On this weekend of fantastic Festival action, Eltham College will host their second annual Festival after last year’s success.
The Eltham Festival sees real expansion from last year when a five team tournament took a league format for the inaugural year. Mill Hill won that, ahead of Merchant Taylors’, with the hosts in third place.
This year the Festival expands out to eight teams, and those eight sides are divided into two pools of four teams each. Following the pool stage, each side will play their counterpart from the other pool, fourth playing fourth, third v third, second facing second, and the two group winners meeting in the Eltham College Festival final.
As hosts, Eltham College obviously return, and alongside them in returning are last year’s champions, Mill Hill, and runners up, Merchant Taylors’.
Eltham College and Merchant Taylors’ are drawn together in Group 1 alongside Roebuck Academy and an Eastbourne College side that is celebrating 125 years of rugby at the school and will be determined to bring home some silverware to help celebrate that milestone.
Mill Hill are over in Group 2, where competing alongside them are a Bedford School side that will almost certainly be among the favourites. It’s a tricky group, also in there are Hayes, who have produced a number of Saracens players in recent years and are closely linked to Ealing Trailfinders. Completing the group are Duke of York’s Royal Military School, who are having one of their best seasons in recent memory.
It should be a fantastic day of action at Eltham College as this Festival grows and gives more and more schools the opportunity to compete.
Groups:
| Group 1 | Group 2 |
| Eastbourne College | Bedford |
| Eltham College | Duke of York’s Royal Military School |
| Merchant Taylors’, Northwood | Hayes |
| Roebuck Academy | Mill Hill |
