U12s v Ampthill, 4th Nov.

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On a glorious autumnal day we travelled to Ampthill with no little trepidation, a bit of local knowledge suggesting we were in for a tough time. What we saw was one of the best games of rugby played by this group of players, and a willingness on the part of both teams to stick to it and play with pride. If we take any loss with the spirit and camaraderie that we did at Ampthill, then the winning will feel all the sweeter

We again fielded an established team and a development side while Ampthill varied their selection from their squad of over 30.

Hitchin –v- Ampthill. Lost 14 – 17.
(Tries: James A., Euan. Conv: George x 2)

1st half.
A great start with a clean catch by James A. from their kick off, a strong run up field and an excellent position gained close to the Ampthill line. At the line out Joe R-G stole their ball and Miles fed the backs where Bobby and Mitchell ran hard before setting up a maul from which the pack drove James A over to score and leave Ampthill with no illusions that they were in for a tough game. With George converting in place of the injured Harry our blood was up. It needed to be as Ampthill immediately responded and from the base of an attacking scrum their second row crossing the line only to drop the ball in the process of scoring. Great credit goes to the pack for withstanding a torrid period of pressure, with the front row of William, Bryony and Peter digging in and earning their post match drink. With Henry putting in a relieving kick and George and Hannah tackling hard in midfield we were disappointed to see Ampthill level the score just before the break. A 7 – 7 score at half time – we’d have had that before kick off !

2nd half.
Hitchin kicked off and Bobby showed why he was player of the week with a great tackle and then ripping the ball clear in the next maul. The first real backs move put together by Ampthill was shut down, the ball being run back by Euan and Mitchell, always looking for a break and seeking the support of the pack to secure the ball. Miles made a clean break along the touchline, with Bryony, Adrian and Joe R-G linking in a surge up field. This unfortunately led to Joe limping off and Reece seizing his chance to get hot and sweating in a magnificent confrontation with the larger Ampthill pack. At this point our rugby became the stuff of legends, and the writer’s notes somewhat illegible. What is recorded as “Brilliant TRY” cannot do justice to the sustained driving, rucking and direct running that saw Euan take the overlap to score in the corner – the coaches and parents were purring, great stuff ! George converted to see us into the last quarter of the match with a slender lead of 14 – 12. Momentum was maintained and chances went begging on both sides, with Ampthill dropping the ball over our line again. Torrid and desperate defence of our line saw an infringement, handling in the ruck, and from a retaken 5 metre penalty the Ampthill pack for the only time in the game burst through to score the decider. With seconds left we battered away but victory eluded us in what might turn out to be a seminal game for the Under 12’s.

Hitchin –v- Ampthill. Lost 0 - 33

1st half.
Our kick off and a good follow up saw Eric and Michael putting in the first time tackles, and the pack again holding up well against the meatier Ampthill forwards. Matthew looked well suited to his hooking role and Ashley showed a feisty nature in two strong runs. With Reece lending his developing talents to the driving mauls the potential of all the recent recruits to the team was evident. With the old hands in Henry, Hannah and George keeping us going it was a magnificent effort.

2nd half.
A great catch and run by Ashley from the kick off and determination by all the team was by now proving our saving grace. The effort put in by Jordan in her first competitive game, the glimpse of what might mature in seeing Sam beat two Ampthill players on the outside was all good stuff. Whilst today was about taking part the lessons learnt in taking pride in the team and not giving up was a bonus for all the coaches and parents.

It has to be said that the Ampthill referee was superb in both games and his was a meaningful contribution to the whole session, giving guidance and advice on decision making and being fair and honest throughout – well done !

All the players should be proud of their performance today. They played some of the best rugby we’ve seen this year. Shane’s coaching of the forwards is really paying dividends as they work as a unit to counter the threat of larger opposition, and some of the tackling bordered on the heroic.
The score line for the development team belies the progress made by our newer players. Ashley, Eric and Reece all worked hard in the scrum and gave their best performances so far, while Bobby and Mitchell especially were prominent in the backs.

An historical postscript if you will. Our scribe, Mike, was able to expand on family legend and point out to his admiring(?) son precisely where, on the Ampthill first team pitch, he broke his nose in circa 1994. How he carried on playing, drank in the bar and only then went to hospital…the next day !! Happy times.

Player of the week: Bobby

Don’t forget training on Wednesday, 6.30 – 7.30 pm and Sunday at 10.30am.