Diamond Cup

The sweet taste of success

Boston United Centre of Excellence travelled to Rushden and Diamonds on Saturday May 12 to appear in the Diamond Cup VII and returned home with the under-12s Champions Cup.

The event, held annually at Nene Park, was the first time that United had entered teams in the competition.

The under-12s 'A' team, coached by Richard Houghton, comprised Niall Delahoy, Jordan Lote, Alex Graham, James Reed, Aaron Eyett and Jordan Nuttell and won the eight-match group stage before playing the semi-final and final inside the Nene Park stadium.

The Pilgrims beat Knaresborough Celtic 2-1 in the semi-final, with Jordan Nuttell grabbing both goals, before playing hosts Rushden and Diamonds in the final. In front of a very vocal and supportive crowd, Boston took an early lead through a well-taken Aaron Eyett strike, his first of the tournament. The Pilgrims always looked in control and although having a narrow lead, pressed hard to increase the advantage. With two minutes remaining, Nuttell sealed a deserved 2-0 win to the delight of the players and Boston supporters.

The Centre had entered two teams at under-12s but unfortunately the United 'B' side suffered an early exit during the group stages.

The under-10s' two teams had mixed results. The United 'A' side narrowly missed out on the semi-finals, needing to win their last group game to qualify while the United 'B' team battled hard, but failed to qualify. The eventual finalists were Bristol Rovers and Rushden and Diamonds, and for the second time, the hosts were unsuccessful with the Pirates running out winners.

Under-10s head coach and youth administrator John Thorogood told bufc.co.uk: "Everyone enjoyed the day and it was a great experience for the lads at both age groups. The under-12s were magnificent and the quality of their play was worthy of tournament winners.

"It further shows the benefits of the youth set-up at Boston United and bodes well for the future. This is what the Centre of Excellence is all about, developing good players for the future of the club. What we saw on Saturday from these lads was superb.

"I would also like to congratulate Rushden and Diamonds for putting on an excellent tournament and the sporting behaviour of all the players and coaching staff involved."

Photo courtesy of Mal Swinden, Rushden & Diamonds FC.