A Cumbrian wheelchair rugby team has won a national premiership title during its first season in the top league, writes Ron Richardson.
Penrith Pumas travelled to Fenton Manor in Stoke-on-Trent to compete in the final leg of the three-round Rugby 5’s Premiership.
The team faced opponents from Help for Heroes, North East Barbarians, Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers.
The Pumas have played in the league for four years and earned promotion after winning the championship.
The title-winning squad included Sarah Burrows, Matthew Smedley, Xander Evans, Ian Wightman, Ness Galbraith, Tom Folwell, Byron Durkin-White, Rhys Wheeler and Mike Lewis. Volunteers on the day were Nichola Smedley, Kellie Evans, Kaitlyn Lewis, Jeremy Norman and Ron Richardson.
Going into the final round, Leicester Tigers were in pole position, meaning the Penrith side had to win all of their remaining matches to take the title.
In their opening game against Help for Heroes, Rhys Wheeler scored a try directly from the starting tip-off.
Tries from Wheeler, Byron Durkin-White, Tom Folwell and Ian Wightman helped the team secure a 12-11 lead at half-time.
During the second half, the Pumas extended their advantage with scores from Folwell, Wheeler and Mike Lewis.
Ness Galbraith also set up a try for Lewis following a swift move up the court, leading to a final score of 29-18.
The team secured a 24-13 victory in their second match, with Folwell, Wheeler and Lewis dominating the scoring.
Against Northampton Saints, the Pumas initially fell behind before tries from Folwell, Durkin-White and Wheeler gave them a 12-8 lead at half-time.
They went on to win the match 24-13.
The final game against Leicester Tigers served as a season decider, as both teams had won all their matches on the day.
Folwell opened the scoring before further tries from Wheeler, Durkin-White and Folwell gave the Pumas a 4-1 lead.
Tigers reduced the deficit to 4-2, and the gap between the two sides remained at no more than four points for the rest of the match.
The Pumas maintained their lead under constant pressure to secure a 21-17 victory and clinch the premiership title.
Coach Byron Durkin-White and team manager Megan Fearnley thanked the support teams who helped across the season.
