Robert Paterson

The Brome Lake Ducks are provincial rugby Division 2 champions, winning the final contest 20-17 over Les Braves de Trois Rivières on August 17. This is the third straight year the Ducks have won the championship.

“The reason for our success,” said Alexandre Désourdy, “is the commitment and resilience of the guys. It’s small-town spirit in action.” Another reason why the 33-man squad has done so well is the coaching. Once again, Charlie Brooks took the lead and was ably supported by Matt Shufelt and Tyler Murphy. The Ducks are an amateur team, so the twice-a-week practice schedule competes with work and family and is a sign of this commitment.

Looking ahead to 2025, Désourdy says a key to continued success will be to attract more young players to form a new nucleus of the team. To that end, with the closing of the Massey Vanier Regional High School rugby program, the Ducks, supported by their sponsors and gate proceeds, are setting up a bursary fund to help defray expenses for young players who want to play rugby at the division level.