The Scottish may even have started narrow favourites but they were completely taken aback by the enthusiasm and the tenacity of Maidenhead, virtues typified by the whole squad throughout the afternoon - and in this match, especially by Tom Lewis, who found himself up against a giant opponent on the wing but who tackled with such courage and expertise that he completely disconcerted his opposite number. All this set up the perfect platform for Mitchell Batten, the explosive flanker who took up the game barely eight months ago. Batten’s powerful running brought him all four of Maidenhead’s tries in a 20-0 victory which sealed the tournament victory.

But Batten’s heroics were just one part of a team effort. It would be unfair to single out individuals but Scott Lowden’s unselfish running and passing behind the scrum and Tom Plumer’s hard work in the front five were inspiring. Yet there was not a single weak link in the squad. The forward play was wholehearted and the defence allowed just three opposition scores all afternoon.

Maidenhead made an impressive start by beating Bracknell 25-5, with tries from the strong-running Tom Kay (2) and others from Sam Stefan, Ryan Christian and Tom Lewis. Stefan’s marshalling of his team alongside Ollie Styles at half-back was impressive, as was Christian’s often-purposeful running.

A hard-fought victory by 15-0 followed in the derby match against Windsor, with tries from Kay and a forward burst from Chris Parrott, and another from Christian after Chris Richardson had made a brilliant burst from full-back. The level of forward commitment dropped in the next match, which ended in a 10-10 draw with Worthing, with tries from Lowden and Batten.

However, the pace and energy was recovered in time for Maidenhead to see off Cleve by 15-0, with Kay, Lowden and Elliott Hawkes the scorers. This set the stage for the final match and for the decisive scoring feats of Batten. Afterwards, Stefan received the Cup and the squad all received commemorative fleeces from Harrier Group plc, the sponsors of the U13 event.

The Maidenhead squad was: (forwards) Ashley Hanks, Tom Morgan, Patrick McSweeney, Jack Robinson, Mark Williams, Chris Parrott, Tom Plumer, Tom Kay, Luke Knowles, Andrew Jones, Mitchell Batten (backs) Ollie Styles, Sam Stefan, Ryan Christian, Chris Richardson, Tom Hocking, Scott Lowden,
Elliott Hawkes, Tom Lewis, Andrew Foote, Drew Allen

More pictures in the Tournament Picture Gallery