(Photo/Steve Perkins)
Rugby is a favorite South African sport. Westporter Steve Perkins was born there, and wanted to find a club here for his son.
Deputy Police Chief Sam Arciola and Westport police officer Ned Batlin helped Steve organize a rugby program, through the Westport PAL. Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department also helped.
Staples High School head rugby coach David Lyme has helped the program grow into 3 teams: Under 10 (non-contact), and U-12 and U-14 (full contact). Very quickly, the young Westporters have become formidable ruggers.
They’ll feed into the Staples program, which currently fields 4 teams for nearly 100 players.
In the photo above, Steve’s son Ari Perkins (blue) battles Aspetuck, in U-14 action at Wakeman Field.