being a rematch of last year’s McCormick Cup final against the Scottish. Come thirsty as for the first time ever, Radical Road Brewing Company will be running a pop up beer garden field side. We’ll also have the Tropical South food truck on site to satisfy those lunchtime cravings. It’s going to be an unbelievable day so make sure you make it down to the pitch.
A very tough day for our athletes in blue and gold last weekend
ORU 1 – The fiery game from start to finish and strong display of playoff rugby on both sides of the ball Set pieces were in fine form as we saw a wide array of back row and back line play but the Oshawa team was up to the task. 34- 22 loss
ORU 2 – Oshawa had a great display of skills and pace on this day and we didn’t have the answer. Missed tackles and penalties gave them all the momentum to get up to a big lead. The boys were able to put some great sequences in the second half but not before the final whistle blew. 74-35 loss
TRU 1 – A nail biter against Lindsay on our home pitch. Great defense, big hits and lots of great rugby by both teams. Unfortunately we came up just a tad short 33-32 loss
TRU Womens – The Balmy women had a tough season opener against the Scottish last weekend. With plenty of girls playing new positions and a shallow bench the women unfortunately lost but are working hard at this week’s practices for their Home Opener at Club day 70-7 loss.
Club day is this Saturday at Tubs and Gee Gage Field. The coaches are still working out the kickoff details and times and once confirmed Ill let you know. I had a chance to speak with Iain yesterday and he says “Club Day for the Beach is going to be a great day for the blue and gold. It puts the league on notice that we have the absolute best fans in the rugby world but we’ve known that since forever”. Do yourself a favour and make your way down to the field this Saturday, food trucks, beer trucks, Beach gear lots of rugby and friends.
On behalf of the alumni executives, we wanted to thank you for showing up to the alumni dinner last week. It was great to see the boys hanging out with the old guys, swapping stories and sharing a laugh.
A most sincere thank you to John Fogarty aka the Fog and his wife Marie Melville (Mel), who made a sizable donation to the Junior rugby section. The Beach Junior Rugby program would not be successful without generous donors like you. Rest in Peach John and Up the Beach. His celebration of life will be held on September 28th at the Club.
June 3rd is The Beach’s first CLUB DAY!!! There will be 5 games on tap at Tubs and Gee Gage Field. There will be food trucks, beer trucks, and lots of swag on sale to support the BLUE and GOLD. It’s free to attend so hopefully you can make it out!!
Week 1 in the books and here are the recaps of the games
ORU II and TRU I – Both the ORU II and TRU I team’s hit the ground running in games that would both prove to be close affairs. Both teams displayed a ton of individual effort and skill, but it was also clear that this early in the season there is still a lot of work to do in terms of team cohesion and execution. The end of the games saw Beach victorious in both games with final scores of:
Beach TRU I VS Brock 24-17
Beach ORU II VS Ajax II 26-22
ORU I – The ORU I’s took to the field in the first game of the season. Ajax looked significantly more organized than last year however just like last year our pace on the outside was too much for Ajax to handle. Try’s seemed to rain down as our backs broke Ajax’s defensive line and received inside support from trailing forwards. Not much else to say here as Beach put this one away pretty early in the day. Final score 50-5 for Beach
2023 ORU Schedule – Click Here
May 17th Balmy Beach Club – The night is to celebrate the senior men’s 4 cup wins in the fall of 2022 so they will be joining us. There will be a giveaway, speeches, great food and the CUP!!!! You definitely want to be a part of this one.If you’re in, just respond to this email and I’ll make sure you get on the list. The senior men’s had a spectacular 2022 campaign by winning 4 cups and we would like to celebrate along with them as the theme of the evening. Expect some great food, great stories, lots of laughs and an all around good time. If you’re interested in going please let me know. The price is $90/ ticket and remember a portion of the ticket goes towards the BBC Junior rugby program.
Sandy Currie passed away last week. Her husband Gord, was a stalwart of Balmy Beach Rugby in the late 60’s and throughout the 70’s. They flew in from B.C., to attend both the 50th and the 60th Rugby Reunion Anniversaries and remained staunch supporters of the Beach. Sandy was 77. Our condolences go out to the west coast Balmy Beach Rugby family. Up the Beach!
Paul Drohan – The celebration of life for Paul Drohan will be held on May 6th, from 1 – 5pm at the Balmy Beach club. The family is open to having others share their stories and speak about their memories of Paul. They ask that if anyone is interested, they reach out to James jimdrohan@gmail.com or John johndrohan@icloud.com, prior to May 1st to schedule accordingly.
Lots of laughs and great food made for a great great awards dinner last Saturday night.
Here is a list of the winners:
Harvey Janussen Award – Jason Park
Ed Caterer Award – Malency Wainwright
ORU 1s Most Valuable Forward – Scott Dunham
ORU 1s Most Valuable Back – Denzel Borrice
ORU 2s Most Valuable Forward – Garrett Magee
ORU 2s Most Valuable Back – Cian McDonagh
TRU 1s Most Valuable Forward – Brock Clancy
TRU 1s Most Valuable Back – Malency Wainwright
TRU 2s Most Valuable Forward – Adrian Godwin
TRU 2s Most Valuable Back – Pete Day
Men’s Most Improved Player – Braeden Andreoli
Men’s Most Improved Player – Liam Irwin
Men’s Most Dedicated Player – Jason Park
Men’s Rookie of the Year – Owen McLean Lavado
Volunteer of the Year – Kim Hunter
Women’s Most Valuable Forward – Heather Cary
Women’s Most Valuable Back – Louise Chen
Women’s Most Improved Player – Maddelyn Harris
Women’s Rookie of the Year – Destinee Wray
Women’s Most Dedicated Player – Catherine Bucknam
Lastly the Head Coach Iain McLeish has a request. Please see his note below:
“Hello Beach alumni. I hope you are all excited for the upcoming 2023 season. One of the common difficulties that we have as a club is many of our students return to Toronto for the summer, are unsuccessful at finding a summer job here, and then are forced to return to their university town early to find work, rather than play with us. If any of you are in the position to hire summer student workers, please reach out to me at coachmcleish@gmail.com, or give me a call/text at 416-525-4752. Jobs could be anything as long as they allow students the opportunity to earn enough money to stay in Toronto for the summer. Being able to help these young men and women find work would go a long way towards Beach being able to continue to field as many teams as we do, and maintain our rightful place as the largest club in the province.
Rugby Board – Thank you for those who showed up at the club last week to help elect the rugby board here are the results;
President – James Roseborough
Treasurer – Malency Wainwright
Sponsorship & Fundraising Director – Shona Ryan
Secretary – Dominique Rumball
Communication Director – Maddy Harris (this role was formerly called Information Technology Director)
Player Safety Director – Andrew Crawford
Social Director – Jason Parks
Women’s Director – TBD – To be appointed by the board at first board meeting
Men’s Director – TBD – To be appointed by the board at first board meeting
Rugby AGM – The Balmy Beach Rugby Annual General Meeting is less than a week away. The AGM will be held at the club on March 5th at 7:00pm. We will review the year, go through the financials, discuss the upcoming season, and most importantly, elect the board for the 2023 season. There are six board positions up for election, and we would greatly appreciate your participation. If you are interested in running for a role, please fill out the form below by March 1st.
https://forms.gle/
2022 Season Awards Banquet Saturday March 11 – For both women’s and men’s sections there is a lot to celebrate. Many awards are up for grabs including: Tru II, Tru I, ORU II, ORU I, women’s I and women’s II MVP’s, the prestigious Asshole of the Year, and many more. So don’t miss out on one of the biggest rugby celebrations of the year. For anyone who has never been to our banquet before, this is a black-tie/blue-tie event. We would like to welcome anyone who has played in the past, currently plays, or will be playing for the first time this coming season. You won’t want to miss it! If you would like to join in on the festivities, please fill out the form below and indicate what you’d like to put in your tummy and if you’ll be bringing a guest.
The Toronto Arrows lost a tough season opener against Rugby ATL 17-10 but our very own Lucas Rumball was a star with 14 tackles and making a difference at every breakdown.
On February 16 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm there will be a Town Hall meeting at the Balmy Beach Club. If you were unable to make the AGM, this is the next best thing. Please see the note below from Kinmond Smith – President:
Very much looking forward to what will be, evidently, the BBC’s first Town Hall Meeting. We’ll review these items and ideas before the meeting begins tomorrow night but just to lay the groundwork…
The podium will be in the middle of the room with the microphone. In the spirit of openness and collaborative discussion, chairs will be arranged in circles around the podium. Anyone with a question will need to ask from the podium and begin by stating their name. We’ll allow 15 minutes per question, answer and follow-up discussion. Then the question will be tabled and the next question will follow. In order to be fair and equitable, no one may ask two questions until everyone in the room has had the opportunity to ask one.
I/we will do our best to answer all questions. One of the reasons we haven’t asked for questions in advance is so that we can meet as friends and fellow members and keep everything open and off the cuff.
Formal minutes will not be taken but I will make note of every question and any question to which I/we don’t have the answer to, will be investigated and replied to as soon as possible.
Finally, I thought those members who can’t attend might benefit from being able to watch the conversation after the fact. So I will ask at the beginning of the event if there are any objections to filming the conversation and, if there are none, we can make the video available on the Club website.
The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 and adjourn at 8:30.
Looking forward to the event and seeing you there.
On behalf of the Board of Directors – Kinmond Smith, President
Have a great and safe Family long weekend!!
AGM Jan 23rd – Thanks to all who showed up to the club on January 23 for the Club’s AGM, there was a record number of people and your voice was definitely heard. After all the speeches and the votes were tallied, your new board is:
- Kinmond Smith, President
- Jeremy Andriano, Secretary
- Katharine Mellor, House Director
- Jenn Sharp, Community Director
- Hugh Sutcliffe, Finance Director
- Wendy Train, Membership
- Paul Kelly, Sports Director
Charles “Chas” McGann – Thinking about the McGann family during this most difficult time. Here are the details to the funeral
Tuesday January 31st, 2023 – St. Julia Roman Catholic Church – 251 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2T 3K2
Send Flowers for Charles “Chas” McGann’s service
Bob Morton – Bob passed away earlier this week. Please take a moment to think about his family during this most difficult time. Bob Morton Funeral Details
Robert “Throck” Morton – Aug 18, 1938 – January 18, 2023
Bob was born and raised in the Beach along with his brothers Doug and Al. Like many of us he worked his way to the Club and began playing rugby in 1957. Back then we were called the Balmy Beach Rugger Club. In 1960, 1963 and 1965 Bob toured England, Northern Ireland and Wales and St Louis USA with The Beach. He played rugby for us from 1957 to 1974; the last 3 or 4 years playing as an Antique. He played as a forward all of his career but secretly wanted to be a back. He was called a lot of names while at the Beach, but his friends will remember him as Throck. He is survived by his wife Joan and two sons. Up The Beach
Welcome to 2023, I hope you have a great holiday surrounded with love, laughter and loved ones.
