Category: Touch Rugby

Last week, 10 England Touch teams descended on the small city of Vichy, France. With the thermometer tipping 30◦C plus, our fitness and endurance were tested to the max throughout the 4 days of competition. Going in as favourites for most categories, we did not disappoint!

Canterbury had representation in both Mens and Womens Opens categories. Vaughn Meredith continued his success with the Mens Opens team, coming away with the gold! After a tight 10-10 draw with Ireland in the group stages, England showed their class in the final to run out 10-3 winners against the Irish.

Lydia Ticehurst and Erin Payten won gold with the Womens Open team! Erin stepped into the side to replace her sister Danni, who missed out due to injury. England were the reigning European Champions and came into the tournament as favourites. They did not disappoint and went undefeated throughout the tournament, beating France 10-4 in the final.

This year was the first time a Womens 40s category was run at a European Championships! It was a milestone moment for European Touch and touch rugby in general. Suz Wilson brought home the gold with England W40s who went undefeated throughout and beat Scotland 5-1 in the final.

Eddie French had his first outing as an Assistant Coach for the Mens 45s team. It was a rocky road in the group stages with 3 wins, a draw and a loss to Wales but they pulled it out the bag in the final to beat the Welsh side 6-3 and take gold!

As the dust settles on an amazing tournament, the attention turns to the World Cup which takes place in Nottingham UK, in July 2024. With less than a year to go, competition will be fierce for places and we look forward to seeing our Canterbury players and coaches represent in those World Cup Teams!

The exciting Miles & Barr Touch Rugby Summer League came to an end mid July, with Premiership and Championship plates and cups at stake. For seven weeks, sixteen teams of mixed ages have been battling it out every Wednesday evening over forty-minute games at the Marine Travel Ground. Each game was hard-fought, faced-paced, and played in the best spirit. There was certainly a lot of laughter, but on the field of play it was deadly serious, and all were focused on the opposing try line.

All who participated by sponsoring, organising, officiating, or playing deserve praise for the way in which the season ran and the spirit in which the games were played. When the dust finally settled, all that was left to do was hail the winners and celebrate with all the participants, match officials, organisers, and supporters.

Championship Plate Winners: Hawaii Try-O
Championship Cup Winners: Human Touch
Championship MVPs: Will Rayner and Vicky O’Sullivan
Premiership Plate Winners: Horndogs
Premiership Cup Winners: Invicta
Premiership MVPs: Dan Eaglestone and Mille Knight

Winners were presented with their coveted prizes by the Club President, Greg Mayne, who said of the event

“The Touch section of the Club is hugely popular and successful, with a large number of players taking part, many of whom are playing or coaching at national level in different age group categories. The commitment of players, coaches, referees, and above all, the tournament organisers, must be applauded, and the continued growth of the Touch section will be supported by the Club.”

Suzy Wilson, Touch section Chair added

‘’Seeing so many people enjoying playing touch makes all the organisation worth it! We also had lots of new referees stepping up to help out which is great. Looking forward to next year! ‘’

A huge thank you to Miles & Barr for their generous sponsorship of the Touch Rugby Summer League.

The Touch Atlantic Youth Cup kicked off in Nottingham this week with 10 nations competing across 3 days. Teams have travelled from across Europe but also from USA, Cayman Islands, South Africa and China. England has teams competing in all age categories from Under 15s to Under 20s and we have players and coaches from Canterbury representing England across these teams. Touch is a unique sport as we have girls and boys teams but also mixed teams where girls and boys play together on the pitch.

Abby Pritchard and Iris Nasir are part of the Girls U18s team. Both have been playing for nearly 8 years and have previously represented England at Under 15 and Under 18 level. Abby has also played for Middle East Under 15s. Canterbury also features on the coaching panel for Girls Under 18’s with Flori Nasir stepping into the Assistant Coach role for the first time this year after. She previously captained the Mixed U15s and was a junior touch coach at Canterbury for a number of years. Lola Sanderson is a newcomer to touch and the great progress she has made has resulted in her being named as a reserve player in the Mixed Under 15s team. She plays for both Canterbury and Wolves.

JJ Lister is playing in the Mixed Under 18 category and Danny Ticehurst in the Mixed U20s. Both are making their England debut at this tournament! Danny also plays touch for Bath University. Eliot Nye and Matt Mayall are playing in the Boys U20s category. They have both been playing for about 8 years and have represented England at previous junior tournaments. Eliot was also part of the Mixed Open squad for last years European Championships.

Alice Summers is playing in the Girls U20s team. She has previously represented England at Under 18 and Under 15 level. She was also part of the Mixed Open squad at the European Championships last year. Lydia Ticehurst is debuting as Assistant Coach for the Girls U20s and she is also an England Womens Opens player so is a great addition to the coaching panel!

Matches kick off on Thursday 20^th July with finals being played on Saturday 22^nd. Follow England Touch on socials for a link to the live stream and regular updates!

If you’re interested in coming along to play some Touch at Canterbury, we welcome all players from beginners through to elite level. Contact info@canterburytouch.co.uk for more information.