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Beach Rugby Festival the 'Best Ever'

Local teams dominated what is being described as the ‘best ever’ Beach Rugby event held at Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay over the weekend.

Teams travelled from all over the country for the final leg of national Beach Rugby series but they couldn’t overcome the might of Cornwall’s fast-paced tag rugby players.

In the end Stash, made up largely of players from Newquay Hornets, were crowned champions ahead of other local side Best Team Here.

A total of 48 teams took part in the fun, community rugby tournament organised by Lusty Glaze with support from the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

While many of the matches were hard-fought and competitive, the emphasis was on a fun, family-friendly event designed to inspire community involvement in rugby.

Jeremy Griffiths, beach owner and event organiser, commented: “It was awesome to see so may people down here at the weekend enjoying the tag rugby, the fine weather and the entertainment. All the participants and spectators had a lot of fun and helped to make it such an enjoyable event.”

Mike Bratt, RFU Rugby Development Officer for Cornwall, added: “The standard of play was very high but the event was not all about the quality of the matches. The whole point is a family event that everyone can enjoy. We had teams made up of people from the youngest children to the oldest grandparents. That’s what it was all about.”

One of the most memorable games was the decider of the lower pool known as the Mug. Small children as young as four and five from Welsh team the Purple Cobras put up a brave fight against Newquay crowd-pullers the Pink Ladies, only missing out on the trophy by a couple of points.

The legendary festival, which takes place at Lusty Glaze beach each August Bank Holiday, has grown in popularity over the years to become one of Cornwall’s best loved events – for players and spectators.

As the home of British beach rugby, the Lusty Glaze organised event always draws a crowd as much for the free entertainment as for the play. Players, supporters and beach-goers were this year entertained by local band Small Wonder, and the weekend was rounded off with a spectacular fireworks display over the classic Cornish cove.

The RFU’s Mike Bratt commented: “A lot of people said this was the best year so far. We were very lucky with the weather and the spirit of the participants helped to make it a memorable event.

“I’d like to thank the referees and officials, because without them this event wouldn’t happen. And a special mention should go to the crew at Lusty Glaze who did a fantastic job of organising the event and looking after everyone during three long days of play.”

Watch a video of the beach rugby action>>