The Balmy Beach All General’s Meeting will be held on Monday January 23 at 7pm and the club has returned to an in person format to be held in the Main Hall at the club. There are 4 open positions for the 2023/2024 Board of Directors
1. President
2. Secretary
3. House Director
4. Membership Director
I’m proud to announce that our Rick Honeyford is running for President – Good luck Rick!!
Let’s get out and support him. Any rugby person on the board is good for the rugby section!!!!
The candidate nomination process has been altered to allow candidate’s the opportunity to share their biography, the position on the Board they are interested in and how they can contribute to the club in this role.
Copies of the AGM information package are available under the Board of Directors/AGM Tab in the Members Portals on the Balmy Beach Club website. Information on each Candidate Nominee running for a position on the Board will have their information posted under this tab from January 17 to January 22.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this meeting or process please contact Lisa Lamb – General Manager lisa@balmybeachclub.com
Nick Allen is a Rugby Canada 7’s player who was in an accident in Bali and has been hospitalized in Indonesia. Here is his Go Fund Me account along with his story. https://www.gofundme.com/f/nick-allens-recovery
Bill Fritz – Our thoughts are with Bill Fritz and his family. Although he was a Scotsman, I know he had many friends at the Beach and within the rugby community.
1980/1981 1XV Beach – If you played on the 1980/1981 1XV Beach championship side, I have something for you. Rugby Ontario is having their Hall of Fame and Awards Ceremony on Saturday November 12, 2022 at Maple Banquet Hall in Mississauga. Tickets are $65 each. For more information on the event, please see the announcement here . If you are interested in purchasing a ticket, please visit the event website and click on the “Tickets” button. On the next screen, there is a feature above the listed ticket options to “Enter promo code” – click on this and enter the following code (case sensitive): RugbyHoFMembers
If you have any questions about the event or require any assistance with tickets, please contact Rachel Lester (rlester@rugbyontario.com).
Paul Drohan – It is with great sadness I must inform you of the passing of Paul Drohan. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Drohan family. Here is a message from the Drohan family: “On behalf of the entire Drohan family, we want to thank all of you who have reached out with condolences and shared stories and memories of Paul. They have been well received and appreciated by the family. Many have inquired about a memorial for Paul, and we have decided to have a celebration of his life next spring on Saturday May 6th, 2023, from 1-5pm. We will allocate time for sharing stories and ask that anyone who wishes to participate in the celebration with stories or share photos or other mementos reach out via email to John or Jim who are coordinating the agenda.” jimdrohan@gmail.com and johndrohan@icloud.com
See the Full McCormick Cup Victories Story with Photos >>>
The great news of the weekend is that both Beach Sr Men’s Teams won the McCormick Cup. The 2XV beat Lindsay to win the Gee Gage Cup and the 1XV won a nail-biter to beat the Scottish. That makes 16 McCormick Cups for the Blue and Gold. If you didn’t make a chance to see the game here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1jNaZJdmXY
Beach II’s V Lindsey – Just as a little history on this match; Beach TRU I’s and Lindsay played in the same league this summer. In our one match up, Beach won a close fought game. Beach finished 2nd after the TRU season qualifying for the TRU cup game. However, the league passed a rule that Beach was, by this new league rule, not allowed to win the TRU cup. As a result 3rd place Lindsay was promoted to the cup game, and Beach was moved to the “Plate” bracket. Lindsay then went on to beat Brampton to win the TRU Cup. Beach then went on to beat Brampton winning the “plate”. So this game represented a massive opportunity for Beach ORU II’s (many of whom played on Beach TRU I’s this summer) to take it to the current holders of the TRU I Cup. A cup at the Beach was denied a chance to win, due to a league rule banning us from competing for it. And “bring it” we did.
As this game kicked off it became clear pretty quickly that Lindsey was in trouble. Led by Captain Malency Wainwright at inside center and directed from the front by 16 year old Stephen Webb, Beach marched down the field again and again seemingly unopposed. By the time the whistle blew for half time the score was 28-7. The deep Beach bench brought fresh legs into the fight with solid shifts put in by long time Beach stalwarts Brandon Connerty and Curtis Brown. By the time the final whistle blew the score was 52 – 26 for Beach and the boys in Blue and Gold once again hoisted the Gee Gage Cup.
Beach I’s V Toronto Scottish – Balmy Beach VS Toronto Scottish in a McCormick Cup Final. A tale as old as time. This was a game that promised to be a hard hitting battle and boy did it deliver. An early penalty led to the Scottish being able to kick their way into our 22. What followed was a 10-minute battle encompassing 3 different line out maul defenses and over 30 cumulative defensive phases. After realising that Beach would not break, the Scottish settled for three points. A line out shortly after left the Beach in prime scoring position and quickly led to a Beach try in the corner by team try leader Denzel Borrice. Score 5-3. This set the dynamic for the rest of the match with the theme of; every time the Beach maintains 5 phases we score, every time the Scottish have the ball they grind through a million forward balls off nine, and we have to gut up and defend over and over again for 10+ minutes at a time. This made it absolutely integral that the Beach defense hammered into the Scottish forwards in order to stop their momentum. Another Scottish line out 5 minutes later would see Beach steal the ball and put Beach into the Scottish 22 and then shortly after on the goal line. Beach tight head prop Julian Alexander would not be denied as he took a crashing ball off 9 to thunder over the try line. 12-3 for Beach. Another two tries, both following line outs led to a half time score of 17-15. The Scottish struck first in the second half as they rumbled into our 22 to score a try in the corner. Score 17-20 Scottish. By minute 60 the Toronto Scottish had worked their way into our 22, but Beach defense held firm after multiple phases. The Scottish eventually generated a “not rolling away” penalty and looked to kick for points. Score 17-23. Shortly after a Beach line out puts Beach into position to score. After going wide, the Forwards bring the ball back under the posts with loose head prop Pete Vandersteen picking and going to get over the line and dot down the ball. Team Captain Stephen Drwyer lined up the kick, which banged off the uprights. Thankfully the rugby Gods were smiling on Beach and the ball crossed over the posts after the bounce. Score 24-23 for Beach. The score remained the same leading into the dying minutes of the game. Well into injury time and with the Scottish banging on our door, Beach defense held up for over 25 consecutive phases when Aidan Abbott and Beach newcomer Kyle Lagasca double teamed the Scottish 13, holding him up to force a maul. The Scottish were unable to retrieve the ball from the resulting mass of bodies piling in, leading to a penalty against them. Game over. Beach wins its 16th McCormick cup tieing us with the Markham Irish for the most ever cups at 16.
On behalf of the alumni board, we would like to wish you and your family a very happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. It’s that time of year when we reach out to help our friend Huggy. Please click on the link below and help him out. https://www.gofundme.com/f/huggys-van-fund-2022
Ian Orr – It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the passing of Mr. Ian Orr on October 10th. He played with the Beach in the 1960 and was 91 years old. We offer our deepest condolences to the Orr family.
It’s McCormick Cup Day Eve and the boys are all ready to go. Hope to see you all at Fletchers Field on Saturday cheering on the 2XV as they square off against Lindsay at 12:00pm and then the big one at 3:30 when the 1XV take on the Scottish. Let’s go!!!
It is going to be a great day on Saturday October 1st when both the Balmy Beach 1XV and 2XV take the pitch at Fletchers Field. The boys are pumped and itching for kick off. I’ve spoken with the coach and he says they are looking sharp at practice and have reviewed some game tape. He says “they will be ready”. It’s that time of year to dig out your box of beach gear that’s deep in the closet or basement and put it on. We’re cup hunting and want everyone to come support the boys.
Location – Fletchers Field
1. 2XV kickoff at 12pm vs Lindsay
2. 1XV kickoff at 3:30pm vs the Scottish
Thank you to those who made it last night. It was a great evening filled with laughs and smiles. I had a moment to speak with Bruce and he was very appreciative of the love he received by everyone in the room. Thank you to the Balmy Beach club who put on a great meal and even included a retirement cake!! Thank you to the Guest speakers and our house speakers for remembering the good times. Thank you Kyle Nichols who kept the evening moving and Hayden Gage for the T-Shirts. If you didn’t receive one please let me know. If you haven’t paid yet kindly send your e-transfer of $125 to beachalumni@gmail.com
There are still quite a number of shirts left over so if you would like one and were not at the dinner last night, please let me know. Most of the shirts are 2XL and above. Cost $20. If anyone picked up a BBC Blazer that didn’t belong to you please let me know.
In the next little bit I will be sharing details about the finals to be held on Oct 1st including location, and details about the bus to stay tuned….
Beach I V Brantford I – What an absolute banger of a game. This match promised to be an absolute cracker of a tilt and boy did it deliver. The game kicked off quickly with a Brantford try as one of their forwards rumbled through our line to dot the ball down at the four minute mark. 0- 5 Brantford. Beach quickly answered three minutes later when after a Brantford offside penalty Beach was able to kick to the corner, maul a nearly unopposed try, and then have team captain Stephen Dwyer step up to hit the conversion from the corner. 7-5 for Beach. Brantford answered. Ten minutes later after grinding their way down into our 22, Tom Van Horn ran a great striking line to cut through the Beach defense at minute nineteen. 7-12 for Brantford. Brantford would not score another try for the rest of the game. What followed for the remaining sixty minutes was a chess match more than a typical rugby game, as each team’s errors were ruthlessly punished with a penalty kick for points. After a Beach try right before half time, the game was within two points for the entire second half. The lead changed hands no less than four times. With five minutes left in the game the score was 25-23 for Beach. A Brantford line out led to an overthrow. Caught in motion. With speed. Beach rookie hooker Owen Lavado was not to be denied as he smashed three tacklers out of the way to run in a solo try from 55m out. This proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Brantford who would not recover. Beach win 32-23.
This marks the first time in 7 years that the Brantford Harlequins have been eliminated from the cup finals, and marks the return of one of the most classic rivalries in Ontario Rugby. A Beach vs Scottish McCormick Cup.
Stay tuned for time and location details because as good as this game was, splitting our two games 1-1 this season, the McCormick Cup Beach v Scottish game is sure to be an absolute legend.
This is your last call to RSVP to Bruce Gage’s retirement party going down on Wednesday, September 21. Drinks start at 630pm and dinner is at 7pm. Please join us as we chow down on some chicken and ribs and listen to stories about the Mess. We have some spots left so please RSVP as soon as possible.
