St Albans Rugby Club rounded off the season with a thumping 50-17 win over Grasshoppers at Boggymead.

Not only did Saints produce some of their best rugby of the year but it also allowed them to give retiring skipper John Sayers a splendid farewell.

And it was a storybook start with Sayers opening the scoring with a typically pugnacious try, surging over the visitors’ line in single-minded fashion.

As in previous weeks though St Albans contrived to allow the opposition back into the game and it wasn’t long before the score was level again.

However, this was going to be a special day for Saints and they started to play with a commitment and purpose, galvanised by the fact that they wanted to give Sayers a fitting victory in his final game.

Further tries were forthcoming with Dan Townson scoring an excellent individual effort, as well as Jamie Sach, Ed Mason and Dan Satchell who bagged two.

Grasshoppers played their part but could not find a solution to the attacking prowess of St. Albans.

The move of the match, and perhaps their season, came late in the game when the excellent Mason retrieved the ball deep in his own half and set off up-field in determined fashion.

When he was finally stopped he kept the ball alive as it passed through several pairs of hands before the strong running Sam Lowery cantered over for a superb team try.

Mark Kentish, who had a good day with the boot, added the extras leaving him with a total of six conversions and a penalty.

The day however belonged to Sayers, a player and St Albans clubman who will be greatly missed as he hangs up his boots and seeks gentler pursuits on a Saturday afternoon.

Saints finish the season in sixth position in the London North West Three table.