| Youth Reports - 11/12/11 |
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| Written by Andrew Baron | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday, 11 December 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Under 17's Diss 19 Shelford 10 Following a couple of fairly traumatic weekends due to injuries,player unavailabilities and very late calloffs which has led to some fairly horrendous results, Shelford Under 17s took the field at Diss with 15 players for their last Eastern Counties Cup match which was at least one more than they had at Colchester the week before. The early exchanges were reasonably even but Shelford went ahead with their first real foray deep in to Diss territory after 10 minutes.A penalty to touch by James Gibson gave Shelford a line out close to the Diss line and a superb take by Igor Ivantsiv led to a drive over the Diss line where Jordan Edwards (playing his first match as hooker) emerged from the bottom of the pile to score his first try for the club.The try was unconverted. Diss showed some flashes of danger and a great try saving tackle by full back Ally Dunham after 15 minutes kept Shelford in front but in the 25th minute following some concerted Diss pressure repelled by some robust Shelford defence the home side equalised with a forwards try from close range.The try was unconverted to make the score 5-5. The sides looked to going in to the interval level but with a put in on half way the Diss fly half got the ball from the scrum, sold a dummy on the blind side to 2 Shelford defenders and ran 40 yards past a couple of despairing Shelford tackles to score under the post.The conversion was successful to give Diss a 12-5 half time lead which on the balance of play was a little unfair on Shelford. What can we say about the second half.B asically it was Shelford shooting themselves in the foot time after time with passes being dropped, turnover ball being conceded and even when they got into positions where they could possibly create chances, the wrong options being taken and possession conceded. All in all it was frustrating to watch, as Shelford had the beating of what was a fairly ordinary Diss team who were basically gifted possession time after time.It was no surprise then when Diss scored again in the 25th minute of the second half when their centre broke through some very poor Shelford defence to score with the try being converted to make the score 19-5 to Diss. With the very last play of the game and for the first time in the second half, Shelford put some phases together with both the forwards and backs involved and when they were held up close to the line Calum Ross picked the ball up at the back of the ruck and burrowed his way over for a consolation try which was unconverted to make the score Diss 19-10 Shelford. All in all a very disapointing result due in the main to a very poor second half performance but with only 15 men Shelford couldn't bring on fresh legs to change things around. Finally, Jordan Edwards does rate a mention for a very good performance as an emergency hooker in a position where it is not easy to hit the ground running and is generally pretty specialist. Under 15's Saffron Walden 12 Shelford 5 Shelford U15's had an uphill struggle against local rivals Saffron Walden owing to a severely depleted squad. In fact, at kick-off, Shelford could only muster 13 players and had to rely on the kindness of strangers (Saffron Walden) to fill the entirely absent second row. Fortunately one second-rower arrived shortly after the game commenced, reducing the visitors' dependence on the host team. But, with such small numbers, several of the team were obliged to play out of position and there was no scope for substitution. Despite the difficulties, the Shelford boys battled hard and took the first points when, after a period of pressure, Connor Hein-Jones took the ball after a scrum and made a great run through to touch down. The game ebbed and flowed with neither side really having the upper hand. A series of penalties towards the end of the half gave the home side the opportunity to level the scores, running the ball through from close to the Shelford line. The score at half-time was 5-5. The second half continued in much the same vein, although Saffron Walden went ahead with a breakaway try from deep in their own half scored under the posts, with a simple conversion to add the extras. Both teams continued to battle but neither could translate effort into further points, the game ending at 12-5. Disappointing though the scoreline was, the players who turned out acquitted themselves well in challenging circumstances. Many thanks also to the Saffron Walden players who helped us out. Under 13's Shelford 22 Luton 10 In a revision to the fixture list, Shelford entertained Luton at Davey Field. Conditions underfoot were sticky to say the least and this made a passing game difficult. Several times in the first few minutes, both sides knocked-on or passed forward due to the greasy ball. The scrum was a contest that seesawed throughout