Again a big thank you for those who have confirmed their attendance. For those who haven’t, please consider this your second last call, we still have some spaces left but let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. The cost of a ticket is $125 and you can either pay at the door or send an e transfer to beachalumni@gmail.com
Gee Gage Cup Round 1 – Beach II V Scottish II – Kicking off the Gee Gage Cup was a classic match-up between Beach II and Scottish II. The game started off with a bang as our forward pack asserted their dominance in set piece. Blowing back their scrum Beach front row Brock Clancy, Garrett Magee and Chris Sopik punished the Scottish for every mistake on their part, and won us back the ball on the few occasions we knocked it on. With plenty of possession in hand our backs, directed from scrum half by young Stephen Webb, (making his men’s cup debut at the age of 16) quickly went up 4 tries all also converted by Webb. A series of penalties in the dying minutes of the first half led the Scottish to put in their first try. Score going into halftime 28-7. In a tail of two halves the Scottish flew out of the half time break scoring a quick try in the opening minutes to put the score at 28-14 to Beach. The rest of the half was a relentless back and forth battle and while the Scottish came close to battling back in the end, the Beach defense held firm. Final score Beach 28 – Scottish 21.
McCormick Cup Round 1 – Beach I V Aurora I – The opening round of the McCormick Cup saw Beach (2nd seed) vs Aurora (7th seed). While the Aurora pack came on strong early in this game, they had no answer for the speed and strength of the Beach back line. Beach quickly went up 14-0 and while Aurora was able to get on the board the score at half time was 26-12 for Beach. The second half saw more of the same with Beach generating line breaks all around the fringes of the Aurora defense. Aurora was able to get two tries in the dying minutes of this game, but the game was never a close affair. Final score of Beach 51-Aurora 26.
Next week see’s Beach II’s on a BYE week, and Beach I’s taking on Brantford, the reigning McCormick Cup Champions, in what is sure to be our greatest challenge of the season yet. Stay tuned for the time and location of the match as we are still waiting to see if our field will be playable after the construction that the city began on it last week
There are 8 days left before we celebrate the Mess and his achievements at the fall dinner.
Date – Wednesday September 21
Time – 6:30pm drinks, 7pm dinner
Location – The Balmy Beach Club
Please be sure to respond to this email to RSVP or send your $125 to beachalumni@gmail.com
You don’t want to miss this one, so please let me know as soon as possible and show your love for Bruce
The men’s 1XV will be playing at Fletchers not T&G this Saturday Sept 10th
Mens I V Aurora Barbs @ Fletchers – 3:30 pm Kickoff
Mens II V Scottish @ Fletchers – 2:00 pm Kickoff
Oakville (our original I’s matchup) was removed from the McCormick cup for violating league rules surrounding player eligibility in their qualification games, which is why we are now playing Aurora. Good luck Gentlemen!! Its cup season
A Big Thank You to those who have confirmed their attendance to the Fall Dinner aka Bruce’s Retirement Dinner If you haven’t already responded, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!!!!! It’s going to be a great evening to celebrate an icon in the rugby community. Please RSVP as soon as possible
Consider this your official invite to the fall dinner to honor Bruce the Mess Gage. Its going to be a memorable evening with special guest speakers, a delicious chicken and rib dinner and lots of laughs. The Alumni and I believe that this is the perfect time to say thank you Bruce for his contributions to Balmy Beach Rugby and beyond.
Date – Wednesday September 21st
Time – Drinks at 6:30pm and Dinner at 7pm
Place – Balmy Beach Club
Price – $125/ticket
If you are interested in attending, please respond to this email. If you are going to pay at the door please include that in your response. If you would like to send an E-transfer please send it to beachalumi@gmail.com
TRU I VS Brampton Beavers TRU “Plate” Championship – Just a little background on this game; the Beach TRU I team finished 2nd in the league standings and Brampton finished 1st. So this game really should have been the “cup” game. However, the Toronto Rugby Union (TRU) made a rule this season that Beach was not allowed to play in “cup” games, or win the league. This led to us being moved to 3rd, and into the “plate” bracket. We went undefeated in this bracket. Brampton lost the “cup” game to Lindsey (a team we beat this year), so got sent into our “plate” bracket. That means this game, is really what the “cup” championship should have always been for the TRU.
This game started with a quick Beach try as our phase play led us into the opposition 22, and across the white wash. A great run off the restart put Beach into great position to score a second try to put us up 12-0. Shortly afterwards a horrendously (and one might argue purposely) missed knock-on call by the officiating crew led to a Brampton try as Beach had stopped to set up what should have been a scrum for us. 12-7 for Beach. The two teams battled it out for the remainder of the first half as the massive Brampton center took it to the gain line every chance he got, only to be met by our own back row and centers Malency Wainwright and Aidan Abbott over and over again. The first half ended with one more try a piece and scores of 17-14 for Beach.
The plan coming out of the half time break was to assert the dominance of our forward pack, and with that plan in mind we went to work scoring 40 unanswered points in the second half. Dominant forwards generated scrum penalties, knock ons through defensive line speed, big hits and generally just caused havoc in the Brampton ranks. Every Brampton mistake turned into a punishment to their pack as we simply kicked to touch and mauled, which Burlington had no defense against. Our longest maul of the day peaked at 25m and resulted in a try. Over and over this proved to be the pattern of the second half and Burlington had no way to counter our big men up front in the line out. Final Score: Beach 57-Brampton 14.
Bruce’s Retirement – The alumni and myself are working hard to finalize some details about Bruce’s retirement dinner but we need your help. If you have any pics of the Mess, please send them to beachalumni@gmail.com
No games this weekend so please have a safe and enjoyable Labour Day weekend.
A message from Kristin Bonomo – Hello All, one of our BBC teammates Arielle is a Director of a Non-Profit called Chance to Give Organization. A friend of hers started the non-profit as she was a first time single mother struggling during covid and she saw other parents struggling as well. The Fresh Start is their annual big event where they make sure every child is well equipped before going to school in September.
The women’s team so far have raised enough money to purchase 48 backpacks, which we have done. However, we now need help to fill the backpacks with school supplies. There are a total of 36 bags that still need to be filled. You can send money to chancetogiveorganization@gmail.com Or bonomok@gmail.com to purchase on your behalf. Or if you have supplies you want us to try to collect please let us know that as well.
Details: The Fresh Start event is ALL about the children. We will be making sure every child is well equipped before going to school in September. With FREE hair cuts, braid ups, school supplies and food, everyone will be looking Fresh!
.
Fresh Start Event
Location: Scarborough
Address: 36 Sewells Rd, Scarborough
Date: Saturday August 27, 2022
Time: 11am – 4pm
Cost: FREE !!!
TRU I Game – After the 70-7 walloping we gave the Toronto Dragons only two weeks proir, we expected a route this time round as well. So boy were we surprised when a completely different team, not a single player the same, emerged to kick off against our TRU I team in this quarter final game. From just looking at the players we were about to square off against before the kickoff, we knew we were about to start a fight against a much more difficult team then we expected. Thankfully our boys in Blue and Gold were up to the challenge. A quick score off a turnover ball gave speedster Safder Areepattamannil an 80m try run from out of our own 22 to open the scoring 7-0 Beach. The game remained stalemated until minute 35 when the dragons forced a line break in our 13/14 channel to put them on the game sheet 7-5. A quick tap-and-go 3 minutes later would see Beach up 12-5 going into half time. As the second half dragged on the heat got to both teams leading to a flurry of tries in the second half. However, then the dust settled (and there was a lot of dust coming off of the field today) the final score was 32-19 for Beach.
ORU II Game – After informing use on Tuesday that this game might have to be forfeited due to lack of players, good on Burlington for putting together a side to give us an ORU II’s game this Saturday. However, a thrown together squad of alumni and young bucks, really wasn’t going to stand against our Mighty Two’s as we hit the deck fighting from early on and never really looked back. Stand out performance from Keiran O’Donnell at scrum half kept the pace of the game up-tempo, a tempo that the Burlington II’s just could not match. Final score 57-5 for Beach.
ORU I Game – Boy Howdy! What a game. We haven’t seen Burlington since preseason and clearly, they have been in the factory forging a quality side as this match literally went down to the final whistle. Early penalty kicks saw Burlington up 3-0. In typical Beach fashion our offense went to work and after a series of trips down field Beach entered half time up 21-11. The second half saw an unfortunate series of injuries as fullback Nabeel Imtiaz and outside center Paul Schroder both went down with head knocks, and blind side flanked Tristan Cummins limped off field with a rolled ankle. Beach substitutions went in determined to hold their own, however Burlington capitalized on new players working to establish their “chemistry” with the rest of the team. Burlington was able to claw their way back into this game. The whistle blew with the last try going to Burlington. Final Score 39-38 for Beach.
Alumni! We need you! – This upcoming weekend (Saturday, August 20) we have three home games. The TRU I’s are playing in semi-finals for the TRU I Plate (we are by league rule not allowed to compete for the cup). The ORU II’s are playing for a league championship, and the ORU I’s are fighting against a strong Toronto Scottish side to claim the 2022 Marshall League Title. Our boys in blue and gold feed from your enthusiasm and support. Please come down to the field this Saturday to cheer on Beach as we fight for two league championships and the possibility of winning a third. Everyone is welcome. Moderate heckling (of the other team) is encouraged ;) , and I have attached a pic from the Scottish’s Facebook page where they are encouraging their own team’s alumni to do the same.
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ORU I’s and II’s – Not much to report from last Thursdays evening’s fixtures V Ajax as both games were routes. To their credit, and as an improvement over the previous week’s games V the Irish, Ajax showed up with two teams determined to provide full games for our I’s and II’s. However, these games both quickly turned into a day at the races as both the I’s and II’s secured bonus point wins within 15 min of the opening whistle. Special shout out to Myles Marques and Caelan Abbott (ORU II’s) and Denzel Borris (ORU I’s) who both seemed to score every time they touched the ball. Final Scores ORU II’s 48-7 (Game called at the 60 minute mark to save sunlight for the ORU I game), ORU I’s 69-5 (Game called at the 60 minute mark by the referee).
While the games themselves were not competitive they were both critical in terms of league standings. With the bonus point win secured by the ORU I’s the Balmy Beach First XV see themselves ranked #1 in Ontario, and seed #1 going into league playoffs. These playoffs will occur over the next two weeks as the ORU I’s compete for the league Champion Title. A competition which also determines seeding for September’s McCormick Cup Season.
SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 21st The Mess’ Retirement Dinner!!
This week wasn’t pretty for the Irish. Well done Beach, as we move to the final quarter of the season, results like this make us a dangerous team to play against.
