Under 16's

Stowmarket 12 Shelford 36

From the off, Shelford showed pace, agility and quick recycling, scoring quickly after a lineout off the top to Rory Stone who made 20 metres before being dragged down - from the ensuing ruck, Ben Cooper went blind, drew the man and put in Jonathan Swain who dived over with aplomb. Shelford's second came as a loose ball at the scrum squirted out to the Stow flanker who was mullered by Tom Preston who was first to his feet to collect the ball and score under the posts, converted by joint man of the match Ben Wierny. The third came after a simple 5m tap and go from Dom Rowley who coolly set up Wierny to score, converting his own try. At another penalty, 20m out, despite calls from the touchline to go for the points, Cooper thought differently and dismissed the attentions of 6 would be tacklers to score well. Try of the game came as backs and forwards combined down the blindside after a clean break from joint man of the match Cameron Fay - again, quick ruck ball saw it come wide to George Newnham who scythed through - Wierny again converted. Shelford's last score came from Wierny, touching down after Fay had launched a bomb into the Stow 22 - caught brilliantly by Swain, setting up the forwards to secure the game. Stow's scores came from very silly mistakes on our own try line, although not as silly as the Manager's mistake in having to make a return trip to Stow to collect the shirts he'd left in the bar!  

Under 15’s

Stamford 0 Shelford 17

Another successful morning for the Shelford Under 15’s playing in rather damp conditions on a sticky pitch. It was not an attractive game with many mistakes being made by both teams. Stamford started off strongly - pressing well into the away team’s half from the start. Shelford’s defence held up well with some good tackling from the backs – not allowing Stamford any room to run. Slowly the Shelford pack began to exert some control over the game with some good loose ball play. Fergus Snell was playing an excellent game at scrum half battling in the muddy conditions.  Line outs continue to prove a weakness for Shelford with Stamford gaining control of the ball on the first two Shelford throw-ins. Harry Norman opened the scoring after 12 minutes with a strong run – just placing the ball over the line despite a strong tackle from a Stamford defender. Sam Till scored a second try from an excellent move where Oliver Martin at full back caught the ball and then side stepped his way through a large part of the Stamford pack passing the ball to Sam who had the space to run for the line. Elliott Mepham scored the conversion. The last play before half time saw Alex Poirier sprint through the opposition on the wing with a dazzling run leading to a third try and a half time lead of 17-0. The second half was an extremely turgid affair with neither side exercising any domination – the mistakes were becoming more frequent with forward passes and knock ons becoming the norm. The half was rather overshadowed by a crunching tackle on Jamie Glydon at scrum half who left the pitch with a suspected broken wrist. A battling win for Shelford in extremely difficult conditions. 

Under 14’s

Shelford 5 Stamford 45

Shelford under 14’s felt the full force of a skilful Stamford team in their last match of the season. Shelford invited their entire squad (but minus a number of our first choice players) for what was always going to be a difficult end-of-term fixture, but in a competitive first half there was little to choose between the two sides. Stamford took an early lead by making an overlap count on the right flank, followed by a miss-move in the centres to score under the posts for a 14-0 lead. Shelford then took a real foothold in the game with the forwards gaining ground from some pick & drives and securing good ruck ball, as well as the backs looking threatening with ball in hand once there was some width & depth on the move. Nick Webb finished off a fine move exploiting an overlap to bring the score back to 14-5. Shelford threatened further scores in this period, but could not find another way through and reached half-time 14-5 down. The squad was rotated at half-time to give everyone a run out, but this only seemed to give Stamford the extra edge up front and Shelford spent long periods of the second half on the back foot, and also coughed up a number of turnover balls for the visitors to attack with. Our backs became very hesitant against a Stamford team now full of confidence, and a lack of good decision making at crucial times of the game made Shelford pay for their errors. Against lesser teams we may have got away with it, but not against Stamford, as they attacked with great confidence and speed, particularly from turnover ball. Some excellent tackles were being made though, especially by Toby Poirier & Sam Porter, but on too many occasions the tackler went too high, especially out wide where the need is greater to tackle legs and use the touchline as an extra defender. Stamford scored five unanswered tries in the second half to run out winners by 45-5, which after an extremely competitive first half was disappointing.

However, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we acquired around 10 new players through the season, which is always a little disruptive in getting them ‘up to speed’ with the rest of the squad. As usual we have had our ‘Highs’ (Cambridge, Heidelberg, Colchester Tournament) and ‘Lows’ (West Norfolk, St. Ives, Newmarket) throughout the season, but as the season has progressed we have won more at the latter end, and been a good deal more consistent. With the continuation next season of ‘selection’ for tournaments as well as the tougher fixtures, we would hope this consistency is more apparent in the results than has been shown this season. We do know from what we’ve seen this season that on our day, we are a match for the best and play rugby with a great style too.

Under 13’s - Diss Tournament

Pool Games:- Shelford 20 Stowmarket 0, Shelford 20 Bury St Edmunds 0, Shelford 20 Woodbridge 0, Shelford 0 Colchester 10. Quarter Final:- Shelford 10 Diss 5. Semi-final Shelford 0 Colchester 15

Shelford U13's put on a credible display at the Diss tournament reaching the semi-final. In the pool stages Shelford opened their account against Stowmarket. A solid team performance resulted in James Gibson scoring twice in the first half and further tries from Calum Miller and William Jones after the break wrapped up a comfortable 20-0win. Shelford were not at their best against Bury and some handling errors lead to a disjointed display. However with a hat trick of tries from Miller and one for Freddie Eggleton was enough to win 20-0. Woodbridge presented a potentially tricky game but the boys raised their game and with forwards and backs interchanging the gaps appeared in the Woodbridge defence which lead to a third straight 20-0 win after tries by George Knowles, Rhys Roberts, Jones and Eggleton. The final pool game was against Colchester A and with both teams having won their first three games the winner of this game won the pool. Colchester got of to the ideal start and scored two early tries. Shelford were not able to break through and Colchester won 10-0. This meant a quarter final tie with pool 3 winners and hosts Diss. Diss scored first from a scrum near the Shelford line, but a superb turn of pace from Jones leveled the scores. Neither side was able to score before the end so the game went into sudden death extra time. Eggleton produced another peace of magic as he carved his way through Diss to get the winning try. The semi-final meant another game against Colchester and although Shelford gave it everything Colchester were worthy winners 15-0. The boys were exhausted but proud of their efforts and enjoyed getting team photo with England players Lewis Moody and Dan Hipkiss.

Under 12’s(Saturday)

