Match reports from the Guildfordians Minis Festival - 14 March 2010
Under 9's Reds Under 9's Yellows Under 10's Under 11's
On a bright sunny morning what more could a mother want on Mother’s Day than to forego her lie in, breakfast in bed and a relaxing morning reading the papers in order to watch her little darling battle it out on Stoke Park against 14 other teams at Guildfordians’ Spring rugby festival. As hosts the G’s U9s fielded 3 teams – Reds, Greens and Yellows.
The Reds, or Mighty Bisons, as they like to be called, found themselves on the football pitches of Stoke Park, warming up with rucks and line-outs. As the first game against Richmond got underway, it seemed as though Reds were still thinking about the practice ground as they took a little while to warm to the game. But under some worrying pressure on the Reds' 7m line, Connor Jones at centre ripped the ball and ran over 50 meters up the left flank to score. This was the fillip that Reds needed, and it put fire in their bellies. They took the game to the opposition and forced handling errors aplenty; quick ball went wide from a scrum into Connor's hand, and he went over on the right for his second. Henry Miguda at hooker disrupted the opposition, stealing the ball in a maul, as became a very welcome habit of his throughout the afternoon, and as the ball spun wide, Connor raced through to score. From a scrum Nelson Pryer at scrum half delivered a beautifully weighted pass for Connor to score his fourth, and then Connor once again ripped the ball from a fruitless Richmond attack and raced up the other end to score his fifth! Prop Alasdair Bulman set out his stall for the afternoon with his battering-ram attacking play, scoring after Richmond conceded a penalty having suffered a turnover at the ruck. From another turnover, Ben Bound at centre opened his account with a sprint down the left to score. 7-0 to the Reds.
Next up were Sutton & Epsom, a more challenging proposition. The opposition were not short of aggression either on the field or on the touchline, and it took a little longer for Reds to find their pattern. However Reds discovered the art of the ruck, with Dominic Ascough and Stephen Coughlan, both at prop, getting stuck in and securing plenty of ball for the productive half-back pairing of Nelson (scrum-half) and Freddy Esplen (fly-half). From another turnover, Nelson passed to Nick Thorn (wing) who showed a lovely turn of pace up the touchline and used two neat sidesteps to cut outside then inside defenders before grounding the ball on the right for a score. Reds were denied a try as the ball was held up over the line, but the forwards never tired and, after winning the ball on the opposition 7m line, two well-worked mauls put Connor over for a composed finish. The final score came as Connor, playing to the whistle, capitalised on confusion over knock-ons and picked up a loose ball to score on the left, giving the Reds a 3-0 victory.
The third game saw Reds up against a London Irish team that seemed to have lots of confidence, but who were not a match for the now rampaging Reds. At centre, Georgia Newman's tackling was as effective as ever, as was her distribution in open play. After more excellent rucking from the forwards on the right, Nick went over in the corner. Henry, who competed hard and successfully for the ball in the tight all afternoon, clamped onto a loose ball and took it to around 15m out; from the resultant ruck, Nick stepped in to scrum half and, having paused to assess his options, burst through the despairing tackles to add his second try in the right corner. Throughout the second half the Reds were camped in the London Irish half but as the game dragged on it seemed there was no way through until Dylan Bailey (wing) demonstrating great awareness, stepped in at scrum half at the base of a ruck and released Freddy with a lovely pass, leaving Freddy to step round the last man and touch down to score a well deserved try rewarding his hard work all morning. The Irish coaches were gracious and generous with their plaudits for the Reds' display, which had resulted in another 3-0 lock-out.
The final pool game saw Reds needing at least a draw to ensure passage to the final, but Battersea Ironsides were intent on providing an upset and despite the Reds being camped for long periods in the opposition half the scorer was untroubled for the duration of the first half. The Reds, realising only a win would guarantee a place in the final, stepped up their work rate in the second half. There was no doubting their commitment, team spirit and phenomenal concentration, and certainly no stopping this teams path to the final. Thomas Eves relished his tackling on the wing, and Ironsides were on the back foot as a ripped ball made its way out to Ben who made his second try of the afternoon look easy. After more marauding up the middle from Alasdair and Henry, Connor saw the try line and flew past 5 opposition defenders for his eighth try of the tournament. Reds supporters on the touchline could only agree with the appreciative comments of the Ironsides' coaches. Alasdair had gained valuable ground and no doubt bruised a few opposition ribs with his bravery all day. In a beautifully-executed set piece, he collected a perfectly weighted free pass from Nelson to crash through the opposition and score in the middle with two defenders hanging off him. Once more, 3-0 to the Reds.
