Article by Joe Acklam

Teddington put in a near faultless display to dispatch Bognor in the 1st round of the National Cup in Bushy Park on Saturday. 

The 1st XV are competing in the inaugural Papa John Counties 2 Championship Cup , a nationwide cup competition which pits the top 32 teams (based on this seasons league position) playing at the same level across the country. 

This is an exciting tournament giving the Antlers an opportunity to challenges themselves against unfamiliar opposition. 

The last time Teddington faced Bognor was back in 2017, when the Antlers squeezed home 23-22, this time the scoreline was much more emphatic. 

Ironically, it was Bognor who fired the early shots, when they worked the ball down the short side and gave their right winger some space to show his impressive pace. 

It took a late intervention from Jack Miller to chop him down just short of the line, but it was an early warning sign for the home side. From that point Teddington clicked into gear running in four trys before Bognor responded with one of their own, with the sides turning around with the Antlers 29-7 to the good. 

Any hopes Bognor had of staging a comeback were quickly extinguished as Teddington put their foot on the gas, scoring 8 unanswered trys in an unforgiving second period. 

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Credit must be given to Bognor, they have a very young side who competed to the very end and although they this was not their day, they will have a good side in seasons to come as these players develop. 

For Teddington it was also pleasing to see two former Colts, Tom Williams and Teddy Gibson make their 1st XV debuts. 

For the record, the try scorers were Max Aitken (3), Harry Smith (2), James Frankenberger (2), Tom Williams (2) Dan Robertshaw, Jack Miller, and Matt Poole. The next round is on the 15th April. 

Final Score Teddington RFC 77 Bognor RFC 7. Man of the Match Joe STAINER

It was a big day for the Teddington Vets on Sunday as they took part in the Injured Rugby Players Foundation charity day at Twickenham Stadium. 

The Vets teams, affectionately known as the Fat Stags, are an amalgamation of like minded mature players from Teddington RFC and Old Isleworthians RFC led by Fat Stags captain Paul Gilheany. 

A round robin format of 15 minute matches saw the Stags pitted against Wasps, Old Silhillians and Wimbledon. The first two games were very similar with the Stags putting in a serious defensive effort but not managing to secure enough ball to impact the scoreboard and both games were conceded by two trys to nil. 

The third game looked like it was going the same way, but the Stags were now finding their rhythm and came storming back at Wimbledon with two trys of their own. 

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Putting huge pressure on their opponents, the Stags just couldn't get over the line to secure the win, but a well deserved 12-12 draw was good reward. Rugby was the winner on the day. 

Most importantly it was a fantastic fundraising effort from the guys, who despite having a late invite to the day, were the third highest fundraisers. Hopefully we'll get an invite to next years event.

Finally the women took to the road on Sunday as they travelled to Reading Women. They came off second best but not before putting up a real fight. There were trys for Aimee Templeman, Laura Templeman and Charlotte McGregor with Laura Mackay adding a conversion.

With a host of injuries and low numbers recently it was a real boost to see the women travel with a full squad of players plus subs for the match. Plenty to work on and look forward to next season. 

Final Score Reading Women 54 Teddington Women 17