Raiders Put Up Strong Fight In First 13-a-Side Game

Reading Raiders Rugby League Club gave a good account of themselves in their first ever 13-a-side game on Saturday (2).

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Playing against Swindon St George’s A team, which included several of their first-team players, the Raiders provided robust opposition despite going down 56-20.

The majority of the squad were playing their first ever game of rugby league and several late tries by the hosts at the end of both halves, as Reading tired, gave the score an unfair reflection of what had been a fairly evenly-contested match.

Led around the pitch by debutant, and Scotland A international Stuart Borthwick, Reading scored tries through Matt Mclellan, Callum Man, Tony Kirschstein-Smith and Callum House, who finished off a superb handling move which saw the ball swept across the field with a notable assist from Peter Cooke.

The landmark game serve as the first leg of the inaugural Kennet Cup, with Swindon becoming the Raiders’ first opponents on home soil on Saturday August 13.

Chairman Andrew Belt, said, “Firstly, from a committee point of view, I was delighted that we’ve got this far – playing our first full 80 minutes some two months after setting up the club.

“Not only that, but we competed really well and, in the end, the score slightly flattered Swindon, who are much further ahead in their development than us.

“There’s undoubted quality in this team and with a few more games under our belt, I’m confident we can ask more questions of our opponents and become a strong outfit.”