Terrington Hall School

Apologies for the error in the last report. Cundall turned out not to be the U9's last away game of the season. A sneaky game at Bramcote arranged earlier in the season had slipped under the radar until late notice was received on Monday.

However, the team always eager to strut their stuff, made the short trip to Bramcote on Wednesday for a rematch after the sensational 13 all draw just before half term. With the stiff sea breeze making its presence felt, the already cold day turned into a truly bitter one. Things started badly when one of our players deserted to the opposition in order to make up numbers. We ended up playing 8 a side to give everyone a game.

Terrington made a very slow start and were 4-2 down at half time. The opposition had a particularly strong player who we gave too much respect and therefore too much space which he made the most of to our detriment. George crossed for two tries and was well supported by Archie and Nat in the breakdown area.

The team started playing better rugby in the second half. George, Harry and Nat all troubled the scorers frozen hands. Harry's try in particular stood out. Strong runs by Bobby, George and Nat were combined by good offloads in the tackle allowing Harry plenty of space to finish in the corner. A crumb of comfort, at least. With the temperature sinking as fast as the Year 4's do in the pool, the game decreased to a snail's space with errors a plenty from both sides. Frozen hands aren't ideal for catching! Our tackling returned to its normal standard during this half with Harry making a concerted effort to lurk in the backfield, purposefully lining up their bigger boys for some tremendous hits.

With the spectators frozen solid on the sidelines and the players stalling to a crawl (even Adam was reduced to running at a normal pace), the match was brought to a close with the score standing at 7-6 to Bramcote (Congratulations to Billy, the deserter, for a good win). Another close game which if we had started as we normally do, we could have turned in our favour. However, Terrington never really got out of the blocks and struggled throughout the game. I am hoping this was due to the arctic condition.

A Triangular tournament at home awaits the team as the last fixture of the term (providing no more suddenly appear). Hopefully the team can provide a successful finish to the season. We are hoping for slightly warmer conditions.

The Under 9's last away fixture of the term was a mini Tournament held at Cundall Manor. There were 6 teams in each group with the top two progressing to the semi finals. Each game consisted of two 5 minute halves so in this shootout format anything could happen.

First up was Yarm. We outclassed the opposition winning 6-1. Tries from George x3, Adam, Archie and Harry helped to secure the win and on a cold and breezy day it was just what we needed to get ourselves going. Our next game was against Aysgarth, a team we had lost to earlier in the season. We therefore knew we were going onto the pitch as underdogs. The team gave it their all and were extremely unlucky to lose 3 tries to 2 with the opposition diving over with the last play of the game.

A round of sweets restored the team's energy levels and meant we were ready and fighting for our crucial third game. Bronte HSE provided a tough challenge and it was a very tight contest throughout. We lost 1-0, however we were unfortunate to have a try ruled as held up over the line on the final whistle. Many of the boys thought the ball had been grounded and Mr Smyth was wondering why the Video Replay system hadn't been set up. However an important lesson learnt in that the referee is always right.

Cundall B stood in our way for our fourth game. This was another hotly contested game spurred on by a large and very noisy home crowd. Nat scored an excellent try to give us the lead but once again we were unlucky to concede yet again at the death resulting in a 1 all draw. Last up was Bow School from Durham. They had a couple of quick players which resulted in a very exciting end to end game. We just managed to force their winger into touch at the end of the game to keep hold of a 3 all draw.

By the end of play we had won one, drawn two and lost two, coming fourth in our group. Four of the games were extremely closely contested and the theme of the day seemed to be that our matches were decided in the last play of the game. On another day we could very well have come in the top two.

However, on a long, cold and windy day the team performed admirably. They stuck to their task in each game and gave it their all. Things took a turn for the better when Mrs Welch provided a cup of hot chocolate after the last game and hot dogs were supplied by the hosts. I would also like to thank the rest of the parents who came and supported.

On Tuesday the Under 9's made the short trip down to the City of York to face St. Olaves. It quickly became apparent that we were up against a much stronger team. On a wide pitch St. Olaves ran in 6 tries without reply in the first half. The second half was a closer affair with the opposition adding five more tries to their tally. In reply George crossed for a brace to get Terrington on the scoreboard by the final whistle. Although the game was dominated by the opposition, several strong runs were made by Harry, George and Nat as well as a number of gutsy tackling attempts in defence from the whole team.

In sport, you sometimes come up against a better team. Today was one of the days. However despite the score line, I was extremely happy with the manner in which the team played and conducted themselves. Throughout the game our effort levels never dropped, heads remained high and we continued to get stuck in, especially in the contact area. In some ways seeing the team react in this way was more satisfying than some of our wins. The determination and dedication exhibited in a tough game by the team was impressive. Sometimes you learn more about a team in defeat and after today's match I was reassured with what I saw; a promising sign for the team's development in future years.

A second long away trip of the season faced the Under 9's as they made the journey to Malsis for a Triangular tournament. After the long journey and a 25 minute wait in the cold and blustery conditions for the first game to finish there was a possibility the team could have taken their time to find top gear. There was no need to worry. Against an unconventional and ill disciplined Moorlands side, the Under 9's rose above the scrappy play to post a convincing 8-2 win. The second game was a closer affair against a Malsis team containing several strong runners but a weak defence. The team's tackling has greatly improved and we are no longer relying on a few to make the tackles which meant we snubbed out their offensive abilities with ease. When it came to our own attack, we breezed through to take a 5-2 win in a shortened game.

