by Julie Morgan

Last updated at 12:19, Thursday, 26 April 2012

ST BENEDICT’S School’s Year 11 team have reached through to the national final of the Carnegie Champion Schools rugby league competition.

Final hurdle: St Benedict’s rugby stars celebrate their win

They beat last year’s champions Brooksbank, of Halifax, in Leeds, 46-28, after over-turning an 18-12 deficit at half-time and showing a “strong and aggressive’’ second half display.

St Benedict’s will now face Hull’s Sirius Academy in the final on May 9 at Grattan Stadium, home of Bradford Bulls.

Gareth Orton, head of Year 11 and PE teacher at St Benedict’s, praised the team’s “determination and spirit.’’

He said: “They were confident winners. They took the game to the opponents and were hard-hitting with clinical finishing. It was an all-round team performance.’’

Kurtis Quinn and Will Agnew “led from the front’’, supported by the “explosive creativity and power of Jordan Burns, Dominic Wear and Danny Hodgson,’’ Mr Orton said.

He also mentioned the clinical finishing of Cole Walker-Taylor, Greg Howland and Jake Moore.

Brooksbank had previously won the school’s title three years in a row.

Paul Farrell, St Benedict’s coach, said: “I am very proud of them. The squad are confident in their own ability and are resilient. They want to finish on a high.

“There is a real buzz around the school following their win.’’

Try scorers were Cole Walker-Taylor (2), Jordan Burns (2), Jake Moore, Dominic Wear, Greg Howland and Danny Hodgson.

Wear kicked six goals out of seven (the seventh hitting the bar), with Burns also kicking a goal.

The school’s Year 8 and Year 10 sides are also both in with a chance of national glory after reaching the last eight of their respective competitions.

While the Year 10 girls rugby league team are also in the national qualifying rounds held at Derby on May 24.

The boys’ Year 10 battled back from 18-0 down to knock top RL school St Peter’s, of Wigan, out of the tournament 25-18 in an earlier round.

And similar battling qualities will be needed against reigning champs Outward Grange, of Wakefield, in their forthcoming last-eight clash in Yorkshire.

Classy Wigan pair Dominic Wear (Kells) and Jake Moore (Wath Brow) are in the Benny’s side, along with Nathan Doran (Kells and Salford) and Cumbria scholarship kids Danny Docherty and Thomas Ferguson (both Wath Brow), and Daniel Caine and Jordan Johnstone (both Kells).

The school’s current Year 8s last year reached the national semi-finals where they were beaten 14-12 by Brooksbank. And this year they may face an even tougher task in their quarter-final against St Wilfred’s of Featherstone, who knocked out Brooksbank in the last round. But at least the Cumbrians will have home advantage for the May 2 test at 2pm.

First published at 11:10, Thursday, 26 April 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk