Medway Rugby Football Club

Aylesford Festival

Despite the recent good weather the day started rather familiarly - cold and wet - and Medway was almost caught out with the prompt 10am start. Medway were unfortunately down a few players but a couple of under 6s who were there were quickly recruited and so were able to put together a competitive team. Some of the players had spent a tiring day out with the Wasps the day before and so it might have been expected that the team would not shine given this. But this was the last match of the season and Medway under 7s clearly wanted to follow up their recent good form with a good showing.

The first match was against Aylesford 1 team. Having virtually just arrived and thrown straight into a match Medway immediately conceded a try and then another. A poor start but there was a sudden urgency about the team and they got back to 2:2 before falling behind again, equalizing and then falling behind once more. Nail biting stuff but then a real session of great team play ensued and with great passing Medway had 3 tries in succession. Medway ran out winning 6:4, truly a very good team effort and showing the form of team with great potential.

The second match was against Tonbridge Judd. Medway got two good tries going up quickly 2:0, but Tonbridge was resilient. While Medway continued to score well and regularly, Tonbridge were only stopped from catching up by some really good defensive play from all players, but even before the end the result looked safe. Medway ran out winning 6:4. A special mention here for our under 6, Michael, for getting his first Medway try.

The third match was against Cranbrook. While we all hoped for a continuation of the form from previous matches Medway ended up 0:3 down at half time. All the tries resulting from unfortunate knock ons from our players – at this stage the sun was out and it was very warm. The second half brought about some substitutions and a change of attacking lines and the result was Medway started to push forward, scoring a few tries. Unfortunately the first half had meant it was a bit too much to do and Medway lost 5:4. A tremendous effort from the team to get back to a one try difference though after being down by 3 tries.

The last game, and for a place in the plate final, was against Ashford. Very early on it was clear that Medway were playing on top form for the season and both forward play and defense was working well. Our tries were being set up by great tagging at the back and moving the ball forward quickly and this was increasingly getting better as the game went on. Medway ran out easy winners 5:1 and there could have been more.

So into the Plate final: Medway against Aylesford 2. Aylesford 2 had been playing equally well in their earlier matches so this would be a great contest. From the start Medway went 0:2 behind, again another steep climb to get back into the game but the response was a magnificent 2 individual tries to get us back to 2:2, and then we were ahead 3:2 up, and then it was 3:3 and then we were 4:3 up. Fantastic defense and attack with loads of team spirit and plenty of parent support, we were looking good to a win and then………Aylesford scored? Their player managed to get a try wearing only one tag, with the other one in the hands of a Medway player a quarter of the way back up the field. There was some question about the legitimacy of the try and questions were asked but the try was still awarded. Medway came back with yet another try only for Aylesford to get another just on the whistle. 5:5 at close of play, so 2 mins of extra time were given. Aylesford scored straight away but Medway fought back, constantly attacking the Aylesford line only to have the last minute try disallowed. A special mention to Solomon for some incredible play in this match, but all the team worked really well together and watching the match everyone was impressed by the way the team threw everything into this game. Amazing match.

So that was it, the end of the season. No winners medals but Medway were awarded much more through finding some really good form and showing a huge skills improvement over the last year thanks to Andy, Rob and Glen. Much can now be expected from the new season as they move up to the under 8s.

UNDERS 7S GREEN ARMY!! BOURNEMOUTH TOUR

Whilst a force of Medway Knights set off at dawn to the tropics of Weymouth, thier loyal wenches, lead by Flossy Archer went on a 6mile pillaging trip through local villages and towns to obtain provisions for the returning troops.

Witches Maddy Elliott and Macey Douglas set of to the Iceland to cast a dark cloud over the oppersition to prevent them from escaping!!

A cast of thousands (17) travelled far with Theo the ' Vomitus' decimating his leaders chariot on the way!
And so to battle, the forces split into two sections aided by Evan and Joshua Jones in one Daniel Parmenter along with Finley Mathe in the other.

With the locals baying for blood, Medway Knights battles long and hard throughout the day, inflicting heavy casulties to whom got in their way!

Weyouth and their allies Standford were sent packing 8-7 and 8-6 respectively. lead by tries from Miles Archer, Matt Douglas, Soloman Murdoch North, Sam Burge, Will Maycock.and tags from Nathan Howells, Tom Watts, Joshua Wllard and Jacob Wearon.
Later that day the troops re-gathered and set about battering down the defences again This time heavy artillary was required so in came Jack Burrows, Elliot Nye, and Charlie ' Prince Rhino!' Elliott.Once again Weymouth were sent packing 8-5. Medway tired from all the exertions stood proud but fell to a resurgent Stanford 9-4.

