Fulton Maroons found the going tough in a 36-22 loss to the Hugh McRoberts Strikers of Richmond in the seventh-place game at the B.C. Senior AA Rugby Union Championships Saturday at Rotary Field in Abbotsford.
The Maroons, who entered the 16-team tourney ranked fifth, couldn’t seem to stop the overlaps of the Strikers, who kept outnumbering them in the backs.
“They (Strikers) had lost to third-place Rockridge (Ravens of West Vancouver), a powerhouse rugby school, 6-3 in the dying moments of their previous game. I had watched them in another match and knew the speed that they had in the backs would be hard for us to defend,” said Fulton head coach Rick Smith.
Dalton Anderson handled the brunt of the Maroon offence and was selected to the President’s 15. Smith said he was solid throughout the entire season.
“In the two years that Dalton has been a senior, he has missed only one practice. He has never been injured either. Dalton’s a solid big guy who loves the game. He has great ball skills, both with the hands and the foot and has the desire to learn and rise to the competition.”
Meanwhile, the No. 9 Kalamalka Lakers fell 13-7 to the No. 10 Charles Tupper Tigers of Vancouver in the ninth-place game Saturday.
The two teams have met at every provincial playdown for the last four years.
The Lakers thanked sponsors Kal Tire, Nixon Wenger, Boston Pizza, Subway and Tim Hortons for their support.
