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Under 17's Shelford 33 Bury St Edmunds 7 With temperatures more akin to mid summer, Shelford took on Bury on the first team pitch on Sunday morning so a full test of their fitness was the least they were expecting from what is traditionally a tough fixture. Shelford started brightly and a couple of half chances early on both involving kick aheads and chases first involving James Gibson then Frank Omandlewis nearly proved fruitful with last ditch Bury defending saving the day for the visitors.However Shelford took a deserved lead in the 10th minute when following a scrum 10 yards out scrum half Will Glydon cleverly delayed his pass to give auxiliary winger Calum Ross the chance to go over in the corner.The try was unconverted to give Shelford a 5-0 lead. However 5 minutes later Bury took the lead when their scrum half took a quick tap penalty just inside the Shelford half and caught the entire home defence unawares and he sprinted clear under the posts.The try was converted to give Bury a 7-5 lead. This was a wake up call for Shelford and this resulted in a debut try for centre Will Blake on 25 minutes when following some good forward play the ball was spun out to the backs and from the 25 metre line Blake took the ball and sprinted past 3 despairing tackles and went in under the posts for an excellent individual try.James Gibson added the conversion to make the score 12-7 to Shelford.This remained the score at half time despite some good pressure from Shelford which nearly resulted in another debut try this time by winger Casey Clover who was bundled in to touch just 5 yards short of the line. The second half started much as the first ended with Shelford on top but the Bury backs still looked sharp and their left winger had a great run from well inside his own half stopped by the Shelford defence just 10 yards short of the line.The Shelford forwards then won the line out ball and drove the Bury backs all the way back to their own half with a magnificent drive and rolling maul.This was the moment when Shelford started turning the screw and with a little more finesse on a couple of occassions could have added to their tally before they finally scored in the 20th minute following a break by James Gibson.He was tackled but the ball was cleared to Ally Dunham on the Bury 10 metre line who ran at the visiting defence,popped the ball to Will Glydon who found Michael Dunnett who carried the ball on and then found Jack Owen who drove over the line from close range.James Gibson converted to make the score 19-7 to Shelford. And from the kick off James Gibson got the ball,put a long kick through and chasing the ball got to it just in front of the Bury defender,appeared to knock the ball on then touched it down.The referee however gave the try and Gibson converted to make the score 26-7 to Shelford. The final try then arrived with a couple of minutes left on the clock.The initial run was from well inside the Bury half by full back Ally Dunham,he was supported first by Jack Owen,the forwards drove the ball on and scrum half Will Glydon found Michael Dunnett who blazed over from close range.James Gibson duly converted to make the final score 33-7 to Shelford. All in all a very good performance from a Shelford side who played some very good rugby and thoroughly deserved their victory.Special mention to all four Shelford debutants who all played very well namely Peter Rees,Casey Clover,Will Blake and Josh Taylor Under 16's Bury St Edmunds 32 Shelford 57
Try scorers: Toby Hackett (4), Patrick Hopper (3), Stephen Douglas, Ivan Karsten,
Conversions: Karsten (6)
In a match as remarkable as the tropical October weather Shelford came back from a 32-17 deficit to score 40 unanswered points and record a superb 57-32 victory.
For some reason warm weather and firm pitches always lead to high scoring matches. Handling is easier and maybe players are not so enthusiastic about tackling on bone hard pitches. In any event it was decided to play three 20 minute periods to allow time for an extra water break.
The first two periods belonged to Bury. Their strength and aggression at the breakdown meant that Shelford could neither win nor retain ball. The Bury forwards drove and offloaded well and Shelford had no answer. The result was three Bury tries in the first period. Shelford kept in touch through two pieces of quick thinking - a tap penalty spun quickly wide to put winger Patrick Hopper over in the corner, and an interception try by Toby Hackett which was converted by Ivan Karsten. Score at the end of the first period Bury 17 Shelford 12.
Bury continued to set the pattern in the second period as Shelford continually surrendered ball at the breakdown and were totally unable to impose their quick handling game on strong opponents. Bury quickly had two more scores on the board. Hackett, given the opportunity to show his running ability at outside centre instead of his usual outside half position, glided in for his second score to keep Shelford in touch.
However a further Bury score made it 32-17 to the hosts and Shelford were looking at humiliation. Fortunately just before the break the silky Hackett grabbed his hat trick try and Karsten's conversion made the score 32-24.
The team talk was positive - let's play our game not theirs. Everyone knew whoever scored next would win the game.
