MEDWAY UNDER 11S FINISH SEASON WITH ANOTHER CUP WIN AT OLD COLFEIANS FESTIVAL!!!!!
Medway under 11s played some of the best rugby that the proud parents have seen this season, in sweltering temperatures at the Old Colfeians Festival this Sunday.
Medway were undefeated again this weekend and showed great determination in spite of the hot weather. They started the day beating the hosts, Old Colfes, 4-1. Medway had a shaky start and with Richard Harris unlucky not to score on two occasions early on in the first half, Aaron Robertson was the first to score after accurate passing along the backs. Richard Harris scored soon after in this half and a good line out catch by Josh Rann saw Medway in control of most of this half until an Old Colfes player saw a chance to intercept the ball and caught Medway off guard to score their only try of this game. The second half saw Medway determined not to concede any more tries and Alex Saddigton ran the length of the pitch to score closely followed by a try for Jack Gilvear. Medway were under pressure at times in this half but kept their heads and Old Colfes could not break the strong defensive play of Medway, giving Medway a great result to start the day.
The second game against Blackheath B saw the game stopped early in the second half when Medway went 6-0 up. From the start, good passing and strong forwards saw Blackheath pushed right back into their own half and Jack Gilvear was the first to score after dodging a number of players to make it to the line. Aaron Robertson was next to score after a great pass from Sean Marriott and Marriott again set up another try, this time for James Evans to score. Richard Harris was the next to score after Jack Gilvear had taken the ball three quarters of the length of the pitch and Elliott Barnes set up a fantastic try for James Evans to touch down on the half time whistle. The game was soon over in the second half when Aaron Robertson rounded off the 6-0 scoreline after Sean Marriott charged the ball down and Robertson seized the chance to score.
The third game saw another resounding win for Medway, 5-0 to Medway against Sidcup this time. Sidcup was immediately under pressure from our strong forwards and Robertson was first to score, followed by a try for Sean Marriott and another for Alex Saddington in the first half. The second half saw more of the same teamwork, an awesome forwards pack and great passing and Medway soon added two more tries thanks to Hadley O'Connor and James Evans.
The three clear wins saw Medway in the semi final against Blackheath A and a much harder and physical game but still with a win 2-1 to Medway. The first half saw a well matched game but Medway's determination and cool heads saw a chance for Alex Saddington to score but the boys were then caught off guard and Blackheath scored their only try in the closing minute of the first half. The second half saw an even closer and even more physical game and Elliott Barnes was unlucky to have a try disallowed after a strong charge down the pitch as was Richard Harris' try disallowed after a well timed pass from Aaron Robertson. Blackheath slowly but surely started to push Medway back into their own half but a lightening run by Alex Saddington in the closing minute saw Medway make progress and Elliott Barnes made it to the try line to score after Saddington had nearly made it himself.
The final was then played against Sevenoaks, a position we have been in on previous occasions, but Medway showed great skill to win the final 2-0!! Sevenoaks were immediately under pressure and good passing and tackling saw Medway in control, allowing James Evans to score the first try. Saddington was fast again but a great Sevenoaks tackle saw him stopped and Barnes thought he had scored at the end of the first half only to have the try disallowed again! The second half saw great tackling by Sean Marriott and a strong Alfie James and Mitchell Wray saw Medway keep control and a Sevenoaks side who were constantly under pressure, eventually buckled and Elliott Barnes scored the final try of the day after a powerful drive over the line.
This Sunday saw a fitting end to yet another successful and exciting season for Medway Under 11s, and the coaches would like to say a big thank you and well done to not just the boys for playing such amazing rugby, but also to the parents and supporters for giving such a wonderful team encouragement week in and week out.
Good Luck for next Season!!!!
MEDWAY UNDER 11S WIN DORCHESTER FESTIVAL
Medway's mini section travelled to Weymouth at the weekend on their annual tour dressed in Sixties attire.
The under 11 age group played outstanding rugby on Sunday at the Dorchester Festival and emerged clear winners despite a late night of lots of fun and games the night before.
At this festival 5 points were awarded for a try and 2 further points were awarded if the try was converted. This resulted in Medway finishing the day with 133 points and having conceded only 7 points!!! If any game reached a difference of 35 points the game was stopped resulting in three out of the four games that Medway under 11s played having to be halted.
