FIVE all-girls primary school tag rugby teams will play for the best in York title at Huntington Stadium on Sunday.

Teams from Copmanthorpe, Headlands, Westfields, Riccall and Huntington schools will play a round-robin curtain-raiser before the York City Knights v Keighley Cougars match after coming through heats which featured 23 teams in total.

The winners on Sunday will be presented with their awards at half-time of the Knights match, while the other four teams play exhibition tag.

Knights development officer Jason Ramshaw said there had been an excellent growth of girls tag rugby in the city.

"We had six schools last year and 23 this year. It shows how popular it's getting," he said.

"The standard was surprisingly good. Some of the girls had experience of the mixed tag rugby we had done, but over the last few weeks we've gone into the schools and worked specifically with the girls teams and they really got into it. Some of the players who hadn't played mixed tag really shone through."

The heats were played on Wednesday at New Earswick All Blacks' ground and on Thursday at York Acorn's, with ten teams split into two groups one day and 13 teams split into three groups the next, with the five winners going through.

Ramshaw added: "The aim of playing at New Earswick All Blacks and York Acorn was to get more girls involved with the amateur clubs, and if we can pick up a couple of girls teams from that, it would be excellent."

Competition results

Wednesday Group 'A': St Oswald's 8, Copmanthorpe 16; St Aelred's 0, Rufforth 0; Elvington 8, St Oswald's 8; Copmanthorpe 12, St Aelred's 0; Rufforth 4, Elvington 12; St Oswald's 4, St Aelred's 4; Copmanthorpe 12, Elvington 0; Rufforth 4, St Oswald's 0; St Aelred's 4, Elvington 8; Rufforth 0, Copmanthorpe 8.

Wednesday Group 'B': Haxby Road 0, Headlands 8; Clifton Green 0, Wiggington 4; Naburn 4, Haxby Road 8; Wigginton 4, Naburn 0; Headlands 8, Clifton Green 0; Haxby Road 16, Clifton Green 4; Headlands 4, Naburn 0; Wigginton 0, Haxby Road 8; Clifton Green 0, Naburn 0; Wigginton 0, Headlands 12.

Thursday Group 'A': Westfields 0, Dringhouses 0; English Martyrs 0, Poppleton Road 12; Westfields 0, Bishopthorpe 0; English Martyrs 0, Bishopthorpe 0; Dringhouses 8, Poppleton Road 0; Westfields 20, English Martyrs 0; Dringhouses 0, Bishopthorpe 0; Westfields 0, Poppleton Road 0; Dringhouses 0, English Martyrs 0; Poppleton Road 0, Bishopthorpe 4.

Thursday Group 'B': St George's 4, Derwent 0; Riccall 12, Tang Hall 0; Derwent 4, Tang Hall 4; St George's 4, Riccall 8; St George's 0, Tang Hall 4; Derwent 0, Riccall 8;

Thursday Group 'C': Huntington 4, Ralph Butterfield 0; Sand Hutton 4, Alne 12; Ralph Butterfield 8, Alne 4; Huntington 8, Sand Hutton 0; Huntington 4, Alne 4; Ralph Butterfield 8, Sand Hutton 0.

Wednesday

Group 'A'

P W D L F A Pts

Copmanthorpe 4 4 0 0 48 8 8

Elvington 4 2 1 1 28 28 5

Rufforth 4 1 1 2 8 20 3

St Oswald's 4 0 2 2 20 32 2

St Aelred's 4 0 2 2 8 24 2

Group 'B'

Headlands 4 4 0 0 32 0 8

Haxby Road 4 3 0 1 32 16 6

Wigginton 4 2 0 2 8 20 4

Naburn 4 0 1 3 4 16 1

Clifton Green 4 0 1 3 4 28 1

Thursday

Group 'A'

Westfields 4 1 3 0 20 0 5

Dringhouses 4 1 3 0 8 0 5

Bishopthorpe 4 1 3 0 4 0 5

Poppleton Road 4 1 1 2 12 12 3

English Martyrs 4 0 2 2 0 32 2

Group 'B'

Riccall 3 3 0 0 28 4 6

Tang Hall 3 1 1 1 8 16 3

St George's 3 1 0 2 8 12 2

Derwent 3 0 1 2 4 16 1

Group 'C'

Huntington 3 2 1 0 16 4 5

Ralph Butterfields 3 2 0 1 16 8 4

Alne 3 1 1 1 20 16 3

Sand Hutton 3 0 0 3 4 28 0

Updated: 11:53 Wednesday, June 29, 2005