(Last years match reports are below the schedule.)
Click here to view the results from previous seasons.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result April 1
Monmouth Old Boys
- Game 1
- Game 2Away
L 5 - 15
W 7 - 0
April 9 Perennials Away W 20 - 10 April 12 Clontarf Golden Oldies Away L 15 - 25 April 22 Berkshire Home W 41 - 7 April 29 Gentlemen of New York Away (Randall's Is.) L 19 - 32 May 20 Mid Hudson Old Dogs Away W 29 - 12 June 3 Old Men of the Mountain Festival
- Seacoast
- Toronto XL'sFranconia, N.H.
W 30 - 0
W 29 - 12July 29 Rhody Old Cocks Block Island, R.I. L 5 - 10 September 9 2nd Annual Ruckin' Regatta
- Morris Masters
- Gentlemen of New YorkMorris RFC
W 14 - 5
L 10 - 12September 16 Village Lions Lion Kings Away W 21 - 17 September 23 University of Hartford 'B' Away W 48 - 0 September 30 Mystic River Old Boys Away L 0 - 43 October 14 Berkshire Away L 11 - 33 October 21 Saratoga Stampede Home W 13 - 5 October 28 Gentlemen of New York Home W 5 - 0
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
November 26 – Many thanks to Dave Berube, Kevin McNamara, Tom Roncaioli, Ed Carr, Lou Petruzzello, Tom Flynn, Dean Jorgensen, John Carew and Denis Horrigan, who spent their Thanksgiving Sunday afternoon seeding and rolling our new Meriden pitch, preparing it for the winter. The grounds are in excellent shape despite the pounding they took in our rain-soaked end-of-season match against the Gentlemen of New York. (Memo to Dave Martin: We found Mark Callahan's skid marks under the posts. He clearly scored!) Thanks, also, to Tom Roncaioli for hosting us afterwards for burgers and beers on his sun-drenched Mediterranean deck.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Thanks to Tom and Lindsey Flynn for hosting an exceptionally well attended Annual General Meeting at their home on November 19. The club voted in the following officers for the 2007 season:
Captain: Lou Petruzzello
Vice Captain: Darryl Garrison
President: Dean Jorgensen
Fixture Secretary: Kevin McNamara
Treasurer: Kevin Trammel
Corresponding Secretary: Steve Tenenbaum
Social Secretary: Tom Stauffer
Field Secretary: David KirkMany thanks to outgoing officers Tom Flynn (President), Ed Carr (Vice Captain), Gary Tamburri (Treasurer), Jon Leone (Co-social Secretary) and Lindsey Flynn (Co-social Secretary) for their service. We look forward to getting together again at the Annual Awards Banquet on the evening of Saturday, January 27 at the Hartford Canoe Club in East Hartford. Stay tuned for details.
GREY WRING OUT A WIN IN OLD-FASHIONED MUDBOWL
October 28 – It wasn't very pretty but we finished the season with a win over the boys from Gotham City. Despite the weather – a torrential downpour that dumped three inches of rain on Meriden – the Gentlemen of New York brought up a very good side and had their chances to win the match. We tackled very well and, even when we were going up hill, we played more on their half of the pitch. In the first period we had a 5-meter scrum but we got pushed downhill and lost the ball. A try at that point, 12 minutes into the match, would have made a statement and put us in control.
Mark Callahan scored with 5 minutes left in the match to give us the victory, 5 - 0. John Kerr had a nice kick that gave us good field position. The forwards than mauled and rucked the ball several phases before Mark got the try in his first match with us. Great teamwork. GONY kicked for position and took advantage of the field conditions better than we did. We won more ball and did not allow them to score. Matt Leonard, George Saul, Ed Carr and Kevin McNamara played well in the forwards. Man of the Match goes to John Kerr, who led the forwards with multiple phases and had that beautiful kick to put us in position to score.
We have a nice rivalry going with GONY. They will really be hungry next spring when we play them at Randalls Island.
