ETIHAD Harlequins Curtain Raiser Cup

The final was against the Middlesex County champions, Rosslyn Park. We had met in the Semi Final qualifying day when a late try from the opposition had shared the spoils, so we knew this could be close! Well think close and it was even closer than that!
The game was played at a blistering pace and all the players were putting their bodies on the line in an attempt to get the upper hand. Several probing runs by the Park centres were met with a maroon and white wall as Gus, Harry A & Cameron fought hard along the frontline. Captain, Alfie was once again leading by example and made tackles that even the travelling support winced at! Each half of the game was spent with one side camped close to their opponents line but the closest either side got to scoring in normal time was to be held up by the determined defenders. Luca & Morgan combined to nearly cross the whitewash but the final whistle went to send things into extra time.
In the first half of extra time it was Rosslyn Park who had the ball and our defence was simply awesome. It came at a cost though as we lost Louis, James, Harry and Gus to injury. The second period and it was our turn to press for a winner and Keir came close twice before finally breaking the shackles of the Park defence to score with 2 minutes to go. There was obvious elation in our camp and deflation in the Park camp and more impressive tackling allowed us to hold on for the win!
Final Score Rosslyn Park 0 Welwyn 5 AET

Close match report.

ETIHAD Harlequins Curtain Raiser Cup

Our final group game was effectively the Semi Final as Ealing had also claimed two victories. However we had been the highest try scorers so we knew that a draw would also send us through to the final. Earlier in the season we had comprehensively beaten Ealing at their festival and knew that our opponents would be very determined not to let this happen again.
In the opening stages they came at us and it was a rearguard action for the first time in the day. Morgan, Luca & Cameron finding the Ealing pack to be more efficient in the scrum but still managing to win the loose for Welwyn. However, just before the halftime break, disaster struck as the Ealing pack crashed over our line and we were behind for the first time in a long while. Strength of character was needed now and our boys showed this in abundance. Birthday boy, Johann went close to levelling but was just pushed into touch with the line inches away.
We went into the break 5 nil down but came out firing in the second period and a few minutes later we were level. A dropped Ealing ball was exquisitely gathered by Keir and he just does not waste those opportunities; gliding past two defenders to score in the corner. The relief was as apparent on the Welwyn supporter's faces as the disappointment was on the Ealing crowd. We held our ground for the final few minutes and a place in the Final.
Final Score Ealing 5 Welwyn 5

Close match report.

ETIHAD Harlequins Curtain Raiser Cup

Game two was against Upminster who had narrowly lost their opening game to Ealing by 1 try to nil. As with Horsham they found the pace of our back line too hot to handle and Keir raced home to give us the early advantage. The forwards were giving Alfie quick ball at all times but a smart pick and go by Cameron saw him cross the line to increase our lead.
At half time the score remained 10 nil and we knew the next try was likely to seal the points. We did not have to wait long for this, as once again our backs had a 3 man overlap allowing Kyle to release Keir into score.
Final Score Upminster 0 Welwyn 15

Close match report.

ETIHAD Harlequins Curtain Raiser Cup

In game one we played Horsham and immediately went in search of a try and we did not have to wait too long. James Woolley stole the ball before releasing Alfie to race away to score. This settled any early nerves and the opposition were finding it hard to contain our powerful play. Keir then bagged the first two of his 6 tries of the day after making the most of some smart running by Saul, Jack Briars & Eddie. We ran out comfortable 15 nil winners and a faultless start to our challenge.
Final Score Horsham 0 Welwyn 15

Close match report.

County Tournament

The Final was against Tring as they had knocked out Old Albanians and Hertford to secure their place. It was also our first meeting for 2 years so it was a little bit of the unknown in front of us. The boys started the game with real assurance and as with the Hertford and Harpenden games we put our opponents under enormous pressure in the early stages. This pressure paid dividends as Tring over committed at the breakdown allowing Keir then Johann to run in a try apiece.
At half time we reminded the boys to finish the job and not let our advantage slip. Keir settled any doubts of this happening early in the second half and we relaxed during the final stages. To their credit, our opponents stayed determined and were rewarded with a well deserved try in the last play of the game. The final whistle was greeted with a loud cheer as it signalled another County Cup for our impressive team of players.
Final Score Welwyn 15 Tring 5

Close match report.

