Orange and black was a consistent theme in the gathered crowd as Cramlington Rockets, the region’s biggest club sported four teams in the five finals.

The headline match of the weekend was the U16s Championship Final between Cramlington and Wallsend Eagles. Having already won the Cup and League Leaders Shield, a historic treble was on the cards for the Rockets.

Tension before kick off swiftly dissipated as the Rockets put their mark on the game. Domination through the middle and swift hands outwide proving too much for Wallsend and the score at half-time was 38-0.

A series of errors after the break gifted Wallsend good territory and they twice capitalised on this with converted scores of their own.

However this was not sufficient to stem the tide and the Rockets continued to pull away. When the full time whistle went it was 62-12 to the boys from Cramlington, much to the elation of those in the stands.

The club’s U14s Black were also looking to add to silverware picked up earlier this season after topping the league with an unbeaten run that saw them only concede an amazing six points in the regular fixtures.

Catterick Crusaders stood in their way for the Grand Final but from the start it was a similar story. The Rockets quickly found their groove, capitalising on their strong carrying forwards to open up spaces down the wings that were frequently exploited. Despite one unconverted score from Catterick, it was 22-4 to the Rockets at the half way mark.

The second half saw the Rockets score twenty unanswered points with good fitness levels proving important on an increasingly sunny day. The infamously swirling Kingston Park wind played havoc for those kicking from the tee but ultimately it made no difference to the outcome and the score ended 42-4.

With chants of “Crammy on fire” still ringing out from the changing rooms, the Cramlington Rockets U12s took the field for the Cup Final, once again against a side from Catterick Crusaders.

With numbers having burgeoned over the spring months, a strong team spirit had developed amongst the Rockets’ squad. The league fixture against the same side several weeks ago saw the Rockets having to work extremely hard to edge the win, so there were no doubts of the toughness they faced.

With early leads becoming a theme of the weekend, it was the Rockets that struck first and started to build a margin from the platform put down by the forwards. Mistakes did no go unpunished and the Rockets did well to build a 20-0 lead after the first period.

Catterick emerged determined to turn things around. A ferocious effort from them had all men to the pumps for Cramlington and with both defences refusing to budge in increasingly blustery conditions, the second half incredibly saw no additional scores made, meaning the Rockets collected their third trophy of the weekend.

It was not all Cramlington’s way as their U14s Orange fell to Gateshead Storm in the U14s Shield final. Despite a tremendous effort for the Orange, it was not to be their day and five tries from Storm, four of which were converted meant Gateshead won easily with a deserved 28-0 scoreline.

The final match of the weekend was between Peterlee Pumas and Catterick Crusaders for the U16s shield. In one of the most entertaining games of the weekend, the gap between the two sides was close throughout but it was Catterick that emerged 24-12 winners, an element of retribution for a side that had lost last year’s Grand Final.

“It has been a tremendous weekend for North East Rugby League” said a delighted Rockets Chairman, Jeff Ball.

“Every time a player pulls on the orange and black, we want to give them an experience and there is no better than playing in a stadium like this, coming out the tunnel and playing in front of hundreds of cheering fans.”

“Everyone at the club works really hard to provide an environment that cultivates enjoyment and progress so to have four finalists is proof it is no fluke as well as being a well deserved treat for our members.”

“Every North East side gave their all and they can be very proud of getting to their respective finals. Catterick in particular have reaped the rewards of a lot of hard work in recent years and to have three finalists is a big endorsement. Likewise Peterlee and Gateshead are stalwarts of the North East game and always produce competitive sides.”

“There is a lot of quality in the region at all levels now and anyone wondering why they should get involved in North East Rugby League only need look at the faces of all the players involved. Win or lose, it has been a memorable weekend.”

U16s Championship Final: Rockets 62-12 Wallsend Eagles
U16s Shield Final: Catterick Crusaders 24-12 Peterlee Pumas
U14s Championship Final: Rockets 42-4 Catterick Crusaders
U14s Shield Final: Rockets 0-28 Gateshead Storm
U12s Cup Final: Rockets 20-0 Catterick Crusaders