NEW FIELD, NEW OPPONENT, GREAT DAY
October 21 – Thirty Grey played in our first match at Mountain Mist in Meriden, a 13 - 5 win over the Saratoga Stampede. Thanks to Tom Roncaioli for all his efforts and may we continue to play many matches there. Thanks to the field crew and Don Brancard for the posts. Great to see Sandy Woodward, one of the founders of the Club, talking rugby on the sideline.
Jeff Levinson scored our only try for the second week in a row. Seventeen forwards played in the 75-minute match. Steve Annino, Matt Leonard, George Saul, Ed Carr and Brendan Coffey played well. Jay Chabot did a great job kicking for position and hitting two penalty kicks. Man of the Match goes to Kevin Trammel – good support around the field and great leadership in the second period.
Saratoga are a great bunch of young hard ruggers who could develop into a very good side in a few years. They played hard and clean and were like sponges trying to absorb info about rugby at the drink-up. Great job by Ed Carr, Dean Jorgensen and others, who ran a little rugby clinic with the Boy Scouts after the match.
BERKSHIRE DISPLAYS YOUTH AND SPEED
October 14, Pittsfield, Mass. – The boys from Pittsfield scored four tries in the last 15 minutes and beat the Grey for the first time in years. Good on you, Berkshire. Great new pitch and an outstanding post-match brewpub. Jeff Levinson scored first to put the Grey up 5-0. Berkshire scored toward the end of the first period to even the score 5-5. The second period we played most of the time in their half but only came away with six points. Jay Chabot hit a drop goal and penalty kick. We failed to finish (score tries) because we did not take care of the ball at the tackle and did not execute the game plan. We kept trying to get the ball wide on first phase and Berkshire took advantage. Final score: 11-33.
GREY LOSE BIG TO MYSTIC RIVER
September 30, Malden, Mass. – The Mystic River Old Boys scored eight tries and one drop goal in this one-sided affair. We got pushed in the sets until some halftime adjustments. Once the ball got out wide we could not stop the Mystic backs. At times we came up quick and pressured their backs creating some turnovers. Our lineouts went pretty well. Brad Miller and Joe Bordieri had some decent runs but we failed to win multiple phases and create scoring opportunities. Mystic River was an excellent club and played a great match. Kevin Trammel got around the pitch well and played with a lot of heart.
OLD BOYS TAKE COLLEGE KIDS TO SCHOOL
September 23, Hartford – Connecticut Grey 48 - University of Hartford 'B' 0. The Big Grey Machine put in seven tries against players less than half their age. We were glad to provide an opposition side for Denis Horrigan, UHart coach and Grey player. Captain Lou Petruzzello also refereed UHart's 'A' side game against Rhode Island College.
Kevin Trammel, Joe Bordieri, Steve Carr (2) and Bill Bishop (2) scored tries. [Who scored the other one?] The pack dominated the sets. Jon Leone, Matt Leonard, Kevin Trammel and Steve 'Fino' Annino played well in the loose. The backs moved the ball well and broke the gain line every time. Man of the Match goes to Barry Rita, who had some nice long runs. Steve 'Bomber' Tenenbaum and Bob Nieman pulled some muscles trying to outrun the youngsters. Hope you guys heal quickly.
Quote of the day from one of the kids – "I just talked to a guy who has been playing rugby for longer than I have been alive."
GREY NIP LION KINGS ON THE ROAD
September 16, New York City – Thank God for kickers. Don Brancard and John Kerr came through with the points we needed to win a close match on the road against the Village Lions Lion Kings. Thank you to the 19 players who traveled to Randall's Island. This was a total team effort and everyone contributed. We came up against a team that was a little younger, with a little more speed, and came out a winner, 21 - 17.
