University of Virginia Library

Ruggers Stomp
Cleveland Club

By Bill Nachman
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Completely dominating all
phases of play, the Virginia
Rugby A side derailed the
Cleveland Blues, 23-6,
Saturday morning. The
Turques continued their
winning ways with a
resounding 21-3 demolition of
George Mason.

Cavaliers Sharp

In Saturday's A action, the
Cavaliers were sharp from the
opening kickoff. Both the
scrummers and backs looked like
Virginia was offering a brand new
team to the raucous rooters at
Nameless Field. Few errors were
made, and those that were
committed were easily veiled in the
overall tight knit play.

Will O'Keefe, at hooker, played
one of his best matches ever.
Winning almost every set scrum,
O'Keefe simply outclassed the
deliberate demean of the
Midwestern visitors. Clay Ratterie,
recipient of a facial injury last time
out, returned to bolster a fired up
serum from his prop spot.

Wahoo Fireworks

Pacing the Virginia fireworks
were Courtney Hoopes and Byron
Shankman, who each lugged the
battered pigskin into the try area
for two tries apiece. Also wracking
up pointers were Sam Robinson
and Butch Dietler with tries, Peter
Schmidt with two conversions, and
Schmidt again on a penalty shot.

Strong Stuff

Club president Jay Waldron had
nothing but praise for the
well-coordinated strategy of the A
side. "Coach Reynolds, a graduate
student in education, is really
helping our style," he said. "We are
finally utilizing our fleet backs, and
complimenting them with rugged
interior hustle. In short, we are
playing a more open attack."

Cleveland, which was counted as
favorites going into the match,
showed the toll of driving through
the night. Highly touted in the
Cleveland area, the Blues looked
more like the Los Angeles Rams
than the usual foes assembled

behind the gym. Most of the
players were 6′3″ and 220, but
their size did not doter an
experienced Cavalier middle.

"Big Brother"

Not wanting to be shown up by
"Big Brother", the Turques took
the pitch Sunday afternoon to
force issue with the A unit from
George Mason. The GM'ers left
several hours later having suffered a
21-3 setback.

Building a 8-0 lead in the first
half, the Turques (so dubbed
because of the ghastly looking
jerseys that they wore two years
ago) refused to show clemency in
the second period. Sparking the
first half effort was a Joe Jennings
to Dwight Van Horne exchange
good for three.

Three More

Three more tries were added in
the second stanza. Highlighting the
show was Joe Gaber falling on a
loose ball in the try zone for the
fifth score. Paul Bishop chipped in
with three conversions.

Improvement

Improving with each match, the
Virginia C whipped Cleveland B.
9-0. Back play was cohesive, with
broken field runs off the legs of
wingers Jim Simons and Buzz White
providing six points. Adding the
other tally was Mark Storm, who
split the uprights with a penalty
kick.

Despite inexperience, errors
and reputed Saturday night frolics),
the Virginia fourth side was
humbled by a narrow margin
Sunday. Rocking them with the
coup d' etat was the B's from
George Mason. Bobby and
Doug Wiggins scored for the
home standers in the 11-8 loss.

Sunday's Action

Sunday will find the A, B
and C squads out of town to face
the challenge of hearty aspirants.
The A and C sides travel to
Tidewater to answer the beckon of
the Norfolk Club, while the B's go
to D.C.