Summerland teen is a rugby wonder
BASEBALL
Koen Buckingham established himself as one of the top young rugby players in B.C. this past year.
The 15-year-old, who attends Summerland Secondary School, was named to the B.C. Under-15 boys’ rugby team and competed at the Canadian U16 championships in Calgary Aug. 13-20.
There were 10 provincial teams competing at the tournament, with eight of those at the U16 level. B.C. and Ontario were the only U15 teams in the competition.
Buckingham’s team performed well against their older opponents, finishing a solid fourth place overall.
B.C. teams dominated the event, with B.C. U16 Team 1 finishing first, Alberta second and B.C. U16 Team 2 coming third.
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Newfoundland and
New Brunswick all had U16 teams in the event.
Since Summerland did not have a team, Buckingham practiced with the Pen High squad and the Harlequins (Penticton men’s team).
He tried out for and made the regional team TORA (Thompson Okanagan Rugby Association) with boys from Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton, Vernon, Nelson, Merritt and Clearwater making up the team.
TORA played in the BC rugby Provincials at the beginning of July in Burnaby. After the tournament Koen received a letter stating that he was “identified” as a hopeful for the B.C. U15 team and was invited to the team tryouts July 22 and 23 in Delta.
Buckingham was selected and played as a forward in the Prop position in the national championships in Calgary.