Russell Scott pupils storm to victory

More than 200 school pupils assembled at Aldwinians’ Audenshaw Park to compete in the Tag Rugby Finals.

The event, which was organised and coordinated by the Tameside School Sports Partnership, is one of the most anticipated events of the year and, as usual, produced some exceptional team and individual performances.

Tag rugby is a fantastic way to introduce youngsters to the sport but in a safe, non-contact environment. It promotes constant movement, efficient communication and team work.

Russell Scott Primary School, Denton, took first spot, whilst Pinfold Primary School and Our Lady of Mount Carmel came second and third respectively.

Reporter Sport attended the competition and spoke to Emma Toone, TSSP Games Organiser, who said she was delighted with the turnout in tough conditions. “They’ve been amazing; it’s the biggest competition we have with so many teams entering.

“We’ve had Aldwinians helping us today, but we’ve also had Dukinfield rugby club and Ashton rugby club helping us as well. To have volunteers from the clubs who work so professionally with us makes it brilliant.

“The team is made up of 12 children, eight in a team, two girls and it just encourages lots of movement as they’re constantly running so its excellent for us.

“They’re identifying space and trying to use the space which is what they’ve been learning in school recently. Tonight we’ll have some happy children going away with medals and trophies.”

The action comes thick and fast during term time and the Quick Sticks Hockey event is next on the agenda. “We’ve gone with the option of making sure the competitions are all outdoor at the minute, so we’ve got the quick sticks hockey coming up. We’re trying to provide different options and looking to make sure that everyone in a class can take part  - not just the sportiest kids. It’s a case of try it out and see if you can score a goal. We don’t care about how many you score, just have a go at playing the sport.”

The success of the tag rugby event was partially down to the volunteers who officiated the fixtures. Rob Taylor, an Under 11s coach at Aldwinians, was one of the match officials and he was delighted to see so many youngsters getting stuck into the action. “A lot of these kids probably haven’t been exposed to rugby before or for the last few months. Covid’s not helped because some of the year 6’s haven’t played rugby at all throughout the whole of 2020 and 2021. So, to have them playing here at the club is fantastic.

“At Aldwinians, we’ve got a great bunch of boys and girls and average about 22 kids and it’s growing. We’re here every Friday night from 6-7pm, as are most of the junior teams and the mini teams. We’ve kept a core group who’ve been here since they were seven-years-old. We’ve got ever expanding numbers, and the more the merrier for myself.”