With the locals and their allies banished to the port of Southampton. the Victorious Knights returned home to find BBQ Chris of the Lurv Cats, aided by his side kick Lord Robidog put on a banquet fit for kings!

The following morning the weary troops headed of to do battle with the mighty Oaks of Oakmedian RFC. with Joshua, Evan, Finley and Daniel infiltrated the Oaks minis to gain valuable tactics on the opposition.
Meanwhile the remainder of the force went to war! The first battles saw the Medway Knights crush both forces by 8-5 with Joshua Wellard and Nathan Howells bursting through the Oaks heavy defences, with help from Matt Douglas who put the Oaks on the back foot straight away on numerous occasions.
jinking runs from Miles and Soloman set up runs for Jacob and Charlie to crash in tries.

After armies reforming to discuss tactics, the so called mighty Oaks were chopped down to mear Saplings! thanks to Theo, Sam , William and Elliot showing the way with super handling, and passing. with the battles getting close Medway sent in their secret weapons Tom Watts and Jack Burrows which sent the rebles into a full scale retreat. thus ending with the Knights once agin Winning 7-6 and 7-5. so vanquished the armies fled to the woods and Medway devoured the Sausages and chips whilst the Elders drank the place dry!!

So back to camp to pack for the sunny return to Medway knowing that they had beaten all that the Weymouth, Standford and Oakmedians Armies could throw at them. BRING IT ON FOR THIS SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Medway U7 trip to the promised land of Jordan (Or Katie Price as she is now known...)

On a cool sunny crisp Sunday morning,not even local car boot fairs causing traffic delays could stop the Medway Crusaders from venturing into the land of Price.

Medway were drawn in the so called “Group of Death”,Braintree,Rochford and Barking awaited them,two would be vanquished two would go through for the chance of silverware and eternal glory.

The first game in the group saw Medway play Braintree,a team of some big strong well drilled players.After a very slow start,Medway found themselves 4-1 down at half time ,
they couldn't seem to adapt to the flatness of the Essex landscape and the undoubted skills and speed of the Braintree U7's.
However a great team talk at halftime inspired the boys to comeback to a well deserved
4-4 draw,another minute would surely have given the visitors from Kent a terrific victory but it wasn't to be in this game.
Special mentions must go to some great tagging from Thomas Barnett and Matthew Barker with tries from Thomas(2),Kyle Wardle and Sam Burge .

Medway's second game saw them playing the All Blacks,otherwise known as Rochford.If there was a tournament prize for the best kit surely they would have walked it;but there wasn't and they didn't.
Learning quickly from the errors of the previous game ,Medway started very brightly and soon raced into a 3-0 lead,moving onto 4-1 at half time.By full time the score had moved onto 7-4 and Medway had secured their first victory.
This result showed how much the boys were gelling as a team unit,they really played
with great spirit ,tackling well and supporting each other.
Within the great teamwork were some superb individual performances,Thomas Barnett 9 tags and 3 tries !Matthew Barker with 7 tags and 1 try ,Jacob Wearon with 3 tags and William Maycock with 2 tries.
But the team all recorded good tag hits that would make a coach proud!

The third game needed Medway to win by a clear 7 tries to get into the final,a win would see them getting into the Plate final.
The final game against Barking may have been the easiest on paper as they were fielding some younger ,much smaller lads(A bit like Arsenal FC?).But as we know lads,size isn't everything !!! (Despite what Sir Llewyln Dawd says ! )
A ding dong of a first half saw the half time score of 4-3 to Medway,not the score required for the final,but a half time team talk saw a much better second half with Medway scoring another 3 tries at the expense of just 1 giving a final score of 7-4.
The team played very well again,a great individual try by Kyal,some great tagging by Matthew Barker 4,Sam 5 ,tries by William 3 kept the team ticking over.
But a real special mention must surely go to Thomas Barnett ,he finished the game with
14 tags !And a try !! Surely the nickname of Thomas the Tag Engine beckons !!!

This win meant that Medway were off to the Camp Nou of under sevens rugby.A much longer and wider pitch greeted them in the plate final,along with the home team,
Westcliffe .
The home team had numerical and ground advantage,their squad of 11 to our 7 and
the lack of playing on the pitch with it's poor marking might tell.........

