Tour trophy glory for Lisburn Under-11s

The group of 18 boys, led by coaches Jonathan Hall, Paul Chapman and Herman Manso flew to Bristol on April 12 to take part in the South Coast Festival of Rugby in Torquay. The team was accompanied by 20 supporting parents.

The tournament took place on the Saturday and Sunday with the boys playing up to six games of rugby each day. The Lisburn team was the only squad representing Northern Ireland.

After the first day the team showed their strength and was in a contending position; so it was with heightened expectation when they took to the rugby pitches on the Sunday. After a difficult game against a very tough Welsh side the Lisburn team played against Coney Hill, in a tense run-off for the South-Coast U-11 Challenge Cup. It was a tightly contested game with no tries scored in the first half.

However, with about five minutes to go Lisburn won a scrum near the opposition line, and the team ran the ball over for the only score of the game. The Lisburn team had secured the trophy – a great result and reward for the U-11 side.