In a closely contested final both teams fought well, combining some great running rugby with gritty determination to showcase the talent of the women’s game.

It was East Midlands who took the lead with a great run from Natasha Jones and just before half time Emily Scarratt burst through the South defence with a fantastic individual effort. However the windy conditions made kicking difficult, keeping the half time score at 10-0 to East Mids.

The second half proved as exciting as the first with South demonstrating some patient build up play to score an early try through Alicia Galway. With the score at 5-10 it looked as if East Mids were going to hold on and take the title but in the final minute of the game South’s Bryony Cleall made a great interception to plant a try right underneath the posts.

Cleall was then given the unenviable task of taking the conversion which she blasted through the posts in what proved to be the last kick of the game.

South’s Team Manager Liz Hartley said of the final, “It really could have gone either way but we came together well and the support we received from all the teams was absolutely fantastic.”

This was the second success in as many days for the South girls as their under 14 squad took the title in yesterday’s tournament. They had begun the day with a tentative 5-5 draw against West Midlands but soon regained their form with a convincing 31-0 victory against North West which took them through on tries scored.

In the rest of the draw West Midlands were crowned winners of the Plate after a 12-3 win over Yorkshire while tournament debutants Welsh Regional Winners took home the Bowl by beating South East 7-0.

Hartley reflected the thoughts of many of the supporters, saying “The overall standard throughout the day was extremely high and there was a definite improvement from last year. It was a really fantastic event.”

Cup Final Result

3^rd/4^th Cup Result

Plate Final Result

3^rd/4^th Plate Result

Bowl Final Result

3^rd/4^th Bowl Result