The game started with Medway on the front foot with our boys taking the game to the home team.Ball and territorial advantage accounted for little as Medway went in 2-2 at half time,hit by two sucker punch tries(although one was after a blatant hand off ref!!)
An even greater effort by Medway in the second half saw our boys have the advantage again but only to be hit again on the break,3-3 .It was with a minute or so to go when a clear break by William saw him over the line but the poor marking of the far end of the pitch and a strange position of the flag saw the ball carried over the end line before the ball was touched down.....Surely ref you can understand the misunderstanding?
Doh !! No,but fair enough in the laws of the game...
And guess what happens next? Yes the sucker punch,Westcliffe getting the decisive fourth and final try on the game's last play.
It was hard to take after such a great final effort by the tiring Medway team,they really deserved more.
Special mentions in dispatches must go to Matthew B and Sam B with 5 and 6 tags respectively. Nathan and Jacob chipped in with 2 tags each ,William and Sam with a try a piece with Kyal running tirelessly. Yet again within the superb team effort the individual display of Thomas Barnett caught the eye;a further 10 tags and a try ,it's easy to see why
he is know as the new Lionel Messi !!

The boys really deserved their runners up trophy,it was just a shame it was not the winning
plate,but the main thing was the team played so well and really enjoyed themselves.

Well done Medway for a great effort and it was so good to see the team getting better and better during the tournament.

Special thanks go to Glen and Trevor for arranging the team and again for Westcliffe Rugby Club for hosting such a well run event.

Here's to Bournemouth all those who are going !!!

Medway v Braintree 4-4	Tags	Tries
Mathew Barker	5
William Maycock	2
Kyle Wardle	2	1
Thomas Barnett	4	2
Nathan Howells	1
Sam Burge	1	1
Jacob Wearon

Medway v Rochford 7-4	Tags	Tries
Mathew Barker	7	1
William Maycock	1	2
Kyle Wardle	2	1
Thomas Barnett	9	3
Nathan Howells	2	1
Sam Burge	2
Jacob Wearon	3

 

 

Medway, Gravesend and Norwich triangular tournament

Medway Crusaders travelled to local boys Gravesend to host the 1st Medway Cup Triangular tournament for U7 touring teams featuring a strong team from Norwich rfc.

The day started off with some basic training before getting down to the nitty gritty of playing matches.

Medway entertained Norwich. Winning the toss Medway elected to start off going downhill. Norwich who not used to such steep inclines found the first half heavy going, but hang in there.

A blistering run from Jamie Flanagan from one side of the pitch and then all the way back again! before deciding to score. The match ebbed and flowed from one end the other. With other tries coming from Matt Douglas 2 Charlie Elliott 1 Miles Archer 1and Elliott Nye

Both Thomas Watts and Theo Korniotis showed great skill bashing their ways through to get tags and Charlie Elliotts last ditched lunging takle ( Taking out the attacker!!!) could not prevent the match from ending in a 6-6 tie

Well done to Luke Flanagan who helped Norwich in drawing the match with 2 tries!!

Gravesend then played Norwich in yet another tight contest. Once again the match ened in a draw 5-5.

The deciding game vs Gravesend meant Medway only had to win to take the trophy.

Straight from the off medway shot into a 2-0 lead with tries from Matt Douglas and Elliot Nye. Egan Sharpleading the medway crusaders pushed forward yet again and at half time were leading comfortably 4-2 with another try from Miles Archer and Luke Flanagan set up by a great burst of speed from Thomas Watts.

The second half carried on in the same vein with Jack Burrows refreshed from a large bottle of whatever!!
showed that he could mix it with the best running half way round the pitch before getting tagged. Further tries from Miles Archer Elliot Nye and Matt Douglas lead to a very comfortable 7-3 win.

Upminster Festival

Notwithstanding dismal forecasts from the Met Office, eleven of Medway’s finest turned out to represent the Under 7’s at the Upminster Festival. After some rescheduling, which rendered my £2 programme useless (I’m not bitter), we were treated to some unexpectedly pleasant weather and some even better rugby from our boys.

Our first match was against Westcliffe. The 5-1 defeat was not flattering, but with almost all the boys claiming tags, including a couple of early tags for Josh Wellard and some fine individual performances, we knew better things were to follow. Worthy of mention were Matt Barker with 4 tags and Solomon North, who claimed 5 tags and capped his display with a try.

