Colin Dunford was “absolutely ecstatic” as Longlevens lifted the North Gloucestershire Combination Senior Cup for the first time in more than 60 years.

The 85-year-old looked on with pride as Longlevens led from start to finish to upset the odds with a standout 42-32 win over Matson at Kingsholm.

Dunford was at full-back when Longlevens won the trophy back in 1961 – they beat Gordon League in the final – the only other time they have won the competition in their 69-year history.

“He was celebrating on the pitch with the players,” said his son Mark, who is the club’s secretary. “All the players gave him a hug, he was absolutely ecstatic.

“He was secretary of the club for 34 years and is still a big supporter. Two others who played in that 1961 cup-winning side – centres Paul Baker and Derec Cook – are also regulars at the club.

“The team photo from that game is on show at our clubhouse.”

That achievement all those years ago surely gave Longlevens’ current players just that little added spur as they hit the ground running against Matson, racing into a 15-0 lead against opponents who next season will be playing two divisions higher than them.

At half-time it was 22-10 and although Matson pulled it back to 22-17, that was as close as they got as Longlevens regained the initiative in what was a hugely entertaining game.

And the fact that the win came against Matson, who were the cup holders and are unbeaten in league rugby for two seasons, made Longlevens’ win just that bit more special.

“We were certainly not the favourites,” said chairman Richard Bennett. “I think most people thought Matson would beat us. But there was so much confidence among the players, they’ve got such a good team spirit, the bond between them is fantastic.”

The final was put back five days because of Longlevens’ involvement in the Papa John’s Community Cup Counties 1 South Plate final at the StoneX Stadium the previous Saturday – they beat Twickenham 24-11 – and had the Matson game gone ahead on its original date, Bennett, who was on holiday in Las Vegas, would not have been present to witness one of the great days in the club’s history.

“I managed to stream the Papa John’s final,” said the 51-year-old, a former player who has been involved with the club since he was six years old. “It was on at 9am in Vegas, there were eight of us watching it.

“I didn’t think we could beat the previous season when we won the Gloucester Premier and the 2nds won the North Gloucestershire Combination Junior Cup, but this season has been fantastic. Our 2nds won Counties 4 Gloucestershire North and our mixed ability team won the Walcot MAR Tournament.”

The 1^st XV only just missed out on promotion from Counties 1 Western North, finishing one point and one position below second-placed Burnham-on-Sea, and while they’d have loved to have gone up that was certainly forgotten on Friday night.

“It was one of the best days ever,” said Mark Dunford, a former player. “It is still a very prestigious cup from a local point of view.

“During our cup run we beat Chosen Hill, Coney Hill and Matson. To beat those three in a cup competition is pretty good going.”