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U14s conquer wind, rain and Newbury Berkshire League |
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Maidenhead Under 14s hosted reigning Berkshire League champs Newbury on Sunday at A (League) and B (friendly) levels. Two exciting matches were enjoyed despite dreadful conditions, with a very strong wind and occasional rain and sleet blasting across the pitch. B SQUAD Maidenhead B's put up a spirited team performance in these testing conditions against a bigger and heavier Newbury squad, whose Number 8 was particularly impressive and probably turned the game himself. While the battle in the forwards was tough, both sides' backs decided to make the most of the ball that was won for them and play entertaining open rugby despite the windy conditions. The 0-15 scoreline did not reflect the effort made by all players in the squad, nor the closeness of the game - Maids were unlucky not to score on a number of occasions when close to the line. The team played its best rugby in the last quarter of the game and battled to the end with great pride, with their two smallest forwards - Dan Keir and Jamie Balmer - both held up over the line at different times! This was a great team performance, but special mentions go to Iain Whiteford, playing out of position at Fly Half and giving a Man of the Match display, and Number 8 Jacob Sanders, impressive once again in the line out and the loose. Thanks also to Max O'Connor and LD Basson for making guest appearances to bolster the squad. The squad: Josh Edney, Dan Keir, Mark Hine, Tim Cronbach, Jason Bates, Bryn Evans, James Balmer, Ben Scolari, Jacob Sanders, Steve Carn, Jonathan Perry, Iain Whiteford, Dhruv Surya, Gareth Orwin, Piers Baron, Sam McCarthy, George Thomas, Max O'Connor, LD Basson A SQUAD LEAGUE MATCH Last year Newbury were deservedly league Champions having subdued Maids 12-0 in atrocious wind and rain in West Berkshire, both sides winning all their other matches. On Sunday the conditions were similar but the result was reversed. Again the sides faced a howling gale but this time it was Maidenhead who executed a suitable game plan to run out winners. Both sides started nervously but Maids kept the ball tight and gradually built up the pressure with determined forward play and shrewd kicking from their half backs. Halfway through the first half quick ruck ball for Maids was moved left to a back line standing close enough to each other to pass with confidence despite the wind. The defence was fixed by good straight running and this gave Tom Eckles a hint of space on the left wing. He took on the defence on the outside and shrugged off two tackles to score. A backs’ try on a forwards’ day. Newbury came back strongly but were repeatedly undone by over-ambitious passing unsuited to the conditions. The teams turned around at 5-0 and the second half started as the first had ended, Maids forwards dominating the exchanges up front and smart tactical kicking from the backs relieving any pressure. Newbury did manage some attacking movements but brave tackling, led by Dominik Bart and Markus Olivier, kept them scoreless. Increasingly frustrated by their inability to break the home side’s defence, Newbury’s discipline began to suffer and, from a penalty on their 22, Sam Balfour’s strong carry and a textbook ruck led to Alex Avery crashing over to double the lead. The visitors did manage one score when their big strong pack battered a way through but Maids sealed the win with an opportunist try from Fred Reid after a Newbury fumble in their own in-goal area. Last season this Maids team showed they could score tries galore in fine weather; this year they have proved they can cope with wet and windy too. The squad: Edward Kaye, Calum O'Flaherty, Blake Nicol, Michael Trevena, Nic Jones, Fred Reid, Sam Balfour, Alex McCulloch, Chris Dow, Dominik Bart, Alex Avery (C), Luke Thomas, William Thompson, Duncan Jones, Fraser Brooks, Leo Smith, Daniel Andrews-Jones, Thomas Eckles, Markus Olivier, Lawrence McSwan, Max O'Connor, LD Basson. |