Tom Watts took the captaincy for the second match against Hertford and signalled his intent with a surging run down the right flank. Nathan Howells put Medway in front with two fine tries, but Hertford scored the next three. Another try from Solomon levelled the scores, only for Hertford to regain the lead. A try from Kyal Edwards brought Medway level again, only for Hertford to score late on and run out 5-4 winners.
The third match, against Old Albanians (I know, that seems a long way to travel for a game of rugby), was another closely fought affair. Some excellent tagging by Jamie Flanagan and Matt Douglas and a crucial tag by Jack Burrows, limited the opposition’s chances and tries from Matt and Solomon looked to have secured a draw. However, once again Medway were beaten by a late try.

The boys had been playing well as a unit and had been unlucky in the previous couple of matches, so it was only a matter of time before the hard work, and ‘Thinking Woman’s Crumpet’ Trevor Howell’s wily coaching, paid dividends. Upminster were the unfortunate victims. A sensational hat-trick of tries from Matt Douglas, together with a brace from Solomon and a try a piece from ‘The Flying Flanagans’ was capped by a powerhouse try from Nathan ‘Spike’ Brown, which would have had the crowd off their seats, if only we’d remembered to bring some! Medway, ran out 8-5 winners against the hosts and we all went home as very proud parents, not to mention slightly hoarse.

Pictures

More pictures

Kent Qualifying Tournament

Medway under 11s on Sunday progressed to the next round of the Kent Cup after battling through four tough games at the Medway Priestfields Ground to set themselves up for the finals of the county’s Plate Competition next week.

Medway’s path to the next round of the Kent Cup was pretty emphatic with 15 tries scored and only two conceded. Despite a poor start against a tough-tackling Dartfordians side that saw the home side go down 1-0, Medway soon got into their stride with an impressive 7-1 victory over Folkestone.
Scrum half James Robertson opened the scoring in the first half against Folkestone with a pick up and drive from close quarters. Good cover tackling from Oliver Bell and Alex Russell helped keep Folkestone on the back foot. A well-worked passage of play, involving both backs and forwards that saw giant second-rower James Hudson deftly offload the ball for Aengus Daly to cross the line. As the confidence returned the Medway side let loose in the second half with Harry Bloomfield bagging an impressive brace and Josh Bruin also scoring two tries, both via interception. Max Poynter slotted comfortably into the backs while Aengus Daly was busy again, scoring from the halfway line.

The third pool match of the day saw Medway pitted against Tonbridge Judds ‘B’ in a more closely contested match. A scintillating break from Adam Clark fell short just two yards from the line before being eagerly pounced upon by Billy Young to open the scoring. The ever-present Aengus Daly then ran in a try from 30 yards, quickly followed by another from Callum Germany who picked up from behind his own scrum to weave his way through several players to register a 3-0 victory for Medway.

Having finished the group stage in second place, Medway found themselves facing a tough Thanet side in the quarter-finals of the Plate to vie for next week’s spot in the finals. However, by now Medway were in full flow and centre Alex Belsey opened the scoring with a jinking run through several defenders. Not to be outdone, fellow centre James Bullock ran in another two tries before Callum Germany struck again from in close after a mesmeric run from Josh Bruin. Aengus Daly finished the scoring to make his personal tally for the day a whopping four tries.

All in all it was an extremely impressive day for Medway who showed that they are more than capable of mixing it with the best when they set their minds to it. Even more encouraging was the emergence of several new players to the squad – Joseph Hicks, James Clack, Lachlan Wardle, Regan Blyth and Michael Parmenter - who all stepped into their roles with ease and made significant contributions on the day.

Scribe – Andy Young

Champagne Tournament, Tunbridge Wells

With last minute notice Medway managed to get together a team of 11 team for the Tunbridge Wells RFC Champagne Tournament. Thanks in particular to Theo who stepped in at the very last moment and to all those mothers who attended or gave up their sons to play on Mothering Sunday.

After weeks of rain the weather was unusually dry and the team were in good spirit for the matches ahead. It was nice to see them not covered in hats, waterproofs and extra thick layers.

The first match was against Gravesend and one we looked like winning after a good start with 2 early tries until Gravesend snatched one just before half time. The lead continued to be with Medway but Gravesend kept in touch throughout, although they did get the nod from the ref on one particularly dodgy looking try. An “alleged” shoulder charge from Medway led Gravesend to equal the score at 4:4 just on the whistle. Sam, Miles, Charlie and Elliot put in particularly good performances with tries and tags and there was also some good running from Tom.