The first game Medway played was against Tottanians with a score of 35-0 to Medway. Aaron Robertson shocked the opposition scoring in the opening minute and with James Evans converting the try Medway was soon 7 points up. Accurate passing and strong forwards saw Elliott Barnes score the next try, which was again converted thanks to spot on kicking by James Evans. Mitchell Wray was strong and kept control of the ball for his team and Aaron Robertson soon scored again after a great pass by Sean Marriott from the scrum which was again converted by Evans. The second half saw much of the same teamwork that wins matches with Elliott Barnes scoring again followed by an Evans conversion and Josh Rann finished the scoring with a conversion early in the second half meaning the game was halted.
The second game saw a similar story of the game being stopped before full time against Exeter Saracens with another 35-0 scoreline. Good passing and teamwork saw Robertson score the first try after a great interception followed by an Evans conversion. Jack Gilvear was unlucky not to make it to the try line after a fast dodging run but the strong forward pack drove Alfie James over the line to score followed by a conversion by Evans. The next try was scored by Sean Marriott followed by the conversion closely followed by another try for Barnes and a conversion. This saw Medway go through to the second half of the match needing only one more try and conversion before the game was stopped and stopped the game was thanks to a Barnes try and an Evans conversion.
The third game against the hosts Dorchester, was probably the toughest game of the day with a result of 28-7 to Medway. Medway's strong pack and fantastic mauling led to a try for Sean Marriott followed by the conversion by Evans and Barnes soon scored again after Medway mauled from thirty yards out and needless to say Evans converted the try. Medway were temporarily under pressure from Dorchester but a good clearance kick by Robertson saw Dorchester pushed back. Sean Marriott was the next to score followed by a conversion from a scrum 20 yards out and the final try in this game for Medway was scored by Barnes after a suicide move 20 yards out again. The second half saw a fired up Dorchester side and Medway could not break through their defence in this half but not without determination from players such as Hadley O'Connor who made good ground before being tackled. Medway tried their suicide move again in this half but to no avail and Dorchester scored the only try in this half but the good start saw Medway emerge as winners in this game as well.
The final game of the day against Blandford saw another 35-0 score and a stopped game and Medway being clear winners of the under 11s age group having won all their games. Well executed passing all along the backs and a strong run by Will Munday saw Aaron Robertson score the first try and a conversion by Evans after running three quarters of the length of the pitch. Sean Marriott followed suit and soon scored a try followed by a conversion and Jack Gilvear also scored in this half. The second half saw Barnes score a try which was then converted after Jordan Attis took control of the ball to allow our strong forwards to drive him over the line. Fantastic passing by the backs saw Dominic Kempt being tackled just before the line but a forward drive saw Alfie James score followed by the conversion ending this game prematurely and seeing the Medway boys win the tournament. A great weekend was had by all and the boys were a credit to the club. All the parents and coaches are so very proud of such a fantastic group of boys!!
The under 11s touring squad: Josh Rann, Dominic Kempt, Aaron Robertson, Elliott Barnes, Alfie James, Jordan Attis, Cameron Thomas, James Evans, Phillip Coultrip, Mitchell Wray, Will Munday, Sean Marriott, Jack Gilvear, Hadley O'Connor.
Medway Under 11s Plate Winners at Kent Festival 2007
Medway under 11s played at the Kent Festival at the weekend which was held at Cheriton Sports Ground at the weekend and finished the day as winners of the plate.
A tough draw in the group stages to start the day, saw the Medway boys go through to the next round as runners up but this did not stop their determination and they were delighted to be awarded the plate at the end of a long and tiring day.
The first game in the group stage saw Medway win 5-0 against Gravesend. This was a great start to the day and Aaron Robertson soon scored. Good passing saw Mitchell Wray nearly making it to the try line but with help from a strong drive by Alfie James, Alex Saddington was the player to score next. James Evans tackled well in this game and a fast Jack Gilvear nearly made it but was pushed into touch. Medway regrouped and Jack Gilvear soon scored. The final try in this game was scored by Saddington again. The second half saw a much more determined Gravesend side and only one try was scored in this half by Aaron Robertson but pressure and good defence by Medway saw Gravesend unable to score.
