Under 13s
13 April 2008
Fleetwood 10 Tarleton 15
Tarleton crossed the tram lines at Fleetwood full of confidence having won their last 4 matches. We Kicked off and immediately went on the attack. After a few kicking exchanges between full backs we were soon pressurizing their try line. Will charged down a kick and scored right under the sticks.Jake stepped up for a certain 2 points but decided to play crossbar challenge instead.
With the 5 points secured Tarleton continued their assault and once again Will got through to the Fleetwood back line where a diagonal low kick was slid through.
Will dodged through to score his second in 5 minutes. As all eyes looked to the referee on the half way line for verification it was clear he was in no position to see it, instead he naturally assumed that Will had left the ball to cross the extremely short dead ball line before touching it down.Tarleton’s outward expression of their disappointment gave the ref no option but to penalize them and move the penalty all the way back to the half way mark. This and other unpopular decisions right through the match only strengthened the Tarleton resolve and made the team even more determined. Boosted by their surprise penalty Fleetwood came out in attack and forced Aidan to make one of his trade mark “last man tackles”.
With several key players missing due to holidays we fielded a different line up. Pete came in for the injured Ryan A. and Matt moved from center to 2nd row for Jordan.
Upon seeing the size of the Fleetwood forwards we thought we might struggle however that wasn’t the case at all. Every one of the forwards did exactly what was expected of them and more winning virtually every loose ball and gaining good hard ground.
The hard work of the forwards coupled with good hands from Rory at fly half meant Fleetwood were on the back foot most of the time. Kieran at outside center and Ollie inside him moved the ball with new confidence following recent performances and if not for the speed of the Fleetwood wing Sean would have been certain to score wide left Changes throughout the game brought about more attacking options with Elliot coming in at lock freeing Matt to move back into his favoured center position. From the back of a ruck in the Fleetwood half Jake used an attacking grubber kick to pressure the opposition backs, Matt was first to it, a quick popped pass and Robbie was sent charging over to reach for his try. After unsuccessfully attempting the difficult kick Aidan left the field for a while to receive treatment for a couple of knocks. Ollie moved back to cover at full back and was very quickly called upon to make that all important tackle. Jacob moved to scrum half and provided the quick ball asked for by the backs.
A good spell by Fleetwood was rewarded when one of their players exploited our rush defence and went on to score bringing the game within their reach. Tarleton responded and moved up several gears and using Ben on the wing made good ground up the field. The ball came back in field and the forwards once again took it in turns to drive it in first Dan then George then James and Craig would either run or barge at their opposite numbers. The forwards provided good support to both Jacob and Sean when they set up a maul and drove them to the try line twice.
A quick pick and go from Will and he was rewarded with his 3rd (oops sorry) 2nd try of the game. George attempted the most difficult of conversions and was on target but the ball fell just short.
With the 2 try advantage restored Tarleton suffered a momentary lapse in concentration and the Leigh substitute ran through half our team to score their second. The kick came close and Tarleton sportingly applauded the effort. With 5 mins to go Pete and Sean came off having left it all on the field. Repeating his first run the same Fleetwood sub came at us again ( why they didn’t play him sooner?) He was stopped just before the line by some desperate defending from Ollie and Kieran. The final whistle soon followed to everyone’s relief.
It was great to see the team keep cool heads when put under pressure by a good side and decisions that were going against them. This was quite simply our best performance all season and the Fleetwood lad’s should be congratulated for the part they played in this competitive and well mannered match.
Man of the match this week was an impossible choice as every player took his game to another level today. My philosophy however is to not only reward good play but also good attitude. With this in mind the honour today was shared by Kieran, who has worked extremely hard in training and has been in contention for man of the match for the last few weeks due to his increased confidence, and to James for the very best reason, (COMMITMENT!) James who has shown great maturity lately and has also worked hard in training. James gave up a holiday this week to play for his team and due to a logistical error was forced to wear bright pink socks for today’s game. He was unphased by this and carried it off with style.
As Kieran captained the side during our first match of the year James will take the honour next week. Well done lads!
30 March 2008
Tarleton 27 Leigh 12
Leigh came to Tarleton a few players short and sportingly we loaned across Theo, Jake and Will to the concern of Chris who thought it a little too generous to loan such influential players. (oh ye of little faith!) Chris’s fears were realised after a sluggish start from Tarleton and good work from the on loan players meant Leigh opened the scoring early on and an excellent conversion put them 7 points clear.
