Manchester Touch Championships

The 2016 touch season got off to an excellent start with the 7th and biggest ever Annual Manchester Touch Championships held at Audenshawe High School on Saturday. Manchester is well known for its wet weather, and this year’s tournament was no exception, with most pitches resembling a mud bath by the end of the day. But this didn’t dampen spirits and a record number of 38 teams competing across 4 divisions, showcased the best in British and Irish Touch talent.

The Men’s division was hotly contested, with Manchester Chargers, ShimmyWorldWide and the Oldies fighting it out for the first trophy of the season. It was too close to call for most of the day, but in the end ShimmyWorldWide came out on top, beating Manchester Chargers 4-0 in the final.

The Women’s division was also definitely not short in the talent department, with international teams and international players throughout, all 5 teams giving their all. Galaxy went on to take home the silverware topping the women's league.

With the addition of Men’s and Women’s Touch Cup Tournaments to the 2016 Touch season in May, it will be an exciting year for the both the Men’s and Women’s game, and if the Manchester Championships are anything to go by, these will definitely be one not to miss!

The open mixed division did not disappoint, as Cardiff Raptors topped the table with a 3-2 win over the Bandits to secure their silverware.

Mixed Open Results

Cup Winners: Cardiff Raptors

Plate Winners: Sandymount Flyers

Bowl Winners: Thames Valley Vikings

Shield Winners: Varsity Vandals

The Steeden DTS tournament, now starting its third year, has been a very welcome addition to the Touch calendar and become a hotbed for developing talent in the game. The first round of the 2016 season started as we hope to go on, with a record number of 16 teams competing.

The tournament reached a climax when the final between Chester Cheetahs and Oakmeadians went to a very tense drop off, with the Cheetahs finally getting one of over the line to win 3-2.

DTS Results

Cup Winners: Chester Cheetahs

Plate Winners: Guildfordians

Bowl Winners: CSSC Spirits

Shield Winners: Warwick Touch

Results table after round one:MVPs from each division were:

MXO - Lewis Eynon

Men's - Rhys Matsen

Womens - Emily Clews

DTS - Liam Lawton

As with any tournament, there is so much work that goes on behind the scenes to make the day a success, so a huge thanks to Gregg Cropper and Kevin Hill for organising, Emma and Cari and their team of physio's from Huddersfield University for keeping us all moving on the day and Corrie, Sarah and Millie for running the event desk.

Thanks also to Ryan Jennings and to Audenshawe School and pupils for excellent facilities and assistance in the day, the boys were a credit to you and the school.

And, there is no game without referees, so a massive thank you to our referees who ALL did a stirling job in the adverse conditions! Alice Watchorn, Aubrey Collins, Dan Harrison, Dan Twist, Duncan Smart, Gareth Hinds, John Knox, John O'Mahony, Kevin Hill, Lani Baird, Mike Green, Nick Richardson, Nicolas Van de Rijt, Phil Leeks, Rachel Howe, Sana Tansey, Shane Hills, Uma Ramaswami, Vicki Offland, Zack Romanu.

Also to Matthew Walker for keeping the referees in check and on time, great job and look forward to you being more involved going forward. Thanks to Matt Reid and Kevin Hobbs for the coaching support they provided too.

Finally, thank you to all the players who made the journey to Manchester and braved the mud baths! We wish you all good luck for the rest of the season and hope to see you in Manchester again soon.