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ENLARGE
BRECKENRIDGE — The Gentlemen of the Blue Goose Rugby Club had what their coach called a perfect ending to their summer season.
As the smell of barbecue wafted through the immense crowd lining the field at Kingdom Park Saturday in Breckenridge, the Goose took home the Division 2 title in the first-ever Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union's Rugger Fest with a 27-3 win over the Denver Harlequins in the tournament's final match.
“It was the best we'd played all summer, and it was a great way to finish off the summer,” Goose head coach Pete Clarke said.
And it was an even sweeter day for Clarke and his team, considering the apparent success of the tournament they helped organize.
Teams from across Colorado traveled to Breck for the three-tiered tourney, which consisted of a women's division, as well as two men's divisions.
Beginning with the Goose taking on Queen City of Denver at 9 a.m., there were games played until dark at both Kingdom Park and the field at Upper Blue Elementary School a block away.
For the duration of the tourney, beer tents, merchandise and food stands and a P.A. system were set up at the park, giving those in attendance an atmosphere that offered more than just the play on the field.
That's not to say there wasn't some outstanding rugby.
In the top men's division, two dominant Denver squads — the Barbarians and the Hylanders — wound up with identical 2-1 records. Both teams play in top-level leagues in the region and are preparing for their fall seasons.
The Goose won that first game 17-5, and the day only got better for the Breck squad. They won their second game 18-5 over a team from Santa Fe, N.M.
Then the Goose went on to score four tries in the final to dominate the Halequins.
Clarke couldn't have been happier with how the day went.
“We've had some great games, and people had a great time,” he said. “What more can you ask for?”
Clarke said that he hopes with the success of Saturday's tourney, the event will become a mainstay in Breck — and hopefully get even bigger.
“It would be nice to get some teams from other states to come in for this,” he added, noting that because it was an ERRFU event, teams competed for free. “We'll wait to hear some feedback and maybe make a few changes, see what people say.”
As the smell of barbecue wafted through the immense crowd lining the field at Kingdom Park Saturday in Breckenridge, the Goose took home the Division 2 title in the first-ever Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union's Rugger Fest with a 27-3 win over the Denver Harlequins in the tournament's final match.
“It was the best we'd played all summer, and it was a great way to finish off the summer,” Goose head coach Pete Clarke said.
And it was an even sweeter day for Clarke and his team, considering the apparent success of the tournament they helped organize.
Teams from across Colorado traveled to Breck for the three-tiered tourney, which consisted of a women's division, as well as two men's divisions.
Beginning with the Goose taking on Queen City of Denver at 9 a.m., there were games played until dark at both Kingdom Park and the field at Upper Blue Elementary School a block away.
For the duration of the tourney, beer tents, merchandise and food stands and a P.A. system were set up at the park, giving those in attendance an atmosphere that offered more than just the play on the field.
That's not to say there wasn't some outstanding rugby.
In the top men's division, two dominant Denver squads — the Barbarians and the Hylanders — wound up with identical 2-1 records. Both teams play in top-level leagues in the region and are preparing for their fall seasons.
The Goose won that first game 17-5, and the day only got better for the Breck squad. They won their second game 18-5 over a team from Santa Fe, N.M.
Then the Goose went on to score four tries in the final to dominate the Halequins.
Clarke couldn't have been happier with how the day went.
“We've had some great games, and people had a great time,” he said. “What more can you ask for?”
Clarke said that he hopes with the success of Saturday's tourney, the event will become a mainstay in Breck — and hopefully get even bigger.
“It would be nice to get some teams from other states to come in for this,” he added, noting that because it was an ERRFU event, teams competed for free. “We'll wait to hear some feedback and maybe make a few changes, see what people say.”
