A Saturday afternoon which began remembering the life of Chris Percival ended with celebrations, on and off the pitch, as Widnes Vikings became Academy champions 2010.

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Valvoline Academy: Hull KR 10 Widnes Vikings 42

Widnes : Jack Owens, Kieran Butterworth, Chris Doolan, Danny Craven, Alex Brown, Grant Gore, Tom Gilmore, Jack Smith, Joseph Clarke, Alex Gerrard, Tom Kelly, Josh Crowley, Chris Walsh SUBS: Chris Atkin, Adam Lawton, Brad Davies, Elliot Davies
Tries: Brown 4, Smith, Gerrard, Atkin, Lawton, Davies
Goals: Craven 3

Hull KR: Lewis Sherrif, James Maughan, Alex Everitt, Rowan Colquhoun, Sam Watson, Kristian Bell, Nathan Slater, Shawn Richards, Joe Gray, Sam Jowsey, Aaron Ollett, Liam Salter, Luke Hardcastle SUBS: Craig Smith, Lloyd Ofori, Adam Sunman, Sonny Esslemont
Tries: Colquhoun, Watson
Goals: Bell
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Took on the might of Super League and BEAT THEM ALL. Wow guys, just wow.......

Sorry but I doubt any of those in the Hull KR squad have played Superleague

What were the league standings?

very well done to widnes,but this cant say much for sle at this level when the youth of a semi pro club can be crowned champs.
surely clubs in the sle have had 15 years to put structures in place to make sure this shouldn't happen?

If you took the time to actually look at the details of the Valvoline U18 Academy comp, you would see that it comprises the Super League teams, plus Widnes.... and guess who just won the whole thing...

Or maybe, just maybe, it shows just how good the Vikings youth setup is.... y'know, it being awarded World Class Status'n all... just a thought....

Keep fighting the good fight VV. Up The Yoof!

what you dont understand is this was not a competative league , as in winners or losers or league standings, this hole un18s was all about development,all the super league clubs had there best kids playing 20s and used the 18s for blooding youngens through , if they wanted they could of at any time dropped there 18s out of 20s and smashed widnes, but they didnt they took it for what it was , no cup , no league no points etc , were as widnes with all due respect played it to win it with a hell of a lot of older end playing against 16 year old kids , also haveing a very setteld side , due to not haveing a 20s to promote there better kids , but well done use played some good stuff, but remember the super league clubs new it was of little importance , just for trialist and young upper comeing players , this league was all about development, not results !

To be perfectly honest I dont think the RFL were keeping count. Sounds like a namby pamby idea like non competitive sports day. Phase one was ranked by points difference and team were put into groups:

Group A

St Helens +200
Wigan Warriors +168
Widnes Vikings +74
Leeds Rhinos +72
Hull Kingston Rovers +20

Group B

Warrington Wolves +6
Wakefield T Wildcats +2
Castleford Tigers -18
Harlequins RL -36
Bradford Bulls -40

Group C

Hull FC -115
Salford -139
Huddersfield -234
Catalans Did not play in Phase 1
Crusaders Did not play in Phase 1

After playing everyone home and away in phase 2, the group A 'league table' would have looked like (although if ranked by points difference Saints would be down in 4th):

Team P W D L F A GD Pts

Widnes 8 6 0 2 282 222 60 18
St Helens 8 5 0 3 210 233 -23 15
Wigan 8 3 0 5 212 192 20 9
Leeds 8 3 0 5 189 199 -10 9
Hull KR 8 3 0 5 160 207 -47 9


Although there doesn't appear to be a recognised 'Champions', Widnes have clearly had the best record of all u18's teams. If I remember correctly our u16 played 6 and won 6 as well.

Didnt play the same team week after week and included four players from the U16's. Oh and three players ended up playing for the first team!!

Also to try to suggest that other teams were full of 15/16 years olds simply isn't true. When we played Saints the other week, the Saints team had about half the team who were 18 and the others were a mix of 16/17 years olds. I know some of the SL teams u18's squad could have strengthed a bit but I think knockon is just trying to knock us a bit.

You can only play what's in front of you , well done

Or maybe it shows that the intensity is not there anymore as there is nothing to aim for with there not been a league table this season.

Some people are unable to show either tact or have the ability to give credit where it's due it seems.

Sour grapes.

Well done Widnes, its a great achievement.

Dud you make all of that up? We do have a 20's / reserves who reached their semi final also but fit our development was decided 18's best place for the best kids a lot as mentioned under 16 as a few if the older lads 16/18 had to step up to first team level and may I add none looked out of place despite are issues on field this year!

To add I also initially doubted the crediting others as SL at such an age but when you think of the much higher outside funding for clubs she the higher pull for the players (Saints thread about signing 14yr old from Wire) it makes you realise what a good job the club has done in retaining and developing these young lads... It s certainly something to be proud of

It does seem like a bizarre way of arranging the U18's League, but credit where credit's due, Widnes won the most matches and when it counted. Very well done.

Exactly! And tbh I think all sides in the comp would of played like it was for a title of course... I really couldn't believe it when it was announced that the under 18's would be 'non competitive' what a joke... like sports days!

We wonder why we struggle on the international stage across board when we are killing the winning spirit whereas you look somehwere like America / Austrlia and 2nd is nothing 1st is everything and their lads don't go home and cry about it they toughen up and raise their game to the very top!

people in the media keep bleating on about the excellent youth structures at wigan, saints and leeds........but they were all beaten by lads from a championship club, surely that says quite a lot about the academy structure and recruitment at widnes!!!

I've seen you're reserves twice this season, not seen them win yet. Two weeks ago they played a lot of the first teamers and couldn't be Featherstone, who according to your Manager have a poor reserves side

They do play more then twice a year you know

...and thought this thread was about our academy?..well done to phil finney and all the lads

That has been said but who where these first teamers? And I mean actual first choice players compared to your boys... team sheet?

Noticed Grady, Houghton & Yates in that side (pics)Yates will be 21 I think the others are both under 20 and have played first team but also due to injuries... and isn't that the idea?

Well done Widnes!

Oh my gosh! I never knew they had.

Sorry I forgot that it all had to be a Widnes loving. Well done on 3rd place a semi final place.



On a serious note, I wish all pro/semi clubs had the same structure in place, i.e U15/16/18 Reserves.