Wednesday, 21 April 2010 17:01
Mark Harper
Old Yardleans (Away) – 18th April 2010
A glorious day welcomed an enlarged B squad to Old Yardleans. Training was focussed and competitive in the morning with real signs of learning and development throughout. Indeed the first match gave opportunity for practice to be put into action.
Old Yardleans had just the one team but within that had some strong individual players. This was proven with a quick speedy break when we were caught napping for an early lead to Old Yardleans. There was quick improvement though - from the ruck that followed the start of play, James Lord passed to Holly who weaved through to bring the scores level. After drawing level it was again down to Holly to force out Old Yardleans just as they were about to take the lead again. But the lead was soon lost with a disputed try. The referee failed to call a scrum instead allowing Old Yardleans to take the score to 2-1. This knocked confidence and Bromsgrove were backpeddling, we lost the ball on the line for Old Yardleans to sprint through for 3-1. But the fightback then began. Strong driving by Billy Stanhope released Joseph who weaved through for a good try for 3-2 at half time.
The second half saw Holly replaced by Ben, after she had endured a number of crunching tackles. In the second half our passing improved. Billy, Gregor and Daniel started to impose their strength, Ben And Alex delivered some incisive tackles at key times, and James and Joseph linked well at scrum half and fly half. Determined driving through from Gregor allowed Holly (back on) to even the scores in the last minute for a deserved 4-4 draw.
Man of the Match – Daniel Webber Golsdby
The second game proved tougher for Bromsgrove. Insufficient tackling allowed Old Yardleans to break through far too easily. For all the good running in the first half notably from Sam and Jake Johnstone, Joshua, Lewis and Will, time and time again it was too easy for Old Yardleans to break through. And they stormed to a 3-0 lead by half time. In the second half our tackling improved with Josh and Louie imposing their strength but despite the improved performance again Old Yardleans were able to lead by 5-0 in the final minutes. A much deserved try came in the last play of the match from the impressive William, who received deserved special recognition in Dave’s after match report. Final score 5-1 to Old Yardleans.
Man of the Match – Joshua Cunningham
Birmingham Solihull (Away) – 18th April 2010
Due to the split fixtures, a smaller squad than usual arrived at Birmingham Solihull on another lovely morning, to face an opposition squad of similar size. After a short spell of training, both squads were keen to play as much Rugby as possible, so the matches were started promptly. The opportunity was taken throughout the morning to make a number of changes during each match, ensuring that every member of the squad played at least a half in each game.
The first match began in the competitive fashion that was to feature throughout the morning, with Bromsgrove soaking up quite a lot of pressure with strong tacking particularly in evidence from Evan and Jacob. However, Birmingham Solihull did manage to breach the defence with one quick break to lead 1-0 at half time. The changes in the forwards at half time, with Ben and Richard coming on, resulted in more solid rucking during the second half, with the game being turned on its head through tries from George and Alfie. The 2-1 lead was held to the final whistle, with a great try saving tackle by Harry near to the end. An excellent comeback win, against strong opposition.
The second match started in much more scrappy fashion, although Birmingham Solihull were more quickly into their stride. Despite strong tackling from Ben and Charlie early on, the Bees turned the ball over in a ruck to create an opening down the wing to take the lead. However, Bromsgrove fought back strongly with Harry making a great break forward to gain good ground, and then breaking strongly again from the resultant penalty to score the equalising try, to leave the half time score level at 1-1. Notable features of the second half were good side-stepping from George and strong tackling again from Jacob, although a late try was conceded due to a lack of tackling against a particularly quick runner, who once clear was unable to be caught. A reversal, therefore, of the first game, ending in a 2-1 defeat.
