Bletchley Under 8s sent a strong team to the St Neots Festival. The team was one of 5 teams in Pool B. Here are their results :
Bletchley U8 6–2 Dunstablians
Hayden opened the scoring for Bletchley, before our strong blitz defence started creating huge problems for Dunstablians who struggled to make any ground at all. Rhys scored a great try to double Bletchley’s lead before the interval. In the 2nd half, Bletchley’s defence was again excellent and we conceded very few try scoring opportunities to the opposition. Two tries for Leo, one for Gabriel, and Hayden’s second of the match saw Bletchley record a 6 – 2 victory.
Bletchley U8 2–1 Peterborough
This was a much closer match, as both teams seemed quite evenly balanced. Leo scored an excellent opening try for Bletchley before Peterborough equalised. The game then became quite niggly with quite a few penalties against both sides, and the referee having to intervene and warn both sets of players and coaches about the over physical play. Bletchley continued to work tirelessly in defence, with George B making countless tag tackles, and it was fitting that George B himself finished off a team move to scoring the winning try a few minutes from time.
Bletchley U8 2–3 Huntingdon
Bletchley’s involvement at this Festival hinged on this game, and fate dealt our team a very cruel hand. The scheduled referee failed to appear, and the match was instead refereed by the coach of the losing Peterborough team from our previous match. Bletchley eventually lost out by 3 tries to 2, with Hayden scoring 2 fantastic length of the pitch tries.
Bletchley U8 6–0 Newmarket B
In our final pool game, we knew that a strong win would give us a chance to qualify for the final as Pool B winners. The team played their hearts out and put in a stunning performance, probably one of the most memorable for the parents cheering the team on from the sidelines.
Gabriel opened the scoring by swerving and sidestepping out of several attempted tackles to score the opening try in the far corner. Hayden once again raced home from long distance for Bletchley’s second, before Rhys then stole the show with two memorable long range sprints through the Newmarket defence to send Bletchley into a 4-0 halftime lead.
With the team tagging magnificently in defence, led by George B, Joshua and Harry 2, Newmarket found it impossible to penetrate the Bletchley defensive line and they were repeatedly forced backwards and pressurised into turnovers. Leo scored a great individual fifth try for Bletchley before Gabriel wrapped up the scoring by outpacing the Newmarket defenders for our sixth try. Bertie had a fantastic solo ‘try’ disallowed for a grounding infringement that none of us could see was wrong. Registering a shutout win on such a large and open pitch was one of the best ever performances by this team.
In the end, because of our low Fair Play points tally, even this outstanding bonus point win over Newmarket wasn’t enough to win the group. Bletchley finished level on points at the top of the group with Peterborough, and despite having beaten Peterborough, and despite having scored the most tries and conceded the fewest, Bletchley were eliminated and Peterborough advanced to the final (which they won). Hopefully, we have all learned from this experience.
As this was our last tag rugby match, after the final game Coach Maverick gathered the players and parents together and thanked everyone for their commitment and efforts during the past 2 years. Next season our boys will take on the challenge of playing contact rugby for the first time, and hopefully their excellent progression this year will stand them in good stead.
Hayden’s 5 tries at the festival saw him once again finish the season as top try scorer for this squad, with a total of 26 tries. Leo finished with 23 tries, Bertie with 20, and Oliver D with 18. In this 2009-2010 Season, our Under 8’s squad scored a staggering 220 tries, with 19 different players all scoring !
The coaching team would like to thank all the parents for their help and support this year, and we look forward to seeing you next Sunday for our end of season awards day at Manor Fields.
Bletchley Under 8s Squad : Bertie, Dominic P, Gabriel, George B, Harry Wa., Hayden, Joshua, Leo, Rhys.
Bletchley Under 8s Try Scorers (all pool matches) : Hayden (5), Leo (4), Rhys (3), Gabriel (3), George B (1).
Report by Andy Ashall |
After the Easter holiday, Bletchley Under 8s hosted a home fixture against Aylesbury Under 8s. Being the first ever matches against Aylesbury for this Bletchley squad, it would be an interesting measure of our squad's development and ability.
Several Bletchley players were away on holiday or injured, leaving a squad of 11 players present, so all 11 players represented the Jets for 2 matches this week, with substitutions ensuring that everyone had equal game time on the pitch.
The weather was dry and suitable for fast, running rugby.
Bletchley Jets U8 5-3 Aylesbury U8 'A'
Bletchley Jets took to the pitch with a strong line up for the first game against Aylesbury's 'A' team. The opening minutes saw Aylesbury have 2 tries disallowed by the referee for twice grounding the ball well short of the goal line.
