The Norths first TagFest of the year, TagFest Wigan, took place on Saturday 6th July at Wigan St Cuthbert’s ARLFC. It was once again an action packed day offering plenty of fun and entertainment throughout.
Tag Rugby
Despite the early rain, there was plenty of exciting Tag Rugby played during the day. Players enjoyed coming up against different players, with teams coming from Yorkshire, Manchester and Wigan itself. The morning saw teams compete against each other in a pool stage before splitting into Cup and Plate competitions in the afternoon. Yorkshire teams, who have won the previous three TagFest Wigan events, maintained their dominance, with Baa Baa Tag Slugs winning the Cup in an all-Yorkshire final against The Market Square Tagern from Bradford. In the Plate final, Spyro the Tagon triumphed over Horsforth Storm with a 4-0 victory.
You can find the final standings, as well as the players of the final and the tournament, listed at the end of this article.
Fancy Dress
This year’s fancy dress theme was ‘Video Games’. Once again, there were some brilliant efforts that brought lots of extra colour and fun to the day. This year’s winners were Manchester based team ‘Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Tryme’.
Tug Of War
In the Tug of War contest, four members of Spiro of Tagon put in an epic performance, going undefeated against at least six different opposition teams.
Pie Eating Contest
Unique to TagFest Wigan is its renowned pie-eating contest, the only Tag Rugby tournament in the world to hold such an event! This year, the stakes were higher than ever, with competitors not only vying for the prestigious pie-eating champion title but also the exclusive ‘2024 Pie Eating Champion’ mug. Steven Lee, the reigning champion from the Wigan-based Pac-Attack, used his previous experience to deliver a stellar performance and retain his title.
Referees
It’s very true what they say: ‘without a referee, there is no game’. We would like to say a massive thank you to each of our referees for their efforts on the day. They all did a fantastic job, with the “Referee of the Day” award going to Stephen Reilly from South Yorkshire.
Photos
Action, team and winners photos from the day
Thank You
In addition to thanking all the players and referees, we would also like to thank all the staff and event partners for helping to make the event such a great day. A special thank you to the venue Wigan St Cuthbert’s ARLFC who once again were great hosts. We hope everybody enjoyed the day and that we see you again in 2025!
A massive thanks go to:
Venue: Wigan St Cuthbert’s ARLFC
Photographer: Stuart Prescott from Amateur Sports Photography
First Aid: BMS Medical
Pie Supplier: The Pie Man
After Party Venue: Revolution Bar Wigan
TEAM WINNERS
Cup
Baa Baa Tag Slugs
Plate
Spyro the Tagon
Best Dressed Team
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Tryme
Tug of War
Spyro the Tagon
INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
Cup Player of the Final
Lee Murrell – Baa Baa Tag Slugs
Plate Player of the Final
Joe Munroe – Spyro the Tagon
Female Player of the Tournament
Molly Stephens – Try Eaters
Male Player of the Tournament
Joel Rongong – Gotta Tag ‘Em All
Pie Eating Champion
Steven Lee – Pac-Attack
FINAL STANDINGS
1 Baa Baa Tag Slugs
2 The Market Square Tagon
3 Gotta Tag ‘Em All
4 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Tryme
5 Spyro the Tagon
6 Horsforth Storm
7 Team Olivia Sinclair MBE
8 Wigan Kebabs
9 Try Eaters
10 The Pretty Ones from Manchester
11 No Tag No Try
12 Pac-Attack