THE annual Tavistock Area Schools’ Tag Rugby Festival took place on March 21 and started out in beautiful sunshine and hopes were high for a good day of weather at Tavistock Rugby Club

Sixteen teams from Tavistock, St Andrew’s Buckland Monachorum, Whitchurch, Meavy, Mary Tavy and Brentor, Horrabridge, Lamerton, Gulworthy, St Peter’s and Milton Abbot were split into four groups to determine their competition level for the afternoon.

Tavistock were winners of group one, winning all their games against Horrabridge A, Meavy B and St Peter’s B. Horrabridge A were runners up. Group two was won by St Andrew’s A who also won all their games, Mary Tavy and Brentor were second.

Again winning all their games, Whitchurch took group three with St Andrew’s B runners up and Meavy led group four, on tries scored from St Peter’s A, who were second placed.

The winners of the groups went into the competition, the fourth third placed teams went into the trophy and the four fourth placed teams went into the vase. The second placed teams had a play-off which ended in Mary Tavy and Brentor and St Andrew’s B going through to the cup competition and Horrabridge A and St Peter’s A entering the trophy competition.

The afternoon games had not long started when the event was halted first by hail and then by a sudden but short thunderstorm when the children were taken into the clubhouse for shelter.

Sunshine came out after the storm so play resumed, with shorter games to make up the time.

The first silverware to be won was by Milton Abbot, who picked up the vase, beating Mary Tavy and Brentor B, Meavy B and Meavy C.

The trophy was a close competition between Horrabridge A and Horrabridge B with A edging the win by one point. St Peter’s A were third, Gulworthy fourth and Lamerton and St Peter’s B fifth equal.

St Andrew’s kept up their winning streak, winning all their games again in the cup event, beating Whitchurch, who were second, St Andrew’s B third, Tavistock and Mary Tavy and Brentor A fourth equal) and Meavy A.

Mary Tavy and Brentor won the Small Schools’ Cup, donated by Tavistock Rugby Club, as they were the highest placed small school in the competition.

This was a great effort from all the children on a very cold and sometimes very wet afternoon.

Thanks go to Tavistock Rugby Club, who provided the facilities free of charge, the referees Mark Rundle and James Mills from Tavistock RFC, Clive Marais and Mhairi McCall of OCRA, timekeeper Ryan Arthurs and Corey Burns, also of OCRA who kept the results sheets.

The teaching staff and parents also deserve recognition for braving the elements and continuing to motivate their players.