With the new season in full swing, this weekend saw a busy schedule of Mini's training and fixtures across the club. In addition to activity on the pitch, it was great to have the Old Boys down on Saturday, celebrating the successes of years gone by and reminiscing together over lunch before watching the 1XV fixture.

The real stars of the weekend were the Reigate Youth Teams, out of 5 matches the final tally was 4 wins and a draw. Being one of two clubs in a small town, a local derby is always an opportunity the players at any level relish. The U12s from Reigate played 2 different Old Reigatians teams, beating the ‘Blues’ and the ‘Greens’ 15-5 in both matches.

Our U14s had travelled to Grasshoppers RFC, in a match that seemed feisty at times, the visitors ran out 34-24, carrying on from the successes achieved last season – with the team having won their Waterfall Cup competition. The age group ahead of them, the U15s, had travelled to Chipstead for what turned out to be a tight and competitive match, with neither team managing to cement a lead the final scoreboard read 14-14.

The oldest age group in Youth Rugby - the Colts - hosted Richmond RFC at our Colley Lane based clubhouse, and whilst the visitors put up a great fight in another tight affair - Reigate emerged on top with the victory. Caleb T-Y and Malik C both crossed over for tries, with Josh S converting both to make it 14-0 at the final whistle.

Speaking on the weekend’s events, Drew Youd - Head of Youth Rugby - said: “It’s a great start to Reigate’s season, and we look forward to more success over the rest of the year. We’re seeing really fantastic numbers training every week and it’s reflected on days like today. It’s also promising to see that many of our older Youth players are now transitioning to Senior rugby as well, the future really is looking bright for us!”

The Senior side had run out on Saturday in front of a packed-out Eric Hodgkins Memorial Ground, kicking off their Surrey 5 campaign against Raynes Park. An early try from the fleet-footed centre Jack Staveley, combined with full-back Danny Silvester’s conversion and a penalty, saw the hosts jump ahead to a 10-0 lead, but the visitors fought their way back to take all 5 points – with the final score 24-10.

The 1XV had 5 debutants – George Wright, Teddy Rhodes and Mike Hanlon who are all new to the club, as well as Seb Willcock and Toby Ridler who both stepped up from age-grade rugby for the first time having played at the club all the way through Mini's an Youth.

As a club we pride ourselves with the values we hold from Micros to Senior rugby, a strong community and family ethos, building together stronger and developing players to their full potential. As such, we’re always happy to have new members join, and there are zero waiting lists for age-grade rugby – offering opportunity and playing time to all. Feel free to reach out via our website or social media channels to get more info.