A memorable season of success for Colchester Rugby Club was capped by a terrific cup win for the As on the final weekend of competitive rugby this term.

A big Friday night crowd witnessed a dominant win for the club’s successful 3s team, as they beat Ipswich 2s 43-19 to lift the Suffolk Silver Cup.

Scoring the first of seven tries five minutes into the match, the As were never behind to their opponents from Suffolk.

First half scores by Patrick Orrin and Alex Harvey had the home side 12-7 up at halftime, then further tries by Zac Matthews, Alfie Bourne, two for Oli Cuthbert and a second for Harvey, with Will Stacey converting four of them, completed the job.

While Ipswich scored two tries late on, by that stage the match was won.

It’s been a terrific season for the As, captained by Alan Palfrey and coached by Roy Abrehart, ably assisted by Dave Gostling. Along with their cup win, the team finished third in their league, winning 14 and drawing one of their 18 matches.

“It was a brilliant game,” said Abrehart. “Ipswich played really well which made it a great final.

“The semi-final was a tense match and the lads were a bit downbeat about how that went. But in the final they went out and enjoyed themselves and threw the ball around, getting it to the wings and scoring tries.”

Roy puts much of the team’s success this season down to their togetherness, and the mix of ages.

“Jez Castle was man-of-the-match on Friday and he’s getting on a bit! And you’ve got Alan Palfrey in his forties.

“But we’ve also got youngsters coming through from the colts too. The pathway the club has in place has made a big difference.”

On Saturday the Ravens finished their season with a 28-7 defeat at Shelford 2s.

It’s been a tough season for the 2s, thanks partly to the huge churn of players in the squad.

But they are assured of another season in Counties 1 Eastern Counties after finishing ninth in the table, well clear of relegation danger.

The Cavaliers also wrapped up their campaign on Saturday with a 43-24 win away to Ipswich 3s.

Not many clubs field four senior men’s teams every weekend, and it says a lot about Colchester’s 4th team that they have won nine and drawn one of their 16 matches this season to finish a creditable third in Eastern Counties Greene King Division 2 South.

Last but by no means least, the Iceni brought the curtain down on their terrific season with a 53-5 win at West Norfolk Warriors Ladies.

Since being promoted to NC 1 East this season, the women have won 10 of their 14 matches to finish the season in third place in the table, and in the process have massively raised the profile of women and girls’ rugby here.

Also on Sunday, the Colts came up narrowly short in the final of their 7s tournament at Raven Park, losing 24-17 to Bury.

While that completes the competitive rugby for this season, the entertainment does not quite stop there.

Next weekend sees three days of activities from Friday onwards, including a vets match on Friday and a charity match between a Presidents’ and Chairman’s XVs on Saturday afternoon, featuring plenty of familiar players from the club, past and present.

For full details of the Rugby Weekend 2026 – including music, food and drink and other entertainment – keep an eye on the club’s website and social media channels.