Big underdogs Borough intend to put up a fight in East Midlands Cup Final

Peterborough Rugby Club will be looking to finish their season in style when they contest the big East Midlands Cup final on Tuesday (April 30).
Borough are pictured after their last East Midlands Cup final win in 2010.Borough are pictured after their last East Midlands Cup final win in 2010.
Borough are pictured after their last East Midlands Cup final win in 2010.

The game is against cup holders Bedford Athletic and kicks off at Bedford Blues’ Goldington Road ground at 7.30pm.

Borough go into the match as underdogs against a side who are the cup holders and who play their club rugby one level higher than Borough.

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Borough finished their league season in fourth place in Midlands Division One (East) while Bedford Athletic, who are coached by ex-Borough man Andy ‘Titch’ Phillips, finished sixth in the London & South East Premier Division.

Both sides go into the game on a roll. Borough won 10 of their last 12 league matches while Athletic won the Bedfordshire Cup last week by beating Leighton Buzzard 27-17 in the final.

Borough vice-chairman Archie Bennett said: “We are all thrilled to have made it into the East Midlands Cup final again - it’s been a long time.

“It will be a great night out for the players and the supporters and we’re all looking forward to the occasion.

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“Of course we’re massive underdogs but we’re a team of fighters who never give up.

“It’s a cup final, a one-off game and anything can happen. We’re not just going along to roll over.

“It’s been a great season and we’d love some silverware to show for it.”

Borough will select from a full-strength squad that will include Joe Andresen and Ben Higton. They have recently returned from playing a good standard of rugby for a year in New Zealand and are much improved players as a result.

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The East Midlands Cup was revamped in 2007 to cater for just the top eight East Midlands clubs playing in leagues at level 5 and below and Borough have appeared in two previous finals, losing 10-9 to Ampthill in 2009 and beating Luton 29-13 a year later.

Bedford Athletic beat Peterborough Lions 30-19 in last year’s final.

EAST MIDLANDS CUP FINALS

2007-08: Kettering 28 Bedford Athletic 12

2008-09: Ampthill 10 Peterborough 9

2009-10: Peterborough 29 Luton 13

2010-11: Luton 43 Bedford Athletic 6

2011-12: Ampthill 45 Luton 32

2012-13: Ampthill 17 Luton 13

2013-14: Peterboro Lions 30 Luton 15

2014-15: Kettering 18 Luton 16

2015-16: Bedford Athletic 27 Northampton Old Scouts 9

2016-17: Peterboro Lions 27 Bedford Athletic 11

2017-18: Peterboro Lions 19 Bedford Athletic 30

Bourne take on Ashfield in the Notts, Lincs & Derby Cup final at Newark on Saturday (April 27).

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