L to R standing:Bill Gardner,Tim Trivette,Tom Sarisky,Jerry Gilfoyle,John Via,Terry Whelan,Gary Coetzee,Jeff Swart,Wil Thornton,John Carr,Doc Thomas,Bill Olgivie,Dave Lazzo,Phil Bassette,Greg Robinette,Mike Powers,Chis Petrakes,Mike Herron knelling:Jeff Bush,Jason Figley,Chris Porter,Tom,Ian Mills,Wil Thornton,Wayne Dimarco,Rory Lewis,Mike Puopolo,Ron Murray,Dan Daus,Mike Witter,David Dean,Brad Mills,Mike Coyner

Team Portrait

We really had the goods at the Mayor's Cup. Our starting 15 had six former Eagles that have represented the USA,Dean,Petrakes,Coyner,Brewington,Lewis,and Whelan. Five of these lads were in the starting backline! Gardner summarized the post match commentary best when the NZ manager asked Gardner,"who the f--k where those guys in the backline?" It was a line borrowed right out of the classic movie Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid when Butch (Paul Newman) expresses dismay after being chased for days over the better part of the desert and the mountains by Pinkerton agents,"Who are those guys!"

We had great offense yet most gratifying was our defense. Brewington,Coyner,Petrakes,Figley,and Porter were absolutely heroic closing down the space and making the tackles. View this tackle by Chris Petrakes. The KIWI onslaught was never allowed to take form or gain confidence.

Post Match Awards MVP--Dixie Dean,nobody plays the game like this man.See why Most Committed--John Via,flew 21 hrs from Singapore to play. See his try Fittest--Jason Figley,he everywhere, we predict that Fig will summit Everest on his 70th birthday Lineout Grand Master--Jerry Gilfoyle,his production in the lineouts astounds Best hit--Kris Swart, it changed the whole match Best tackler--Chris Petrakes,gifted player that does the dirty work,too Best skip pass--Wheels Brewington, see video Best Captain--Skip Yeager Best Manager--Bill Gardner

Dixie glides forward Gilfoyle and Brewington in support

VIDEO Clips

See Porter make break to Dixie for try,Lewis in support
Ed Gafney saves a try to Dimarco with titanic counter,to charge by Bill Ogilvie
Dixie to Wayne to Fig
Mike Coyner in action
Coyner Try
Big finish by Marc Dimarco

To the Cardinals –

Thank you for being a part of the Mayor’s Cup Challenge last Saturday. I want you to know how much we appreciate the Cardinals coming out to be a part of the day, giving people in the community a chance to watch great rugby on various levels. I think it is safe to say that your participation, and your very generous donation, were key to making Alexandria Rugby’s first major event a success.

I also hope you know that thanks to your involvement, the Mayor’s Cup is now fully established and has begun to deliver on the promise of drawing more people, especially young people, to the sport of rugby. We’d welcome your time and energy on future Alexandria Rugby events if you are up for it, so we can continue to showcase the game for the kids here, teach their parents and the community what this craziness is all about, and achieve our goals of broadening horizons and creating opportunity through rugby.

Many thanks,

Owen, Fred & Ram
Mayor's Cup Coordination Committee

From John Via:
Thank you very much for organizing yet another great Cardinals rugby event and congratulations on the convincing win over the New Zealand Barbarians. It wasn't always pretty but it was a solid 46-14 win. The Alexandria Mayor's Cup was very special to me. As an Alexandria native it was a great opportunity for me to return home from Texas and play at GW (where I attended junior high school) and more importantly play in front of friends and family. They could not understand why I would take 3 flights and fly 22+ hours to get back from working in Singapore for a week just to play a game. It was the first time in over 15 years that my mother and father, who live in Alexandria, were able to see me play the game that I love. Scoring the second try in the match was just icing on the cake. After hearing me wax poetic about rugby and the Cardinals - but not fully understanding - they came away with a new appreciation for both. They used to try to convince me to give up rugby and take up a sport I could play for my entire life like tennis or golf... but after Saturday I think they finally understand that I will continue playing rugby for as long as possible. Cardinals forever!