The next game saw a very difficult and well matched game as it always is against Sevenoaks. Both sides played outstanding rugby and the final score finished 0-0. This was a close game and the forwards worked particularly hard to try and control the match but Sevenoaks good defence meant that at half time no tries had been scored. The second half saw Medway in control most of the time but this strong Sevenoaks side stopped the boys from scoring. A well executed suicide move saw Medway unlucky not to score with the ball being held up and moments after a scrum five metres out with Medway's put in, the final whistle blew leaving both sides scoreless.
The last game of the group saw Medway up against yet another strong side in Sidcup and again the score was 0-0. Richard Harris made fantastic ground for Medway with a strong run and Medway thought they had scored after an interception by Robertson who passed to Sean Marriott but the try was not given after the referee decided the ball was held up. The score at half time was 0-0 and a fired up Medway side put good pressure on this equally good side from the start of the second half. James Evans was again putting in great tackles and on two occasions in this half Medway thought they had scored but the tries were disallowed after the referee could not see whether the ball had gone to ground.
These scorelines saw Medway go through to the next round as runners up of this group and competing for the plate. The quarter final saw them play Tunbridge Wells and Medway won this game 2-1. Jack Gilvear started the game well with a fast dodging run to make good ground for his team before being tackled but Tunbridge Wells soon got away and scored the first try of this game. Medway didn't give up though and both Alfie James and Jordan Attis performed well to keep control of the ball and by the end of this first half Medway started to look stronger. The second half saw good tackling by Robertson and a crunching tackle by Sean Marriott stopped a fast Tunbridge Wells player. Hadley O'Connor played well and Alex Saddington soon scored for Medway. This was again a well matched game but Elliott Barnes scored in the closing minute and the whistle went seconds after.
The semi final was then played against Dartfordians and with a 0-0 final score it meant the tries scored in the group stages saw Medway go through to the final. Richard Harris again used his speed and strength and nearly scored in the opening minutes but was tackled into touch and Jack Gilvear was literally only an inch from the line when he was caught by a fast Dartfordians player. The second half saw good teamwork and a strong forwards pack but despite great tackling by Jack Gilvear and James Evans, Medway could not quite get to the point where they could score although the were in control of the ball most of this half.
Due to the tries scored in the group matches this meant Medway went through to the final and faced a strong Beckenham side but emerged winners with a very close 1-0 score. Fantastic teamwork saw Saddington score the one and only try after a fast dodging run although Richard Harris was again unlucky not to make it to the try line in this half. Medway played well defensively and kept in control of the ball. The second half saw good kicking by Aaron Robertson to push the opponents back into their half but Beckenham were more in control this half but a fantastic effort by the whole team saw Beckenham unable to break through Medway's defence to score and a relieved and tired Medway side were jubilant when the final whistle blew with the score standing at 1-0 to Medway giving them the honour of being declared PLATE WINNERS Under 11s 2007!!
A massive well done to the whole team!
Team: Aaron Robertson, Elliott Barnes, Mitchell Wray, Alfie James, Richard Harris, Jack Gilvear, Sean Marriott, Josh Rann, Jordan Attis, Miles Hupatz, Philip Coultrip, Alex Saddington, Dominic Kempt, Hadley O'Connor, James Evans, Will Munday
4th February 2007
Medway under 11s travelled to Tonbridge Juddians on Sunday and played three games against the hosts and won all three.
The first game saw Medway win 4-0 and from the start Medway took control. With strong forwards such as Philip Coultrip and Alfie James, the ball was soon distributed to the backs and a good kick by Aaron Robertson saw the ball back in Tonbridge Juddians' half. Hard tackling and determination from players such as Elliott Barnes soon allowed Robertson to score the first try of this game after he spotted a break in Tonbridge Juddians defence. Alex Saddington was unlucky not to make it to the try line on two occasions in this half and good tackles by Sean Marriott saw the score at half time being 1-0. The second half saw some fantastic drives by our forwards pack and the momentum that the forwards displayed saw Jack Gilvear score. This try was soon followed by Alfie James after a battle to keep possesion and Richard Harris rounded off the scores for this game.
