TABARD completed the double with a high-scoring win over Welwyn in the Herts Presidents’ Tankard final.

Having comprehensively wrapped up North 2 North West, Tabard’s hooker Brian Gates scored a hat-trick of tries in the dying seconds of the Tankard final to complete a 41-14 win.

Tabard spent virtually all the first 20 minutes of the game in the Welwyn half but solid defence kept them out, and Welwyn even managed the occasional break out of defence but to no avail.

Then Tabard scored two quick tries, both from line-out drives with Gates claiming both scores. Stand off Jack Reilly converted both and Tabard were 14 points clear.

Just before half time the mixture was repeated only this time Tabard’s Number 8, Cam O’Connor, claimed the touch down and Tabard went into the break 19-0 up.

Straight from the restart, Tabard attacked and the ball was passed quickly out to second row Jo Jacobs, who found himself out on the wing and he stretched the defence to touch down in the corner.

Welwyn then rallied and a good period of pressure was rewarded with a try for their prop, Louis Castiglione, converted by centre Pat Lynch.

Both sides then went off the boil slightly and another Tabard attack looked like floundering short but loose head prop Bill Lake thought otherwise and in a fine solo effort drove through the covering defence from 10 metres out for the try, which Reilly converted.

As the game went into the final quarter both sides then added another try from a line out drive. Welwyn went first with hooker Rory Page claiming the try and Lynch converting and then O’Connor claimed his second try following a Tabard drive.

With the game virtually over, Tabard had one last move with flanker Dan Calnan and O’Connor featuring before Gates took the scoring pass and surged through the despairing defence for the final score.