From John Carr:
Hello and Good Monday morning to all, I wanted to thank everyone for a terrific team effort on Saturday (a Cardinal Victory 48 to 14), it was a great pleasure to share the field with all of you. Particular thanks to all those who traveled a distance. We will look forward to having all of you as Cardinals in some capacity for the rest of this year. Thank you all again I look forward to seeing you at the next one.

From Mike Puopolo:

That was a great effort and it would be a challenge to field a stronger 40+ Cardinals side. Thanks to all. This email is to invite any of you that are interested in the events coming up in the next few months. We will be taking two or three sides to Saranac. Four sides to Aspen. Please take a look at your schedules and reply with any questions or interest as soon as you can.

Saranac -Aug 1 & 2 - we will have a 50+ side and a mixed age Social side. We expect to enter a third side but haven't committed to whether that will be a mixed age Club side or a 45+. That decision will be made shortly. We have a great time. Lake Placid is within driving distance. It is our most family friendly tour of the year.

Aspen - Sept 17 - 20 - Cary and Bill Gardner are organizing the 35's. I would be your point of contact for the other three sides. If you are 44 years old as of Sept 17, you are eligible for the 45's. We have been to Aspen with the 45's six times. We have won three Championships and lost in the finals the other three times. The 50's have won the last two Championships there. If you are eligible for the 45's, and interested, we would ask you to arrive in Aspen on Wednesday, Sept 16 to be able to play on the 17th. If you are playing 35's, that will happen on Friday, the 18th. The Open division is Saturday and ALL of the finals are on Sunday.

Please let me know if you have interest or questions. For those who have not seen the photos of the Mayor's Cup, there are some good ones. The website is www.pbase.com/rjpfm and you need to review the "Roosters Rugby" photos. They are mislabeled but nice.

From Gary Coetzee:
Hi guys, just a quick note of thanks, I really enjoyed the rugby last weekend Thanks again for the chance to play with the Cardinals, hope to see you’s again.

From Bill Ogilvie:
Thanks for having me. I'd be honored to get another run in the future. Let me know

Cardinals in Savannah 2009
standing L to R Tyler Dixon,Steve Yeager,Cary Kennedy,Kevin Swedo,Dave Lazzo,Jason Figley,Darden Couch,Jerry Gilfoyle,Tom Sarisky,John Carr,Mike Herron,Colin Crawfford,Jamie Wiles,Doc Thomas,Eric Reynolds--kneeling Joey Gibson,Skip Yeager,Al Lucas,Mike Puopolo,Jim Rosato,Carl Ostermann,David Dean,Larry Sweger,Brian Fischer,Mike Bressi,Brandon Brucker,Sal MOntema,Greg Howard,Ed Kerner--sitting Terry Whelan,Chris Petrakes,Tim Faulkner-photo by Bethany Puopolo

The Cardinals get around,my mates are getting really well known,the bad guys know us and they leave us alone

This is one match,one day,one venue,one social. Our fixture v KIWI ex-pat over 40's will be a curtain raiser to the feature match Dundee,Scotland v Aleandria PRU selects. Expect this match to be first class. The whole day will be a classic rugby affair. Scroll to the bottom of this page for more details.

Cardinals Kick off at 1:00pm. We should be pulling into the parking lot by 11:30am. Check in as soon as your boots are on the ground with Mike Puopolo and John Carr to insure inclusion on match roster. If you have any fitness issues,please share with Team Manager Bill Gardner. The Team comes first.

No player is absolutely confirmed for this roster until they contact CARY and pay their registration,$20 and are awarded the redball by their name. Can you afford this massive tariff? Yes,you can! It will cover the cost of our gift to the Mayor of Alexandria. How do you pay? Go to our website CardinalsRugby.com and click on "register." We will accept payments at the venue but discourage this method so we can focus on our rugby day rather than pesky money matters.

Possibles that have expressed "interest" or "committment" or "want to go but have to check with higher authority"

As of May 11th,THE ROSTER IS CLOSED. In fact we may have to make roster cuts at flanker and scrumhalf. Get the redball by your name to assure your playtime!