County Tournament

The Semi Final had us drawn against a confident Harpenden side that had moved into this stage without conceding a try. Both sides know each other well as this was match number 5 of the season. We had an unbeaten record to defend and were determined to hang onto our crown. Once again our first half display was simply a fantastic combination of power and pace. Despite having an early try by Saul disallowed, we went onto to score twice inside 3 minutes to give our opponents a mountain to climb. The first was one for the forwards as Cameron powered over after being assisted by Luca & Morgan. The second was some magical centre play between Alfie, Jack Briars, Keir, Louis and finally Saul.
At half time we remained 2 tries up and the opening try by us in the second period killed off our opponents to put the game to bed. Keir drove through the Harpenden back line with impressive ease. A really efficient and effective performance to move into our 4th County Final in succession

Final Score Welwyn A 15 Harpenden A 0

Close match report.

County Tournament

Our Quarter Final opponents were Hemel Camelot who had been runners up in Group B. Unfortunately for them, the previous game had given us an adrenaline boost and we were too fast for our weary opponents. We ran in 7 tries without response including a first half hat trick from Saul. Speedsters, Keir 2, Eddie and Johann all crossed the whitewash with the impressive forward play of Gus, Harry A and Morgan giving them quick ball at every opportunity.
Final Score: Welwyn A 35 Hemel Camelot A 0

Close match report.

County Tournament

With our final group opponents Hertford, also having two wins under their belts the final game was predictably a shoot out for top place in the group. The boys were fully aware that they needed to raise their game and no one can argue that they did just that! Our first half display was simply awesome and they blitzed the Hertford team with some excellent running Rugby. Our captain, Alfie, was once again leading by example with some monumental tackling and 2 exquisite pieces of finishing. Whilst Johann proved that having the ball in his hands was as good as a try, as he ran in from distance at an incredible speed.
Half Time however was 15 - 5 as Hertford ran in a good try to keep the game alive. A disciplined second half display shut out our opponents and we ran out winners of the game and the group.
Final Score: Welwyn A 15 Hertford A 5

Close match report.

Game two was against Letchworth and once again we were slow starters before running out as comfortable winners. We managed 6 tries in all with Saul and Luca grabbing one each whilst there were also 2 tries apiece for Cameron and Keir. Warming to the task but lots more to come!
Final Score Welwyn A 30 Letchworth A 0

Close match report.

County Tournament

The opening game against Barnet was played at a reasonably slow pace and despite the pitches being of a good size we failed to exploit our obvious advantage of pace. However we did manage to keep things tight before finally releasing Eddie to put on those after burners and give us a narrow half time advantage. Early in the second half we ran in two tries to seal the points with Saul and Keir opening their festival accounts. Not an impressive display but 3 points on the board to get things moving.
Final Score Welwyn A 15 Barnet A 0

Close match report.

County Tournament B Team

We went through as Group Winners and in the Semi Final we were up against the Runners up from the other group, Tring B.

A tight 1st half saw us go very close on a couple of occasions. Calum was held up over the line (we thought he got the ball down, but sadly the ref didn't agree!) and Daisy also went close, but we were unable to stretch or pierce the excellent Tring defence. In the 2nd half, Tring's superior rucking really began to tell and they managed to starve of us of possession.
This pressure finally told and they used the ball intelligently to score two tries in quick succession to seal the win.
Final score Welwyn B 0 Tring B10

Close match report.

County Tournament B Team

The final pool match was against Fullerians B. Perhaps due to the team knowing they were already through and the tough previous encounter taking its toll; it was a scrappy first half. We managed to keep our shape and some good work at the back of the scrum by James Cory released James Woolley to score.
The 2nd half began with a trade-mark "Girl-power" score from Daisy which seemed to knock the stuffing out of the opposition. 3 more tries quickly followed (James Woolley 2 more and Daisy again) before some missed tackles at the end allowed Fullers in for a consolation try. Final score Welwyn B 25 Fullerians B 5.

Close match report.

County Tournament B Team

Our 3rd Match was against Hertford B's and the key encounter of the pool. This also turned out to be a bruising affair with players laying their bodies on the line to stop their opponents. Unfortunately it was also being control by a very in-experienced referee and several high tackles and infringements were "missed" by the not so eagle eyed official. The only plus point was that it was the same for both sides!

Hertford's superior rucking saw them on top in the early stages but our solid tackling kept them out. We stole the lead when a great length of the pitch run from Harry M finished with an off load for Calum to score, 5-0. Hertford doubled their efforts and soon evened the scores so we were all square at the break. The second half saw us get on top and despite a few stray studs and an aggressive Hertford defence, Daisy finally crashed through to score. Strong defence kept us ahead until the last play when a solid scrum gave Calum the platform to secure the points by running the ball into touch to signal the final whistle. Final score Welwyn B 10 Hertford B 5

Close match report.

