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Old Patesians and Cheltenham Saracens target Super Saturday rugby cup double

All Areas > Sport > Rugby Union

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Friday, 28th April 2017, 12:50

Old Patesians are chasing a cup double on Saturday Old Patesians are chasing a cup double on Saturday

Three cup finals but there will only be one winner... the game of rugby.

Super Saturday – the day when the Cheltenham and District Combination comes together to showpiece its talents with its end-of-season cup finals – will this year be hosted by Cheltenham North for the first time.

The entertainment kicks off at 1pm with the Minor Shield final and continues with the Junior Cup final at 3pm and the Senior Cup final at 5pm.

Old Patesians and Cheltenham Saracens are double-handed with teams in two of the finals while Cheltenham and Bredon will also be represented at the season finale.

For Saracens, it could be a really special day as they chase a hat-trick of wins in the Senior Cup. They defeated the North last season and in 2015 overcame Old Patesians 2nds, who they lock horns with again on Saturday.

“It’s a big one for us,” admits Saracens chairman Jimmy O’Shea, who will also be cheering on his club against Bredon in the Junior Cup.

“It’s not so much about winning the trophies for us, we just want to be able to say that we’re the best club in the town.

“We want the bragging rights. If we hadn’t had so many injuries I’m convinced that we’d have had teams in all three finals. But two out of three ain’t bad!”

O’Shea knows that the Gloucester Premier club will have their work cut out if they are to grab their treble chance.

“Pats will be hard to beat. They will be well motivated so we know it will be a tough game.”

The Pats are also driven by a desire to prove they are “the best club in town”.

“Our expectations are high,” said first XV senior rugby manager Norman Bell, “and we’re full of optimism. I’ve not really studied Saracens’ form but for sure they’ll throw the kitchen sink at us and look to take us on.

“But we’ve got a point to prove. We regard ourselves as the best club in Cheltenham – I would say that is indisputable – but others may dispute it. If we can win two cups as well as finishing third in South West One East I don’t think there could be any argument.”

Their 4ths/vets team would need to overcome Cheltenham 3rds in the opening match for that to remain a possibility when the showpiece final kicks off.

This is the third time that all the finals have been played on the same day. Cheltenham hosted the first Super Saturday two years ago and last year it was Saracens’ turn.

O’Shea is a big fan of the new format.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” he said. “We’d spoken about if for a few years before actually making the change.

“The Prince of Wales Stadium is a lovely stadium but we used to have the finals on different nights and there wasn’t the atmosphere there is now.

“The smaller venues help to produce a much better atmosphere. There’ll be four clubs there on Saturday and it will be a fantastic day.

“Last year we had 500 to 600 at the club and we will definitely put in to host it again next year. It’s a great way to end the season.”

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