Ampthill RUFC announce Club Captain for Championship season

Head Coach Paul Turner has announced that Charlie Beckett will be Club Captain for Ampthill RUFC for the 2021-22 Championship Rugby season.

Charlie joined the club from Gloucester in August 2020 and played in all ten Championship fixtures for the Mob during the truncated 2020-21 season, scoring one try against local rivals Bedford Blues.

He captained the side once - away at Ealing Trailfinders but has now been handed the job full time!

Charlie said: “It is a massive honour for me to be asked to captain Ampthill for the 2021/22 season.

"When Paul (Turner) asked me, I had no hesitation in saying yes, and I’m massively fortunate to have a brilliant leadership group working alongside me.

"We have a young, exciting and hugely talented squad this season and I’m really excited to seeing what we can achieve together.”

Paul Turner added: “I’m delighted that Charlie has taken on the role of Ampthill Rugby captain for the 2021/22 season. Charlie has impressed a lot of people since he arrived at the start of last season. His leadership qualities and demeanour made it a no brainer for the captaincy. Players always follow good leaders.”

Charlie will be sponsored by club Senior Partners SOGO for the season.

SEASON STARTS WITH FRIDAY NIGHT GAME AT NOTTINGHAM

A last minute penalty decided the eagerly anticipated friendly derby between Ampthill and Bedford Blues at Goldington Road.

And it was Blues who edged the tight and thrilling encounter with the successful kick to win 38-35 and reclaim the Bedfordshire bragging rights.

With no more than seven points ever between the sides, Saturday’s game evened the pre-season honours after Ampthill won the Dillingham Park warm-up at the end of last month in another close result, 40-38.

Saturday’s game saw Ampthill’s new signing from London Scottish, Joe-Luca Smith, score first before Jake Garside, Blues’ Man of the Match on his debut, sprinted half the pitch to even things up.

Emmanuel Iyogun put Blues ahead just before the break, but Smith’s second try made it 14-14 at the interval and helped earn him Ampthill’s Man of the Match award.

Garside scored his second but Ampthill’s hooker Billy Harding levelled again.

Blues’ longest serving current player Pat Tapley joined the game and scored within 30 seconds. Ampthill then turned things around drawing level at 28-28 and then taking the lead with tries for Carl Burgess and captain Paddy Ryan.

Blues fought back hard in the final ten minutes and set up the grandstand finish through a penalty try.

With scores level at 35-35 and the clock at 80 minutes, Will Maisey nailed his penalty kick for Blues to go ahead and hold on to claim victory.

Louis Grimoldby for Blues and Russell Bennett for Ampthill also had a good day with the boot.

Ampthill, who this week also signed wing Josh Skelcey, 25, from Plymouth Albion, begin their Greene King IPA Championship campaign tomorrow (Friday) with a trip to Nottingham for a 7.45pm kick-off.

Coventry visit Dillingham Park for their first home league game next weekend.

Blues’ final pre-season game is this Saturday at 1pm, hosting Saracens Storm before their league season kicks off at Jersey Reds on September 25.