West Leigh Are Essex Champs Again! - News - Southend West SSP

West Leigh Are Essex Champs Again!

Following the Southend Tag Rugby Finals in October, West Leigh Junior School represented the Southend West School’s Sports Partnership at the Essex Tag Rugby Finals held at Southend Rugby Club on 26 November.

14 teams represented 12 of the 14 School Sports Partnerships with West Leigh Junior School, the winners of the previous two years Essex Finals aiming to retain their title.

West Leigh faced their toughest challenge thus far with the standard of tag rugby being higher in the group stage than ever previously experienced. With great determination and a few strokes of luck, the team managed to end the morning as winners of their group.

Winning their group meant that the school had given themselves the opportunity to emulate their peers who had performed magnificently winning in previous finals. In their first game in the Cup group, West Leigh put in a performance of class and determination winning 5-0, keeping a clean sheet which is so unusual in the sport. Following that game, the team had to play immediately and played out a 5-5 draw with St Joseph’s, who subsequently qualified for the National Regional Finals.

In their final game, it was a simple scenario: win and the title was theirs! Knowing that any other result would be the end of the road, West Leigh played with great passion. Unfortunately, the game did not go as hoped. With only two minutes to go, the team trailed 5-4 but somehow with composure and sporting maturity beyond their years, turned it around to win 6-5 in the last play of the match!

Based upon the reaction of the parents, children and crowd, they were popular and worthy winners of the Essex Tag Rugby Finals. In addition, William Merrion was named ‘Player of the Tournament’ as chosen by the match referees.

They will now progress to the National Regional Finals in Chigwell next June. Good Luck!

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