1.Keith Wright,Tim Trivette
2.Ian Mills ,Ed Gafney,Ron Murray
3.Terry Whelan,Dave Lazzo
4.Doc O'Neil,Jerry Gilfoyle ,John Via
5.Greg RobinetteJohn Carr,Kris Swart
6.Mike Powers,Will Thornton
7.Jason Figley,Tom Sarisky
8.Phil Bassette,Gary Coetzee,Jaime Wiles
9.Skip Yeager,Mike Witter,Dan Daus
10.Mike Puopolo,Wil " Wheels" Brewington
11.Rory Lewis
12.Chris Porter,Mike Coyner
13.Chris Petrakes,Jeff Bush
14.Wayne Dimarco
15.David Dean-- Click HERE to view classic Dixie Try
Possibles: Mark Fowler
Team Manager: Bill Gardner
Organizer:Cary Kennedy

Link to Mayor's Cup Challange


*Alexandria Rugby, Inc.
The City of Alexandria, Virginia and The Potomac Rugby Union
are proud to present:

The 2009 Mayor's Cup Rugby Challenge Match

Mayor of Alexandria's Select XV
v. 
Lord Provost of Dundee, Scotland's Select XV
*
Mayor's Cup Rugby Challenge Match image

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

George Washington Middle School
1005 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22301

Pitting the best PRU men against the best from Dundee, Scotland, the 
Mayor's Cup will be the highest caliber rugby match played in the 
Washington area this season. Plan to join Alexandria Rugby for a 
day-long rugby festival with several preliminary matches including the legendary touring side,THE CARDINALS, a youth clinic 
and the main event. 

*Gates Open at 10:00am
Youth Clinic at 1:00pm
Mayor's Cup kicks off at 3:00pm. *

Mayor's Cup Participating Teams,

Please forward to all members.  Direct any questions to alexandria_rugby@comcast.net or to Owen Malone - 703-851-6188.

Match Schedule (adjusted slightly from last version):
10:30 - 11:40  Wild Geese v. Poltroons
11:45 - 12:55  Washington Furies v. DC No Names
1:00 - 2:35  Cardinals v. NZ Old Boys
3:00 - 4:40  Mayor's Cup: Alexandria v. Dundee

Details about the day:
There will be room to warm up before matches on two adjacent fields.  Check in at the information tent if you are unsure where to go. 

As we are on Alexandria City Public School property, smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages and dogs are strictly prohibited - please stress this with everyone.  We understand how refreshing a cold one is after a match but we can't risk the negative press that could result from an incident.  We need rugby news in Alexandria to be all positive as we fight for scarce resources.  There are two restaurants close by that serve beer and that have offered to donate a percent of their Saturday sales to us in return for our patronage.  We'll have maps available at the match for anyone interested.  Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
 
Please support our fundraising efforts on the day.  Proceeds go to support AR's efforts to get youth rugby firmly established in the city.  Program expenses include field time and maintenance costs, uniforms and equipment, financial assistance with fees, basic admin expenses, etc.  


$5 per car parking donation request for parking on site,
$1 Programs, 
Alexandria Rugby and Mayor's Cup t-shirts for sale,
Mayor's Cup Raffle - Caribbean Sailing Cruise for two w/ airfare - raffle tickets $10 each - drawing at halftime of MC match,
VIP luncheon - indoor catered lunch, reserved bleacher seats, exclusive restroom access - $20 in advance, $25 on the day,
Post Match Social from 5:00 to 8:00pm - $10 entry gets food and two drinks, additional drinks $3 each (beer & wine)
Go to our website (www.AlexandriaRugby.org) or visit the information tent at the match to get hold of any of these items. 
We appreciate your help in keeping the field and school grounds free of trash.  Trashcans and recycling bins will be located throughout the venue.  


Thanks for participating in the 2nd Annual Mayor's Cup (first on home soil).  Together we can make it a wonderful day and showcase rugby in all its glory.


Cheers!


-Owen Malone



Admission is Free, a $5 per car parking donation to benefit youth rugby 
in Alexandria will be suggested. GW Middle School is centrally located 
in Alexandria - just blocks from US Rt.1, Old Town and the GW Parkway. 
Braddock Road Metro Station is directly adjacent the site.

*Food, Drink, the Mayor's Cup Raffle and Merchandise for Sale!*

As this is an Alexandria City Public School, please no dogs, no smoking 
& no alcohol - thank you.

*Mayor's Cup After Match Social
Fraternal Order of Eagles Club
1015 Cameron Street, Alexandria*