Beechen Cliff School under-15s head coach Jack Utton believes his side managed testing conditions perfectly in their Continental Tyres Schools Cup final success.

The Bath-based side beat Durham School 45-7 to claim Vase glory at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium in wet and windy conditions.

The feeder school for Premiership side Bath showed their class throughout, running in seven scores much to the delight of their boisterous travelling fans.

“The conditions weren’t amazing, but we stuck at it in the first half,” said Utton.

“I think going seven points down was a real wake up call for us and it was one we needed. It’s a big scoreline we put on and that’s a credit to the boys and the staff that work and put so much effort into this.

“It’s worked out today in our favour because we played the structure and the conditions. Hopefully, we can build from this and go even further forward.”

Beechen Cliff went behind early on but led 19-7 at the break thanks to tries from Hector Dalby-Welsh, Theo Lewis-Zdybel, and Henry Sui.

Zac Saunders and Charlie Greenhough added their names to the scoresheet before the impressive pair of wing Dalby-Welsh and No.8 Sui crossed for their second tries to apply an extra gloss to the scoreline.

“We know we are dangerous in broken play, but we adapted and played what we had in front of us,” said Utton.

“We have some really strong and quick boys but credit to all boys who have played throughout the tournament. We’re lucky we have great squad depth and we had to make some difficult calls for this game.

“As a state school, we don’t have the funding or facilities that other places have, and we make the most of what we do have. The coaches have given up their own time to get the boys to where they are because we think they can and deserve to go even further.”

Utton added that he felt winning in front of a bumper crowd in the semi-finals at Aylesbury Rugby Club helped the team to manage a potentially overwhelming occasion.  

“I think the semi-finals with a big crowd was maybe a shock to the system,” he said. “I think they were a little better prepared here and less deer in the headlights maybe.

“We had 50 of our Year 10s coached up and they provided some extra oomph.”

The Continental Tyres Schools Cup is an important part of the age-grade rugby landscape in England, with schools’ rugby often where players fall in love with the game for the first time. For more information visit the Continental Tyres Schools Cup section of the England Rugby Website