Shelford 21 Bugbrooke 10

Shelford 7 Cambridge 0

(all of Shelford's points scored by Sam Jones)Saturday saw the eagerly awaited visit of Bugbrooke for the annual Bugbrooke Cup. There was added spice this year with the visit of Cambridge making it a triple header. The weather, instead of the normal gentle spring zephyrs, served up Arctic wind and dismal skies. Everyone had enormous sympathy for the Bugbrroke parents, who had spent Friday night camping at Cabbage Moor. Bugbrooke had no answer to the direct running of the Shelford fly half Sam Jones. Sam powered his way through the visitors' defence to score two tries that were all about his pace and power. Then when Stephen Douglas charged down a defensive kick, Sam showed his handling skills to deftly retrieve the bobbling ball and gallop under the posts. To cap a virtuoso first half performance Sam converted all three tries to make the half time score Sam 21 Bugbrooke 0. The second half was a much more even affair and Bugbrooke grabbed two tries. Neither was converted and Shelford ran out comfortable 21-10 winners. In the next game Cambridge's sharp and pacy backs overpowered a spirited and committed Bugbrooke side to beat the touring team 24-0. This set up a tiny little local derby for the trophy. It was a nailbiting epic of a game, marked by fierce commitment, excellent tackling and skillful handling, all played at breathtaking pace. The game soon developed into a pattern. The ball retention skills of Shelford meant they had the lions share of possession. But the Cambridge drift defence was well organised and Shelford did not look like breaking through. However whenever the Cambridge backs had the ball they looked dangerous and capable of breaking out and scoring at any moment. The first half ended scoreless. With the two sides cancelling each other out thoughts were turning to the prospect of a scoreless draw. Sometimes a game of rugby is decided by a moment of brilliant skill, deft handling or lightning pace. But part of its beauty is that the game magically combines these finer attributes with those of  strength and power. It was strength and power which decided this game. Shelford patiently built themselves good field position. Scrum half Ollie Walker fed Sam Jones on the burst. Sam destroyed his opposite number by bursting through the tackle. Half the Cambridge pack leapt onto him to try to bring him down short of the line but Sam's determination carried him into the scoring zone. The crowd went wild. Sam added the two extra points and Shelford had taken a 7-0 lead. Cambridge redoubled their efforts to get back into the game.The Shelford defence was resolute and would not be breached. When once a giant Cambridge forward burst through looking certain to score, flanker Harry Hitchcock brilliantly tracked him down and bundled him into touch. There was no way back for Cambridge and Shelford had won 7-0. It was a magnificent game played in great spirit. Another excellent Bugbrooke Cup contest and Shelford had retained their trophy by beating their closest rivals. Does it get better than this?  

Under 12’s(Sunday)Shelford 71 Huntingdon 5
Tries: Stephen Douglas 2, George James, Nick Cox 2, Connor Marsh, Joe McNeil, Ollie Walker, Sam Jones, Will Lander, Rory Hutchinson. Conv: Lander (4), Jones (2), Douglas, Hutchinson.
The boys were battered and bruised after the epic victory in the Bugbrooke Cup. After his matchwinning performance on the Saturday, rumours that Sam had recently signed a sponsorship deal with Hackett proved unfounded, although Johnno had made a polite enquiry (but only on the grounds that Jones is easier for the former lock to spell than Cipriani). Sam however had been quick to pay tribute to the forwards. 'The way we kept the ball and the tackling was awesome' he mumbled, before returning to watching American teen comedies on Nickelodeon.  Huntingdon generally have a big pack and an uncompromising attitude, and have proved difficult opponents in the past. Indeed they beat us earlier in the season when we let a big half time lead slip. The team resolved to keep it moving and not get embroiled in a mauling game which would play to Huntingdon's strengths. This was especially true as Liam Calvey had hurt his knee in the warm up and couldn't play, leaving us short of grunt up front. In the end the game plan worked a treat as the boys took up where they had left off against Cambridge. George James at scrum half with his usual combination of pace and raw courage grabbed the first score. The direct running of centre Stephen Douglas led to two tries for our inspirational skipper. The pace and width in our game had the big Huntingdon boys blowing hard. Connor Marsh rumbled over like a tank stuck in second gear, carrying half the Huntingdon pack with him.. Nick Cox grabbed his reward for a season of graft with two close range tries. Joe McNeil ran the length of the pitch for the pick of the scores. Ollie Walker and Will Lander both also crossed the line, again well deserved for a season's worth of effort and commitment. Sam managed to rouse himself from thinking about which one of the Cheeky Girls he'd like to go out with to put in a trademark gallop over his opposing number to add another score. Rory Hutchinson, whose pace has given us an extra cutting edge this year, finished the scoring.  Conversions were shared between Will Lander (4), Sam Jones (2), Rory Hutchinson and Stephen Douglas, although most of the kickers were more concerned about landing the ball on the roof of George's mum's car (actually with some success). Huntingdon got just reward for their effort and commitment with a late score but the game ended 71-5 to Shelford. The reports always focus on the scorers but rugby is a team game and there are many others who this season have worked hard and improved in so many areas. At hooker Harry Pearce-Gould and Henry Taylor have always given everything for the team. Joe Davies's irrepressible attitude has quickly won over his teammates. Stephen Edwards is a strong prop who tries hard. Isaac is picking the game up quickly. In the back row the pace and workrate of Harry Hitchcock, Ed Dakin and Ben Bishop have been the keys to the team's success in the past few weeks. The fact that the backs get a mention every week is in large part due to this unselfish work. We have a lot of talent in our backs - James Tilbury and George Smith have been a constant threat with their pace and strength. Charlie Whitehead is a talented footballer and a fearless tackler. Daniel Lee will play anywhere and gives everything. Finally at fullback Angus Finlayson catches everything and always makes ground with his quick and elusive running.
I couldn't finish without mentioning Cam McMeikan, who is a talented player but has been out all season with a variety of injuries. He comes to support his teammates in all weathers which is much appreciated. We hope to see Cam back next year. The scale of the victory over Huntingdon is the measure of the team's improvement. The boys have all worked hard this season and we are all looking forward to 15 a side next year!!

