Medway U12’s reach last 8 of the Kent Cup
On 27 March, Medway U12’s made the short journey to Aylesford RFC to take part in the preliminary round of the Kent Cup. They were drawn against Deal and Bettshanger, Cranbrook and close rivals Old Dartfordians.
First up were Deal. Medway were clearly well up for the game and started strongly. Good rucking close to the Deal try line by the forwards gave Alex Russell a chance to dive and score. Medway’s forwards were also too strong in the scrum and winning their own put giving the backs an opportunity to get the ball moving with fullback, Josh Bruin, running in the second try. Medway’s third of the half followed more strong running by Josh who well supported passed the ball to Joe Hicks to go over in the corner. Medway continued to dominant in the second half but Deal were determined in defence and held Medway up on three occasions during a period of sustained pressure. Deal did manage a score of their own with their number 8 driving over following a Deal line out. Final score Medway 15 – Deal 5.
Next were Cranbrook. Buoyed by the first game Medway continued to play well. A break by Josh in the middle of the pitch gave him the opportunity to run at the Cranbrook defence and score. In the second half George Moore picked the ball off the back of the scrum and darted towards the try line to score. What would have been an excellent try for Aengus Daly was disallowed as he was judged to have been ahead of the kicker when Medway kicked from deep in their own half to clear their lines. Aengus was first to react and raced half the length of the pitch. Thankfully the score didn’t matter. Medway 10 – Cranbrook 0.
Finally in the group stage, Medway took on a physical Dartfordians – a team they had lost to only three weeks previous in the Old Colfs Festival. The first half was a close game with both packs cancelling each other out with Medway putting in some big tackles, but providing little for opportunity for the back to break. But Medway’s determination paid off in the second half with Josh scoring in the corner after some Medway pressure. But Dartfordians knew they had to win to dislodge Medway from the top of the group and so continued to work hard. But heroic defence from Medway kept them at bay until an ankle injury to Adam Clark, sustained in a heavy tackle, meant that he had to leave the field. Dartfordians were quick to capitalise on some confusion in Medway’s reorganised defence and pushed over for a score in the corner. Final score Medway 5 – Dartfordians 5.
This meant that Medway won their group and would progress to the Kent Cup quarterfinals. Never before had this group of players managed to get this far in the competition. With no easy games to be had, Medway were drawn to play Sidcup in the last eight.
Unfortunately, Sidcup proved to be a game too far for Medway. Despite Medway’s efforts Sidcup scored a try in each half to edge the match.
Well done to all the players – a real team effort.
Medway were:
Backs – Max Poynter, George Moore, Joe Hicks, Aengus Daly, James Bullock, Alex Belsey, Adam Clark, Josh Bruin and Aaron Mathe
Forwards - Sean Horan, James Robertson, Alex Russell, Harry Bloomfield, James Hudson, Ollie Bell, James Clack, Max Willis and Lachlan Wardle
Scribe – Joe Hicks
Medway u12 unbeaten at Land Rover Cup
On the 6th of March Medway under 12's had a cold early start and headed to the Land Rover Cup with high hopes. This festival had been postponed from December due to bad weather. Medway tried to take full advantage of this to get in as many fitness training sessions as possible to gives them an edge knowing that there would be at least 4 matches (played in two 7 minute halves).
Medway's first game was against Wasps - no relation to the premiership team. Wasps had already played their first match so were warmed up and kept Medway waiting. But Medway were ready and warm and couldn't wait to get started. Medway won the toss and asked to receive the ball. Catching it cleanly and running from the off. The forward's were there in numbers at the breakdowns and rucked hard so the ball was despatched quickly to the backs letting them attacked the space, but wasps were disciplined and kept their line. A small knock on gave wasps the first scrum of the match. The scrum was good with the Medway forwards pressurising the Wasps pack who won the ball for their backs but the Medway back's were up on them very fast and the Wasps couldn't use the ball and were forced to take it into contact. The ball was shipped out very fast and the Medway backs were caught but a good cover tackle by Josh Bruin just stopped them short of the line but a silly penalty was given in the ruck and Wasps took it fast and Medway were caught disorganised Wasps crashed over for the first try on the brink off half time. Wasps 5 Medway 0. In the second half Medway came out fighting not allowing Wasps to do anything with the ball and smart counter rucking gave the backs fast ball and Wasps hardly had enough men to cover in the backs and fast flat passing gave Josh Bruin a try in the corner. Wasps 5 Medway 5. Medway were determined to get a second try but time was against them. One last attack down the wing but Medway were unfortunately pushed out into touch. Final score Wasps 5 Medway 5.