A different Shelford came out for the final period. The focus was on handling and width. Crucially the restart was dealt with confidently and Shelford began to move their opponents around. Hackett was on fire now and he ran in his fourth try. Karsten's conversion reduced the deficit to a point. Patrick Hopper's second try put Shelford in front for the first time, another Karsten conversion increasing the margin to six.
Bury's self belief melted away and Shelford began to play with flair and confidence. Hopper grabbed a hat trick try, skipper Stephen Douglas drove in to get on the scoresheet and fly half Ivan Karsten scored a try which together with his 6 conversions gave him a personal tally of 17 points.
All of the players were pleased to hear the final whistle as the 30 degree heat was beginning to take its toll. Ultimately it was Shelford who had proved stronger in the tough conditions and they had won an extraordinary game by 57 points to 32. Under 15's
Shelford 53 - Bury St Edmunds Development 7
“Ball of Confusion, That's what the world is today.” The Temptations
Shelford players were a bit puzzled to be playing the Bury development team. The Bury team was surprised not to be playing a Shelford development team. Unfortunately, there is no such thing, with the Shelford U15 squad relatively light on numbers and selected, on this occasion, on the basis of: “Please turn up if you are available and let’s hope we have at least 15 players.”
The Shelford team got off to a strong start in a game made up of three periods of play. In the first period the home side played disciplined and structured rugby allowing the visitors little opportunity to compete. With the score 33-0 in Shelford’s favour after 20 minutes, the quality of the home team’s play was not maintained and discipline became patchy. This allowed the visitors to compete more strongly and the Bury team put together some strong passages of play and tackled effectively. Shelford continued to add points but at a slower rate, and had to defend against determined opposition. With the game drawing towards a close, Bury scored a consolation try to leave the final result at 53-5 in Shelford’s favour.
Try scorers were: Connor Hein-Jones (four tries), David Pugh (two tries), Callum Lees, Dom Talbot and Tage Wells. Sam Barratt was unlucky to have a well-taken try disallowed after the ball was judged to have been taken into touch earlier in the play. Conversions were taken by Conor Sullivan who did well, kicking from some tricky angles. Michael Impey deserves special mention for a fine performance at prop.
As in previous weeks, the overriding message is the need for players to maintain discipline, both in playing structured rugby and in avoiding rising to (or instigating) provocation. Under 14's Bury St Edmunds 17 Shelford 5 The players struggled, on a very hot day and hard ground, to contain Bury, although, despite several injuries, they were awarded a penalty try for their efforts. Under 13's Shelford 16 Bury St Edmunds 25
Under 11's Shelford's first competitive fixture of the season was participation in the County Cup, this time played in unseasonal blazing sunshine at the Davey Field. Two sides were entered in the U-11's competition (comprising 14 sides in total). In chronological order, Shelford Tigers managed to complete both of their fixtures before the Shelford Lions side even took to the field, losing 5-0 to Royston with the winning try coming in the second half of a tough fixture that saw the Tigers under relentless pressure. However, Shelford defended resolutely and were perhaps unfortunate to concede defeat. In their second group game, the Tigers lost 10-0 to Cambridge B, conceding a try in each half but putting up a spirited fight against a well-organised Cambridge side, particularly in the second half. Shelford Lions eventually took to the field in the midday sun, losing 10-0 to Huntingdon shortly followed by a cracking match against Newmarket that ended with Shelford unlucky to lose to a single try. Joe B rightly praised the whole team for its efforts in this match as they had run, harried and tackled their socks off in the heat - well done to all for surviving the conditions! Under 10's - County Cup Joint Winners 
Well done to everyone who played today. Great tackling, some excellent attack play and loads of hard work. All the boys played their hearts out and this was a very successful tournament for the whole squad. Both team played fantastically well and all their efforts in training paid off. The Shelford Lions found themselves up against a two tough team and can hold their heads high as they played very well. We can take a lot of pride in the quality of our defence and our work rate. When everyone puts in 100% effort we get the rewards. The Results were: Shelford Lions Group Matches Vs. Huntingdon lost 0-15 Vs. Newmarket lost 10-15 Shelford Sharks Group Matches Vs. St Neots won 15-5 Vs. Wendons Ambo Drawn 0-0 Semi Final Vs. Saffron Walden Won 20-0 Final Vs. Cambridge Drawn 0-0 (Cup shared) Under 9's Shelford ‘A’ v St Neots W 10 – 0 [Tries: Seb Clatworthy, Charlie Hurd) Shelford ‘A’ v Wendens Ambo L 5 – 10 [Try: Ben Colman] Shelford ‘B’ v Huntingdon W 5 – 0 [Try: Arthur Waddington] Shelford ‘B’ v Newmarket L 0 – 20 REPORT It is always hard to start a new season with the County Cup but