The front row had about five turnovers. We got the mauling game going that kept the ball away from their speedy backs. Ed Carr had a blinder – several long runs and great follow-up on some kicks. Joe Bordieri made some great tackles. Brendan Coffey played great defense and used his boot to get field position. Jon Leone came in and injected pace moving the ball forward in the pack. He also scored a try. Kevin Trammel and Lou Petruzzello scored the other tries. Men-of-the-Match honors go to Brad Miller and Kevin Trammel. Brad had some great crashing runs. This allowed us to keep possession, especially at the end of the match. Kevin had a great score, taking a pass from Carr cutting inside against a two-on-three. He also played in the backs late in the match to help secure the victory.
SECOND ANNUAL RUCKIN' REGATTA A GREAT SUCCESS
September 9, Denville, N.J. – The Grey traveled to Morris RFC's Denville, New Jersey, pitch for the Second Annual Ruckin' Regatta. The Morris Masters, the Gentlemen of New York, and the Grey played a round-robin of friendlies before retiring to nearby Cedar Lake for an afternoon of burgers, beer, and kayaking. The players again, donated telephone calling cards, which the host club will deliver to the USO for distribution to our men and women in uniform serving oversees. Neil Hogan of host Morris writes, "Thanks to all those that came and contributed to a good cause. We collected over $1,300 in calling cards that will be equally distributed to those overseas in Afghanistan / Iraq as well as those currently at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC, so that they can call their families."
We had a full side, thanks to those players who altered their personal schedules to attend. Congratulations to Lou Casciaro and Tina Weiss and we hope the Grey who attended their wedding on the day had as much fun as we did!
We beat Morris in the first period 14 -5 with Brad Miller and Jeff Levinson scoring tries. In the second period we lost to
Brad Miller had an excellent match at outside center. Darryl Garrison played a solid inside center and his leadership enabled the entire backline to perform as a unit. We did a great job coming up on defense many times and tackling opponents behind the gain line and driving them back. John Kubic was all over the pitch tackling opponents and securing ball. Joe Bordieri had some great runs and made adjustments on the fly that helped the forwards work together as a unit. Pete McNierney played well at fly half. Men of the Match honors to Scott Cruikshank in the forwards and Jeff Levinson in the backline. Their attacking abilities allowed us to put points on the board.
SUN, SURF AND ANOTHER #@%& LOSS!
July 29, Block Island, R.I. – For the sixth year in a row, the Connecticut Grey and the Rhody Old Cocks mixed it up for sixty minutes on the highlands of Block Island before retiring to Scotch Beach for an afternoon of sand, sun and surf. And for the sixth year in a row, the Old Cocks walked away the winners in a closely contested match, this time by a score of two tries to one. With 23 players we certainly had the advantage in the third period as the Cocks began to tire. Unfortunately, too many handling errors throughout most of the match caused the offense to break down after a couple phases. We played great defense and tackled well except on the two occasions when their number 8 and flyhalf scored. When we were near their try line we failed to finish or make the big play.
It was an interesting roster with some new faces playing for the Grey. Pat Precourt, Bob Merola and Bill Hoadly added great pace and attacking movement to the forwards. John Carew, Dennis Horrigan, and Tom Simpson contributed vital minutes, keeping a fresh team on the pitch.
We were very disciplined but lacked the ability to finish. Brad Miller scored our only try more than half way through the last period. Dave Yanik did a great job at fullback. Steve Annino (Fino) did well at hooker. Don Brancard was named Man of the Match by the Old Cocks.The game was played under the watchful eye of English referee Duncan Forsyth. Duncan wrote us recently to say, "The joy of rugby is that you expect to make friends as you travel and – although I hate to put this in print – it was simply great meeting all the Grey. You were all a great bunch of gentleman; rugby gentleman I hasten to add, but to outsiders they'll never understand that rare combination of bastard on the park and best buddy off it." Our thanks to Duncan and his sponsor, Neal Dill, for their contribution to another great rugby weekend.
ANOTHER MEMORABLE WEEKEND IN THE MOUNTAINS
June 3, Franconia, N.H. – The third annual last ever Old Men of the Mountain Festival was played this year under uncharacteristically rainy conditions. ("It never rains in Franconia.") The weekend kickoff cookout on Friday evening was top-shelf, thanks to Fred Seeger and Joe Scandariato's culinary talents. Players and their families had an excellent time escaping the rain and relaxing in the White Mountains.