Medway had a short gap and then were back on against Aylesbury. A good high kick by Joe Hicks and pressure right from off from the Medway pack forced Aylesbury to knock the ball on. Giving Medway the first scrum and the forwards put on a big shove which put the Medway backs on the front foot with some slick handling by the backs and a clever flick by Josh Bruin gave Ollie Bell the first try. Medway 5 Aylesbury 0. Straight from the kick off Medway were exploring the space and a inside pass from James Bullock gave Alex Belsey a try in the corner. Medway 10 Aylesbury 0. A better kick by Aylesbury with a clean catch and a run by Medway player, but a knock on gave Aylesbury a scrum on the half way line. A very big push by the pack got a scrum against the head which gave the Medway backs nice clean ball and a break by Flyhalf Joe Hicks and a quick offload to Josh Bruin followed by a quick pass to the wing gave James Bullock a try in the corner. Half time Medway 15 Aylesbury 0. The second half started nicely and pressure from all the forwards from the kick put Aylesbury under extreme pressure. Some good counter rucking gave Josh Bruin a trademark try in the corner. Medway 20 Aylesbury 0. From the kick off a nice catch by Alex Belsey who made a break with good support from fellow centre and the other half of the blonde bombshell James Bullock gave him his first try of the festival. Medway 25 Aylesbury 0. Consistent pressure gave Medway a penalty five meters from the Aylesbury line which gave the forwards a chance to try out a new penalty move which worked beautifully to give Tighthead prop Alex Russell a try. Final score Medway 30 Aylesbury 0.
Back to back matches was a test off Medway's fitness with their third match against Henley. Medway won the toss again and asked Henley to kick off. And as we know, a kick straight to Josh Bruin is not a good idea - Josh ran the length of the pitch to score in the corner. Medway 5 Henley 0. Once again the Medway pack were in a dominate mode with Alex Russell making a huge tackle which made his opposite number wonder what had hit him. Medway made a small knock on giving Henley the scrum. But the pack won the scrum against the head and fast ball to the back's gave Josh Bruin a try in the right corner. Medway 10 Henley 0. The second half began the same way with extreme Medway pressure not letting Henley use the ball. A knock on by Henley allowed Medway to use their back row move to give Medway No8 Ollie Bell his second try of the festival. Medway 15 Henley 0. Some very efficient passing by the Medway back's set Josh Bruin up for his hatrick. Final score Medway 20 Henley 0. Obviously the fitness training must have worked!
Medway's final group game was against an unbeaten Heywards Heath. This was a must win game for Medway with the winner sure to qualify for the next stage. From the kick off the ball went straight to Fullback Josh Bruin and he ran right past a shellshocked Heywards Heath leaving the opposition in his wake. Medway 5 Heath 0. Medway's second try came from a quick penalty by Josh Bruin to heave over the try line. Medway 10 Heath 0. Heath were up for the fight though and came straight back at Medway and desperate defence by Medway held the ball up and gave them a five meter attacking scrum. Heath took this to full advantage scoring in the corner on the brink of half time. Medway 10 Heath 5. The second half was the most important half of the morning and Medway were all out to win. Medway defended for their lives but unfortunately let Heath though in the dying second's to score a equaliser. Final score Medway 10 Heath 10.
I would like to thank you for all the support from the parents and for the water boys!
Keep it up Medway :)
Forwards
Sean Horan, Max Willis, Ollie Bell, Harry Bloomfield, Alex Russell, James Hudson, Lachlan Wardle, James Roberston.
Backs
Aaron Mathe, George Moore, James Bullock, Alex Belsey, Max Poynter, Joe Hicks, Aengus Daly, Adam Clark, Josh Bruin, Michael Parmenter.
Scribe Joe Hicks (u12Player)
Medway triumph in the battle of the Bog
On Sunday the 20th of February Medway U12’s took on Ashford. Although it didn’t rain during the morning, the recent bad weather had affected the pitches which can only be described as boggy. The match was played in 4 quarters on a very narrow pitch in one of the few areas which still had grass on - though there wasn’t much of it left by the end of the match!