Match 3 was another tight game, with early Bees pressure being held up by a passage of strong tackles by Richard, James and Harry, although the Bromsgrove defence was soon breached as the same strong runner broke clear again. As with the earlier games, Bromsgrove soon fought back with driving runs by Richard and then Evan gaining good ground. From the line-out, Mitchell fed the ball to Richard, who drove through the Bees defence with speed and determination for the equalising try. Unfortunately, however, another lapse in tackling allowed a quick reply from the Bees to go into half time 2-1 behind. The second half was again extremely competitive, with strong Bromsgrove tackling notably from Jacob, Ben and Harry. The Bees scored first, but Bromsgrove fought back through a great break by George for his second try of the day. Although the match ended in a 3-2 defeat, it could easily have been drawn (or won) if opportunities to pass and create space had been taken more quickly.
The final match proved to be a game too far for the squad, maybe partly as a few of the boys were suffering with coughs and colds. Whatever the reason, there was a distinct lack of the tackling evident in all the previous games, allowing the Bees to run out as 7-0 winners.
Overall a very competitive morning of Rugby between two strong squads, when all of the first 3 games could have gone either way. A number of strong individual performances as well, but the deserved player of the week, for his consistent tackling and determination, was Evan.
Player of the Week – Evan Lewis
Match reports by Mark Harper and Andy Vaughan
Thursday, 15 April 2010 13:28
Mark Harper
BIRMINGHAM SOLIHULL TOURNAMENT
Bromsgrove B V Stratford
The first game of a challenging tournament was to prove to be the closest of the three. Stratford’s first team had a number of strong players and started the match swiftly with some powerful runs. Indeed, tight from the start an early break by Startford would have been rewarded with a try had it not been for a try saving tackle by Evan. Indeed, the first half saw Bromnsgrove peddling backwards and reliant on strong tackling by Evan and Joseph. There were some promising signs, in particular with swift breaks by Lewis Maddox, but at half time Stratford were ahead by 2 – 0.
The second half was a much closer affair. Gregor Leckie started to come into his own with strong rucking and ripping of the ball, while James Lord put in some great tackles. JJ started to perform with some great runs. The effort was soon to pay with a clever blind side pass from James Lord releasing Lewis to bring the score to 2-1. But despite ongoing pressure, it was not enough and Stratford came out as 2-1 winners.
Match Report – Mark Harper
Bromsgrove B v Birmingham & Solihull
Following a difficult game against Stratford, Bromsgrove B then came up against one of the largest and most physical teams in the competition. Not daunted, they showed great spirit and determination, exemplified by a crushing tackle from Mitch in the opening few minutes. But one missed tackle and suddenly B’ham & Solihull were one – nil up. Bromsgrove pressed forward from the restart and enjoyed their best spell of the game, putting B’ham & Solihull under sustained pressure, resulting in an opportunistic interception and a try from James. 1-1 and then the sun came out, surely the Gods were smiling on us, David v Goliath, bring it on !!
B’ham & Solihull now looked a little less confident and some tremendous teamwork and quick passing from Bromsgrove kept them on their back foot until a quick counter attack gave them the lead 2-1 to B’ham & Solihull. It was then that their physical size, good organisation, speed and some would say (not the referee) high tackles, began to wear down Bromsgrove’s resistance, with Holly demonstrating considerable courage before having to be substituted and then, just before half time B’ham and Solihull added another try increasing their lead to 3-1.
In the second half Bromsgrove started brightly and a tremendous tackle from Joseph prevented a certain try, with Bromsgrove nearly scoring on the counter. But then an injury to JJ just as the team had started to make real progress then resulted in another substitution. It is testimony to how much this team has come on this year that they were able to frustrate B’ham & Solihull’s first team for so long before they ran out as eventual winners 7-1.
Match Report – Jonathan Lord
Bromsgrove B v Lymm
Unfortunately by the time of the game against Lymm, our B Team had been battered into submission. Lymm were one of the strongest teams in the tournament and, indeed, were the eventual Winners against our own A Team, which indicates their strength. Despite some decent tackles by James and Evan the match was probably characterised by a weariness and a loss of formation. Lymm had strong runners and while they were flattered by the score of 9-0, were nonetheless deserved winners.
