Report by Philippa Stahelin
The team set off at a roaring pace, winning their first match against Ealing 2 by 8 tries to 0. They clearly enjoyed the summer weather and played as a team with great passing and strong defence when needed. This set us up nicely for our second pool game against Richmond and the standards were just as high, with the team winning 3-0. Then for London Irish where the result was 4-0 in Teddington’s favour. It was tremendously pleasing for the coaches to not concede a try throughout the pool stages.
Topping the group we played Ealing 2 in the semi-finals and, starting slowly the team eventually won the game 4-1. A brief respite and on to the final where we were faced by a hugely competitive Teddington 2 side. This was unsurprisingly our toughest game and we really needed to be strong in defence and continue our effective running and passing game. They did not disappoint but were made to fight all the way and ended, exhaustingly, as 3-1 winners.
Features of the day were the commitment and enthusiasm of the boys and their willingness to play as a team. With only 9 players there was no opportunity to rest and the boys battled through knocks and scrapes to stay on the pitch. There were several instances of unselfish play where the ball was moved through all the hands for an easy score. Overall we scored 22 tries for and only 2 against. Try scorers were: Aaron Patel 6, Dylan Rubini 5, Joe Beasley 5, Greghoir Hogg 3, Angus Stahelin 2, James Bentley-Fox 1.
We have also discovered a new Ruairidh pre-match ritual to prepare for the big games. Get the boys to lie on their backs, acting dead and just before they go on wake them up. It worked a treat!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Middlesex C Festival - Grasshoppers 25/03/2007
Squad: Joe Beasley, Jonathan Carpenter, Freddie Deane, Fergus Donaldson, Tom Griffiths, Jonathan Hammond, Toby Orchard, Elliott Proudham-Smith, Dylan Rubini, Thomas Smith, Angus Stahelin, Matthew Timms
Report by Philippa Stahelin
The U9 C team went to Grasshoppers to attempt a clean sweep of Middlesex festivals. They played 3 pool matches;
Vs Grasshoppers – W 6-0 try scorers D.Rubini, 2, A Stahelin, J. Beasley, J. Hammond, J. Carpenter. Against the weakest opposition in the pool they played their best rugby, with some strong tackling and very good handling and passing.
Vs Ealing – W1-0. Try scorer. T.Orchard. This was a physical game but Teddington made it hard for themselves with a lack of passing when tries would have been scored. The passage of play which saw the most passing resulted in the only try.
Vs Rosslyn Park – D 0-0. Again, the passing play which had shone out so well in the first match was lacking and although we dominated the game we didn’t get our wingers involved and drew a game we should have won.
The festival was one pool with the winners and runners up playing each other so we faced Ealing in the final. The game plan was to play quick, passing rugby and use our runners. Unfortunately things didn’t run to plan and with everyone tiring in a very physical game we lost a bit of discipline and reverted to individual play rather than a team effort. We let in 2 fairly soft tries to put us on the back foot and although we got one back shortly before half-time and had the better of the second half we lost 2-1.
There was obvious disappointment at the end from the boys but they had battled well after the bad start and were the stronger overall. But at the end of the day it’s the team playing together who will have more success and I think the squad realised that. As I said, no lack of effort and some fine tries throughout the day, just not enough in the end
Report by Philippa Stahelin
The U9 C team went to Grasshoppers to attempt a clean sweep of Middlesex festivals. They played 3 pool matches;
Vs Grasshoppers – W 6-0 try scorers D.Rubini, 2, A Stahelin, J. Beasley, J. Hammond, J. Carpenter. Against the weakest opposition in the pool they played their best rugby, with some strong tackling and very good handling and passing.
Vs Ealing – W1-0. Try scorer. T.Orchard. This was a physical game but Teddington made it hard for themselves with a lack of passing when tries would have been scored. The passage of play which saw the most passing resulted in the only try.
Vs Rosslyn Park – D 0-0. Again, the passing play which had shone out so well in the first match was lacking and although we dominated the game we didn’t get our wingers involved and drew a game we should have won.
The festival was one pool with the winners and runners up playing each other so we faced Ealing in the final. The game plan was to play quick, passing rugby and use our runners. Unfortunately things didn’t run to plan and with everyone tiring in a very physical game we lost a bit of discipline and reverted to individual play rather than a team effort. We let in 2 fairly soft tries to put us on the back foot and although we got one back shortly before half-time and had the better of the second half we lost 2-1.
There was obvious disappointment at the end from the boys but they had battled well after the bad start and were the stronger overall. But at the end of the day it’s the team playing together who will have more success and I think the squad realised that. As I said, no lack of effort and some fine tries throughout the day, just not enough in the end
Middlesex B Festival - Imber Court 18/03/2007
Squad: Benjamin Archer, Thomas Bywater, David Cecil, James Davies, Joshua Day, Myles Deane, Emmanual Galan, Aaron Patel, Cameron Petrie, Stephen Rac, Benjamin Seddon, Oliver Skyrme, Jack Stockham
Report by Richard Davies
Well done the boys who took part in the Middlesex festival. We are now joint Middlesex B champions - the boys should be very proud of themselves. Everyone in the team played well, but it was our defence that was our great strength with only one try being scored against us in the whole tournament. This was not down to one player, but to a team performance with everyone tackling their hearts out.
