Coventry Bears Harry Kaufman scored two decisive tries as the Midlands beat the East of England to secure their first Southern Regional Championship title at Pennine Way, Hemel Hempstead.
With the first two games in the tournament ending in draws, the Midlands and the East knew that the winner of their match – the last of an absorbing and hard-fought afternoon in Hertfordshire – would be crowned champions.
In the end it was Kaufman’s two tries – a first ten minutes before half time, and a second with ten minutes left in the game – that made the difference for the Midlands, who overcame a strongly fancied East team and reigning champions London to claim the title.
Earlier, London had produced a dramatic late comeback to draw 12-12 with the East, before producing another late rescue act in a dramatic 16-all draw with the Midlands. London, who won the title at the same venue in 2023, had been heading to defeat before West Warriors centre Reiss Walker grabbed his second of the game to rescue a point five minutes from time.
Initially established to aid squad selection for the now dormant Southern Lionhearts representative team, the Southern Regional Championship sees teams representing community leagues outside of the North of England compete for the title of regional champions.
Sides are picked, coached and managed by community activists from across the country, with the entire tournament filmed to aid selection for the England community representative side. This year, no fewer than 19 different clubs from across the country were represented. The same criteria applied to the match officials involved, too, with the team of four rewarded for their excellent work over the course of the 2024 summer season.
With the West of England being unable to field a team this year, three regions took to the field, facing off in a round-robin format. Each side played two 50-minute games, with no conversions following tries to speed up the game and maximise game time. In the end, the format delivered tight, entertaining Rugby League, with the outcome of the competition undecided going into the final minutes.
Jamie Jones, head coach of competition winners the Midlands, said: “Our Midlands squad was a reflection of the talent in the competition this season. We prepared well and were confident in our chances going into the tournament. We started slowly and had to chase the first game, but we were blessed with a squad of determined guys that knuckled down when asked and worked back into the game to get a draw.
"In the second game we played more to our strengths, grinding down the middle and getting quick plays off the ruck. This was enough to seal the win – a win I’m very proud of, and we are exited and proud of as a collective and a region.”
Match 1: London v East of England
London: 12
T: Doug Chirnside (3 mins), Ollie Bapatiste-Wilson (34), George Moore (39)
East: 12
T: Callum Dockrill (14), Shea Cotter (11), Harry Pyke (29)
Two tries in the space of five second half minutes helped London battle back to draw with the East of England in the opening game of the 2024 Southern Regional Championships.
London started the game strongly, London Chargers hooker Doug Chrinside scrambling over from close range within the first five minutes but found themselves 8-4 down at half time as the East side wrestled back control of the game.
First Callum Dockrill finished a flowing passing move late in a set of six deep in London territory, before his NH Crusaders teammate Will Evans scooped up a great grubber kick and fed Brentwood Eels flyer Shea Cotter, who touched down in the corner.
Four minutes into the second half, the East extended their lead when Brentwood Eels loose forward Harry Pyke forced his way over. London hit back with 16 minutes of the game remaining, Embridge Eagles winger Ollie Baptiste-Wilson delivering an eye-catching, one-handed diving finish in the right corner to reduce the arrears.
Five minutes later, replacement hooker George Moore (Medway Dragons) dropped his shoulder and shimmied over to level the scores. London, now in the ascendency, pushed to find a winner in the closing stages but were thwarted by some brilliant scrambling defence from the East.
Match 2: Midlands v London
Midlands: 16
T: Nick Collins (18), Leon Atherton (23), Chev Taylor (30), Ben Keely (38)
London: 16
T: Tyler Johnson-Thomas (3), George Moore (10), Reiss Walker 2 (25, 45)
In the second game of the 2024 Southern Regional Championships, London once battled back to salvage a 16-all draw against an impressive Midlands side.
For the second game in a row London started well, building a two-score lead thanks to tries from West Warriors’ Tyler Johnson-Thomas, who brilliantly grounded a pinpoint grubber kick, and hooker George Moore. The Midlands roared back to level through a close range try from Oxford Cavaliers Nick Collins and a fine move finished off by Bristol All Golds player Leon Atherton.
Having weathered the storm, London worked their way back into the game through good team play. With less than a minute to go until half time, they found themselves camped in the Midlands’ 20 with most of a set of six tackles to play with. They duly made the pressure count, West Warriors centre Reiss Walker crashing over in the left corner in what turned out to be the final play of the half.
The Midlands roared back to level the scores five minutes into the second half when Birmingham’s Chev Taylor bludgeoned his way over after bouncing off several defenders, before a vital interception by Telford Raiders half-back Harry Housley 40 metres from the London line offered them another opportunity to attack. In the resulting set, they cannily created space for Sherwood Wolfhunt centre Ben Kelly to score and put them four points ahead.
The Midlands looked on course for a famous victory over the 2023 Southern Regional Championship winners, but with five minutes of the game remaining, Reiss Walker took matters into his own hands. Receiving the ball 20 metres out and to the left of the posts, he set off on an angled run towards the left corner, brushing off defenders before crashing over to level the scores. Once again, London had scrambled a draw at the death to keep their hopes of retaining the title alive.
Match 3: Midlands v East
Midlands: 16
T: Leon Atherton (2), Harry Kaufman 2 (20, 40), Olly Pope (44)
East: 8
T: Callum Dockrill (7), Joe Allison (50)
In the final game of the competition, the Midlands delivered a strong all-round performance to beat the East 16-8 and claim their first Southern Regional Championship title.
With the competition’s two previous games ending in draws, the two sides knew that whoever came out top in the winner-takes-all tie would take home the silverware.
The hero of the hour was Coventry Bears second rower Harry Kaufman, who scored two decisive tries to change the momentum of the game. Until Kaufman’s intervention, the teams had been tied at four apiece – Callum Dockrill’s powerful surge for the East cancelling out Leon Atherton’s early effort for the Midlands.
Kaufman grabbed his first five minutes from half time after getting on the end of a brilliant one-handed offload by Telford Raiders winger Will Lever. Better was to come from Kaufman ten minutes from time, when he powered over on the left following an angled run from midfield.
Olly Pope’s short-range try four-minutes later put the Midlands 16-4 up and effectively sealed the region’s first Southern Regional Championship title. Joe Allison crossed late in for the East, but it was too little, too late.
Players of the tournament:
Andy Prosser (Midlands, Oxford Cavaliers); Tyler Johnson-Thomas (London, West Warriors); Joe Allison (East, NH Crusaders)
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), Drayton Taylor (Sherwood Wolfhunt), Chev Taylor (Birmingham Bulldogs)
East of England
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)
Match Officials
Gareth Winnard, Cameron Gray, Chris Lawson, Anthony Creasey
Story by Matt Anniss
Photo by Chris Chatten
