Rutlish Raiders handed St Albans Centurions’ U13 team its first loss of the season and knocked them out of the London League play-offs on Saturday.
The Cents romped to the league title this season, winning every game, but Rutlish prevailed 34-32 in their play-off semi-final to set up a showdown with Brentwood Eels, who finished second to St Albans in the league but beat Sussex Merlins to reach the final.
The Cents were hurt but selection problems, meaning coach Craig Naylor only had 13 players to chose from. Still, the game could not have been closer, with the teams never separated by more than a try. Then, with the Cents leading 32-28 with two minutes to play, Rutlish crossed the line.
After the game, Cents chairman Brian Parker said: “What an exciting game by two teams who gave it their all, I would love to see them play each other again with two full strength teams. This season the play-offs have eluded us. The boys will have to settle for finishing top of the league and being league champions.”
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