In the second match against Whitstable we started and finished very strongly. Good runs and tries from Nathan, William and Elliot, along with tries from Sam and Miles lead to a 5:0 win. Particularly good in support were Kyall, Jacob and Theo. The game was marked by good use of the ball around the field and some good play from the substitutes all contributed to an all round strong performance from the team.

The third match was against Blackheath, probably the best organised team there. They quickly went two tries ahead. Medway through some real individual performances, especially from Sam with two tries and Egan with 5 tags and Charlie with 3 made a fight of the game, but a late flourish by Blackheath sealed the game and Medway lost - 4:2.

We met Folkestone in the last game and again there were some strong individual performances from William, Nathan and Sam (who was consistently good in all games). There was also some strong wing play to get the ball down field and almost over the line. Although we were leading the way to start Medway paid the price for being caught on the back foot on a couple of occasions and leaked a couple of tries toward the end. In the end Medway ended up just losing - 4:3.

Overall it was a good day out in the fresh air and all the team seemed happy with their medals and certificates. Thank you to Cassy for recording the stats during the matches and of course to the coaches for their time, dedication and enthusiasm.

Pictures

Gravesend

Medway under 6s and under 7 hosted Gravesend rfc on Sunday.

Both teams had a large turn out in trying weather. the day started with some SDD training followed by some competitive games to finish with.

The under 6s showed that they have come a long way in such a short time, with Evan Jones, and Michael Wells playing very well in their 1st competitive fixture.
The under 7s split into various teams ready for the up and coming festivals. Gravesend played one of our teams whilst the other two trained between themselves.

Gravesend featured Medway's Eagan Sharp and Matthew Douglas who combined Superbly making it very hard for the Medway guys. Miles Archer, Matthew Barker and Wlliam Maycock all shone for Medway.

Upminster Festival

11 October 2009

Medway sent a strong team of 12 players to the Upminster Festival. The weather was mild but overcast with occasional drizzle and after the overnight rain the ground was slippery. Medway had to play 5 matches. There was some surprise at the size of the playing field, twice what we are used to at home, and this meant the team had to be especially good in defence and to make the most from their attacking opportunities.

The first match was against Westcliff. The first half ended with Medway in a dominating 3:0 lead. The second half showed Medway in equally attacking mood, following some tactical substitutions but with some stronger resistance from Westcliff. The eventual match score was Medway running out winner’s 4:1 with a notable hat trick of tries from Miles and three tags from Solomon.

The second match was against Southend. This was a good all round performance by all the players with tries from Matthew B, Elliot and Solomon. Miles tagging helped to keep Southend back until the last moments of the game when, after what looked like Southend had stepped outside the line, they still managed to get the ball back close to the Medway line where they scored leaving the final score at 4:4.

The third match was against Chelmsford. Medway found this a hard game with defence being the key feature with Sam making a major contribution. There was a very notable run from Charlie in the first half covering most of the ground before being ‘felled’ by the opposition. Chelmsford scored with the last attack of the game to make the score 2:2, but Medway were declared 3:2 winners by the ref – and as we all know you should never argue with a ref!

The fourth match was against Upminister A, favourites for the competition. There was no denying that Upminster had some strong runners, although Medway took an early lead, thanks to a try from Matthew D. Upminster hit back very quickly. It was very even play up to half time. The second half unfortunately saw Upminster show how experienced they were at using their faster ball carriers. Notable was an effort by Charlie, taking a long pass from Egan, he then took the ball most the way up the pitch (his second such run in the tournament) and deserved a better result for his efforts. A couple of tags from Tom saved us from losing further points. The eventual score was Medway losing 5-2, their biggest defeat this year but a huge effort on the part of all the players.

The fifth, and final game was against Braintree. Medway needed to win this to get through to a final match. Braintree was a good side and took far more advantage of the space afforded by the bigger field. Although they really only needed the one player who scored all their tries (those there noted how much taller and faster he was than the average under 7!). Notable in the game was tries by Kyal (scoring just in time for his dad, who had been coaching the Under 11s at Aylesford, to arrive to see it) and Nathan and tagging by Egan. But unfortunately the “the tall boy” from Braintree made us suffer and Braintree ran out 5:2 winners.

So no medals this time but it was an exceptional learning curve for the team in getting used to a full size under 7s pitch and the need to attack and defend the space. I think all those that were there to watch will have seen a marked improvement in the movement of the players on and off the ball, catching was good and defending showed improvement. The kids also showed their team spirit (especially Jacob, who was ceaseless in his contribution to the team effort), especially when accepting substitutions without moans or groans. In the end it was a shame their efforts on the day were not rewarded with more.

