Rockets get lift-off with tournament
RUGBY LEAGUE
THE first junior rugby league competition to be held in Alnwick proved a great success.
More than 150 children from all the area’s primary schools took part in the tournament, held at Lindisfarne Middle School.
It was supported by Sporting Leaders, year eight students trained by Cramlington Rockets, who helped officiate and organise the event.
Rockets Community, the community arm of the Rockets, has worked tirelessly for the last two years to introduce rugby league to the area.
It is the furthest north in England anyone has ever taken rugby league and that is largely down to the efforts of head community coach Danny Gilroy.
He provides regular school coaching in all the local primary schools and in 2016 launched a successful school holiday camp, attended by 50 children the first time it was held.
With impressive skills on show throughout, in a tense final Swansfield Park First School and Hippsburn First School could not be separated - meaning the final result was a well-earned draw.
With a huge amount of work going in behind the scenes to get to this point, Gilroy was thrilled at how the event wen.
He said: “I was just over the moon with how the competition went.
“To go from rugby league being non-existent in the town to now being able to hold a competition like this shows how far the game has come.
“I would like to thank all the schools and the whole Alnwick community.
“Everyone has really embraced our new sport and we feel so welcome every time we come up here.
“We have big plans for Alnwick and we look forward to the town’s continued support.”
Cramlington Rockets are the North East’s largest rugby league club with an award-winning community department.
For more information about schools coaching, email Steve Beaty at rocketscommunity@ gmail.com.