The East beat the 55-year-old Shute Shield curse by one point

East End’s young backs took control early on when Jack Bowen released Lancaster and Teddy Wilson scored brilliantly alone.

East used a rolling offense to score two more points in the first half, and powerful center Fabian Goodall was difficult to stop in close quarters.

A charging O’Donnell earned North’s only try of the half, as they tried and failed to find space on the edge rather than in the middle.

North came out in the second half and finally opened up the game, with a Michael Scott blast starting the comeback.

The North team dominated, O’Donnell’s second touchdown and flanker Ed Timpson’s wonderful touchdown from 50 meters gave the Shore team a 32-31 lead with 17 minutes left.

But a turnover on the restart allowed East to finally gain some advantage, with Bowen helping the team find overlapping space on the left wing, which allowed Lancaster to score immediately and regain the lead.

In the 73rd minute of the match, the North team was blocked from the goal line. In the 77th minute, the North team chose to take a penalty kick in front of the goal post, believing that they had time to come back and score again.

But the East defense was in the final stages, and the North team did not seem to be preparing for a field goal, relying instead on the ability to score or take a penalty. Just as Magan was trying to grab the win, a tackle from Gamble proved the difference.

The victory was sweet for the players and fans of the East End team, as they were found to have violated the player points system and became the subject of heavy criticism from their opponents, and were subsequently fined and deducted game points.

“I can’t describe it — it’s been a tough year,” Wilson said afterward.

“We got a lot of criticism but it only made the boys stronger. I’m happy and proud that we persevered. North came out really strong in the second half and we really struggled to hold them off but I’m happy the boys persevered and we did.

“The North team has done a great job this season and they deserve a lot of credit. They were fifth at the end of the regular season and had a fantastic performance in the final. They should be proud of their efforts.”

Bowen, whose father Scott also played for East, said he was proud to win the long-awaited championship.

“It’s gratifying that 55 years later, my family has spent so much time at the club,” Bowen said. “It’s amazing. To give back to the community, to have so many people who have given so much to the East End, to give to all of these people, it’s incredible.”

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