Ian tells me that Grasshoppers are classified as an 'emerging club' and do not play in the As, but put their best team in the Bs. They certainly provided us with the toughest opposition we faced in the tournament.
Thank-you to the Mayor and Mayoress of Imber Court for presenting the metals - we'll see if we can get some gold replacement medals before the end of the season. No prizes for taking the tent down however!
For the record, the scores for each game were as follows, with two games stopped early once 7 scores were achieved:
Pool Game 1 v Twickenham - won 7-0
Scorers: Ben Archer x2, Stephen Rac, David Cecil, James Davies, Emmanuel Gallan, Thomas Bywater.
Pool Game 2 v Saracens won 3-0
Scorers: David Cecil, Aaron Patel, Myles Dean
Pool Game 3 v Staines - won 7-0
Scorers: Jack Stockham, Emmanuel Gallan x2, James Davies, Oliver Skyme, Ben Sedden, Cameron Petrie.
Semi Final v Rosslyn Park - won 2-0
Scorers: David Cecil, Myles Dean.
Final v Grasshoppers - Drew 1-1
Scorer: Myles Dean
Middlesex A Festival - Ealing 11/03/2007
Squad: Alexander Anderson, Sam Barton, Henry Clark, Archie Dupree, Nicolas Furrer, James Gawn, Ben Harrison, Archie Jones, Joshua Nagle, Frederico Pasquali, Callum Sirker, James Viney
Report by David Viney
What a glorious spring day – and a triumphant one for the U9 A Team at the fabulous Ealing Trailfinders ground.
First up in our pool was Saracens. Always a proud and a physical team, Saracens nonetheless went down by no less than six unanswered tries, with Teddington besieging their line for most of the match.
Our next opponents were Staines, who we had done well to draw with only the week before. However, this time, ferocious tackling pegged our opposition back to their own line and, in time, the tries came. The final score was 2-0 but could well have been larger, had the boys spread the ball wider at crucial times.
This set up a semi-final against Ruislip, so often our nemesis in this tournament. But not this year! Teddington (again tackling like demons) countered Ruislip’s excellent loose play and physicality to power over for two tries. This game underlined yet again our progress this year – and our move up through the rankings of the best U9 teams.
The final – against hosts Ealing – was always going to be a tense affair. The last time the teams had met (at the RATT cup) was no proper guide (as Ealing had then been missing several key players). Sure enough, we went into the final two minutes of the game with the scores even and parents’ finger nails well-and-truly shredded. We had experienced sudden-death knock-outs before at Middlesex A and those memories were starting to re-surface!
Archie Jones seems to have a habit of saving his tries for key moments and this was no exception; a classic winger’s try in the corner finished off a great team effort that had seen play switch from one side of the pitch to the other, sucking in defenders and drawing the overlap.
Make no mistake, we have suffered some real disappointments at times over the last few years – coming so near to the big trophies but failing to secure them. This year feels very different; we have, indeed, a rugby team! Powerful in defence, varied in attack and above all a group of players who play for each other. The boys were even making up their own moves by the end of the festival! The final tally was 14 tries for and none against.
The first of the big three trophies are in our possession. Roll on the RATT Cup Grand Final and the Nationals at Nottingham!
Report by David Viney
What a glorious spring day – and a triumphant one for the U9 A Team at the fabulous Ealing Trailfinders ground.
First up in our pool was Saracens. Always a proud and a physical team, Saracens nonetheless went down by no less than six unanswered tries, with Teddington besieging their line for most of the match.
Our next opponents were Staines, who we had done well to draw with only the week before. However, this time, ferocious tackling pegged our opposition back to their own line and, in time, the tries came. The final score was 2-0 but could well have been larger, had the boys spread the ball wider at crucial times.
This set up a semi-final against Ruislip, so often our nemesis in this tournament. But not this year! Teddington (again tackling like demons) countered Ruislip’s excellent loose play and physicality to power over for two tries. This game underlined yet again our progress this year – and our move up through the rankings of the best U9 teams.
The final – against hosts Ealing – was always going to be a tense affair. The last time the teams had met (at the RATT cup) was no proper guide (as Ealing had then been missing several key players). Sure enough, we went into the final two minutes of the game with the scores even and parents’ finger nails well-and-truly shredded. We had experienced sudden-death knock-outs before at Middlesex A and those memories were starting to re-surface!
Archie Jones seems to have a habit of saving his tries for key moments and this was no exception; a classic winger’s try in the corner finished off a great team effort that had seen play switch from one side of the pitch to the other, sucking in defenders and drawing the overlap.
