LV= Young Reporter competition

 

With the LV= Cup set to resume again next weekend when Exeter Chiefs playing host to Ospreys at Sandy Park on Saturday, January 25 (3pm), competition organisers are offering budding young journalists the chance to win a place at this year's final.

Launched in 2012, the LV= Young Reporter competition is designed to identify the talents of young rugby writers up and down the country.

The LV= Young Reporter Competition invites children under the age of 16 to submit a 200 word review of any LV= Cup pool fixture using the below form by 5pm on the Thursday after the chosen round.

One winner will be selected per round, with the overall winner then selected from the four finalists before the semi-finals. The 2013/14 LV= Young Reporter will receive four VIP tickets to the LV= Cup Final, which will be staged at Sandy Park, as well as an opportunity to interview LV= Ambassador and former England captain, Lewis Moody.

Last year’s winning report, penned by Gloucester’s Sam Durham, described the match between his home team and Bath Rugby in a West Country derby. Chosen by a panel of Rugby Football Union, LV=, Premiership Rugby and Welsh Rugby Union representatives, as well as a national newspaper rugby journalist, Sam attended the Final at Sixways where he interviewed Lewis Moody on the pitch. The interview was then broadcast on the big screen during half-time, while he enjoyed the game from the comfort of VIP hospitality with his family.

On winning the 2013 LV= Young Reporter Competition, Sam said: “Winning the first ever LV= Young Reporter competition was a fantastic experience for me. Being able to interview a player like Lewis Moody on the pitch at the LV=Cup Final was something I'll never forget. The experience is great so it's definitely something all budding young sports journalists should get involved in.”

As well as receiving four VIP tickets to the LV= Cup Final and recording an interview with Lewis Moody, the winner will also be invited to attend the post-match press conference and write a match report of the game which will be published on rfu.com, lv.com and premiershiprugby.com.

The two runners-up will also receive four tickets each to the final. All winners must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18.

To kick everything off, here are some top tips for writing a match report:

Avoid detailing every aspect of the game; just include the bits that lead to scores
Give it an attention grabbing headline; there are lots of match reports, we want people to read yours
Remember to list the half-time and full-time score; that’s the important bit
Try to begin the report with a brief background about the game; where is the team in their respective pools? Have they got some big names playing for them? Is there anything special about the game?

Read the full terms and conditions here