Match reports from the Guildfordians Minis at Quins Curtain Raiser Cup Final - 29 March 2008
We took 134 players, coaches and parents on tour to Weymouth this weekend, tired them out, put the clocks forward and got them up early and they still managed to perform brilliantly against stong opposition. Another proud day for the club.
U7s 3rd overall at Quins (out of 60)
U9s 4th overall at Quins (out of 60)
After that at Bournemouth the teams performed superbly to progress in all age groups as follows:
U10s Final of the Shield
U9s Final of the Cup
U8s Semi-finals of the Cup
U7s Semi-finals of the Plate
The coaches have worked their socks off this weekend with the U9s led by Mike Holden making the effort to drive from Weymouth (on tour) to the Stoop and back in a day, to then drive onto play at Bournemouth on Sunday - and the U9s play contact rugby!
GUILDFORDIANS U7S IN THE CURTAIN RAISER CUP AT QUINS SUPER SEVENS SO CLOSE!
Wow what a day. A tournament that started with 60 teams was now down to the final 6 for a round robin competition that would culminate in a play-off involving the top two teams. Nerves were jangling as the Guildfordians Tigers started against New Milton. A good warm up session meant that the Tigers roared into action with a terrific try from Ben Sambrook - he quickly followed this with a second and it felt like it was going to be easy. But New Milton were not overawed, and despite another great try from Dan Michell the Tigers imploded - mistake followed mistake and the usual assured Tigers crashed to a 6 v 3 defeat. Only their 2nd defeat of the season. Stunned youngsters weren't sure how it had happened and asked if we could still make the final? Coaches assured the team it wasn't over yet......not by a long way.
The U7s do not give up and in the 2nd match against Westcombe Park they started to turn things around. More tries from Sambrook and Michell were supplemented by super tries from the hard running trio of Oliver Bliss, David Meerson and Tom Perceval, as the Tigers started to relax and move through their phases. The touchline continued to live up to its reputation as the most dangerous defender on the pitch and the Tigers flirted with it constantly as space became a premium. A solid performance had, however, steadied the nerves of the players and the (fanatical!) fans alike. The Guildfordians ran out 7 v 6 winners.
The next match was against our old rivals Pulborough. This was an edgy match with both sides desperately needing to win. Mr Perceval having tasted the thrill of the try again started to show the crowd what he can do and scored a hat-trick of tries supported well by a cracking try by Finlay McManus. The ref struggled a bit to keep things in line as the tension mounted but the Tigers were always on top and defended heroically at the end with Dom Ascough and Georgia Newman at the heart of the thin Green Line. The Tigers finished 5 v 3 winners - things were definitely back on track!
Next match up was Ealing, a side that had impressed in the semis and a club that had teams in the finals of all 3 age-groups. The Tigers were now definitely mixing with the big boys! The first half saw our runners swapping tries with theirs as Tom Perceval went over again and Bo Beynon put on his winged-boots to fly over in the corner for a great try. However the second half saw our ambitions hit the cruel rocks of expectation. Ealing played the game on the edge of offside (if you know what I mean!) - Great defence meant that our runners couldn't find a way through. Henry Miguda went fast and wide, Nelson Pryer jinxed and swerved and kept the ball alive, and the ever-smiling and willing Matthew Robertson tried runs up the middle - but all ended up in blind alleyways. The Ealing lads made no mistakes and took their opportunities well - it was a professional job and it was no shame to lose against them. Guildford went down to their second defeat of the day 6 v 2.
So it was all over...or was it? Guildfordians wanted to go out on a high and when they decide to do that they play their best rugby. Brighton, another big Club who had arrived on their own 52 seater coach, were about to see how the U7s can really play! Sharp kit doesn't make you run any faster and the Tigers huddled together before the match and approached the opposition in a determined fashion. Tom Perceval grabbed another hat trick, Ben Sambrook another brace and Dan Michell finished off a great personal afternoon with another fine try. At most points Guildfordians were 2 tries clear until that fateful final last few minutes when somehow Brighton squeezed over in the corner to grab a last-gasp draw. Final score 6 v 6. Brighton had never given up all afternoon and that commitment had got them to the final and the brave Guildfordians had to settle for 3rd spot - just shy of the Grand Final Play-off. In the Final Ealing and Brighton shared the cup in a hard fought draw.
Let's not underestimate what the U7s have achieved. This is the first time that the club has reached the Finals of this prestigious competition. In 13 matches against some of the best clubs across the South East, they have Won 9, drawn 2 (both against Brighton) and lost 2. It is their first year of competitive rugby and 3 of the Tigers are new to the game this year. They have learnt well and have a great future. Rugby is not all about the try scorers, it is about the team and every single player played his/her heart out on Saturday and fully deserve the plaudits that will surely come their way. We are immensely proud of them. It is also true that a rugby club is only as good as the people in it and I would like to thank all the coaches who worked so hard and all the parents (and extended families!) for their fantastic support. Finally a massive well done to those other players that played in the previous rounds but not the final - William Preston, Thomas Durbridge and Ella Hinkley - and the rest of the squad who push the Tigers at training each week; without them we would not have got there. The Season now culminates in 3 further tournaments for the U7 Tigers, Lions and Jaguars. Keep your fingers crossed that we go out with a bang!
Match Report by Lee Sambrook.
Harlequins Finals 29/0 - Final result 4th place (out of some 60 teams!):
The rain held off so conditions were good, and we were determined to give a good account of ourselves and show we could compete at the highest level. Our first game was against Westcombe Park, a very physical encounter but we showed fantastic support play to dominate the game. After several phases of possession we built up the pressure until Tom Nicole went over for the only try of the game giving us a victory. We only had a short break before we took the field against Upminster, a tough battle in which we looked dangerous in attack and strong in defence and the game ended in an inevitable 0-0 draw.
We played our third game against New Milton without a break, and even though we took the game to them neither team were able to score, final result 0-0. The next game against Ealing went the same as the previous two and ended in a much earned 0-0 draw. Our final game, was again without a break, and we were starting to tire as the match against Cobham began. However, a fantastic battle ensued with both teams giving their all, until in the final seconds Cobham went over for the only try of the game.
Played 5, won 1, drew 3, lost 1. Fantastic rucking, mauling and support play by the whole squad, who left nothing behind, and thoroughly deserved the 4th place. The team was, Tom Nicole, Jack Lillistone, Toby Marsh, Jack Beynon, Jack Baldwin, Imogen Harms, Morgan Holden, Joe Sambrook, Harry Kitchener, Matt Wells, Henry Stevens and Miles Crates.
Mike Holden
U9's Coach