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Rugby Cup Finals at Cheltenham North

Cheltenham > Sport > Rugby Union

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Monday, 1st May 2017, 11:50

“There’s only one team in Cheltenham” sang the jubilant Saracens supporters as their club completed a cup double at Stoke Orchard on Saturday.

Urged on by young Gloucester rugby players Billy Burns and Jacob Rowan, who have had such a positive impact since becoming part of their coaching set-up, Cheltenham Saracens won the Junior and Senior cups in thrilling style at the Cheltenham Combination’s end-of-season festival of rugby.

It almost became a procession as they lifted the showpiece Senior Cup just two hours after winning the Junior trophy on another spectacular afternoon for the upwardly mobile club.

The Gloucester Premier side defeated Old Patesians 2nds 39-29 to claim the major prize and their 2nd team overcame a 13-point half-time deficit to edge out brave Bredon Star 14-13.

The game against the Pats was almost over as a contest by half time as the super-charged Saracens averaged almost a point a minute to lead 39-5 at the break.

The tries came thick and fast with Liam Cooper, Chris True and Jake Townsend all touching down in the first quarter. The rapid Will Hewer – “The quickest player in the club,” said True – soon went over for try number four and prop Dan Burnham drove over for their fifth score on the stroke of half time.

With Jake Townsend in excellent kicking form, the Pats found themselves looking down the barrel at a 34-point deficit at the break – their only moment to celebrate coming when Pete Carter took a quick penalty and fed Lewis Mckissick who went over in the corner.

To their credit, the Pats rallied in the second half and cut the gap through a Carter try. They were even calling the tune for a while and the appropriately named ‘Rick’ Astley – real name James – skated in for two tries, both of which were converted by Lee Hathaway.

Jake Worthington gave the scoreline further respectability with his side’s fifth try but by then it was too little, too late for the Pats.

Where Saracens had dominated the first half in the Senior Cup, it was their second-half performance that won them the Junior Cup.

Trailing to a Matt Stone try and eight points from the boot of Jack Dowdeswell, they also lost captain Simon Betteridge to a heel injury before half time.

However, just before the break they served notice that they weren’t out of the game as centre Edward Hampshire made a searing break that suggested better things were just around the corner.

Indeed they were and it was that man Hampshire who was at the heart of their second-half fightback.

It was his charging run that gave wing Wayne Smallman the chance to score under the posts and Buster Mazowiec’s conversion left them just six points in arrears.

Saracens were in the ascendancy but there were only four minutes left on the clock when another Hampshire run saw him scythe through the Bredon defence for his side’s second try.

Mazowiec added the extras to spark the Sarries sing-song although they had to survive a last-gasp kick at goal before the party could start.

“There’s only one team in Cheltenham” they sang again and again. It may not be an accurate reflection of the state of rugby in the town, but for four hours on Saturday afternoon Saracens and their supporters didn’t care. And who can blame them?

Old Patesians at least had the consolation of picking up the Minor Shield when their 4ths defeated Cheltenham 3rds 8-3.

An early penalty by Cheltenham’s Marcus Evans was overhauled by a try by Pats fullback Ben Salisbury. In a game in which the two sides cancelled each other out for large parts, the only other score came courtesy of a James Kirby penalty.

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