this year the 30°C heat, the baking sun and rock hard pitches made playing rugby even harder. For these reasons it was a delight to see Shelford play so much good rugby at the County Cup at Cambridge Rugby Club. The Shelford ‘A’ team started their campaign against St Neots and from the whistle demonstrated some strong running and excellent handling. Good passing before and out of the tackle immediately put pressure on the St Neots defence and created space for Seb Clatworthy to go over for an early try. Some strong tackling then kept St Neots away from the Shelford line before Charlie Hurd broke through for Shelford’s second try. Shelford were deserving of their first win of the season. The ‘A’ team’s second Pool match was always going to be a tougher challenge against Wendens Ambo. In the first half Shelford were put under considerable pressure and conceded two tries. In the second half Shelford came out fighting and it wasn’t long before an elusive run from Ben Colman resulted in him touching down for Shelford’s first points of the game. Despite getting close to the St Neots line on a couple of further occasions Shelford weren’t able to make their pressure pay and finally conceded defeat to a Wendens Ambo team who eventually went on the contest the final. After Wendens Ambo beat St Neots the Shelford ‘A’ team came second in Pool C which wasn’t enough to progress to the semi-final but they can certainly be proud of their efforts on the day. The ‘A’ team player of the day, for his direct running style and solid tackling, was Edgar Watson. The Shelford ‘B’ team had to wait two hours before they took to the pitch for their opening Pool B game against Huntingdon. Straight away Shelford looked like a team desperate to get playing rugby and put Huntingdon under considerable pressure before Arthur Waddington went over for the only try of the game. Shelford spent much of the second half keeping Huntingdon away from their own try line but they eventually deserved their 5-0 victory. Like the ‘A’ team, the ‘B’ team faced much tougher opposition in their second Pool game against a strong and quick Newmarket team. By half-time Newmarket had run in four tries for a 20-0 lead but in the second half Shelford demonstrated considerable grit and determination to stop Newmarket scoring again. The ‘B’ team also finished second in their Pool and can be satisfied with the efforts, especially as so many of the Shelford team were making their debuts for the club. The ‘B’ team player of the day, for some committed tackling and excellent support play, was Freddie Stevenson. Under 8's Shelford 15 Wendens Ambo 15 Shelford 0 Cambridge 20 Shelford 20 Peterborough 15 Shelford 10 Royston 10 On a day that would have been too hot for cricket, the Shelford U8s travelled to Ely for this years county cup. In the first match against Wenden’s the squad showed how far they’ve come by drawing with last year’s county champions. Shelford started with blistering speed – tagging was to a very high standard and a 7th tag gave Shelford the edge to end the first half ahead. In the second half the temperature started to make itself felt and Wenden’s fought back making the most of the gaps in Shelford’s defence to end the game with 3 trys each. Try scorers for Shelford were George Shannon, Harvey Taylor and Thaddeus Glass. The second match saw Shelford face a fast paced Cambridge squad. Despite some good defensive tagging, Cambridge kept up the pressure on Shelfords defence and won this game 4 tries to 0. In the third match against next week’s hosts Peterborough, Shelford picked up their pace with some impressive attacks and defensive tagging. Peterborough fought back well and when Shelford realised they were heading for a 3 all draw, they gritted their teeth and made the last minute count to score a 4th try and end the game 4-3 ahead. Try scorers were George Shannon(2), Thaddeus Glass and Harvey Taylor. The final game against Royston (who had drawn with Cambridge in their match) was a battle until the end. Shelford were 2-1 down after a try from Vinnie Allan until the last minute when Josh Barrett intercepted a pass and ran for the try line to end the game a 2-2 draw. Player of the day, for a superbly timed and precise “flying” tag and for scoring 3 tries went to George Shannon. Under 7's Shelford U7s got their competitive season off to a very encouraging start at the County Cup in Ely. They finished second in their group so narrowly missed out on the semi-finals but showed real progress in each game. In their first game, Shelford came up against St Ives who went on to win the pool. A tight affair saw St Ives just 1-0 at half time. In the second half Shelford responded with a try each from Hilary Hawthorne and Billy Wright but sadly St Ives ran in three tries to run out 4-2 winners. By the second match Shelford had really started to find their rhythm and played out an exciting 5-5 draw with Huntingdon. The tries came from Henry Sperring and two apiece from Alex Cross and Billy White. By the third game against Saffron Walden, the players were really in their stride and played some fantastic rugby supporting each other to run out 5-3 winners. The tries came from a brace for Matthew Campbell with one each for Ben Carey, Bryce Holland and Wilf Clark.
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