Old Elthamians RFC captain Richie Trew could not contain his delight after a ‘magical’ Papa Johns Community Cup victory ensured his side finished the season undefeated.

The Chislehurst outfit powered past Wigan to claim the Counties 3 Championship with a 45-22 victory at a sun-drenched Twickenham Stadium.

Having already won each of their 18 league games, Old Elthamians arrived in southwest London full of confidence and delivered a superb seven-try display to cap off the most successful season in the club's history.

“It’s absolutely magical,” said Trew. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be playing here, let alone lifting a trophy where so many legends have stood.

“It’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my days and it’s even sweeter to do it in front of several hundred friends and family.

“Some are baring hangovers, 11am on a Sunday in south-west London is quite a trek for some, so it means so much to see the support and we'll really drink it all in.

“We’ve shown now that we’re back and we’re here to play and compete as the leagues go up and up.”

Old Elthamians led 19-0 early in the first half thanks to tries from Chris Sweet, Reis Norman and Evan McDonald but saw their lead cut to just two points at half time.

The second half was on a knife-edge until the 69th minute, when Will Davies pierced the Wigan defence before further tries from Sam Scott, George Robinson and vice-captain Joe Leigh made sure of victory.

“The game itself was an absolute rollercoaster,” said Trew. “Going 19-0 up pretty quick had us feeling a little overconfident, Wigan came back and came hard and fast and we dropped off towards the end of the first half and really let them back into the game.

“The message in the second half was back our fitness, back our process, don’t change anything just front up in attack because they had some big boys. We did that and it came good.”

A year-long celebration of community rugby, the Papa Johns Community Cup has enabled clubs to play different opposition and visit new places, while others reignited old local rivalries, all making plenty of memories along the way.

Finals weekend witnessed non-stop action across the country with more matches being held at Sixways Stadium, Shaftesbury Park and Darlington Mowden Park. 

“It’s been a dream experience being able to go to different counties, it’s what rugby is all about,” added Trew.

“We’ve been down to Devon, we’ve played a side from Wigan here – you don’t get that if you don’t enter the Papa Johns Community Cup.”

For a round up of all the Papa Johns Community Cup Final action and to watch the games back follow @RFU on X or search for #PapaJohnsCommunityCup