Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Bald Mountain Rugby Club players gather for a team shot at the Northern Rockies tournament. Front row, from left, Jeff Rust, Jimmy Hart, Dennis McLean, Milton Brooks, Cam Lloyd and Terry Coe. Back row, from left, Cliff Logsdon, Eric Dimmer, Jamie Donoghue, Phil Hicks, Matt Park and Danny Palmer. Express photo by Willy Cook

Wide-open rugby is a hit in Bellevue

Seven on seven Northern Rockies action

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By MICHAEL AMES
Express Staff Writer

The Northern Rockies Rugby Sevens tournament was played this past weekend at Bellevue’s O’Donnell Park up Slaughterhouse Canyon.

The wide-open seven-on-seven matches attracted teams from around the state and region. The Boise Eastern Blues side eventually won it all.

The format was a two-loss elimination or "if you lose two, you barbecue," said match secretary Patrick Donohue of the Bald Mountain Rugby Club.

Cam Lloyd scoots the ball around the end during Bald Mountain’s 19-8 win over Idaho State University Saturday. Express photo by Willy Cook

Sevens rugby, with only seven players per side rather than the usual 15, gives the game "a lot more running," and makes it a lot faster, said Donohue. With only seven minutes per half, the games are indeed played quickly.

The Bald Mountain side won its two first games before going down 23-7 against the eventual champions from Boise.

In its first match, Bald Mountain topped the Boise Lions 24-12. "It was a hard-fought game that was contained mostly with the forwards and forward play," said Donohue.

Bald Mountain’s second match was another win, this time a "hard tackling" 19-8 victory over the side from Idaho State University in Pocatello. Milton Brooks provided the majority of the hard tackling on defense for Bald Mountain.

Notable for the weekend was a six-on-six all-women’s match consisting of women rugby players who showed up in Bellevue just looking for a game. "The women won that match," said Donohue.

Also, in the ISU vs. Mountain Home game, ISU lacked one player and a female player volunteered. Mountain Home let go one of its male players and a female baller took his spot to even up the sides. ISU eventually won this even-matched contest.

The Boise Eastern Blues beat the Snake River Rugby Club in the final match to capture the championship.

Diving for a loose ball against ISU is Jamie Donoghue of Bald Mountain, helped by Matt Parke (right, with scrum hat). Express photo by Willy Cook

Bald Mountain Rugby travels to Park City, Utah June 12 for a match along with some players from the Mountain Home side.

On June 26, the local team will travel to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the Ski Town Tournament featuring rugby sides from all the mountain states. Team from towns with similar attitudes from Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho will be present for the festivities.

Then, on July 17, Bald Mountain heads back to Jackson for the Teton Tens tourney.

Bald Mountain Rugby wants any and all interested players to come to their practices, Thursdays at O’Donnell Park in Bellevue and Tuesdays at the Sun Valley soccer field. Both practices are at 5:30 p.m.

Any questions, call Patrick Donohue at 578-0944 or the Rugby Football Club Hotline at 788-2431. Female players are welcome.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.