It was a day of sunshine, smiles, and celebration at The Slade as Tonbridge Juddians (TJs) secured the league title with a resounding 69–19 win over Oxford Harlequins in front of a bumper home crowd. The dominant display, featuring 11 tries and 7 conversions, earned them another maximum five-point haul and wrapped up the title with a game to spare.
Despite an early 5–14 deficit after 20 minutes, following a try from Joshua Tusler, TJs hit their stride. First-half scores from Curtis Barnes, Tusler again, and Duncan Tout, along with three conversions from Sam Evans, saw the hosts take a 26–14 lead into the break—securing the all-important bonus point.
The second half was all TJs. Charlie Self, Vince Everritt, Tom Kendrick, two tries from Hugo Lloyd, and further scores from Tout and Tusler rounded off a dominant performance and sealed promotion in style.
In a twist of fate, second-placed Dorking fell 42–35 at Canterbury while third-placed Barnes were edged out 21–19 by Henley, leaving TJs an uncatchable 11 points clear at the top. Their final fixture is away at Dorking on April 26th.
Club President Bill Little marked his final home league lunch in style with a packed clubhouse and, true to form, led the post-match celebrations on the dance floor.
Club Chairman Darren Grasby was full of praise, saying: National 1 is where we belong. We had a five-year plan to get back there, and we’ve achieved it even sooner. Everyone at the club has worked incredibly hard to make this possible. With the 2s and Academy also winning their leagues, it’s been a season to remember.”
TJs previously reached National 1 in the 2021–22 season following the post-COVID league reshuffle. This time, however, promotion has been earned on pure merit—winning 22 of 25 games and scoring an impressive 111 tries along the way. Their final game is away at Dorking on Saturday 26th April.
