What a dilemma faced me last saturday afternoon. The former players club under the guidance or influence of the much travelled Robin Sadler were meeting for a Babycham or two in town at lunchtime and beyond. 'Two tries' Fagan, would still be standing at midnight but would Jan Ullah get to 3 o clock? The other choice for me would be to watch our first team in action at Kings Norton. I decided to take the back lanes to Hopwood which was another wrong option. Arriving 20 minutes after kick off I passed Mark Higgins leaving and I soon realised why. Our boys with plenty of potential but very little experience of first team rugby were struggling against opponents who were far from title prospects but still too good for us on the day. Furthermore, it was a very cold afternoon. So the question again, is, 'Did I take the right option?'
Results
First XV v Kings Norton lost
Dev XV v Kings Norton lost
Vandals v Shipston lost
Under 7s v Bromsgrove drew
Under 8s v Bromsgrove won one and lost one
Under 9s v Bromsgrove won one and lost one
Under 11s v Harbury won one and lost one
Under 16s v Old Halesonians lost
News from the Minis
Team: Ben; George;
Alfie; Frankie; Adam; Harry
Our U7’s, 2 of whom has turned out for the U8’s the previous day,
started well against a very well drilled Bromsgrove outfit.
Bromsgrove had brought 22 U7’s so lent us 2 to make 8 a side and our lads
played continuously for 90 minutes (against rolling Bromsgrove teams with fresh
legs) in near freezing temperatures and were well ready for a hot
dog at the end.
The boys did really well, the match ending 10-10 (we think).
Ben, Frankie, Alfie and Adam all had spells as captain and marshalled the
team superbly, particularly in defence making sure we kept some shape and
cutting down the space that Bromsgrove had to play in. The most
pleasing aspect was the support play, when the boys were tagged they nearly
always had support in good positions and we scored a number of tries with the
ball going through several pairs of hands. All of the boys had
some great runs and most were able to get over the line.
Overall it was a very good display from an improving team against
excellent opposition.
The under 8s had a heavy schedule this weekend with two matches. One
against Old Edwardians that included a half time display match in front of the
crowd gathered for the Old Edwardians top of the table tie against Telford and
the second match as part of the normal fixture list against
Bromgrove.
The background to the match against Old Edwardians was a cold
December day. Seven players turned out for the match: Alex, Ellis, Lewis,
Presley, Dan E, Dan G and Harry. Harry was drafted into the team at the last
minute making his first appearance in the under 8s having just turned 5 during
the week! The boys tackled with ferocity and repeatedly managed to run through
the opposition's line. As a result they triumphed in both halves of the match
and the display match. The team made sure that everyone scored a try during the
match. They racked up a total of 17 tries during the two matches against the 8
from Old Edwardians. Presley and Alex bagged 5 while Dan G notched up 3. Dan E,
Lewis, Ben and Harry all took one a piece. Dan G captained the side well. Well
done to Lewis for scoring his first try and similar for Harry scoring his first
try on his debut. Thanks to Old Edwardians for giving the boys a chance to play
in front of a crowd.
The boys knew they were likely to be in for a challenging session
against Bromsgrove when their opposition arrived over an hour early with two
sides having sent half their squad to another fixture. We had slightly less
manpower and had to borrow two players from our opponents to field a team of 8.
The Old Yardleians players who turned out were Presley, Ellis, Lewis, Dan G, Dan
E and Alex. Five of whom had tired legs from playing the previous day. Despite
all of this and a slightly more physical match the boys played the best they had
all season. In the first match they looked like they were going to run away
with it and ended up winning 5 tries to 2. Alex scored twice and Ellis and Dan G
also scored. Alex captained the side. The second match was a little more
challenging in the first half, but the boys regained their composure in the
second half. The final score was 7 tries to 4 to Bromsgrove. Alex again scored
twice and Presley and Dan G also added a try a piece to their tallies. Ellis led
the side for the second match.
