Plymouth College achieved their best result in the Daily Mail Cup by taking the honours in a tense South West Group A final against Stowe School on Friday. The team, sponsored by chartered surveyors, Monk & Partners, will now meet holders Whitgift in the quarter finals, playing at home on a date yet to be set.
The match was a thrilling event with Plymouth never trailing, though Stowe never stopped battling to try and snatch victory. Nerves played a part for both sides and had Plymouth taken all their scoring chances, they might have been more comfortable in the dying minutes. Spirit and desire just saw them through. Tries from Slade, Tolan and Stephenson all converted by Slade were enough to send last year's semi finalists out. Final score Plymouth College 21, Stowe School 17.
Plymouth are the smallest school left in the Cup, with their next opponents boasting 1200 students. The win against Stowe is the unbeaten team's 16th this season and they currently lie in 2nd place in the national schools rugby league.
The side play in the Devon 7s on 2 February, but the prolonged run in the Cup means that preparation for the 7-a-side version has been limited.
