U7As unbeatable at Chippenham

Sunday 29th March 2009

The U7A squad raised their game to a new level at the Chippenham Festival on 29 March. Unbeaten on the day, it was only the vagaries of a strange points scoring system that prevented an appearance in a final.

Pitched in a tough group against Clifton, Salisbury, Malborough and Chippenham Bs, Maids needed a strong start - something they did not get. Playing first-up against Marlborough, the team played well below normal standards. Knock-ons and forward passes disrupted the usual attacking flair and it took great defence from Sammy March and Jonathon Shaw alongside Kai Andrew and Max Thomas to prevent a big halftime deficit. At 2-1 down at halftime Maids were still in it and finally the team woke up. Jack Barker added to an earlier try by Max and more good defence from Elenor and Alex Wood helped Maids scrape to a 2-2 draw.

The second game saw Maids back on form. A tremendous game of end-to-end rugby against Clifton saw Maids put together some of the best passing and running moves they have achieved. With Max hitting the line at great pace and Jack, Sammy, Kai and Owen Mills, sidestepping through the defence Maids were easily a match for Clifton. One fantastic move saw the ball go through six pairs of hands before Eleanor scored in the corner. Other tries from Owen, Sammy, Max x2 and Jack were matched by six Clifton tries for a 6-6 draw.

With the first two games drawn, Maids desperately needed a win to have a chance of progressing. With the defence improving and the attacking play at a level the team had never previously reached, it was the unfortunate Chippenham Bs that stood in the way. The whole team, now playing with confidence simply blew Chippenham away, scoring 10 tries in the process. One memorable period saw Maids' defence take 17 tags in a row forcing the opposition back 20 metres before forcing the turnover. Fantastic pacy runs from Max, Elenor, Owen and Alex opened up the opposition time and again and the passing out of contact by Sammy, Jonathon and Kai was exceptional. The final score was Maids 10-1 Chippenham, with tries scored by Max x 3, Jack x2, Jonathon, Owen, Elenor, Alex and Sammy.

That result left a winner-takes-all encounter with Salisbury and Maids got off to a great start with Sammy skipping through the Salisbury defence for the opening score. With both sides showing great attacking flair the match ping-ponged from end to end - both sides playing with a great intensity and a lot of skill. Owen, Max and Alex added great tries in the first half leaving Maids 4-3 up at the break. The second half saw Maids put together some stunning handling moves and combined with great determination helped keep their noses in front. Max and Jack added further tries, which left Maids 6-5 in front with 20 secs to go. Salisbury attacked, but great defence from Jonathon and Alex kept them at bay. A knock-on missed by the ref then proved crucial as Salisbury finally squeezed in at the corner. The final 6-6 scoreline saw Maids eliminated from the tournament, despite remaining unbeaten on the day. The team's attacking skills also saw them top the try-scoring table out of the 11 competing teams, with 24 tries in four games,

Credit must also go to the many parents who turned up to offer their very vocal support to the team. It was much appreciated.

Try scorers: Max 8, Jack 5, Owen 3, Sammy 3, Alex 2, Eleanor 2, Jonathon 1

Squad: Max Thomas, Jack Barker, Sammy March, Alex Wood, Eleanor Meadows, Jonathon Shaw, Owen Mill, Cai Andrew.