Both our victories were set up by our front three. Archie, Nat and Harry performed fantastically in the ruck/maul area to secure possession for the team and were well supported by Henry when he entered the action. Archie's consistent and unselfish offloading to put other players in space is great to watch while Nat's hard work was rewarded with a deserved try in each game (the best, a sidestepping, Forrest Gump style length of the pitch effort leaving the Malsis defenders floundering in his wake). This hard won platform gave our half backs space and time to make an impact. Several darting, sneaky runs from James gained important field position and allowed George more time to do what he does best: score tries. George was then able to start to direct play by putting Rory and Adam into space to make further useful yards. Billy and Bobby combined to make a strong centre pairing throughout the day. They let very little through the middle of the pitch, forcing the opposition out wide where we could easily deal with them and they rarely lost possession when going forward. Thanks also to Mr Hobson for his touchline support, greatly appreciated by the team during a long day.

In reflection, a successful day out for the team with a confidence boosting, double win. However, sterner challenges lie just around the corner in the form of St. Olaves and Ampleforth after the exeat weekend. No time to become complacent.

Next up for the Under 9's was a home game against Lyndhurst, unusually on a Tuesday afternoon. Terrington had the better of the first half leading five tries to three at the break. The finishing of some great attacking moves saw Bobby James, Josh Gath and George Welch (x3) grace the scoresheet. A few unusual lapses in concentration and tackling gifted Lyndhurst a couple of tries early on but Terrington showed lots of energy and enthusiasm to stay ahead.

The half time team talk turned out to be a rather thirsty affair as our nominated water bottle lookerafterer carried out his duties to perfection until falling at the last hurdle by forgetting the refreshments in the changing rooms. Another lesson learnt.

The second half saw Lyndhurst start to dominate the game with their physicality, running in five tries to Terrington's one (Mr Welch once again completing a terrific run). Although the opposition were well drilled in their rucking and the most physical side we have encountered around the breakdown, I cannot fault the team's commitment. Our tackling remained of high quality and required gutsy attempts at stages. Special mention must go to Bobby James for a man of the match performance with some tremendous textbook tackling against bigger opponents and his first try of the season. In a well contested game the final score came to 8-6 in Lyndhurst's favour.

Areas highlighted for improvement are a more active approach in the tackle area as well as starting to develop match awareness in key areas of the pitch, in particular holding onto and securing the ball whilst in possession in our own try area. So back to the training ground for further hard work in preparation for our next game on Saturday.

The Under 9's made the long trip to Sedbergh for a quadrangular tournament against Barnard Castle, Sedbergh and Giggleswick. The first game was against the hosts. The team started well and the match was a closely fought contest throughout. Due to the narrow pitch our attacking game was constricted but it resulted in plenty of opportunities for tackling, with Harry Lister taking the lead making several thumping tackles (audible from the far touchline). We came close to scoring several times, in particular when Bobby James was held up over the line and at the bottom of an enormous maul. We were then a little fortunate after Sedbergh had a try disallowed for a foot in touch after one of their players made a run down the side. However we responded well and as a result of strong rucking from Archie Hobson, George Welch was able to finish a mazy run in the corner to give Terrington a well deserved 1-0 victory.

Next up, we faced a strong team from Barnard Castle. Our defensive play in this game was exceptional. Bobby James, Billy Watkinson and James Barker tackled ferociously and were supported well by Rory Watt and Nat Esler in their defensive duties. The match was evenly balanced and we were unlucky to go behind when an opposition player picked up a spilled ball from a ruck for an easy run in down the blind side. Again the team responded well and had several chances to level the game but could not quite cross the white wash. The final score was 1-0 to Barnard Castle. A decent result as Barnard Castle went on to have a convincing win over Sedbergh.

Giggleswick lay in wait for our final game. The first half proved frustrating as we were clearly the better team but could not get hold of the ball in the right areas on the pitch. However we showed our dominance in the second half running in seven tries without reply with three from George Welch, two from Josh Gath and one a piece from Billy Watkinson and James Barker.

The tournament provided our first win of the season and a good start to the second half of term. The team keep showing promising signs of progression especially in their ability to off load the ball in the tackle in order to keep it alive. Thanks must go to Mr Magson for driving the mini bus as well as Mr Welch and Mr Watkinson for their touchline support on the furthest away game of the season.

On a sunny yet cold afternoon, the Under 9 rugby team hosted Bramcote. The match started as it was to go on with a flurry of tries from both sides. Strong running by George Welch saw him chalk up a first half hatrick which must surely have been completed in an Under 9 record time. Additional tries from Billy Watkinson(x2) and Harry Lister(x2) saw the first half end with Terrington edging the score 7 tries to 6. The script did not change for the second half with George adding to his first half tally, ending up with a total of seven tries. However he had plenty of company on the score sheet with James Barker and Josh Gath adding to the ever increasing list of try scorers. Yet in the midst of all these tries the team produced some impressive passing passages involving the whole team as well as some thundering tackles, in particular from Harry Lister and Rory Watt. With Bramcote diving over in the corner in the dying seconds the game ended in a fitting 13 all draw. The whole team has shown great commitment and determination during training in the first half of term and this came across on the pitch in only the team's second game. As can be seen from the score line our attacking abilities are in good health. Our defensive line on the other hand requires a little tweaking but once this has been shored up I am confident our heaving fixture list in the second half of term will produce some deserved success and further excitement. Thanks must go to all the parents for their support on the touchline. I hope you enjoyed the game as much as I did.