Going into the final, Reds record was played 4, won 4 (a maximum possible 12 points), with 16 tries scored and not a single try conceded. The team had played their hearts out for each other, with a fantastic collective and individual effort. Every one of the players deserved to feel the pride bursting through their chests. But we knew that the toughest opposition was yet to come.
The Reds knew, as the only team with a perfect record, they were through to the final, but with three other matches still in progress the opposition were still unknown. Excitement amongst the Reds grew as realisation dawned that 3 of the top 4 teams were from Guildfordians with the Greens earning a place in the final against the Reds and the Yellows having to settle for the a place in the 3rd/4th play-off.
And so to the final which proved to be the toughest game of the day for the Reds. The problem with playing against your team mates is, although you known their strengths and weaknesses, they know yours too. The Reds forwards were determined to earn bragging rights at the club and powered into the Greens. Dom and Henry muscled their way up field, followed by another barrelling run from Alistair, but the Greens were proving their equals in defence, and when the ball was moved wide to Nick on the right, with the three forwards in support, he was held up a foot from the line in the final play of the first half. Make no mistake, this game mattered and neither team was willing to hand a victory to their friends. The Greens Charlie Hellier was proving to be a thorn in the Reds side, stopping a rampaging forward pack that had proved so dominant in the previous matches. Having had the edge in terms of territory in the first half the Reds found the tables turned in the second with the Greens’ forwards crashing into the rucks and mauls and forcing the Reds onto the back foot, but this Red team were determined not to concede a try and battled hard, and on one of the rare occasions they managed to get the ball Connor stepped passed the first tackler and sped off up the right wing, hotly pursued by Tom Perceval from the Greens. Both players, with pace to burn, looked a perfect match and Tom was a fingertip away from hauling down Connor as he crossed for his ninth try of the day. With time still on the clock the Greens attacked again through their impressive forwards and the Reds defended as if their lives depended on it. The ref awarded a penalty to Greens with seconds remaining and a final wave of greens powered into the Reds, but they held firm and bundled the ball carrier into touch to herald the final whistle.
The Reds had done it, victory all the sweeter having defeated their club mates, and gone through the tournament without having their try line breached. A fantastic team performance with all 12 playing their part.
The Reds (with many demonstrating the versatility of this team) were:
Alasdair Bulman (Prop), Ben Bound (*Fly Half/Centre/Wing), Connor Jones (*Centre/Fly Half), Dominic Ascough (*Prop/Hooker/Centre/Fly Half), Dylan Bailey (Wing), Freddy Esplen (*Scrum Half/Fly Half), Georgia Newman (*Centre/Fly Half), Henry Miguda (Hooker), Nelson Pryer (*Scrum Half/Wing), Nick Thorn (*Wing/Centre), Stephen Coughlan (Prop), Thomas Eves (Wing)
*Primary position
With the Yellow narrowly losing the 3rd/4th place play-off 2-1, the G’s U9s ended up 1st, 2nd and 4th, proving what a strong squad we have at the club.
Rob Ascough, Richard Miguda - U9 Coaching Team
Under 9's Yellows a bristle away from a clean sweep!
A great day was had at Stoke Park as for the second festival in a row the sun shone and 'Simpsons'-like blue skies prevailed. The U9s had entered 3 teams in this 15 team competition within the wider festival that brought over 1300 young players to the Guildfest site. And what a festival it was with the U9s not only winning the competition but getting the runners-up slot and the 4th place as well. Next year we'll be looking for that elusive 1,2,3!
For the Yellows it was ultimately a frustrating afternoon that ended camped on the opposition's line for an entire half and not managing to get the vital scores. However we mustn't underestimate their achievement. The groups stage contained some very tough opposition and we can learn a lot from this experience.
