Red Sharks claim fourth League Leaders Shield
The Duhaney Park Red Sharks secured their fourth consecutive League Leaders Shield in the Rugby League Around The Grounds-sponsored National Club Championship. Duhaney Park was led by flying winger Andrew Simpson, who bagged four tries in a convincing 66-10 victory over Liguanea Dragons at the UWI, Mona Sports Complex on Saturday.
The Red Sharks finished the regular season on 25 points, one more than GC Foster Angels, who ended with 24. GC Foster finished their regular season with a 40-2 victory over Spanish Town Vikings at home. The competition’s leading try scorer, Antonio Baker, grabbed five tries for the winners to finish with 20 tries in 10 games.
At Up Park Camp, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Warriors rounded out the top three with 19 points after beating the Washington Boulevard Bulls 28-8.
Duhaney Park winning assistant coach Roy Calvert, said the result made them “extremely proud”.
“This is the first team in 14 years of competition to win four consecutive League Leaders Shield. We have a good mix of experience and youth. We had five debutants this season, and we are looking forward to the Finals Series and defending our national title.”
The National Club Championship now moves into the playoff stages. On September 1, the Dragons (fourth seed) face off with the Vikings (seventh seed), and the Warriors will face the Bulls (fifth seed) in the Eliminators.
The Red Sharks and the Angels will face the winners in the semi-finals on September 8. The Grand Finals will then be played on September 15 at a venue to be announced.