MORE than 300 players, 33 teams, 12 weeks of games, hundreds of touchdowns and three drop-off finals led to a thrilling last night of the 2009 Ernst & Young Touch Summer League.

Now in its fifth season, the Antipodean sport has well and truly established itself as one of the island’s most popular sports and organisers believe that the standard of the games continues to improve.

‘Each year, we wonder how much more people can improve and then each year, we’re completely surprised,’ said Guernsey Touch chairperson Katrina Bray.

‘Every game on finals night was extremely competitive and many of the more experienced players commented on just how much the newer teams had improved.

‘The fact that so many games went to a drop-off or had just a few touchdowns between them shows just how evenly matched the teams are becoming.’

In the Mixed A final Breda Barbarians took on Source Sorcerers and having met twice before this season and each taken a win, it was set to be a great game.

It didn’t disappoint.

After 25 minutes of intense touch, the game ended with both teams having touched down twice to take it into a drop-off. With just three players left on the pitch, Breda went on to score and take the trophy.