Phoenix Park played host to an incredible day of youth rugby as 17 Colts teams from across the Eastern Counties gathered for the annual Stowmarket Colts Festival.

Treating the home crowd to electric running rugby, brilliant individual skill and remarkable team spirit, Stowmarket Colts put on a stellar performance to finish 4th overall out of 17 teams.

GROUP STAGE: EARLY DOMINANCE AND CHAMPAGNE RUGBY

Stowmarket hit the ground running in their opening fixtures, demonstrating clinical attack and resolute defence.

MATCH 1 | STOWMARKET 5 – 0 SHELFORD

Stowmarket opened their account with a hard-fought victory over a strong Shelford side.

The decisive moment came courtesy of a sublime piece of team play. Intricate handling from Charlie Jones, Sam Montanjees and Caiden Foreman unlocked the defence, shifting the ball out wide to Albert Stebbings.

Receiving the ball on the wing 40 yards out, Stebbings still had plenty to do, but with laser focus, he showed sheer power and determination to pin his ears back and charge over the line for a magnificent try.

MATCH 2 | STOWMARKET 10 – 0 MERSEA

The momentum continued into the second match against Mersea.

Off the back of a dominant Stowmarket scrum on the halfway line, Charlie Jones latched onto the ball out the back and showcased blistering pace alongside razor-sharp footwork to weave through the defence and score.

Samuel Bolton calmly slotted the conversion.

Late in the contest, Mersea conceded a penalty for a high tackle just outside their 22. Despite a tricky wind and challenging angle, Bolton struck it clean between the uprights to cap off a controlled 10–0 win.

MATCH 3 | STOWMARKET 17 – 0 CAMBRIDGE

Facing Cambridge, Stowmarket survived an early scare after giving away a penalty in front of their own posts.

Cambridge pulled the kick wide, and that proved to be the spark Stowmarket needed.

What followed was arguably some of the finest rugby the side has ever played, running in three stunning tries straight out of the "Champagne Playbook".

Vinnie Goddard Try

Working the ball cleanly to the left wing, Samuel Bolton spotted open space on the far side and delivered a breathtaking crossfield kick right into the arms of Goddard, who sprinted into clear space to score.

Charlie Walsh Try

The dynamic combination of Sam Montanjees and Samuel Bolton struck again.

Executing an unbelievable switch-back passing move, they created an overlap to pop the ball out to Charlie Walsh, whose blistering pace left the defenders stranded.

Samuel Bolton Try & Conversion

To finish off a masterclass performance, Bolton collected the ball deep inside Stowmarket's 22 and zig-zagged his way through a tiring Cambridge line.

A clever kick-and-chase put Bolton and Noah Meads through. Under heavy pressure, Meads pulled off a magical out-of-the-back-of-the-hand offload back to Bolton, who crossed the line and converted his own try to seal a brilliant 17–0 win.

FESTIVAL BREAK & GROUP DECIDER

The nature of festival rugby often brings long pauses between fixtures, and an hour-long layoff before Match 4 proved costly for the hosts as they faced a sharp and well-prepared West Norfolk side.

MATCH 4 | STOWMARKET 7 – 17 WEST NORFOLK

Stowmarket struggled to regain their rhythm after the long break, conceding an early try right from the kick-off to trail 0–7.

Ill-discipline crept into the performance, resulting in two penalties conceded, one converted by West Norfolk and one missed.

Stowmarket offered a glimmer of hope when Montanjees and Bolton linked up for another silky combination, sending Sam Montanjees over the line for a thoroughly deserved try following an outstanding work ethic all day.

However, any hopes of a full comeback were quickly dashed as West Norfolk intercepted a loose pass straight off the restart to score under the posts, securing a 17–7 victory.

PLAY-OFF FINAL: 3RD / 4TH PLACE

Due to the head-to-head result against West Norfolk, Stowmarket missed out on the final and moved into the 3rd/4th place play-off.

MATCH 5 | STOWMARKET 0 – 5 COLCHESTER

With energy levels drained after a long day of physical rugby, Stowmarket battled hard against a tough Colchester side.

In a tightly contested, physical game where possession was hard to come by, a single grounded try proved to be the difference, handing Colchester 3rd place in a narrow 5–0 contest.

TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP

Despite the late setback, the tournament was an overwhelming success for Stowmarket.

Finishing 4th out of 17 regional teams is a fantastic achievement, and the team treated their home supporters to some unforgettable rugby across the day.

Most importantly, the squad finished the afternoon with smiles on their faces and plenty of pride.

TOURNAMENT WINNERS

Congratulations to West Norfolk, who went on to lift the trophy after defeating Shelford X 3–0 in a tense final.

FINAL STANDINGS