The last day of the season saw Braintree Rugby Club pull out all the stops in honour of their President's Day.

The packed home game at Robbswood was more than an athletic event: it had a far-reaching charitable cause with the club choosing to support the Niall Stringer Foundation.

The Essex-based charity promotes mental health awareness and has a lifesaving mission to help sports clubs initiate mental health conversations.

The pre-match lunch featured powerful words from Stefano Aylott, a trustee of the foundation, who highlighted suicide is still the biggest killer of people under the age of 35.

The spectators and club members embraced the gravity of his message, with a club-sponsored raffle raising more than £1,000 for the foundation.

This significant sum will enable further organisation of 'Introduction to Mental Health' courses and training mental health first aiders.

In a show of support for the charity, Braintree's team donned bright pink Niall Stringer foundation t-shirts during their warm-up.

The squad even played with a personalised match ball, gifted by local firm We Print Balls, to keep the spotlight on the charity.

Excitement was high as the home team took the field, aiming to secure their second spot in the league against third-place Epping & Upper Clapton.

Braintree started strong, maintaining control of the game with impressive, direct running.

Their intelligent use of working with the wind conditions and seamless coordination between forwards and backs put Epping's defence in disarray.

Braintree bagged the bonus point win, scoring eight tries with Epping scoring only twice.

Individual commendations were aplenty – Fin Blake bagged 'man of the match' for his all-round performance, while Joe Young celebrated both his 100th cap and a triumphant try.

Club President, Eddie Parsley, took great pride in the team's achievements, stating: "I am honoured to be part of this fantastic club.

"Today, our members came together to raise significant funds for a local charity who are doing vital work in growing awareness around youth suicide.

"I am also immensely proud of our senior playing squads, who have performed exceptionally well this season.”