Winger Alfie Orris discusses his move from Medway Rugby Club to Canterbury Rugby Club and helping Kent to an historic County Championship win
It has already proven to be a fruitful summer for Alfie Orris.
The winger, who has joined Canterbury from Medway for next season, played a key part in Kent’s historic 39-37 weekend rugby County Championship triumph over Lancashire at Twickenham.
They were last champions in 1927.
“It feels like a dream really,” said Orris. “It has not sunk in.
“We’re just over the moon. It’s pretty amazing. It’s been 96 years since they won it.
“County rugby is always difficult. We don’t get many training sessions, but there were some good rugby players and also good lads in the squad.
“The fact we managed to win it all makes it 10 times better.”
Canterbury were well represented in the Bill Beaumont Division 1 Final. Club skipper Jamie Stephens captained the side while Canterbury team-mates Tom Williams, Harvey Furneaux and Dave Irvine joined him in the starting line-up.
Orris scored Kent’s first try as they won in nail-biting fashion – Lancashire missing a last-gasp conversion to tie the score.
On the experience of running out at the home of English rugby in front of their travelling support, he said: “I thought I was going to be quite nervous, I feel like I’m a bit of a nervy player, anyway.
“But it was more a case of enjoying the moment.
“Once you sprinted out, you got that feeling in your heart. But once the action started, it was ‘Game on’ and we had a job to do.”
The experience of playing for his county this summer has helped him get used to doing battle alongside some of his new team-mates after he completed his move to the city club from Medway, who suffered Regional 1 South East relegation in 2022/23.
There, he will again work with Canterbury’s director of rugby Taff Gwilliam - who had been Medway’s long-serving head coach before