England dominate first European Seniors Touch Cup

19 Aug 2025 @ 12:00 UTC

The first European Seniors Touch Cup held at the University of Stirling last weekend was dominated by England Touch as they took away half of the 22 medals on offer across the eight categories of competition.

Whilst England took golds in all bar one of the divisions, the event will be remembered as much for its idyllic setting, camaraderie and team spirit as it will for the high level of touch on show.

Set in the shadows of the famous Wallce Monument and the surrounding countryside, the Airthrey Playing pitches were a fabulous setting for this new tournament that brought together players from across Europe and further afield.

We were blessed with teams from nine nations, as well as the established Eurostars Women’s 40s, and three other new European select teams, brought together to provide those without a representative NTO team, with the chance to play in this development event.

For detailed results and final standings, please click here.

Read on for a more detailed round-up across the nine categories of competition…

Men’s Seniors and Masters

England’s dominance was demonstrated across the weekend, and they re-enforced their position as the number one nation in Europe by winning the first final of the day, the Men’s 45s, with victory over Ireland 12 tries to 2.

Whilst they also took golds in the Men’s 30s, 35s and 40s, perhaps the biggest cheer of the afternoon came in the second final on field 1 – with Scotland Men’s 50s edging out England in a drop-off. Player of the division, Chris Bromley scored the winning try with a fantastic straightening of his line before accelerating past the last gasp England defender as the game entered the sudden death 3v3 period.

There were medals for Wales in the M35s and M40s with both teams pushing England hard in their respective finals, whilst France took bronze in both the M30s and M40s. Scotland claimed the silver in the M30s and England Men’s 55s took bronze in the over 50s category.

Women’s Seniors and Masters

In the women’s divisions, England’s strength in depth shone through as they fielded 27s, 35s, 40s and 45s across the two age divisions.

The 27s division was closer than some might have expected, but the biggest shock came in the final when the England W35s held off their 27s counterparts to take gold 4-3. Scotland edged France for 3rd place, with their talented number 16 – Kirsty Venter claiming the player of the division.

The England W45s couldn’t match the upset against the England W40s though as the latter took the final 7-3, with Marnie Wills pulling the strings for the 40s. Whilst Scotland were beaten by Eurostars in the 3rd/4th play-off, the select team couldn’t medal, so Scotland took the bronze, much to the team’s surprise at the presentation.

Mixed Seniors

An exciting penultimate final witnessed England beating the Irish 10-7. Credit must be given to the very competitive EuroSelect X30 team who managed to edge second place in the table, although dropped to fifth with the ruling on select teas not being able to medal. Instead, Switzerland took the bronze, beating Portugal.

Medals, MVPs and Referees of the Finals

Womens 27s

  • 🥇England W35
  • 🥈England W27
  • 🥉Scotland W27
  • Most Valuable Player: Kirsty Venter (Scotland)
  • Referees of the final: Mike Davis, Layo Aromire, Chloe Spencer

Mens 30s

  • 🥇England M30
  • 🥈Scotland M30
  • 🥉France M30
  • Most Valuable Player: Gus Gillespie (England)
  • Referees of the final: Mike Wallace, Theo Edwards, Randy Gam

Mixed 30s

  • 🥇England X30
  • 🥈Ireland X30
  • 🥉Switzerland X30
  • Most Valuable Players: Micha Janis Trost (Switzerland) and Zoe Fielden-Stewart (England)
  • Referees of the final: John Beaton-Hawryluk, Bronwyn Wake, Ried Garsid

Mens 35s

  • 🥇England M35
  • 🥈Wales M35
  • Most Valuable Player: Will Simpson (England)
  • Referees of the final: Matt Emerson, Ash Grimsey, Josiah KC Yuen

Mens 40s

  • 🥇England M40
  • 🥈Wales M40
  • 🥉France M40
  • Most Valuable Player: Dean Bradley (England)
  • Referees of the final: Matthew Sharkey, Clare Hammond, Pablo Vazquez

Womens 40s

  • 🥇England W40
  • 🥈England W45
  • 🥉Scotland W40
  • Most Valuable Player: Marnie Wills (England)
  • Referees of the final: Gregor Wightman, Sana Tansey, Jerome Clenet

Mens 45s

  • 🥇England M45
  • 🥈Ireland M45
  • Most Valuable Player: Matt Hall (England)
  • Referees of the final: David Strawbridge, Audrey Philpott, Laurence Cortey

Mens 50s

  • 🥇Scotland M50
  • 🥈England M50
  • 🥉England M55
  • Most Valuable Player: Chris Bromley (Scotland)
  • Referees of the final: Aoife McCarthy, Michelle Coco, Siany Gilding