The second game saw another win for Medway at 3-0. This game however saw a fired up Tonbridge Juddians side and they played much better and did not make it easy for Medway to score, but score they did in this first half, thanks to Sean Marriott. The second half saw great tackling by Jack Gilvear and James Rowan and a determined Aaron Robertson was unlucky not to score when he was pushed back inches from the line. James Evans soon made up for this though and saw space to score a try on the far side of the pitch. Alex Saddington rounded off the scores for this game after accurate well timed passing from the backs.
The last game saw a shorter game of only ten minutes and a 2-0 win for Medway. Lovely passing saw Aaron Robertson score the first try and a dodging Sean Marriott and a quick Josh Rann stealing a dead ball saw Medway keep possesion to allow Richard Harris to score the second try after a well timed pass by Robertson. Unfortunately for Tonbridge Juddians, a good tackle by James Evans saw a very fast player prevented from scoring and the final score went Medway's way 2-0.
Yet another week of good playing and teamwork by Medway saw more wins for this talented side. Congratulations!
28th January 2007
A Medway side that were low on numbers this week, travelled to Sidcup for two great games of rugby this weekend. Our lack of players, and in particular our forwards, did not prevent this unstoppable team from drawing their first match and winning their second.
The first game against Sidcup saw Medway up against a very strong and large Sidcup team and the majority of this first half was in the control of Sidcup. Medway however played so well defensively that Sidcup were unable to score despite many attempts. This was due to some fantastic teamwork and great tackling by players such as Sean Marriott and Jack Gilvear. Philip Coultrip played an amazing game of rugby as did Josh Rann, showing his determination to try and take control but at half time the score stood at 0-0
After words of wisdom from the coaches at half time, a keen to score Medway emerged with Aaron Robertson soon scoring the one and only Medway try of the game after shaking off several players. Mitchell Wray showed his skills as a forward, but Sidcup soon started to put Medway under pressure again, and after a strong drive over the line Sidcup also scored. The try scored was near the final whistle and a fantastic tackle by Sean Marriott saw Sidcup lose control, but an injured Sean Marriott saw a sad end to the game despite the draw, with Sean Marriott being carried off the pitch with an injured knee and unable to play the second game.
The second game saw Medway win 2-1 but this was not after a hard game against another strong side in Thurrock. James Evans and Jack Gilvear put in great tackles and Hadley O'Connor caught the ball accurately when under pressure to give us control of the game. Alex Saddington was unlucky not to score towards the end of this first half after a fast dash down the pitch but it was Thurrock who scored the only try of this half.
The Medway boys did not give up however, and after a well timed pass by Aaron Robertson to Alex Saddington, Saddington did score a try early on in this second half. The rest of this half was a very well matched game with neither side being able to break through their opposition's defence but, despite being under immense pressure and by keeping their heads, a fantastic pop by Josh Rann to Aaron Robertson saw Robertson score again after a fantastic run across the pitch caught Thurrock off guard. Unluckily for Thurrock this winning try was near the end of the game and they were unable to score and the game finally ended 2-1 to Medway.
Well Done to all the boys but in particular the forwards who played a cracking game of rugby!!
21st January 2007
Ashford RFC Mini Section paid Medway a return visit this weekend on a very cold and blustery day at Priestfields.
Both sides were low on numbers this weekend compared with the previous weekend and Medway lent Ashford players, but both teams played extremely well given the windy conditions and the final results of the two games played were 3-1 to Medway and then a 0-0 draw.
Good teamwork on Medway's part saw Elliott Barnes score after a drive over the line and James Evans tackled well to stop a fast Ashford player getting away in the opening minutes. Medway's strong defence and good kicking from Aaron Robertson stopped Ashford from scoring in this half and with a fast Jack Gilvear and good tackling by Richard Harris, Medway kept control of the ball but could not break Ashford's strong defence to score. Great kicking by Hadley O'Connor and a strong Mitchell Wray along with Ethan saw our forwards make ground for their team at the start of this half. Jack Gilvear showed determination and kept hold of the ball for as long as he possibly could despite being lifted clean off the ground by two large Ashford players, before passing to Barnes who scored his second try of this game. Richard Harris and Aaron Robertson were strong and Robertson nearly made it to the try line but was pushed into touch but Sean Marriott managed to score the last Medway try of this game despite a hard tackle from an Ashford player. The game was rounded off in the closing minutes by Ashford scoring their only try but both sides played well and never gave up.