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ORU I – A day that was great for Balmy Beach, but terrible as a barometer of the state of rugby in this province, Beach took to the field against a traditionally very strong Markham Irish Side (McCormick cup champions 2018). However, traditionally strong does not necessarily translate to present day strong as the Irish struggled to field a full 23, and at times during this game, a full 15. The writing was on the wall early in this match as 8 minutes into the game Beach scored its 4th try to secure a bonus point win. There was no let up from the boys in Blue and Gold as we rained down try’s seemingly every time we touched the ball. I don’t have much else to report from this rout that ended at the 60 minute mark. I would however like to take a moment to thank the 17 Markham Irish players who put their bodies, and pride, on the line to ensure that this game actually happened. On to the next one. Final score: Beach 95 – Markham Irish 10. Game blown over at the 60th minute.
ORU II – Game forfeited by the Markham Irish
TRU I – Similar to the ORU I’s game this tilt was a good day for the Beach, but a rough day in terms of the state of Rugby at other clubs in Ontario. After forfeiting the TRU II’s game the Dragons took to the field unable to fill out a full 23 person game sheet, although they were able to start with 15 men, with two reserves on the side in case of injury. From the get go there was never really a debate about how this game was going to go with several Beach try’s being scored in the first 15 minutes. The dragons had a decently strong front row that were able to secure them possession off of scrums, but other than that didn’t really offer up any real threat. Congratulations to Beach winger Myles Marques for scoring his first hat-trick as a senior men’s player. Final Score 66-5 for Beach.
TRU II – Game forfeited by the Markham Irish
OWL I – The Beach Women faced a tough return fixture against Brantford missing 5 players due to the Police and Fire games. This left a good opportunity for some old heads like Kristin Bonomo and young next generation to step up. While the result did not go our way, we’ve seen a lot of potential new players step up and show they will compete well in the future. Beach 0 – Brantford 59
OWL II – Beach 20 – Brantford 20
Thank you John Zammit for the beauty of a pic from 1980!! That’s awesome.
No games this week as it is the CIvic holiday. Please be safe and I’ll see you in August
Here are your fixtures for this weekend. UP THE BEACH!!!!
Men’s ORU I: 3:30 – 5:00pm V Markham Irish @ Tubs and Gee Gage Field
Men’s TRU I: 3:30 – 5:00pm V Toronto Dragons @ Eglinton Flats
Men’s TRU II: 2:00-3:30pm V Toronto Dragons @ Eglinton Flats
OWL I: 12:30 – 2pm – V Brantford @ Tubs and Gee Gage Field
OWL II 11am – 12:30pm V Branford @Tubs and Gee Gage Field
Good luck athletes!!!
Despite 71 players being unavailable for this week’s games 4 Beach Men’s teams took to the field last Saturday with a lot on the line.
TRU II’s – A bonus point win would see the TRU II’s clinch their position at the top of the league table. With that in mind the boys went to work right from the whistle. Outsized in the pack by a burly Coburg squad, the game plan for the day was to get this ball wide and use our speed and fitness to wear their big boys down. All went according to play as our wingers and outside centers seemed to score every time they touched the ball putting the TRU II’s up 21-14 at half time. The second half saw the return to the field of long time Beach veteran props Chris Hewitt and Peter Zygouris, With new found “heft” added to the scrum we found ourselves in even better position to attack leading to a flurry of try’s. A final score of 47-27 sees the Beach TRU II’s at the top of their league locking up first place despite still having 2 games left to go in league play.
TRU I’s – The TRU I’s game started with 4 players who had played in the previous TRU II game retaking the field. While we were able to use set pieces to secure our own ball, Coburg was able to use the size advantage in their pack to grind their way down the field and put in three try’s before half time, putting us down 7-21 going into the half. Redoubling our efforts and committing to tiring out the Coburg pack the TRU I’s fought their way back into the game throughout the second half running wild through the centers. If there were another 10 minutes in the game I have no doubt we would have won, but we just didn’t have enough time to fully climb out of the hole we dug ourselves in the first half. A Final score of 22-26 for Coburg
ORU II – The Toronto Scottish II’s came into this match undefeated in league play, but they would not leave that way. This Scottish II’s team just couldn’t compete with us physically in our pack, or speed wise in our backs. Our pack, led in the front row by Brock Clancy, Garrett Magee, and Ian Custadillo secured ball, and our backs capitalized on this possession by pumping in try’s under the posts. Standout performance from former Scottish Player, current Beach eight-man Jamie Williams who ran in a hattrick in a dominant display. Final Score 38-22
ORU – This game was a heavyweight fight for the top of the league with the winner claiming first place in the North-East division, and boy did it live up to the hype. After 20 minutes of back and forth the Scottish struck first after grinding their way through our 22 to score in the corner. A class conversion from their kicker put the Scottish up 0-7. Beach was quick to respond as outside center Tomas Larouche recovered the restart kick and ran it in. Score 5-7. A kick for points off of a penalty on the Scottish 22 5 minutes later put Beach up 8-7. The Scottish worked the ball into our 22 five minutes later. For 5 minutes our defense held, but eventually the Scottish put the ball down in the corner. 8-12 for the Scottish. Another trip into our 22 would see the Scottish capitalize on a penalty to put them up 8-15 to end the half. Starting the second half we used an early Scottish penalty to kick to the corner for a line out. After a line out win, fly half Stephen Dwyer saw a mismatch on the wing and kicked it high into the air to be recovered by inside center Paul Schroder for a try in the corner. 13-15 for Scottish. A short time later Paul Schroder would again crash over the line off of a pass following a line out inside the 22. 20-15 for Beach. A line break from flanker Brian Robinson off the restart, finished off by winger Josh Bald would put Beach up 27-15. A missed tackle 5 min later would see the Scottish close in 27-22. 10 minutes later a mis-communication receiving a kick during phase play led to Scottish possession inside of our 22, which they then capitalized on to put them ahead 27-29. Both teams scored another try a piece ending with the Scottish restarting play after a Beach try with under a minute left in the game. The score was 32-34 for the Scottish. What followed was the most professionally executed phase play of rugby Beach has demonstrated over the last 2 years as Beach strung together 18 consecutive phases to work the ball from our 5m line to the Scottish 5m line. After spreading the Scottish thin, scrum half Dylan Young saw a defensive gap open from the back of a ruck and scampered in to dot down the winning try at the 84 minute mark. Final score Beach 39 Scottish 34.
OWL I + II – It was a hot and sunny morning when Balmy Beach arrived in Brantford a little light on numbers, to face the Harlequins. From the outset Beach had some good patches of possession, but found breaking the ‘Quins organized defensive line a hard task.
Despite threatening their line early, it was Brantford who scored the early points with some sustained pressure, as well as pouncing on a turnover to score an impressive try from long range. The Beach lineout functioned well, with pressure resulting in several turnovers on Harlequins ball. Throughout the game the Beach scrum had complete dominance, winning several scrum penalties and securing reliable go-forward ball. Indeed the only Beach try of the day came from an impressive push over scrum; a wonderful sight on any rugby field!
Ultimately Brantford Harlequins were a little more organized and clinical in their execution, and were able to draw on a larger squad to manage the heat and physicality of the game well. The Balmy Beach put in a much improved performance, with some players playing out of position, and the team needing to use the full roster of replacements (all of whom had played in the 2s game prior), to complete the game. It was arguably a closer contest than the 44-5 score line suggests, but all credit to Brantford Harlequins on the win, with Balmy Beach look forward to welcoming them at home on Saturday, July 23 for the return fixture.
2022 – Balmy Beach Rugby Teams – Fixtures, Results & Standings
- MARSHALL 1XV ( MARSHALL 1XV )
- MARSHALL 2XV ( MARSHALL 2XV )
- OWL 1XV ( OWL 1XV )
- OWL 2XV ( OWL 2XV )
- TRU MEN DIV 1 RED
- TRU MEN DIV 2
Paul Myers – It was a wonderful turn out on a beautiful day to celebrate Paul Myers’ Celebration of Life. There were so many friends and family at the club reminiscing of the great person, coach, player, club guy, father, brother and friend Paul was. Surely he was there with us.
Past Games:
A day at the races – pretty much sums up last weeks games as the I’s and II‘s took to the road to play Ajax, in Ajax. After the first 5 minutes of each game it became pretty clear that neither team would be able to keep up with us physically, or organizationally as early tries got both teams up early in their games. Excellent kicking from the I’s fly half Stephen Dwyer twisted the screws on Ajax after each successful Beach try. There isn’t really that much more to report as both of these games resembled a practice run through more than a competitive game. Final Scores:
ORU I’s: 52-7
ORU II’s: 72-7
The reason why they played on Thursday was because the best day of the summer made its return post COVID to the Docks. Rugby Volleyball 2022 Edition was in full swing and so were the costumes. Although the event did not have the numbers as in years past, Lisa DeSario and her team were able to put on a successful event.
TRU II:
The club as a whole had over 50 players unavailable for selection this weekend. As a result the TRU II’s went into this game with 17 men. Despite the heat and depleted numbers the TRU II’s took to the game with zeal winning set pieces and marching down the field. At half time the TRU II’s had the lead with 9-7. The heat took its toll in the second half as the boys, with only 2 subs to provide relief, fell victim to the fresh legs Oshawa rolled in lead to a quick try. This put Oshawa in the lead 9-14 about 10min into the second half. Fortunately the boys were able to hunker down, and led by long time Beach stalwarts Ed Donnally and Jesse Henkenhaf were able to fight there way back. Final score 19-14 for Beach.
ORU II:
As with the TRU II game, the reduced numbers club wide led to this squad being exactly 15 players, with the only subs being players who had just finished playing 80min in the scorching heat. Despite being outnumbered by the opposition the ORU II’s quickly took the game in hand. Dominating in the scrum and line out. All this position our set piece earned led to try after try as half time rolled around and the scoreboard read 28-7 for Beach. After halftime a new shift of Oshawa players and some kicking errors on our part led to an Oshawa comeback. However our strong set piece continued to prevail with eight man Ian Kessell running in 2 tries from the back of a scrum to end the game. He would go on to win man of the match. Final score 38-28 for Beach.
ORU I:
Tough day at the office for the ORU I’s as a very strong Oshawa side met the Beach I’s. The first 20 min of this match looked like a heavyweight title fight as both teams slugged it out in the forward pack trading blow for blow. Two penalty kicks saw Beach up 6-0 with 3 minutes to half time, and a penalty against us on our own 5m line. 3 minutes of tough nose defense eventually lead to a knock on and Beach possession. The first half ended with Beach up 6-0. A missed tackle early in the second half led to a quick Oshawa score. They made the conversion to put them up 6-7. The game remained close until the 60th minute when Oshawa pulled off a second try to put them up 6-12. A quick line out soon after led to a line break to put Oshawa up even more. The end of the game saw Beach on the losing side 6-27. The Beach ORU I’s have been on a long winning streak of 18-0 over the last two seasons, but the reality of sports is that no streak lasts forever and last Saturday was not our day. The boys will be back at training this week with the goal of starting our next streak on Thursday, July 7 VS Ajax @ Ajax.
