Kingston Rugby Club has said that it is unlikely that their rugby teams will be able to complete their seasons after the government announcement of a third lockdown.
Kingston RFC, located on Hook Road in Chessington is home to a senior first and second team, as well as a junior rugby team.
Last season, the senior first-team narrowly missed out on promotion after their season was cut short due to the first wave of the pandemic. It now appears that this season is also likely to be affected.
Phil Clements, the head coach of the senior first team, says that despite having no expectations of being allowed to continue operations, it is still a frustrating time for those involved.
He said: “As a club, we thought it unlikely that there was going to be any rugby anyway, though extremely disappointing not only for the sport but for the well being of the participants.”
All non-elite sport has been halted in England until further notice after the Government replaced the tier system with a national lockdown in England, which came into effect on January 6.
Clements gave credit to their governing body for working hard to ensure clarity during this time. He said: “Surrey RFU have been very informative on the updates on when we could possibly return to play through that, of course, looks unlikely.”
Nick Deere, the Secretary of the club, found some compensation in the fact that professional level sport can continue.
“At least we can enjoy watching the professional game. They clearly have the facilities to isolate in bubbles,” he said.
Konstantinos Patas