Sedbergh finish the season in style with home win
SCHOOLS RUGBY
SEDBERGH emerged triumphant in their own Tens tournament to take the last piece of major silverware available in the school year by beating Brighton College 7-5 thanks to a Tom Newman try and Matthew Cook conversion with the last touch of the game.
Sedbergh's drama was arguably trumped by Hurstpierpoint's extra time victory in the Plate, beating KES Bath 5-0.
The victory is Sedbergh's first at the tournament for five years, and breaks Kirkham's two year reign. It was heartbreak again for Brighton who also succumbed to a last minute drop goal against Kirkham in the St Joseph's Tens in October, and again fell short despite a red card to Sedbergh with over a quarter of the game remaining.
The hosts were worthy winners, defying their numerical disadvantage and horrendous conditions to come up with the goods. Despite slow starts in all seven of their games, they topped their group on day one with a 31-10 win over Wakefield, 29-0 win over Dulwich and a 12-5 win over RGS High Wycombe.
High scoring finishes were limited to the clear skies of day one as rain turned the pitch into a quagmire on day two. Nonetheless, they beat Macclesfield 12-0 and Seaford 5-0, before losing 12-7 to Ipswich in the Cup Group. A superior points difference allowed passage over Seaford to the final, while Brighton had overcome High Wycombe, Stamford and Kirkham on day two, as well as Macclesfield, Cokethorpe, and Hurstpierpoint on day one.
Hurstpierpoint's Plate victory came via Tom Bosley's effort with four minutes remaining in extra time to seal a golden point victory. They had spent the entire first half of extra time in their own 22, but embraced the conditions with a pick-and-go game in the second, allowing for Bosley to bundle over for the winner.
Following losses against Brighton and Macclesfield on day one, they won their day two group against Felsted, Barnard Castle and Wakefield.
