UPDATE 1-Rugby-Leicester champions after beating London Irish

* Leicester secure eighth English league title

* Beat London Irish 10-9 in Premiership final

(adds detail, quotes)

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Leicester secured their eighth English league title when they used all their experience to overcome London Irish 10-9 in a tense Premiership final at Twickenham on Saturday.

England's most successful club were appearing in the final for the fifth year in a row, having won only one of the last four, and struggled to impose themselves for long periods against a London Irish side seeking the title for the first time.

However, Jordan Crane scored the only try of the game just after an hour to edge them clear and Leicester, who finished the regular season top of the standings, held out.

They will now hope to complete a memorable double next Saturday when they take on Leinster in the Heineken Cup final at Murrayfield.

"We made it tough for ourselves and Irish played very well but the boys worked very hard," man of the match Geordan Murphy told Sky Sports.