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5 Star Welwyn U11 are once again the best in the County
5 Star Welwyn U11 are once again the best in the County
Once again, the U11 team showed their class in winning the County Festival, beating Harpenden 10-5 in the final. This is the 5th year in succession this squad have won their age group which is a great achievement.
Well done to the whole squad who have remained the Premier side at their age group throughout the Mini section (5 years!)
Alfie Orchard (Captain), Jack Briars, Saul Otene, Kyle Tormey, Andrew Dixon, Eddie Bullock, Calum Wilson, Keir Lloyd, Johann Schymanski, Adam Hughes, Louis De la Croix, Cameron Boon, Gus Laws-Mather, Harry Atherton, Morgan Wynne & Bradley Rixon
Welwyn U11 Harpenden U11 (A) 27.03.2011
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!
Welwyn U11 Tring U11 (A) 27.03.2011
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!
Welwyn U11 Bishops Stortford A U11 (A) 27.03.2011
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!
Welwyn U11 Camelot U11 (A) 27.03.2011
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!
Welwyn U11 Hertford U11 (A) 27.03.2011
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!
Welwyn U11 Tabard U11 (A) 27.03.2011
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!
U11 Tring Festival Winners
Last Sunday the A squad went back to Tring to defend the Tring Festival title that they have held since they started playing Rugby at the Under 7's level. This years tournament was without doubt the toughest looking line up with most of the top Herts County teams on parade plus Chinnor and Bicester from Bucks.
We were in pool B alongside the hosts A team, Cheshunt (who had replaced Amersham), Chinnor, Hemel Camelot and Bishops Stortford. Only the top team in the pool would make the Cup final with the second placed team playing in the plate final.
With four wind and a draw, Welwyn made the final to see that our opponents for the 3rd year in succession were Harpenden, where we triumphed in a close match by 5points to nil.
Alfie went up to receive the trophy from Wasps player James Cannon.
Well done to the whole squad who proved that despite being small boys they certainly have GIANT hearts!
Harry A, Gus, Bradley R, Morgan, Cameron, Adam, Louis, Alfie (Capt), Jack Briars, Johann, Keir, Eddie, James Woolley, Callum & Saul
Welwyn U11 Harpenden U11 (A) 13.03.2011
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!
Welwyn U11 Bishops Stortford U11 (A) 13.03.2011
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!
