U14s' first half perfection against Cleve Cleve U14s 0 v Maidenhead
U14s 73 |
|||
 |
|||
| Keenly contested lineout | |||
| Maidenhead
U14s gave what was probably their best performance of
their unbeaten run with a 73-0 victory over Cleve in
Bristol last Sunday. They were without seven members of
the normal squad and up against a Cleve side that was far
better than the score suggests. But such was the pace,
the hard rucking and the skill of the Maids side that
they rocketed into a lead of 49-0 at half-time and
although losing some momentum afterwards after replacing
players, still came through strongly at the end - in
particular, refusing to let the fired-up home side cross
the Maids line. The power of the Maids scrum and rucking was the basis of the performance and the forwards were prepared to graft instead of hanging around in the backs searching for glory. Two scrum-halves - Chris Adam and Ollie Styles - provided the perfect platform for the backs and the an excellent playing surface and dry ball and one of the best-equipped rugby clubs in the West of England made for a fast-moving match. |
|||
 |
|||
| Maids forwards dominate in the loose | |||
| The
first half brought a tremendous performance. Joe Thomas,
the captain who led from the front, scored two tries
after thunderous combined charges. Other try-scorers in
the first half were Mitch Batten, Alex Cannon, Chris Adam
and two by Tom Kay. Kay, the Maids No 8, scored one of
his tries by catching a Cleve kick off and weaving his
way at high pace on a 70 metres run to score. It was a
run of superb athleticism. David Hodgson, remarkably,
kicked all seven conversions in a stunning display of
goalkicking, after travelling down from Scotland at dawn
to be in Bristol for the 11am kick off. In the second half, there were further tries from Cannon, Batten and Adam, and prop Jack Robinson, part of the dominant pack, got in on the act with a try himself. Hodgson was withdrawn early in the second half and Ali Bruce coolly slotted two conversions. Towards the end, Pat McSweeney, Chris Richardson, Anthony Lewis and Adam all made try-saving tackles to keep the Maids line intact and Cleve urgently sought the consolation score. |
|||
 |
|||
| Maids backs run with the ball | |||
| The
Maids squad was: Chris Richardson, Tom Lewis, Alex Cannon, Andrew Foot, David Hodgson, Anthony Lewis, Ali Bruce, Sam Stefan, Chris Adam, Ollie Styles; Pat McSweeney, Mark Williams, Jack Robinson, Andrew Jones, Joe Thomas, Mitch Batten, Tom Kay, Luke Knowles |
|||
 |
|||