OWL 1XV – Oshawa 57 – Balmy Beach 5
OWL 2XV – Oshawa 56 – Balmy Beach 0
Summary: – Again there are no recaps of the games from the past weekend but I have been assured that this issue has been resolved. It was a tough weekend but Im sure we’re able to but this one behind us and move on next week.
ORU1 Won 25-10 over Peterborough
TRU 1 Lost 27-33 to Brampton
ORU 2 Lost 12-45 to Peterborough
TRU 2 Lost 22-32 to Peterborough
OWL 1 Lost 12-60 to the Nomads
OWL 2 Lost 5-60 to the Nomads
The Beach coaching staff has made the Oshawa Vikings and the ORU aware of the conflict at 12:30pm. Apparently Oshawa was not aware. At this time, the league is still working through the conflict and will advise of the resolution. As soon as I have that information I will pass it along.
Game Reports:
TRU II’s – The TRU II’s opened up Friday night lights in Mississauga with a commanding win over the Blues 29-12. Due to a lack of front rows on Mississauga’s side, this game was played with unopposed scrums, which might have been the only thing allowing Mississauga any ball possession at all as it was cleary early in the game that the Blue could not match our TRU II’s physically in the forward pack. A strong game from inside center Cian McDonagh, back after a 2 week hiatus, drove the boys forward during phase play, and it seemed that whenever we could string together 5-6 phases, a try was not far behind. Already up 26-12 in the dying minutes a drop goal from fly half Leo Montgomery after a goal line drop out from Mississauga proved the icing on the cake.
TRU I’s – For the first 5 minutes of this game it looked like the Blues might give our TRU I squad some trouble as a drop on the kick off left them with possession inside our 22. Weathering the storm the TRU I’s stole possession to get out of early trouble and never looked back. The score would quickly start ticking over. Making his Beach debut, straight from the Pacific Pride in British Columbia, young Owen Levado led the set piece forward punishing the Blues in both scrums and line outs, giving our backs the platform they needed to run in try after try. By half time the game was well in hand with a score of 38-5. Not to be denied and with the mindset of never letting up the story remained the same with Beach try after try. Final score 63-19.
ORU II’s – Similarly to the TRU II’s the combination of a dominant forward pack and tough hard running backs was just too much for the Aurora Barbs II’s who by the middle of the second half were reduced to uncontested scrums. Led in the pack by Beach perennial Claude Germaine the Beach ORU II’s poured down try after try onto the Barbs turning every Aurora mistake into a punishing set piece that the opposition just could not handle. Some impact subs from a few TRU I players looking for more game time after their Friday night fixture proved to drive the nail in the coffin for the Barbs who to be honest, were never really in this game to begin with. Final score: 46-10.
ORU I’s – Led by Conor McCann marking his return to Beach after his season with the Arrows the ORU I’s put on an absolute clinic in offensive organization and physicality. Continuing the theme of the weekend for all teams, the Aurora Barbs just could not hold up in the set piece against our boys in Blue and Gold. Any errors on their side became a punishing set piece experience, and any from us proved an opportunity to win back the ball and strike. Continuing his return to the Beach ORU I’s after a several year hiatus, Dylan Young ruthlessly exploited defensive holes around rucks to drive the ball down field and set us up for scoring opportunities. Lock Ben Jones proved almost impossible to take down behind the gain line as he dared defenders to try to tackle him again and again throughout the game. While not perfect, and making a couple of mistakes to learn from going forward, the Beach men dominated this game with the final score at the whistle 52-12.
Womens OWL I‘s lost 29-21 to the Barbs
The boys move on to next week where the ORU I, II, and TRU II will take on Peterborough in Peterborough, while the TRU I’s go into what might be their toughest game of the season playing the also undefeated Brampton squad at home.
Here are the recaps of the games played May 29th weekend.
TRU I/II – TRU 1s and 2s both played at Sunnybrook Park versus Toronto Buccaneers Rugby Club. Both teams were a younger squad that were full of enthusiasm and eagerness. The mantra of the day was defense first and boy did both teams deliver. Both teams posted a shutout with the TRU 2s starting the day with a 24 – 0 win followed up by TRU 1s winning 33-0. This type of defensive spirit is typically reserved for playoffs; it was great to see it so early in the season. Offensively, there were moments of brilliance in both games but there is still work to be done, as expected with such a young squad so early in the season. The TRU 1s and 2s are at home June 4th versus Bay Street Pigs. If last year’s final is a good prediction of what we can expect from this game, we are all in for a treat. Looking forward to seeing you there.
ORU II – The ORU II’s came out firing against a scrappy Peterborough squad. This was a fairly new Beach squad with 11 players on the game sheet who were new to Balmy Beach. Beach was the faster and physically stronger team however with this being the first time many of these players played together, there were some communication and discipline issues to work on moving forward throughout the rest of the season. Despite a strong start for Beach, Peterborough worked their way into a 4-point lead with less than a minute left to play. Beach retrieved our kick-off and marched our way down to the Peterborough line, only to be knocked out of bounds on the 1m line ending the game. This was a game Beach ORU II should have won and will win in the future, however this tilt ended in a loss of 28-32 to Peterborough.
ORU I – It was pretty clear 10 minutes into the game that Beach outclassed this Peterborough squad physically, and in our ability to move the ball. The backs were chomping at the bit, and with solid scrums and lineouts to provide possession they generated line break after line break. With inside center Jason Parks driving the ball forward and outside center Tomas Larouche putting the Peterborough defense to the test on the outside with his burning pace, Peterborough seemed to melt away as the game went on. Final Score 38-12 for Beach. Sorry no recap for the Women’s OWL 1st XV who lost 35-7 to the Guelph RFC Redcoats
Spring Dinner – On behalf of the alumni executives and the Balmy Beach Junior Rugby program, we would like to to thank those who made it out the Spring dinner last week Wednesday. Congratulations to Iain McLeish and Connor McCann for winning the Harvey Jenussen and Ed Caterer awards! If you haven’t already paid for your ticket please send an e-transfer to beachalumni@gmail.com
Maye Waters – Many of you have heard, but it is news for some. On February 27th we lost a member of the rugby community/family. Maye Waters who played in our Junior Program and TIRF and then a couple years with the Senior Women passed away suddenly at the age of 23. She hasn’t been playing for a couple of years because she was in law-school, working and had a baby (now 17-months). I asked Chris about running a raffle during the finals of 6 Nations. It looks like they already usually do and can this year can do it w/ the proceeds going to Maye’s Daughter. (THANK YOU CHRIS) Currently we have 2 England jerseys to add, we usually top up with some other rugby wear and a bottle of Scotch. We are reaching out to the women’s, men’s and Alumni to see if anyone else can add an item to raffle off? In addition, please continue to get support out for the 6 Nations Finals. It is a great fundraiser for our Juniors program and will also have more people to enter the raffle as well.
Gord Ferguson – Gord’s Obituary – Please pray for the Ferguson family during this most difficult time. Myles Martin
A thank you note from Huggy – Please pass along my sincere gratitude to the Balmy Beach RFC and Alumni for stepping up and supporting my fundraiser in 2021. With their tremendous support, I achieved my goal and raised just over $10,000. These funds have already helped me pay my insurance premiums and routine maintenance costs this Fall/Winter. And, they will help me cover maintenance expenses exceeding $2,500 in the Spring. https://www.gofundme.com/f/
Please send your thoughts to the Baldwin family: It is with great sadness that David Baldwin passed away today 1/20/2022. He passed peacefully @home, on his own terms. (soldier of freedom) The BBC was big great part of his good life, he will miss his BBC Family He loved his Rugby, squash and the odd beer…cheers :). My Dad (Dave ) worked hard to raise a family ,soul mate Lois of 52yrs He also played a great game of golf ,I’m sure that is what he is doing now. Vincent Baldwin – Son
Some great news out of the Toronto Arrows camp this weekend as they have signed Andrew Norton and captain Connor McCann. Along with Lucas Rumball, the Beach is very well represented. We wish the gentlemen a great 2022 campaign.
As the holiday season is upon us please think about our dear friend Huggy and donate to his gofund me. https://www.gofundme.com/f/huggys-van-fund
Geoff Reynolds has arranged a Leafs Game/Dinner for 2 at The Keg auction price for the new year. A big thank you to the rugby section who is graciously donating 1/2 of the proceeds from their Wine Draw Down.
Basil Cultrera – It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden passing of Basil Cultrera on Friday November 12, 2021. A long time member of the Balmy Beach family, Basil will be deeply missed by his loving wife Donna, his nephew, niece and their families. Those of us that knew him lost a good friend both on and off the rugby field. He had a strong character and a big heart. He lit up a room with his presence and will be surely missed by all.
https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/thestar/name/basil-cultrera-obituary?pid=200718484
https://www.arbormemorial.ca/taylor/obituaries/basil-joseph-cultrera/74411/
Huggy – Here is a note for our good friend Huggy. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Kerry Singh (“Huggy”) suffered a severe spinal cord injury playing rugby for the Balmy Beach Club in 1993. Balmy Beach Rugby Club and Rugby Canada stepped up in 2012 to help him purchase a new van for his transportation needs. His van will soon be 9 years old and continues to serve him well. However, soaring insurance and maintenance costs are proving increasingly harder to cover on his limited disability income as no government funding is available for these expenses. Let’s all get behind this year’s fundraising campaign and support Huggy!! Geoff Reynolds
https://www.gofundme.com/f/huggys-van-fund
Beach WIN Beach WIN Beach WIN!! – Hundreds of Beach supporters surrounded the field in blue and gold on the weekend as the Beach Men’s 2’s fought for the TRU Plate Championship V Bay Street, and the Men’s 1’s went hunting for the Ontario Marshall Men’s Cup V Oshawa.
Continuing the same pattern as their season games, the 1’s and 2’s set piece dominated the day giving both team’s backs opportunity after opportunity to strike. The combination of forward power and quick as lightning backs was just too much for either Bay Street or Oshawa to handle and both Beach teams took commanding leads by the half time whistle. Neither team let up in the second half, determined to seal the deal and in the end both teams came off with convincing wins.
Thanks so much to all of the fans, alumni and supporters who came down to the game, and to all of our other games. Whether we have been playing at home or away on the road, Beach was fortunate to have fans in the crowd for every game we have played this year. That support means a lot to the men and women who take to the field every week.
UTB!