County Tournament B Team

Our second match was against the Tabards A side. They started very positively making us defend stoutly with good solid tackling. We opened the scoring against the run of play however when Calum took the ball from behind our try line before out-witting the Tabard players to run the full length of the field to score: 5-0. This gave us some confidence and James Woolley then scored after another good solid scrum: 10-0. As we gathered the momentum we produced some good phases of play, with James Weston leading the way and this allowed Daisy in for another score: 15-0 at HT.
The 2nd half saw Adam steal the ball at an opposition line-out and score a great try to give us a comfortable 4 try lead before we relaxed at the end allowing Tabards in for a consolation try. Final Score Welwyn B 20 Tabard A 5

Close match report.

County Tournament B Team

The first match was against Chess Valley B's, which proved to be a nice warm-up for our other encounters. Daisy scored straight from 1st play: 5-0, which seemed to settle some nerves. Then Bradley R broke well from a line-out, charged through with great support from Charlie following up, who scored the next try: Calum then scored next off an attacking scrum to make it 15-0 at Half time. The 2nd half saw some further great tackling by Andrew which led to another scrum leading to this time, James C scoring in the corner: 20-0. Finally a great run by Nathan led to Adam scoring.
Final Score Welwyn B 25 Chess Valley B 0

Close match report.

Our second game saw us against a gallant Fullers side that had put up a brave performance against the Harpenden side in game 1 and were determined to see if they could end the tournament with all the points shared. However with our boys brimming with confidence from their first display they found us in no mood to be charitable. By half time we had 4 unanswered tries on the board with Kyle, Keir & Jack finishing off some fine backs play whilst our Forwards union joined in the party when Harry A dived over the line following a good pick and drive.
The second half was again littered with outstanding backs play. Keir grabbed his second try of the game before a fantastic offload by Kyle released fly half Alfie, in for number 6 after he had taken the perfect line. Final Score Welwyn 30 Fullers 0

Close match report.

In our first game of the tournament we were up against Harpenden. This was our 4th meeting of the season. We had taken the honours at the Ealing Festival but all the other games had ended in draws, including last weeks Tring Festival Final where the cup was shared. Both teams are good sides so we knew that we had to get a good start and indeed we did!
In the first half we played with real assurance and were very dominant in the loose which allowed us to win plenty of fast clean ball. Alfie and Jack linked well to set up our opening try by releasing inside centre Kyle into some space that he exploited with aplomb. With our tails up we pressed for try number two and we very nearly achieved this when Johann received a great pass from outside centre Keir, to sprint for the line before a fine tackle pushed him into touch.
As with last week, we went into the break 1 try up but this time we scored the all important second try soon after the restart. Once again our forwards, Gus, Luca and Cameron did well to set up the play and like the first half Kyle took a fabulous line of attack to race in his and our second try. Louis nearly made it three nil but was defiantly held up on the line by the Harpenden defence. To the credit of the men in black, they never gave up and the last 2 or 3 minutes were played in our territory. This time it was our excellent defence of Harry A, Eddie & Cameron that held them up on the line as they pressed to get something out of the game. Thankfully for us, it was not to be and the victory & points were ours. Final Score Welwyn 10 Harpenden 0

Close match report.

So we went to the final with five games and wins under our belts to meet a Harpenden side who had an equally impressive set of statistics from Pool B. Harpenden are an improving outfit and whilst until now they have never reached a County final before, the last two matches against them have ended in tight draws so it was always likely to be another tense affair with neither side willing to give away too much.
We started down hill and spent the whole half attacking the Harpenden line. We knew that the hill was worth at least one try and after a couple of missed opportunities to get the ball wide we finally managed to capitalise on a defensive error when Jack Briars slipped under the wall on the line to put us 5 nil up. Our forwards, Luca, Cameron & Gus pushed hard to gain try number two but it was not to be.
With the ball from the restart, we started the second half well and moved into opposition territory, however as the half moved on we found ourselves retreating further and further down the hill and nearer to our line. With more than 4 minutes of the 6 gone we finally allowed our opponents the luxury of scoring against Welwyn and the final was tied at one a piece. The boys were determined not to be pushed back from the restart and the final 2 minutes were played in the Harpenden half but without ever pressurising their line. All square at the final whistle and an even game ended with the honours and some of the bragging rights shared.
A good end to the day and despite never playing at our best we still managed to come away with a share of the cup against our nearest opponents for the County crown that we have won for the last 3 years. Final Score Harpenden A 5 Welwyn A 5

Close match report.

