Further Success for the Under 7'S!

With British Summer time officially here on Sunday it was an early start for the A team as they played at the Tring Festival. Welwyn were drawn in a tough group along side Cheshunt, Old Albanians, Harpenden, Tring B and Hemel. Only the winners would progress to the final so there was added pressure on the boys to begin the tournament well.

In game one we were up against Cheshunt, who we had not played since October when we beat them on the way to winning the Harlow festival. This was to prove to be a good omen as although the opposition had improved our boys were superior in all departments and ran out comfortable 7 - 5 winners. Keir, Alfie and Kyle proving to be a real thorn in Cheshunt's side.

In game 2 we were to play the first of the oppositions Cup finals! Yes we are that good now that even large clubs like Old Albanians are treating our fixture like their "Cup Final". In a fiercely fought out affair, Welwyn found themselves behind in the early stages and our defensive trio of Jack, Cameron and Kyle were working extremely hard to turn over the ball. At half time the scores were level and a pumped up OA coach was already scenting a victory. However OA's did not know what hit them at the start of the second half as Welwyn responded with an onslaught of tries to pull 3 clear. Kier and Alfie were again causing the opposition defenders to panic and with the extra pace of Joey and Louis they did not know which way to turn. Welwyn eventually ran out 8-7 winners but OA's 2 late tries merely served to paper over the cracks of what really was a comfortable victory.

In game 3 we faced the only B side in the tournament representing the hosts, Tring's. They had already drawn with Harpenden's and Hemel's A sides so this was not going to be an easy match. However Welwyn kept the momentum of the previous game and raced away to score some early tries. Jack and Guy kept pushing the Tring back line towards there own line with some powerful running and Alfie did well to recycle the ball at every opportunity. A 7-3 victory was no more than we deserved.

After a short break we were back on the field for another one of those opposition "Cup Finals". Having beaten them twice in the last 3 weeks this time it was Harpenden's turn to get a bit excited! Unfortunately we never really got going in this game and we found ourselves chasing the game from the very early stages. Harpenden do like to pass the ball around and on this day we tried to do the same but made too many uncharacteristic attacking errors. The score line was rather like the OA's game but the roles were reversed and the 35 game winning streak was at an end as we lost 8-7. The boys should take great credit for keeping their composure despite wild celebrations from the Harpenden side. The strange thing was that the result had no bearing on the competition as we still knew that if we won our last game we would top the group as winners!

Our Final group game was against a Hemel side that had ran one or two teams close but as it turned out were no match for our side of Olympic sprinters! Kier, Joey, Isaac, Johann, Guy and Louis were just too quick for the Hemel defence. The Welwyn boys really showed that the last match was just a minor blip and bounced back with their strongest performance to run out 10-4 winners. The game also involved the try of the group as Alfie spun a 4 metre pass to Guy to take on the run and score in the corner.

So once again our boys stepped out for another Final looking to win their 4th competition in succession. This time they were up against the winners of Group B, Fullers who had got past Tring A, Bicester, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Chinnor.

The early exchanges were fairly even as Keir ran home some well taken tries. Guy again made his mark with what we are sure will become his trade mark wingers try following a great move with Kyle, Jack and Kier. Once again our taggers stepped up their efforts and the turn over ball allowed us to edge in front and lead 4-2 at half time.

In the second half Kier and Alfie scored to keep our two try advantage but as always there was one moment that really sticks in the mind as a key turning point. With a couple of minutes left Cameron drove forward with the ball. A Fullers defender dived to grab his tag and Cameron looked to pass. Unfortunately he was facing the wrong way but just as the opposition crowd were about to say 'forward pass' he regained his composure to change his pass in mid throw to a legal backward pass to Alfie. Alfie quickly passed the ball to Kier who ran home the try and secure the win for Welwyn 7-5. A huge roar went up from the Welwyn supporters and Captain Alfie proudly went up to pick up the winners shield to put on an already quite full mantelpiece!

The coaching team would again like to thank all the players for their fantastic effort and the parents for getting them there on time despite such an early start. We would also like to thank David and Sarah for providing a fully functioning Gazebo (Although Phil's side panels were about as useful as a chocolate fireguard!) and to Helen and David for once again providing the refreshments.

The Under 7 Coaching Team

Welwyn U7's strike again

Welwyn U7's strike again