The Twickenham Dream
The draw for the 3rd midlands round of the RFU Junior Vase has given us home advantage against Telford, a team that are in a parallel league to ourselves. The match is scheduled for Saturday 10th November with a 2.15 kick off..
Under 10 news from 'Aussie' John Gaffey
Not only was John a great back row player, he has also developed management skills so read on!
Sunday Old Yard's U10's band of supporters travelled to woodrush to watch them play the home side..
Following a successful training session against them at Kings Norton where we ran in 16 tries we knew that they would be deperate to reverse the result.
Earlier on in the week it was looking sparse on the player front but with a couple of old faces turning up, we again made the weight with a bare 9 players.
This weeks line up included Ollie Lonie, Shane Desnos-Charmant, Ethan Hart, Ollie Dickson, Ethan Houghton, Toby Good, Josh Tallis, and it was good Jake Lowe and Aidan Gaffey back playing.
We decided with Woodrush that we would play 3 ten minute sessions and as they had a few more players than us it worked to our advantage.
Woodrush definitely upped their game and Old Y's weren't able to steal as much ball as they were able to in their previous encounter. It was tight through all three thirds of the game with both teams trading tries. Again Ollie L ran as he always does, ran straight and hard with the opposition finding it difficult to deal with his speed and size. He could have scored his third try of the game except he was held up over the line. Ethan Hart tackled well again for the second week proving that he will develop into a great defender. Ethan Houghton, having started playing only about 5 week ago is learning fast and is realising that he can make good use of his size by runnning straight and hard and his try was a just reward for his efforts.
Toby is starting to find find his feet again with some good straight runs and he proved very solid in the scrums. Ollie D and Josh also ran well scoring 3 tries between them with Ollie also tackling well. This weeks game threw up some very good mauling with both teams trying to drive the maul forward. The support for the ball carrier was encouraging with some good offloads to players in support and the tackled players going to ground were laying the ball back to team mates following.
Shane played well and is growing in confidence and is another player who is starting to realise the advantage of his size by running straight and hard and not stopping when he goes into contact.He was rewarded with a try for his efforts and I'm sure there will be many more. For our two returning player, both made valuable contributions. Aidan proved that size isn't a barrier to tackling and Jake, playing his very first game is coming to grips with field positioning and made some very good runs and has shown that he is not scared to go forward.
All in all another encouraging run out and you can see improvement in the boys in every game. It was a very enjoyable game to referee from my perspective and talking to the multitude of spectators after the game, seems it was just as enjoyable to watch. Most importantly, the boys enjoyed themselves. Thanks also to Woodrush who played well and showed very good improvement from our last game.
Final Result Old Y's 8 tries - Woodrush 6 tries
Scorers were Ollie L 2, Ollie D 2, Ethans Hart 1, Eathan Houghton 1, Shane 1 and Josh T 1
Results from the weekend
First XV played hosts to Coventry Welsh in a league match. From the start the Yards looked to be well on top of their spirited opponents. As the game progressed the points total for the home side gradually built up and to be honest the Welsh rarely got into our half. The final score was 34-0 which gives us a winning bonus point but with a little more sharpness there could have been an even greater winning margain..
The Development XV were also at home with the opposition being Moseley Oak, a mostly youthful team who, given the possesion and space, would have been dangerous in attack particularly their fly half Matt Durber, a product of Alderbrook School, the one-time base of our club coach, Richard McCrainor. However, our boys used their initiative and kept the ball tight only spreading it as the gaps appeared. A fascinating battle saw the Ys win a close-fought game by 10-7.
The Vandals played at home against an Aston Old Eds team which showed greater direction on the pitch than their sat navs were in getting them to the wilds of Tilehouse Lane. A pulsating game finished with a victory for the Yards by 29-22. Interesting to see that club chairman, Sid, claims to be too old to get into the team yet club President, Steve Painter (Dip F.D.) a man who is entitled to free public transport, if he wants it, can play for 75 minutes. See full match report below.
Fixtures this weekend
Saturday 27th Oct
First XV v Birmingham Exiles away N. Mids Vase 2.30 kick off
(note, Exiles now play at Damson Lane, former home of Civil Service)
Development XV v Evesham Home Kick off 3.00
Vandals XV v Edwardian 2nds Away Merit table k.off 3.00
Sunday 28 th Oct Under 17s v Camp Hill away 11.00 League match
Good to see
Watching the games at Yards last saturday was a strong representation from Alderbrook School. One time rugby players (allegedly) Pete Johnners and Larry Cahn, a man who played for Erdington in the 'dark ages' are both becoming part of the scenery at the club. On sunday morning it was also nice to see the one time Yards prop and first team skipper, Lee Perks, who to me looks young enough to play some rugby. Well, if Fridge still plays then I'm sure that Lee could.