Roused by a few choice words from myself our team swung into life determined not to let the visitors have it all their own way. James Harrison led the charge and was first to every ball during this spell of the game. Inspired by this Jordan George and Daniel upped their work rate. With big hits flying in from Robbie and Craig and Ryan dropping on every loose ball we started making good hard yards. Eventually Phil picked up and drove through for his first Tarleton try. Phil soon doubled his tally unfortunately in swirling winds both kicks were missed. Excellent running from Will and Theo and hard work around the rucks and mauls from Jake kept Leigh in the game until half time.
Changes were made at half time and to further even up the match our double try scorer was loaned across along with Aidan and Robbie. Tarleton were forced into defending until Craig broke through on the half way line. He looked certain to score until Phil chased him and with 5m to go scythed him down. Tarleton were first in support and Matt picked up to score next to the posts. The kick was expertly converted and with the score now 17 - 7 Tarleton were cruising. Two more quick tries , one on each wing, for Kieran and Will put the game seemingly beyond Leigh’s reach.
In the spirit of fair play Tarleton dropped to 14 players to further even the match. (there’s no point having an easy victory) Leigh were now in charge and remained so for the remainder of the match forcing Tarleton into some hard defending especially as we insisted on kicking away possession every time we won the ball. Excellent defending kept the visitors out until right at the end of the match when they scored right under the sticks. With Aidan’s boastworthy record they allowed him the honour and with the last kick of the match he. . . . . .MISSED! (not intentionally I can assure you)
This match marks yet another big step in Tarleton under 13’s development, this was no easy win and was deliberately made so. The way it was ground out in increasingly difficult circumstances says a lot about the efforts being made by the whole team.
The man of the match honours were once again shared by Matt and Theo, Matt for his desire to win and his competitive nature throughout the game and Theo for his willingness to play for the opposition and for competing fairly for both sides.
16 March 2008
Tarleton 35 Sefton 17
It was a lovely bright, almost (the wind always blows at Carr Lane) still spring morning that provided the setting for the under 13s fixture against local side Sefton. The visitors were a little light on numbers; sportingly Tarleton offered the loan of three players so that a fourteen a side fixture could be played.
Straight from the kick off Tarleton pressurised their opponents line, forcing a line out ten yards from the try line. This was followed by a scrum that saw Tarleton gain possession only to be held up over the try line. From the resulting scrum Tarleton were penalised for offside. Sefton tapped the penalty and their forwards made twenty yards down the field before being stopped, George Evans-Jones won the ball from the maul and fed the ball out to Kieran Rouffignac. Keiran showed great pace to run around the visitors defence to score the opening try. Jake Mann missed the conversion.
From the restart Tarleton gathered the ball and drove the ball back into their opponents half, successfully recycling the ball on several occasions, before Sefton were penalised for not rolling away. Tarleton took a quick tap and moved the ball along the backs to Matthew Oshinowe who appeared to have a clear run to the line but unfortunately failed to catch the ball and knocked on. From the resulting scrum Sefton won the ball and fed the ball to their inside centre who ran sixty yards to register an excellent solo try. Sefton converted this score to go into a two point lead.
This spurred Tarleton into their best period of the entire match. Firstly Rory Bramford raced thirty yards down the right wing to score an excellent wingers try, outpacing the attempted tacklers. This was quickly followed by a try for Jake Mann who managed to get his hand on the ball as players from both sides piled up in the in goal area following a speculative up and under. Then from a five metre scrum Robbie Pilcher pick up the ball and drove over the line to claim a superb “number 8s” try. Sadly all three conversions were missed.
When the half time whistle blew Tarleton were ahead by twenty five points to seven.
The second half started with Tarleton showing some great passing skills. The ball passed through twelve pairs of hands moving first left and then right as they advanced towards the opposition try line. But somehow the Sefton right winger managed to intercept the ball and streaked towards the Tarleton try line, eventually being tackled ten yards short. From the resulting scrum Sefton won the ball against the feed, they made no mistake with the ball and drove over the line to score their second try of the match; the conversion was missed.
Tarleton restarted and once again pressurised their opponents, but Sefton defended bravely putting in several last ditch tackles. Tarleton were awarded a scrum when Sefton knocked on in the tackle; from the scrum the ball was fed out along the backs and Sean Baxter popped up on the wing to claim a try in the corner. Once again the attempted conversion fell short. Try number seven followed shortly afterwards when Will Booth galloped to the line after some fine work by the Tarleton forwards.
