Let the Thunder Roll On the Field The Birds and Braves started their 2012 campaign with a snowy ride to Seattle where they played Central Washington University. The Birds took to a snow covered field first which is the USA custom. We were a bit rusty but improved as the game proceeded. Alexander Daniel (Collingwood) and Gabe Grzybowski (Glen Lyon Norfolk) crossed the line with a Carlin Hamstra conversion that had us up 12-0 at the half. We had lots of possession but turned the ball over quite a bit trying to offload the ball in contact. The second half had more flow to the game and less turnovers resulting in four more tries for the good guys. Jonathan Hill (Semiahmoo), Sean Ferguson (Brentwood), Daniel Dibadj (West Vancouver) and Francois duToit (South Africa) touched down while Carlin Hamstra (Shawnigan Lake) added two conversions. UBC Birds 36 Central Washington University 0.
The clouds parted and the sun came out for the Braves and they meet a very physical and determined group of guys. Score at halftime was 0-0 with each team having their fair share of opportunities. The second half proved to be one way traffic and the Braves scored seven unanswered tries to claim a 45-0 victory. Steve Cheema (Fleetwood Park) with two, Angus McWhirter (Australia), Matt Cheong (Singapore), Alex Mascott (St. Georges), Eric Chua (Charles Tupper) and Paul Ahn (Yale) with singles and Liam Murphy-Burke (Semiahmoo) with five conversions.
Down The Road This coming weekend, weather permitting, has the Birds travelling to Victoria to face the “Vikes” and the Braves and Totems at home hosting the University of Oregon, weather permitting.
Off the Field The Millennium Breakfast will take place on Tuesday February 28th at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. All ticket sales are matched by the University with funds going into our Thunderbird Rugby Endowment which presently sits at one million dollars. Tickets can be purchased online by going to www.gothunderbirds.ca. If you missed the Alumni Banquet this past November the Millennium Breakfast offers you a perfect chance to meet and catch up with former teammates. This year’s special quest will be Trevor Linden. The breakfast is for early risers as it starts at 7:15 am!
See you there.
Sincerely,
Spence McTavish
Director of UBC Rugby
spence.mctavish@ubc.cawww.ubcrugby.com
