The Rugby League Southern Regional Championships returns to Pennine Way, home of Hemel Stags, on Sunday 29th September, with London & South East looking to defend the title they won at the same venue in 2023.
Fans attending the championships, which are free to watch, can expect an afternoon of intense and entertaining Rugby League, with some of the best community players outside of the North of England representing their regions. The first game will kick-off at 13:00.
Founded as part of the community game performance pathway, the Southern Regional Championships provides a platform for talented and ambitious players within the grassroots game to represent their region while trying to catch the eye of the national selectors.
There is also a title at stake, with the strongest team being crowned Southern Regional Champions 2024. This year, with the withdrawal of the West of England, three teams will take to the field: 2023 winners London & South East, Midlands and the East of England. Teams play each other in a round-robin format, with each game comprising two halves of 25 minutes.
Each region has assembled a strong squad, picked from community teams based in their area, and an experienced coaching and management team. In total, 19 community clubs are represented, with a geographic spread that shows the growth of grassroots Rugby League across England.
London & South East’s coaching and management team includes Kevin Rudd (Elmbridge Eagles), Liam Seabbrook (London Chargers), and father-and-son team Martin and Joe Coyd (Medway Dragons and England Wheelchair Rugby League).
The East of England will be led by head coach Tony Musgrave (Canvey Knights), assisted by Dean Condren (Keighley Albion), player-coach Jamie Impey (Brentwood Eels) and Tom Scarsbrook (both Brentwood Eels).
Meanwhile, Rich Squires (formerly Midlands Hurricanes) and Jamie Jones (Oxford Cavaliers/Midlands Hurricanes Women) will coach the Midlands, with management support from Midlands’ program manager Mark Cleaver (Boston Buccaneers) and team manager Martin Foskett (Telford Raiders).
Rugby League Southern Regional Championships
Schedule
13:00 – London & South East v East of England
14:05 – Midlands v London & South East
15:10 – East of England v Midlands
Squads
London & South East
Marcus Alexander-Neil (Brixton Bulls), Louis Baker (Medway Dragons), Ollie Baptiste-Wilson (Elmbridge Eagles), Matt Beasley (Wests Warriors), Leon Bird (Elmbridge Eagles), Sam Brown (Medway Dragons), Doug Chirnside (London Chargers), Ben Cowell (Brixton Bulls), Luke Drummond (Elmbridge Eagles), Rhys Gue (Medway Dragons), Nick Hardinges (Medway Dragons), Eamon Iheme (Elmbridge Eagles), Tyler Johnson-Thomas (Wests Warriors), Andy Joyce (Brixton Bulls), Tyler Kearsey (London Chargers), George Moore (Medway Dragons), Dave O’Connor (London Chargers), Ugo Thomas-Onyeji (Brixton Bulls), Reiss Walker (Wests Warriors)
Midlands
Dave Adams (Telford Raiders), Ryan Alexander (Coventry Bears), Leon Atherton (Bristol All Golds), Nick Collins (Oxford Cavaliers), Liam Cashman (Telford Raiders), Luke Davies (Telford Raiders),Ben Foskett (Telford Raiders), Harry Housley (Telford Raiders), Kyle Jones (Leamington Royals), Harry Kaufman (Coventry Bears), Ben Kelly (Sherwood Wolfhunt), Will Lever (Telford Raiders), Max McCloud (Coventry Bears), Olly Pope (Telford Raiders), Alex Robertson (Boston Buccaneers/RAF RL), Dan Robinson (Telford Raiders), Andy Prosser (Oxford Cavaliers), Ollie Summerland (Sherwood Wolfhunt), Brayton Taylor (Sherwood Wolfhunt), Chev Taylor (Birmingham Bulldogs)
East of England
Mofe Abidekun (Eastern Rhinos), Joe Allison (NH Crusaders), Dan Barber (Bedford Tigers), Jack Brown (Bedford Tigers), Shea Cotter (Brentwood Eels), Harry Crelin (Brentwood Eels), Callum Dockerill (NH Crusaders), Will Evans (NH Crusaders), Jamie Impey (Brentwood Eels), Ethan Johnson (Eastern Rhinos), Alfie Justice (Canvey Knights), James Little (Bedford Tigers), Callum Moon (Bedford Tigers), Harry Pyke (Brentwood Eels), Charlie Randall (Eastern Rhinos), Greg Short (Anglia Vipers), Ollie Strange (Brentwood Eels), Chris Sykes (St. Ives Roosters), Georgie Treffers (Brentwood Eels), Luke Wilson (Bedford Tigers)
For more information, please email Matt Anniss or contact on 07786 393174.
