On Saturday the pool consisted of four games against Dutch veteran sides including the Dutch Rugby Vets who all represented their country in their ‘youth’. The quality of these Dutch sides improves year-on-year and the Vets’ designated pitch now attracts a decent crowd for all of the games. After a slow start, Spoon proved too strong and won all four games, scoring 25 tries and conceding no points.

Sunday saw a newly introduced early morning quarter final against Hilversum Vets. The Organisers in their generosity introducing this game to ensure that we had plenty of rugby on both days. Spoon quickly found their form of Saturday and won this 28-0.

So, into the semi final against the same opposition as last year, Millfield Legends. These boys had been recruiting hard all year and put up a spirited contest. In the end some individual breaks from Spooners were the difference and victory was secured 24-0.

The Final loomed, still not a point conceded in six matches and the old foe Corso Marauders ahead of us. The Marauders had again been recruiting, including a couple of members of the Wooden Spoon winning team from 2008. It was also great to see Howard Graham of the Marauders 7's squad back on a vets pitch after his impact for Wooden Spoon Vets in Dubai. It was only a shame he lined up against us this time!

A heavy pitch and a heavier Marauders pack suggested that this game might not be a high scoring affair, and so it proved. Some excellent play by both teams created several scoring opportunities with either the last pass going astray or more often, last ditch, desperate defence stopping any tries being scored. With no quarter given by either team, the hits got bigger and bigger as the passion and desire of these ex professional players came to the fore. The final whistle blew with the score at 0-0. Extra time beckoned; just what over 35's want at the end of a tournament. The rules were explained, first to score wins. Some magnificent forward play secured fast ball, through the hands it went, a break in the centres, ball back inside to Spoon’s no.10 who, Phil Bennett like, stepped one Marauder, stepped another and touched the ball down over the line.

Wooden SpoonAA's vets had retained their title, they hadn't conceeded a point in the whole tournament, but more importantly they had introduced the crowd to Vets rugby at the highest level and to the great work of Wooden Spoon.
 
Thanks to all the players for digging deep into their pockets to go and for sacrificing their time to represent the Spoon. Thanks also to our sponsors; Spar, SVG, Redstone and Kukri.

Squad. Steve Pope, Rob Parr, Jason Ashcroft, Tim Fourie, Martin Jennings, Paul Webb, Andy Lynch, Phil Griffin, Jon Swarbrigg, Dan Eddie, Jon Eagle, Craig Emmerson, Carlos Hassan, Fergus Henderson.