On Saturday, May 9th, the Deepings RUFC clubhouse was absolutely buzzing as we hosted our annual Minis End of Season Awards. It was a fantastic afternoon dedicated to celebrating the hard work, teamwork, and sheer determination of our brilliant young players across four age groups: the U7s, U8s, U9s, and U11s.

Every single player has done the club proud this year, but a special congratulations goes out to the individual trophy winners in each section who picked up awards for Player's Player, Parent's Player, Coaches Player and Most Improved.

A Inspiring Hand from the Seniors
Adding some extra inspiration to the afternoon, the trophies were presented by none other than Deepings’ very own Senior Team Young Player of the Year, Jack Ray.

Jack kindly gave up his time to chat with the kids and hand out the silverware—you can spot him on the far left of our main event photograph! Having our senior players support the junior sections is what Deepings RUFC is all about, and the kids were thrilled to receive their awards from him.

Fun, Games, and an Absolute Soaking!
Once the formal presentations were wrapped up, the party moved outside for an afternoon of brilliant (and chaotic!) fun. The weather played ball, allowing the kids (and adults) to burn off some energy with a fantastic lineup of activities, including a massive bouncy castle obstacle course, intense tug-of-war battles, hilarious zorb ball races.

The undisputed highlight of the afternoon, however, was the Soak-the-Coach Pillory. Our brave coaching staff volunteered to get locked in the stocks while the kids took aim with sponges. Note: While we only managed to capture video footage of the flying water and drenched coaches (and not a photo!), the non-stop laughter from the crowd told the whole story!

Teamwork Off the Pitch
An event like this doesn't just happen, and we owe a massive thank you to our incredible army of parents. They put on a spectacular food buffet that kept all the players, siblings, and supporters fueled throughout the day. Thank you to everyone who baked, bought, and contributed! A big mention also to Ayesha from Deeping Balloon Creations for the stunning balloon arch!

As the sun sets on another fantastic season, we want to say a huge thank you to all the players, coaches, parents, and volunteers who make the Deepings RUFC Minis section so special.

Don't forget, we have the free 6 week T1 Rugby course beginning tomorrow morning at 10:00 and every Sunday for 6 weeks. Parents can play alongside kids of all ages in a fun and safe environment. Bring a friend and introduce them to rugby!

Enjoy the summer break, and we can’t wait to see you all back on the pitch for the 2026/27 season!