Hanks breaks duck for U12s

Maidenhead Under 12's travelled to Winchester last Sunday and had a very successful and most enjoyable morning.

Both teams had small squads with a number of players unavailable. The Coaches decided to play two matches and Maidenhead came out on top in both games.

The first game kicked off under perfect conditions in bright sunshine with the only problem being the unseasonal heat. Maidenhead immediately started to play fine attacking Rugby against a far larger but less mobile Winchester team. The forwards presented the backs with plenty of ball, taking a number of opposition line outs. The better technique of the Maidenhead scrum allowed hooker Tom Morgan to take at least half a dozen heels against the head.

The centre pairing of Sam Stefan and Alasdair Bruce were able to run through a number of moves practised on the training pitch and only some unforced errors following the tackle and some good positional kicking by Winchester prevented an early score. The fine inter passing of the backs finally paid off when winger Elliot Hawkes was worked clear and he darted over in the corner for a fine try.

Maidenhead continued in similar vein in the second half and came close to scoring a number of times. Finally the pressure paid off when burly second row, Tom Kay forced his way over from a tap penalty close to the line. Opportunities continued to appear and, following a wonderfully timed pass on the blind side from Tom Hocking, winger Michael Carlton was forced out of play just short of the line. The Winchester defence by this stage was tiring and Mark Williams scored following a drive from a lineout. Scrum half Ollie Styles varied his play well and made a number telling breaks, bringing in replacement winger Andrew Foot and full back Tom Lewis whenever he could. Two of the tries were converted and the game ended with Maidenhead winning 19 points to Nil

The Winchester coach worked well during the break between the two games and the second match was a much closer affair. Maidenhead were forced to defend on a number of occasions and showed great grit and determination in stopping Winchester from scoring. Maidenhead took the lead against the run of play when Tom Kay, playing in the centre, took the ball in his own half and, brushing off tackler after tackler in Lomu style, scored a fine individual try. Winchester took much heart, when following a long period of pressure, one of their second rows trundled over from close in. The teams turned round all square.

The Maidenhead second row paring of Andrew Jones and Mitchell Batten worked tirelessly in the loose with some thundering tackles and this aggressive defence meant that Maidenhead started to get back into the game. Michael Carlton, who has impressed in his first season of Rugby was again tackled into touch just short of the line and from the resultant Winchester lineout, Ashley Hanks stole the ball and dived over for a popular try. This was Ashley's first try for the club in his seventh season. Very soon after, the referee blew the final whistle with Maidenhead winning by 14 points to 7.

The Coaches and boys were grateful to the large number of parents who had travelled to support the boys and all agreed that this was the best performance for many a while.