Make no mistake, we have suffered some real disappointments at times over the last few years – coming so near to the big trophies but failing to secure them. This year feels very different; we have, indeed, a rugby team! Powerful in defence, varied in attack and above all a group of players who play for each other. The boys were even making up their own moves by the end of the festival! The final tally was 14 tries for and none against.
The first of the big three trophies are in our possession. Roll on the RATT Cup Grand Final and the Nationals at Nottingham!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Staines Festival - 4/03/2007
Squad - Alexander Anderson, David Cecil, James Davies, Joshua Day, Myles Deane, Emmanuel Galan, Ben Harrison, Joshua Nagle, Benjamin Seddon, Oliver Skyrme, James Viney
In our pool matches we first played Hammersmith & Fulham winning 6 nil. Many thanks again to both Manny Galan & Oliver Syrme for being great sports in representing the opposition otherwise the match would have been forfeited since they only had 6 players. Birthday boy & skipper Ben Sneddon also got his name on the score sheet & there was also a hatrick from Josh Nagle & try a piece from Alex & James Viney.
We then played Winchester, winning a tight match by single try from Ben Harrison. Final group match was against the hosts Staines when on muddy pitch against strong opposition we drew 1-1 following a try from James Viney.
Winning our pool group resulted in us playing against Sutton & Epsom who although one of the best team in the festival lost to the rampant Teddington 2 nil with tries from Alex & Ben Harrison. Then onto the final at which time the heavens opened up further & the pitches now muddy swamps set us up against the best team & our arch rivals Richmond. After a fantastic first half when we conceded only 1 try, both fatigue & the brilliance of Richmond's speed of handling caused us to leak 3 more tries.
To all the players including those I have not mentioned above, being James Davies, Myles Deane, David Cecil & Joshua Day you were all magnificent & should be proud of your achievement yesterday in being runners up. Just imagine what you could all achieve in both dry weather & pitch conditions?
Regards
STEPHEN ANDERSON
In our pool matches we first played Hammersmith & Fulham winning 6 nil. Many thanks again to both Manny Galan & Oliver Syrme for being great sports in representing the opposition otherwise the match would have been forfeited since they only had 6 players. Birthday boy & skipper Ben Sneddon also got his name on the score sheet & there was also a hatrick from Josh Nagle & try a piece from Alex & James Viney.
We then played Winchester, winning a tight match by single try from Ben Harrison. Final group match was against the hosts Staines when on muddy pitch against strong opposition we drew 1-1 following a try from James Viney.
Winning our pool group resulted in us playing against Sutton & Epsom who although one of the best team in the festival lost to the rampant Teddington 2 nil with tries from Alex & Ben Harrison. Then onto the final at which time the heavens opened up further & the pitches now muddy swamps set us up against the best team & our arch rivals Richmond. After a fantastic first half when we conceded only 1 try, both fatigue & the brilliance of Richmond's speed of handling caused us to leak 3 more tries.
To all the players including those I have not mentioned above, being James Davies, Myles Deane, David Cecil & Joshua Day you were all magnificent & should be proud of your achievement yesterday in being runners up. Just imagine what you could all achieve in both dry weather & pitch conditions?
Regards
STEPHEN ANDERSON
RATT Cup - 24/02/2007
Squad - Alexander Anderson, Benjamin Archer, Joe Beasley, Henry Clark, James Davies, Nicolas Furrer, James Gawn, Ben Harrison, Archie Jones, Frederico Pasquali, Callum Sirker, Jack Stockham.
The 2nd round of the RATT Cup at Harlequins saw us in an extremely hard group with Sutton & Epsom & Ealing - our first game against Sutton & Epsom was an extremely hard fought affair - we went a try down but came back with a driven over effort from Ben Harrison. The second half saw us under a lot of pressure but excellent defence kept the final score 1 try each (5-5).
Sutton & Epsom then defeated Ealing 4 trys to 2 which meant that to win our group and qualify for the next round, we had to beat Ealing by a better score. The boys came out fired up and played a great game of attacking rugby to win 5 trys to nil (25-0),
with 2 trys from Benjamin Archer and one each from Alexander Anderson, Ben Harrison & James Gawn - an excellent pressure performance! We finished the day with a game against the other group winners/qualifers, Upminster which was another tough, hard fought draw at 1 try each, Archie Jones scoring. Well done to all the boys for great effort and the coaches for motivation and looking forward to the next round!
The 2nd round of the RATT Cup at Harlequins saw us in an extremely hard group with Sutton & Epsom & Ealing - our first game against Sutton & Epsom was an extremely hard fought affair - we went a try down but came back with a driven over effort from Ben Harrison. The second half saw us under a lot of pressure but excellent defence kept the final score 1 try each (5-5).
Sutton & Epsom then defeated Ealing 4 trys to 2 which meant that to win our group and qualify for the next round, we had to beat Ealing by a better score. The boys came out fired up and played a great game of attacking rugby to win 5 trys to nil (25-0),
with 2 trys from Benjamin Archer and one each from Alexander Anderson, Ben Harrison & James Gawn - an excellent pressure performance! We finished the day with a game against the other group winners/qualifers, Upminster which was another tough, hard fought draw at 1 try each, Archie Jones scoring. Well done to all the boys for great effort and the coaches for motivation and looking forward to the next round!
