ENGLAND Rugby World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi was an interested spectator as Hillingdon rugby players grabbed gold in the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games Under-19 sevens competition at Barn Elms Sports Centre.

Hillingdon scored 116 points in the group stage matches and conceded only 21 before defeating Barking & Dagenham 40-0 in their semi-final.

In the final, they were up against Kingston who had also topped their group and Hillingdon were just too strong on the day, running out 28-5 winners.

Chris Jepsen, Hillingdon team manager, said: “As the tournament progressed, the standard was very, very high and it goes to show that rugby is continuing to develop in the capital.”

Alphonsi, who competed in the London Youth Games for Enfield, is patron for the 2015 Games.

The Hillingdon boccia team qualified for a place in the mini boccia finals at Crystal Palace on Wednesday, March 25, with victories over Brent, Hounslow, Harrow, Merton and Croydon.

Rugby and boccia are two of 31 sports in the 2015 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games,Europe’s largest annual youth sports event.