NORTH Tamworth Bears join a select group of clubs when the Country Rugby League presents the Clayton Cup to the Group 4 premiers at Tamworth Golf Club tomorrow evening.
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They will become just the fifth club to have won the Clayton Cup twice since its 1937 inception, joining Group 13 club Tumbarumba (1985-86) and Northern Rivers club Grafton Ghosts (2010-11) as the only two-time winners of the Cup.
Cobar and Tweed Heads Seagulls have won the Clayton Cup three times, Cobar in 1971-72 when it played in Group 15 and then again in 1998 in its Group 11 competition while Seagulls won the Cup in 1963, 1983 and 1989.
The Clayton Cup is a trophy awarded by the Country Rugby League to the NSW country rugby league team with the best overall record for that season.
To be eligible, the team must win the highest level of competition in its region.
Usually the winner of the Clayton Cup goes through the season undefeated.
The Cup was donated by Reub Clayton, an early rugby league administrator in country NSW, and was first awarded in 1937 to West Tamworth.
It has come to Group 4 just five times in its 77-year history.
North won it back in 1951, Gunnedah snared it in 1973 and then Werris Creek Magpies won the 1996 Cup under stalwart coach Ron Dellar in 1996.
Tomorrow night, Bears coach Brad McManus and his talented team will be able to hoist the Clayton Cup for the second time in the club’s history after a stellar season where they played and won all 15 premiership games, scoring 961 points and having just 229 points scored against them.
They also had all four teams – ladies’ league tag, under 18, second grade and first grade – in grand finals at Jack Woolaston Oval on Sunday, September 21, winning three and losing only the ladies’ league tag 10-6 to Oxley Diggers.
The Bears juniors beat Narrabri 28-16, the second grade side beat Quirindi 48-16 to notch a third successive premiership and the first grade Bears beat Gunnedah 56-18.
Outgoing Bears president Peter Woolaston said it would be a big night with CRL representatives handing over the Clayton Cup.
“It should be a great night for us,” Woolaston said.
“We’ve already sold 110 tickets – that’s a lot more than last year.
“We had a very good year. The juniors won, the ladies’ league tag lost in their grand final and the second grade won for the third year in a row.”
He said the club had framed photographs and premiership jackets to present to the first grade.
The presentation night starts at 6.30pm while the Bears also have their annual general meeting on Sunday.
The AGM is timed for a 10am start in the club room at Jack Woolaston Oval.