Monday, January 08, 2007
1st January 2007
Teddington Team at NEC Harlequins
Alexander Anderson, Benjamin Archer, Thomas Bywater, David Cecil, James Davies, James Doyle, Fergus Donaldson, Jonathan Hammond, Cameron Petrie, Stephen Rac,
Benjamin Seddon,
Playing on the Twickenham Stoop pitch our opponents were Upminster who brought 2 teams along – a great effort considering the distance they have to travel and that no other club sent a team to the U-9’s !
Against their first team we started a little slowly and they ‘bulldozed’ over for the first try. I don’t know what they feed children in Upminster but they had some very large boys playing (Paul Cecil was born & bred in this part of the world and he agreed their boys were big compared to ours – no comment was made on the fact that Paul is a good example of a mature ‘Upminsterian’!!) We came back strongly and equalised with a try from Jonathan Hammond. The second half was a tight affair with both teams putting in great effort – we did miss a few overlaps when a pass wide would have opened the game up. It all looked certain to be a hard fought draw when Benjamin Archer received the ball, dummy passed and broke through the middle, winning the race to the line – he touched down upon which the referee blew the final whistle! The timing could not have been better - Final Score 10-5
In the second game, against another large Upminster team, we were quick out of the blocks – 2 opportunist tries by Benjamin Archer put us in control to half time. In the second half the confidence showed with some excellent passing and movement and we ran in 3 more tries – two from David Cecil and one from Alexander Anderson put us out of sight. Upminster to their credit did not give up and scored a consolation try late on – Final Score 25-5
All the boys put in great effort and it took some good tackling to bring down the larger boys - they all enjoyed lining up to greet the players onto the pitch of the Quins v Newcastle match and running a lap of honour at half time - well done to all including coaches & parents who all looked just about okay after New Years Eve!
Teddington Team at NEC Harlequins
Alexander Anderson, Benjamin Archer, Thomas Bywater, David Cecil, James Davies, James Doyle, Fergus Donaldson, Jonathan Hammond, Cameron Petrie, Stephen Rac,
Benjamin Seddon,
Playing on the Twickenham Stoop pitch our opponents were Upminster who brought 2 teams along – a great effort considering the distance they have to travel and that no other club sent a team to the U-9’s !
Against their first team we started a little slowly and they ‘bulldozed’ over for the first try. I don’t know what they feed children in Upminster but they had some very large boys playing (Paul Cecil was born & bred in this part of the world and he agreed their boys were big compared to ours – no comment was made on the fact that Paul is a good example of a mature ‘Upminsterian’!!) We came back strongly and equalised with a try from Jonathan Hammond. The second half was a tight affair with both teams putting in great effort – we did miss a few overlaps when a pass wide would have opened the game up. It all looked certain to be a hard fought draw when Benjamin Archer received the ball, dummy passed and broke through the middle, winning the race to the line – he touched down upon which the referee blew the final whistle! The timing could not have been better - Final Score 10-5
In the second game, against another large Upminster team, we were quick out of the blocks – 2 opportunist tries by Benjamin Archer put us in control to half time. In the second half the confidence showed with some excellent passing and movement and we ran in 3 more tries – two from David Cecil and one from Alexander Anderson put us out of sight. Upminster to their credit did not give up and scored a consolation try late on – Final Score 25-5
All the boys put in great effort and it took some good tackling to bring down the larger boys - they all enjoyed lining up to greet the players onto the pitch of the Quins v Newcastle match and running a lap of honour at half time - well done to all including coaches & parents who all looked just about okay after New Years Eve!
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Cobham Festival - 5/11/2006
Squad: James Bentley-Fox, Thomas Bywater, Jonathan Carpenter, Oliver Cruddas, James Doyle, Alexander Field, Greiogair Hogg, Aaron Patel, Elliot Proudhon-Smith, Stephen Rac, Thomas Smith, Matthew Timms
Report from Nick Timms:
On a fine day for playing rugby the TRFC Commandos were so nearly victorious, but thwarted on two occasions by the superior ball stealing abilities of a committed and talented Old Reedonians team.
Game 1
Vs Cobham Score: 20-5 Win
Our first pool game against the host team started the day with a superlative display of long range try scoring, with some phases of play reaching double figures! Some committed tackling by Aaron Patel and Stephen Rac and the magical dummy pass of Greiogair Hogg led to all of the play going the way of the Commandos and a final score of 4 tries to 1.
Tries: Hogg (2), Bentley-Fox (1) and Proudham-Smith (1).