the game, but early wins went the way of Luton. Things were looking ominous to the spectators as a good kick out of defence by Shelford was run back and a couple of a rucks later, the very big Luton centre galloped through for a score in the corner. The try was not converted, leaving the score at 0-5. Shelford's restart did not make 10 and the boys were immediately under pressure with the big Luton centre once again breaking through, but this time being held up over the line. Unfortunately, Luton scored in the corner from the resultant 5 metre scrum. Score 0-10. At this point, to confound the sceptics, Shelford finally started to get into the game. A couple of good sequences of play seemed to invigorate the team; won rucks and some slick passing down the line. Chances seemed to have gone with poor final passes when a breakout and hack-on resulted in a Shelford score from Stan Clarke, which was not converted. The half-time whistle went with the score at 5-10. A few changes were made to the team and with the advantage of the slight slope and a bit of resurgent self-belief, Shelford took to the pitch for the second half. Shelford deployed more of a kicking game in the second half and this helped pin Luton back in their own half. A quick tap penalty and determined running saw Finn Karsten score in the corner. All square. Shelford's superior fitness told. They held their own at the scrums and began to win more rucks. A rampaging run deep into the Luton 22 gained the territory and great support play by the pack to secure the ball followed by slick handling by the backs resulted in a score under the posts for Henry Hackett. The conversion made the score 17-10. The Luton kick-off briefly put the Shelford line under pressure, but the momentum had firmly shifted to Shelford and they were soon camped down in the Luton 22. Finally, a Luton scrum won against the head and a break down the blindside for one more try to Karsten. Final score 22-10. Under 12's Shelford 28 Biggleswade 7 On a very muddy pitch, and against a team of impressive stature, the boys produced one of their best performances of the season. The first match was keenly fought and very close. Oscar Jones not floored by the opposition, but by heavy cold. Our scrum, for once, was under pressure, but with quality hooking from Archie Davison the ball was consistently fed out to the backs. Some excellent interplay and switching between Sam Hurd and Tom French allowed space for Julian Renwick and Will Stepney to attack. The only score coming from one such run from Julian that faltered just short of the line. The ever present Joe Thompson on hand to pick up at the back of the resulting ruck to score. The conversion added by Jamie Coates. Under 11's
Shelford 36 Biggleswade 14 Shelford 20 St Ives 20 An entertaining three-way fixture at the Davey Field this weekend, played out in conditions far too cold for writing too many notes but the matches were all keenly fought with all three teams demonstrating some determined rugby and a spirited defensive performance from the Tigers who didn’t concede any tries at all despite being put under considerable pressure during their first match against Biggleswade! Shelford Tigers 19 (T: Ben 2, Conrad; C: Alex), Biggleswade 0 (HT: Shelford Tigers 12 – Biggleswade 0) Shelford Lions 5 (sorry, no tryscorer) - St Ives 20 Shelford Tigers 15 (T: Ben,Michael, Conrad; no conversions this match) St Ives 0 (HT Shelford Tigers 10 - St Ives 0) Shelford Lions 17 (T: Steyn, Bart, Ed; C: Jack) - Biggleswade 14 Under 10's Shelford 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss Aggregate scores:- Shelford 80 St Ives 20; Shelford 0 Biggleswade 15 Lots of rugby for everyone this week against a physical Biggleswade and a very committed St Ives. An early loss (15-0) to Biggleswade was a good lessons for the boys and to bounce back with a 0-0 draw in the final game was a great effort. Overall everyone played very well and with strong pressure defence we were able to turn over ball and score from broken play. Still lots to work on but our overall physicality is heading in the right direction. Tacklers of the Day – Sammy (a number of excellent try saving tackles) and George S (lots of tackles made) Players of the day – Harvey (a one man rucking machine) and Toby (stand out all-round performance, again!) Under 9's
Aggregate scores: Shelford 35 St Ives 0 Shelford 25 Biggleswade 15 Shelford Vikings 20 St 'Ives 0 Tries: Joe Davies, William Barnett, Conor Caughtry, Joshua Speechley Shelford Dragons 5 Biggleswade 15 Try: Charlie Hurd Shelford Vikings 20 Dragons 5 Tries: Caughtry, Davies, Edgar Watson, Alex Williams and Hurd St Ives 0 Shelford Dragons 15 Tries: William Gelling (2), Ollie French Biggleswade 0 Shelford Vikings 20 Tries: Freddie Stevenson (2), Barnett, Davies St Ives 0 Biggleswade 5
