HAWCOAT Park came under siege from hundreds of primary school children enjoying a taste of tag rugby.

Nineteen teams from 14 South Cumbrian schools flocked to the sports club for the annual spectacular, with clever footwork, tricky passes and blistering runs all on display.

The RU pitch saw four games running at any one time, with the action coming thick and fast as the Year 5 and 6 pupils battled it out to be crowned Furness district champions.

The seven-a-side matches – with squads made up of 10 players, and two girls having to be on the pitch at all times – were played in a group format, with the top sides from each going through to the semi-finals.

Teams from Yarlside Academy, Penny Bridge, Greengate Juniors, South Walney Juniors, St Paul’s, Roose, Croftlands Juniors, Dane Ghyll, St George’s, Holy Family, Victoria Academy, St James, George Romney and Sir John Barrow took to the field knowing each group winner would qualify for the county competition in Kirkby Stephen this week.

Holy Family, Greengate Juniors, South Walney Juniors and Yarlside were those four teams, with Yarlside beating South Walney in the final to be crowned as district champions.

The final was a close game, with whoever scored first in a good position to win, with the other team always playing catch up.

The two sides traded tries all the way until the final whistle, with Yarlside scoring first and winning seven tries to six.

Furness School Games organiser Oliver Carswell was pleased with the success of the event, thanks to the help of teachers from the area.

He said: “The competition wouldn’t have been able to go ahead without the hard work of Mr Bland and some other teachers who helped organise it.

“The RFU used to be heavily involved in this competition, but as their focus on competition has shifted to older age groups there was a danger that this competition wouldn’t take place. Thankfully, we were able to run the competition with great success.

“The tournament showed how high the standard of school rugby is in this area. I was very impressed with the passing, running lines and tempo of play. It would have been a real shame if these children were unable to showcase their talents.”