RUGBY UNION: Quins finally hand over cup (From The Oxford Times)

RUGBY UNION: Quins finally hand over cup

5:54pm Wednesday 9th June 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(9)

Oxford Harlequins have finally handed over the Oxfordshire Cup more than six weeks after it was due to be presented to Chinnor.

Oxfordshire RFU secretary Ken Bumpass collected the trophy from Quins captain Simon Chadbone on Tuesday night, but was less than impressed by its condition.

Chinnor had to receive a subsititute trophy after defeating Witney in this year’s final and the delay in handing over the real cup has not gone down well with the new champions.

Bumpass confirmed the Oxfordshire Cup had been engraved up to date.

But he added: “It would have been nice if they had cleaned it. There is also a dent on it, which Simon said they had done to it.”

Chinnor will receive the trophy at the Oxfordshire RFU’s annual meeting on July 6.

An executive meeting on June 29 will decide if any action will be taken against Quins, who won the cup between 2006 and 2009.

Chinnor’s frustrations were shown in a recent email secretary Carol Bradbrook-Taylor copied to the Oxford Mail.

She said: “The trophy has not made its way to Chinnor RFC despite many requests, and a number of opportunities for Simon Chadbone to return it when visiting our club for county training sessions.

“I have also been informed that James Cathcart has not been given the trophy for being man of the match as sponsored by the Oxford Mail.

“All of this seems very poor show from last year’s winners. I can only express, on behalf of our senior committee, dismay and disbelief as such conduct is unbecoming in the game of rugby.”

Quins’ ex-chairman Kevin Johnson said the delay had partly been caused by them losing the cup’s base, which was later discovered in their clubhouse, but he declined to comment on any damage.

Johnson said: “If the Oxfordshire RFU have got a problem, they have not approached me about it. The cup has been available for collection for quite some time.

“The frustrating thing is that we had both parts of the cup at the time of the final. We just didn’t know that.”

The Ron Grimshaw Memorial Trophy, which Cathcart was due to receive after being named man-of-the-match in the final, remains at large.

Last year’s winner, Quins wing Ollie Campbell, appears to have lost it.