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Bill Beaumont County Championship: Division 2 & 3 Finals
Dorset & Wilts beat East Midlands 47-24 to book their place in the final at Ealing Trailfinders on Saturday, while Durham edged past North Midlands 22-17 in the other semi.
Durham head coach Peter Evans has been proud to see so many local clubs get involved in the Bill Beaumont County Championship.
“We opened it up to local clubs to nominate players to come forward rather than go through the usual selection process,” said Evans.
“We thought it would be good to publicise that as well, so people knew they weren’t just going to the same old system.
“There has been a really good buy-in from everybody in the county.
“It has been really positive and we have had great attendance at home games as well.
“We are really excited, we set our sights on the final fairly early, to be honest.”
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Outstanding play from Lancashire in the County Championship Finals š#GrassrootsRugby pic.twitter.com/21c4zAV7M0
ā England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 31, 2023
Durham reached the knockout stages on points difference after a competitive set of fixtures in Pool 1.
They recorded a 48-28 win at home to Staffordshire and a 30-12 victory against Northumberland and though they were beaten by Cumbria, their points difference was enough to see them finish above Cumbria and Staffordshire after all three finished on 11 points.
Dorset & Wilts had a less nerve-wracking route to the semi-finals, finishing top of Pool 2 after recording wins over Berkshire (50-19), Devon (66-0) and Gloucestershire (47-15).
And head coach Don Parsons believes his sides have shown what county rugby is all about.
“It is never easy at the end of a long season,ā he said.
āYou are never quite sure what you are going to get but we have had really good support and representation from the clubs.
“We haven’t lost one yet so hopefully we can go unbeaten and come out on the winning side on Saturday.
“We are massively excited, it is a great opportunity for these players to play in a county final, it means a lot in Dorset and Wiltshire.
“For the players to have the opportunity to compete together across eight different clubs, that is the spirit of what county rugby is all about.”
šAfter the incredible Division 1 finals on Sunday, the County Championships come to a conclusion this weekend at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club!
šWant to attend? Entry and parking is free!
Fixturesā¬ļø pic.twitter.com/N3L6FUO4t3
ā Rugby Football Union (@RFU) May 31, 2023
Saturday’s opening game will see Essex bid to win their first Bill Beaumont Division 3 County Championship final when they take on Oxfordshire (1pm).
Oxfordshire finished top of Pool 1 to cement their place in the final, beating Warwickshire 36-32 in a thriller before overcoming Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 39-24.
Essex also remained unbeaten during the pool stages, narrowly beating Sussex 32-31 having recorded a 29-17 win against Buckinghamshire and a 31-26 victory at Surrey.
Essex captain Harry Branch is hoping to make history after a great year of county rugby.
“It is an opportunity to win the final, which has never happened before,” he said.
“For us, that is our main objective, and we are ready to rock and roll.
“Everyone is absolutely buzzing in camp. We trained yesterday and everyone was on top of each other, making sure everyone is doing the right things in the right moments.
“It is a tightly-knit league we are in anyway, it is fun to play in, and everyone knows each other. It is a nice group.”
In contrast, Oxfordshire are no strangers to the big occasion and will look to defend their title having beaten Berkshire 7-5 in the 2022 final.
Head coach Greg Goodfellow hopes his side’s experience can make all the difference.
He said: “We made the final last year, we got the result and we have been in finals before that, so we have got some experience.
“It is not like it is new, there are probably five or six who were involved last year.
“We are quietly confident but we understand Essex are a good side and they will be stiff competition for us.
“It means a lot to us as we big advocates of county rugby. I was very fortunate to play in Division 1 with Cornwall, the competition is great for grassroots rugby.”
The County Championship Finals will be available to watch via the England Rugby YouTube live stream. For more information follow @RFU on Twitter
