Longlevens RFC

Longlevens Men’s Mixed Ability Rugby made the trip to Walcot on Saturday to face the South Western Ambulance Service in a hard-fought charity match raising funds for SWAST colleague Cat Cauto’s family. Cat recently died by suicide and the funds raised will contribute to her funeral costs. If anyone is ever struggling with their mental health, please reach out to someone, either in a professional role or a friend. There is always help available and although it may not feel like it, there is always another option. Additionally, there was a cash collection for South Western Ambulance Service Charity supporting the wellbeing of ambulance colleagues. Thank you to all who contributed. If you are able to donate here’s the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/catarinacat

Despite being hammered by hailstones, the Griffins showed resilience, teamwork, and a touch of flair to come away with a well-earned 29–20 victory. SWAST never gave up and kept attacking until the very end - a great effort in their first match since the last game against Longlevens in May 2024.

Longlevens tries came from Paul Watson, Connor Scantlebury (2), and Finn Jervis, whose superb score on his official debut was a highlight of the afternoon.

Luke Pegler, Paul Thomas, and Jordan Rankin-Woodhouse each added a conversion, while Zack Fisher showed his class with a beautifully executed drop goal in the driving rain to extend the lead early in the first half.

SWAST try scorers were Aaron Constant with 2, Fletcher Meyer and Rob from Melksham who stepped in to help SWAST with numbers and bought attacking threat with his pace.

Defensively, Longlevens were immense, weathering both the storm overhead and the pressure on the pitch. Andy Nicholls set the tone with a tireless defensive shift, earning himself a deserved Man of the Match award for Longlevens. Sam Wheeler was MOTM for SWAST for his hard running lines.

As for Donkey of the Day, for Longlevens that honour went to Paul Thomas, who saw yellow after getting caught with his hands in the cookie jar of a ruck when defending the Longlevens line. Chris Kearns was awarded DOTD for SWAST for not knowing if he was playing contact or non-contact when he came on.

Thank you to SWAST Paramedic Abigail Evans for taking some great photos: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOnfxX1B2W38ph3lxJ7dfihb2jJZrr_e5zbo4d-1drHc1b5gfk1VGM2tiazJciahQ?key=eW1Sd0ZybHMxczBVRERtaTh2N1NPa2E1V3dPS1dR

The game was played in great spirits (despite the hail) and the lads are looking forward to hopefully another fixture later in the season.

RIP Cat Cauto