Our two Saturday matches were at 12:00 and 3:00. We had plenty of time to recover and set up camp so our families could enjoy the rainy day. We won the first match against Seacoast, scoring over 30 points from 6 tries. We controlled most of the ball and kept the young Seacoast backs from attacking. We stole several hooks and did well in the lineouts despite the conditions. Man-of-the-Match honors were bestowed upon John Kerr. He made great decisions on sloppy balls and linked up well with the backline.
Our second mach against the Toronto XL's was more competitive. ("This is the year!" quoth XL legend Andy Terry.) We won 26-10, but with us being ahead by only a try most of the time. Good depth and patience were the keys to victory. Man of the Match was Jay Chabot. Great kicks for position and his long breakaway runs sealed the victory.
The Grey at OMOM 2005 (it was too rainy to take a team photo this year...)
There were three nominations for the Italian Award. Ed Carr gets it for kicking the ball through the try zone. Daryl Ceccarelli was upset when he heard he was nominated for running through the back of the try zone. Therefore he gets the Dick of the Day Award. Jim Burke gets the Cock Award. It wasn't just the stupid kick he made that ended up in a try for us but his insistence that this was a good play. There are two rules for forwards. Rule one: Never kick. Rule two: When in doubt refer to rule number one.
Many Grey played with other clubs that needed players. Jeff Bouvier and Lou Casciaro were two of the three referees on the day. That's what OMOM is all about: Playing rugby and having a good time with class.EVERYONE A WINNER AT FIFTH ANNUAL JOHN FALATYN MEMORIAL
May 20, Rhinebeck, N.Y. – The Grey traveled to Rhinebeck, New York to play in the annual John Falatyn Memorial Game. Brendan Coffey gathered together his usual team of grizzled Mid-Hudson Mad Dog veterans and young recruits and gave the Grey a hard-fought battle. However in the end Connecticut's extra players proved to be the difference in a 29 - 12 victory. The Grey - Old Dogs game followed the opener – a high school match pitting Kingston, New York vs. Cheshire, Connecticut; a fun game on a muddy pitch. The main event, the Falatyn memorial, was preceded by a moment of silence, some words in memory of our friend John, and a resounding shout of "pugh!" Both sides featured a number of father-son combinations playing together, and most important of all, John's son Mike played for Mid-Hudson. Despite the Grey spending the majority of the period in Mid-Hudson's half, we couldn't put the ball over. The Old Dogs reversed that style of play and gained territory into Connecticut's half. After some hard rucking and mauling, Mid-Hudson scored first in the corner, conversion missed. Upon the restart, the Grey gained the ball back, we woke up to a certain extent, and Bill Bishop broke through to score under the posts. Don Brancard converts, period ends with the Grey on top 7 - 5.
Period two starts with changes made to the Grey's lineup, and some minor changes for Mid-Hudson. Spirited play from both sides was evident. After 10 minutes of back-and-forth play, the scoring began with a long grub kick through the middle of the Mid-Hudson defense. Bishop followed, diving into the massive puddle in front of the try zone and scrambling to pick up and score. Brancard converts. Mid-Hudson turned the ensuing kickoff into an offensive play, made way down the field and scored, and hit the conversion. It was now a two-point game with lots of time left. Later in the period, the Grey took advantage of a Mid-Hudson penalty. The "Big Man" play was called,
Period 3 began with additional changes to both sides, including eventual switching of jerseys so Mid-Hudson's Greys could get some time with their current teammates. The Grey picked up where they left off taking the ball down the pitch after kickoff. The sloppy field conditions coupled with the fatigue of both teams slowed play at first. Some long runs by both sides ended in knocks, missed passes and so on. Eventually, the Grey worked around the side with three quick passes through the forwards following the backs and the ball found Kerr in the corner for a try, conversion missed from a very tough angle. A switch in direction to make everything legal at the halfway point of the final period. The Grey took the ball off the base of a set scrum and brought it up field. Unfortunately, the ball carrier went into touch prior to his pass and a large gain was nullified. The ensuing Mid-Hudson line out was stolen. The ball was brought up field by the Grey, however Mid-Hudson stole it back but lost it out of bounds. A "shamrock" was called in the Grey lineout, with Joe Scandariato throwing a perfectly timed long pass to Ed Carr, who turned up field, eventually giving a pop pass to a crashing Scott Cruickshank for the score, conversion missed. Play restarted, and Jeff "the Ref" Bouvier let us run around and get muddier and dirtier with many of us eventually finding the deepest, smelliest mud hole on the pitch. The final whistle was a happy occasion for all. Final score: Connecticut Grey 29, Mid-Hudson 12. Man-of-the-Match honors went to Joe Scandariato. He won all his hooks and took at least four from the opposition. His lineout throws were on the mark, and his loose play helped significantly.
