Junior Colts - North of England Cup Final
Lancashire lads give Tarleton the edge for North of England Cup Final
Tarleton RUFC are hosting one of the biggest games in the clubs history this Sunday (6th April 2008) when their Junior Colts will compete against Stockport RUFC for the title of ‘North of England Champions’. The winners will progress to play The Midlands Champions in the National Under 17’s Cup Competition. The final to be played at Sixways, Worcester.
Over 200 tickets have been sold for a pre-match meal and officials of the club say they are expecting to see nearly 400 people watch a fantastic game of rugby. Dignatories include local MP David Borrow and the trophy will be awarded to the eventual winners by Frank Morgan who is a past president of Lancashire RFU and a founder member of the Halbro Colts League.
Both of these sides have already met twice this season in the Halbro Colts Junior ‘A league’. Stockport eventually took the title on the last day of the season with Tarleton finishing runners up. The Halbro Colts League is organised independently by members of Lancashire and Cheshire rugby and is considered to be one of the strongest leagues in the Country. A total of 50 teams compete in 5 leagues and has, this season, been extended to include clubs from Cumbria and North Wales. A total of 4 County Champions competed in the Junior ‘A’ League this season.
This game is the culmination of being seeded by all Lancashire and Cheshire Clubs and then finishing in the top two of the Halbro-Colts ‘A’League. Both sides qualified for this competition, ‘The National Cup’, as a result of their position in the league. The top 32 sides in the country first of all play for the title of champions in their respective division. The four champions then play to become ‘National Champions’. Both teams are now considered to be in the top eight sides within the country after competing against County champions from Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire. The most notable scalps include Altrincham Kersal and Middlesbrough for Tarleton and Penrith and Otley for Stockport.
The last two encounters between the sides have been very evenly matched. Tarleton took the first game at Carr Lane, 27-5, however, were pipped to the post in the title decider at Stockport 15-10. Both teams boast quality players with eleven current Lancashire members in the Tarleton side including North of England captain Jonny Edwards and England Colleges lock, Sam Marsh. Stockport have their own quality with eight Cheshire members including Will Barnes who has a full under 16’s England Cap. Without a doubt there will be plenty of quality for the crowd to marvel and enjoy.
Both teams have been preparing well with additional training sessions called to iron out any weaknesses. The County contingents also had a warm up for the game last evening (Tuesday 1st April 2008) when Cheshire played Lancashire at New Brighton. Lancashire came out eventual winners 36-0. The Tarleton lads hope this psychological victory will prepare them for the big game on Sunday. Captain of Tarleton said ‘ The boys are well prepared and ready for a great game. Stockport are a very good side and we know we will have to be at our best if we are to have a chance of beating them. Rest assured we will be ready and will try to make it very difficult for them’.
Kick off will be at 2:00pm. A bar will be available from 12:00 noon. If you want to watch a great game of Colts rugby, come down to Carr Lane, Tarleton on Sunday 6th April 2008.
Good Luck to Tarleton’s Under 17’s....
Under 14s - Lancashire Vase Final
Congratulations to the U14's on getting through to the final of the Vase in the Lancashire Challenge after beating Eccles 29pts to 3 in the semi final at Carr Lane.
The final is against Southport on 6th April 2008.
Good Luck to Tarleton’s Under 14s....
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