VICKERSTOWN were victorious in the Barrow and District Junior Football League’s maiden under-sevens trophy event.

The league have launched competitive trophy competitions at all levels from under-10s down this season, in a new FA-backed initiative.

Previously, teams in these age groups were not permitted to play competitive league or cup games, or have their results published.

But a new drive has seen a change in policy and teams from the Barrow league have jumped at the chance to take part in a structured tournament.

Over two weeks of action, the under-sevens side battled it out on the 3G pitch at Furness College, where the torrential rain leading up to finals weekend could not stop matches being played.

Sides were initially divided into Red and Blue groups, playing each other in a round-robin format, with five teams progressing to the Autumn Cup and five to the Autumn Shield.

Vickerstown, Millom Juniors, Barrow Celtic, Crooklands Casuals and Walney Island were the qualifiers for the Cup, while Holker Old Boys, Furness Rovers, Barrow Island, Ulverston Rangers and Barrow Wanderers went on to battle it out in the Shield.

The Autumn Cup was won by Vickerstown, who went eight matches unbeaten on their way to lifting the trophy.

They conceded just two goals in the course of those games, with smiles abounding in the downpours as they claimed overall victory. Walney Island finished as runners-up, having also been unbeaten in the final cup stages.

In the Autumn Shield, Holker Old Boys topped the table, with Furness Rovers second in the standings.

The under-sevens trophy and plate events will be followed by the under-eights tournaments at Furness College over the next two weekends.

The under-nines and under-10s are also contesting cup and plate events, but in a different format.

They are playing matches over a six-week period on their home pitches, with group stages followed by a KO Cup format.

The under-sevens competition was hailed a great success by parents and coaches alike, and Barrow JFL secretary Nigel Holmes said of the initiatives: “The Autumn Trophy events are new to the calender and are an FA initiative to introduce the younger players to competitive football in smaller chunks, rather than a season-long competitive league. We will also be doing Spring Trophy events, beginning in March.”