HE may have missed out on the chance to walk on the hallowed turf at Twickenham but Dorchester starlet Angus Bradley insisted he had still loved every minute of his Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup experience.

Bradley was in action for Dorchester’s under-11s at Reading Abbey last Saturday as London Irish hosted their leg of the Land Rover Cup, the first national grassroots tournament officiated by Premiership Rugby.

In total, the 12 legs, one for each top-flight English club, will see more than 7,000 youngsters go in search of a spot in the Parade of Champions during half-time of the Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham next May.

And while captain Bradley was unable to lift the under-11s cup for a place at English rugby’s HQ – Dorchester lost to eventual winners London Irish Amateur in the semi-finals – the 11-year-old remained proud of his team.

“It’s good to win but it’s also important that you have fun as a team,” said the St Mary’s Middle School pupil.

“I think a good captain needs to be friendly, tough and disciplined out on the pitch.

“I feel a bit nervous if we play against big teams but I know as captain it’s important to sort everyone out and make sure they stay strong defensively.

“I get on really well with my team-mates and we’ve got good discipline when we play together.

“We also had brand new shirts so we were really excited to wear them.”

Casting an eye over proceedings were London Irish academy players Ross Neal and Cameron Cowell, and the former insists he saw more than a few players with huge potential.

“Days like these are massively important for the younger guys,” said full-back Cowell, a product of the England under-18 team. “I used to come down to tournaments like these when I was younger.

“In terms of learning, these tournaments are big as well. It was a good feeling to be able to play and it helped me in my development to get where I am now.”

  • Land Rover supports grassroots rugby and provides the opportunity for more than 7,000 youngsters to take part in the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup each season.

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