Ashford kicked off and Medway caught the ball nicely. The forwards played very well in tough conditions rucking hard giving the back’s fast ball. Though as you could imagine it was difficult for them to catch it given that their hands were coated in mud. There was a small knock on in the ruck giving Ashford the first scrum. Medway were quick to realise that it was hard to scrum against a powerful Ashford pack so started to getting as low as possible and driving where they could get grip. Medway won the scrum and the backs used the ball wisely calling their moves and getting the ball wide quickly giving George Moore on the wing a try in the corner. Medway continued to play well and quick thinking from Josh Bruin ran down the right wing to give Medway their second try. Medway kept pressurising Ashford with some very good tackling to make Ashford resort to kicking the ball away. The half ended with Josh Bruin running in another try. Ashford 0 - Medway 15.
In the second quarter Medway rolled on some sub’s. From the kick off Medway continued from where they finished the first half and kept piling the pressure on. From the ruck Ashford passed a wild pass out completely missing their fly half and Medway were quick to dive on it and the forwards were there in numbers at the ruck. The backs were very close to scoring in the corner but narrowly missed out and were pushed out in to touch giving Ashford a line-out on their 5 meter line. Ashford won the line out but the backs were fast up on the Ashford line forcing them to kick possession away. Josh Bruin caught the ball well and immediately ran the ball straight back to the Ashford line. But unfortunately the ball was turned over and Ashford kicked the ball out. The half ended 0 -0.
Medway again changed some of the personnel in the third quarter. Ashford kicked off and George Moore caught the ball and ran the ball straight back at Ashford to score his second try of the match. Continuing to pile on the pressure, Medway caught the ball from the kick off again and this time Alex Belsey made a break and was stopped close to the Ashford line. Medway got the ball out quickly and took advantage of there not being a lot of Ashford covering players back to defend and that gave Josh Bruin the opportunity to score a try in the right corner giving him his hatrick. Medway were not tired at all and continued to dominate. With all parents willing George to score his third try, he came up trumps by barging his way through the Ashford defence to score in the right corner. Well done George and thanks to his Dad, Dean, for offering to buy the apple juice on the minis tour! Ashford 0 - Medway 30.
In the last quarter Ashford were determined to score and would have but for some excellent defensive work from Medway, especially Dan McGinn who chased back hard to deny Ashford. But Medway pressure tolled and in an attempt to clear their lines Ashford kicked deep into Medway territory. Unfortunately straight into the arms of Josh (AKA Twinkle Toes) Bruin who ran the length of the pitch to score a trademark try, when will they ever learn!!!.
Well played Medway keep it up.
Scribe - Joe Hicks
Medway 40 Westcombe Park 0
On Sunday 16 January Medway U12's travelled to Westcombe Park for a Shared Development Day (SDD), After the training was completed it left time at the end for a quick 20 min game of which Medway were the taker of the spoils. Medway weakened by illness, injury and absence took on Westcombe park u12s. One team they have never beaten. The game started in strong fashion with Medway captain Alex Russell winning the toss and electing to receive the ball. Right from the offset Medway put Westcombe Park under pressure with a strong display from the formidable forwards. Their rucking and scrummaging saw them dominate the weaker Westcombe Park pack, winning good ball for the backs to build a platform on. The Medway backs had their game heads on and the speed of passing was superb from Medway stretching the defence of the Westcombe Park team time and again.
Medway was putting pressure on the Westcombe park line when they got turned over at the ruck and Westcome produced a deep clearing kick. This however played straight into the hands of our key Got to dance contestant Josh Bruin who then ran the ball in for a try in the corner 5-0. The next kick-off resulted in a kick straight into touch and a scrum at the half way. The resulting scrum showed the strength of our pack and the resultant set play added with some sublime and technically brilliant backs play between Joe hicks, James Bullock, max Willis and Josh Bruin set winger Adam Clark away to score in the corner for a well work try 10-0.
Scrum half George Moore belied his relative inexperience to provide a swift ball to Joe hicks, who had arguably his best game of the season, providing some invasive runs into the opponent’s territory and some important tackles.
