Match reports from the Harlequins qualifiers - 13 December 2009
Under 9's - Nifty Nines Cruise to the Semis
A cold Winters' Day was filled with the warmth of family support and team camaraderie as the U9s started their Harlequin campaign. After what felt like weeks of cancelled sessions it was great to actually play some rugby. The Christmas bugs and colds had taken their toll as two of the squad (Dom Ascough and Matthew Robertson) had to pull out before the start and on the day Alasdair Bullman was clearly not 100% but still put in some fantastic performances that epitomised the spirit of the team.
First up were Sevenoaks, a friendly side who fought us close last year. It was the same this year as the first half was a tight affair. It was not until the the end of the first half that nerves were settled when Ben Sambrook bundled himself over to score the Guildfordians first. The game remained tight in the second half but when Nick Thorn got his chance he cut a swathe across the retreating Sevenoaks' defence. A heavy tackle left Nick with a bloody nose but he off-loaded to the awaiting Bo Beynon who scorched over in the corner to settle the match. It finished 2 scores to nil in favour of the Gs.
Next were Rosslyn Park, a big club who had beaten us in the final of the Wimbledon Tournament. This was not 'Parks' first team but nevertheless they are a well drilled club who looked good in attack. This time the U9s wanted to finish it early and almost from the start Ben found space to scoot through to score with time and space. The Gs then turned on the pressure with crunching tackling. Georgia Newman, Daniel Sumner and Ollie Bliss all made sure that nothing came through the middle and Angus Lovatt and Alasdair Bullman constantly made good ground with incredibly strong runs - especially from the set-piece. Poor off-loading across the whole team at the crucial moment meant the score stayed at 1 nil at half time, despite the Gs being very much on top. In the second half the Gs kept the pressure up with both Bo and Angus going close before the U9s eventually crashed over. Chalie Hubbard was the last one up with a smile on his face and the ball in his hands, as he scored the team's 2nd. Then came an almost identical move with Connor Jones getting the crutial touchdown. It ended 3 nil to the U9s and things were looking rosy with one match to go.
However these things are never over until they're over and we still had a tricky match to go. It turned out to be the hardest match of all as the Old Caterhamians tested our resolve. Finlay McManus, the Gs scrum-half, shepherded his troops well all afternoon and when they camped on the line, then crashed over it, it was Charlie Hubbard again who was there with the final touchdown. Dan Michell made some great tackles and Henry Miguda was in the thick of the breakdown and bravely played on after he took a knock to the head. It was clear though that the OCs were getting the upper-hand and after camping on our line they eventually managed to squeeze over. The first and only try we conceded all day. The second half was just as tight and the action swayed back and fore around the halfway line, until the Gs edging forward managed to make a bit of space and Ben managed to edge over right in the corner - a hairs-width of the corner flag. 2 v1 it stayed and the Gs let out a mighty roar of joy as scrum-hats were ripped-off and thrown to the heavens! The mighty roar was exceeded only by that of our fantastic travelling fans!
With 3 wins out of 3 we progress to the semi-final round of the competition. A great morning was had by all, and every one of the squad played their hearts out for the team. Well done everyone and here's to the next round in February.
The side was:
Bo Beynon, Ollie Bliss, Alasdair Bullman, Charlie Hubbard, Connor Jones, Angus Lovatt, Finlay McManus, Daniel Michell, Henry Miguda, Georgia Newman, Ben Sambrook, Daniel Sumner, Nicholas Thorn.
Lee Sambrook - U9 Coaching Team
After several weeks of cancelled training we arrived at Quins a little rusty but full of enthusiasm.
Our first game was against Sevenoaks, a very tough encounter which saw a lot of determined play from both sides. After only a couple of minutes Sevenoaks managed to break through our defence and score an early try. We spent the rest of the game building the pressure and eventhough we dominated the game we were unable to equalise. The final score was a 1-0 loss.
The second game, against Bromley, came without a break. Another bruising encounter against a team who were far bigger than us. We started the game well and dominated the possession with our forwards driving them back towards their own try line until Tom Nicole was able to break from the back of a maul to score a try. Bromley piled on the pressure and tested our defence with some good kicking, one of which resulted in a line out 7m from our line. They won good ball and were able to drive over the line to level the score as the final whistle blew. The game finished a 1-1 draw.
The final game was against Old Caterhamians, a game made a lot tougher by us suffering several injuries but we fought hard and showed great character. However we were unable to withstand the pressure and the game finished a 3-0 loss.
A tough day at the office for the U11's who showed great heart but just weren't on their game.
The team was Miles Crates, Toby Hatton, Toby Marsh, Henry Stevens, Joe Sambrook, Peter Marney, Tom Nicole, Morgan Holden, Jovian Pillinger, Matthew Wells, Jack Baldwin, Louie Brennan, Jack Beynon, Kezia Winter, Matt Gee and Harry Kitchener.
Michael Holden - U11 Head Coach