Hampstead win SEMLA Senior Flags Final 100 years after their first victory

Hampstead reclaimed the SEMLA Senior Flags title on Saturday after narrowly defeating Spencer 11-10 in a scintillating final exactly 100 years after their first victory in the competition.

The victory sees Hampstead remain unbeaten throughout the entire 2023/24 season and claim their 23rd Senior Flags title and their first since 2019.

100 years ago in 1924, Hampstead claimed their first ever SEMLA Senior Flags title in just their third appearance in the competition after a 16-9 victory over Buckhurst Hill.

Buckhurst Hill would go on to win the next two Senior Flags Finals with Hampstead having to wait another 13 years and six final appearances before their next win in 1937.

In the Intermediate Flags Final, Spencer 2s made it back to back Division 1 and Flags titles with an 8-3 win over Reading Wildcats.

Spencer 2s has now claimed victory in the last five Intermediate Flags Finals and secured victory in eight of the last 10.

A repeat of last year’s final in the Minor competition saw Exeter University take on City of Stoke with the latter avenging last year’s defeat after a 13-4 win to claim their first Minor Flags title at just the second time of asking.

2024 SEMLA Flags Finals Results

Spencer 10-11 Hampstead (3-2, 1-4, 2-2, 4-3)
Spencer scorers: Cam Leslie (5G), Dan Watson (2G, 2A), Tom Bracegirdle (1G, 1A), Taylor Harrison (1G, 1A), Will Prescott (1G), Will Walker (1A)
Hampstead scorers: Owen Caputo (1G, 5A), Than Holthaus (3G, 1 A), Tommy Rooney (3G), Declan Mulholland (1G, 1A), Mason Gorman (1G), Carl Klepper (1G), Zac Guy (1G), Tom Graham (1A), Vasilios Fokas (1A)

Spencer 2s 8-3 Reading Wildcats (2-2, 1-1, 3-0, 2-0)

Exeter 4-13 City of Stoke (1-4, 0-4, 2-3, 1-2)

2024 SEMLA Flags Finals MVPs

Senior MVP | Cole Palmby (Hampstead)
Intermediate MVP | Tom Naughton (Reading Wildcats)
Minor MVP | Aaron Eastwood (City of Stoke)