So it was onto game number 6 and our 5th County Final in successive years. Our opponents, well you wouldn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to guess!
Harpenden had once again been very impressive in reaching this stage and whilst this was their first County Final we had played them in umpteen other Cup Finals (with success!) over the past few years. They are a well drilled side and both sides have enormous respect for each other.
We kicked off and immediately had the opposition on the back foot. Morgan, Gus and the returning Harry A worked tirelessly up front to secure the ball whilst Cameron and Adam kept it moving. Alfie used the large pitch to good effect by pinning the opposition back and we enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges. Some of the tackles were just brutal and both sides were feeling the effects of a long day before Keir inevitably produced a trump card in another final. His trade mark combination of power and pace being too hot for the Harpenden back line. Whilst we were 1 up at the break and had spent the whole first half in Harpenden territory, we were still quite a way from the title.
In the second period the Harpenden boys borrowed the Kitchen sink from Tring and threw it at us! They really came out all guns blazing and whilst our defence stood firm we gave away a series of penalties nearer and nearer to our line. The final one of these opportunities was converted when the referee felt that the Harpenden player had grounded to bring the scores level. Some of the boys knew that the forward had actually dropped the ball over the line and were quite aggrieved by the decision; however they channelled this emotion into regaining the lead. They got their rewards when Alfie chassed down the Harpenden full backs kick to side step the on rushing Harpenden winger , before unselfishly offloading to Eddie to crash over the line. The try was scored with just 30 seconds left on the clock and in the first breakdown after the restart , our impressive forwards regained the ball and Jack jubilantly kicked into touch to secure our 5th County Title in a row! Final Score Welwyn A 10 Harpenden A 5
« All done!
The Semi Final was against Tring and we were looking for a repeat of our comprehensive win against them at their own festival. We also knew however that they are an excellent side and our patched up team would need to be at its very best if we were going to progress to the Final. To Tring's disappointment, there was no stopping the Welwyn Express as we were gaining momentum and coming into form at just the right time. With Alfie orchestrating things in front of the back line he used the great ball he was receiving from the Forwards and Jack at scrum half to pin point our plan of attack. Callum took advantage of the open space to sprint home for number 1 before Johann made it two and a good lead to go into the break. We knew the second period would see the Tring side respond with all but the kitchen sink; however any question of a comeback was dispelled when the impressive Keir took a pass from Saul into his stride to plough his way through the yellow and black wall.
Final Score Welwyn A 15 Tring A 0
« All done!
Our reward for topping the pool was a Quarter Final match against Bishops Stortford. They had lost narrowly to Harpenden in their group and were looking to upset the form book against us. Unfortunately for them, the game was laid to rest in the first 7 minutes of the match as we blew them away with a tornado start. Cameron drove over to put the forwards on the score sheet before Eddie, Callum and Johann each profited from Alfie's precision kicking. Unfortunately we picked up two bad injuries in this game with both Jack and Harry suffering from blows to the knee. However we are lucky to have an exceptional set of replacements that eased onto the Welwyn train and into the Semi Final. Final Score Welwyn A 20 Bishops Stortford A 0
« All done!
The final game of the group was against a resilient Camelot side that had held Hertford to just 3 scores. Therefore we went into the final group game needing to win by 2 tries to top the pool. As with the Tring Festival just 2 weeks ago, the boys really went through the gears in the early stages (Sorry Hemel!). Again our back line was too fast for the heavier Hemel pack and the spaces were exploited by Messrs Lloyd and Schymanski. We went into the break 4 tries to the good and a further 2 were scored by Alfie and Keir to give us a comprehensive 6 try win. Final Score Welwyn A 30 Hemel Camelot 0
« All done!