GENTLEMEN TAKE IT TO THE GREY
April 29, New York City – The Grey were handed their third loss of the season by the Gentlemen of New York on Randall's Island. The boys from New York were fleet of foot scoring two tries in the first five minutes, after long runs of over 50 meters. The GoNY have improved over the last two seasons and have a well-balanced team, especially strong in the backline. We again started slow, playing a bit sloppily and not taking care of the ball. We woke up late in the period and managed a try by Steve 'Fino' Annino. Score after 25 minutes: 7-22.
We played well in the second period, with the fresh forwards mauling and rucking and keeping possession. Matt Leonard put one in and the score was 14-22 with plenty of time to score more. But GoNY gained momentum in the last period to seal the victory. Final Score: 19-32. Barry Rita scored his first try as a Grey but it was too little too late. Matt Leonard, Rick 'Trunkzzz' Truncali and Ed Carr played great in the forwards. John Kerr and Don Brancard played well despite nagging injuries. Fino did a good job at wing and Kevin Trammel played well at fullback. Man of the Match goes to Tony Johnson, who made at least ten textbook tackles.
FOUNDING MEMBER MAC ROSS DIES
April 28, McLean, VA – The Connecticut Grey mourn the passing of founding member MacRae "Mac" Ross. Mac lost his long and courageous fight with cancer on April 28th.
Mac Ross, then a member of the Connecticut Yankees RFC, was one of the eleven over-aged rugby players who met on a snowy Saturday in January, 1979, to create the Connecticut Grey Rugby Football Club. He served the club as Match Secretary and President. There were many Grey in attendance at his wedding to Marji. In fact, Mac was such a rugby man that, as a prop, he had as best men at his wedding the hooker, Sandy Woodard, and the other prop, Jeff Bouvier. When it came time for the official photo of the groom and his best men, Mac insisted that the hooker be in the middle, over the repeated objections of the official photographer. The front row prevailed. Even after he moved to Virginia, for many years he joined the Grey each spring in Baltimore for the Easter Tournament at Chesapeake.
Mac will be sorely missed by the entire Grey family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marji and their children, Sarah, Trina, and Rebecca.
Connecticut Grey at 1997 Baltimore Easter Tournament
Back Row: Tom Flynn, Bill Aman, Mac Ross, Don Brancard, Ed Shaskan, Joe Scandariato, Fred Seeger, Bill Strein, Bud Harvey, Mike Guzzio, Daryl Ceccarelli
Front Row: Rob Spaulding, Lou Petruzzello, Gary Tamburri, Steve Tenenbaum, Paul Jackson, Tony Johnson, Al Steiger, Sandy WoodardGREY TAKE HOME OPENER AGAINST RESURGENT BERKSHIRE
April 22 – Berkshire RFC traveled in large number to Wallingford for what, as it turns out, was probably our last match at Polish National Alliance Park. Berkshire played an excellent first period. They went up 7-0 and were threatening to score more. Good tackling and territorial kicking found us on the attack in the latter part of the period. We tied the score and were on the try line as the period ended. The forwards worked hard in the first period tackling early and rucking and mauling later. Score 7-7. Seven fresh pack players had a great impact in the second period. We scored 22 unanswered points – 3 tries, two conversions, and a penalty. It was a total team effort, and just what we needed to get control of the match. Credit to Berkshire who came out hard. A combination of their fatigue and our experience sealed the victory. We started slow but finished strong. Scott Cruickshank and Steve Carr were standouts in the second period. Tony Johnson and Bill Bishop did a great job filling in at the number 10 position. John Kerr led the forwards in the first period and used his instincts in the second, spinning the ball wide allowing us to score six tries on the day. Man of the Match honors go to Jay Chabot. Great tactical kicking, counter-attacking, and filling in the line.
