Rag-tag rugby Roosters battle Bennington

By Maxx Steinmetz
In what turned out to be a classic game of rugby, Rutland Roosters Rugby Football Club (RFC) visited the Bennington Battle on Saturday, June 11. Mother Nature seemed to follow its ritual of raining on the day the teams meet. This time she threatened to send a thunderstorm to rain out the friendly exhibition altogether, but the rains abated and the game got underway just a half an hour or so late.
Bennington kicked off to Rutland, whose team was filled out by Roosters old and new as well as some members of a club from the Catskills in New York, a spare Bennington player and one from Black River RFC in Ludlow.
The first half was tight, each team scoring a try in the wet conditions. Keith Duncan was the try scorer for the Roosters on this occasion. To add to the scorecard, Adam Diemar was able to slot a penalty from just right of the uprights from the 22 meter line.
In the second half the chemistry in Bennington’s teamwork began to show, as the Battle mounted several attacks and came out with a further two tries to add to their cause.
At the end of the day, the Battle stood victorious with a 19-8 victory. “Man of the Match” honors went to Keith Duncan for Rutland and Zachary Monforte of Bennington.