Just before the break Westcombe park came back had at the Medway boys and looked odds on to score inching towards the try line but for try saving tackle after try saving tackle kept them disappointed. Some key tackles were put in by Joe Hicks, Max Willis, Alex Russell, Aaron Mathe, Lachlan Wardle, Josh Bruin and Sean Horan. The end of the half was nearing and Westcombe parks Monster N08 was rampaging till Medway regrouped and Lachlan stole the ball at the resulting maul and repelled the attack. Westcomebe park had one last chance of the half and again using there big forwards charged for the line through again they were denied a try by the referee as it was held up by the efforts of Joshua Bruin. The resulting scrum was won against the head by Medway and again an attack was launched near their own try line that saw Josh Bruin do his trademark run through the entire opposition team to score his second try 15-0. By this stage Westcombe Park were shell shocked by the speed of the game Half time Whistle sounded.
Westcombe showed a valiant nature from the start in the second half in reply, forcing Medway back, but for the dominance of the Medway pack with their very active front row of Alex Russell, James Robertson and Sean Horan pushing westcombe all over the pitch with some fine power supplied by Harry Bloomfield and James Hudson. The Medway players could have easily relaxed as they have in the past and tried to play to individual brilliances but they demonstrated great commitment to maintain the passing game, speed at the breakdown and off-loading in the tackle to just keep the game out of the reach of Westcombe Park. With the platform the forwards supplied allowed the backs to show their slick handling skills and divine footwork, with more tries scored by George Moore (2), and One more for Josh Bruin To finish up with a 40-0 scoreline.
Special mentions go to Regan “BIG RED” Blyth, James Clack and James Hudson who , in the name of good sportsmanship, helped out a westcombe park side who were struggling to have enough players to put out a full team.
Squad
Sean Horan, James Robertson, Alex Russell (capt), Harry Bloomfield, James Hudson, Lachlan Wardle, George Moore(2 Tries), Joe Hicks, Adam Clark(1 try), James Bullock, Max Willis, Aaron Mathe, Josh Bruin(3 tries), Replacements Danny McGinn Nathan Goodhall James Clack Kieran Cunningham and Regan Blyth
Medway v Whitstable, Thanet and Folkestone
Four clubs converged on Whitstable RFC, or rather the adjoining Sainsbury’s car park, so expect a profit warning from them as there was absolutely nowhere for shoppers to pull up.BMatches started straight away so a few stragglers were introduced into the Cub’s opener against Thanet. Medway started well and a nicely executed “8 ball” move led to stand in No 8 Josh Bruin going over for a five nil lead. Think we might try and find a more subtle call for the 8 ball, lest the opposition think we’re too thick to think of something less obvious. Thanet improved after going behind and their forwards were a match for our eight. They were unlucky not to equalize when their winger decided to drop the ball unopposed a yard from the line, but did equalize soon after following a nice dummy from their fly half. The second half saw Thanet soak up a lot of Medway pressure who couldn’t get the ball over the line. Well, actually they could but the young ref did not see the grounding of the ball. That said, a final score of 5-5 was a fair(ish) result.BThe Cubs next opposition were hosts Whitstable who clearly plant their kids in gro-bags. Their number eight was just shy of 6 foot tall and appeared to be raising money for Moovember. Not bad for an 11 year old. Apparently he’s taller than his dad, so make of that what you will. But despite their size, it was Medway who struck first, second and third. Josh Bruin, restored to full back , collected a Whitstable defensive clearance kick and ran through numerous defenders for the try. Next up, James Clack failed to charge down a defensive kick from the Whitstable fly half, instead he caught it and fell over in a try scoring stylee. The third try saw Whitstable with hands in the ruck and whilst Lee and Gary were “suggesting” to themselves that the ref might consider an eye test, James Roberston plucked the ball from the melee and carried three defenders with him for the third try. Whitstable scored a well worked consolation try with the last play of the game which ended 15-5.
Cub’s final game kicked off well after beer o’clock, so since the boys were keeping their long suffering parents from the bar, they owed us a performance. And they delivered, with Folkestone unable to stop a rampant Medway Pack the team racked up 35 points with only one try in reply. Finally realizing that passing really is an option, the ball went down the line from a lineout for Aengus Daly to finish clinically in the corner. Soon after, the ball went down the line again, but this time James Bullock decided not to let the winger get the glory and crashed over. At which point, Josh Bruin took the game over with two length of the pitch kick returns in quick succession. Winger George Moore finished extremely well from yet another series of passes through the backs. Clearly put out but the intrusion, Josh Bruin added two more scores, first from a blindside scrum, then chasing his own kick, the Whitstable defender unfortunately knocked on into the hands of the onrushing Bruin. Final score 35-5. A superb team effort, and indeed a fabulous individual performance from Bruin
The Medway development team were always up against it, as the opposition only fielded A teams, so although they lost both games, there were lots of positives to take.