Under 10’s

Game 1 Shelford 40 - 5 Huntingdon

Game 2 Shelford 40 -0 Huntingdon

Scorers: Harriet Walker = 3 tries, Ollie Barnes = 3 tries, Ben Shannon = 4 tries, George Franklin = 1 try, Troy Peace = 1 try, Moe Drury = 1 try, Simon Tyte = 1 try, Luca Stephenson = 1 try, Oakley Rae Marnoch = 1 try Shelford played well against Huntingdon, with all the seasons training coming to a successful conclusion. The team worked well together and this was emphasised by the fact that nearly every player for Shelford scored a try and those that didn't played extremely well. 

Under 9’s

This was our last game of the season and honours were shared with 3 wins for each club. However Shelford can claim overall victory with a win in the last game of the morning beating Huntingdon’s best team.

Game 1: Shelford Peacocks 10 – 0 Huntingdon

Shelford got off to a good start absorbing much pressure from the Stags, Shelford were then able to push back with better passing and good rucking. Out of this came our first try from Miles Brown who scored after receiving a pass out of the back of the maul. In the second half Tom Cropper got his first try of the morning with an excellent ball from the scrum to create some space for Tom to move swiftly through the Stags defence to go over in the corner.

Game 2: Shelford Tigers 5 – 15 Huntingdon

This was a tough test with the Stags wanting to prove a point after the first game. Shelford Tigers played well at times put were under pressure for long periods of the game. Our try came from one of the team’s stalwarts Tom Whitehead who crashed through the Stags defensive line to power over the line.

Game 3: Shelford Peacocks 0 – 5 Huntingdon

In a very close game Huntingdon eventually made the breakthrough in the second half.

Game 4: Shelford Tigers 20 – 15 Huntingdon

A good team performance delivered this win for the Tigers. Following a slow start the Tigers were behind by 2 tries early on but bounced back with better team work and a much sort after phenomenon called passing. Our first try came from Tom Whitehead who powered through the Stags line to score. The Stags got the next score but again the Tigers showed spirit to get 2 tries before half time to make it 15 – 15 at the break. Jake Dodds went over in the corner after much Shelford pressure and Tom Whitehead break through the middle rode a couple of tackles to make it over the try line. Shelford started the second half with the momentum from the end of first half and won the half and the game with a try from Ryan Lees.

Game 5: Shelford B 0 – 10 Huntingdon B

Again a closely fought game which the Stags won.

Game 6: Shelford A 10 – 5 Huntingdon A

Shelford managed to have the last word of the morning by winning the A game. It was a closely fought game with very performances from Ben Frisk and Stan Clark who both made some outstanding tackles. While Ben did not get onto the score sheet he deserved Man of the Match award today for great play going forward and defensive work. Our first try came from Tom Whitehead following much pressure got the play from the maul to power over the try line in the corner. Our last and second try of the season came from Tom Cropper. Again Tom’s ability to run at speed and wrong foot the opposition was delight to watch. He showed again today how turn possession into points. This was an excellent finish to the season with a good team performance from all the boys.

Under 7's