Stepping Stones crowned touch champs

(CNS) Steppingstones finish the season undefeated, overcoming Sidebar NWNT in a thrilling back-and-forth final. After starting the match with a wide early lead, thanks to a hat trick from Weder, the result looked inevitable. Sidebar came out strong after the restart but ultimately, the National Touch Rugby Champions 2013 winners held off a second half comeback to end the game 9 tries to 5. The third/fourth place match was just as entertaining as the final. A nerve-rackingly close neck-in-neck battle saw Genesis Trust edge out Heineken Brew Crew 6-5 to claim the bronze spot.

The opening game of the day saw DART take on Walkers. A 3-3 draw with tries by Michael “Tana” Umulligan and Sheila Crosby for DART; Brad Stephenson, Paul Smith, and David Byrne for Walkers. Controversy came at the end of the match when DART mysteriously stopped playing as the timekeeper blew for full time. Of course, the game is not over until the referee blows and Brad Stephenson ran through and scored what he thought was the winner. However, the ref cancelled it out and the final result was determined in the more traditional social touch rugby fashion, with Walkers putting in a fine effort to win 5-4, in added time.