The Surrey Beavers took care of some unfinished business Saturday afternoon in Abbotsford.
A year after losing the Division1 provincial final in overtime, the men’s rugby team became B.C. champions with a convincing 41-10 triumph over Nanaimo Hornets.
The title was the first provincial crown for the club since 2012, the last time the Division 1 side won a B.C. championship game.
Coming so close a year ago in a 27-22 loss to Abbotsford RFC, the Beavers weren’t about to let another opportunity slip away.
“We hadn’t played Nanaimo all season, we didn’t know anything about them,” said Paul Kelly, a player with the team and also the club’s vice-president.
“But we went in with so much confidence. Ten minutes after kickoff, we’re ahead 10-0.”
Jamie Beaton and Clay Ross scored unconverted tries early in the match to give the Beavers the early advantage, which was stretched to 24-0 with two converted tries from Reid Gordon and Alex Martin before halftime.
In the second half, Surrey continued to extend the lead, getting tries from Ross, Riley Johnson and Sean Connelly.
“Everyone played phenomenally,” said Kelly. “There was no single player who stood out. The entire team – all 15 players on the field – contributed to the win.”
The game was one of several taking place at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford, where teams in several levels of competition were vying for a provincial championship. And Kelly claimed the Beavers had the most support of any club.
“Surrey had more supporters there than anyone else,” he said. “And there were nine championship games being played.”