Thanet’s dominant forwards made the difference here and they scored two early tries thanks to a direct “up the jumper” approach. Missed tackles cost the boys dear as Thanet took a 20-0 lead with two further tries, with a half way line breakaway followed by a nice passing move through the backs. To their credit Medway held fast and started putting pressure on the Thanet line. Good work from Jaie Rattle led to a try for Max Willis coming off the back of a ruck through tackles to crash over. A frantic last couple of minutes saw Thanet add a fifth try, but there was a lot of positives to be gained from a 25-5 reverse.
Against Folkestone, Medway initially failed to live with very well drilled back moves, their wingers rushing in 3 tries in the opening five minutes. But again, Medway responded and got wise to the Folkestone moves and improved immeasurably in the tackle and in the rucks and mauls. Although generally under pressure, Medway did not concede again and might have got back into the game but for some missed opportunities. It is hard to play the game without the ball and you’re going backwards, but we must learn to take the best option and 9 times out of 10, that’s passing the ball down the line. There were a few half breaks but our wingers didn’t see enough ball after the forwards put in the hard work to win the ball. 15-0 to Folkestone.
That said, they played with a lot of heart and as “game management skills” develop, the boys will give anyone a game.
Scribe Ade Bullock
Sunday 14 November - Remembrance Sunday for Local Derby
Remembrance Sunday was a fantastic setting for the encounter between two great rivals of Medway and Aylesford u12's. For many years these two clubs have put out two squads which contest strongly and with great pride. This past Sunday was no exception.
First up was the A squads, and which has been in the past this was a strong battle of the break down with both sides rucking with great passion. The first half started strong with Medway receiving the kick and attacking immediately only to be repelled by strong defence. Medway initially received some shocks from the well organised Aylesford rucking and turn over ball gave Aylesford the attack. The game then started to see-saw but Medway were creeping ever closer to the try line, many brilliant runs by the back line were repelled with even the twinkle toes of Josh Bruin being stopped before he could break through. The only area of dominance was the scrum with Medway winning most of these but Aylesford would counter with strong tackling.
Medway put on some fine displays of running rugby and good hands but strong tackling kept them back. Eventually a quick ball to the wing of Aengus Daly saw a break from half way. The attack was stopped by a brilliant tackle just short of the line, however Medway kept their head and retain possession and again the forwards provided quick service to the backs and yet Aylesford kept repelling at the line. Just at the right time a lovely dance from Max Poynter saw him tantalisingly close to the line and magically seemed to stretch his arm beyond his normal length to place the ball on the line. Try Medway.
The second half began with Medway in the lead but Aylesford received the ball at the kick-off and then continued to attack. Medway battled hard to keep Aylesford away. The second half continued the same blistering pace of game, Aylesford finally got a big break near the line but dramatic save by Medway put the Aylesford winger touch in goal. Aylesford best chance of the game and this thrilling spectacle finished with Medway winning a deserved 5-0 victory.
CUBS Squad
Forwards were Sean Horan, James Robertson, Alex Russell, Harry Bloomfield, James Hudson Ollie Bell
Backs were Max Poynter, Joe Hicks, James Bullock, Alex Belsey, Adam Clark, Aengus Daly Josh Bruin
How could this staring performance be out done with the next game between the two development squads, but what a performance came. These two teams were again evenly matched overall. Aylesford looked to be dominant with their pack size superior to Medway, however determination and commitment in the scrum kept it a more even game. The Medway bravehearts showed they deserved their name again with very committed tackling keeping the big lads from dominating this game. The game was played at immense pace again with the both teams obviously coached to play the game quickly. Committed tackling, rucking and scrums were followed with skillful passing and determined running. First blood went to Medway with a beautifully executed try by Scrumhalf George Moore this lifted Medway and they maintained the pressure throughout the first half to eventually post a second score which after a fantastic passage of play was finished off by Josh Bruin, on for the injured try scorer George Moore to make it 10-0. Ayelsford fought hard and just before half time executed a wonderful try in the corner, this finished off the first half of excellent rugby 10-5.