With time running out Sefton were playing some fine rugby and had Tarleton camped inside their own twenty two for several minutes. Tarleton appeared to have weathered the storm and were pushing the visitors back but unfortunately conceded a scrum midway inside their own half. Sefton won the ball and one of their wing forwards ran the twenty yards to score the final try of the match. The conversion was missed and the referee blew for time. Tarleton had won a thoroughly entertaining match by thirty five points to seventeen.
For Tarleton this was a good performance built around some unselfish team work which saw the forwards making hard yards down the middle and then releasing the ball for the backs to make good yards in the space on the flanks. Notable amongst the forwards going forward were James Harrison and Dan Procter, whilst the hardest working tacklers were Jordan Bickerstaffe and Craig Bretherton.
The man of the match was a hard choice with three contenders; Jake Mann for his non stop competitive display, Kieran Rouffignac who had probably his best game showing some good direct running and getting the opening try; and Ollie Barham for a faultless display at full back, catching some excellent high balls and pulling off some excellent tackles, one of which prevented a certain try. After much deliberation the honour went to Ollie Barham.
Lastly a big thank you to Sefton for an excellent game of rugby played in the best spirit of the game and many thanks for another flawless display from the referee Sam Hardy.
2 December 2007
Tarleton 27 Rhyl 0
The pitch for this match was only just playable. With standing water along the touchlines and the odd puddle or six the referee declared the match on but ruled that scrums would be uncontested.
Rhyl kicked off into a strong wind and Tarleton ran the ball back at the visitors, Tarleton were awarded a penalty for an infringement in the tackle. The ball was tapped and passed to Matthew Oshinowe who made 20yds before he was tackled into touch and a line out awarded to Rhyl. From the line out Rhyl knocked on and the scrum went down; Tarleton head and ball. From the scrum Jacob Forshaw fed the ball to Will Booth who broke through the defensive line but was finally halted three or four yards from the try line. The Tarleton forwards drove into the maul, securing the ball which was fed out to Bradley Tomes who dived over the line to claim the home side’s first try of the morning. Aiden Miller missed the conversion.
From the restart Rhyl tried to catch the ball but unfortunately knocked on. Tarleton won the ball from the scrum and moved into the Rhyl half of the pitch. Sadly a promising move came to an end due to a handling error. The ball though was gathered by Rhyl and after making ten yards with ball in hand the Rhyl player booted the ball down field. As he chased the ball towards the Tarleton line it looked like a certain try but somehow Will Booth won the foot race and managed to touch the ball done preventing a certain try.
Rhyl were now asking questions of the Tarleton side and they managed another long range break that had try written all over it but inexplicably the Rhyl winger knocked on with the try line at his mercy. From the resulting scrum Tarleton worked their way back onto the offensive. They gained a good position in the middle of their opponents half when they were awarded a penalty for offside. The ball was given to Bradley Tomes and from about 15yds out he broke through the visitors’ line and scored his second try of the morning. Once again Aiden Miller missed the conversion.
Tarleton gained the ball from the restart and immediately put pressure on the Rhyl try line. Rhyl tackled ferociously to keep Tarleton at bay. Will Booth came close to scoring but was tackled by at least three Rhyl defenders. Unfortunately Rhyl infringed twice in the melee on the line. From the second penalty Jake Mann went close and managed to release the ball to will Booth. Will found a gap in the defence and claimed a lovely try; he also added the conversion to put Tarleton seventeen nil up at half time.
The second half began with both sides playing a high amount of aerial rugby. At one point the match resembled a game of “rugby tennis” as both sides seemed intent on kicking the casing off the ball. This was followed by a series of penalties that moved Tarleton up field and saw them once again putting pressure on the visitors try line. Rhyl tried to ease the pressure by kicking the ball clear. The ball though was caught by Will Thompson who streaked through the defence to score a great solo try. Unfortunately he missed the conversion.
With time running out Tarleton once again pressurised the Rhyl try line. A series of mauls and drives near the line set up some good platforms to attack from. Dan Procter went very close but was forced back. Then Bradley Tomes managed to cross the line and claim his hat trick try, and with it three budgies!
When the final whistle came both sets of players had given 100% in atrocious conditions. The score line did not do justice to Rhyl who competed for the entire match and did not deserved to be on the end of a twenty-seven nil score line.
