Under 14's

Peterborough 14 Shelford 12

“Adversity is the first path to truth.”  Lord Byron.

Peterborough were always going to be up for this game, after their 63-7 defeat by Shelford in the home fixture earlier in the season, and their motivation was evident even from their pre-match drilling.

Overall, this was a fairly even game, but with Shelford failing to play to their usual standard and Peterborough deserving the win. It was a tricky game in some respects for the Shelford boys, with an unprecedented thirty nine penalties awarded against them, contrasting with seven against the home side. With penalties running at nearly one every minute, the game inevitably lacked flow, and the high penalty count against the Shelford players undermined their confidence.

The outcome was an unaccustomed hesitancy, with some poor passing, weak tackling on occasion and some poor support. Shelford failed to play to their strengths and were sucked into a forwards-based game of attrition, in which they lacked the advantage of size. Peterborough played their own game well and also put together some good backs moves.

The first score of the game came deep into the first half when Shelford turned over possession by the Peterborough side and worked the ball to the right wing, with Connor Hein-Jones crossing the line. Peterborough were unfortunate not to respond in kind shortly afterwards when their player’s determination to place the ball under the posts led him to cross the dead ball line before touching down.  This left the half-time score at 5-0 to Shelford.

Shelford added to their points in the second half when a drive from a penalty awarded in the away side’s favour resulted in Chris Oram getting across the line and Conor Sullivan converting. Peterborough, however, came back and scored twice, both converted, to give them a winning margin of two points. The latter conversion by Peterborough was an excellent kick from a tricky spot on the wing in blustery conditions.

Whilst the result was a disappointment, as were aspects of the play, there is much for the Shelford side to reflect upon and learn from this game. Congratulations are also due to the Peterborough side for a hard-fought performance, which showed determination and resilience.