Game 2
Vs Old Reedonians Score: 5-10 Loss
Old Reeds proved to be stiffer competition in this, our first meeting of the day. Although both teams were very finely matched with players of equal ability, the first half remained try-less for the Commandos. The second half commenced with the same vigour as the first, both teams locked in a titanic struggle for ball retention until Thomas Bywater crossed the line for our only try of the game. The boys held up superbly to the Old Reeds pressure but succumbed to another try finishing the game 1-2. The game was marred by the strange accusation of “crossing” from the referee, one can only assume that he was on his way to Twickenham later that day and had failed to interpret the continuum correctly.
Try: Bywater (1).
Game 3, Semi-Final
Vs Rosslyn Park Score: 10-5 Win
Finishing second in pool A, our semi-final led to a game against another old rival in the form of Rosslyn Park. In another equally matched competition for control of the ball in the tackle, known by some as ball stealing, Matthew Timms acquitted himself admirably, presumably in an attempt to mimic his Father’s only talent on the pitch (a la Ackford). Again, Greiogair Hogg mystified all comers with his use of a convincing dummy pass and swift change of direction to score our only two tries, pretty much solo efforts, both almost from the half way line.
Tries: Hogg (2).
Game 4, U9 Final
Vs Old Reedonians Score 5-10 Loss
With the defeat of our second pool match still smarting, the Commandos started this game with renewed effort and some outstanding phases of play, but by now tiredness had entered the equation. With 90 minutes rest from the semi-final, in which a tree house had been built from scratch in an adjoining copse, the boys just couldn’t seem to convert the efforts into points and we conceded two tries. Having said that, both teams were so evenly matched that both this game and the pool game could have gone either way.
There was some excellent tackling in this game from all boys, particularly Stephen Rac again who reminds me of a young Brian Moore and James Doyle. Special mention to Jonty Carpenter who made some lovely darting runs from the base of the scrum and Oliver Cruddas for scoring our only try of this game, evading at least three tackles in the process!
Try: Cruddas (1).
All boys played with passion and in the spirit of the game.
RATT Cup - 4/11/2006
Squad: Henry Clark, Myles Deane, Nicolas Furrer, James Gawn, Ben Harrison, Archie Jones, Joshua Nagle, Frederico Pasquali, Callum Sirker, Oliver Skyrme,
Jack Stockham, James Viney
Report for Ratt Cup from David Viney:
What a great afternoon at the Quins! Aside from the lovely sunshine and the Quins recording their first win of the season, Teddington pulled out all the stops in possibly their strongest showing so far in the contact version of the sport. With Carlos Spencer, Ben Cohen and Dean Richards watching in the wings, our boys were inspired enough to build up an eight match unbeaten run (16 tries for and none against!)
Teddington 25 – Tunbridge Wells 0
Quite possibly the best game from the A team since this group first started playing at U6s! Wells are actually a strong team (as their performances against the other group members testified) and we have always enjoyed meeting them and playing them. However, in this game, Teddington simply blew them away. The defence was again awesome. On this occasion, however, the back line really fired - with the ball frequently reaching the centres and wings. Clean line breaks abounded. Good distribution, great quick passing, clean hands and fast feet were all in evidence.
Teddington 5 – Upminster 0
A number of unforced errors by Teddington in the first half handed the initiative to a determined and physical Upminster side. Despite playing most of the game in our own half, we never really looked like conceding a try. In the end, the victory was well deserved (despite some nervy moments) as the Teddington tackle rate literally knocked the stuffing out of brave Upminster (who were grand finalists last year in two age groups). On the few occasions we enjoyed sustained possession, we always made good yardage. The winning try eventually came.
Teddington 10 – Westcombe Park 0
Westcombe Park had a number of very quick and elusive runners out wide and had scored some wonderful tries against other group teams. However, Teddington’s early tackles broke their distribution and neutralized the threat. Some of the tackles were quite brutally hard (sorry about that Westcombe!) and at least two of the opposition players had to be replaced for injuries. It seems much of our improvement this year (which is undoubtedly there) is down to a group of boys who seem to have been waiting for contact - and are relishing it now it’s finally here!
Teddington 15 – Blackheath 0
A notable feature of this game was the improvement in our rucking and loose play generally – with four penalties and three tackle turnovers won (one of which resulted in a try). Again, a back-line growing in confidence frequently found itself taking the ball on the front-foot whilst moving forward. Blackheath had improved with every game of the tournament, so again this scoreline reflects very well on the Teddington attack.
Looking Ahead
A note of caution is required. Whilst this was a strong performance, there will be tough challenges ahead. Last year we had a tough draw, facing two ultimate grand finalists in the Group Stages, and were knocked out early. These same teams (and others traditionally stronger than us in this age group) lie in wait in the semi-finals. However, at our current rate of progress there is nothing to fear. Our boys will simply do their best and this year - perhaps for the first time - this may be enough to carry this team to its first Grand Final.
Jack Stockham, James Viney
Report for Ratt Cup from David Viney:
What a great afternoon at the Quins! Aside from the lovely sunshine and the Quins recording their first win of the season, Teddington pulled out all the stops in possibly their strongest showing so far in the contact version of the sport. With Carlos Spencer, Ben Cohen and Dean Richards watching in the wings, our boys were inspired enough to build up an eight match unbeaten run (16 tries for and none against!)