For Tarleton this was a great display of controlled rugby. In what was a great team display the two outstanding players were Bradley Tomes for his try hat-trick and Jacob Forshaw for a battling display at scrum half in very trying conditions. These two players share the man of the match award.
Lastly a big thank to the ladies behind the counter, Laura, carol, Nicola, and Mrs Wood for another match winning display of burgers, sausages, bacon and welcome brews served before, during, and after the match.
18 November 2007
Tarleton 0 Bury 27
Tarleton went into this week’s Lancashire cup match with 5 players missing from key positions including flanker, prop and centre. One notable absence was Brad Tomes whose family is celebrating the birth of their new baby boy. Congratulations from all the team. Despite the change to our planned line up we put up a really strong performance. Once again the score didn’t reflect the way we played so as a change to the normal format I will comment on our team’s performance today on a position by position basis:
Robbie, Prop: Good reliable, no nonsense propping and excellent crashing through.
Craig, Hooker: Mr consistent, never has a bad game and today was no exception. Great accurate throws.
Matthew, Prop: Not where Matt thought he was going to play today but he was strong as an ox and produced the tackle of the day.
Jordan, 2nd Row: Different player so far this season good hard work from a real unsung hero. Formed a good partnership today with . . . . .
Ryan A, 2nd Row: Growing in confidence with every game good driving into rucks and mauls today.
James, Flanker: Showed great promise in flanker position last week and once again today. Good ball handling and hand off technique today.
Daniel, Flanker: Targeted by opposition because of his ability. Got knocked down but got up and was right back in their faces every time they got the ball.
Ryan B, Number 8: Solid as ever, didn’t just drive players into touch, he sent them to another time zone.
Jake, Scrum Half/Fly Half: Quick ball from scrum and ruck and good use of boot especially in first minute. Moved to fly half for last 5 mins.
Will B, Fly Half/Centre: As ever Will was everywhere today. Whenever Bury ran at us he was there to stop them and was first to nearly every kick.
Rory, Centre: Not phased at all by size of opposition running at him. Rory showed excellent technique in bringing down anyone who came his way.
Kieran, Winger: Much more confident handling since losing the gloves, never dropped a ball today even when given a difficult “blind” take on the hoof.
Jacob, Winger/Scrum Half: Another very versatile player who is lightning fast and punches far above his weight. (figuratively speaking of course) Good accurate ball from scrum.
Will T, Centre/ Winger: Certainly didn’t look like he’s only been playing this year.
Will’s improving every week and good linking today with the other backs.
Aidan, Full Back: Another sterling performance today and good Captains game. Fantastic use of the boot today.
Theo, Winger: Came on from the bench following injury last week but showed no signs of it. Very quickly into the pace of the game and very nearly scored.
This week’s Man of The Match was a difficult choice as everyone played so well. In the end it was down to two players who raised their game this week and for extreme hard work and excellent tackling technique will both receive the award. Well done to Will B and Rory. (you’ll have to flip a coin for the captains armband.) Well done lads.
11 November 2007
Tarleton 7 Widnes 24
Tarleton U13 travelled to Widnes with confidence following their Lancashire cup win over Blackpool last week. A delay in accessing the changing rooms meant we only had 20 mins to prepare for the match.
Both sides stood firm during the 2 minute silence despite the biting wind and rain.
Widnes being the better warmed up started brighter and before too long had opened their account with a try and converted kick. Tarleton, once warm, settled into the game and before too long had a few good chances of their own. The best of these came when a quick ball was passed out to will on the wing as Tarleton cleverly created an overlap. The weather then dealt us a bitter blow as strong wind and rain forced the ball to be dropped right on the line.
The game was now taken up by the forwards in the middle of the field with excellent rucking and mauling skills being shown. ( Thanks to Mr Cromack for the extra training on Saturday morning). Solid driving by Daniel and George at flanker and Brad and Robbie at prop meant we now won plenty of ball. Good support running from Ryan, Jordan and Craig gained us lots of ground.
Widnes were pushed back by an improving Tarleton side and started to resort to kicking clear. Every kick was confidently taken by Aidan at full back and he ran the ball back linking in well with Will, Sean and Kieran to apply even more pressure.
