Luck of the Irish eludes U7s

Sunday 22nd March 2009

A squad

Maidenhead Under 7s A squad turned in a series of memorable performances at the London Irish Festival on 22 March, but ultimately just missed out on a place in the final.

On a sunny morning perfect for running rugby (and perfect for the dads and coaches to escape the grief and expense of mother's day) the players showed themselves to be a real attacking force at this level, under the expert coaching of Mike Wood and Dan March.

The first game against Basingstoke proved that the hangovers being nursed by the coaches luckily did not have an effect on the team. Straight from the kick-off a lovely mazy run ended with a try by Sammy March. With Jonathan Shaw and Tom Ross then exceptional in taking tags, Basingstoke was forced into turnovers time and again. Maidenhead worked hard to put their 'flyer' Max Thomas into space and he obliged with a well-taken brace of tries and 'sidestep king' Jack Barker added a fourth. Basingstoke only managed to breach the Maids line once thanks to great second half defence by Thomas Sewell and Vinnie Reed. The final score was Maids 4-1 Basingstoke.

The second game pitted Maids against the toughest team in the group - Farnham. Extremely well drilled and used to tournament play, Farnham managed to stem Maids' attacking instincts and turned over the ball on a number of occasions. However, marvellous defensive work and last ditch tagging kept the score competitive. Max scored an amazing length of the pitch try, including two dazzling side steps, to give Maids hope at half time 2-1 down. The second half saw Farnham score two more tries and despite great runs from Kai Andrew and Oliver Gunning Maids could not quite get over the line. The final score was Maids 1-4 Farnham.

The third game against Aldershot & Fleet saw Maids put in their best attacking performance of the day. Lovely handling from Kai, Jack, Sammy and Tom Ross saw possession retained and space created out wide. Oliver Gunning capped a great performance with two tries and Max added another three. Vinnie Reed also contributed a number of typical bulldozing runs (I pity the opposition when this group move into contact rugby!). Final score Maids 5-0 Aldershot & Fleet.

The final game against local rivals Redingensians was a tough encounter, but the spirit of the boys was by then unshakeable and they were determined to finish with a win. Tries from Jack x2, Max and Alex were matched by a great all round passing display by the team. Defensive work, especially from Max, Sammy and Alex helped keep the Red Indians down to 2 tries. The final score Maids 4-2 Redingensians.

The way the team enjoyed the day with a smile on their faces and the fantastic spirit in which they played the game was rewarded with the 'Fair Play' award. The team was later given the honour of forming a tunnel for the players in front of 20,000 at the London Irish vs Northampton game.

Overall a 3-1 winning record and a 14-7 tries ratio was the very least the team deserved and bodes well for future tournaments.

Squad: Tom Ross, Oliver Gunning, Max Thomas, Jack Barker, Cai Andrew, Sammy March, Alex Wood, Vinny Reed, Thomas Sewell, Jonathon Shaw

B squad

Under 7 Bs demonstrate sting in tail at London Irish Festival

Sun shining and the waft of Irish coffee in the air the stage was set for the Bs to add to the carnival atmosphere. Our first game against Aldershot & Fleet was gallantly led by Louis Rainford with Elliott Monk running in two superb tries. Backed up by Dan Rooney scoring in the corner saw off our first opposition with a good  5-2 win.

Our second game was against Basingstoke who proved a more challenging opposition however we were buoyed up by the arrival of Columbus The Buster Mason after his earlier reccy to the Madjeski itself. Jinking runs from our new captain Ben Smith  and William Worth on the crash nearly saw us home however a last minute burst from our opposition saw us narrowly lose 6-3.

An inspiring mid way team talk from Coach Rooney saw an invigorating comeback in our third match against a spirited Redingensians outfit. Committed defence, scintillating running and some great bursts from Aiden O' Farrell and Robert De La Fuente  led to a close encounter ending in a result of 7-5 to the Maids. We were back on winning terms!

Tension mounted as our final game approached Farnham was the team to beat and it took all the experience and cunning of Coach Rainford to prepare for what can only be described as the match of the day. As the whistle blew the Bs pushed up hard on defence, scrambling well and taking more tags than in all previous games. The opposition eventually breached our defences but the commitment of the team was to be admired by all. Highlights included a great captains surge from Eleanor Meadows who retired injured after standing up to some bone shattering tackles (fortunately an x-ray proved otherwise!). A late run from Oliver Kennedy nearly saw us pegging one back  however the result was a four nil loss against a very good team. The competition was fierce, the result fair and the Bs stood tall.

Two wins and two losses was only half the story; all players gave 100% representing the club proudly by winning the coveted  Fair Play award from the London Irish organisers. Two hours later we stood in the centre of the stadium waving our flags at the Madjeski while our heroes ran through a guard of honour littered with the Purple and Black  Maidenhead colours .

No one will forget the time that Ireland won the grand slam and the Maidenhead U7 took centre stage at the St Patrick's day party 2009.   

Squad: Louis Rainford, Eleanor Meadows, William Worth, Elliot Monk, Robert de la Fuente, Ben Smith, Daniel Rooney, Oliver Kennedy, Columbus Mason, Aiden O'Farrell.