The eight teams who will be taking to the field in this year’s National Champion Schools Finals have been confirmed.
Castleford Academy will take on Malet Lambert from Hull in the Year 7 final, while the Year 8 tie will be between St Peter’s (Manchester) and Dewsbury’s St John Fisher.
Meanwhile, a local derby takes place in the Year 9 final with Castleford Academy going head-to-head with Outwood Grange from Wakefield, and the Year 10 Girls title will go to either Castleford Academy or St John Fisher from Dewsbury.
The finalists were decided at two action-packed festivals which took place at Crosfields RLFC in Warrington this week.
Road to the final
Castleford Academy Year 7 Girls
Castleford Academy enjoyed a clean sweep of wins in the group stages – beating Longdean 20-12, before overcoming Newminster 12-8 and winning 20-12 against Deanery to book their place in the national semi final, where they edged home 16-4 against Newminster, who finished second in the group.
Malet Lambert Year 7 Girls
Malet Lambert were unbeaten in the group stages, as they ran out 16-4 winners against Harris Academy Crystal Palace, before beating West Lakes Academy by the same scoreline.
Though they drew with St Peter’s 4-4 in their final group game, they finished top of the four-team pool.
They booked their place at Richmond Athletic Ground thanks to a close 12-8 national semi-final win over West Lakes Academy.
Malet Lambert Year 7 Girls
Castleford Academy Year 7 Girls
St John Fisher (Dewsbury) Year 8 Girls
SJF kicked off the festival with an impressive 28-0 win over Waldegrave, before beating Seaton Sluice 24-8, ahead of a hard-fought 20-16 win over Rainford to top Pool 1.
In the national semi final, they edged out West Lakes Academy, who were runners up in Pool 2, 12-0 to make it to the final in London this August.
St Peter’s (Manchester) Year 8 Girls
Manchester’s St Peter’s made it to Richmond thanks to picking up four wins from as many games during the festival.
They edged out West Lakes Academy 12-0 in their first game in Pool 2, before wins against Bishopshalt (20-12) and Airedale Academy (20-4) to win their group.
In the final, they came up against the runners up from Pool 1, Rainford, and produced a fine performance to win 16-8 in an entertaining game, which secured their progress to the national final.
St John Fisher Year 8 Girls
St Peter’s Year 8 Girls
Outwood Grange (Wakefield) Year 9 Girls
Outwood Grange secured their place in the national final thanks to a perfect group stage record, before a hard-fought final win.
They kicked things off by beating Workington Academy 16-0 in an impressive first game. They then overcame St Peter’s 16-4 in game two, ahead of another 16-0 win over Workington Academy which saw them finish top of the three-team group.
In the semi final, they came up against North East-based Astley High, who came second in Pool 1, and won 12-4 in an entertaining game.
Castleford Academy Year 9 Girls
Castleford Academy Year 9 Girls scored an impressive 68 points on their way to the final in London.
They started the festival with a 16-4 win over King’s Langley, before beating Astley High by the same scoreline. Their final group stage game finished in a 20-4 win against Rainford.
After finishing top of their Pool, they played against St Peter’s, who were second in their group, and won the semi final 16-0 after an impressive performance.
Castleford Academy Year 9 Girls
Outwood Grange Year 9 Girls
Castleford Academy Year 10 Girls
Castleford Academy’s Year 10 Girls team won their first game 8-4 against Archbishop Tenisons. An entertaining clash, before an impressive 20-0 win over Workington Academy.
Their final group game was a comfortable 16-4 win over Deanery, and they went on to win the national semi final 12-0 against Astley High.
St John Fisher (Dewsbury) Year 10 Girls
St John Fisher conceded just eight points on their way to the national final thanks to an impressive festival performance.
In their first game, they won 12-0 against Harris Academy Crystal Palace, while they overcame Astley High 16-0 in game two.
Their third and final group stage game was a hard-fought 12-4 win over Atherton, before they went on to win a hard-fought semi-final against Croydon-based Archbishop Tenison’s.
Castleford Academy Year 10 Girls
St John Fisher Year 10 Girls
For a full run-down of results, click HERE.
Finals – Friday 25th August 2017
Richmond Athletic Association, Twickenham Road, Richmond, London, TW9 2SF
Champion Schools Year 7 Girls Final
Castleford Academy (Wakefield) v Malet Lambert (Hull)
KO: 11.00am
Champion Schools Year 8 Girls Final
St John Fisher Academy (Dewsbury) v St Peter’s RC High (Manchester)
KO: 12.00pm
Champion Schools Year 9 Girls Final
Outwood Grange Academy (Wakefield) v Castleford Academy (Wakefield)
KO: 2.30pm
Champion Schools Year 10 Girls Final
Castleford Academy (Wakefield) v St John Fisher Academy (Dewsbury)
KO: 4.45pm