RANDALLS ISLAND, NY – Though they came up short, the Mystic B’s never let up in bitter cold temperatures at the 52nd Annual New York 7s tournament this past Thanksgiving Weekend.
In the opening round of pool play against the Bethlehem Bears, 29 unanswered points were scored against the Mystics in the first half. The Killer B’s responded late in the second half with a try by Indonesian rugby sensation Kyle “Crazy Legs” Winter to finally put the Mystics on the board with their first and only try of the match in a 5-29 loss.
The Mystics seemed to have found their form in the second match of pool play, against Sherbrooke Green and Gold from Canada. With the wind and the crowd howling, the Mystics’ wily scrumhalf Matty “King of the Shire” Wilson penetrated the Canadian lines again and again to help set up four Mystic tries, including two from Martin “Ginger Bush” Finn for a 29-7 victory.
In the final match of pool play, the Mystics took the field against Ottawa (who eventually won the Club division). With both the Irish and Hebrew population of NYC behind him, Mystic captain Ben “IJ” McHugh led the charge with the grace of a gazelle (albeit a small one) to keep his tired and battered troops’ spirits up as Ottawa sailed past for a 0-33 victory.
With the wind getting colder and muscles getting stiffer, the Mystics rallied every ounce of strength for one last match in the Bowl Semis against Sherbrooke Abenakis. Hoping to find this team just an older and slower version of their Green and Gold counterparts, the Mystics quickly found themselves mistaken. Despite strong runs from Alex “No Look” Davies, the Sherbrooke defense kept the Mystics at bay. A very controversial “forward pass” from McHugh found Winter through a gap with nothing but open plains ahead only to hear the referee’s whistle.
To the delight of the masses, the Mystics rallied in the second half and attempted to make a comeback reminiscent of The Longest Yard (minus the convicts). The Mystics hammered again and again into Sherbrooke, who finally gave way to a Mystic try from Mike “Jack’s Brother” Mahoney who scooped the ball up from a ruck and slammed through the defense. Miguel “El Burro Feroz” Goncalves quickly followed up with a diving try in the corner, slotted by Finn to bring the Mystics to within seven points. Unfortunately, the score would stay 19-12 in favor of Abenakis at the final whistle, thus ending any chance for the Mystics to claim hardware.
Tournament Point Scorers:
Tries: Finn (2), M. Mahoney (2), Winter (2), Goncalves
Conversions: Finn (3)
Boston Globe