Match Report – Mark Harper
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Tuesday, 06 April 2010 15:34
Mark Harper
The squad arrived at Luctonians after the usual long journey, to be greeted by a pleasant morning for Rugby and, for once, a strong turn-out from the opposition, matching the 22 Bromsgrove players – once again a great attendance, particularly as a number of players were away skiing. Two pitches were available for matches and both clubs agreed to put together mixed squads. Each squad was then able to play 3 matches, providing a busy morning of Rugby.
The second squad began their 3 matches tentatively but grew in confidence and strength from match to match.
Their first match ended in a 3-0 defeat, but were already starting to show signs of not allowing the opposition to push them over. Jacob Wakeling scored in the second game as they went down 3-1, and Jacob and Gregor Leckie both scored in the third game as they nearly caught Luctonians, but were narrowly defeated 3-2. Some impressive performances from Jacob who was as impressive in defence as he was in attack and rescued the team a number of times. Gregor as usual showed his raw strength as he wrestled for the ball in the mauls and he was joined by the powerful Evan in the battle of the forwards. Evan also showed his tackling skills once again. Henry was involved in a lot of the ball-ripping and got some good passes down the line, with Joel showing some good positioning and passing skills. Daniel showed some good rucking efforts and was noticeable in his movement around the pitch from ruck to ruck. But the ‘player of the week’ trophy had to go to Ben Mason, who, despite only starting a few weeks ago, has already showed his tackling skills to great effect – around the knees and straight down – superb! Overall, a pleasing performance where we were even starting to get the ball passed all the way down the line. We just need to look to move forward whilst we are doing it!
The first squad showed good commitment throughout the morning, with an encouraging willingness to pass the ball where possible, notably on a number of occasions from Sam Johnstone. Although there was some impressive tackling, with Richard Vaughan (including 2 or 3 try saving efforts), Louis English and Zach Ralph prominent, overall the tackling in the backs was not strong enough on too many occasions when Luctonians broke clear, allowing them to run in a number of tries. There were, however, a couple of particularly strong tackles from Luke Brannan and Jake Johnstone to prevent further tries. The first match ended with a 4-1 defeat, the try scored by Alfie Pullen with a great break from a restart, running straight through to the corner. The second match proved to be the closest of the morning, ending in a 7-5 defeat, with notable attacking performances from Alfie (with 3 tries resulting from great pace and direct running) and Billy Stanhope who was twice the most alert player to profit from loose balls and score 2 well deserved tries. The tackling in this match was the strongest of the morning, with Richard leading the forwards well. Unfortunately, the morning ended with the weakest defensive effort, allowing Luctonians to score 7 times, the only reply being a late consolation try from Richard with a strong break through the defence from half-way, providing reward for his commitment in all 3 matches.
Despite all 6 matches ending in defeats for Bromsgrove, the results did not fully reflect a great morning’s efforts and good experience was gained to take into the remaining matches of the season. As always, the focus needs to remain on the basics of tackling, passing and support play, to ensure future successes.
Players of the Week – Alfie Pullen & Ben Mason
Match Reports from Andrew Vaughan and Dave Ward
Tuesday, 23 March 2010 17:59
Leo Tolstoy
Birmingham & Solihull Tournament
A Team Report
Following the wet weather on Saturday, we arrived at the ground on Sunday morning in very pleasant conditions for Rugby and with the squad eager to get into the action. The format was 2 groups of 4 teams with the group winners to meet in the final and the A squad was placed in a group with Sutton Coldfield, Stourbridge and Lichfield. All 3 teams had been defeated by Bromsgrove during the season, so hopes were high for a good tournament performance, although we knew it would not be easy.
The first game of the day was a rematch with Sutton Coldfield following the very tight game won by Bromsgrove only the week before. Sutton are a strong competitive side with some particularly big and strong runners, so a hard game was in prospect. Bromsgrove started strongly with Will Pearson soon feeding the ball to Charlie McGarry, who almost ran in the first try of the day before being taken into touch just short of the line. Sutton then pushed forward, but the pressure was broken by pacy runs out of defence by Alfie Pullen and Harry Thompson, with Alfie eventually making the breakthrough for the try that gained a 1-0 advantage at half time. After the fairly slow start in the first half, the team really came into their own after the restart, with a number of impressive passing movements with quick passes opening up gaps. The first reward came following a scrum near the Sutton line with the ball moving quickly through the backs to James Moody to score for a 2-0 lead. A similar phase of play then opened up the Sutton defence again for George Widdop to take the final score to 3-0. An impressive opening performance with good play in the backs supported by strong forward play from the front three of Ben Turner, Richard Vaughan and Zach Ralph, with Jacob Wakeling also putting in some strong tackles.