The second half started off immediately where it left off, both teams were putting on immense pressure with Ayelsford utilising their big lads to push through. The Medway lads defended fantastically keeping these boys away from the line with a couple of try saving tackles seemingly executed by everyone on the pitch. The forwards combined to prevent one try by holding up their entire pack over the line preventing player and ball from reaching the ground. others were pushed into touch. It was eventually too much with Ayelsford launching one last effort from a line out with full time already declared. Ayelsford went over in the corner and after some debate due to closeness of the touchline the referee awarded the try to end a fantastic display of rugby by these less experienced players at 10-10.
Players for Bravehearts squad were;
Forwards James Clack, Joshua Rai, Regan Blyth, Danny Mcginn, Kieran Cunningham, Lachlan Wardle
Backs George Moore, Aaron Mathe, Max Willis, James Mcgee, Harry Pattenden, Jaie Rattle and Michael Parmenter
All in all a very successful day with Medway demonstrating their strength in depth with many of these development players showing they have the ability to vie for positions in the A squad. The strength of the forwards to provide excellent delivery of ball through all back positions showed that not one single player was left wanting in their performance all equally lifting to the challenge by Coach Lee Bruin to show Aylesford how the game is played Medway style. Our thanks to Aylesford for a wonderful day of rugby.
Scribe Neil Wardle
Medway 'Bravehearts' at Upminster
"Well done coach, your guys played their hearts out and are a credit to your club. We don't even enter our 'B' squad into festivals any more as they would be beaten too badly"..
Those words ladies and gentlemen, are the very words the Upminster head coach used on Sunday when speaking to me at the awards ceremony after the matches ended. And do you know what he is absolutely 100% correct in his assessment of our lads! When the Medway Bravehearts travelled to Essex on Sunday to compete in the Upminster festival, most of us if we are truly honest knew it would be more in hope than expectation, and why not..surely this 'mixed bag' of 'old heads' and absolute newcomers who lacking in familiarity would struggle against the established and experienced sides of Southend, Rochford, Thurrock and Upminster!?
And so it proved if you judge your success by the scoreboard that is..
But there's another story unfolding here people, a story of 13 young men who whilst 'over shadowed' by their more experienced and established peers, have decided enough is enough and its time to prove to the world that we can play good rugby, a rugby that is played with heart and courage and detractors be damned! Those hardy and dedicated supporters of the Bravehearts were to witness a heroic display of stoic defending and a willingness to attack whenever possible. These young men put their bodies on the line time and time again and were subjected to some 'underhand' tactics by the opposing teams on a fairly regular basis, and still picked the ball up, raised their heads, puffed their chests out and walked back to the half-way line to do it all over again!!
As a team they improved in every game they played, from the moment they started against Southend until they played the eventual tournament winners Upminster. The 'pack' went from strength to strength and by the end of the day was shoving larger more experienced packs backwards and providing good ball for the backs to use. The backs for their part were under pressure all day but never once gave up, and I'm absolutely certain that with time and dedicated coaching they will evolve into a very good 'back-line' who can execute moves confidently and score tries regularly.
In summary, the Bravehearts can hold their heads very high, and whilst some people may question the strategy of entering such an untried team into competitions of this level let me say to you..they will only improve if they play teams who are better than they are and believe me they are improving!
To those gentlemen involved, I would like to say that I am very proud of you all and that I am not usually in the habit of praising individuals (it is a team game after all), but I feel I must give special mention to Skipper Lachlan 'George Smith' Wardle for his inspired leadership, Regan 'who do you think you're talking to ref' Blyth, Nathan 'hey what d'ya know, there's nothing to this pushing lark' Goodall, Jay 'Campese' Rattle, James 'give it here, this is how you do it' McGee, Dan 'Fergal' McGinn, James 'the General' Clack, Michael 'My nails need doing' Parmenter, Joshua 'I don't care how big you are mate!' Wright...and biggest shout of the day goes to James 'I'll play in any team, on any day; anywhere...no prob's Gaz!' Robertson.
To all the boys I haven't mentioned, you know who you are, you know what you did and we, the coaches, the parents and the club are very proud of you all!
Gaz
Medway under 12s pipped at post by Upminster
Medway under 12s and old rivals Upminster locked horns again on Sunday with the Essex club coming off slightly better this time around with a narrow victory in the Cup Final of the their own annual rugby festival.
