Winners confirmed in the final day of Continental Schools Cup action
Harrow School claimed their first Continental Tyres Schools Cup trophy with a last-gasp victory over Kirkham Grammar School at Twickenham.
Earlier in the day, Felsted School were crowned Vase winners while Hartpury College retained the girls under-18s college trophy.
Late drama as Harrow end wait for Cup glory
Harrow No.8 Reggie Hammick was the hero, scoring with the last play of the game to beat Kirkham Grammar School 29-27 in a thrilling under-18s Cup final between two unbeaten sides.
Harrow conceded an early penalty which Kirkham kicked to the corner and scored after a clever routine as hooker Jack Austin dotted down before full-back Rhys Hulse converted.
Harrow produced an instant response through wing Zachary Uduehi but Filip Edstrom missed his conversion to leave Kirkham a nose ahead.
Centre Alex Smith then burst through two defenders for Kirkham’s second try but Hulse hit the upright with his conversion.
Much of the game was played in the Harrow half but a devastating counter saw them draw level when centre Charlie Griffin broke clear and set St John Smith away to score.
Hulse edged Kirkham ahead again with a penalty but centre Griffin touched down soon after to give Harrow the lead for the first time.
Just before the break, Kirkham's Seb Kelly delivered a captain’s contribution to barge over from close range.
Harrow struck first after the interval as Cameron Knight scored in sensational fashion in the left corner.
Fly-half Sam Lewtas then got over the line to give Kirkham a three-point lead and set up a tense final quarter.
The Preston-based school looked to have the result in the bag but one last drive ended with a score from Hammick to send the hundreds of Harrow students into delirium and clinch their first Schools Cup title.
Felsted dazzle in Vase final
Felsted School delivered a dazzling first-half display to beat Ivybridge Community College 42-19 in the Continental Tyres Schools Cup Vase final.
Felsted scored their first points midway through the first half as prop Peter Scofield burrowed over.
The Essex side were in the groove and a brilliant forwards score pushed them further in front, with second row Dylan Reynolds powering over after a couple of deft pop passes from back rowers Jo Hendler and Jessie Cotterill.
Cotterill then turned scorer for Felsted’s third and fourth tries. The latter came after wing Harry Courts intercepted inside his own 22 and proceeded to carry the ball some 50-metres downfield before offloading to his vice-captain for a wonder try on the stroke of half time.
Player of the Match Courts kicked over a penalty at the start of the second half to move Felsted four converted tries clear.
But Ivybridge were in no mood to roll over and replacement Diego Lerro scored their first try 10 minutes into the second half.
Courts then added another penalty to extend Felsted’s lead to 30 points before a frenetic end to proceedings.
Lerro crossed again before a superb team score from Ivybridge’s James Pullan but Felsted’s Marcus Windsor had the final say, crossing the try line after another interception.
Hartpury crowned again
Abigail Pritchard scored a hat-trick as Hartpury ran out 41-5 winners over Exeter College in the under-18s girls Continental Tyres Schools Cup final.
Hartpury kicked-off and refused to let Exeter out of their own 22, forcing an early breakdown penalty.
Exeter’s defence pushed them wide but fly-half Hanna Marshall spotted a small gap on the blindside and slid in for an early first score.
A run from Daisy Aspinall then set fellow wing Pritchard away for her first try. Centre Gabby Radziejowski added her name to the scoresheet shortly after, powering home under the sticks before Pritchard found more joy out wide.
Hartpury pushed for more after the break but the Exeter defence stood firm. The Devon side then scored a deserved try through wing Tilly Pulfer who kicked and chased brilliantly to score in the corner.
Second row Alaw Pyrs then put the game beyond doubt as the her try extended Hartpury’s lead to 29-5 after Pritchard’s second conversion.
Pritchard then sealed her treble with a minute left on the clock and there was still time for Aspinall to score her second as Hartpury finished their third consecutive triumph with a flourish.
Girls take centre stage
Thirty schools participated in the Girls' U12 Love Rugby Showcase Festival at the home of rugby.
The schools were recognised and invited due to the development of their girls' rugby offering and display of core rugby values.
Starting at Richmond RFC the teams participated in contact and non-contact rugby fixtures, concluding on the day with 400 girls running out on the famous Twickenham turf.
Many of the girls' playing rugby today are new to the sport, which is a real testament to the growth of the game supported by over 22,000 age grade girls registrations this season.