Our replacements were now feeling the cold on the touchline so all four were brought on at once into varying positions. These lads were all keen to get warm and show their stuff and seemed to raise the speed of the game. Kane Entwistle (on his debut) made several solid tackles forcing turn overs. One such ball found Ryan B who ran then grubber kicked through to the Widnes try line. Quick as a flash Will B pounced on it just outside the sticks and a try was scored. Will also kicked the conversion earning us 7 valuable points and tying the game just before the half time whistle.
The second half was much more physical than the first and several players went down injured. Theo after doing some nice running on the wing went over on his ankle and unfortunately was unable to rejoin the game. Kane after tackling Widnes’ biggest player was slammed to the ground and also had to come off for a few minutes to recover.
More reshuffles were needed and, after securing good ball from the scrum, Jake was moved into fly half and made good use of the boot to gain more ground.
Rory and Jacob, playing in different positions played very well made good strong tackles against much bigger opponents. Good diagonal running from the pair took the ball clear of trouble on a number of occasions. Aidan at full back and Sean at centre seemed to be everywhere whenever Widnes broke covering and making important stops.
As the game went on it seemed to become even rougher and when Ryan B was knocked down and winded it opened the door for Widnes to break through and score again. Yet another reshuffle was required and Ryan A returned to the field to firm up the second row again. With Daniel now playing number 8 it meant James got the opportunity to play flanker and he relished the opportunity by picking up and running hard at the opposition defence then turning to set up the backs running on.
Unfortunately as tiredness set in Widnes managed to score twice more and converted one of them. The final score of 24-7 once again didn’t reflect the effort put in by Tarleton but more important than that was the obvious progress we have made as a team. I feel with more time to prepare for the game we may have faired even better.
Man of the match for this week was Aidan Miller who over recent weeks has reaffirmed his position as one of the hardest working players in our squad. (Well done Aidan.)
4 November 2007
Tarleton 30* Blackpool 0
It was a bright, still autumn morning that provided the setting for the under 13s Lancashire Cup fixture against local rivals Blackpool. The visitors were a little light on players; sportingly Tarleton offered a couple of players so that a full fifteen a side fixture could be played.
Tarleton began the match in a very positive manner forcing the visitors onto the defensive straight from the kick off. Jake Mann booted a high ball into the middle of the Blackpool defence, players from both sides scrapped for possession. Tarleton secured the ball and Ryan Ball ran to the line unopposed to open the scoring; Ryan then converted his try to make the score seven nil to Tarleton.
The second try came straight from the training ground. Tarleton were awarded a scrum about fifteen yards from the line. Ryan Ball, number eight, picked up the ball from the base of the scrum and ran through the visitors defensive line to claim his second try of the morning; unfortunately he missed the conversion.
Ryan Ball’s hat trick try came when he gathered the ball from a maul and ran ten metres to the line to score a fine solo try which he also converted to put Tarleton 19 points in front inside fifteen minutes. Tarleton’s fourth try came from Will Booth who was in support to round off a good break from flanker George Evans-Jones. Then Aiden Miller claimed try number five when he was on the end of a slick passing movement running through unopposed. With half-time nearing there was just time for Ryan Ball to score his fourth try of the morning with a copycat score of try number two as he once again broke from the base of the scrum.
Within minutes of the restart Tarleton extended their lead when Will Booth broke clear from deep in his own half to run over sixty yards to claim a fabulous solo try. The try was converted by Ryan A. The next try came when Tarleton were penalty for offside near the middle of the pitch. Tarleton took a quick tap and the ball was eventually fed out to Aiden Miller who ran through to score under the posts; Aiden then converted the kick to claim a seven point score. Tarleton’s final points of the match came from the boot of Jake Mann who landed a penalty from 25 yards.
Remarkably this seemed to spark Blackpool into life and they hit back with two well worked tries; one from each of their wingers. By the time the referee blew for time Blackpool were competing for every ball and asking questions of the home side’s defence.
This was an excellent cup tie played in great spirit by two very sporting teams. A big vote of thanks to the referee Mr Wood who handled the match with calm authority and minimal whistle; thus allowing a most enjoyable game to flow.
21 October 2007
Tarleton 5 Winnington park 30*
Our match this week was against Winnington Park in Northwich. During the warm up you could sense relief that the Winnington team, with the exception of one player, were nowhere near the size of last weeks opponents.Half term holidays meant we were down to 15 players and as it happened so were the home side.
