Unbeaten! Corby's Stewarts & Lloyds beat Biggleswade to cap off season with 100 per cent record

Corby’s Stewarts & Lloyds RFC beat Biggleswade 15-12 at the weekend in a fixture that saw them cap off their league season having won every game.

S&L played Biggleswade at their home ground off Occupation Road on Saturday, April 6, in rugby’s Counties Two Midlands East (South)

The game capped off an unbelievable season for the Blackwave, having beaten every team on their way to securing the title and promotion.

They officially secured promotion as champions last month having triumphed over Dunstablians 23-7 on March 23.

Speaking after the game, first XV coach Tom Cleary said: “I don’t think there’s any words that can be put into the feelings that we’ve had. For me it’s just a wave of relief coming off me.

“The boys were just fantastic today, they’ve earned everything this season.

“Testament to Biggleswade, that was a very tough game, they came at us for 80 minutes and that steel in defence that’s stood us good all year, stood us again. I could not be prouder of the players for putting us into this position, 22 games out of 22 is just unbelievable.”

Tom was quick to praise the efforts of his coaching staff and players.

Coran Ashworth, a member of Tom’s coaching team, said: “At the end of last year we had such a brutal end to the season by just missing out on promotion.

“This year we just wanted to capitalise on that desire with the boys so we didn’t really have to coach too much into them in terms of wanting to win the games, it’s just more consistency, getting the regular people down, and to be honest with us having a bigger wider group of players it’s even helped that even more.

“The boys are friends which is the most important thing I think as well, we wouldn’t have this at the club today if it wasn’t a big friendship club as well.”

Club captain, Devon Reilly, led the team throughout the season. He said: “It’s my first season as captain and to go unbeaten as captain, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

“Leading that group, it’s actually quite easy because they all wanted to achieve as much as they can this season.

“We were unlucky last season, really unlucky, but to go an unbeaten season from any team at any level is an amazing achievement.”

S&L play Biggleswade again on Saturday (April 13) in the cup. They now also have next season to prepare for.

Devon said: “We’re going to have to step it up, these boys as well [Tom and Coran]. We’re going to have to step up the way we play but we’re just going to enjoy it for now and then focus on that in pre-season and see where we’re at.

“Thank you to everyone, thank you to everyone who’s always in and out of the club, thank you to people who haven’t watched a game of rugby before but came down and supported us, the atmosphere that’s been created has been class and we’ve thrived on it.”

S&L is a community club that wants as many people to get involved as possible, they have multiple teams for multiple age groups and genders. For more information visit their Facebook page.