Sevenoaks Rugby Under 12s Blues won the Kent Cup and the Golds won the Kent Shield on Sunday 23 April 2017 in the Kent Finals at Aylesford Bulls RFC.
Sevenoaks fielded 51 players across three outstanding squads on the day.
In the Goblet the Stormers stuck to their task all day, notching up a victory over Beckenham in between two very plucky losses to Park House and to Medway.
The Golds started strongly in the Shield with a 4-0 win against Sidcup in an abrasive encounter. They followed that win up with their best performance of the season, a 4-1 victory against Deal & Betteshanger, playing fantastic running rugby. By winning the third and final match 3-1 versus a resolute Ashford, the Golds lifted the Shield. It was a fitting finale, the squad having lost just the one game to eventual Cup runners-up Old Elthamians during three weekends of Kent prelims and finals,
In the Cup, the Blues were fast out of the blocks and registered a 4-1 win over Old Alleynians. Next up Oaks faced longstanding rivals Canterbury, the only team to have beaten this excellent crop of players in five years of Kent Cup rugby (knocking Oaks out in the Kent Cup QF at Under 10s). Although the navy and golds had all the play, Oaks entered the last quarter of the match with a narrow 1-0 advantage. In the closing minutes Canterbury mounted wave after wave of attack on the Oaks line, which held firm thanks to phenomenal defensive play as Oaks secured the vital win.
The Blues' last match was effectively the Final, against Old Elthamians who had also secured wins against Canterbury and OAs - with exactly the same score lines as Oaks.
OEs enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges before Oaks' pressing defense came to the fore. Oaks opened the scoring with an interception from inside their own half. They secured a second try from a well executed box kick that bounced into the arms of the right wing who galloped in for the score. The two try advantage going into the break was doubled in the second half as Oaks began to find their rhythm. The strong OEs outfit kept pressing to the end. But there was no breach in a defensive line that only shipped two tries during the entire season. As the Final whistle went Oaks, 4-0 winners with a three wins from the record on the day, celebrated winning the Kent Cup for the second consecutive year.
The whole day was a fantastic achievement for the 'one squad'. Full credit to Kent RFU and all the volunteers involved in putting on a top showcase, and a huge thanks to the parents and families who go the extra mile every time for this special set of players. Come on you Oaks!
One Squad! Oaks win the Kent Cup and the Kent Shield...and Barney was there too!