The first match of a tournament is never easy to judge - you have no idea of the quality of the opposition out there. A strong side took to the pitch to take on Richmond Greens. The lads love their rugby and they haven't played enough of it this Winter. They were like a rabbit coming out of the trap. They simply swept the opposition away. The awesome Angus Lovatt stormed over for two tries, Finlay McManus (two), and Ben Sambrook (one) jinked & sidestepped their way through desperate hands, Ollie Bliss showed his pace by simply running right through the middle of their team, while Daniel Sumner scored with a cool break and Bo Beynon finished off a smart move with his usual flying finish in the corner. The final score was 8 tries to nil and we were up and running.
Next up were the Wimbledon Warriors. We haven't played these guys before and they really impressed with their complicated passing moves behind the scrum. Best passing side we have seen this year. They were great to watch. And that is exactly what our lads did in the first half. We were one down before we knew it. Angus got us back in the game, only for the WWs to score a simply stunning try on the stroke of half time with bullet passing and great hands. The Gs somewhat shell-shocked re-grouped at half time and knuckled-down. We were much tighter in the second half with Oliver Cashmore and Cameron Cawsey always first to the breakdown and we eventually forced two more well taken tries from Angus and Ollie B. We just edged it 3v2. A well fought win that would surely teach the Gs a lot about themselves.
Not enough lessons were learnt though as we again watched while others got to the ball first and the Old Reigations camped on our line in the first half. We just were not able to break free - playing "up-hill" didn't help and we found ourselves two down at the interval. The second half was again better and we did make some use of the downhill advantage! However despite a good try in the corner from Ben, we stuttered and in the end stalled. Losing 2v1. The Gs are not used to losing and some thoughtful faces looked back at us at the after match de-brief.
In these sorts of tournaments one loss usually puts you out. But the Warriors beat the Old Reigations and the group was wide open again. The last match was an opportunity to put the record right and Farnham felt the wrath of the mighty Gs! Finlay, Ben and Ollie all decided to go on some running practice and were like a hot knife through a buttery defense - all scoring two each, while Bo finished-off the rout in style. The final score 7v 0. But with Old Reigations and the Warriors also picking up large victories it was going to be very close.
After a long agonising wait it was clear that our results were not enough to get us through to the final. That match would be contested by the other two Guildfordian sides so at least there was some sweetness to the bitter pill. And there was more honey when we realised that we had done enough to get to the 3rd & 4th play-off. We were again to play the Mighty Wimbledon Warriors! The Gs were up for it but again started slowly and were 2 down before we had got out of first gear - again due to some strong running by the WWs. We re-grouped and kept it in the forwards as Oliver C and Angus surged strongly up the middle, Oscar Atkinson linked well with more determined running and we eventually managed to force our way over with either Ollie B or Angus getting the crucial final touch down. We needed the television referee to tell us who got the final touch and unfortunately the Stoke Park 'link' wasn't working on Sunday! At 2v1 down it was time to turn the screw - we camped on the WWs line for all of the second half. Nathan Jones and Edward James helped with surging runs just failing to get over, then as we brought the play back the other way Angus again forced his way over, but it was deemed to have been 'held-up'. Kit Edgecliffe Johnson joined the fray. This was Kit's first tournament and it was quite a baptism of fire as he entered the bubbling-cauldren of emotion as we tried and tried again to cross that line - but it was not to be. The final whistle went and the Warriors just shaded it 2v1.
The whistle also saw an out-pouring of emotion not seen since Gazza in 1990! It was enough to bring a tear to the eye of the strongest man-mountain! But there was nothing to cry over. The Gs had lost to a very good Warriors side and we will learn more from today's experience than all of the 8 nil victories put together. As we approach the final run-in to the end of season festivals we need to improve on our 'driving-over' and desire to get to the ball first as well as knowing when to off-load that ball to our flying runners. Those improvements will come and the close matches today will have helped that. As ever the Gs put their bodies on the line and wore their hearts on their sleeves. A great performance all round and thanks again to all the parents and families who supported the teams and helped out so much in making the Guildfordians Spring Festival such a fantastic event!
The Fantastic Guildfordian Yellows were: Oscar Atkinson, Bo Beynon, Oliver Bliss, Oliver Cashmore, Cameron Cawsey, Kit Edgecliffe Johnson, Edward James, Nathan Jones, Angus Lovatt, Finlay McManus, Ben Sambrook, Daniel Sumner.
