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U12As win the Marlow Plate Sunday 26th March 2006 |
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Under 12 A’s win Marlow Plate Whilst the Bs were getting off to a winning start the Maids A squad were still admiring the Marlow seeding technique and distribution of teams amongst the 2 pools. We also puzzled over the decision that not all teams in the pool would play each other (we thought Chobham looked good and would have enjoyed the game – maybe some other time). The really good news was that all games were handled by a Bucks ref, who handled a deplorable amount of abuse (not from us) with great good spirit. The first game was against old rivals Windsor, and Maids looked to have things completely under control, with c. 80% possession by half-time, but, crucially, no score. The squad rotated at half time, and the ensuing lack of cohesion left a gap which Windsor ran straight through from a re-taken tap penalty on a rare visit to the Maids half. It was a soft try Maids should not have conceded, and the result did not reflect the run of play, but it was nonetheless a costly 0-1 loss. Having said that the squad showed a growing maturity and good sportsmanship in accepting the defeat and moving on to think about winning the next game. This was against Stratford, who we knew nothing about, except that they were enormous! They also proved to be able to put together some lovely passing movements, but trademark Maids pressure defence effectively stopped them making any progress. Max O’Connor gave Maids a 1-0 lead at half-time, and Markus Olivier burst away in the 2nd half to finish things off. Next opponents were Henley. Once again it fell to Max O’Connor to give Maids the lead, scoring from a fine pass from Thomas Eckles. Teamwork and support play were really shining through, and in the 2nd half Dominik Bart was the beneficiary of a sweetly timed pass from Leo Smith. To give Maids their 2nd try and their 2nd win of the day. Our final pool game was against Sandal, who were unbeaten. This game had some significance for Maids, who had struggled against Sandal two years running at the Saracens Tournament a few years back, but not come across them since. Our friends at Amersham and Chiltern had also recently been very dismissive of Maids in comparison to Sandal, so we were keen to see what would ensue. Crucially, whilst they were still a large, solid side, they didn’t actually appear to have grown in the last 3 years! Nonetheless they had not conceded a try in the tournament and looked keen to forge their way onwards to the silverware. This resolve appeared unfortunately well-founded when early in the game they crashed over from a short ball and took the lead, their touch judge being quite clear that both ball and player were in-play. Growing frustration and incredulity amongst the Yorkshire contingent became apparent from then on, however, as almost the whole of the rest of the match took place in the Sandal half. The whole Maids squad featured in the match, and all of them were needed as injuries were incurred in a very physical game with a fantastic display of tackling from Maids. Maids got over the line twice only to be denied a score as the ball was held up by proud and solid Sandal defence. Determination showed, however, and was personified by Markus Olivier, setting off from half way and breaking three tackles on his way to level the scores. Sandal redoubled their efforts, but had only one serious threatening move, when their winger broke out and looked as if he might go all the way, until he was firmly taken into touch by a fine cover tackle from Daniel Andrews-Jones. The game ended, and the prevailing feeling was satisfaction at this demonstrable improvement against one of the country’s finest clubs, tinged only with an unexpected thought that we might actually have won the game. As the pool concluded (with Sandal beating Windsor to go through to the Cup final – against Marlow who had won their pool!), complex calculations revealed that Maids had made it through to the Plate Final, to play Jersey. Once again Maids scored a try in each half: Thomas Eckles got the first to score on one wing; and LD Basson secured the victory and the trophy on the other with a great run into the line from full-back. A great effort, in great spirit, with great behaviour from the whole squad. Squad was: |
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