Aylesford Festival
Under 11 win the plate at the Aylesford Festival
The team that has been chosen are Sam.M, Amrik, Joe.C,Bradley, Robert, Sidney, Luke, Aaron, Sam.S, Dan, Jordan.S, Noah, Boo, Harry and Esme. This is a mixed team of both are A and B squads.
Medway V Maidstone
Maidstone had the first kick and the ball went into touch, after Rob did a fantastic tackle then Brad scored in the corner, then Medway got a penalty and Rob scored. After Sam ran down the wing cutting in and scored. The fourth try was scored by Rob again. After it a scrum. Maidstones ball then Rob scored his hat trick. After half time Jordan scored a try.
Score 6-0 to Medway.
Medway v Romford
Medway had the kick off then Romford handed off then it was a lineout. Then it was a scrum Romfords ball after that it was Romfords lineout then the ball was maurld and Dan pushed the oppo into touch and then it was Romfords lineout. After it was Medways scrum and then half time was blown up by the ref.
After half time it was Romfords kick off and then it was Medways scrum then after it was Medways lineout and a maul was formed near Medways try line and they defended well. After that Romford got a lineout and then it was Medways scrum and the ball got mauld then Romford got a lineout and medway got a scrum.Then Romford got a scrum.
The score was 0-0
Medway v Sidcup
Sidcup got the kick off and the ball was maulled and it was Medways scrum, Sam scored a try, after that Sidcup had a scrum and Medway had a lineout then Sidcup scored a try. After that Amrik scored a try. Then Matt got injured by the oppo and came off. After half time Medway got the kick off and Azz charged a kick down the pitch and scored. Then Sidcup got a scrum and won the ball.After Sidcup got a lineout then Medway got a lineout then the ball was mauld. After Esme got injured by the oppo then Sidcup got a scrum then Medway got a scrum then again had a scrum but this time Sidcup won the ball then Jordan got a try at the last second.
The score was 4-1 to Medway.
Plate Final Medway v Aylesford
Alyesford kicked first and then had a mould. After it was a Medway lineout then it Aylesford scrum. Then it was a Medway scrum and Sam S scored. After it was Medway v Aylesford in a maul then it was a scrum, Medways ball. After it was Medway scrum the Sam S done great interception of the ball to score our final try.
Medway won 3-0
by Joshua Kirwan
Westcombe Park Festival
Medway Under 11’s took a mixed A and B team to the festival.
The first game was against Brentwood
The people who played in the first half was; Josh, Sidney, Robert, Luke and Tom. In the backs there were; Matt, Sam, Dan, Jordan. B, Ollie and Dominic.
Everybody played really well. The first half we played up hill and Brentwood scored a try.
The people who played in the second half was; Josh, Sidney, Robert, David and Joe. E. The backs were; Alec, Joe. H, Dan, Jordan. S, Ollie, Azzy and Dominic.
Sidney smashed though everybody and passed to Robert who scored a try. Unfortunately Brentwood scored again making the score 2-1 to Brentwood.
The second game was against Old Colfeians.
The people who played in the first half was; Joe, Sidney, Luke, Robert and Tom. In the backs was; Matt, Joe. H, Sam, Azzy, Ollie, Dom and Jordan. S.
Azzy did a fantastic run but when he passed the ball no one managed to catch it so it rolled into touch.
Sidney scored the first try.
Matt and Ollie saved a try by pushing a huge Old Colfeian’s player into touch.
Azzy popped the ball while he was getting tackled. Sam caught the ball even though it was low and scored a try.
The people who played in the second half were Robert, Sidney, David, Luke and Josh. The backs were Alec, Azzy, Sam, Jordan. B, Dan, Dominic and Jordan. S.
Azzy booted the ball and the ball bounced in front of Dan. Dan jumped up and caught the ball and set up a try. I think Robert scored the try.
The score was 3-1 to us.
The third game was against Old Elthanmians
The people who played in the first half was; David, Joe, Sidney, Luke and Robert. In the back there was; Matt, Azzy, Dan, Sam, Ollie, Joe. H and Dom.
Azzy done a brilliant dummy and scored a great try.
Azzy did a pass to Sam who passed to the winger Joe and he scored a try.
The people who played in the second half was; Tom, Robert, Sidney, Joe and Josh. In the backs there was; Alec, Sam, Dan, Jordan. S, Joe. H, Jordan. B and Dom.
Robert scored a try.
Joe saved a try but he got injured. He got back up after he had some water .
Their scrum half was always offside.
The score was 3-1 to Medway.
The fourth game was against Cranbrook.