The first half saw good pressure and defence at both ends of the pitch with a number of scoring chances falling our way. Slight handling errors because of a slippery ball was the only thing that kept us out of the points. At one point Kieran on the overlap looked certain to score however the wet ball and a difficult take meant it was knocked on right on the line.
Once again in this game Tarleton forwards dominated the scrum winning all of our scrums and most of the oppositions. The power and experience of the front row of Robbie, Craig and Brad, kept tight by locks James and Ryan A. was too much for them. When you add into this pack Daniel and George at flanker (both earned praise from opposition supporters for their flanking work) and Ryan B. at 8 it’s no wonder the ref had to tell them not to push so far.
Winnington Park broke the deadlock when a returned kick caught Aiden at full back chasing upfield, the Winnington players ran through and, spotting the vacant full back position, Sean streaked back to clear. His hacked kick to send the ball dead was hampered by extremely long grass and a lightning fast Winnington back pounced on the ball to score. Despite our usual dominance of territory and possession Tarleton once again failed to find the finish that their hard work deserved. Several solo trys to Winnington ensued as they slipped tackles and broke through our back line.
During one passage of play Tarleton looked sure to score with wave after wave of attack once again being halted by a good defence. Winnington kicked clear and the spinning ball ran along, but just inside, the touchline. Aiden picked up and with a well placed diagonal kick towards the posts caught Winnington off guard. Tarleton won the chase but just as the ball was about to be touched down the referee blew for a line out as he thought the ball had previously gone in touch.
Another Winnington try early in the second half fired up Tarleton and the backs now began to find some space to run into. Will Thompson, playing his first game, showed good promise by catching and running in kicks, taking passes on the wing and dropping on loose balls to secure them. (well done Will. The understanding between Will B. at fly half, Sean at inside centre and Jacob at outside centre was now growing and the ball moved more freely between them.
With Aiden at full back bursting through the attacking line it seemed only time before Tarleton would be rewarded. A diagonal run from Jake at scrum half set up Craig to crash through toward the line. Support from Daniel arrived at exactly the right time and he was able to score a try in the corner. The huge pitch and long grass meant the conversion was a near impossibility but Ryan gave it his best shot, the kick was on target but slightly short of the posts.
Tarleton now believed in themselves and even the forwards were running like backs especially Craig who showed tremendous flair by running the angle and spinning off 4 tackles before releasing the ball to a supporting player. This self belief and flair has won Craig this week’s man of the match award and he will captain the side in our Lancashire cup match against Blackpool.
Tarleton went all out for trys now and before long were pushing for another in the opposite corner. Excellent side stepping by Will B. saw him come close under the sticks and as the ball came back out to the wing Kieran dived for the line. It seemed every time Tarleton looked like scoring a scrum or penalty to Winnington was awarded allowing them to clear.
Frustration was now playing it’s part and hard tackles were flying in from both sides. As neither side had any subs the final whistle came at exactly the right time with several players finishing the game with a knock or two. With the passion they show for the game even in defeat I have no doubt Tarleton U13 will now be aiming to turn good play and possession into match wins.
14 October 2007
Tarleton 0 Preston Grasshoppers 30*
This weekend Tarleton U13’s made the relatively short journey to Preston.
It was clear from the start this was not going to be an easy game with most of the Preston pack a good foot taller and much heavier than our biggest players.
An early try by Preston didn’t seem to phase Tarleton who threw themselves straight back into the mix. Players were taking big hits all over the field but kept getting back up and going in again. When, the usually unstoppable James Harrison came off for an injured shoulder a reshuffle was required. Ryan Ball came into the number 8 position however even his power wasn’t enough to break through the Preston forward line.
Tarleton enjoyed good possession and territory at times but weren’t able to capitalize on it by getting a try.
Numerous substitutions were made during the game in order to rest players. Daniel Proctor was introduced into the flanker position and used excellent technique to bring down the big forwards on several occasions. As a result of the substitutions a number of players played in different positions notably Jacob Forshaw playing scrum half and Brad Tomes playing number 8 and 2nd row. The breakthrough almost came late in the second half when good hands and running in the backs nearly earned Will Booth a try.
This was always going to be a tough game, even more so if it’s your debut. Theo Kewen handled his first game with us very well indeed. Once again the Tarleton spirit shown by this weeks Captain, Matthew Oshinowo shone through and as ever the boys enjoyment of the game meant the result didn’t matter. The lads should feel very proud of their performance.