Beach 2’s 44 – Bay Street 17
Beach 1’s 59 – Oshawa Vikings 24
Thank you all who made it to the fall dinner on Thursday night, it was great to see smiles on peoples faces and listen to some great stories of some of the best teams ever to grace the blue and gold. It was a great kick off to two great games of rugby.
On behalf of the alumni executive, we thank you
The Men’s 1st XV wrap up their league games remaining on top of the table and undefeated going into cup day. Our scrums and line-outs continued to impose their will on the opposition leading to the Beach holding onto the vast majority of ball possession and territory. The boys were able to generate line breaks and work their way into position to score multiple times in the first half however despite these efforts had a tough time crossing the try line as slippery conditions led to knock ons and other errors. A line break from 13 Jason Parks and a quick pick and go from 14 Paul Schrofer led to Beach being up 14-0 at the half.
The story remained the same for most of the second half as the Beach dominated the possession and set piece but struggled to actually cross the try line. Tactical substitutions at the 60 min mark brought fresh legs onto the pitch and substitute winger Denzel Borrice was able to take advantage for a tired opposition and pump in two quick tries in succession. Final score Beach 28 Scottish 0.
Today the finals were finalized and on Saturday October 23 and Tubbs and Gee Field the mens 1XV will take on the Oshawa Vikings at 3pm to determine who will bring home the Fall Marshall Cup. The Men’s 2XV will take on the Bay Street Pigs at 1:30pm for the TRU Shield.
The woman played a tough game against the Nomads at home and came across their first big challenge of their season. Unfortunately the women fell short. The women will be working hard this week to prepare for their tournament in Oakville then will be ready to cheer on the men and head back to the club to celebrate a great season.
We still have a few spots left for the Fall Cup Dinner on Thursday October 21. The doors open at 6 and dinner will be served at 7pm. If you are an Original or played in the Carling Cup in 68, 75, 80 and or 81 please let me know if you would like to attend. The cost is $40 and you can pay at the door or send an E Transfer. The price includes an Alumni golf shirt so please let me know what size you wear. It is club policy that you must be double vaccinated with proof in order to attend the event.
Hope to see you Thursday Oct 21st, 2021.
Special shout out goes to Ben Jones, Andrew Norton and Julian Alexander who have been called up to play for the Arrows this Saturday against the Atlantic Rock. Good luck boys!!
Also want to say congrats to Patrick Maulson and Iain McLeish who will be assisting with Arrows coaching staff this weekend. Patrick is the attacking coach and Iain will be handling the video analysis
Just wanted to clarify the amazing night to be on October 21 at the club. The alumni would like to honour the Originals and all the players (1XV, 2XV and 3XV) that played in the Carling Cup in 68, 75, 80 and 81. If you played on any of those teams please let me know ad come on down and let’s fire it up for the Men’s 1XV who will be playing for the Fall cup on October 23. The cost is $40 which includes a hamburger and fries and an Alumni golf shirt. Don’t forget to let me know your shirt size. Let’s get behind our boys and bring home the cup!! Remember you must be double vaccinated with proof to enter the club.
After a 2-year long pandemic shutdown, rugby is finally back and it reminded us that Huggy’s Van Fund for maintenance and repair of his 2013 Honda Odyssey wheelchair van could use some much-needed donations. Huggy suffered a severe spinal cord injury playing rugby for the Balmy Beach Club in 1993. Balmy Beach Rugby Club stepped up in 2012 to help him purchase a new van for his transportation needs. His van will soon be 9 years old and continues to serve him well. However, soaring insurance and maintenance costs are proving increasingly harder to cover on his limited disability income as no government funding is available for these expenses. Let’s all get behind this year’s fundraising campaign and support Huggy!! Go Fund Me Link for Huggy
Here is are your game reports for last weekend – Oct 2nd-3rd.
Please note there are no games this weekend due to the Thanksgiving weekend.
It was a day at the races for the Men’s Ones – as an early intercept and 70m try from Andrew Norton set the tone for the rest of the day. After a forward dominated game the week prior in Oakville the sunny and dry weather made this an ideal game for our backs to truly let loose. Without mud and rain to slow them down the team game plan of playing inside the 15’s was just too much for London to handle as Beach was able to generate line break after line break as Beach Rookie Paul Schroder scored a hat-trick off of clean and dominant set piece ball from the forwards. Half time saw the return to the field of scrumhalf Brendan McGovern for the first time this season, which only served to increase the tempo of the game on an already tiring London team. The final score of 59-5 results in Beach One’s locking down first place in the Fall West division, despite one remaining game vs the Scottish on Oct 16th. There will be a memorial at the pitch honouring Roger at the end of this game by Hamish Young.
The Beach 2’s continue their winning ways over the Toronto Buccaneers. After weathering a strong first half and going into the break down 7-13 the Men’s 2’s came out in the second half firing on all cylinders. Led on the field by fly-half and Captain Caleb Pilz the 2’s took it to the Bucc’s taking advantage of the oppositions lagging fitness to attack broken defensive lines. Excellent support play off of line breaks and dominant scrum performances by Beach rookie prop Reese Gutierrez, and veteran stalwart Chris Hewett were just too much for the Bucc’s to handle as the Beach scored five unanswered try’s in the second half. The final score of 38 – 13 sees the Men’s 2’s move up to second in the TRU East division behind Lindsay.
The women’s team has had a challenging season so far as organization and numbers have been down across the city. The women have played and won 7s tournaments, 10s fixtures and last weekend they played in a mixed game of 15s. The women were placed on teams based on position and placed in a highly competitive game with Beach players dominating the score sheet. Great job ladies. Keep making the Beach proud! The women are hoping to host a home game on October 16, more details to follow.
Bob Whittaker – Keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. Bob Whittaker was a long time Beach Rugby player in the 60’s and 70’s. He also played for the “XL’s” which was a team of Over 40 year olds from a number of Toronto Rugby Club. Bob Whittaker Remembered >>>
October 2nd-3rd 2021
THE BEACH IS BACK!!!!!
With a very convincing win over London over the weekend, the Men’s 1st XV have been granted a spot for the McCormick Cup on October 23. Details and a game recap to follow later this week.
On Thursday October 21 the Alumni group would like to invite the 2nd XV and 3rd XV players from the 68, 75, 80 and 81 Championship teams as our guests to the Official Alumni Return to the Cup Party at the Balmy Beach Club. The cost is $40 and includes a hamburger and a Beach Alumni Golf Shirt .
Please note that the club can hold a maximum of 75 people and you must be double vaccinated with proof. If you plan on attending please let me know and advise of your shirt size. More details to follow
September 25-26th 2021
Facing off against our always strong rival Oakville in Oakville last Saturday, the Men’s First Team kicked off in what can only be described as monsoon level rain. The water and mud made for a slick ball and meant that the Beach’s typically unstoppable back line had to pick and choose their moments to strike, relying on the forwards to make the hard yards. The Beach pack stepped up in a huge way bullying Oakville both in the scrum and around the pitch generally to generate penalties. Excellent kicking to touch then put us consistently into position to score. Stand out players include all starting three of our front row Julian Alexander, James Roseborough, and Chris Sopik who dominated Oakville’s front row for all 80 minutes of the game, and young Andrew Hevey who received an unexpected start and first Men’s one’s cap at 9 when the planned scrumhalf Mark Tarver injured himself prior to kickoff. Final score Beach 29 – Oakville 17. The Beach first XV see themselves at the top of the league going into this week’s home game V London at noon Saturday. A win will see them secure a spot in the cup final day on Oct 23.
Kudos to Oakville’s Old Boys Four’s side for stepping up to give our two’s a game on their off week from the TRU competition. Oakville played a tough and hard-hitting game, but in the end our squads youth and speed turned the game into a bit of a day at the races. Final score 65-12. Next game is this Saturday V the Toronto Buccaneers at home Kickoff at 1:30.
A big win for the Beach Women as they beat the Cru women 29-10.
September 18-19th 2021
The Men’s First XV continued their winning ways last Saturday in Waterloo County. The first half saw Waterloo take advantage of an early penalty about 2minutes into the game, kicking to the corner and driving a maul into the try zone to put them up 0-5 right off the bat. That would be the last time Waterloo was able to organize anything offensive for the half as dominant set-piece was able to generate line break after line break after line break. Quick hands, good decisions, and expansive play capitalized on these breaks and saw Beach up 28-5 at halftime.
Breakdown penalties were the theme of the second half allowing Waterloo to once again capitalize by kicking to the corner and mauling for try’s. However, the men in blue and gold weathered the storm and continued to generate line breaks and apply defensive pressure, forcing Waterloo onto the back foot and creating turnover and counter-attack opportunities. A final score of 38-24 for Beach sees us sitting at the top of the league standings.
Men’s First and Second XV take on Oakville 1’s and Old Boys respectively in Oakville, with the Women’s side squaring off with Oakville as well. A big win will leave Beach within striking distance of locking up the West Conference.
Rugby is back!! After a year off, I am proud to let you know that there will be a fall rugby season in 2021.
The dedicated athletes have been putting in the effort and the training and it’s time to let loose. Below is the schedule for the men’s 1 XV and 2nd XV. We are still waiting for confirmation for the women’s schedule. We hope to see you on the sideline cheering on the blue and gold.
Men’s 1 XV
Sept 11 – Burlington @ Beach kickoff at 1:30pm
Sept 18 – Beach @ Waterloo kickoff at 3 pm
Sept 25 – Beach @ Oakville kickoff at 3 pm
Oct 2 – London @ Beach kickoff at 12 pm
Oct 16 – Scottish @ Beach kickoff at 3 pm
Oct 23 – Cup Day! (Details to be announced based on league standings)
Men’s 2 XV
Sept 11 – Lindsay @ Beach kickoff 3 pm
Oct 2 – Toronto Buccaneers @ Beach kickoff 1:30 pm
Oct 16 – Beach @ Brock kickoff 12 pm
Oct 23 – Cup Day! (Details to be announced based on league standings)
Stay tuned for game recaps and news on a special event…….
Bob Wyles – went out on his boat on Thursday afternoon ahead of the storm and has not been seen since. The police have curtailed the search and are now treating this as a missing person case. Please pray for a safe return home. http://www.cp24.com/news/search-for-boater-on-lake-ontario-now-deemed-a-missing-person-case-1.5565188
Ken Shepherd – I would also like to advise you of the passing of our dear friend Ken Shepherd. Please pray for the Shepherd family during this most difficult time.