The people who played in the first half in the forwards was; David, Josh, Sidney, Luke and Tom. In the backs there was; Matt, Azzy, Sam, Jordan, Ollie, Joe. H and Dom.
Joe saved a try
Azzy did a fantastic drop kick over their heads.
The people who played in the second half in the forwards were; Joe, Luke, Robert, Tom and David. The backs were Alec, Azzy, Dan, Jordan. B, Joe. H, and Ollie.
The end score was 5-1 to Cranbrook. Sam Sharpe intercepted the ball and scored a try.
Everybody played well the coaches were really pleased with their efforts.
Well done everyone!
By Esme Conway
Medway v Sheppey
Away to Sheppey on a Sunday morning. Spring had arrived and the U11's certainly sprung to life in this encounter.They played the hosts twice, scored nine tries and conceded none.
In the first half of the first match, the handling was Harlem Globetrotter-esque. If you blinked you missed it, and Sheppey certainly did, almost giving up chasing Medway's shadows and the ball. Sidney Holland was first on the score-sheet, touching down in the corner. Sam Sharpe scored the second, before the move of the day. Great passing and running saw the ball move swiftly to the right wing and passed back into the middle just as swiftly for Dan O'Brien to score. Jordan Stubbington scored the fourth, before Sharpe completed his hat-trick, making the final score 6-0.
To their credit, Sheppey showed some spirit in the second encounter. Though they didn't offer too much going forwards, they defended stoutly against constant Medway pressure. Wing Dominic Whitington scored the opener, when scrum-half Matt Munday finally managed to offload the ball to him on the blind side of the scrum. David Harris and Bradley Chaplin powered their way to a try-apiece for a 3-0 scoreline.
If they play their great passing game next Sunday in the Kent Festival qualifiers, they'll certainly go through to the finals and who knows how far
Medway v Aylesford
The U11's took a huge squad of 24 to neighbours Aylesford, & were rewarded with two wins, following a long morning of joint training. The Hornets took on & beat a good Aylesford A team by a single try, scored by centre Jordan Stubbington. Meanwhile, on an adjacent flat pitch, the Wasps beat the hosts B team (having lent them some forwards) 3-0. A brace for Amrik Bains & the third from Joseph Earl. All three tries were identical, with backs & forwards all making thrusts forward (none more so than David Harris & Bradley Chaplin) & Bains & Earl being in the right place at the right time to pick up the loose ball & touch down.
Medway at the Wasps Tournament
Gravity: noun. The force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall towards the centre of the Earth: or that chap that makes the ball tend to travel faster downhill and therefore tends to result in a psychological advantage to the team that wins the toss, especially in matches with no half-time, and therefore no turnaround. Mr Gravity did for the Medway Under 11’s in the quarter-final in the Wasps’ festival at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe.
In their opening pool game, Mr Gravity was their friend against those beings called ‘Tottonians RFC.’ They’ve never made a better start to a festival, scoring two tries on their first two incursions into their opponents’ half. The forwards won their scrum in sight of the try-line and then the ball found its way to Sam Sharpe, who touched down for the opener. Great passing down the back-line led to winger Matthew Cornelisson scoring the second. 10-0 to Medway, but it could easily have been 20-0; a Sidney Holland effort was disallowed for ‘improper grounding’ and following some great defending on their own try-line, a powerful run down the wing by centre Jordan Stubbington deserved to be rewarded with a try, but the referee proved he didn’t needs to go to Specsavers by spotting the ever-so-slightly forward pass to Dominic Whittington.
Mr Gravity was defied in the second pool game against hosts, Wasps RFC. Medway proved too strong for the Wasps and deservedly edged the encounter 5-0. Sam Sharpe finally found a way to breach the Wasps’ defensive line, touching down in a corner.
In their final pool match, Medway were battling against Mr G. Having won the opening two of their three pool games and assured of a quarter-final place, the encounter against Amersham and Chiltern nevertheless proved to be competitive. Amersham scored the only try in a match during which both teams showed their defensive qualities.
All afternoon, the toss of a coin had caused one team’s heads to drop, and the other team to jump for joy, as if they’d already scored. And it was no different in the quarter-final. Medway were literally up against it; Mr G was against ‘em, they were up against regal Windsor and the wind. Windsor exploited the conditions with some great long kicks behind Medway’s defence, and won 15-0.
Centre Tom Collins’ special Chatham bogs’ haircut (“just one tuft of hair sticking up please”) may have defied Mr G, as did Sidney Holland, with some flying tackles, but Medway couldn’t. Yep, Mr G did for them alright, but they’d played their best rugby of the season so far against some good side. So hats off and heads up to: Dominic Whittington, Aaron Clarke, Tom Colllins, Sidney Holland, Amrik Bains, Oliver Woodward, Dan O’Brien, Matthew Cornelisson, Joe Coyd, Robert Butler, Joe Hawkridge, Rebecca Wadhams, Jordan Stubbington, Sam Sharpe, Luke Robertson, and Esme and Alec Conway.