This weeks man of the match for his determined tackling and good technique is Daniel Proctor. Daniel will Captain the game against Winnington Park next week.
7 October 2007
Tarleton 26 Manchester 19
Tarleton U13s traveled to Manchester this Sunday for their first Lancashire cup tie of the season. Unfortunately only 14 players were available on the day however Manchester very kindly loaned us one of their players to fill the wing position.
The kick off was taken by Tarleton only to be collected by a Manchester player who duly ran it back, his pace and power too much for the on loan winger. Tarleton could only look on as his try was scored under the sticks. The kick was converted and Tarleton, a little shell shocked, shouted at themselves to get it together.
At the restart Matthew Oshinowo was first to the Manchester line scything down the ball taker with a perfectly timed tackle. For the rest of the first half we were firmly camped in the Manchester half. There was good interlinking between Will Booth, Aidan Millar and Jacob Forshaw moving the ball first one way then the other with good support at breakdowns from Robbie Pilcher, George Evans-Jones and Craig Bretherton. The forwards worked hard driving the ball into the “wall like” Manchester defence.
Another break down the wing brought our captain, Jordan Bickerstaffe, streaking across to make an important tackle right in front of our ever supportive crowd. Unfortunately the ball was gathered up and run back towards our try line where another try was scored once again under the sticks. The kick was converted and the game restarted.
Tarleton were once again back in the Manchester half winning scrum after scrum thanks to determined tackling and pressure in the rucks from James Harrison and Ryan Ashton in the centre of the field. Twice we turned the ball over, broke and were only denied tries by forced knock ons right on the line.
Persistent pressure seemed to be paying off until Manchester once again broke free heading for the same gap they had used before. Another Manchester try however this time the conversion was missed. The score was now 19 – 0 to Manchester.
Rory Bramford was now moved to the right wing to close this avenue and the loan player to full back.
With only minutes left till the break Tarleton once again pushed forward, the ball was passed out to the wing where Kieran Rouffignac took it on only to be stopped once more before he could find his stride. Back infield the ball came and this time Will kicked through for Rory to chase only to be blocked out and the ball go dead.
Jake Mann sensing only moments left kicked and chased, George gathered a loose ball and made a charge at the Manchester wall who’s defending was as good as I’ve seen in junior rugby. Inevitably the breakthrough came, Ryan Ball powered for the line shrugging off tackles as he went. Eventually under the weight of about 5 tacklers he crashed to the ground scoring a try for Tarleton. Ryan converted and the half time whistle was blown.
Driven on by their try and the dominating territory Tarleton started the second half as they had ended the first by applying pressure on Manchester’s defence. About 10 minutes into the second half Manchester broke out with a classic counter attack. With most of the Tarleton team up field expecting to score the opposition player slipped two tackles then out sprinted the borrowed full back to score another converted try.
With the score now at 26 – 7 Matthew rallied the lads shouting encouragement and soon they were all shouting and getting fired up. Back into the Manchester half where a beautifully passed ball towards the overlap was once more knocked from Kieran’s hands just as a try was about to be scored.
Again we came back with Will, Aidan and Jacob linking well to put Rory away down the wing. The ball came back in field and a loose ball picked up by a Manchester player who froze and was sent crashing to the ground by Craig. Robbie, following up, grabbed the ball and dived over for a try. Jake secured the 2 points and at 26 – 14 it was now game on. With Tarleton confidence now high they went straight on the attack Jordan, George, Ryan A, and James making hard yards then feeding the ball out to the backs to run with. From a penalty Ryan B burst through once more and the cheer went up for our third try.
Unfortunately the referee had seen a Manchester hand under the ball and a 5m Tarleton scrum was awarded.
Frustration boiled over now and the referee was on the receiving end. Not liking the back chat (and rightly so) he awarded a penalty to the opposition, a chance to clear their lines. Back once more came Tarleton and a very unselfish draw and pass move by Aidan and Will Put Rory away on the overlap scoring right in the corner. A left footed kicker was required and Ryan A very bravely stepped up to take the kick. His kick flew straight and true but just fell short of the crossbar.
With the score now set at 26 – 19 and sensing a possible victory Tarleton kept pushing with darting runs from Kieran and Jacob and several scrums won convincingly. With only one minute to go an uncharacteristic mistake in our line out gave Manchester a chance to kick clear and as Jake kicked up field for Rory to chase the final whistle blew.
