Memorable memorial match at New Milton Rugby Club

THE annual New Milton Rugby Club Stuart Wilson Memorial match proved to be a truly memorable as for the first time in 20 years there was a winning team!

The Army team gaining victory over New Milton by 35 to 25 points in a fun filled Boxing Day encounter at Ashley Rec on Boxing Day.

The charity game is held in memory of former NMRFC player and soldier Stuart Wilson, who was killed in Bosnia in 1997, aged 19.

After the match the players and large crowd retired to the clubhouse and bar with £1250 being raised for the Pilgrim Bandits, a New Milton-based charity set up in 2007 by special forces veterans to help and inspire wounded soldiers to live life to the full.

Every year the match has ended in an honourable draw but this year there was finally a result.

A spokesman for NMRFC jokingly told the A&T: “The result was totally due to the incompetence of the referee, who actually red carded an Army team player to try to correct his mismanagement of this great event.

“The red card was quickly rescinded by a player revolt by players from both sides and the Army went to win the great match for the first time in history.”