St Mary’s Osbaldeston are cream of the rugby crop for a second year

The annual Primary Schools tag rugby festival took place on Wednesday 3rd March at Clitheroe Rugby Club, with 11 teams from the Ribble Valley producing some high quality games. The festival is part of the Lancashire Youth Games programme with the winners from the Ribble Valley going forward to the Finals Day at Preston Grasshoppers rufc on 23rd March to play against the other winners from 15 boroughs across Lancashire. The festival is jointly run by The Ribble valley Borough Council and The RFU. On a sunny but chilly day over 150 children, parents, teachers and supporters gathered at the rugby club in the hope of seeing some exciting tag rugby, they were not disappointed! Right from the first game there was end to end, high quality rugby being played (some would say better than Clitheroe 1st XV).

Teams from Simonstone, Waddington and West Bradford, Pendle A, Pendle B, St Mary’s Osbaldeston, Gisburn, Mellor, Thorneyholme, St Michael and St John’s, Chatburn and St Joseph’s Hurst Green contested in 4 pool stages, with the top 2 from each group qualifying to the quarter finals, and when the semi finalists were known it was Pendle B v Pendle A and Waddington v St Mary’s Osbaldeston.

In two highly entertaining semi-finals Pendle A took the schools bragging rights with a 6-3 win over Pendle B, and in the other semi a ding dong battle ended with St Mary’s Osbaldeston coming out 6-4 winners against a resilient Waddington and West Bradford School. This would give us a final comprising of Pendle A and St Mary’s Osbadleston.

The final of the Ribble Valley primary schools competition started at a frantic pace and with Pendle A cancelling out each St Mary’s try and as the full time whistle blew the game concluded at 5 tries each! Obviously in situations like this a winner must be had and so to ‘golden try’ we went, Pendle won the toss and decided to take the free pass. As they progressed up the field a knock on lead to a turn over ball and St Mary’s launched an attack, some great link work from several players ended with a try and there for the win was secure. St Marys’ Osbaldeston will represent the Ribble valley in the Lancashire Youth Games Tag Rugby Finals.