Medway, who have an enviable track record at this event having shared the Cup Final last year and won it outright a year earlier, were unable to sustain the outstanding form shown in their earlier pool matches into the Cup Final.
Medway’s first opponents of the day were Stanford and after a scrappy start, punctuated by frequent stoppages, Medway eventually got on the scoreboard after fullback Josh Bruin broke from his own half to weave his way past several players. By the second half, Medway were back to playing a far more expansive game with winger Aengus Daly scoring in the right hand corner after good hands from centre pairing James Bulloch and Alex Belsey. Max Poynter then added a further two tries, showing good pace after great work from the Medway forwards enabled the backs to ship out some quick ball to the wing. Final score 4 tries to nil.
Next up were Dagenham with probably the largest pack ever faced by Medway. Despite their size advantage Dagenham were unable to dominate Medway up front and any forward drives by the Essex outfit were quickly knocked back by a solid defence led by back row forward Ollie Bell. Dagenham were further frustrated by the quality ball being won at the breakdown by Harry Bloomfield, James Hudson and Billy Young and by powerful runs from props Alex Russell and Sean Horan. The match ended 3 tries to nil in Medway’s favour with Bruin bagging a brace and Daly registering another score in the corner.
Medway’s third pool match of the day saw them take on Thames in a much more closely fought encounter than Medway’s previous two matches. Bell’s support work from the back of the scrum paid off handsomely as he went over for the first try. Thames were quick to respond and drilled a kick through the middle of the park which bounced horribly for the Medway defence but rather nicely for the chasing Thames player who gratefully touched down to level the score. Bruin again showed his finishing skills, returning a cleared Thames kick from 40 yards out to push Medway ahead by 2 tries to 1. Thames were not yet finished though and scored from the restart as yet another bad bounce caught Medway napping and allowed Thames to seize the ball and level the score. A draw looked likely until Bruin danced his way through several defenders to register his fifth try of the day and close out Thames by 3 tries to 2.
The final pool match pitted Medway again fellow Kent side Dartfordians, who had also been unbeaten in the pool stages, with a place in the Cup Final beckoning for the winner of the match. Medway started brighter and Daly scored after some excellent handling through the backs. Dartfordians then levelled the score at the start of the second half. The rest of the match was a scrappy affair and ended in a 1-1 draw, which meant the winner would be decided by most points scored in the previous matches. Medway had 55 points to Dartfordian’s 50 points.
The Cup Final against Upminster was the second time that both the sides had met in as many weeks (last week’s encounter in the Plate Final of the Medway Festival ended in a scoreless draw).
Despite Medway’s best efforts they were unable to recreate their earlier form and did not handle the pressure quite as well as Upminster who went on to win the match 2 tries to nil.
Medway Squad:
Sean Horan, Billy Young, Alex Russell, Harry Bloomfield, James Hudson, Ollie Bell, Max Poynter, Joe Hicks, Alex Belsey, James Bulloch, Aengus Daly, Adam Clark, Josh Bruin, James Robertson.
Scribe Andy Young
Medway Bravehearts at the Medway Festival
The Bravehearts earnt their name on Sunday as they battled through the mud and rain at the Medway Festival. As the only club to supply a second team in the Under 12’s section, they faced a barrage from the first teams of other clubs, but faced it with a strength and dignity which belied their age. They continued to battle to the last growing stronger with each minute they played.
First up was Sevenoaks; a strong and well drilled side with fast, slick passing. The Bravehearts struggled to find their feet and were somewhat shell-shocked with Sevenoaks scoring three tries in quick succession, mainly being hit on the wings with Jay Rattle and Harry Pattenden, and second half replacements George Moore and Joshua Wright throwing themselves in defence to try and stop the onslaught, along with full back Michael Parmenter putting their bodies on the line to try to slow Sevenoaks, but the eventual cup winners found too many holes in their defences and finished 7-0.
Next up was the Upminster team. James Clack rallied the Bravehearts and defiantly took to the pitch to hold the Essex champions to only 2 tries in the first half. They plugged many of the holes they had in the back line during the first game, with James Robertson and Aaron Mathe marshalling the backs to cover the back line more fully. The forwards managed to steal a couple of scrums, with some stoic scrummaging by front rows Regan Blythe, Max Willis and James Clack; second rows Joshua Rai and Kieran Cunningham; and number 8 Lachlan Wardle. Second half replacement Natham Goodall took over from Joshua Rai with tenacity and enthusiasm to help drive the forwards on further. Upminster eventually won 7-0, but this was not such an easy victory and the Bravehearts were improving fast.
