U16Bs bury Drifters under the Broadwalk

Maidenhead U16Bs 29 v Drifters U16s 19

Sunday 4th October 2009

Hello Happiness as Bs maintain 100% record

Braywick saw scores for both wing forwards and a number 8 as Maidenhead's U16 Bs continued their winning start to the season, but the celebrations at the club were entirely decorous.  There was no kissing in the back row.

The home side started at frantic pace, like toddlers on a sugar rush, sweets for my sweet maybe, Sam McCarthy opening the scoring on the end of a regulation backline finish to a series of forward phases after less than 5 minutes.  Crossing wide on the right, he was able to run right in and make it an easy conversion for Matt Becksmith.  The exhausted defence had nothing left to offer.  Maybe they were out late, Saturday night at the movies, perhaps.  Before the first quarter hour, flanker Ed Kaye won a foot race to dive on his own hack ahead after Drifters had won turnover ball at a ruck but failed to pick it up; then Chris Dow on the other flank scored a tailgunner special when the visitors overthrew a defensive lineout. 

James Hibberdine then scored his maiden try for the club, always some kind of wonderful feeling, when Number 8 Rich Sullivan-Paul picked up and offered a perfect offload.  Ironically the scoring scrum was a third re-set as the Maids' pack had been struggling to hold the visitors' power and kept bursting up on the roof, lucky not to be penalised.  Becksmith converted to make the half way score a comfortable 24 to nil.

Early in the second half an innocuous half tackle, high but not dangerous, led to a penalty.  Drifters took advantage of this magic moment and came strongly into the match with some feisty forward play and good ground made by their backline too.  Their captain and outstanding player on the day forced his way over for a converted try and the left winger bullied his way over a few minutes later to make the score 24-12.

Maids re-asserted their superiority with a Number 8 pickup try from substitute Alex McCulloch after an extended period of pressure to make the game safe before Drifters eventually scored a consolation try after 4 minutes of "last play" that Alex Ferguson would have thought adorable. 

Drifters were lacking their county players, but  Maids' rhythm was ruined by their visitors' strong recovery in the second half.  Still, their so far perfect record may turn out to be a long player.

Squad:  Edney, Keir, Orchard, Sullivan-Paul, Kaye (captain), McCulloch, Dow, Cronbach,  Hibberdine, Carn, Khindria, Brooks, Becksmith, Shipton, McHugh, McCarthy