Alumni Rugby Clubbers do Green Proud
Traveling from both ends of the nation, the members of the Dartmouth All-Green rugby team gathered in Minneapolis on a hot July weekend this summer to participate in the 12th Aquatennial Rugby Tournament. The AllGreen played solid rugby through the 12-team tourney, with the championship slipping away in the final half of the title match.
As with the Monterey, Calif., Tournament in 1980 and the Mardi Gras Tourney in 1979, alumni from rugby clubs across the country were invited to play in Minneapolis. Making contact with everyone was the toughest hurdle to overcome for trip director Brian Deevy '76.
Twenty players composed the All-Green roster, six coming from the Old Green Rugby Club of New York. The Old Green was established in 1977 by alumni in New York and won its league title last fall.
Dartmouth breezed through the opening match in Minneapolis by a 48-0 margin over Fairbault, Minn. Three brothers Scott '81, Ai '75, and Todd Markman played in the initial match, though Todd carried the Fairbault colors.
An 11-11 tie with the St. Paul Rugby Club came in the second round, but the All-Green advanced to the semi-final match on a point differential.
It was in Sunday morning's semi-final contest that the All-Green played its best. Down 4-0 against an English touring side, Dartmouth scored 13 unanswered points. The scrum, led by captain Judd Porter '76, looked impressive against the English visitors.
The Minneapolis Rugby Club and Dartmouth played evenly through most of the championship match. Then the host side scored twice in the last half to break a 4-4 stalemate. Dartmouth certainly felt disappointed, yet realized it had played well in all matches after one practice session before the tournament began.
The All-Green plans to regroup again in 1983, at a site yet to be determined. With a Mardi Gras championship in 1979, a consolation championship at Monterey, and the good showing in Minneapolis, the alumni of the AllGreen expect continued success and more enjoyable reunions with friends.
The Dartmouth All-Green rugby team, an assemblage of alumni from all over the country, pausedfor a moment to have a group picture taken during competition last July in a tournament inMinneapolis.
