Under 9's
Matches
Sun 06 Oct 2013
Chichester
TBC
Horsham Rugby Club
Under 9's
Ground Hog Day at Chichester

Ground Hog Day at Chichester

Robert Clegg6 Oct 2013 - 20:09
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Toughest start for Horsham at Chi but still heading in the right direction.

I'm not sure what we've done to upset the fixture fairy but for the second festival in a row we drew the Sussex Champions in the first game of a five team pool. This was to be a bit of steep curve for the boys especially the ones that were playing their first competitive contact tournament.

In order to address our previous slow starts we prepared with a comprehensive warm up but this wasn't enough to prevent Haywards Heath flying into a 5-0 half time lead. Tackles were being missed every where with the boys struggling to come to terms with the pace of the game and perhaps showing a little to much respect for the opposition. The second half saw a revitalised performance much as last week and the final score was 6-1 to Heath with a commendable 1-1 second half showing from Horsham. Try by Nicholas Danby.

Next up were Winchester, who we know very little about. This may have helped as Horsham set about them in the same way they finished the last game. A try from Harvey Brock and a score from Nicholas Danby put us in a strong position 2-0 at half time but a second half fight back by Winchester meant another mazy run from Nicholas was needed to seal the win 3-2. Defense on this game was as good as any I've seen of the last two Sundays with Max Vallis, George Clegg and Nick all making crucial challenges.

Fareham Heathens followed and Horsham inflicted a convincing 5-1 win on them with the scores spread across the team. Ghyll Bowen, Harvey Brock, George Clegg, Max Vallis and once again Nicholas Danby all crossed the line.

The final match was against Chichester A, this was to resolve second place in the group and there was a bit of a worry that we'd be hampered by self doubt. Thankfully Nick carried on with his rich form and scored a couple of great solo tries to give the boys the belief they needed. Chi however fought back and even with Nick completing his hat trick and Toby adding another we headed into a nail biting finale at 4-4. With Horsham on the attack it was great to see Horsham turning to some of the quieter boys to lead the attack. Stan made a couple of good drives supported by Aiden Sharpe but with the line beckoning the ball was turned over in touch. As Chi attempted to clear their lines a driving tackle forced a spillage which was gratefully pounced on by George Clegg sealing the win 5-4.

So second in the group again but more importantly we've now given all the registered players tournament time and plenty of things for the coaches to work on. I'm impressed by how the boys and girls have adapted themselves to contact in just over a month, and it's easy to forget how strong the self preservation instinct is in all of us. Each time they throw themselves at the feet of a running player takes determination and courage which I can see in all the children.

Next up Crowborough 'B' festival on the 3rd of November.

See you all Wednesday.

Rob

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Match date

Sun 06 Oct 2013

Kickoff

TBC
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