SPRINGTIME IN IRELAND
April 8-15, Ireland – The Connecticut Grey RFC, some 69 strong, enjoyed a week of rugby and Guinness, golf and whiskey, on the Emerald Isle this spring. Arriving in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Saturday morning, the Grey made camp at the beautiful Armagh City Hotel on the edge of this historic city (home of St. Patrick). Conveniently located adjacent to the City of Armagh RFC, we enjoyed a brief runaround on Armagh's 3rd team pitch before settling into a night of rugby fellowship at Armagh's clubhouse. Our thanks to President Joe McCord and all the lads at Armagh for making their facilities our home away from home on the first leg of the trip.
On Sunday the 9th, we drove to the Belfast Harlequins' grounds in south Belfast to take on our old friends, the Perennials. On a full-size pitch and in conditions that featured all four seasons in a single 90-minute stretch, we enjoyed our club's first victory ever outside of North America. We played four 20-minute periods in a game where we matched up well with the opposition. The final score was 4 tries to 2 tries, with the Perennials putting one down on a beautiful run on the last play of the game. We did well in lineouts, set pieces and getting around the field, and passing was crisp. After a pint or two in the Harlequins' clubhouse, both teams made their way across town to the magnificent Ulster Folk and Transport Museum where the Perennials hosted a three-course meal at Cultra Manor. There was much singing and reminiscing between these two sides with a long and storied shared history. Jon Leone (who wasn't on tour) did the Grey proud, showing that American rugby players CAN sing.
On Monday, the gang was off to the beautiful Antrim coast for a day of sightseeing. We visited the Bushmills distillery, lunched at the Smugglers' Inn, and then walked off the midday excess at the Giants' Causeway and the breathtaking Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. On Tuesday, we made the move to Dublin but not without a side trip to the Cooley Distillery on the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth. John Teeling, distillery owner and captain of our mid-week opposition, arranged for a private tour of this, the only Irish owned whiskey distillery in Ireland. We were then treated to lunch and a tasting at the rustic Riverstown Old Corn Mill followed by our first session of Kangaroo Court, where Jon Leone (who was not on tour) was brought up on so many charges that the docket cannot be reprinted here.
Wednesday was game day. We traveled to the northeastern part of Dublin to take on the Clontarf Golden Oldies under the lights. The game was a much different game than the first one. No conversions, no kicking for penalties, no kicking outside the 22, uncontested scrums, and eventually we contested line outs. We played well, however Clontarf played exceedingly well. They were a rucking/mauling team and used their weight and knowledge to their advantage. The final was a 3 try to 5 loss for the Grey. Clontarf awarded our John Kerr Man of the Match honors during a spirited dinner and drink-up in their clubhouse.
Two free days to explore Dublin and the surrounding countryside culminated in an end-of-tour banquet that featured a rousing Rookie Review and exhaustive Kangaroo Court. Captain Ed Carr awarded Man of the Match to John Kerr (v. Perennials) and Scott Cruickshank (v. Clontarf). Saturday morning and the return flight came too soon.