The second game resulting in a 0-0 draw saw two extremely fired up teams play a fantastic game of rugby. Despite hard tackling by Sean Marriott and James Evans and good teamwork by Robertson and Miles Whybrow this half saw no tries scored by either of the two well matched teams and both sides played well in both attack and defence. Sean Marriott was unlucky not to score at the start of the second half after dodging his way up the pitch and a strong Medway side pushed a large strong Ashford player into touch to stop him from scoring. After Ashford nearly scoring this try Medway seemed even more determined to not let this happen again and yet again stopped an Ashford try only inches from the line. However, after these two near tries Medway regrouped and kept control until the final whistle was blown but Ashford's defence was too strong in this game and the final score stayed at 0-0.
Well Done to both sides this weekend. Despite having a number of players absent and the conditions that these young men were playing in, they did not fail to play some fantastic rugby that was enjoyable for all to watch.
14th January 2007
This Sunday saw Medway under 11s travel to Ashford and emerge winners of both the games they played. The first game played was against Tonbridge Juddians and Medway won 4-1. Elliott Barnes caught the opponents off guard and scored in the opening minute and after a good snatch in the lineout by Mitchell Wray to take control of the game, James Rowan scored again soon after. Tonbridge were slow to start, but part way through this first half they settled into the game and put up much more of a fight for Medway, but this did not stop Medway scoring the other two tries in this first half. The next try came from Richard Harris after some accurate passing by Sean Marriott and Aaron Robertson and Jack Gilvear rounded off the try scoring in this half after Elliott Barnes recovered a loose ball.
Tonbridge Juddians played much better defensively in the second half and Medway scored no more tries but this was not through lack of trying. Jack Gilvear was unlucky not to make it to the try line again and both Dominic Kempt and Aaron Robertson were nearly there but were held back by a much better organised Tonbridge team. Good tackles by Hadley O'Connor and James Evans however, saw Tonbridge only making it to their try line once in the final minutes of the game and the score at the end of this match was 4-1 to Medway.
The second game of the morning saw Medway up against the hosts Ashford, and winning again 5-0. Both teams started this game raring to go but Aaron Robertson soon got the scoresheet started. Mitchell Wray was strong in this game and Jordan Attis showed fanatstic mauling skills throughout the whole of this game to keep the ball under Medway's control. Sean Marriott was unlucky not to make the try line after a great dive for the line from a put in into the scrum but Jack Gilvear soon made up for it and scored another try. Ashford soon regrouped though but good strong defence by Medway stopped Ashford from scoring. Richard Harris was strong in this half and both Sean Marriott and Jack Gilvear thought they had scored tries in this half but both tries were disallowed.
The second half saw Elliott Barnes score his first try of this second half and he kicked well when under pressure. Some good teamwork and passing saw Medway unlucky not to score after passing down the line of backs but Elliott Barnes saw a chance to score another try soon after. Alfie James put in a good tackle and pressure by Sean Marriott saw Medway keep control of the ball. A fast run by Hadley O'Connor saw an attacking Ashford side pushed back and the scoring was fianlly rounded off by an unstoppable Aaron Robertson.
Well Done to the whole of the team who played extremely well yet again this week!!!
7th January 2007
Sunday saw the under 11s display a fantastic style of play in all areas at the New Year's Cup competition between Medway, Blackheath and Beckenham. Despite such difficult conditions all the team played great rugby and tried their very best to come away with two wins and two draws under their belts.
The first game saw Medway win 6-0 against Blackheath B. Elliott Barnes quickly got the scoring started and this was followed by Richard Harris. Good and accurate passing and great teamwork and good tackling from Domoinic Kempt saw Elliott Barnes score again just before the half time whistle. The second half saw Medway continuing to dominate and tries were scored by Aaron Robertson, Richard Harris and Alex Saddington.
The second game saw Medway's second win against Beckenham B 2-0, altough the boys were unfortunate to have at least three other tries disallowed. Ethan set the ball up well for his team mates and the forwards really howed their strength during this game. Aaron Robertson scored in this half after a great pass from Mitchell Wray who played extremely well all morning. The beginning of the second half saw Alfie James score and good tackling by Jordan Attis and Will Munday along with the rest of the team meant that Beckenham were kept out of the game.
