By: Jeff Devine
Saturday brought plenty of action to Fort Rucker as the Wiregrass Rugby Club hosted a full slate of friendly matches at the Wiregrass Rugby Flyers Rugby Field.
Match Results:
Wiregrass Flyers: 1 win, 1 loss, 1 bye
Montgomery Yellowhammers: 2 wins, 1 loss
PCB Hurricanes: 2 wins, 1 loss
Battleship Rugby: 2 losses, 1 bye
In the end, the Montgomery Yellowhammers claimed first place via a tiebreaker. They were followed by:
2nd Place: PCB Hurricanes
3rd Place: Wiregrass Flyers
4th Place: Battleship Rugby
The day began at 10:00 a.m. with the Wiregrass Flyers squaring off against the Yellowhammers. At 11:00 a.m., Panama City Beach (PCB) Hurricanes faced Battleship Rugby. The Flyers returned at 12:30 p.m. to take on PCB, followed by a 1:30 p.m. matchup between the Yellowhammers and Battleship. At 3:00 p.m., the Yellowhammers once again battled the Flyers, and the event closed at 4:00 p.m. with the Yellowhammers taking on PCB.
Following the matches, players and supporters gathered for a social, enjoying drinks and camaraderie—a rugby tradition that emphasizes fellowship as much as competition.
The Wiregrass Flyers now look ahead to two upcoming home matches at Fort Rucker: October 18 against Birmingham and October 25 against Okaloosa.
Additionally, Daleville will soon host the annual “Tilt His Kilt” Rugby event, with date and time to be announced. There is a schedule of events attached if anyone is interested in attending. You can also follow Wiregrass Rugby Club on Facebook.
Read this related info for more info about the Wiregrass Rugby Club:
Wiregrass Rugby Football Club was founded in July of 2024 by SFC Alexis Lewis, who currently serves as the club’s president. Other club leaders include SSG Theodore Wright, Vice President, and Col. Keith Benoit, Former Head Coach.
“The original reason for starting the club was to fulfill the founders’ needs of wanting to play the game in an area where there was no team,” Club President Alexis Lewis said.
“Before long, many people, both civilian and military alike, had taken an interest in the club, whether as players or as volunteers. With there now being more interest than anticipated, the admin had to get to work on getting everything in order for the players to actually experience the game outside of practice. This included sourcing homemade jerseys (kits), finding equipment to aid with practice, and finding a league to join,” she added.
By November 2, the club had officially joined the True South Rugby Union and participated in its first event, the Battleship Rugby Invitational Tournament. Although many players were still beginners, the men’s team (the Flyers) managed to win their first two matches and ultimately secured 3rd place overall.
Since then, the club has competed in two additional tournaments—one in Nashville, TN, and another in Columbus, GA. Meanwhile, individual players have taken part in several other tournaments on their own, both to sharpen their skills and to enjoy the game.
While the men’s squad has shown strong progress, the women’s side is still working to gain momentum. The Lady Flyers have been joining with other nearby sister clubs to get playing time, with the aim of building enough numbers to form their own full team in the coming year.
Now outfitted with professional-grade uniforms, upgraded practice gear, and home match essentials—thanks to sponsorship from the Fort Rucker Thrift Shop—the men’s team is prepared for its first competitive season. On Saturday, September 13, the club will host its first exhibition matches to kick off the season. Three visiting teams will be attending: one from Panama City Beach, FL, and two others from Montgomery and Mobile.
The current goal of the club is to spread the sport of rugby throughout the Wiregrass region, with the hopes of giving people both an outlet of another sport to play and another event in the area for spectators to enjoy. “Eventually we would like to have a youth team as well to help provide another sport for students to pursue for college and professionally,” Lewis added.
“Soon the club will begin to host more community outreach programs in addition to the routine events hosted by Fort Rucker,” Lewis said.
