St Albans claim Cup but Chargers extend lead

St Albans Gold became the first team to break Manchester Chargers’ run of Cup titles in the Steeden Development National Touch Series, but Chargers’ second place finish in Cheltenham nevertheless saw them extend their lead at the top of the table.

Manchester, Norwich Rebels, St Albans, Yorkshire Thorns and CSSC all went through the group stages with a perfect record, with Bristol Fijians and Cheltenham Tigers close behind with two wins and a draw each.

The quarter finals between the undefeated teams were all close, with none being won by more than two touchdowns. The same applied to the semi-finals, too, with St Albans pipping the Thorns by one and Manchester beating Norwich 3-1.

However the relative lack of numbers caught up with Manchester in the final, as St Albans recorded an 8-2 win to take home the main trophy.

The other trophies went to Cheltenham Tigers (Plate), Chester Cheetahs (Bowl), G:Force (Shield), and EY London Vipers (Salver).

With one round to go in Derby in September the Chargers have a 21-point lead over Norwich and St Albans Gold, who are tied in second place, with Yorkshire Thorns a further five points behind.