Chippenham Redbacks win ARUK South Grand Final
- 2009-08-02 11:33:00
The Chippenham Redbacks have won the ARUK South Grand Final, defeating the Bournemouth Demons in an epic match.
Played in front of a record crowd at the Havant Rugby Club, the Redbacks won a titanic struggle by 8 points, 15.12 (102) to 14.10 (94).
The Redbacks started strongly and led by 12 points at quarter time. The Demons were not determined to be overrun, however, and fought back strongly to lead by a solitary point at the main break. The third quarter was another tense affair, with the Redbacks going into the last term with a slender 10 point lead. Both teams threw everything they had into the contest and had the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout. The result was in doubt until the final siren, with the Redbacks erupting with unbridled joy and relief at the final siren.
Final Scores
Chippenham Redbacks 5.2 7.5 12.7 15.12 (102)
Bournemouth Demons 3.2 7.6 10.9 14.10 (94)
Goals - 3 Lee Tarn, Stu McKay; 2 Rob Kerr, Nick Hardick, Tom Ingall, Ben Carter; 1 Paul Conway (Chippenham), 5 Chris McCallum; 3 Matt Dykstra, Daniel Thornes; 2 Jonny Coller; 1 Lockie Kerr (Bournemouth)
Best - Tom Case, Tom Ingall, Johnny Hope-Smith (Chippenham), Chris McCallum, Josh Thomson, Daniel Thornes (Bournemouth)
Best on Ground - Chris McCallum (Bournemouth)
Umpire - David Gayford
The win completes a rag to riches triumph for the Redbacks, who managed only one win in their debut season in 2008. Composed entirely of locals, the Redbacks struggled to compete with the other teams in the Division that contained their fair share of Australian players.
As a result a decision was made to continue training during winter, with the Redbacks emerging as the fittest side in the competition. They stunned everyone in Round 1 of the season, upsetting then reigning Premiers Southampton Titans, and never looked back, dropping only one game all season.
Photos from the day can be found at http://www.arukfooty.com/events/gf/2009/south/photos and http://metcas.me.uk/AussieRules/aussie_rules.html