As was expected the game against Blackheath A with a result of 1-1 was more of a match for Medway. Both teams played brilliant rugby and Medway never gave up. After a fantastic run by Alex Saddington he passed to Aaron Robertson to score the only try of this match. Josh Rann excelled in this game, determined not to lose the ball despite three Blackheath players trying to push him into touch and good kicking by Barnes pushed Blackheath back into their own half just as the whistle blew for half time. The second half saw Sean Marriott stop a fast player from making any ground after a good tackle. Medway stood their ground against Blackheath despite relentless attempts by Blackheath to score but unluckily for Medway their strong pack saw Blackheath score. Medway soon regrouped and kept their heads with Aaron Robertson nearly scoring in the closing minute of the game.
The final game against Beckenham saw a 0-0 result but it was not through lack of effort by either side that the scoreline was so. Medway put pressure on the opposition and some good passing along the pitch saw Medway nearly score but the Beckenham defence was too strong. Will Munday played very well in this game as did Alex Saddington using his speed to make ground for his team and Medway were very nearly at their try line when the half time whistle was blown. The second half saw much of the same skillful playing of rugby by both sides but neither team could break through the defense of their opponents and the final score stayed at 0-0.
Well done to all the boys for playing so impressively in such difficult conditions and showing such determination and skill.
Medway Under 11s continued their winning streak at the weekend on a visit to Canterbury where they played two games and won two games.
The first match saw Medway emerge winners 2-1 against the hosts Canterbury, but not without a hard battle against a good side of well drilled opponents. Both teams were well matched but a missed pass by Canterbury saw Medway take control and a determined effort by the forwards saw Medway drive over the line and Sean Marriott soon scored the first try. Canterbury found it hard to get back into this first half and good tackling on some fast Canterbury players by James Evans saw Medway keep control and Aaron Robertson soon scored Medway's second try of the game and the first half finished 2-0 to Medway. The second half saw a focused Will Munday but he could not break Canterbury's defence and Hadley O'Connor kicked well when under pressure. This half saw a stronger and determined Canterbury team and Medway defended their line well for some time but despite another good tackle by James Evans, Canterbury scored their only try of the game. Josh Rann made a great tackle and Elliott Barnes, after a well timed pass from Jack Gilvear, was disallowed a try after the ref said the ball was held up. This unlucky attempt by Barnes gave Canterbury control back but the final whistle soon blew and Medway finished up winners 2-1 after a fantastic show of rugby by both sides.
The second game against Bromley, with some Canterbury players to make up numbers, saw Medway winning 5-0. An unsuspecting Bromley side saw Elliott Barnes score in the first minute closely followed by an unfortunate Richard Harris, who was tackled into touch inches before the line. Medway never gave up though, and a strong Aaron Robertson scored two in this half and Jack Gilvear added a further try. Despite substituting some of our more experienced players at half time, Medway kept their heads and Bromley still couldn't break Medway's defence. This half saw James Evans tackling well and Alex Saddington was unlucky to be pushed into touch on his way to the try line but Aaron Robertson saw space to score the fifth try of this game.
Congratulations boys, it would seem the winning streak has begun again, long may it continue!!!!!!!!!!
9th November 2006
Medway under 11s were back on top form again this weekend, celebrating two wins at the weekend and being declared Junior Team of the Year at the Medway Sports Awards during the week.
The first game they played against the hosts Maidstone saw Medway win 11-0. The whole team worked well together and with accurate passing and kicking the first half saw three tries for Aaron Robertson, two for Jack Gilvear, one for James Evans and one for Josh Rann. The second half saw much of the same control by Medway and Aaron Robertson was quick to score again. This was followed by good ground being made by James Evans and Cameron Thomas, one of our newer players showed improvement. Good catching under pressure by Will Munday and further accurate passing and teamwork saw Aaron Robertson score another, making his total for this game of five closel followed by tries for Sean Marriott and Jack Gilvear.