Medway v Canterbury
Lots of committment & effort, some great tackling & some super individual displays, but the Holy Hosts just about deserved to win both the matches played. Medway had enough players to field two teams (the Wasps & the Hornets) against their host's one, and both played a half each. The Hornets took on Canterbury first in an evenly-fought contest. Canterbury adapted to the good ol' fashioned muddy conditions better, which didn't suit Medway's more expansive style. Perhaps it was the mud or perhaps it was the opposition's ''Big Boy'' charging at them, but whatever, Canterbury just edged the first half by a single try, despite some solid defending. The second half saw the Wasps come on and again, despite some great tackling from the likes of Oliver Woodward, Canterbury used the downslope to run in four further tries to win the match 5-0.
The second match saw the Hornets edge the first half. A strong straight run by Jordan Stubbington put the Hornets within touching distance of the try-line, where Sam Sharpe touched down to give the Hornets a deserved 1-0 half-time lead. The Wasps came on for the second half, but weren't able to hold out against the hosts, who ran in two tries to narrowly win the match 2-1. No one player of the day but lots, including birthday boy Ben Hayler and Matthew Cornelisson
Medway v Sittingbourne and Bexley
The U11s travelled to Bexley, on a deceptively cold day, to take on the hosts and Sittingbourne, having not played a competitive match for over a month. Who’d have thought it – cold, wet and dark in winter? Anyway, the lengthy mid-season break didn’t do them any harm, as the Hornets outplayed the hosts to win 4 tries to nil. Playing the match in their opponents’ half, they deserved more than the 1-0 half-time lead given to them by Sidney Holland, and in the second half got the tries that their playing merited. The hosts threatened early in the second half, but the Hornets’ defence proved resilient, and the comfort of a Sam Sharpe try to make it 2-0 allowed the Hornets to go on and win in style. Sharpe touched down in the corner for 3-0, as the result of slick passing down the backs’ line, the platform provided by a Luke Robertson steal at a Bexley lineout. A Sharpe interception completed the scoring.
The Wasps then took on fellow travellers, Sittingbourne. Although they lost 3-1, the pack, consisting of David Harris, Oliver Woodward, Joseph Earl, Mitchell Dowsett and Josh Kirwan, deserve mention for their gutsy display, in winning the battle of the forwards, not least in the scrum. Harris got the Wasps’ single try, finishing off a fantastic crossfield run by Woodward.
Finally, a combination of Wasps and Hornets took on Bexley, and deserved their 2-0 half-time lead, through a Sharpe brace. The hosts fought back well though, scoring three unanswered tries in the second half, to win a classic game of two halves 3-2 and holding out against a Medway onslaught in the closing stages. Kyle Durkin, Esme Conway and Tom Collins came close to levelling the scores. Finally, a mention for Noah Hyde for some great tackling.
A great start to 2009 for the U11s, and let’s hope they get some well-deserved silverware to tell their grandchildren about.
Upminster Festival
Lost three, and drew one, might not sound too good, but they improved with each closely contested match and undoubtedly had the upper hand in their final group match, which ended prematurely.
On the back foot for much of the opening match, the Wasps showed their defensive qualities, but conceded a try at the death and lost 1-0 to Stanford. More aggression from the forwards was called for and Sidney Holland provided just that, to score the opener against Chelmsford, following a strong run from Oliver Woodward. Chelmsford stepped up a gear in the second half and just edged the match 2-1.
Needing to win their remaining two group matches to progress in the competition, the Wasps faced the two group favourites, Colchester and Bishop Stortford. The Colchester match was a repeat of the Chelmsford encounter, with the Wasps again leading 1-0 at half time, this time through a Sam Sharpe try, but unlucky to lose 2-1 by the end.
They gave it their all in the last match, and 2-0 down early in the first half, showed their fighting qualities. Dan O’Brien scored a try either side of half-time. To their strong defensive qualities, the Wasps had added a mean streak in attack and having come back from 2-0 down, were the most likely winners had not the referee called a halt to the match because of injuries to their opponents. Their first festival and signs of good things to come from: Sidney Holland, David Harris, Luke Robertson, Amrik Bains, Jordan Stubbington, Player of the Day Robert Butler, Matt Munday, Rebecca Wadhams, Sam Sharpe, Dan O'Brien, Dominic Whittington, Joe Hawkridge, Harry Cox, Oliver Woodward and Joe Coyd