Chess Valley Match Report

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A 100% record on Sunday, as we played 4 and won 4 !!!! We hosted Chess Valley in what was a really good morning. The weather was good, the opposition had enough for two teams, the pitch held up under all the rain and the rugby both our teams played was excellent. A big well done to all the players, I was really pleased with all your efforts and standard of play, I could not have asked for more.

Hitchin Panthers v Chess Valley A: Won 8-4

The Panthers started the game well and scored two quick tries before Chess Valley had time to settle. The first was a good individual run by Naomh following a fine pass from Holly and the second was an excellent team try by Connor, which was created by some good passing and support play by Ethan B and Alex. Chess Valley responded with a good try themselves, but we extended our lead when Guy rounded off a good move to score in the corner. We then scored another really good team try from our own half when Connor, Naomh and Rory combined to put Ethan B in space and he sprinted away to score. As the half finished there was a period of play when we had to defend very well as Chess Valley threw everything at us, but good tagging in particular by Holly, Alex and Guy kept them out so we went in at half time with a 4-2 lead. The second half was much the same as the first, with the Panthers attacking well with the ball in hand and then defending as a team to restrict a Chess Valley team that improved as the game went on. Chess Valley got the opening score of the half but we then responded with three further tries, which settled the match. Firstly Sam scored an excellent individual try with some great running and dodging. Then Rory and Ethan B finished off two fine team scores following good passing and support play by Milly, Connor and Holly. Chess Valley got another score back, but we finished the match strongly when Rory scored a fine individual try following a good pass by Ethan B.

Hitchin Jaguars v Chess Valley B: Won 6-3

The Jaguars continued the high standards set by the Panthers by putting in a very good performance against a less experienced Chess Valley team. The Jaguars started the game strongly and created an early 2-0 lead with two fine individual scores by Ethan L and Harry. The first by Ethan L followed some good passing and support play by Daniel and Laurence. The second was an excellent score as a good pass by Henry gave Harry the space to show his pace and he sprinted away down the touchline to score. Chess Valley then had a good period of play but some fine defence by the Jaguars restricted them to just one score. The Jaguars then finished the half well when they created a fine team try. Good running and passing by Daniel and Chris created space for Ethan L who had an excellent run stopped just short of the try line, but George was on hand to receive the pass and score in the corner and they went into half time leading 3-1. The second half started with Chess Valley getting a score back, but then three tries by the Jaguars sealed the match. Good running and support play by Henry and Alfie created the first by Harry. Then Ethan L scored two quick tries, a fine individual try with some great running and the second followed a good run and pass by Dylan. Chess Valley got a score late on but it was too late as the Jaguars ran out clear winners.

Hitchin Panthers v Chess Valley A: Won 7-4

The second Panthers game was a much harder and closer game than the score reflects. Chess Valley played a lot better and at half time had established a 2-3 lead, but an excellent second half performance by the Panthers secured another fine win. Chess Valley scored a good try with the first move of the game but the Panthers responded when Ethan B scored an excellent individual try with a great run. There then was a period of play where both teams played some excellent rugby both in attack and defence. The Panthers took the lead when Milly crossed in the corner following some good running and passing by Sam and Holly, but Chess Valley hit back with two scores to go into half time with a well deserved lead. The second half though was a different story as the Panthers played their best half of rugby for the season. The attacking play was excellent, but I was very impressed with the defence in restricting Chess Valley to just one try. We levelled the scores early in the half when Connor scored in the corner following an excellent pass by Alex. Then in the decisive period of the match we scored two quick tries and never looked back. The first was an excellent individual try by Alex, as he ran and dodged his way through to score and the second was a very good team try for Connor, which was created by some good passing and support play by Naomh and Rory. Chess Valley got a score back but then Connor and Guy scored two tries to finish off the match. Connor’s try came from our own half as a good run by Ethan B and a fine pass by Guy put Connor into space for him to sprint clear for the try. Then Guy was on hand to finish off a good team move after some fine running and passing by Alex and Sam.

Hitchin Jaguars v Chess Valley B: Won 6-2

The Jaguars finished off an excellent morning with another good win. The tone for this match was set right from the start as we scored with the very first move. A good pass by Harry put Ethan L in space and an excellent run from him took him clear of the defence and in to score at the corner. We followed this up with two further quick tries by George and Daniel. The first by George was an excellent individual try as he changed direction and then out sprinted the defence to score in the corner. The second by Daniel was a good team try, which was created by some fine passing and support play by Alfie and Henry. Chess Valley then had a period of play were they had the ball but good defence by the Jaguars kept them at bay and we went in at half time leading 3-0. The second half was a more even contest, but the Jaguars were always in control. A fine early try by Chris extended our lead and then when George crossed for his second try after good passing by Laurence and Dylan the Jaguars were out of sight. Chess Valley did respond with a couple of tries, but we finished strongly and created an excellent team try for Chris after some good running and passing by Daniel, Dylan and Ethan L.

Tries: Ethan B (3), Connor (4), Harry (2), Ethan L (4), Chris (2), Daniel, Guy (2), Rory (2), Naomh, Sam, Milly, Alex and George (3).

An excellent performance by both teams this morning. To win all our games was a great effort and hugely satisfying. I was particularly impressed with our defending and tagging this week. We have always been able to score tries against teams, but we have also been prone to conceding tries, however today the defence by both teams was really good. There was some great last ditch tagging, we were pushing forward as a team when Chess Valley were going backwards and we were not giving them space or time when they attacked. We are now starting to develop two good teams and it was great see some of the rugby we played. At the start of the season we had so many new players that over the first few months I was rotating the selection and mixing up the teams to get as many games as possible for all the players. Since the New Year there has been more consistency with selection as I am now trying to develop the teams more and this has helped with our performances of late. In our last two fixtures, we have not lost a game (played 8, won 7, drew 1) and have played some excellent rugby. We will continue to develop on this over the rest of the season, there will of course still be some rotation as there has to be with such a large squad, however it is important that we get the balance right in order to continue our improvement. It is also important we continue to improve because as the season progresses the opposition teams will also get better.

A big thank you to Rob, Brian and Jez for their help during the morning – it was greatly appreciated this week as I injured myself playing rugby on Saturday and was hobbling around all morning. I thought I would just clarify this point in case any of the parents were wondering why I was referring the matches from about 30 yards behind the play. I was not just taking it easy, I just could not run !!!! Some people may say “no change there”……

‘Player of the Week’ this week went to Alex Baber-Norris. It was a very tough choice this week as there were so many players who played well, however Alex’s all round performance in both games stood out for me. His performance this Sunday just showed how much improvement he has made through the season. All aspects of his game have improved and his tagging, support play and passing today were excellent. I was also pleased to see him score a fine individual try, which is a good reward for his efforts. Well done Alex.

Sunday 3rd February

This Sunday there is training at the club, usual time 10.30 am. It is our first full training session since the start of the New Year so it would be great to see as many players as possible, especially the younger U6 players.

See you on Sunday.

Regards

Andy Dudley
Hitchin U7’s Coach