Champion Schools Year 9 Girls' final - St John Fisher Dewsbury v St Peter's Manchester

St John Fisher (Dewsbury) 30-22 St Peter's (Manchester)

By Dan Richardson

St John Fisher made a second half comeback to win the Year 9 Girls Final after beating St Peters 30-22.

The game started brightly with two early tries from both sides, St Peters struck first through Oyinkan Dare and a Faye Richardson conversion. The scores were equaled not long after as St John Fisher’s Nancy Hirst went over and Ruby Enright was successful with her conversion attempt. Richardson grabbed a try of her own as she weaved through the middle of the defence, she then converted her own try to put her side back in the lead.

However, Hirst crossed for her second try of the game to keep her side in the match, this time it was the eventual player of the match winner Courtney Gooch who added the extra two points. Both sides seemed to be taking it in turns as St Peters went back in front towards the end of the first half through Jessica Boakye’s try, Richardson failed to add the two points this time around and the score line was 16-12 at half time.

It was a slow start to the second half but St John Fisher were first to get over the line after the restart with another Hirst try to complete her hat-trick followed by another Enright conversion. An immediate reply came from St Peters as Dare broke through the middle to score her second try and Richardson made up for her miss just before the break by adding another two. St John Fisher’s Enright single handedly put her side 24-22 ahead after diving over the line from close range and then converting her own try and this was followed minutes later by another John Fisher try by Gabrielle Akaidere.

Akaidere made the break out wide and was almost tackled by a St Peters defender but she couldn’t be stopped as she went over for the final try of the match in a game that ended 30-22 to St John Fisher.