The next group match was against Stourbridge and the same standard of play was continued from the opening match, with the forwards dominating the Stourbridge front three, leading to 2 tries in the first half resulting directly from clean rucking and then quick passing by Will. The first was scored by Charlie and the second by Alfie. Harry added to the scoreline with a great run from deep, leaving the defence trailing, taking the half-time score to 3-0. The second half proved to be a more scrappy affair with a number of handling errors when in good positions from both sides, but Bromsgrove clearly remained the stronger side. James was particularly prominent in this spell of the game, twice stealing the ball from the Stourbridge backs, on the first occasion leading to a try for George. James was also rewarded for his strong performance when first to react to a loose ball, to run the final try into the corner. Another strong performance and win by 5-0.
The two earlier results left the boys needing a draw from their final match against Lichfield to go through to the final. However, any complacent thoughts were soon banished when Lichfield took full advantage of a lack of Bromsgrove tackling in the first couple of minutes to break from deep and take an early lead. The pressure was now on, particularly in the minds of the nervous supporters on the sidelines, but the team responded quickly with Rhys Webber feeding the ball out along the line, eventually reaching Jacob who created an opportunity for himself with a trademark mazy run to score the vital equalising try. Charlie almost settled the nerves further just before the break but was taken into touch a yard short of the line. The half therefore ended with the match delicately poised at 1-1. The second half saw constant pressure on the Lichfield defence as Bromsgrove looked to finish off the game, although a combination of committed Lichfield defence and not passing at the right moments kept the score level until the last couple of minutes. Eventually the pressure told, as the superior physical strength of the Bromsgrove forwards created the winning try, with first Richard and Zach driving through strongly, the ball then taken on by a great burst by Ben. Although Ben was stopped just short, Alfie was on hand and alert to pick up the loose ball and score from a couple of yards out to secure a 2-1 win and a place in the final.
The final promised to be a hard challenge, against Lymm from Cheshire, who had eliminated the hosts by virtue of scoring more tries in their group (16 in 3 games). Having watched some of their earlier games we knew they were a strong and well-drilled team, but also that we stood a good chance if we played to our full potential. The first action of the match set the scene for the hard fought battle to come, as Lymm were pulled up for a high tackle. The first period was mainly spent in the Bromsgrove half, but Lymm could not make the pressure count as they found themselves up against a team in determined defensive mood, characterised by one particular passage of play that saw strong tackles from Richard, Zach, James and George, ending in a fantastic try-saving tackle from Jacob when Lymm were eventually able to get a clear run at the line. The half ended with a Lymm penalty close to the Bromsgrove line, but the defence held strong again to maintain the stalemate at 0-0 at half time. The start of the second half saw Bromsgrove’s best period of possession with some great forward play, particularly Ben driving over the ball, and Rhys and Will combining to move the ball down the back line. Unfortunately, despite some good pace from Alfie and impressive dummies from George, the Lymm defence could not be unlocked. Play then moved back into the Bromsgrove half as Lymm finished strongly and, despite a great try-saving tackle by Charlie and further resolute defence by all of the team, the pressure finally told with a late try in the corner from the Lymm fly half, to win the match 1-0 and take the honours as tournament champions.
Overall this was a great effort by the whole squad and, although they were clearly disappointed not to have won, they should all be proud of the way they performed. On any other day, a record of 10 tries for and only 2 against would surely be enough to win most tournaments, but we were unfortunate enough to come up against a very good side in the final. The best measure of how well we played overall was that the final could have gone either way, showing that we are fully capable of competing at that level of play. The squad should take great heart from this performance as we prepare for the season-ending tournament at Stratford.
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