As the season draws to a close, our Minis' and Juniors' teams have been thoroughly enjoying themselves at various festivals. Exciting matches have taken place at tournaments held in March and April, including the U9 Cheshire Cup in Chester, Kirkby Lonsdale, and Caldy. Let's take a look at some of the festival highlights so far:

Chester was the venue for the U9 Cheshire Cup festival, where more than 40 teams competed in round-robin pool matches. All players demonstrated RFU core values such as teamwork, respect, and sportsmanship. The inclusive U9 team had 16 coaches and 48 players, including four girls who may form a girls-only team when they reach U12s. The players even received a pep talk from Sale Sharks hooker Akker van der Merwe.

Our U8's, U10's, U11's, and U14's all took part in the Kirkby Lonsdale festival. The U8s' beaming faces revealed their delight in experiencing their first festival.
Next was the Caldy Junior Festival, where our U14s won their age group cup, remaining undefeated throughout. The U16s played several U15s and won their third playoff against Hoylake, with one of the U15s scoring a last-play try.

At the 'West Sussex Rugby Rocks' tournament, our U12s were runners-up, while both U11 teams won all their games with no tries conceded at the Kirkby Lonsdale festival.

All of our Minis' also participated in the Whitchurch and Wilmslow festivals, which are always fantastic rugby events. Across all of the festivals, players showcased their impressive performances and results, but most importantly, displayed RFU core values. This highlights how these values are embedded across the club, making Chester a desirable place to play rugby.

Finally, on April 23rd, the Chester Girls section hosted a girls' festival, welcoming over 500 players from all over the country, including Ireland. This was a successful event, with our U16's girls winning the cup at their age group. It will now become an annual event.