Vandals vs Aston Old Eds 3rds - full match report
Last Saturday we faced a real stiff test in our fourth Greater Birmingham Merit League fixture when Aston Old Edwardians 3rds came a calling to Tilehouse Lane, oh for those of you who don't remember....that's where we play our home games.
This week's starting starting eight then Shannon "Deano" Killarney, Rick "Swing" Lowe & Mark "Gethin" Baldwin in the front row, Peter “Fridge” Butler partnering John "Casper" Lonie in the utility room, with a back row of Nick "the Assassin" Levey, Chris "Golfball" Rowe and Ali "Spasm" Gouldbourn at No.8.
At nine Phil "the General" Evans with his long time partner Ian "Nev" Neville at fly half , in midfield Max "Gimo" Gimson & Jace "the Ace" Goodwin with Simon "Sideways" Singleton & Alex "Conan" Doyle on the wings, Smokin' having been pinched yet again, and Dave "Ralph" Rollins sweeping up the Autumnal leaves at full back .
With everything this week from plantar faciitis (look it up), dirty weekend in Blackpool, cultural exchange visit to Iceland, the Birmingham Half Marathon, and shooting wildlife, a small bench in Mike "Nearly" Neary fresh from breaking his finger, Steve "Mr President" Painter and late addition to the squad Dan "the Man" Green.
A late morning appointment also of the referee and a new face to us in Mr Stuart Garrett, from a couple of levels up, and who's claim to fame was being introduced to Pete Butler in a pub ten some years ago, shaking him firmly by the hand and saying "Hello Fudge"...can be noisy places pubs!!
For once Stunt skipper Lonie loses the toss but Aston choose to face, choosing to defend the Highgate end on the wet grassy tundra of Pitch 3. Anyway with three Aston players lost in transit and everybody's patience exhausted the game kicked off a good twenty minutes late, with them still missing, but with I think thirteen on the park but still dangerous with their exceptional No.8 Darren Gardner amongst their ranks.
It's a low trajectory special from Nev that makes the required ten metres...just, but Aston kick it straight into touch and we come back for the first lineout of the game a yard or so inside their ten metre. Gethin's throw hits Alistair, but the throw's deemed not straight by the ref and we come infield for the game's first scrum without wing forwards for both sides (as unlike the old days we now have to match their numbers). The first one goes ninety and we get the put in. Steady ball on our feed, and the General spins to Nev, Jace the Ace comes in on the first scissors of the day and scythes his way to the twenty two where he's finally tackled, we set, spin blind Phil finds Sideways and he weaves his way through their defence and goes over for the game's first try 5-0 and Ralph makes it look easy 7-0.
The Aston restart goes out on the full and we come back for the scrum in the middle, we split the line, and fake right then come back left, Max breaks the first couple and finds Golfball, who spins long to Nev who in turn finds Jace who makes good ground before taking it into contact and the Massive drive him on. We spin again, Phil to Max, he goes to ground, whistle goes and the Aston skipper goes ballistic accusing us of kicking. NOT something we do, we leave that for the Coventry sides, and he gets no change out of the referee either for the alleged offence and we come back for a scrum on halfway for an earlier Aston infringement (no idea I missed it before you ask)
Ball comes straight out of the flankerless scrum, so we have another go. The General draws the penalty as the scrum half comes round, ref plays advantage and we spin, Nev dummy scissors with Jace, sees the gap, and goes through, offloads to Chris in support, who pops it to Alistair at pace who does a hop step & a jump as he's hit by the sniper on the grassy knoll (diagnosed later as a torn quad) and spoons the ball forward for a scrum to Aston on their twenty two. Al soldiers on for this one, as Aston spin and their rangy centre makes a clean break up the middle, finds a friend on halfway and a good bit of interplay sees them all the way to inside our twenty two before being stopped. They spin and their fly half receives & dummies, but he's tackled by Nick and goes to ground, we come over offside, penalty advantage in front of the posts, but they don't need it as they quickly spin through the hands & go over wide out for a good counterattacking try 7-5 conversion missed; and with that Alistair has to limp off. Steve Painter at 63 the Club's President & oldest player comes on at second row, Fridge moves into the front row and Shannon switches to No.8.