SPRING SEASON KICKS OFF WITH OLD BOYS ROUND ROBIN
April 1, Lincroft, N.J. – Great pitch. Great day. Great rugby. We traveled light to Monmouth to play a round robin with the Monmouth Old Boys, the Morris Masters and the Gentlemen of New York. In the end, we played Monmouth twice. The boys that made the trip showed a lot of heart and really stepped up to the competition. It would have been nice to have our best backs on such a wide pitch. We stuck with the game plan, keeping it tight for three to four phases before going wide.
In the first twelve minutes of play we gave up three tries. Late in the first period we had several driving mauls and John Kerr touched down the first try of the season. Early in the period we had trouble securing ball. We made some adjustments and were able to possess for multiple phases. We lost the first game 3 tries to 1 to a team that spread the ball wide and took advantage of the overload. After watching Morris take on GoNY, we played in a rematch against Monmouth. This time we were on the attack most of the time and won with an unanswered converted try. Jeff Levinson had a great run and set up one of our guest players for the only score.
Kevin McNamara played his heart out tackling, chasing kicks, and diving on loose balls. Joe Scandariato had his usual solid match. Tony Johnson and Joe Bordieri tackled everything in sight. The Man of the Match goes to Dean Jorgensen. . He got around the pitch, secured ball, and did an excellent job lifting in the lineouts.ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND AT THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
March 5, Simsbury – The weather was perfect for a weekend of outdoor competition at the CL&P Service Center in Simsbury. Once again, the Connecticut Grey helped Tony Johnson organize the 100 m cross-country sprints and 4 x 100 relays for the Special Olympics Connecticut Winter Games. And yet again the Grey were rewarded by being in the company of hundreds of appreciative special athletes who gave their all over two days of competition. Our congratulations to all the athletes and thanks to all the members of the Grey family who participated.
CONNECTICUT JAMMERS RETAIN THE WHEEL IN CLOSEST MATCH EVER
February 19, Unionville – Fielding a team of virtual unknowns (at least to the world of wheelchair rugby), the Grey still managed to hold their own after a shaky start in the 5th Annual Connecticut Wheelchair Classic against our quad rugby sister club, the Connecticut Jammers. Assisted by one of the Jammers' newest members in the fourth quarter, the Grey racked up a creditable 30 points to the Jammers' 36. Alas, "The Wheel" remains the property of the Jammers at least for one more year.
Thanks, as always, to the Jammers, New Horizons Village, and our own Bud Harvey for organizing this now traditional kickoff to our new playing season. Man-of-the-Match honors go to Brendan "Hail Mary" Coffey. Thanks also to Bud and Tom Stauffer for laying on the enjoyable after-match spread.
CONGRATS TO 2005 AWARD WINNERS
February 4 – The club gathered at the Waverly Tavern in Cheshire to honor those who made significant contributions to a successful 2005 season. The usual good time was enjoyed by all. Award winners included:
Most Valuable Player – Forwards: Ed Carr
Most Valuable Player – Backs: Bill Bishop
Rugger Hugger: Annemarie Kosilla
John Falatyn "Freight Train" Award: Matt Leonard
Founders' Award: Mike Kosilla
Mark "Mace" Comen Award: Tom Roncaioli
Captain's Award: Joe Bordieri
President's Award: Kevin McNamaraRookie hourglasses were bestowed upon Matt Leonard, Kevin McNamara and Kevin Connors.
CLUB ELECTS OFFICERS FOR THE 2006 SEASON
January 14 – Players and wives met at the home of Tom and Lindsey Flynn on an unusually sunny and mild January afternoon for the Annual General Meeting of the Connecticut Grey RFC. The Club recognized outgoing Vice-Captain Bill Bishop and long-serving Fixture Secretary Mike Guzzio for their outstanding contributions to the club. Members then elected the following to posts on the 2006 Executive Committee:
President – Tom Flynn
Captain – Lou Petruzzello
Vice-Captain – Ed Carr
Fixture Secretary – Kevin McNamara
Corresponding Secretary – Dean Jorgensen
Treasurer – Gary Tamburri
Co-Social Secretaries – Jon Leone and Lindsey Flynn