Back in the dressing room the boys buzzed in light of their performance, in fact Matthew summed up the feeling best by saying “we lost but it feels like we won.” This attitude towards his rugby along with his fearsome tackling and support play has won him this week’s Man Of The Match Award and means he will captain the side next week against Preston Grasshoppers.
Well done to this week’s captain Jordan who definitely played a captains game.
Special thanks goes to the Manchester team for such a well spirited game, John Murphy (ref) and Ollie for playing for the opposition.
30 September 2007
Tarleton 24 Sedgley Park 7
It was a large squad of under 13s that welcomed Sedgley Park to Carr Lane for their opening fixture of the 2007-08 season. This was fortunate as the visitors were a couple of players short; sportingly Tarleton offered a couple of players so that a full fifteen a side match could be played.
Click here to see a set of "youtube" photographs taken during the match.
Tarleton began the match with an inviting high hanging kick into the middle of their opponents half. Sedgley gathered the ball but were immediately surrounded by a very keen set of forwards, well led by Robbie Pilcher and James Harrison who seemed to relish the opportunity to put in some hard hits early in the game. After several minutes of mauling and spoiling in the Sedgley half Tarleton were awarded a scrum in the middle of the pitch. Jake Mann fed the scrum and when the ball came out he moved it smartly to his supporting runners. The Tarleton side moved the ball forward recycling it at each ruck and maul. Then Craig Bretherton gathered the ball about eight metres short of the line he evaded the cover defence to score a fine try and open the morning’s scoring. Despite the kick being from near the left hand touch line Ryan Bell landed a fine conversion to put Tarleton seven points ahead.
From the restart Tarleton gathered the ball and moved steadily back into the oppositions half. At this point the home side were running the ball with great purpose and the forwards were first at every breakdown driving the Sedgley Park off the ball to give the Tarleton side plenty of quick ball. The second try was not long in coming. Tarleton were awarded a try about twelve metres from their opponents line. The Tarleton scrum drove their opponents back; Ryan Ball picked up the ball from the base of the scrum, brushed aside a couple of attempted tacklers and drove over the line to score an excellent solo try. Unfortunately the conversion was missed.
Tarleton were now rampant as the visitors had no answer to the power of the home side’s forwards who were bossing the scrums and the breakdowns. It was no surprise when second rower Jordan Bickerstaffe rounder a lovely flowing move to claim his first try of the season. Once again the conversion was missed but Tarleton had increased their lead to seventeen points.
For the remainder of the match it was agreed to play uncontested scrums in a bid to balance out the power of the respective forward packs. As half time drew closer Sedgley gradually worked their way back into the fixture and Tarleton were forced to rely upon some good defensive play by Rory Bramford and Jacob Forshaw to keep the opposition away from scoring. The half time whistle blew and Tarleton brought on a couple of replacements; whilst the Sedgley coach delivered a motivational talk to his team.
Sedgley began the second half with much more purpose and began to battle toe to toe with Tarleton for possession of the football and spent much more time in the Tarleton half. They were asking more questions of the home sides defence and on several occasions looked like they might open their scoring. Prominent for Tarleton at the breakdowns were George Evans-Jones and Jake Mann who worked tirelessly to try and maintain a good supply of ball. Whilst Aiden Millar, Will Booth and Sean Baxter worked overtime tackling an increasingly confident set of Sedgley backs. With the pressure building on the Tarleton defence it was no surprise when the visitors’ right winger rounded a fine passing move to open Sedgley’s account. When they kicked the conversion the Tarleton lead was down to ten points.
This score seemed to spark Tarleton back into life. From the restart they moved up field putting pressure onto their opponents and began running with great purpose again. With time running Tarleton were awarded a scrum about twenty yards out. Jake Mann passed the ball out from the scrum to Will Booth who ran towards the line but was tackled a few metres short. The Tarleton forwards drove over the resulting ruck and the ball came back to Ryan Bell. Ryan made no mistake and rolled/dived over under the posts to claim the final try of the match. He then got to his feet, placed the ball and added the two points to make the final score 24 points to 7.
Man of the match was Jordan Bickerstaffe for his hard work and unselfish running throughout the entire match.
This was a great start to the season played by two very sporting teams; thanks go to the Tarleton players who agreed to wear the Sedgley Park shirts for the morning and the referee, Sam Hardy, who officiated the match with a minimum of fuss.
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