U14s see off Reds in style

Maidenhead U14As 31 v Redingensians U14As 0
20th January 2008

Resuming their league campaign after the holiday festivities, Maidenhead U14s dismissed the challenge of much fancied rivals Redingensians this Sunday. Redingensians had showed well at the Maidenhead Youth Tournament earlier in the season but they offered little or no threat in this contest. Maidenhead took only four minutes to open the scoring, Markus Olivier outpacing the defence after Alex Avery’s shrewd blindside break and well-timed pass put him in the clear 30 metres out. Fraser Brooks converted for a 7 point lead. The next few minutes were fairly even as both sides struggled for control in greasy conditions, Redingensians finally winning a penalty just outside the Maids’ 22. The visitors kick for goal dropped just under the bar and that was really the last time they threatened to score.

With 12 minutes on the clock, Maids’ strong running forwards won quick ball at a ruck front and centre and a textbook draw-and-pass attacking line move put Daniel Andrews-Jones over on the right with support to spare. Brooks converted, grateful for DAJ running inside under the posts. Maids now tightened their grip on the game, overwhelmingly winning the collisions, ripping the ball in mauls, driving and rucking the visitors back almost every time. It was not just the forwards dominating their opponents: the back line harried and tackled and pressured in defence, and almost always made good ground in attack. The inevitable reward arrived in somewhat bizarre fashion. Given some space and one defender to beat on the left wing, Olivier chose to step inside and run right across the field to score wide out on the right! The try was a testament to his running power, with trademark shuddering handoffs and seemingly irresistible force, but also perhaps evidence of a loss of confidence from the visitors who should surely have done better than they did in defending it.

Half time arrived with Maids 19-0 to the good and probably confident of finding the fourth try needed for a bonus point. In fact, though, the first 9 minutes of the second half were messy and unstructured, with both sides kicking ball away and play seldom going through more than two phases before a knock-on or a sterile maul led to another untidy scrummage on the difficult greasy surface. Redingensians supporters may have started to hope that the game could be turned around, but it was not to be. Another rather aimless kick ahead was gathered by Sam Maguire on the 22 and when his electric runback was halted past halfway Daniel Andrews-Jones was there to clear out the defence, freeing quick ball for Chris Dow to run in an exciting 40 metre try. The bonus point was in the bag and Maguire added the extras as well.

The rest of the match was a story of Maidenhead pressure resisted heroically by Redingensian defence. Time and again the home side battered the tryline, with first Dominik Bart held up in goal and then DAJ and Dow went close to right and left. Meanwhile Redingensians tried and tried to break out but were pegged back by big tackles and the well organized Maidenhead line. Inevitably the final score came, Avery picking up from a 5 metre scrum and diving over as the defence followed an elaborate blindside feint by his teammates.

This was a very good performance by the full squad but sterner tests remain. Away to Reading in two weeks time and thereafter the 10th February game against likewise 2 for 2 record Windsor (who beat Abbey 38-5 today), looms large as a possible league decider. Put it in your diary.