Maids snatch league glory on the final whistle
Reading Abbey U13A 22 v Maidenhead U13A 21
Berkshire Youth League
Sunday 22nd April 2012
Maidenhead's U13A put their fans through the emotional wringer on Sunday, but showed fantastic resilience to make a late comeback and snatch the Berkshire League title with the final play of the game; in the process they broke the hearts of fierce rivals, Reading Abbey, as the season drew to a close with this pulsating encounter at Rosehill.
Maids went into the title decider with an unblemished, 100% record from their other league matches and knew that as long as they didn't lose by 8 points or more, they would be crowned County Champions in their first season of competitive league rugby.
Despite making a strong start, which brought two early tries from Harry McCaffrey and Connor Currie, Maids soon took their foot off the gas and made a number of uncharacteristic handling errors which allowed Abbey to first gain a foothold and then a firm grip on the game.
With the clock running down, Abbey had moved 22-14 ahead, after two well-worked tries each side of half-time. Maids, having led the league from the very first game, suddenly found themselves in danger of having their dream shattered by a powerful Abbey side intent on spoiling the Maids' party.
But Abbey hadn't reckoned on Maids' strong, fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude. Captain Wells (later nominated Man of the Match by the Abbey players) rallied his troops one last time and it was fitting that their final push for the title was ignited by Andy Condon, who has already plundered 46 tries this season. The tall, left-winger coolly surged past a number of Abbey defenders and set up a ruck deep in Abbey territory. As the referee nervously glanced at his watch for a final time, Saul Gravette-Payne picked up the ball and set his sights on the line. Then with a friendly, supporting shove from his mate Currie, Gravette-Payne powered over the line to touch down and secure the all-important bonus point and, with it, the league title for the Maids. Wells added his third successful conversion of the day to make the final score 22-21 to Abbey, but Maids had done what was required and the celebrations could begin!
Maids have faced some tough opposition this season and all the boys should be immensely proud of what they have achieved: two tournament wins out of two, and their inaugural Berkshire Youth League title. Maids have now scored an amazing 150 tries and nearly 1,000 points in just 24 games. Roll on next September!
Tries: McCaffrey, Currie, Gravette-Payne
Conversions: Wells (3)
Maids: Moss, Reader, Thompson, Gravette-Payne, Englezos, Cook, McGregor, Ward, Sutton, Wells, Jenkins, Condon, Currie, McCaffrey, Adamcsik, Meadows, Henri F & Haederle
Maids' Man-of-the-Match: Wells
