GRL Cheltenham Rugby Festival is a
rugby league nines
Rugby league nines (or simply nines) is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league, with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in ...
event held in
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
. It is organised by the Gloucestershire County Rugby League in partnership with Cheltenham Borough Council and the Tourist Board.
It will take place on Friday 2 May at the
Prince of Wales stadium
The Prince of Wales Stadium is a multi-sport stadium in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, with a running track and athletics facilities. Since 2014, the stadium has been owned and managed by The Cheltenham Trust.
The stadium is home to Smit ...
in Cheltenham. The event is intended to dovetail with the Rugby Football League’s Millennium Magic event in Cardiff on the weekend of 3–4 May.
It comprises two main elements: the All Golds Cup and the 1908 Cup.
All Golds Cup
The All Golds Cup is the festival’s main event. This is a
rugby league nines
Rugby league nines (or simply nines) is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league, with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in ...
event for eight senior teams.
The Cup is named in honour of the famous
New Zealand team that defeated
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at Cheltenham’s Athletic Ground on 15 February 1908 to win the first international rugby league series.
*2008 The British Army
*2009 The Royal Air Force
*2010 Warrington Wolves
Shield
*2010 Featherstone Rovers
Plate
*2010 British Army
William "Massa" Johnston Award
This is awarded to the player of the tournament and is named in honour of the New Zealand forward who scored the winning try for the All Golds in the last minutes of the game to secure an 8 - 5 victory.
* 2008 Rob Smart (British Army)
* 2010 Rhys Evans (Warrington)
1908 Cup
This is a
rugby league nines
Rugby league nines (or simply nines) is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league, with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in ...
event for eight local schools at year 8.
The 1908 Cup commemorates the year of the All Golds match.
* 2008 Archway School, Stroud
1908 Plate
* 2008 Winchcombe School
Arthur Smith Award
The Arthur Smith Award is presented to the player of the tournament and is named in honour of the Gloucestershire rugby player who joined
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
and represented England. He played in the All Golds test in Cheltenham in 1908.
* 2008 Billy Chick (Pittville School)
2009 Competition
The 2009 event took place on Friday 24 April 2009 at Newlands Park, With the Royal Navy winning the event. The winners of the event will qualify to play in the 2009
Carnegie Floodlit Nines
Carnegie Floodlit Nines is a rugby league nines event held at Headingley Stadium in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The same stadium hosted the Headingley Sevens, rugby league sevens tournament from 1965-78. The old BBC2 Floodlit Trophy is awarded ...
See also
References
External links
Cheltenham Rugby Festival on gloucestershirerugbyleague.co.uk
Sport in Cheltenham
Rugby league nines competitions in the United Kingdom
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