Lee Sambrook, Keith McManus - U9 Coaching Team
The Matches.
It was a day for the children to stand up and show their skills and see if they have taken any heed of the coaches over the last few weeks! And oh boy what a start by the Greens taking on Sutton and Epsom Reds. Taking complete control of the game from the start saw them come out 3 -1 winners. The enthusiasm and tenacity in tackling and the rucks was great to see.
The reds shortly followed against Old Reigatians. It started off very evenly with some good tackling form both sides but the Reds were always that bit stronger in the ruck. A 2 - nil half time lead was converted to a 5 - 0 win in the second half.
The Greens then followed with a game against Cobham, a tough side we had been training with the week before. A couple of early tries conceded meant it was always going to be a struggle. The team worked hard but never quite found the same composure as the first game against a team who were just that one pace quicker across the park and a couple more breakaway tries closed the scoreline as a 4 - 0 loss.
Back to the reds who were looking really confident as they took on Battersea Greens. A really hard fought first half saw only one try to the Reds. The second half was a different story with the Reds finally passing the ball out and blowing away Battersea with 5 more tries to finish 6 - 0.
Reigate were next up for the Greens and saw some of their best rugby. Unfortunately two very quick tries at the start of the first half made it an uphill struggle. Getting a try back just on half time looked to have brought the Greens back into the game. Reigate again scored quickly after the break but the Greens bounced back for their second try and put an enormous amount of pressure on Reigate to try and get that equalizing try. However it was not to be and Reigate finally managed to get turnover ball and broke away and even though great covering tackling by the Greens they couldn't quite stop the fourth try.
The Reds were really getting into their stride and the game saw some great passing and support play from the players which enabled them to cruise to a 6 - 0 win over Chipstead.
The last game for the Greens was against Chobham, a team in a must win position to get to the 3 / 4th place final. They had only conceded one try all day and clearly had a very strong defence. The Greens tackled, rucked and defended stoutly against a bigger team and really tried to put their own game together. Working really hard they did not give up and full credit goes to them but finally they came away with a 5 - 1 loss.
The last game for the Reds was against Sutton & Epsom Greens which was probably the toughest game the Reds had played so far. The team was not though going to be denied their place in the final and took the game 3 -1.
The final.
Battersea Ironsides v Guildfordians Reds - both having won all their pool games.
It was unfortunate that events made it necessary to have a 20 minute delay before the final. It was clear that the delay seemed to have affected the Reds more than the Ironsides who were quickly into their game. Though the Reds were tackling well the aggressive rucking that had been seen in previous games had gone and the Reds were struggling to put pressure on Battersea. A missed tackle then saw Battersea take the lead. Half time and the Reds now playing down the hill expectations were high. A much stronger performance in the second half saw Battersea entrenched in their own half defending resiliently. Henry Webb diving over the line seemed to have brought the equaliser but disallowed as the referee determined he had been held up. The equaliser did eventually come but with the referee then claiming last play at the restart the Reds needed possession to have any chance of a win. So close but when a Battersea player decided he had enough by placing the ball in touch it was all over and as Battersea had scored first the came away with the Cup.
It was a great final, both winners, neither defeated in the campaign.
Summing up I think the children in both squads put in performances that were the best we have seen. We saw some really determined tackling, especially from the Greens when things perhaps were not quite going their way, players beginning to drive over in the rucks and starting to pass the ball to the wide players.
Simon Hinkley - U10 Head Coach
We were blessed with perfect conditions for rugby. Despite a lack of training due to the weather we were armed with a great deal of ability and even more determination. We made a few tactical changes in the formation to try and ensure we maximised the impact of every player, however this meant some members of the squad were playing in positions unfamiliar to them and the impact of this was unknown.
We were first to play and our opposition, Richmond, were going to be a tough start. From the moment the whistle blew the team gelled and we dominated the game with fluent forward play and excellent passing and support in the backs. We put them under enormous pressure and the inevitable first try was scored by Jack Baldwin powering through and just managing to stretch over the try line. This was followed by one from Toby Howarth who benefited from some powerful forward play which enabled him to force his way over the line. A comfortable first half and the second half proved to be much the same with further tries from Jack Lillistone and Matt Wells which rounded off a very good performance. We won the game 20 - 0.
