The Saratoga Rugby Club co-hosted the ninth annual Saratoga Invitational Rugby Tournament with UAlbany on Aug. 25 as part of the Travers Festival.

Saratoga’s first match was against Berkshire. Saratoga dominated in the forwards play and their backs were too fast for Berkshire. The final score was 19-3.

In the second match, Saratoga faced the defending champs, Windhover Misfits. The match was much closer with the Misfits getting substitutions from Albany Knicks Divsion 1 players, but Saratoga was still able to hold on to the lead with good tackling and ball control.  Saratoga won 15-10.

In the championship round, Saratoga faced the six-time winner of the tournament, Purple Haze, which are UAlbany alumni with a lot of size, experience and a number of international players in their lineup.

Saratoga put up a good fight, but with a limited number of substitutions available and the 105+ degree heat index by the end of their third match of the day, it was evident the stampede was losing steam. The final score was 23-10.

In one year, the Saratoga Stampede Rugby Club went from seventh-place to second, so everybody on the team was very happy with their performance.

Saratoga won its first match of the fall season last Saturday by forfeit. The Stampede return to action Saturday, Sept. 8, on the road at Utica. The action starts at 1 p.m.

If you’re interested in joining the Saratoga Rugby Club or would like to see a complete schedule, go to www.saratogarugby.org.