RUGBY: Worthing captain James Arthur's column (May 6)

This was always going to be a tough encounter for us, as Clifton were doing all they could to secure fourth place and we were missing a number of regular first-team players.

As a result, we were comprehensively beaten 55-18 '“ a scoreline which flattered them slightly.

They ran in four tries in the final 15 minutes as we tired and slipped off some tackles.

It was a disappointing way to end the season, however, it wasn't all bad. We looked dangerous with ball in hand and scored some good tries. A number of players stood up and played well, pushing their case for regular first-team rugby next season.

Being the last report of the season, I thought I'd give a Raiders rugby round-up.

It has been a fantastic year for us, finishing in a solid sixth place in a tough National 2 South '“ the highest league position the club has ever reached.

We have turned the Rugby Ground into a tough place for teams to come to get a win '“ losing only three games all year in front of our home crowd. On top of that, we improved our away form and took some big scalps along the way.

Highlights for me would be the opening day victory against Southend when we won in the last play of the game. Also, drawing with Canterbury with the final kick of the game '“ a match when I also scored my one and only try.

And the two wins against second-in-the-table Rosslyn Park. It goes without saying the back-to-back home victories against Richmond and Shelford were also important results for us.

We have been playing some exciting and entertaining rugby, scoring some great tries, and we also developed a knack of beating teams in the last few minutes of games. This was based on the hard work, commitment and never-say-die attitude of the players, who wanted to play for the full 80 minutes.

Credit must go to the coaching team of Will, Nick, Kieron and Jody, who have done a brilliant job and worked tirelessly all season to prepare and continually improve the team.

They have also contributed to the positive squad feeling we have here.

More credit has to go to the medical team of Tim, Theo, Sally and Matt, who have performed miracles and patched us up week after week to get us back onto the park in time for Saturday. I'm sure the tape budget will be larger next year!

Thank you to Colin, Mark and David, who work every Saturday to make sure the boys have the right kit and everything they may need.

Also, the ground staff for the hard work they put in to keep the pitches and club house going. And Pam and Billie for providing the two most important factors of any rugby club '“ food and beer.

Finally, a big thank you to all the support from our wives, girlfriends, family, friends and supporters, who continue to turn up week after week.

We hope that next season we will be able to continue to improve and be a formidable side in the league.

But, for now, it's time for a well-earned rest.

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