The curtain came down on the biggest Girls Rugby League season to date this past Saturday at the Asics Arena in Warrington with Dewsbury Moor and Oulton Raidettes completing a Yorkshire double in the U14 and U16 Grand Finals, respectively.
Dewsbury Moor edged out Ashton Bears 24-18 in the U14s Grand Final, with the Bears losing by the same score line a week prior in the War of the Roses Final.
Dewsbury raced into an 8-0 lead thanks to tries from Kaitlyn Morrison Twibill and Imogen Hallas with the latter racing 80 metres to score a superb solo effort. Ashton soon hit back through Ellie Morris, but the Yorkshire side regained their eight-point advantage on half-time as Charlotte McDaid took advantage of a smart Ruby Bruce offload.
The Bears once again hit back as Isabel Rowe scored and followed up with a successful conversion. However, as the back-and-forth nature of the game continued Morrison Twibill notched her second of the game before loose forward Jessica Hammond also got her name on the scoresheet.
Rowe would soon set up Hughes for her second of the game to narrow the gap to two points with five minutes to play but a late Weronika Kuriata try clinched victory for Dewsbury Moor.
Oulton Raidettes completed an unbeaten season with a 26-10 victory over Thatto Heath Crusaders in the U16 Grand Final, with the Crusaders putting up a valiant effort following a pre-game talk from Betfred Super League winner and St Helens star Kyle Amor.
The Raidettes went into half-time with a 12-0 lead after a double from scrum-half Sophie Oram and one from fullback Charli Carlton. Caitlin Casey’s early second half try seemed to have sealed victory for Oulton.
However, Thatto Heath fought back to within eight points as Isabelle Long and Isobelle Wood scored in quickfire fashion with Georgia Bogg adding a conversion.
But it wasn’t to be for the Crusaders as Oulton held their nerve and late tries from Ellie Johnson and Brooke Long sealed victory for the Yorkshire side.
Girls Rugby League Grand Final Results:
Under 14
Dewsbury Moor 24-18 Ashton Bears
Under 16
Oulton Raidettes 26-10 Thatto Heath Crusaders
