Rugby World

NORTH CHAMPIONS

NORTH PREMIER

BLAYDON

Captain Jack Davidson Coaches Keith Laughlin (head), Jason Smithson (forwards), Lee Hogarth (backs) Winning 16 of 22 matches in a curtailed season tells only half of Blaydon’s story. Their 21 bonus points were key to only their third league title and their first in 13 years, just two seasons after being relegated from National Two North.

The side adapted impressively to their RFU-funded artificial pitch and played an expansive game, which testified to a new coaching team led by Laughlin. Ryan Foreman was top point-scorer with Dan Marshall and Jack Appleton heading the tries. Harrogate were promoted too.

NORTH ONE EAST

YORK

Ross White Ian Thomson (DoR), Lee Denham (head), Declan Cusack (playerbacks-forwards), Carter Croft (skills) ‘Raising a glass’ turned into a virtual celebration via laptops for York at 4.30pm on what would have been the final day of the season. Former chairman Leon Shouksmith even

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