Game two was against a Hertford side who are equally as impressive with the use of the ball and like ourselves play a very fast game. Both sides hit the rucks with real gusto and this proved to be a battle of two tough gladiators looking for the smell of the line. In fairness, the Hertford pack were more effective by getting quicker to the breakdown in the first half and whilst they never really threatened our line, they were able to turn over the ball into their hands. We huffed and puffed and had a couple of opportunities to convert some sustained pressure into tries but the brave Hertford back line stood firm and the match finished all square. Final Score Welwyn A 0 Hertford A 0
« All done!
In game one we played Tabard and came out of the traps much faster than the opposition. Early possession for the lightening quick back line was converted into tries by Calum, Johann & Keir to give us a 15-0 lead at the break. In the second half we were equally as dominant and despite playing against a considerably bigger pack, our forwards maintained their work rate to out manoeuvre their opponents. Johann again using his pace to great effect before our fly half, Alfie, threw in 4 sidesteps to bamboozle the defence into submission. Final Score Welwyn A 25 Tabard A 0
« All done!
In the Cup Final it was perhaps less surprising to see that our opponents for the 3rd year in succession were Harpenden. They had once again enjoyed a faultless qualification that had included wins over Hertford, Fullers, Tring B, Bicester and Old Albanians.
We started down the ramp and spent the whole half in the final third closest to the Men in Black line. Twice we were held up on the whitewash by some gusty forward play and it seemed that our possession would count for nothing going into the break. However, with the last play of the half Alfie released Keir into the space that he enjoys and exploits so effectively to drive into the corner and send us in to the interval one try up.
The second period was becoming a war of attrition as both teams long day of Rugby was beginning to take its inevitable toll. Although Harpenden never really threatened our line with the ball, they did force us to use some intelligent kicking to push them back on 3 occasions. One of which was from Second Rower Cameron! However despite being out of position he managed to send an effective long ball over half the length of the pitch giving our speedy back line time to race up field and secure possession again. We spent the final 4 minutes in midfield to secure the game and our 5 years of success at Tring continues. Final Score Harpenden A 0 Welwyn A 5
« All done!
The boys ensured a Cup final berth with a confident win over a decent Bishops Stortford side. 2 early tries from Keir and Cameron were enough to allow us to rotate our players positions and give some a much needed rest with our injury list lengthening due to the hard ground. In the second half the opposition kept us on our toes with a well taken try before our impressive forward pack gave Harry A the opportunity to restore our two try lead and ultimately secure the 3 points. Final Score Bishops Stortford A 5 Welwyn A 15
« All done!
Before our fourth game we had watched the Tring side run 3 tries past the shattered Chinnor team. Our game had obviously taken its toll on Chinnors forwards and the Tring result meant that a win and a draw from our final 2 games would be enough to ensure Cup Final qualification. First up were Camelot and we had told the boys that try difference would be an important factor in the final group standings. Unfortunately for Camelot the boys really exploded in this game and ran riot with 8 unanswered tries (Keir 1, Callum 2, Cameron 1, Johann, Eddie 2 & Saul). The best of which were from Eddie and Callum who ran the perfect angles to whiz past a stunned defence. Final Score Camelot A 0 Welwyn A 40
« All done!
Game 3 now appeared to be the pivotal game of the Group as Chinnor had also despatched their opponents without conceding a try. In fact they had scored 12 unanswered tries in their two games and came into the game in equally confident mood. Something very strange happened in this game as the opposition scored FIRST! A burst of pace down the slope from their impressive winger was just too hot to handle despite Saul's brave tackle on the line. 5 nil down but plenty of time to pull things round and pull things round is exactly what they did! We dominated the play both up and down the slope from there on in. Unfortunately we only had one try to show for our efforts despite scoring three times in the first period. Two of the tries were not awarded by the referee who found himself out of position and unsighted so we went into the break all square. The second period was played like a cup final and we went for the proverbial jugular by mounting a series of attacks. However the Chinnor side bravely put their bodies on the line (literally!) to stop our try scoring attempts and the match ended all square. Final Score Chinnor A 5 Welwyn A 5
« All done!