The final game of the group was against a gallant Cheshunt side that had been unlucky enough to lose their previous 4 games of the morning. Whilst we were sympathetic to their cause the boys ran away with the game by scoring 4 unanswered tries with Kyle, Saul, Alfie and Jack completing the rout. Final Score Welwyn A 20 Cheshunt A 0

Close match report.

The fourth game was against a Chinnor side that had won their previous three encounters in impressive fashion. Playing up hill first we put in a very impressive performance, affording our opponents a limited amount of time in our half. Indeed Chinnor were constantly over committing at the breakdown and our expansive play finally paid dividends as the back line released Johann to race up hill to score his second try of the day.
Early in the second half we managed to close out the game with our second try when Keir burst through the centre to clear the whitewash. Final Score Welwyn A 10 Chinnor A 0

Close match report.

Game 3 was one of those "after the Lord Mayors show" performances as despite an early try from Saul following good work from Eddie and Calum, we stuttered to an unconvincing 1 try victory against a stubborn Fullers side. Too many handling errors meant that the fluidity of the previous game was lost to scrummaging practise! Final Score Fullers A 0 Welwyn A 5

Close match report.

Game 2 was against one of our main challengers for top spot, Old Albanians A. Now this game always has a little extra spice because of the history of matches but this was further fuelled by the fact that OA's had the Saracens Director of Rugby helping out! Yes you read that correctly, Brendan Venter has a son in the Under 10's and obviously took the opportunity to get involved at grass roots level.
The first half saw us once again use the hill to our advantage and it was not long before Keir opened his festival account with a smart piece of finishing following some good link up play involving the back division of Jack Briars, Alfie, Kyle and Louis. However despite being camped in the oppositions half for the full period we went into the break with a slender 1 try advantage. We started well in the second period and pressed for a second decisive try. Harry A and Alfie both attacked the line but we held back by the resilient defence. Old Albanians then managed to push down the hill and only a last gasp saving tackle by Cameron stopped the equalising try from being registered. We regrouped and moved away from our line before Keir evaded his opposite numbers tackle to race up the hill to seal the points. Final Score Welwyn A 10 Old Albanians A 0

Close match report.

We were drawn in Group A and started with a game against the hosts B side. Using the steep slope to our advantage, we quickly breezed into a three try lead with Johann using his blistering pace on the wing and two forwards try's were converted by Gus and Morgan.
However the second period was a different proposition as playing up hill we gave away a series of penalties (nine!!!) for various offences from not retreating to breathing heavily! A scrappy end to the first game saw no further scores but thankfully an opening victory. Final Score Tring B 0 Welwyn A 15

Close match report.

Game 3 against Sidcup turned out to be a straight forward but feisty match as we had pretty much all the possession against an aggressive and physically bigger pack. In the early stages we allowed them to suffocate our play and we only had a try from Saul to show for our dominance. However in the second period we ran riot with much quicker ball with further tries from Alfie, Harry A and Johann securing our Finals place and a comprehensive victory. Final Score Sidcup 0 Welwyn 20

Close match report.

Game two against Rosslyn Park was clearly the crunch game as our opponents had brushed aside another Kent side, Sidcup, in their opening game. They are also the current Middlesex champions so as Herts County Champions there was some County rivalry at stake too! It turned out to be a cracker with both sides playing exceptionally well and the tackling was simply awesome. Our forwards, Cameron, Gus, Harry A and Morgan put in an enormous shift to allow our backs some clean ball whilst our back line was a maroon wall of defence. However despite having the lion's share of the first half possession it was still all square at the break. In the second half we stepped up a notch again and this time we were rewarded with a try when some smart play by Alfie and Jack Briars released Keir to race past the Rosslyn Park back line and score. With our opponents stunned we pressed for the second try and Saul went mighty close to adding this but was just held up. With the clock ticking towards the finish our opponents pressed us for an equaliser and in the last play of the game they were rewarded with an opportunist try from their speedy winger. A disappointing finish but a great game to watch all the same with the points and bragging rights shared. Final Score Rosslyn Park 5 Welwyn 5

Close match report.

In our Semi Final qualifying group we were drawn up against Tunbridge Wells from Kent for our opening game. Both teams wanted an opening win and it was an edgy start to the game. We were the first to concede a try as, despite applying pressure on the Tunbridge line, we allowed them to score from a swift breakaway. However the boys responded magnificently as they stepped up their game and at last our possession paid dividend. The rest of the game was almost exclusively played out in the Tunbridge territory with Keir using his blistering pace and power to run in an impressive hat trick of tries to seal the win. Final Score Tunbridge Wells 5 Welwyn 15

Close match report.