Both St Ives and Biggleswade visited the Davey Field this week so a mini-tournament was played out with Shelford entering two mixed-ability teams. Shelford Dragons came third in the tournament with won 1 of their three games, a 15-0 victory over St Ives, but also played some good rugby in their 5-15 defeat to Biggleswade and their 5-20 defeat to the Shelford Vikings. Both William Gelling and Charlie Hurd scored 2 tries each for the Dragons with Ollie French also touching down once. Shelford Vikings won all 3 of their games and also won the tournament with a maximum 9 points. In doing so they scored 12 tries, more than the other 3 teams combined, and conceded a single try in their game against Shelford Dragons. The scorers for the Vikings were Joe Davies (3), William Barnett (2), Conor Caughtry (2), Joshua Speechley, Edgar Watson, Alex Williams and Freddie Stevenson (2). The Shelford Vikings were deserving of their overall tournament win on the day. William Barnett and Tom Hogarth were awarded the player of the day awards for their committed tackling and determination at rucks and mauls. Under 8’s Match 1: Shelford 30 Biggleswade A 30 Match 2: Shelford 20 Biggleswade B 10 Match 3: Shelford 35 St Ives 35 Shelford had a few players ill this weekend, which meant that we could only field a single 8-a-side team, with 4 substitutes switching each half. We had a bit of a slow start in game one, often struggling to secure tags in defence but making up for this with some exciting attacking runs, none more so than from Tom Mcfarlane who scored a first half hat-trick. In the second half some good support play secured scores for Toby Owers, Ruaidhri Carey and George Shannon. Biggleswade A matched Shelford with three tries in each half to end up with honours even. In the second game Shelford started with much more focus, securing two turnovers in the first couple of minutes. Scores from Harvey Taylor and Brian O’Shea gave Shelford some breathing space with only a single response from Biggleswade B. Another strong defensive display in the second half kept the opposition to a single score. Two more Shelford scores from Ruaidhri Carey and Freddie Sales set up a confident win for the home team. Game three against St Ives proved to be a very fast paced affair with both teams scoring some excellent tries. Most encouragingly many of the Shelford tries came from some excellent passing to the player in space. Honours were even at 3 tries apiece at the end of the first half with two scores from Toby Owers and one for Alex Guyler. The second period saw some more fast paced exchanges with both teams matching each other try for try, with scores from Harry Milne, Joshua Barrett (two) and George Shannon. A high scoring draw was certainly a fair reflection on how well both teams played. Player of the day – for running some excellent lines – was Tom Mcfarlane. Under 7’s Shelford Tigers 30 – 25 St Ives Shelford Tigers 25 – 20 Biggleswade Shelford Tigers 25 – 35 St Ives Shelford Tigers 30 – 25 Biggleswade Shelford Sharks 30 – 30 Biggleswade Shelford Sharks 20 – 30 St Ives Shelford Sharks 25 – 0 Biggleswade Shelford Sharks 20 – 25 St Ives Shelford U7s enjoyed another full morning of rugby on a chilly day at The Davey Field, they recorded four wins, three defeats and a draw in eight closely fought matches against our opponents from St Ives and Biggleswade. In their first game the Tigers just edge out St Ives six tries to five, the Tigers tries were a brace from Billy White and then touch downs from Ben Carey, Alex Illingworth, Lewys Hines and Jake Borrett. The Tigers continued their winning form and this time just overcame Biggleswade in another thriller five tries to four, this time there were two tries for Hines and other tries from White, Matthew Monie and a first Shelford try for Alex Dawe. In their third match the Tigers were over turned by five tries to seven against a quick St Ives team. Keane Runham-Wyman and White scoring a try each and a hat-trick from Illingworth completed the scoring. In their final game the Tigers were back to their winning ways coming out victorious in another tight affair six tries to five against Biggleswade. Their scorers were two apiece for Hines and Carey, another from Monie and a final try from Harvey Clark. The Sharks continued the theme of the morning and competed in another close match drawing six tries a piece with Biggleswade. Their tries came from Tom Birkby, Joel Butler-Burd, Barney Elliott and another hat-trick from a Shelford player by way of Joseph Taylor. In their second game the Sharks lost out to St Ives four tries to six, their tries this time shared between Marcus Moscuzza, Elliott, Birkby and Taylor. The Sharks came back with some bite in their third match with a resounding five tries to nil victory against Biggleswade. To stop a team from scoring in tag rugby is a rare achievement so magnificent defending from the Sharks! The attacking contributions came from Alex Crawford for one try and two each for Taylor and Moscuzza. In their final game in detoriating conditions the Sharks just lost out five tries to four to St Ives, this time the tries came from Moscuzza and Birkby and a couple from Ben Ward-Hunt completed the scoring. Player of the day was Tyler Bennett
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