Inter-schools tag event is huge success
THE sunshine split the sky at this year’s Lochaber inter-schools tag rugby competition as more than 300 pupils from 22 schools, from as far away as Inverie and Strontian, took to the field.
The event, held last Wednesday, was run by Lochaber Rugby Club in conjunction with Active Schools and PE teachers and was once again sponsored by Sportsafe UK Ltd.
In the P4/5 category, Inverlochy and Lundavra were the only teams to win all four of their pool games. They were joined in the semi-finals by Invergarry and Banavie, who beat a strong combined team from Ardgour, Acharacle and Kilchoan in a three-way playoff for the last two places.
Lundavra saw off a feisty challenge from Invergarry to win their place in the final, against Inverlochy, who scored a last-minute try to deny Banavie a place. A tense final, with some great play, saw Inverlochy scoring the only try of the match to take the title.
Four teams won all their pool games in the P6/ 7 category, thus earning them their place in the semi-finals.
Lundavra gave a convincing performance to beat Bun Sgoil Ghaidhlig Loch Abar, while a combined team of pupils from Ardgour, Acharacle and Kilchoan took the second finals place by winning against Inverie. In an incredibly hard-fought and wellmatched final, Lundavra took a well-deserved win.
In the secondary event, all the teams played each other in a round robin format.
For the first time in many years, Lochaber managed to break Mallaig’s stranglehold on the event, and lifted the coveted trophy. Mallaig, under the guidance of retiring PE teacher Alan Cargill, took sec- ond place, with Ardnamurchan in third.
Pauline Donaldson from Lochaber Rugby Club said: ‘It’s been great to see the level of rugby skills and sportsmanship shown by the pupils today. We hope everyone enjoyed the day, and we look forward to new players inspired by the event coming along to rugby at the club in Banavie on a Saturday morning.’
Active Schools co- ordinator Bridget Thomas added: ‘Thanks go to all the Lochaber primary and secondary schools for attending, to the referees from Lochaber Rugby Club who worked very hard all day, many of them taking a day off work to do so, to High Life Highland’s Active Schools team and the PE and school staff, without whom this event could not take place.’