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U14s take the sting out of Wasps Maidenhead U14s 18 v Wasps U14s 17 |
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Maidenhead Under 14s welcomed a well drilled Wasps squad at Braywick on Sunday. A vocal crowd was treated to a fine game of rugby with the lead changing frequently and a nail biting finish. Wasps opened powerfully and for the first 10 minutes of the game Maidenhead were pinned in their own half. The team absorbed the pressure and showed that they weren’t afraid to put in tackles when it mattered most. However, continual pressure from Wasps paid off and they took the lead with an unconverted try in the 12th minute. Maids fought back and new import Vito Mrwa rampaged through the centre of the pitch handing off several Wasps players on the way. A swift exchange of passes and further powerful driving took Maidenhead to the Wasps line and Mrwa levelled the score with 16 minutes on the clock. Heley’s accurately directed kick didn’t have quite enough power and the score was tied at 5 each. Wasps were quick to reply and some sloppy defence allowed their quick centre to cross the line for the third try of the game. Lady Luck shone on Maids when the Wasps conversion hit the cross bar and bounced backwards. At the halfway point Maids were trailing 10-5 but showed no signs of distress. Further onslaughts were mounted and holes began to appear in the Wasps defence. In typical fashion Louis O’Byrne showed a clean pair of heels to the Wasps backs and levelled the score once more. Heley was unlucky with his conversion attempt in the blustery conditions. With everything to play for in the last 10 minutes both sides stepped up a gear. Wasps were first to draw blood in the final period of play and the first converted try of the day saw them go back into the lead 17-10. Some gritty tackling by outside centre Warwick Ferrar and wing Patrick Boyd prevented Wasps adding to the score and Maidenhead were back on attack. Strong scrummaging from the Maids forwards put the team in a scoring position and Mrwa happily obliged with his second try of the game. Despite a fine effort Heley could not level the score from the conversion. In the final minute of play Maids were awarded a penalty in front of the posts on the 22 metre line. William Cadden showed strong leadership in the Captains role and asked Chris Heley to take the penalty rather than run the ball. The crowd watched in silence as Heley prepared to take the kick and then burst into applause as the ball sailed sweetly between the posts to the sound of the final whistle and a final score line of 18-17. Once again the Under 14s put in a very strong team performance and can now look forward to the Bracknell league fixture next Sunday.
Squad: Louis O’Byrne, Patrick Boyd, Warrick Ferrar, Jonathon Wright, Vito Mrwa, Chris Heley, Tom O’Brien, Oliver Peach, William Cadden, Matt Todd, Icarus Congdon, Hugh O’Connor, Rowan Burnett, Phil Roberts, Chris Cameron, Greg Manning, Arthur Kellman, Dominic Hedouin, Jamie Maclean, Tom Hudson |