Teddington 25 – Tunbridge Wells 0
Quite possibly the best game from the A team since this group first started playing at U6s! Wells are actually a strong team (as their performances against the other group members testified) and we have always enjoyed meeting them and playing them. However, in this game, Teddington simply blew them away. The defence was again awesome. On this occasion, however, the back line really fired - with the ball frequently reaching the centres and wings. Clean line breaks abounded. Good distribution, great quick passing, clean hands and fast feet were all in evidence.
Teddington 5 – Upminster 0
A number of unforced errors by Teddington in the first half handed the initiative to a determined and physical Upminster side. Despite playing most of the game in our own half, we never really looked like conceding a try. In the end, the victory was well deserved (despite some nervy moments) as the Teddington tackle rate literally knocked the stuffing out of brave Upminster (who were grand finalists last year in two age groups). On the few occasions we enjoyed sustained possession, we always made good yardage. The winning try eventually came.
Teddington 10 – Westcombe Park 0
Westcombe Park had a number of very quick and elusive runners out wide and had scored some wonderful tries against other group teams. However, Teddington’s early tackles broke their distribution and neutralized the threat. Some of the tackles were quite brutally hard (sorry about that Westcombe!) and at least two of the opposition players had to be replaced for injuries. It seems much of our improvement this year (which is undoubtedly there) is down to a group of boys who seem to have been waiting for contact - and are relishing it now it’s finally here!
Teddington 15 – Blackheath 0
A notable feature of this game was the improvement in our rucking and loose play generally – with four penalties and three tackle turnovers won (one of which resulted in a try). Again, a back-line growing in confidence frequently found itself taking the ball on the front-foot whilst moving forward. Blackheath had improved with every game of the tournament, so again this scoreline reflects very well on the Teddington attack.
Looking Ahead
A note of caution is required. Whilst this was a strong performance, there will be tough challenges ahead. Last year we had a tough draw, facing two ultimate grand finalists in the Group Stages, and were knocked out early. These same teams (and others traditionally stronger than us in this age group) lie in wait in the semi-finals. However, at our current rate of progress there is nothing to fear. Our boys will simply do their best and this year - perhaps for the first time - this may be enough to carry this team to its first Grand Final.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Grasshoppers Festival - 29/10/2006
Squad - Benjamin Archer, Sam Barton, Jo Beasley, Thomas Bywater,
David Cecil, Joshua Day, Fergus Donaldson, Emmanual Galan,
Jonathan Hammond, Frederico Pasquali, Stephen Rac, Oliver Skyrme
Congratulations - Won Festival
Ist Game - Teddington 30 Finchley 0 - a comprehensive start against a game Finchley team who could have replied with a couple of scores but for poor finishing
2nd Game - Teddington 10 Chobham 5 - a much closer affair but again a
good performance to guarantee qualification to the semis!
Semi Final - Teddington 10 Grasshoppers 5 - a close hard game against the
festival hosts with Josh Day scoring a late winner in the corner.
Final - Teddington 20 Ealing 15 - the best game was saved for the final against always tough opponents Ealing. We charged into a 15-0 lead with some excellent rugby with Ealing replying just before half time. Ealing came out for the 2nd half fired up and played some good rugby to score twice and equalise at 15-15 - our heads could have dropped but we came back strongly again to score 20-15 - the last few minutes (which seemed like 10) saw excellent defence to keep them out and win by one score. The referee praised both teams saying it was one of the best finals he had been in charge of! - Well done to all the players and Ian Barton, David Donaldson and Jose Galan for keeping the boys going!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Chobham A Festival 15/10/2006
WON FESTIVAL !
Squad - Anderson Alexander, Clark Henry, Deane Myles,
Furrer Nicolas, Gawn James, Harrison Ben, Jones Archie
Nagle Joshua, Seddon Benjamin, Sirker Callum,
Stockham Jack, Viney James
1st game: Teddington 5 – Marlow 0
Teddington began the festival as they meant to continue – with an open, free-flowing rugby style. The watchword for the day was passing prior to the tackle. Teddington enjoyed the majority of the possession and were defensively strong. In the end, the score could have been higher, but for a lack of penetration in the last 20 yards.
2nd game: Teddington 15 – Old Albanians 0
This was Old Albanians first outing at the Chobham festival and, despite putting up a brave performance, were somewhat overwhelmed by Teddington’s attacking defence (which saw them pushed back to their own line time and again). The scoreline reflected a fair return for the pressure exerted.
3rd game: Teddington 0 – Guildford 0
This was the crunch game, with Teddington facing the only team that beat them in last year’s festival. Guildford had played every game with a strong mauling style, which saw them occasionally committing up to six players into the loose at any given time. Unfourtunately, they seemed to tire as the festival progressed (possibly due to the energy expended) and, coming up against Teddington, found that the defensive pressure prevented them from matching the large number of tries they had piled on against some of the other teams. Eventually, a draw was a fair result, as Teddington found it equally diificult to find penetration.
