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They may be mates off the field, but competition between two ‘old boys’ teams – Silverdale Snails and Raiders Masters – is fierce.
The two teams contested the Jock Rudolph memorial trophy at Silverdale Rugby Club grounds on Saturday, September 17.
The 50/50 rugby and league match is held annually in honour of Rudolph, who played for both teams but died in a workplace accident.
Team members are all over 35 years of age – the oldest are in their late 60s.
Raiders were a little wary going in, as Snails play in a more competitive grade. Raiders players wore different coloured shorts to show their age group and ensure there was no tackling of the red shorts (aged 50 and up) – these players were tagged instead.
The first half was rugby rules, and Snails dominated – the half time score was 2-0. However, once it was league rules, Raiders came into their own, scoring quickly and winning 4-3 to retain the trophy.
Both teams came together at the end, and a cheer went up for Jock, and a game where sports codes compete in a spirit of community.