MICHAEL HUGH MCLAFFERTY – 1947 – 2021 – It is with overwhelming sadness that we announce the death of Michael Hugh McLafferty. Born in Yorkshire, England, Michael immigrated to Canada in 1955 with his parents and four sisters. Mike was a loving and devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend. He was a selfless gentleman who exemplified what it means to be patient. He had a kind heart and gentle nature which were apparent upon meeting him. He had a presence about him that could not be matched. A quick wit and dry sense of humor, any who knew him well will remember his trademark grin after playing a joke or an unexpected return quip. Mike’s loyalty to the people and the things he cared about was immeasurable. He would help family and friends in any way that he could without hesitation. He was a truly generous and caring individual. An innovative and inspiring entrepreneur, Mike developed and engineered many products to support the telecom industry. He was dedicated to his staff and his many employees were committed to support his vision. Mike was a voracious reader, film buff, an avid sports fan and great athlete. He spent much of his youth playing golf, hockey, rugby and football. He played rugby for Toronto’s Balmy Beach Club. Michael was a member of Rosedale Golf Club, Summit Golf Club, the RCYC in Toronto and Jonathan’s Landing in Jupiter, Florida. An avid boater, he is forever captain of his boat, “The Black Irish.”
Michael was predeceased by his parents, Hugh and Margaret (née O’Hara); survived by his wife, Christine (nee McGirr); children, Laura, Sean, RJ, Mike Jr., and Kevin; sisters, Jean, Anne (Wall), Denise, and Helen (Hunt); his brothers-inlaw, Roger, Danny and Steve; and his close cousins, Maureen, Carol, Helen and Jim McLafferty.All of Mike’s family and friends will miss him immensely. He will always be in our thoughts and in our hearts.
There will be a grand celebration of Life on Friday, September 17 from 2 – 5:00 p.m. at Rosedale Golf Club, 1901 Mt. Pleasant Road, Toronto M4N 2W3. A family graveside service was held earlier this week. In lieu of flowers, please send donations, in his name, to his key philanthropic commitment and passion, St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, Cardiology Unit. Call 416 864-5000 or www.stmichaelshospital.com.
Mike Korac – It was with considerable sadness that I learned today of the passing of Mike Korac on June 5, 2021, in Lindsay, Ontario at the age of 95. Mike ran the Alpine Hotel with an iron fist, a kind heart , and a sense of humor for 64 years. He was an imposing figure behind the bar at the Alps and the man who poured many of us our first draught beer. Have one for Mike.
KORAC, Milan Louis – It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our Dad, Milan Korac, fondly known as “Mike”. Milan passed away peacefully at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, on Saturday, June 5, 2021, in his 96th year. Beloved husband of the late Rose Korac (married for over 49 years). Loving father of Diane, Michelle (Neil), Mickey (Denise), Paul (Laura) and honorary son Joe Vrtik. Cherished Jeda to Caitlin (Robin), Michael, Neil, Mitchell, Lindsay, Emma and Andrew. Predeceased by his parents Luka and Deva Korac, brother Louis and sister Milka. Special uncle to Paul Baycetich, Diane Korach (Eli) and George Baycetich and their families. A special thank you for their love and support, Dave and Donna Butt. Mike was the proud owner of the Alpine Hotel in Scarborough for over 64 years. A landmark where friends and families gathered for generations. He enjoyed his retirement at his farm in the Kawarthas where family and friends often visited. Always a busy household and Dad made sure there was plenty of food and Shlivo for everyone. Dad we promise your legacy will live on, we promise to to take care of each other and make sure we put the fire out! God Bless Jeda, and you’re with Nanny now!! Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a private family funeral will be held at Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre on Thursday, June 10th. A Celebration of Life for Milan will be held at a later date. If desired, memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated. For online condolences please visit https://mountpleasantgroup.permavita.com/site/MilanLouisKorac.html. GOD BLESS AND TO MANY MORE!!
Donald Oliver – Donald Oliver, passed away this past Saturday, May 29th. Donald was an avid paddler and one of the original rugby members of the Balmy Beach Club. The link to Donald’s obituary has been attached. Donald Oliver Memorial
Colyn Truter and Arendsig Wines Promotion BBC – Please check out the details, Arendsig Mixed Case Offer
Happy Victoria Day long weekend. Last week the provincial government announced its plan to reopen. This is fantastic news and the more the COVID numbers continue to decline, the higher the chance we might see our ladies and gentlemen in blue and gold take the field this season. Fingers crossed. In the meantime please continue to be safe and take care of your family and friends.
Tiina Veltmann Stewart – Very sad to announce the passing of Balmy Beach Women’s Rugby Alumni Tiina Veltmann Stewart. Tiina played with the beach as a Jr and was an integral part of creating the most recent Women’s Team and Section. Tiina was only 32 years old and leaves behind her husband and 10 month old daughter. Please visit her gofundme page to donate. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-in-memory-of-tiina-stewart-veltmann/donate
Glenn Tarver – On Thursday evening Glenn Tarver was involved in breaking up a home invasion. He was injured during the altercation and transported to Sunnybrooke for medical attention for his non-life-threatening injuries. He is recovering well and is in good spirits. Glenn wanted you to know that he will be ok. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I have attached the CP24 news clip article. https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/scarborough-stabbing-leaves-two-men-with-serious-injuries-1.5267828
John Fogarty – Some sad news to pass along. The Balmy Beach Club and Alumni are saddened by the passing of John Fogarty. A long time Beach member who played in the 1970s and 1980s.
HUGGY – Dear Balmy Beach RFC Alumni: I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for supporting my current and past fundraisers. The proceeds from these fundraisers help me greatly to pay for my wheelchair van expenses and other expenses not covered by government programs, such as the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Your consideration of my circumstances and generosity have enabled me to achieve, and exceed my fundraising goal for 2020! Special thanks to Geoff Reynolds, Myles Martin and Haydn Gage for their support and assistance with making this fundraiser a huge success!
Visit my Go Fund Me page to view the full list of donations and donors: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-huggy/donations
Be well and be safe. Thank you and Up the Beach!!! Cheers, Kerry Singh (Huggy)
Jim Mossman – Some sad news to pass along…Jim Mossman. Jim was a legend around the Balmy Beach Club 1940-1980s, and Malvern alumnus. Anybody that paddled at the Club during that time period had the privilege of knowing Jim and being coached by him. A competitor par excellence. I also believe he was part of the coaching team that helped Phil Redwood compete at the World Junior Paddlng Championship in Europe early 1960s. Phil was second. Hope you are all well and safe. Per Ardua Ad Astra. Rich
Hope you are all having a great Thanksgiving weekend. I wanted to pass along some news about Gofundme drive for Huggy. Thank you Geoff Reynolds for leading the charge. We are proud to forward to you our latest campaign to support Kerry Singh, our teammate and Club Member who suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury (quadriplegia) in 1993 while playing rugby for Balmy Beach. As many of you know, we at the Balmy Beach Rugby Club have been fundraising over the years to help Huggy with his wheelchair van expenses through sports dinners, auctions, and other in-person fundraising events. Well, this year with COVID-19 it will be a little tougher for us to achieve our goal of $10,000.00 to help with insurance, service and repair to Huggy’s 2013 Honda Odyssey, which is no longer under warranty. Routine maintenance and repairs to the van, as well as its accessibility equipment can be very expensive. No government grants are available to cover these expenses and disability benefits are very limited. Huggy has just finished post-graduate studies in Business Analysis. Prior to the pandemic he had a full-time co-op job for a few months, so his future prospects for employment have definitely improved. We are all very proud of Huggy’s recent achievements!
Please support this very worthy cause and consider forwarding it to your friends and family. Help us to keep the wheels rolling for another year!!
I also wanted to pass along some news about former beach player Colyn Truter has a wine currently being sold at your local LCBO. It scored 95 Points in the Tim Atkin South African Report and only 120 bottles were listed with LCBO Vintages. Our agent in TO will hopefully get some more of this wine and import some of our other wines. Check out https://lusocape.com/ for some other great South African Wines.
Bruce Gage – It doesn’t look like there will be any rugby this season so Bruce Gage has decided to hang up the whistle after 40 years of coaching. Next year we would like to have a function honoring his many accomplishments. Here are some of his highlights……
The Mess first played for the Club when he was in high school at Malvern in the mid sixties! He played for our first Carling Cup Team in 1968 at centre and was still at Malvern. Bruce has been involved with Beach rugby since about 1965, until now, with a brief hiatus in ’83, ’84, ’85. He assumed the coaching role around ’78-’79 and has been an active part in all but 1 of our 16 Cups!!( not around in ’85 for the 1st of 5 in a row) He returned in ’86. Bruce has coached Team Ontario and has been elected to the Ont Rugby Hall of Fame (before his retirement as special dispensation so he could go into the Hall with his parents Tubs and Gee). Nicknamed The Mess! for having a cigarette and a beer in hand during games! Revered by Beach players and an Icon of Beach Rugby an Incredible number of “capped” players have passed through the Beach during Bruce’s reign as Beach head Coach. Happy retirement coach. All the best in all your future endeavours.
I hope you are all keeping well through these tough times but it seems like there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We continue to see sports making their way back to their respective pitches with modified seasons. Some sports are better than no sports.
Junior Rugby at Balmy Beach – 2020 – Junior Rugby at Balmy Beach RFC is an excellent introduction and development program at one of Canada’s most successful rugby football clubs. Our junior players have gone on to represent their club at the McCormick Cup, Ontario and Canada at the Rugby World Cup. We have a dedicated team of NCCP Level 1 & 2 certified coaches and look for players, parents and supporters who are committed to making a positive contribution in an environment that fosters mutual respect, sportsmanship and a lasting love of the game.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 junior program will be skills and fitness focussed with added competition as the Rugby Ontario Return To Play Phases progress. The Beach Junior Rugby program currently offers age categories from U10 to U18 and will run from August to October.
For more information on the Rugby Ontario Return To Play Phases and guidelines please visit: https://www.rugbyontario.com/return-to-play/
Hope you are all well. We are beginning to see glimpses of light as both the provincial and federal government are slowly loosening restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the weekend you could have watched the likes of MMA, soccer and NASCAR on TV and other sports have allowed their players to resume training at their respected practice facilities like the NBA and NHL. Hopefully rugby follows suit shortly. The link below outlines Rugby Canada’s initiative to a return to play strategy. https://rugby.ca/en/news/2020/
OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES
We hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during these challenging times. Covid-19 has brought about a lot of change to our community and in our daily lives. The effects of these circumstances are being felt by many.
In an effort to support our community the Balmy Beach Rugby Club has already stepped up with our Blood Drive Campaign. With all this extra time and energy on our hands it has us asking ourselves what we can do to help.
These circumstances have proven to be difficult particularly for businesses. Many of these businesses have supported us in the past and we are looking to help them out in this time of need.