Thanks again to coaches Rob (who also had to take over refereeing duties), Glen and Shaun. Poor ‘old’ Andy was suffering from a back problem and couldn’t attend, but thanks to Sue Douglas for slipping into his top (literally)!

Medway Festival

4 October 2009

Medway Gladiators

Medway Gladiators got off to a shaky start against a very well drilled Sevenoaks side. Caught cold by an earlier than planned start, they were 0-4 down in as many minutes, but did start to rally before halftime. A much improved 2nd half saw the Gladiators start to press more, forcing the opposition to defend deeper. An excellent try by Charlie Elliot would have surely begun a Medway flourish, but any fightback was nullified by constant opposition offsides!! The game ended 1-6, but the boys were determined to improve.

So, onto the 2nd game against Upminster and after some pre match drills the boys were more focused than ever. A very close game saw two very well worked tries by Luke and Jamie Flanagan, and some top tagging by Matthew Jupp and Mason Meadows pushed Upminster to their limit. The opposition eventually ran out 2-4 winners but the boys had shown true grit and determination, now firmly playing as a team.

Before having a chance to draw breath they boys were back on the pitch, this time against a much fancied and well rested, Aylesford side. Excellent tagging by Tom Watts and Jacob Wearon meant it was tit for tat rugby with tries for Medway from Luke, Nathan Howells, Josh Wellard and Solomon. However, with the score 4-4 and only moments left, 3 quick tries by very fast Aylesford player left the final score at 4-7. A very flattering result for the opposition indeed!

And so onto the U7s Shield Final between Sittingbourne and a Gladiators team now full of self belief, spirit and up for the challenge ahead. End to end stuff ensued, Luke scored 1-0, then Sittingbourne twice 1-1 and 1-2, the boys tagging their hearts out and with a late try by Solomon in the corner, and the boys went into half time level 2-2. The 2nd half underway and Sittingbourne took the lead, but with new found belief the Gladiators remained strong through excellent support and passing play. As the on looking parents became more vocal Solomon ran in two more superb tries, 4-3 to Medway Gladiators!!

The final whistle blew; the boys cuddled each other in celebration and collected the 2009 U7s Medway Festival Shield – well done lads

Medway Rhinos

Matthew Douglas, Miles Archer, Matthew Baker, Egan Sharp, Kyle Wardle, Theo Korniotis, Tom Barnet, Sam Burge, Elliott Nye.

First to say a BIG thank you to the coaches, Andy, Rob, Glen and Shaun who have prepared the players over the last few weeks for their first tournament as an U7 team. I think the results speak for themselves. Also, to say thank you to the parents that rolled their sleeves up to help with the burger bar and also to those who contributed to the cake stall.

We were very lucky with the weather and all the kids were in good form, motivated and ready to play.
The first game was against Gravesend. To be honest this became a rout towards the end with Medway ending up running out winners 9 to 3. The basis for this score was laid by the early try by Kyle and constant pressure by the team on the Gravesend squad with some excellent tagging by Matthew B and a notable hat trick of tries from Sam.

The second game was against Maidstone. For those who watching from the Medway side there will have been some confusion about how Maidstone managed to get 4 tries, given their propensity to ‘dive’ over the line to score. Nevertheless good team spirit and some accurate tagging by Tom meant we gained a 4-4 draw.
The third game was against Sittingbourne. Medway were playing at their best in this match with 16 tags and 7 tries, winning 7-3. A splendid try from Matthew D and real commitment from Elliot all contributed to a very convincing and resounding victory. The pick of the action was perhaps a really special tag by Sam.
The fourth game was against Barking and the key game for Medway. Going into the game Barking was considered a much stronger side, but in the course of the game Medway showed themselves to be worthy opponents. Medway’s play was hindered by some rather obvious offside infringements but with the score at 3-3 and time running out, Miles put in a rather singular try to give Medway the lead, and the game. This win put Medway into the final.

The final found Medway playing Sevenoaks, a much stronger team with a few very fast players. This showed early on when Medway was down 2-0 at half time, albeit with a first try that looked suspiciously like a dive. Again Medway came up against offside infringements but they battled on. Several really strong attacking runs from Egan and Miles (both having had a good tournament) eventually resulted in Theo going over for a well worked try. Alas it was all too late, with the final score 3-1, but at the end Medway had turned the pressure on Sevenoaks.

Congratulations to the all the under 7 Medway players for a successful first outing this year in their home festival.