Hatton Park delight in first competition win!

Hatton Park Primary School claimed their first tournament win and a place in the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Sainsbury’s School Games Spring Finals by winning the South Cambs SSP ‘Small Schools’ tag rugby competition in some style. The mixed team of year 4, 5 & 6 pupils won five from five matches and scored 23 tries along the way whilst conceding only 4!

Over 200 children took part in the event which was held at Melbourn Village College with 11 schools competing in the ‘small schools’ competition which is open to schools with fewer than 120 pupils in Key Stage 2 and a further 6 teams competing in the open competition. The competition for ‘bigger’ schools was played out in a simple round robin format whilst the small schools competition was split into two pools with all teams playing each other in a round robin format with the winners of each group then progressing through to a final.

In the small schools competition it was the teams from Hatton Park and Haslingfield that qualified as group winners and with both teams going into the final with 100% records the stage was set for a competitive and entertaining final. The teams didn’t disappoint with some excellent rugby on display but it was Hatton Park who claimed victory and the title of South Cambs Small Schools Champions with a 2-0 win. There were other strong performances in the competition and having only lost one game apiece all afternoon Coton and Harston & Newton played it out for 3rd and 4th position. It was a high scoring game but Coton, last year’s winners edged it 4-3 to claim 3rd place.

Hatton Park & Haslingfield Primary schools now go forward to represent South Cambridgeshire at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Sainsbury’s School Games Spring Finals on 17th March 2016; we wish them the best of luck!

In the open competition Steeple Morden successfully defended their title with 4 wins and a draw ensuring they topped the group with 13 points. They were pushed hard though and having only managed a 1-1 draw against their second team it meant they had to beat newcomers The Meadow Primary School from Balsham to guarantee victory. They did this with a 3-1 score line which left The Meadow as runners up with 12 points from their 5 games, a very respectable finish indeed. Both of these teams now progress to the SSP Finals on 3rd March where they will play the winners of the Yr 5/6 tag rugby competition to be held at Swavesey Village College in February, to determine the overall South Cambs Champions and decide who qualifies for the county finals.

New for this year’s competition was a special ‘Spirit of the Games’ award which has been introduced to support the work being done in schools across the Partnership to encourage children to think about the lessons that can be learned through sport and the importance of values such as respect, determination, teamwork, honesty, passion and self-belief; not only in sport but everyday life. The ‘Spirit of the Games’ award therefore recognises the team that has shown good sportsmanship and best demonstrated these sporting values and was judged by the sports leaders and competition organisers.

The winner of this award was Coton Primary School a team that had played in great spirit all afternoon, giving three cheers to the opposition after every match, thanking the referees and showing great determination to come back and claim 3rd place after a tough defeat in their last group match. Well done to each and every one of them.

Claire McDonnell, Partnership Manager said, “Despite the damp conditions it was a fantastic afternoon of rugby with some really good performances and not much separating the top 4 teams in both competitions. We hope events like this inspire and motivate the children to play more sport.

Congratulations to all of the players and schools that took part and a big thank you to the leaders from Melbourn Village College and Comberton Sixth Form who did a great job in officiating the matches and ensuring the event ran smoothly.”

Further photos from the event can be viewed on our Facebook page

Tag Rugby Competition Full Results