SUCCESS AT STAMFORD FOR UNDER 10’S

Kesteven U10’s travelled to Stamford Rugby Club on a chilly Mothers Day morning ready for a fun day of Rugby. A much loved local festival saw the team playing four matches against Stamford 1, Stamford 2, West Norfolk and Lincoln.

From the very start Kesteven looked to show everyone how well they were progressing and that they were ready to play some running rugby, strong attacking carries and a solid defensive effort lead to a couple of early tries in their first match against Stamford 2. Carrying the same form into the second half with some outstanding work to put pressure on the Stamford attack, Kesteven managed to notch up three more tries without response largely thanks to some excellent tackling. Final Score Kesteven 5 - 0 Stamford 2

After a short break K’s headed into their second match to find a sterner test from their opposition, but once again through some solid tackling from the likes of Gilbert Hall, Connor Smith and Zaccai Griffiths and some excellent jackalling by Hugo Welham they were able to repel Stamford 1 and take the lead with a well worked try up the right side of the pitch. From the restart saw an almost carbon copy of the previous try, with some beautiful running from Ollie Atter and an excellent offload to the supporting Zaccai Griffiths to run in the second of the game. Stamford then came back with a great try of their own through some strong running and Kesteven conceded their first of the day. The second half continued to be very competitive, but eventually K’s managed to score a third before the end to solidify the scoreboard. Final Score Kesteven 3 - 1 Stamford 1

Taking straight to the field against a West Norfolk side they had never played before, Kesteven found themselves faced with some big ball carriers looking to bash their way through their opponents. The team were admirably undaunted by this and put their bodies on the line to make some quality tackles and then take the early lead through the tried and tested Ollie/Zaccai combination. Quickly managing to add a second before West Norfolk were able to make progress and score a well deserved try of their own. Some more strong running and defending saw another try each for both sides before half time. After the break Kesteven came out with renewed vigour and took the fight to the opposition, keeping up the trend of strong running and hard tackling they managed to score a further five tries without reply. The pick of the scores had to be the most unselfish offload ever seen by an under 10’s player as Zaccai Griffiths once again found himself in space and passed back inside to Connor Smith for the walk-in. Final Score Kesteven 8 - 2 West Norfolk

With little time to rest, the boys once again took to the pitch for their final game. This time Lincoln had brought a player of similar stature to our own star Sam Berry, who proceeded to make inroads from the very beginning and was only stopped by a brave tackle from Connor Smith which saw him leave the field injured for the remainder of the half. Kesteven eventually got a foothold and put a score on the board with some more great team play and strong running. Eventually they managed to get a second try, following an attritional period of play, where once again defensive effort was the star of the show. Lincoln were not to be taken lightly and they brought the fight in the second half, again utilising big runners which were stopped only by the most committed tackles, and they were unfortunate to be denied a try of their own by an offside infringement. Kesteven found themselves in the right place once to score a third, and final, try near the end of the game. Final Score Kesteven 3 - 0 Lincoln.

An overall excellent display by the under 10’s, not only their performance but also their great attitude and core values were on display for all. Player of the Match went to Zaccai Griffiths for his excellent running skills and selflessness in front of the try line.

Written by Coach Stephen Smith,

Team: Anthony Saywood, Archie Westwood, Connor Smith, David Martin, Dylan Tobin, Gilbert Hall, Hugo Welham, Lucas Dean, Max Cole, Ollie Atter, Riley Boucher, Sam Berry, Zaccai Griffiths.