LT Primary school rugby a big hit at Banavie
Lochaber Rugby Club was abuzz with excitement on Wednesday May 3 when more than 350 primary school pupils swarmed upon Banavie for the 2023 Primary Inter-School Rugby Competition.
Teams from Caol, Banavie, BSGLA, Inverlochy, Lundavra, St Columba’s, Invergarry, Spean Bridge, Inverie, Mallaig, Arisaig, Lady Lovat, Acharacle, Ardgour, Strontian, Lochaline, St Bride’s, Duror, Ballachulish, Kinlochleven and Glencoe competed in P4/5 and P6/7 categories with great rugby on show.
Supported by the High Life Highland Active Schools team, primary school PE team and Lochaber Rugby Club volunteers, the day ran smoothly with 86 small-sided games taking place.
Stevie McAleer, Gary Hendrie, Marty Mackenna, Ryan Davies and Josh McCook donned their whistles to officiate, while Marc McCook acted as runner to collate the scores. Ailsa McAleer provided first aid and catering support.
With the top two teams in each group moving on to the semi-finals, in the P4/5 category it was Banavie, having gained the maximum eight points from their four matches, who topped group one ahead of Spean Bridge who joined them in second place on seven points.
In group two, a talented Ardgour/Lochaline side went through with seven points coming second to a rampant Caol side which joined Banavie on the perfect eight point mark to take top spot.
Banavie progressed from the semi-finals with a hard fought 2-0 victory over Ardgour/ Lochaline to meet Caol in the final who came through the semis with a 4-1 victory over an impressive Spean Bridge side.
The final was a fiercely contested match with the combative Banavie and tenacious Caol sides getting on the score sheet. However it was Caol who prevailed with a 3-1 victory to see them lift the trophy.
In the P6/7 section, Banavie again topped their group with full points with an impressive Inverlochy side finishing second on seven points.
In the other group, an impressive showing from St Bride’s and Caol saw them finishing the group tied on maximum points, with Caol topping the group courtesy of a better tries for total.
In the semi-finals, Caol snuck past Inverlochy with a late try to secure a 2-1 victory, progressing to the final against Banavie who saw off St Bride’s with a 2-0 victory in the second semi-final.
The final was a close affair with both teams getting on the scoresheet to make it 1-1.
As the clock ticked down, jubilant Banavie scored the winning try to make it 2-1 and see them lift the trophy. Active Schools co-ordinator Alan Gray said: “It was a fantastic day. It’s great to see so many young people taking part in sport and fantastic for them to be able to come to Lochaber Rugby Club. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success.”