A cracking weekend of rugby is set for the weekend and Sevenoaks Rugby Club expect a huge crowd at Knole Paddock, Plymouth Drive as the Sevenoaks Rugby 1st XV hosts Gravesend I and the 4th XV hosts Maidstone III. The club will also welcome members of the GB Wheelchair team as part of a commitment to help the team raise the funds to get to the World Championships in 2018 and beyond that to the Paralympic Games in 2020.
GB is bouncing back from the news that UK Sport will not fund the team for the Paralympics despite narrowly losing to the eventual gold medallists in Rio last year and going on to win the European Championships in Germany this summer. The sport remains upbeat about its prospects and is committed to raising the £2m needed to get a competitive team to the Tokyo games in 2020.
On Saturday a sold out pre-match lunch will take place at the Sevenoaks club house along with other fundraising initiatives for the team. GB Captain Chris Ryan will be in attendance at the weekend and will be joined by fellow GB athletes, Jim Roberts and Johnny Coggan.
On Sunday Sevenoaks juniors are centre stage and there will be the chance to have a go in a chair with the GB team. Commemorative programmes will be on sale throughout the weekend, with all donations going towards the GB team. All this plus a healthy Juniors fixture schedule to enjoy on the Sunday, including the Under 14s hosting the Kent Prelims, the Under 15s hosting Blackheath, and the Under 18s hosting Old Alleynians.
David Pond Chief Executive of Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby said: “Having heard about our funding challenge, Sevenoaks was the first rugby club to say ‘we are going to help you’ and that commitment has been evident in the planning, enthusiasm and sheer hard work that has gone into this weekend for which we are all enormously grateful. We are determined to secure the future of the GB Wheelchair Rugby team and are truly humbled by the support shown by Sevenoaks who have made us feel that we are truly part of the wider rugby family.”
“Sevenoaks Rugby shares a longstanding commitment to the sport’s community values and we are delighted to have this chance to support GB Wheelchair Rugby,” says Sevenoaks Rugby President, Michael Wooldridge. “A whole weekend of activities with GBWR will be an inspiration for our players and members, who will be able to see at first hand some genuine sporting heroes in Wheelchair Rugby action at the same time as raising funds and awareness for the cause.”
If you would like to donate to get the GB Wheelchair team to Tokyo, please visit gbwr.org.uk or email lucy.jones@gbwr.org.uk to find out how you can get involved.