Shortly after the missing car load arrive and Aston are back up to the full compliment and scrums go from League back to Union. The game becomes increasingly niggly as the half wears on and the ref has to call the two skippers into his office a couple of times as the forwards become boisterous. If you're reading we simply don't kick people when on the ground, we're just too old for all that cobblers!
And it's from a penalty a few minutes later in front of the posts that Ralph (after some deliberation) improves our account 10-5, incidentally still only the third penalty we have opted to take a pot at this season, indicating the Vandal ethos of running or kicking to the corners at every opportunity, but guess we knew this one was going to be tight.
Chris takes the restart and passes to the Pres who finds the General but his kick goes out on the full so it's a lineout to Aston just outside our twenty two. They take it cleanly and their tall scrum half simply steps his way all the way to the line to score close to the posts as we miss tackle after tackle, definitely one to forget, but in fairness a good individual effort from their Nine 10-10 and with the conversion they go into the lead for the first time 10-12.
The half's remaining few minutes are spent camped around the Aston twenty two, and despite Rick & his mates taking a good one against the head, and Nick towering above at the lineouts a couple of dropped passes thwart our attempts to regain the lead before halftime.
Halftime 10-12 and Big Mick is asked by his skipper not to talk to us anymore, and so we all listen to Casper's sage words instead.
We come out brightly in the second half and a few minutes in a spilled catch from their fullback sees us with an attacking scrum midway between the Aston ten & twenty two metre lines; we spin, Phil to Nev, double dummy from Max & Jace, Ralph comes hurtling into the line and sets young Alex on his way down the tram lines, he puts it back inside to Ralph, back to Alex but the move breaks down with an Aston hand which on another day might have been adjudged as a deliberate knock on. Still good attacking scrum about ten or so metres from their line. They put our eight under pressure but with the second shove we get the ball away to Nev, another double dummy in midfield to Simon, back inside to Max, he offloads to Chris who takes it into contact, we clear them out, & Phil digs the ball out, spins to Max to Jace to Simon and he goes over in the corner for his second and brings it round to make Ralph's job that much more easy 15-12 which he does 17-12.
Shannon takes the deep restart and just escapes his opposite number's attention and offloads to Chris who takes the difficult catch and takes it into contact, we set, Phil, to Nev, to Max, to Jace, to Simon who kicks ahead both he and Max give chase, their fly half improvises a good fly hack back in our direction, the ball's fielded, passed the General who jinks his way past a couple (before getting bored, his words) and offloads to Shannon in support...but the ball is literally plucked out of Shannon's hands by their No.8 Darren Gardner who then runs a good forty or fifty metres (told you he was good) before releasing his winger who goes over (despite Alex trying to jump on him) virtually under the posts. But in his moment of triupmh the ref hears their feisty winger unnecessarily use the C word and puts him in the bin for ten minutes to better improve his vocabulary, and whilst the try & subsequent conversion stand
17-19 the ref gives us some solace by awarding us a penalty from the restart.
Our third try of the day follows on a few minutes later when Fridge goes on a solo charge from a quickly taken penalty just inside the Aston twenty two, bouncing two or three would be tacklers before offloading to Golfball on his shoulder a few metres out to crash over ten metres to the right of the posts
22-19 and Ralph slots his third of the day 24-19
Our final score starts with a speculative kick over the top by the General, but the defender makes a hash of it and knocks on, but who should be chasing down the kick, the gazelle like Casper, who toe pokes the loose ball ahead, then scoops it up at the gallop, offloads to Nick Levey in support, who passes to Mike Neary, who finds Dan Green who keeps the attack going but is finally stopped, he turns we set, the ball finds the Pres who passes to Mike who gets inside their twenty two before going to ground. We recycle and young Dan comes away with the ball and his strong run gets him to within a metre or so of the line before popping it to the General who doesn't need the indicated penalty advantage as he scampers over to score 29-19. Ralph's conversion attempt just misses, but there's daylight between the two sides now.
As in recent weeks the opposition finish with the final score of the day when needing two scores for a least a draw they opt to take a penalty kick inside our twenty two 29-22. Despite lots of late pressure the closest Aston come to scoring an equaliser follows another barnstorming break by No.8 Gardner whose subsequent kick ahead results in a straight foot race between Symes and Aston's (already limping) replacement winger, never in doubt as Simon touches down with yards to spare.
Final Score 29-22 (contrary to Aston's website where they actually won the game 22-27) Final age 679
Man in the dirtiest shirt this week goes to young Nick Levey who at 49 still tackles like a twenty year old, and caught everything thrown at him by Gethin.
This week some more GB Merit Table action again over at Old Eds 2nds.
Slow