Season Review - Kesteven U13s

Kesteven U13s enjoyed an excellent season. We welcomed several new players which bolstered our numbers above 30 for the first time. And what a great group of lads they are - dedicated, hard working and willing to learn.

The first fixture of the season gave the coaches the chance to blood the new players who all acquitted themselves to rugby very well. A tough game against Leicester Lions was a real learning experience resulting in a 30-40 defeat and providing focus for the boys (see reverse fixture). K's then went on a 9-match unbeaten run, taking a number of prized scalps including Spalding, Melton, Deeping, Newark, Market Harborough, Oakham, Market Rasen, Stamford and finally a victory in our opening NLD Cup game against Melbourne. It wasn't until the end of January that we experienced defeat again, this time against an aggressive Melton team. Again, defeat served as inspiration - in the next match, the boys avenged their opening day defeat with a 60-0 win over Leicester Lions, kick-starting a 5 match unbeaten run including NLD Cup wins to tee up a semi-final match against Stamford.

Following bruising midweek 7s matches for most of the players, a weary team took to the pitch against a very strong Stamford side. Despite 9 injuries during the game, the boys put up a fierce fight and the match was nip and tuck throughout with very little in it. Ultimately injuries played a part and K's shipped 2 late tries to end 5-25, a score which didn't reflect the closeness of a game that would have been a worthy final.

Still licking their wounds, K's then suffered a defeat at Syston the following weekend before bouncing back with wins against Lincoln and Oakham to finish the season in style.

A total of 23 different players scored tries for K's this season which demonstrates how well U13s played as a team throughout the season. The boys finished with 16 wins and just 4 defeats, scoring a total of 181 tries in 20 games, with a total points haul of 905, conceding just 345 to give a points difference of 560! These are phenomenal statistics and the coaches are incredibly proud of all of the players. On to U14s where we can wait to play the full 15s game for the first time.