U16Bs beat Ruislip

Maidenhead U16B 10 v Ruilsip U16B 0

Sunday 21st February 2010

Chilly rain just around kickoff made the ground a bit squelchy and the ball greasy for both sides in this friendly.  The respective A sides had fought out a closer game than the 17-0 Maidenhead scoreline suggests earlier in the season, in which Ruislip's large and powerful side had been neutralised by superior fitness and precision.

Today the error count on both sides was high and neither team was able to rise above the conditions and play anything but grim wintry rugby.  The Ruislip forwards were clearly happy to crash around the fringes and showed good organisation and aggression.  Maidenhead tackled and mauled and rucked their hearts out, Blake Nicol and Ben Scolari seemingly everywhere, and held the line against consistent pressing by the visitors.  When the ball did clear the breakdown, neither side could get it wide quickly or with any menace.  Ruislip's pacy right winger galloped away on a couple of runs but was always pulled down and was unsupported by his teammates.

Ruislip looked the more likely to score but could not break down the home defence and never really went close to scoring.  In fact their most promising period of pressure ended with a neat tryline interception by Cal Hull followed by a rollicking run up to the halfway line where, gasping like a forty a day man at the top of the fifteenth flight of steps, he was pulled down and put out of his misery.  That was it really for the first half, the only other notable performance Scott Atherton's booming and effective kicking from hand which forced Ruislip back time and again.

The second half opened with fullback Niall Collins chasing back desperately for a high kick and saving a certain try.  Atherton cleared high up the field and Maids gradually made progress through strong running by Ben Scolari, Jacob Sanders and Will O’Callen-Smith.  Keeping the ball alive, Maidenhead worked up to within 10m and Ruislip started to fray at the edges.  They failed to organise against a quick tap penalty by Hal Orchard and Hal's offload put Sanders in for his fourth try in two games.  Atherton converted and Maidenhead were in control from then on.  Sanders and Scolari started to punch holes at will and Ruislip were limited to one further breakout, Collins making the last man tackle neatly and without fuss, if one can describe a last-ditch violent collision in such terms.  With a minute to go, Maids chose to ask Atherton to kick a penalty to make the game safe and the job was done.

A few heads were scratched at the end of the game as it was realised that the same 15 players had stayed on the field from start to finish for Maids.  Amazing, said some, when has that ever happened before?  "Every week when I was playing", muttered certain senior citizens who should know better.

Squad:  Ben Scolari, Blake Nicol, Callum Hull, Hal Orchard, Jacob Sanders, Josh Edney, Tom Allen, Will O'Callen-Smith, George Lewis, Greg McHugh, James Hibberdine, Niall Collins, Scott Atherton, Shiv Khindria, Steve Carn.