1,000 young guns descend on H&B

They came to the ARK William Parker Academy to take part in the club’s annual Minis Tournament, which is one of the largest sporting festivals to be held in the county.

Last year’s glorious sunshine was replaced with a cloudy day, but at least the rain held off, allowing more than 75 teams with boys and girls aged 6-12 to enjoy playing in excess of 180 games of rugby.

H&B’s youth chairman Martyn Amess said: “It was fantastic to see so many boys and girls taking part in competitive sport with such enjoyment on their faces and without the aid of a computer console!

“I want to commend all the players, coaches and parents for showing such great spirit, and the friendly atmosphere that typifies our sport. To hear the positive comments from all the adults and to see the huge smiles from the players makes it such a worthwhile event.

“I especially want to thank club chairman Jerry Hohenkerk, various minis players, family and friends, and our own under-13 coach and players, without whose help on the day a festival of this magnitude would simply not happen.

“All of our teams excelled themselves, not just with their playing, but with their attitude towards their fellow team-mates and opponents. To award trophies to our own sides is always my personal highlight of the day.”

The town’s Deputy Mayor, Judy Rogers, came along to support the event, part of the Hastings Week festivities, and was given a tour around the grounds by club president Roy Wake. She was delighted to see so many youngsters playing sport and having a fantastic time.