The second game of the morning saw a much harder match and a strong and large Old Elthamians physical team certainly gave Medway a fantastic game of rugby. Due to determination and commitment on Medways part, Medway emerged winners 3-2 in the closest fought match this season. Medway were under pressure initially but soon sorted themselves out to fight back and after a battle of the forwards on our try line, Elliott Barnes was unlucky not to be awarded a try after the forwards drove the ball over the line. This meant that Medway got the put in five metres back and again Aaron Robertson was unlucky not be given a try but this disappointment at not having the try allowed saw a fired up Robertson who charged through players and used his strength to eventually get the scoring started in this match. Much better tackling from all players this week and better kicking by Robertson meant that Old Elthamians found it hard to keep control of the ball and make much ground but these well drilled and strong opponents saw them score a deserved try in the final seconds of the first half. The second half saw both sides keen to win and putting all their efforts into winning the match. Sean Marriott started this half by making good ground for Medway and Alfie James was tackling well. This exciting half saw two sides playing a very physical game and saw players on both sides suffering injuries but neither side gave up and Old Elthamians took advantage of a Medway mistake to score another try. Medway however kept their heads up and after a good dodge by Robertson, who passed to Elliott Barnes who in turn made good ground for his team , charging through opponents, he then passed to Sean Marriott who used his speed to race for the line to score a try. This made it 2-2 and the time was ticking by but a determined Medway took control again and in the last play of the game Barnes scored the final try after our strong forwards drove the ball over the line.
This was a great result for the boys and the award for Junior Team of the Year this week was well deserved for a group of boys who show so much determination and commitment to the game every week and who are a credit to the club.
12th November 2006
Medway under 11s suffered their first defeats of the season this weekend due to a combination of two strong and well drilled opposing teams and at times, a lack of concentration on Medway's part.
The under 11s travelled to Cranbrook knowing that both the sides they would meet would present them with a close match and they were not wrong. The first team they went up against was Tunbridge Wells and this was a very close match, with the final score being 1-0 to Tunbridge Wells, with the try being scored literally seconds before the final whistle was blown. At the end of the first half the score was 0-0 despite both teams passing well and putting in lots of tackles but Medway just could not break through the opposition's defence to score. However, Richard Harris nearly made it to the try line after a pass from Jack Gilvear but was pushed into touch and this was followed by a good kick from Tunbridge Wells pushing Medway right back into their own half. The second half saw good tackling from James Evans and Elliott Barnes was very unfortunate to be called off-side after a good interception would have given them the space they needed to score.
The second game presented Medway with a stronger side still against Cranbrook A and after Cranbrook scored in the first two minutes of the game, Medway found it difficult to get back into the game. The game finished with a 2-0 win to Cranbrook thanks to a good chip and run by Cranbrook in the second half and despite good tackling by Sean Marriott, James Evans, Elliott Barnes and Aaron Robertson, the Medway side found it hard to take control of the game and consequently did not score.
Medway fared better against the last opponents, Cranbrook B and emerged winners with a 2-0 result to Medway thanks to two tries from Elliott Barnes in the second half. New player James Rowan made good ground for his team and good teamwork by Sean Marriott who nearly scored and then passed to Aaron Robertson who also nearly scored saw an unlucky Medway side not to score more in this half. Sadly for Medway a try that was touched down by Sean Marriott in the closing minute was also disallowed. A fired up Medway side saw the opposition asking for uncontested scrums in the second half and good ground by Josh Rann and James Evans soon broke the opposition's defence to allow Elliott Barnes to score his two tries.
Heads up Medway under 11s and good luck at the Medway Sports Awards on Wednesday.
After a joint training session with Dover on Sunday, Medway under 11s displayed the drills and moves that they persevere with week after week to beat Dover with a resounding 10-0 result.
Unfortunately Sheppey who were also there did not have an under 11s side present so Medway only got to play one game against the hosts. Medway took control of the ball from the start and Alex Saddington was quick to score his first try of the day and after an accurate catch from Will Munday after Dover kicked the ball, he passed to Saddington and he scored again. Alfie James and Mitchell Wray were strong and drove Dover off the ball on several attempts finally resulting in a try for Aaron Robertson. Good attacking play by players such as Jack Gilvear, James Evans and Philip Coultrip meant Medway dominated this first half and Saddington scored yet again. Some good defensive play stopped Dover from almost scoring at the end of this first half and a crunching tackle by Aaron Robertson allowed him to steal the ball, run most of the pitch but get tackled inches from the line, but the progress was not wasted when he saw a chance to pop the ball to Jack Gilvear who then scored.