We recognize the large role that sponsors play in our success on and off the field. Because of support from sponsors, the Balmy Beach Rugby Club has won more Ontario Championships than any other club in the 70-year history of Rugby Ontario. The Balmy Beach Club now has an exciting opportunity to give back to those who have supported us.
We have compiled a list of businesses – Link to the Businesses List >>> that are currently available to contact that could use our help. Although their storefronts may not be currently open, we can order food delivery, gift cards, access virtual fitness training, and have products shipped to our homes.
It’s great to see everyone coming together as a community to make the best out of a difficult situation.
Please feel free to reach out to tanishewitt@hotmail.com should you have any questions or are looking for more information.
BLOOD DONATIONS – Hey everyone, obviously the world is in a bit of a crazy state at the moment. With our rugby seasons on pause, we figured we could take this time to do something as a club to make a meaningful impact in our community and add some competition into the mix as well.
So here’s the deal: In a time of crisis and uncertainty we need our Rugby Clubs and Sports Sections to get out there and donate blood!
Make an appointment to donate blood. When you donate, please wear something balmy related or something blue and gold (t-shirt, shorts, socks, whatever). While or after donating take a picture and post it, tag @balmybeachrugby and use the hashtag #uptheblood. Then send it to Lisa at lisadesario@gmail.com. We will tally up the photos at the end of the day on April 30th to get the grand total.
UP THE BEACH! Lisa De Sario – email: lisadesario@gmail.com
416-580-0559
Coming up – The Spring Dinner to be held on Wednesday May 13th is being closely monitored with the club due to COVID-19.
We continue to work with the club and assess the impact of the outbreak. Stay tuned.
Rugby AGM was held on Thursday January 16 and a new executive was elected.
- President – Hayden Gage
- Vice President – Tanis Hewitt
- Secretary – Chris Hewitt
- Treasurer – Malency Wainwright
- Social Coordinator – Matthew Mufandaedza (Africa)
- Social Media Coordinator – Ben Jones
We wish them all the best for this season
Special thank you to Sanjeev Desai for your 10 years of service to the executive and helping the Beach win dominating fashion.
Results from the rugby awards
Women’s Backs MVP – Lisa De Sario
Harvey Jaanusson Award – Andrew Bushe
Men’s 3rd Team MVP – Neil Lacroix
Women’s Rookie Back – Shanni White
Women’s Rookie Forward – Allison Plummer
Men’s 2nd Team MVP – Malency Wainwright
Women’s Box Office Award – Kaitlin Kelly
Women’s Club Player of the Year – Kim Hunter
Men’s Rookie of the Year – Stephen Dodo Dwyer
Dwayne Moses Award – Julian Alexander
Men’s 1st Team MVP – Thomas Larouche
Women’s 1st Team MVP – Abi Moody
Gee Gage Award – Kristin Bonomo
Men’s Asshole of the Year – Jason Ryback
Women’s Forward MVP – Catherine Buckhan
Bill Lark Award – Nick the knife Macan
Women’s Asshole of the Year – Tanis Hewitt
Please find a website below for a GOFUNDME campaign for Rugby stalwart Hal Rowan. Hal is in need of some financial support and is struggling with his health. https://www.gofundme.com/f/37wymd-the-friends-of-hal-campaign
Please see the note below by Beach Jr coach Iain Mcleish and help a very talented beach jr player on his New Zealand Tour with the Canada U18s. Every little bit helps. Hey everyone. Great news, Prince Ndukwe (The athlete we paid for to try out for Team Canada last month), was selected to join team Canada U18 7’s for their tour to New Zealand at the end of December. The next hurdle for him is the cost of the trip which will end up being $3000. Is it possible for the Alumni, Junior, and Men’s section to contribute to sending him to New Zealand? He has also set up a GoFundMe account which I have linked below. Myles would it be possible to send the link out to your alumni email list to see if any of them would like to contribute as well? Here is the link to his GoFundMe Link:
Our very own Toronto Arrow Dan Moor has presented us with a ticket promotion. For every seasons ticket bought by a member of the Balmy Beach Alumni group, the Toronto Arrows will donate 20% back to grass roots rugby. Just use the promo code BALMYBEACHALUMNI at checkout. Download attachments for more details.
Toronto Arrows – Grassroots Assistance Program Overview 2019 >>>
The Rugby World Cup final is being played this Saturday November 2 at the club on the big screen live! England vs South Africa should be a great match. The club will be open at 5am and kick off is at 5:30am. Complimentary coffee, juice and fruit will be available for members. Peameal on a bun will be available for purchase for $6 + HST but unfortunately the bar will not be open for beverages until 9am
On a sad note, long time club friend Jimmy Howard has passed away please look out for his obituary in the Globe and Mail on Thursday and the Star on Saturday. We wish the Howard family our deepest condolences.
Please keep an eye out for details of the rugby auction in early December
CUP DAY!!! – A great win for our Beach 2’s as the lads brought home the Gee Gage Cup! 37-34 in sudden victory OT! Penalty kick in OT by an unsuspecting kicker as primary guys were either not on the field or injured. jesse comes thru, first kick in 12 years! Beach awarded a 7 pt penalty try on last play of regulation to tie the game as our scrum dominated the Scottish and forced the issue. A hard hitting, demanding game but we persevered. One interesting comment heard along the Scottish sideline in a post game scrum was “how did we lose to those “Fuc…g old”guys!?” Well deserved guys! They’ll learn!
McCormick Cup – Brantford beats Irish!
Alumni Dinner – Good turnout last Thurs as Myles starts his time as Alumni Chairperson. Congrats to Craig Telfer on winning Ed Caterer Award! Bill Webb, Arrows owner attends and extends an offer to those who purchased Arrows season tickets, kickback to Beach Jr Rugby! Dan Moor great presentation on the Arrows. Chris Kalbfleisch Jr Director, updated 2019 Jr season. Peeter Oolup attempted to roast me but unfortunately, his Estonian spit wouldn’t go all the way through! Thanks to all for your support!
UP THE BEACH! – Get Off Your Butts and VOTE!!!!!! (GERRY)
RUGBY AUCTION – Sat Dec 7th 4pm-7pm – DONATIONS ANYONE???
Toronto Wolfpack – Win Grand Final to be promoted to Super League Rugby League! 24-6
The Blue and Gold of our Beach Juniors looked fantastic as part of the half-time celebrations! Thanks to jr Director Chris Kalbfleisch.
Ontario Rugby Union Hall of Fame – Congratulations to Paul Meyers on upcoming induction into the hall! Well Done Paul!
Field Opening Pix – Field Opening Pix >>
Kukri Gear Website – up for 1 week. Please note that items ordered will probably not arrive until after the McCormick cup. Last chance of the year to order. Kukri Gear Website Order
Action last week
It is with great sadness that I must announce the passing of Mattia Trinier . Carl’s wife, Mom to Adam, Samantha and Mathew, Mattia succumbed after a long and difficult battle with brain cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends. Details of arrangements when I get them. Mattia passed away at home on September 11th surrounded by family. Loved by her husband Carl, her children Adam, Samantha and Matthew, her son-in-law Henry, and the rest of her family, friends and former students, she will be dearly missed. A Funeral Service will be held Wednesday, September 18th at 2:30 p.m. at McDougall & Brown Funeral Home – Scarborough Chapel. Visitation will be held at the same location Tuesday, September 17th from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
Miles Martin – New Balmy Beach Alumni Chairman – Read Post
Alumni Organization – We continue to press forward and bring new ideas into fruition to encourage a lifelong sense of belonging to the game of rugby and specifically, Beach Rugby. To that end we have a new committee Chairman in Myles Martin Esq.!! Myles has graciously offered to step up and drive this part of our Blue and Gold machine! Thanks Myles and good luck! To those who are wondering about the fate of this communique, no worries. I am hanging around to continue to whisper in your ears and keep U up to date with what’s happenin’
Get your butts out to the fall games and the Alum Dinner on Oct 17th!!
Cec Moody – So sad to report the passing of a great Ontario Rugbian, Cec Moody. Our condolences to Cec’s family and friends.
Ted Reeve 65th Anniversary – I have great news from the Ted Reeve 65th Anniversary committee. We had a discussion about ticket prices and we are dropping the price to $35 if you reserve your tickets before September 06th. There will be a limited number of tickets at this price, so reserve early. There will be finger food, a slide show, music for dancing, if you are bringing your better half, and a lot of time to reminisce with old friends. If you have any pictures that you can scan to me, please do. If possible ifyou can remember names or year of the picture please add it. Please use this email address for confirmation of tickets or for any questions that you might have. rick.chambers@tbs.toshiba.ca
Beach rugby has long been involved with Ted Reeve Hockey! Alum Rick Chambers is directly involved with TR 65 Reunion. Please contact Rick for more info!!!
The Ted Reeve Hockey Association is celebrating their 65th anniversary the weekend of Oct 4th and will be having an alumni party to reunite as many former players that we can. It will be held at the Balmy Beach Club. Please see the attachment for details.
If you know any former players that are not on the list, please forward this note to them. We are putting together a slide show, so if anyone has pictures, etc. from the past, please let me know or scan them to me. If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them. Tickets go on sale the early part of September but we are trying to get as many players/coaches from early years as possible, so the powers to be are giving you a chance to reserve your ticket in advance. There is only a limited number of tickets that can be sold, so send me an email so I can hold a ticket for you.
Request from Huggy! I’m writing to ask for your help by reaching out to your connections on my behalf to inquire about potential paid co-op job opportunities. Currently, I’m searching for a co-op job as a Business Analyst, or similar role with a September 2019 start date. My preference would be an employer within the technology sector or within the technology functional area of a company. I realize that you do not have technology backgrounds but you might have a friend, family member or other connection who does.
I’ve been following your weekly e-mails but haven’t managed to attend a Beach home game yet because I have a Saturday morning class at George Brown College that carries over into the early afternoon.
I’m writing to reach out to the Balmy Beach RFC Alumni for their help. Currently, I’m completing a post-graduate certificate in Information Systems Business Analysis and am required to complete a paid co-op internship.
My goal is to secure a co-op job that is directly or indirectly related to business analysis. The roles in the job postings by my co-op coordinator have been fairly diverse. Mostly, they require using analytical and problem solving, decision making, time management, verbal and written communication, teamwork skills, etc.
I’m searching for a co-op internship to commence this September. To date, I’ve applied to just over 20 positions and have not received a response from an employer for an interview. I’m hoping that there’s someone from the alumni who may know someone who knows someone, etc. that has a suitable employment opportunity within their company. There is a provincial tax credit available to businesses up to a maximum of $3,000.
If there is someone who may be able to help, they can contact me at kerry.m.singh@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrymsingh/
Thank you! Cheers, Huggy – Up the Beach!!!
