Wells lift Kent Cup
The boys from Tunbridge Wells under-14s have been crowned Kent Cup winners. They came through three weekends of action undefeated, lifting the trophy with a 16-5 win over Old Alleynians in the final. Tunbridge Wells beat Gravesend, Ashford, Sittingbourne and Aylesford on the opening weekend, scoring 81 points without conceding.
They met Tonbridge Juddians, Old Elthamians and Dartford Valley in week two, scoring 37 points and conceding five. Finals weekend began with four tries, two for Jared Van Zijl and one each for twins Isaac and Flynn Hawken in a dominant 24-0 win over Southwark Tigers.
The front three of Bill Gillespie, Ben Rothwell and
George Crossland looked rocksolid, with Charlie Mitchell and Bertie Brown constant pests at the breakdown.
Next up were hosts and local rivals Tonbridge Juddians, with Wells winning 17-0.
Wells’ power showed as 6ft
5in No.8 Freddie Jones picked up the ball in midfield and stretched his legs all the way to the try line, which James Croker converted.
Hamish Weaver at No.10 was starting to control the game and with Jake Ward and Albie Andrews causing problems, tries from Akbar Kyshtoobaev and Flynn Hawken completed the win.
The final, against fellow undefeated side Old Alleynians, promised to be a belter.
Jones picked up from a scrum and went blindside with
support from Quinn Massey and Van Zijl to score the opening try, but OAs levelled before half-time.
Croker penalties opened an 11-5 lead before Flynn Hawken powered over for the winning try.
Tunbridge Wells chairman Mike Rigby said: “This is a fantastic achievement for
our under-14s and is the culmination of their hard work during the entire season. “We pride ourselves on being a volunteer-run community sports club which offers bestin-class coaching across the age groups.
“It is great to see those volunteers delivering such a fantastic experience for thee
kids here. Well done, boys.” Tunbridge Wells were one of only two clubs to enter two teams in the competition, as they are blessed with more than 50 members in the under14 age group.
Overall, the youth section have more than 775 members ranging from under-6s to under-18s.