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Cheltenham North hoping to end 22-year wait for Cheltenham Combination Senior Cup

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Wednesday, 25th April 2018, 14:20

Neil Carpenter

There will almost certainly be a few tears shed at Cheltenham Saracens on Saturday if Cheltenham North end their 22-year-long wait to win the Cheltenham Combination Senior Cup.

They take on Cheltenham in the last of three finals on a big day for local rugby after they defeated Smiths 8-7 last night.

The North were serial winners of the cup in the early days of the competition back in the mid-60s, and then again from the mid-80s through to the early 90s.

But since their win in 1996, they have had to look on as their long-standing rivals Old Patesians and more recently Cheltenham Saracens have dominated affairs.

North’s first team manager Neil Carpenter, who will be 50 in July, was one of the cornerstones of the club’s wins in the early 90s and knows all about the emotional pull that the cup has on the club.

He’ll be in the starting line-up on Saturday and said: “The competition has always been a big part of our history. In the old days the Combination Cup was the be-all and end-all for our club.

“That’s changed a bit since the leagues have taken over, but we beat the Pats in this season’s semi-final and I enjoyed that!”

Carpenter, a prop, has only just returned to first-team action after being sidelined for 12 weeks with a pec injury.

The Junior Cup final will be contested by Old Patesians 3rds and Cheltenham 2nds (2pm), and the action will kick-off at King George V with the Minor Cup final between Old Pats Vets and Norton taking place at noon.

The Senior Cup final is scheduled to start at 4pm.

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Cheltenham North hoping to end 22-year wait for Cheltenham Combination Senior Cup

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