The second match was against Battersea Reds and we continued to play what can only be described as excellent rugby. The forwards dominated and enabled the backs to have quality possession which they capitalised on with fluent passing and strong running. Our first try came from a scrum 10m from Batterseas try line, we won the ball and passed it beautifully through the hands of the backs until Jack Baldwin dived over the line to score. The second try was a carbon copy of the first, with more skillful passing giving Jack Baldwin the space to score again. We continued to apply the pressure in the second half and even when not in possession pushed the opposition back. It was from a rare spell of possession for the opposition that our third try came. They were passing the ball through their backs and were put under enormous pressure from our defence which created the opportunity for Jack Lillistone to intercept the ball and juggle it half way down the pitch before getting it under control and scoring. Jack then quickly scored again with a powerful run through the middle. The final try came from good movement in the backs before the ball was passed to Jovian Pillinger who sprinted into the corner to seal the game. We won the game 25 - 0.
Our third game was against Old Caterhamians and it proved to be a tough challenge. It was a very competitive match but we continued to play open rugby and slowly built up the pressure with good possession and dominance in the forwards. Just before half time we got the reward for our efforts when Matt Wells scored in the corner. The second half proved to be equally as hard to break their defence as the first but inevitably we did after a great run by Matt Wells who put the ball down for a try. This was then followed by one from Tom Nicole who powered his way over the line and despite big tackles coming in he managed to get the ball down as the full time whistle blew. Another win, this time 15 - 0.
The final pool game was against Staines and was a game we needed to win to guarantee a place in the final. For the fourth game in a row we played the game by the numbers, forwards winning possession, backs getting quality ball and the team gaining plenty of ground with every move. This enabled Jack Lillistone to score the first try of the game and was closely followed by one from Matt Gee, pound for pound the strongest player we've got! The second half continued in the same vein and after a great drive by the forwards Toby Howarth managed to squeeze in the corner for a try. Our next two tries were both scored by Jovian Pillinger who benefited from us throwing the ball around like we were the Harlem Globetrotters! We created masses of space and if there's one person you want to have the ball in his hands with space ahead of him it's Jovian. His second try saw him cut inside to elude the defence before scoring. A great 25 - 0 victory.
We were now through to the final and had achieved it with the best rugby we have seen them play all season. Totally dominating the games and barely taking a backwards step. However, the final would prove to be an entirely different challenge.
We met Battersea Greens in the final (as usual Battersea Greens is their first team and Reds their second - oh what it's like to be different!) which proved to be an extremely tough encounter. It was a very physical game which tested our defence for the first time today. We played as a team and matched their forwards for power and aggression and it was fitting that our try was the result of the forward pressure.The try was scored by Henry Stevens and was richly deserved because throughout the game he threw himself in front of some ferocious charges by Batterea and never once shirked a challenge (neither did his dad on the sidelines!!!). This set up a second half battle the like of which we haven't faced all season. Battersea did not come to lose and threw everything they had at us, unfortunately, at times, not just the game of rugby. We endured wave after wave of attack and despite crossing our try line several times they didn't manage to ground the ball. As frustrations grew for Battersea our defence held strong and our composure held true. The final whistle blew much to the relief of the coaches and the players, who had endured the most physical challenging half of their lives and withstood everything thrown at them.
Batterseas determination and will to win was admiral and rarely do you see it in children of this age, unfortunately for them they were playing a Guildfordian team whose desire and determination will never be matched by anyone.
Guildfordians U11's won the game 1 -0.
The game was marred by an injury to Adam Rutledge who for the whole day impressed everyone with how comfortable he looked playing at this high standard. The whole squad and coaching staff wish him a speedy recovery.
And so the spoils go to Guildfordians who won the festival for the 3rd year in a row by scoring 18 tries and conceding not one!
The heroic team who played with flair and passion were: Callum Cunningham, Adam Rutledge, Miles Crates, Toby Howarth, Henry Stevens, Toby Marsh, Joe Sambrook, Peter Marney, Tom Nicole, Morgan Holden, Jack Lillistone, Jack Baldwin, Matt Wells, Jack Beynon, Matt Gee, Harry Kichener, Alex Healy, Kezia Winter, Louie Brennan-Card and Jovian Pillinger.
Mike Holden - U11 Head Coach