OLD ALBANIAN juniors took the lions’ share of the spoils at the Herts Midi Rugby Festival held over the weekend at the county showground.

Organised by Harpenden RFC, the tournament welcomed around 1,500 children from eight to 13-years-old, from 100 teams.

And OA’s U9, U10 and U12 teams enjoyed a lot of success.

In the County Cup U9 Lions beat Hemel Camelot in the semi final to set up a showdown with Harpenden, who had beaten OA Sharks in the previous round. In a hard fought final, OA came out on top, winning 3-1 with tries from Charlie (two) and Graydon.

OA Chiefs shared the U9 Shield with Stormers. OA were leading with a minute to go but a penalty seven meters out saw Chess Valley rally one final time to crash over the line.

There was also success in the County Plate, with OA Wolfpack beating Hitchin 4-2.

Julian Skeels, OA U9 head coach said: “As Head Coach, I have the pleasure of seeing the players all develop over the course of the season, and every season they never fail to meet and exceed every challenge we set them. The future of rugby at OAs is very exciting.”

The U10 teams had an equally impressive weekend, winning every single competition in the festival.

In the County Cup, OA beat Harpenden in an “exceptional” game of attack and defence.

OA’s B’s came out on top in the County Shield against Stevenage. Having been held to a draw against the same team in the group stages, OA proved too strong in the second meeting as the romped to victory.

The final competition was the County Plate and in a show of dominance it came down to two OA teams.

OA’s D and OA’s E remained unbeaten until their meeting and again there was nothing to separate the teams leading to them sharing the spoils.

U12 steam-rollered all opposition and won the County Cup. The B, C and D teams also produced great performances, showing the club’s strength in depth as the age group heads confidently for regional junior league rugby next season.