Barker held off a fast finishing and resilient Knox outfit to claim a 21-19 victory and win the school’s 21st Henry Plume Shield, awarded each year to the CAS first XV premiers.

Barker led for the majority of the afternoon in front of a packed house at Hornsby but struggled to put Knox away, with the visitor’s defence outstanding in their biggest match of the season.

Barker opened the scoring in the 8th minute through third-year first XV fullback Charlie Poynton who beat his defender with speed after the Barker forwards battered Knox’s line.