Winder win Senior House Rugby Cup

Winder House ran out 34-10 winners against a spirited Hart House side, to claim the Senior House Rugby Cup.

The rain, that poured for the entire game, did little to dampen the mood as pupils, staff and members of the public stood pitch side to watch the teams do battle.

Both sides progressed through to the final having performed well a week earlier. Winder House overcame School House and Sedgwick House, whilst Hart defeated both Powell House and Evans House without conceding a single point.

In a game, heavily affected by the conditions, it was Hart who got off to a strong start, scoring a try in the opening five minutes. As is the Sedbergh way, both sides were playing brilliant attacking rugby utilising both the talented forwards and the versatile backs.

Winder began to dominate the ball as the first half went on and in what was a tightly contested half, Winder went into the break with a lead of 12-5. Both sides remained on the field during the half-time break, huddled in tight, receiving words of wisdom from their Housemasters, Mr M McVoy (Hart) and Mr C Mahon (Winder).

Winder picked up where they left off in the first half, dominating possession as they fought to find a way to break down a resilient Hart defence. As the second half wore on, Winder Fly-Half, and SSFC Winger, H. Sheil, used the conditions to his team’s advantage and started putting boot to ball. The swirling winds and wet conditions, that would prove a nightmare combination for any player, started to take its toll on the Hart players as they predictably knocked the ball on. Winder pressed home their advantage with some quick tries to all but stretch the game away from Hart.

A brilliant solo try from Hart back, S. Balogun, breathed some life back into his team as they began their fightback, as the game drew to a close. Winder continued to force turnovers and with Winder camped down in the Hart half, the final whistle blew.

It was brilliant to welcome back Old Sedberghian and professional referee, Hamish Smales (S, 2000-2005) who officiated the game brilliantly. Someone who understands the passion shared between both sets of players in a fiercely contested game.

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