The third game was against Sittingbourne. Big improvements had been found in the Bravehearts form. The forwards had their work cut out, but the front row, and second rows Joshua Rai and Kieran Cunningham rose to the physicality of this match up. Number 8, Lachlan Wardle was having an extremely good game, carrying the ball on numerous occassions and making some excellent tackles, when a blow to his jaw saw him needing to be replaced. Nathan Goodall came on as second row to ably stand in for Joshua Rai, who in-turn replaced Lachlan at number 8. Joshua Wright touched down to score an emphatic try, only to have it disallowed for a foot in touch. This fleeting glimpse of triumph raised their heads, spirits and self belief, knowing that they could break through their opponents defences.
The final game was against a substantial Whitstable side, with a number of intimidating players. This seemed only to bolster a rearranged Bravehearts team as they rose to hold them to only 2 tries. Some gigantic tackles from George Moore, playing at scrum half, jay Rattle at fly half and Daniel McGinn and James McGee at centre saw the defensive line significantly more resilient than the first game, with several try saving tackles made close to our try line. During the second half, the forwards set up a maul close to their try line. They regained possession and Lachlan Wardle peeled off the back of the Maul to break through Whitstables defensive line and dive over for an greatly deserved try. The final score of 2-1 may have been a loss on the score sheet, but it was a moral victory for the Bravehearts and they had that to take home with them.
Each and every player put everything into each match. A team containing a number of inexperienced players along side experienced players learnt quickly and drew together with immense teamwork and camaraderie to become more than a team. Bravehearts through and through.
Medway Under 12s share spoils with Upminster
Medway Under 12s kicked off the new 2010/2011 season by bagging some silverware at the annual Medway Mini Rugby Festival after a truly impressive display of running rugby saw them end up sharing the Plate Final Cup with old Essex rivals Upminster.
In fact, such was the manner in which Medway played in the 10-team tournament, that they can count themselves a little unlucky not to have reached the finals of the main competition. The Rochester side registered 20 tries over a total of 5 games and conceded just 2 tries throughout the festival.
Medway were truly dominant in the opening games, trouncing their first opponents Gravesend by 7 tries to nil (tries scored by Adam Clark, Joe Hicks, Aengus Daly, Josh Bruin 2 and Billy Young 2). Next up was New Ash Green who were also soundly beaten by 6 tries to nil, as Medway continued to impress with their expansive passing game built on total dominance by their forward pack and an impressive back line marshalled extremely effectively by a new halfback combination of Max Poynter and Joe Hicks (tries scored by James Bulloch, Billy Young, Alex Belsey 2 and Josh Bruin 2).
The third match of the day saw Medway notch up a further 6 tries to nil when they overpowered Cranbrook (tries scored by Aengus Daly 2, James Hudson, Ollie Bell, Adam Clark and Josh Bruin). Notable mention must go to prop Sean Horan, playing his first ever game in Medway colours, who added some real muscle to the pack.
The final match of the pool games was against Aylesford with a lone effort from Adam Clark not quite enough to counter two Aylesford tries. This encounter was played at a higher level of intensity that the previous matches with no side giving any quarter. At this level of rugby, match officials can be a bit of hit and miss affair with this unfortunately registering as a miss. On another day Medway’s two disallowed tries by Medway Captain Ollie Bell and Alex Belsey would have been given and the result would have been different. However, this is not to take anything away from a very spirited and skilful Aylesford side who went on to narrowly lose to Sevenoaks by 1 try to 0 in the Cup Final.
Medway’s loss to Aylesford put them into the final of the Plate in a rain-soaked match against Upminster. An outstanding defensive display by Medway repelled wave after wave of Upminster attack which led to a frustrating but nevertheless entertaining scoreless draw. Both sides, in a repeat of last year’s Medway Festival Final, shared the honours and can both now look forward to a possible rematch when Medway trot down the M25 to Upminster’s own festival next week.
Cubs Squad
Forwards
Sean Horan, Billy Young, Alex Russell, Harry Bloomfield, James Hudson, Ollie Bell
Backs
Max Poynter, Joe Hicks, Aengus Daly, James Bullock, Alex Belsey, Adam Clark and Josh Bruin
Scribe Andy Young