Land Rover Premiership Rugby Club winning North Walsham youngsters off to Twickenham
Winners of the Leicester Tigers Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup under-12s competition, North Walsham. Picture: onEdition - Credit: onEdition
The Aviva Premiership final may be six months away but North Walsham Under-12s will be counting down the days after booking their spot at Twickenham with victory in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup.
North Walsham were one of 32 teams in the competition at Oakham Rugby Club on Sunday, which was hosted by Leicester Tigers. Launched during the 2008-09 season, the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup is the first national grassroots tournament officiated by Premiership Rugby and run in conjunction with all 12 clubs.
Over 7,000 children will take participate in the competition this season as they go in search of a spot in the 'Parade of Champions' during half-time of the Aviva Premiership Grand Final.
And North Walsham fly-half George Loose made sure to put his name down on the guest list, as he and his side remained unbeaten in the group stage before edging out Market Harborough in the final by three tries to none – all scored by Sam Crossley.
Eleven-year-old Loose, who attends Norwich School, said: 'Before today, we thought we were going to make it to the final, but we didn't know we were going come out on top overall.
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'Sam had a really good game for us. He's a big unit and we use him for a lot of our play, he's a big part of our game plan.
'We're going to celebrate now. I'm not sure exactly when we're going to Twickenham, to be honest, but I can't wait.'
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Leicester Tigers were out to support the day, with first team starlet Charlie Thacker casting an eye over proceedings.
And Thacker, who is looking to emulate elder brother Harry in becoming a key member of Richard Cockerill's first team this term, believes he saw several players with huge potential.
'It's a massive occasion for these kids,' Thacker said. 'It's a great chance for them to showcase their rugby and a fantastic prize on offer with the chance to go to Twickenham.
n Land Rover is a supporter of grassroots rugby and has been a partner of the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup for nearly a decade. Their 'We Deal In Real' campaign continues to champion grassroots rugby.