Leo then raced the length of the pitch from one of these restarts to open the scoring for Bletchley. From the following restart Aylesbury advanced to Bletchley's goal line but knocked on, and from the restart Joshua ran powerfully through the Aylesbury defence and surged to score in the corner for an excellent individual try. Joshua's running, passing and defensive work have all been very good this season, and this was one of his best tries yet.
Aylesbury scored a good try of their own, but then Oliver D made a superb break and raced in to score a third Bletchley try to give the home team a 3 - 1 halftime lead.
In the second half, Hayden scored an excellent try by sidestepping to beat his opponent and then sprinting to outpace the covering defence to score in the corner. Aylesbury scored again to cut the deficit back to 4 - 2, before Hayden ran in another try for Bletchley to secure the win. Aylesbury managed a consolation in the final minute, but Bletchley's excellent play had ensured a deserved 5 - 3 win.
The tagging by Bletchley was generally excellent in this match, and the defensive line blitzed very well. All players can be very proud of their performances.
Bletchley Jets tryscorers : Hayden (2), Leo, Joshua, Oliver D.
Bletchley Jets squad : Alex, Bertie, Gabriel, Hayden, Leo, Joshua, Nathan, Oliver D, Oliver M, Rhys, Tommy.
Bletchley Jets U8 7-2 Aylesbury U8 'B'
Bletchley rotated the squad for the second game against Aylesbury's 'B' Team, and the Bletchley coaching policy was to allow more carries and restarts for those players that hadn't scored as many tries as their 'headline grabbing' teammates this season.
Oliver D opened the scoring for Bletchley with another trademark sprint through the away defence. A lot of teams just cannot cope with Oliver's pace and bodyswerves, and he has had an excellent first season in Bletchley colours.
Aylesbury equalised before Tommy ran in to score to send Bletchley into half time with a 2 - 1 advantage.
Tommy scored a great try at the start of the second half to extend Bletchley's lead. Oliver M then scored a fantastic length of the pitch try from his own goal-line, and Leo also sprinted in to score Bletchley's fifth try.
Aylesbury scored again, but Bletchley finished strongly with a 2nd try for Oliver M, and a third try for Tommy to complete his personal hat-trick ! Tommy put in his best performance of the season in this match, and he is another player in his first season at Bletchley who is progressing well. Alex continued his recent good play with some fine forward runs, and Nathan's tagging was excellent. Rhys' support play in the first half was excellent, and Gabriel made some good breaks to set up strong attacking positions for his teammates. Overall, this was a great team performance.
Bletchley Jets tryscorers : Tommy (3), Oliver M (2), Oliver D, Leo.
Bletchley Jets squad : Alex, Bertie, Gabriel, Hayden, Leo, Joshua, Nathan, Oliver D, Oliver M, Rhys, Tommy.
Bletchley Under 8's Player of the Week : Tommy
Match report by Andy Ashall |
Bletchley Under 8’s travelled up to Leicestershire on a beautiful warm and sunny Spring morning to compete in the Market Harborough festival. Unfortunately the boys failed to win any of their pool stage matches against very good opposition, but there were some excellent individual performances. Here are the results :
Market Harborough U8 ‘A’ 5–5 Bletchley U8
An excellent start to the festival , as Bletchley came away with a creditable draw against one of the strongest sides in the Under 8 tournament. 2 tries each from Tommy and Oliver M, and a score from Oliver D helped get Bletchley off to a good start. The amount of excellent tag tackles made was very pleasing to see, led by Oliver M who made 6 tags, and by Dominic P who made 5 tags in one half !
Wellingborough U8 5–4 Bletchley
Another stunning performance though Wellingborough scored to "steal" a win. Dominic B was back to form with 5 tags and a try, Dominic P bagged another 3 tags in one half and Leo put in a fine all round performance. Bletchley’s tries were scored by Leo (2), George O, and Dominic B.
Rushden & Higham U8 9–3 Bletchley
Tired legs started to show and we were outpaced on the flanks and caught out by the long passes of more experienced players. With that said, the second half was far more even as team spirit kept them going and Dominic P's 2nd half introduction upped the tagging rate. Tries by Tommy, Kavi and Leo were well earned with great support play and determination, and proudly the boys’ heads never dropped.
Oundle U8 7–4 Bletchley U8
By this fourth pool stage match, the Bletchley team was very tired, but the lads never gave up and put up a real fight in the 2nd half. Once again some awful refereeing decisions cost us badly, and we can only hope that the standard of refereeing improves next season because we have seen some appalling officiating throughout this season. Yet again, Ollie M and Dominic P led the tag tackling statistics, getting 9 tags between them. Bletchley tries were scored by George O (2), Kavi and Dominic B.