4th game: Teddington 5 – Chobham 0
All to play for, with any one of three teams able to win the festival, depending on the outcome of this game. Chobham had showed similar strength to Guildford in their loose play, so it was particularly pleasing to see Teddington adjust their style of play to match – and ultimately overcome – this threat. Some excellent driving rucks and mauls brought Teddington close to a score but in the end, it was a wonderful piece of defence (tackling Chobham behind their own try line) and a piece of snatched opportunism that brought the try.
On the whole, almost all the teams were very evenly matched but Teddington ran out winners due to a willingness to open up the game, an ability to adapt that style to suit circumstances and, above all, a fierce tackling rate that rocked their opposition back in attack. Our first A silverware of the year and an excellent performance all-round.
Squad - Anderson Alexander, Clark Henry, Deane Myles,
Furrer Nicolas, Gawn James, Harrison Ben, Jones Archie
Nagle Joshua, Seddon Benjamin, Sirker Callum,
Stockham Jack, Viney James
1st game: Teddington 5 – Marlow 0
Teddington began the festival as they meant to continue – with an open, free-flowing rugby style. The watchword for the day was passing prior to the tackle. Teddington enjoyed the majority of the possession and were defensively strong. In the end, the score could have been higher, but for a lack of penetration in the last 20 yards.
2nd game: Teddington 15 – Old Albanians 0
This was Old Albanians first outing at the Chobham festival and, despite putting up a brave performance, were somewhat overwhelmed by Teddington’s attacking defence (which saw them pushed back to their own line time and again). The scoreline reflected a fair return for the pressure exerted.
3rd game: Teddington 0 – Guildford 0
This was the crunch game, with Teddington facing the only team that beat them in last year’s festival. Guildford had played every game with a strong mauling style, which saw them occasionally committing up to six players into the loose at any given time. Unfourtunately, they seemed to tire as the festival progressed (possibly due to the energy expended) and, coming up against Teddington, found that the defensive pressure prevented them from matching the large number of tries they had piled on against some of the other teams. Eventually, a draw was a fair result, as Teddington found it equally diificult to find penetration.
4th game: Teddington 5 – Chobham 0
All to play for, with any one of three teams able to win the festival, depending on the outcome of this game. Chobham had showed similar strength to Guildford in their loose play, so it was particularly pleasing to see Teddington adjust their style of play to match – and ultimately overcome – this threat. Some excellent driving rucks and mauls brought Teddington close to a score but in the end, it was a wonderful piece of defence (tackling Chobham behind their own try line) and a piece of snatched opportunism that brought the try.
On the whole, almost all the teams were very evenly matched but Teddington ran out winners due to a willingness to open up the game, an ability to adapt that style to suit circumstances and, above all, a fierce tackling rate that rocked their opposition back in attack. Our first A silverware of the year and an excellent performance all-round.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Cobham B Festival - 8/10/2006
Squad - Benjamin Archer, Thomas Bywater , David Cecil, Henry Clark, James Davies, Fergus Donaldson, Archie Jones, Toby Orchard, Frederico Pasquali, Cameron Petrie, Ben Seddon, Oliver Skyrme.
Results: WON FESTIVAL - HOORAY
Cobham - Won 15-0 (Archie Jones, Ben Archer, Ben Seddon)
Reeds - Won 10-5 ( Ben Seddon, Archie Jones)
Semi Final - Rosslyn Park - Won 10-5 (Archie x2)
Final - Reeds won 15-0 (Oliver Skryme, Archie Jones, Ben Archer)
Started quick out of the blocks (not always with our boys) with a comprehensive win (15-0) over our hosts. We followed this with a close game with Reeds with some excellent defence in the second half. This qualified us for the semis where we met Rosslyn Park - this proved to be our toughest game and was clinched with Archie going over in the corner with the final play of the game! We approached the final against Reeds confident and so it proved with another excellent display with the result never in doubt and ending up 15-0 - Champions
David Donaldson & Richard Davies marshalled the boys excellently - it was a team effort with everyone putting in the tackles and defensively (only conceding 2 trys in 4 games) well organised and committed - well done to all!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
October 1st Festivals
Chobham - Squad - Barton Sam, Bentley-Fox James, Cecil David, Day Joshua, Deane Freddie, Donaldson Fergus, Dupree Archie, Griffiths Tom, Pasquali Frederico, Rac Stephen, Smith Thomas, Stahelin Angus
Results: Rosslyn Park L 5-15
T Wells L 0-5
L Irish D 0-0
Chobham L 0-10
Cobham L 0-10
This was our first B festival for contact rugby and showed that we have still a lot to learn about the new style, coaches as well as players. But we are blessed with incredibly hardworking and enthusiastic boys. The rain came down in buckets, keeping us permanently soaked but never bad enough to cancel, unlike others on that day.
