Bishop’s Stortford Under 12 triumph at Tigers Challenge

Bishop’s Stortford Under 12 triumph at Tigers Challenge Over the weekend 15-16th April BSRFC Under 12 age group took 2 teams to the Tigers Challenge Rugby Festival organised by current English Premiership champions, Leicester Tigers. The festival, the biggest of its kind in the UK, attracted over 400 teams from under 7’s to under 13’s with sides from all around the UK with 12,000 players, coaches and spectators descending on Butlins in Bognor Regis. 25 players split into 2 non-streamed teams meant we only had one substitution between the teams. The pool stages on Saturday saw team Spartan win all three games and team Samurai win two and draw one to mean both teams won their respective pools and proceeded to the Cup Pool on the Sunday where we were up against Old Elthamians and Battersea Ironsiders, both who had brought their 1st teams. First up Sunday was a Spartan v Samurai battle, with the Spartans edging it 1-0 in what the referee described as one of the most intense games of Mini rugby he had ever witnessed, the teams then went onto play the remaining teams with the Spartans winning both their games and Samurai narrowly losing both, but all games with a score of each other. Spartans winning the Cup competition and Samurai coming fourth. All the coaches and parents incredibly proud of the players with 6 tough games over 2 days with injuries, hardly any substitutions and playing strong, streamed sides, shows that the future of BSRFC is strong. Caulder Paxton, captain of the Spartan team, received the winners cup from Leicester Tigers legend, British Lion and 2003 World Cup winner, Will Greenwood. All the boys received their medals on stage in a presentation ceremony in front of 2,000 spectators.