The second half saw a much stronger Dover side but they still were not a match for our strong forwards who drove them off the ball on a number of occasions. Alfie James was determined not to let Dover keep the ball for any length of time and ripped the ball from them and passed to Richard Harris, a player who was playing for the first time ever, who then added to the final score. Aaron Robertson scored a further three tries in this half and James Evans also scored after a fantastic run dodging players as he went and Mitchell Wray was unlucky not to score after a good strong run.
This meant the final score was 10-0 to Medway despite a stronger Dover in the second half but our tackling and strength prevented them from scoring. Well Done Boys!
The Medway RFC Under 11's age group started the season as they mean to go on - played four games and won four games to be declared overall winners of the Medway Mini Rugby Festival Under 11's age group!
The first game of the day saw the hardest match for Medway but they still emerged winners with a 3-1 score over visiting side Upminster. This was a well matched game but our strong pack of forwards and some fantastic teamwork soon saw the scoring started with Aaron Robertson scoring the first try. Upminster nearly scored soon after but with pressure by Medway to force errors and good tackling by James Evans they were unlucky not to score. However, they soon regrouped and managed to score just before half time and the score was a close 1-1 at this time.
James Evans' dodging made good ground for Medway and with determination and teamwork Aaron Robertson scored his second try soon after the start of the second half. This half saw a fired up Elliott Barnes and some good work by Jack Gilvear who was unlucky not to score after a great pass from Sean Marriott. Elliott Barnes finally finished off the scoring for this game when he scored after Upminster kicked the ball back into their own half and Hadley O'Connor caught the ball well and made good ground before passing to Barnes to score this final try.
The second game saw Medway going through to the semi-final after a resounding win over Old Gravesendians with a result of 7-0. Good play after a shaky start by Medway saw Alex Saddington unlucky not to score after a knock on but Aaron Robertson made up for this by scoring the first try of the game. Hard tackling by Medway and good ground by Hadley O'Connor again allowed Jack Gilvear to score his first try of this festival. This was quickly followed by another try for Gilvear after Robertson performed a good kick for Gilvear to chase the length of the pitch to touch down. The scoring for this half was rounded off by Alfie James after charging through four of the opposition players to score.
Alex Saddington was again unlucky to have a try disallowed after it hit the corner flag but Medway regrouped and Jack Gilvear was able to score another two tries in this game after Mitchell Wray made good headway for his team before he was tackled. Alex Saddington eventually got the try he deserved at the end of the match rounding off this fantastic win for Medway.
The cup semi-final saw Medway against a strong Barking side but again they emerged winners with a 5-0 result. Aaron Robertson got the scoring started after good play by Sean Marriott and Jack Gilvear nearly making it to the try line but being pushed into touch. The Medway forwards were particularly strong in this physical game and everyone tackle hard and well. Robertson soon scored again after brilliant teamwork and pressure by the whole team and James Evans also scored before the half time whistle.
The second half saw a fired up Elliott Barnes and strong driving by the forwards allowed Sean Marriott to score after pushing a large and strong Barking side off the ball. Josh Rann showed determination and more teamwork saw the scoring at the end of this game being finished by Dominic Kempt.
The final game saw a keen and ready side of Medway players looking forward to the final game of the day against a good and well drilled team of Sevenoaks players. However they kept their heads and remembered all the drills and training they have been doing over the last few weeks and came away with an amazing win of 6-1 to be crowned overall winners. Elliott Barnes caught the opposition off guard in the opening minutes and scored his first try of this game and again scored soon after as a result of a strong forward drive over the line. Barnes made it a hat trick in this first half and Josh Rann and Robertson also scored in this half.
The second half saw a much stronger Sevenoaks side and only two more tries were scored in this half. One for Medway and one for Sevenoaks. Sevenoaks started the scoring in this half but excellent tackling form Mitchell Wray, James Evans and Robertson meant Medway kept control of the game and the final score was rounded off by Hadley O'Connor after catching the ball accurately from the back and running half the length of the pitch to score just before the final whistle went.
Both the Medway players and their proud parents could not have wished for a better start to the season and every single young man on the pitch gave it their best shot and worked as a team to finish off this day with such a fantastic result. Well Done to you all!!!!!!!!!