The Augusta Rugby Club will enjoy a moment Saturday that it has been anticipating for quite some time.
The Maddogs, as they're called, will play host to their first rugby tournament in Augusta -- and they will do it on their own field.
Ten teams are scheduled to play in the Augusta Back Nine Sevens Invitational at the new Larry Bray Memorial Pitch.
The field is named for a former member of the club who was killed in a car wreck in 2007. Since his death, Bray's family has donated funds in his honor to help the club fix up an empty lot on Wood Street, which would be turned into the first pitch the club has ever owned.
"This is really exciting for us because we didn't just purchase something that was already made; we made it ourselves," club president Luke Cain said.
The pitch opened in November with a game between Augusta and Jacksonville, the two clubs that Bray played for. But this will be the first tournament the Maddogs have played host to at their new field -- or anywhere for that matter.
Although the club has been around for nearly three decades, it has never held a tournament because it lacked a field to call its own.
Places like Augusta State allowed the club to practice and play single games at their facilities, but because of the wear and tear that a large rugby event would put on the turf, the Maddogs were not allowed to conduct tournaments.
"It took us a while to get everything together so that we could set this up. But the field is in good enough shape now that it can handle that many games," vice president Brian Kaufman said.
Each club will play in five, 15-minute games on Saturday.
The club chose a sevens tournament because, with just seven players on each side as opposed to the usual 15, it's conducive to high-scoring matches. The club hopes that presenting fans with a wide-open form of rugby -- and at no cost -- will help draw people to the sport.
"People are going to see a lot of speed and a lot of hitting," Kaufman said. "It's really action-packed."
Kaufman said that having the new field means more than simply having a place to hold tournaments -- it's something that his club and the people of Augusta can be proud of.
"A lot of people put in a lot of time and hard work to make this happen, and I believe we now have the best rugby field in three states," he said.
WHAT: Augusta Back Nine Sevens Invitational
WHERE: Larry Bray Memorial Pitch, 100 Wood Street
WHEN: Play begins at 9 a.m. Saturday
COST: Free
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.augustarugby.org
Rugby ? O K . Will go check this out. Sounds interesting. Finally something new in Augusta.
Rugby in Augusta is not new. Both the men's club and local high school club are great programs. The Lakeside Club (high school players from several schools, including Lakeside) have won the Div 2 State Championships in 2009 & 2010.
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