There was significant improvement from all players throughout the day and by the end practically every boys had got the idea of tackling, which still needs improvement. Although the results were disappointing, they learned a lot from their first encounter into contact and this will stand them in good stead for later tournaments. We were unfortunate to lose Freddie Deane after the first game with a knock on the head. Thankfully it was a minor scrape but it did put him out for the rest of the festival. The highlight of the day, nay a “champagne moment” was produced by Angus Stahelin’s last gasp touch tackle in the game against L.Irish, which earned us a draw and epitomised the boy’s commitment throughout the afternoon. Nothing summed it up more than, despite the disappointing results, when it came to half-time in the last match, no one wanted to be subbed off. They performed well and never let their heads drop and that spirit will ensure better days to come.
Guildford - Squad - Archer Benjamin, Beasley Joe, Boxall Thomas, Bywater Thomas, Clark Henry, Davies James, Field Alexander, Hammond Jonathan
Hogg Greiogair, Orchard Toby, Petrie Cameron, Seddon Benjamin.
Played 2 & won 2 - the second a very good performance against Reeds 20-5 - stand out was the excellent rucking and ball retention - unfortunately the heavens opened and the festival was abandoned but a very encouraging start.
Cobham - Squad - Anderson Alexander, Deane Myles, Furrer Nicolas, Galan Emmanuel, Gawn James, Harrison Ben, Jones Emily, Nagle Joshua, Rubini Dylan, Sirker Callum, Stockham Jack, Viney James
Played 3 - Won 1, Lost 2 - Festival Abandoned
Report from David Viney as follows:
Thanks for braving the torrential rain. I thought some real positives coming from the festival. The tackling and spirit shown by our boys (and girl!) intruly atrocious conditions was wonderful. After the comfortable win over Camberley, there was not a big gap between ourselves and Sutton & Epsom /Cobham. Bear in mind the former were Ratt Cup winners and runners-up in the last two years respectively and that Cobham make an early start to their season (having also always been strong in our age group). What I particularly liked was that two of our tries were scored from tackling the opposing side back into their try zone - one from a resulting five yard scrum and one from a dive-on. We came very close to beating Cobham - which would have set up a tantalising final against S&E again (who I thought we matched for the last four minutes of our game against them) - had the festival not been stopped for the conditions.
Results: Rosslyn Park L 5-15
T Wells L 0-5
L Irish D 0-0
Chobham L 0-10
Cobham L 0-10
This was our first B festival for contact rugby and showed that we have still a lot to learn about the new style, coaches as well as players. But we are blessed with incredibly hardworking and enthusiastic boys. The rain came down in buckets, keeping us permanently soaked but never bad enough to cancel, unlike others on that day.
There was significant improvement from all players throughout the day and by the end practically every boys had got the idea of tackling, which still needs improvement. Although the results were disappointing, they learned a lot from their first encounter into contact and this will stand them in good stead for later tournaments. We were unfortunate to lose Freddie Deane after the first game with a knock on the head. Thankfully it was a minor scrape but it did put him out for the rest of the festival. The highlight of the day, nay a “champagne moment” was produced by Angus Stahelin’s last gasp touch tackle in the game against L.Irish, which earned us a draw and epitomised the boy’s commitment throughout the afternoon. Nothing summed it up more than, despite the disappointing results, when it came to half-time in the last match, no one wanted to be subbed off. They performed well and never let their heads drop and that spirit will ensure better days to come.
Guildford - Squad - Archer Benjamin, Beasley Joe, Boxall Thomas, Bywater Thomas, Clark Henry, Davies James, Field Alexander, Hammond Jonathan
Hogg Greiogair, Orchard Toby, Petrie Cameron, Seddon Benjamin.
Played 2 & won 2 - the second a very good performance against Reeds 20-5 - stand out was the excellent rucking and ball retention - unfortunately the heavens opened and the festival was abandoned but a very encouraging start.
Cobham - Squad - Anderson Alexander, Deane Myles, Furrer Nicolas, Galan Emmanuel, Gawn James, Harrison Ben, Jones Emily, Nagle Joshua, Rubini Dylan, Sirker Callum, Stockham Jack, Viney James
Played 3 - Won 1, Lost 2 - Festival Abandoned
Report from David Viney as follows:
Thanks for braving the torrential rain. I thought some real positives coming from the festival. The tackling and spirit shown by our boys (and girl!) intruly atrocious conditions was wonderful. After the comfortable win over Camberley, there was not a big gap between ourselves and Sutton & Epsom /Cobham. Bear in mind the former were Ratt Cup winners and runners-up in the last two years respectively and that Cobham make an early start to their season (having also always been strong in our age group). What I particularly liked was that two of our tries were scored from tackling the opposing side back into their try zone - one from a resulting five yard scrum and one from a dive-on. We came very close to beating Cobham - which would have set up a tantalising final against S&E again (who I thought we matched for the last four minutes of our game against them) - had the festival not been stopped for the conditions.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
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