On Saturday Thornbury play their last match of the season and the game could scarcely be more of a challenge, writes Dave Fox.
Thorns are home to table-topping Chew Valley for what looks like being an outstanding game of rugby, and also a fitting way of drawing a line under a satisfying season for the senior section of the rugby club.
Chew Valley will take the field at Rockhampton Road knowing that a bonus-point win will guarantee them the South West One West title, but Thornbury will be determined to spoil the party.
At their best, Thornbury are more than capable of handling the Somerset side, and although Thorns are guaranteed fifth place in the table this is not just another game in Thornbury eyes. The match sees the last match of one of Thornbury’s all-time greats.
Sam Evans plays his 150th and final First XV game before retirement. He captained Thornbury for two seasons and led them to the 2019 Bristol Combination Cup Final. He also represented Gloucestershire in the County Championship as a Thornbury player and scored 42 tries for Thorns. But now it is time to look forward to a new chapter in his life without the battering he has had in the last seven years.
Other players are also leaving including Ollie Maher and Sam Garbett who are heading to the north of England to further their education. They will be greatly missed, and their team mates will be determined to ensure Ollie and the two Sams leave Thornbury on a high.
They will undoubtedly be loudly cheered on their way as the match is also the annual gathering of Thornbury Vandals, the former players who always sponsor the last home game of the season.
A determined Chew Valley and a fired-up Thornbury has all the makings of a classic. The match kicks off at 3pm.
In other news, Thornbury rugby club’s David Parry-Jones will receive a leading rugby award for his voluntary work with the Gloucestershire Rugby Union and Thornbury RFC dealing with discipline.
David Parry-Jones
Mr Parry-Jones will attend a volunteer recognition lunch hosted by the RFU President Jeff Blackett at Twickenham Stadium in early June in recognition of many years working to ensure discipline compliance is in place to protect the health and welfare of rugby players.
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