It didn’t used to be like this. Back in the day a good many Cheltenham and District Combination Senior Cup finals were attritional affairs as both teams battled manfully just to reach double digits.

How times have changed. Cheltenham and Cheltenham North scored close on 100 points between them at Cheltenham Saracens on Saturday with Cheltenham pulling away in the closing stages to win an exhilarating game 58-39.

It was Champagne rugby from start to finish and while there was plenty of fizz on the pitch, anyone enjoying a glass of bubbly off it certainly didn’t need to find a cooler for the remainder of the bottle such were the unseasonably cold conditions.

Seventeen tries tells its own story although the disappointment for the neutral was that the North, who play two divisions below Western Counties North Cheltenham in Gloucester One, were reduced to 14 men before half-time when centre Dan Hewitt was shown a red card by referee Nick Palmer for throwing a punch at a time when his side were leading 20-19.

By half-time Cheltenham were 31-20 ahead and although the North were brave both in defence and attack after the break, they never got closer than to within nine points of their rivals in that second period.

Cheltenham had made a fast start to the game and their supporters were soon being given a welcome opportunity to warm their hands when their team went over for a try in the opening couple of minutes, courtesy of scrum-half Sam Coles.

Brad Harries added the extras, but North soon hit back and, given that Cheltenham’s Conservative MP Alex Chalk was in the watching crowd, it was highly appropriate that their first score should come from their right winger, with Steve Tiller going over for the try.

That was the first of three quickfire tries for the North as their three-quarters, who looked dangerous every time they got the ball in hand, started to make serious inroads into the Cheltenham defence.

Try number two was scored by left wing Sam Allen after a fine run by centre Ben Crocker. He fed no 8 Isiah Young who in turn provided the scoring pass for Allen.

Moments later Allen was in the thick of the action again. This time he was the provider and after another searing run the ball eventually found its way to second row Tom Piff who went over for the score.

The first of hooker Josh Herbert’s three tries for Cheltenham following a lineout cut the deficit to three points but Rich Athey’s side almost immediately fell eight behind again because straight from the kick-off, Hewitt collected the ball and ran at the heart of the Cheltenham defence before the ball was spun out wide to Tiller to score in the corner.

Herbert’s second try, converted by Harries, made it 20-19 and after Hewitt’s dismissal Cheltenham added two more tries before half-time through Harry Barrett and Charlie Daniel, one of which Harries converted.

And if the opening 40 minutes was breathtaking, there was no let-up in the second period. Coles’ second try soon after the re-start threatened to take the game away from the North, but a club with as proud a history as theirs in this competition were certainly never going to throw in the towel.

Allen scored a fine opportunist try, converted by Will Hartland, and although Herbert went over for his third, which was improved by Harries, the North remained in contention when another fine run by Crocker set up Tiller who completed his hat-trick and Hartland converted.

A quickly taken tap penalty gave Connor Powell the chance to score Cheltenham’s eighth try and after Hartland had scored the North’s seventh, Cheltenham made certain of victory with further tries by replacement Rhys Edwards and Henry Kirchener.

The win completed an impressive double for Cheltenham because earlier their 2nd XV had won the Junior Cup with a 24-19 win over Old Patesians 3rds.

The Pats did not finish empty-handed however because their 4ths defeated Norton 18-5 in the first final of the day to win the Minor Cup.