U10 Tigers go the distance at Brean Sands

2nd - 3rd May 2009

Whilst the Lions were mounting an impressive challenge in Pool B, Maidenhead's other team - the Tigers - were looking forward to their own 'rumble in the jungle' and after their success over the last three years in this competition, they were rightly considered as the real heavyweights of Group A.

They had trained hard over the previous 12 months and were keen to defend their title. At the weigh-in, they looked strong and powerful but also nimble and capable of launching swift, devastating counter attacks. A clash against Hertford was the first bout of the tournament. After some early sparring, the Tigers delivered four killer punches in quick succession, through McCaffrey, Wells (2) and Webster, to quickly end the contest.

Next came the rather lightweight 'Leighton Buzzards', making their début at Burnham. They were no match for the Tigers, who pulled no punches. Quick ball from the pack meant the backs could land blow after blow on the Buzzard defence. Eventually they succumbed as McCaffrey ran in a hat-trick and Sutton delivered the sucker punch for another 4-0 win.

The ringside clock had barely ticked past 11.30am and the Tigers had already claimed two scalps. They were full of confidence and really took their gloves off in the third match against Hinckley. Such was the power and clinical finishing of the Tigers that they were able to make the team that ultimately finished joint third in the tournament look decidedly ordinary. McCaffrey and Wells both landed double scoring combinations and when Sutton dived over late on, Hinckley threw in the towel at 5-1 down.

Next to throw their hat in the ring was the stronger challenge of Altrincham Kersal, a side from the north-west who would scrap hard. The Tigers' game-plan before the tournament had been to always recycle the ball quickly, to generate a fluid, fast-moving form of rugby that would exploit the wide Burnham pitches and the great pace that the Tigers had in their back division. The tactics were put into action perfectly against Altrincham, with Wells, Lawrie and McCaffrey all touching down. And so, as the sun went down on day 1, the Tigers were top of the table, with four wins out of four.

On Sunday morning, the Tigers' old sparring partner, Redingensians, were hopeful of causing an upset. They started well, pushing the Tigers back into the corner and inflicting a bloodied nose on the Tigers' scrum-half. However, Redingensians' late night escapades the evening before meant they weren't in the best of shape and it soon became clear that they were never going to go the full distance. Harry McCaffrey's scorching pace regularly exposed the challenger's soft under belly and he scored four impressive tries before Wells added a fifth. The ref had no option but to call it off before further damage was done.

Tigers had qualified for the final with a game to spare and were able to rest some of their big-hitters in their final match against a rather cocky Dartfordians side, whose 'man in the corner' threw a number of below-the-belt punches. Dartfordians struck first but the Tigers fought back hard, with Gregory, Smith, Meadows and de la Fuente putting in magnificent performances upfront and Banks, Hickey and Moreland leading the charge from the back. Banks, Sutton and Lawrie all touched down and although Dartfordians grabbed a consolation blow right on the bell, the Tigers were always in control.

This set up a winner-takes-all title fight against the mighty Cwmbran, who had earlier wreaked havoc in the other pool. However, the Tigers were up for the fight and came out swinging. For a while Cwmbran were on the ropes as the Tigers launched wave after wave of attack. Eventually the pressure told as McCaffrey crashed over to see the Tigers take a 1-0 half-time lead. However, Cwmbran were made of stern stuff and they fought back hard in the second-half with the wind behind them. After seven punishing rounds over the two days, the Tigers looked a little jaded and conceded an equalising try shortly before the final whistle. Ultimately the fighters could not be separated and the spoils were shared.

The 1-1 draw meant the Tigers had maintained their two-year unbeaten record at the Burnham-on-Sea Festival and they were presented with their trophy by Michael Lipman, the Bath and England flanker. Harry Wells, the Tigers' outstanding fly-half, was named as the player of the tournament in the Under 10s age-group.

Tigers: Harrison Meadows, David Smith, Oliver Lawrie, Alex Gregory, Gareth de la Fuente, Alex Sutton, Harry Wells, Gus Webster, Harry McCaffrey, James Banks, Harry Moreland & Kyle Hickey