CLAYTON, NC – The Clayton Rugby Football Club has released their Spring 2016 schedule with an exciting mix of tournaments and matches set to take place this season. The Bootleggers open up their season at the President’s Day Tournament hosted by Camp Lejeune and finish the Spring with the Clayton Old Boys taking on the Bootleggers in what is expected to become an annual event.
The Bootleggers follow their trip to Lejeune with a match against Duke Grads. The two sides have met twice previously with Clayton winning both. In March the Club makes their first-ever trip to play in the famed Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Tournament. The tournament is one of the largest annual rugby tournaments in the United States. A week later, the squad travels to Charlotte to take on the Barbarians.
After starting the season with four road trips, the Bootleggers return home in April. First up is a match against North Carolina State, which marks the first time the two teams have played against each other. The next week, Clayton hosts the Clayton Spring Classic, which is planned to be an annual 15s tournament. This year, Guilford College, Wingate University, and Cherry Point are visiting Clayton to take part in the tournament.
After taking a break for Easter, the Bootleggers return in May for their final competitive match of the Spring season. The fixture is a highlight event on the Clayton schedule as the Akron Rugby Football Club from Ohio is paying visit to North Carolina. Akron is the home club of two of the Clayton RFC founders, Rich Munro and Ted Hardy. The Club finishes out their Spring schedule with the Clayton Old Boys taking on the Bootleggers in a fun Old vs Young battle.
With four stand alone matches and three tournaments, the list of fixtures for the Spring 2013 is the busiest season the Clayton RFC has booked to date.
“We’ve taken it pretty easy on the guys the first couple of years as we were building depth,” said Club President Ted Hardy. “We have a lot of returning players and new faces that need game time. There’s no better way to do it than to dig in and schedule more games. We’re headed in a great direction and now it is time to test them out.”
Clayton Bootleggers Spring 2016 Schedule
February 13, 2016 – President’s Day Tournament Camp, Lejeune, NC
February 27, 2016 – Duke Grads, Durham, NC
March 11-13, 2016 – Savannah St. Patrick’s Tournament, Savannah, GA
March 19, 2016 – Charlotte Barbarians, Charlotte, NC
April 9, 2016 – NC State, Clayton, NC
April 16, 2016 – Clayton Spring Classic, Clayton, NC
May 7, 2016 – Akron, Clayton, NC
May 21, 2016 – Old Boys vs Bootleggers, Clayton, NC