Summary – Played 4 - Won 0 - Drew 1 - Lost 3
A great day and the atmosphere on the touch line was fun and the Bletchley support was "LOUD" - the guy's had a great day. A few stayed behind for the presentation and the U8's section was won by Market Harborough B so the boys should be justly proud of the draw they got in game 1 against Market Harborough A.
Bletchley U8 Squad : Alex, Dominic B, Dominic P, George O, Kavi, Leo, Nathan, Oliver D, Oliver M, Tommy.
Bletchley U8 Try Scorers : Tommy (3), George O (3), Leo (3), Dominic B (2), Kavi (2), Oliver M (2), Oliver D (1).
Top tag tacklers : Dominic P (15 tags), Oliver M (14 tags), Nathan (8 tags).
Man of the tournament Oliver M.
Match reports by Nick Paine. |
Bletchley Under 8’s entertained Bugbrooke at Manor Fields, under clear skies and on a drying pitch which made a welcome change after so many rainy fixtures in 2010. Bletchley U8’s hadn’t faced Bugbrooke before, so this would be an interesting fixture to compare our progress against another club. Once again an excellent turnout of Bletchley players allowed us to field both a Jets team and a Bombers team to each play a match against the Bugbrooke squad.
Bletchley U8 Jets 7-6 Bugbrooke U8
Bugbrooke started the match in top gear, quickly racing to a 2 – 0 lead within minutes of the first whistle as the Jets missed a few too many tag tackles in the opening passages of play. However excellent Bletchley teamwork then sent Rhys free to score for the Jets. George B levelled the scores soon after, and Gabriel finished decisively to put Bletchley into the lead. Hayden then ran and jinked the length of the pitch to score a memorable try to give Bletchley a 4 -2 lead at halftime.
In the 2nd half , Bugbrooke again scored quickly but Hayden scored his second try to re-establish a 2 try cushion for the Jets. Some excellent teamwork and passing by Bugbrooke saw them score twice to level the score at 5 – 5 with a couple of minutes remaining.
The Jets played superbly as a team in the final couple of minutes and tag tackled with skill to force a couple of handovers of possession. Bertie and George B took advantage to race home for tries, either side of one more Bugbrooke score, and at the final whistle the Jets had won an exciting and entertaining match by 7 tries to 6.
Bletchley U8 Jets squad – Bertie, Dominic B, Gabriel, George B, Harry Wa., Hayden, Joshua, Leo, Rhys.
Bletchley U8 Jets try scorers – George B (2), Hayden (2), Bertie (1), Gabriel (1), Rhys (1).
Bletchley U8 Bombers 6–5 Bugbrooke U8
The Bombers took to the field looking to register back to back victories as a team for the first time this season following their excellent win over Brackley in their final pool game of the Alliance Festival last week. However, Bugbrooke had proven against the Jets in the first match that this would be a tough game for the Bombers.
Kobie opened the scoring with one of his trademark tries by running fast and swerving at pace to beat the visitors’ defence. Bugbrooke hit back with a fine score of their own, but sustained pressure and excellent tagging by the Bombers was already starting to pay dividends as Bugbrooke struggled to find a way through the Bombers’ defences within the maximum 6 tackles. Oliver D sprinted home to score a Bombers try, and Oliver M then followed him over the line to establish a 3 – 1 halftime lead for Bletchley. Bugbrooke scored twice in the opening minutes of the second half to level at 3 – 3, before Kobie scored his second try of the match to edge the Bombers into a 4 – 3 lead. What then happened will be remembered by those who saw it as probably the best try that we have seen this season : from his own try line, Kobie evaded a couple of attempted tackles before sprinting 30 yards downfield, he offloaded in the tackle to a supporting George O who took the ball at pace before passing to Nathan who again received the ball at pace to touch down in the corner. It emphasised all the work that the coaches have done about the importance of supporting the runner and attacking at speed and with composure when passing. Bugbrooke scored twice in the closing minutes but another speedy touchline break by Oliver D saw the Bletchley Bombers claim a fantastic 6 – 5 victory.
So, back to back victories by the Bombers team was thoroughly deserved as the whole team played with enthusiasm and commitment. Harry W, Dominic P, George O and Alex may not have scored themselves, but their tagging, their pressuring of opponents, and their support play was first class and without these vital contributions the victory would not have been achieved.
Bletchley U8 Bombers squad – Alex, Dominic P, George O, Harry Wo., Kobie, Nathan, Oliver D, Oliver S.
Bletchley U8 Bombers try scorers – Kobie (2), Oliver D (2), Nathan (1), Oliver M (1). The Bombers team now heads to the Market Harborough Festival next week, while the Jets have a weekend off.
Bletchley U8’s Player of the Week is George B.
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