West Buckland win Saracens hardball tourney at Taunton

WEST Buckland School won through to the national final of the Saracens Cup by winning the regional qualifier at Taunton – then found they were unable to go.

The tournament should have been played at King's College, but was switched to the indoor Centre of Excellence at the Cooper Associates County Ground  due to bad weather.

Bristol & District were represented by Monkton Combe, Devon by West Buckland Dorset by Christchurch Junior School and Somerset by Millfield Prep in the eight-a-side competition.

Millfield Prep narrowly defeated Monkton Combe in the first semi-final.

West Buckland had a rather easier passage against Christchurch in the other.

The climax of the day saw West Buckland win the trophy for the first time by just four runs in a tense finish against Millfield Prep.

Monkton Combe edged out Christchurch in the play-off for third place.

Darren Veness, the strength and conditioning coach at Somerset and coaching colleague Paul Tweddle made the post-match presentations.

West Buckland were supposed to go through to the national finals at Oakham School in Rutland, but were had to pull out.

"Sadly many of the winning team were due to go on holiday and despite best efforts at rearranging flights by a number of parents, it was an impossibly costly exercise and reluctantly west Buckland had to withdraw from the final," said a school spokesman.