This was the last fixture before the Christmas break. The boys have
gone from strength to strength this season and I look forward to more in the new
year. The boys have scored over 80 tries in their matches so far this season and
tackled like demons. They have managed to defeat all except one of the opponents
they have faced. Most pleasing of all they play as a team and thoroughly enjoy
each match. Roll on 2012!
Old Yardleians U9’s
vs Bromsgrove U9’s - 11th December 2011
Match Report
In a week where Manchester United were knocked out of the Champions
League and Leicester were dealt a blow by defeat to Clermont Auvergne in the
Heineken Cup, could Old Yardleians U9’s make the trip to Finstall Road and
cause Bromsgrove similar problems?
Arriving at Finstall Road with Bromsgrove in full swing is a
daunting prospect for players and coaches alike, but we found ourselves
changing under an oak tree and readying ourselves for the back to back matches
that lay ahead.
Bromsgrove had sent 20 boys to an away game and kept 15 at
home to play against our 10 boys from Old Y’s.
Game 1 got underway with
debutant Ethan Hart joining us for the first time and getting straight into the
action. A really bright start saw Y’s
take the lead through Oliver Lonie, followed by a second try in short
succession, the boys heads were up and the confidence began to show. What Ethan lacks in time on the training
ground, he made up for with enthusiasm, tackling like a seasoned pro, only to
be upstaged in that department by Aiden Gaffey, tackler of the match without
any doubt, yet again proving technique and commitment over size will get the job
done.
Everyone wanted to get stuck in at this point in a physical
contest, Archie and Aiden both requesting first receiver positions, Shane
employing the shirt grab technique with great effect, and keeping out two
certain tries literally by the fingertips.
Ball distribution was again good, as Sam and Dan both looked
to spread the wall wide with both Josh’s and Ollie’s looking to take the ball
forward(ish) in support. Bromsgrove
did, as we expected wake up after the early Y’s onslaught but all too late and
we finished up winners by 4 tries to 3, well done boys.
The victory had come at a cost though, we lost Ollie Lonie to a knee
injury, Josh T was wrestling with a dodgy tummy, Archie took a knock to both
head and toe, and the second game was fairly one sided with Bromsgrove running
in too many to count!.
Sharon has persuaded her young son, Jack, to consider a career as a sport journalist and this is his first attempt.
On
Sunday, the u11s old yards faced a tough task against a well set up Harbury
side. On the day, old yards proved themselves a worthy winner against a good
opposition. Two tries from Jack, with a try each for Hayden, Diego, Billy and
Sebastian, yards ran out winners, 36-21. Well done to the team for the hard
work you put in to earn the victory and to show that on our day we could give any
team a run for their money.
The under 16s visited Old Halesonians and the truth is that you discover your strengths and weaknesses when you play teams with a successful playing record. With four of our first-choice forwards missing due to injury we had to reorganise positions at short notice.A competitive first half saw us claim three tries and two cons which meant there were only a couple of points in it. However, a big pitch meant tired legs and with us having a very sparse bench, the hosts were able to bring on over half a team of fresh players which took them clear of us on the scoreboard. When we return to full strength and can also call on a bench of replacements , we will see some more high quality rugby. Well done boys.
Fixtures for the coming weekend
Saturday 17th Dec
First XV v Old Coventrians Home (League)
Dev XV v Evesham Away
Vandals XV v Tamworth Home
Sunday 18th Dec
Under 16s v Alcester (at the Portway 11.00)
Social Events for your diaries
Sunday 18 th Dec at the club Children's Christmas Party, not to be missed.
Saturday 31st Dec at the club New Year's Eve Party, live music, eat, drink and be merry all for £7.50
Friday 6th Jan at the club General Knowledge Quiz at 7.30.
And Finally
She, who is far too busy doing everything, has no time for us this week (probably sulking because the Sky Blues are bottom of the Championship).
Robin Van Persie, Absolute Genius, and remember, Mr Wenger knows best!