| News, Mini & Youth |
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| Nov 11 |
Ampthill U14s have some of their boys selected for U14s County Squad and East Midlands Schools of Rugby
6 Ampthill Boys have been selected for the east Midlands Schools of Rugby.
These Boys are:
Charlie Stearn
Isaac Jabri
Simon Beal
David Hickey
Charlie Clarke
Jack Spur
8 boys have also been selected for the U14s County Squad with the 6 Schools of Rugby boys being eligible - should the East Midlands release them.
They are:
Thomas Belt
Adam Jones
Jamie Prosser
Callum Hobart
Lewis McCracken
Michael Batty
Ben Slawinski
Carter O'Connell
The following boys are already in the Saints Academy since last year:
Ben Richardson
John Hunt
James Reaper
Tunde Adawale
Michael Lavery
Miles Everitt
This now makes a total of 19 boys in Ampthill U14s playing rugby at rep level.
Mark Jabri who rund the U14s says"This shows the quality of the players within the age group and we are all very proud of what they have achieved. Some of the boys now competing at rep level were actually playing in the "B Squad" last season but have worked hard to improve their skills sets and are now competing regularly for an A squad position.
Regardless of having a very strong "A Squad" we are also proud of effort and improvement the "B Team" members are showing especially now that they can see that through commitment and hard work anything is possible".
The U14's as an age group will be attending Wembley on 10th December 2011 before the Saracens V Ospreys game to receive a trophy for winning the Herts & Middlesex League last year."
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| May 01 |
Ampthill U17s Face Reeds Weybridge in the National U17 Bowl Final
Stourbridge Stourton Park ground will host the finals of the National Under 17 Competitions on Sunday, May 1. Three Midlands clubs will feature in the finals day after their victories in the national semi-finals which were played at Doncaster’s Castle Park ground last Sunday. Ampthill will play Reeds Weybridge in the final of the National Under 17 Bowl following their 31-12 win over West Park Leeds at Doncaster. Trentham, who beat Midlands rivals Towcestrians 12-10 in the semi-finals of the National Under 17 Plate, will now meet Westcombe Park from Kent in the final at Stourbridge. Market Bosworth’s reward for a 24-20 victory over Otley in the National Under 17 Cup semi-finals is a meeting with Hucclecote from Gloucester in the showpiece final at Stourbridge.
In the National Under 17 Shield final, which starts a busy day of rugby at Stourbridge, Blaydon will meet Clifton. Blaydon dashed Burton’s final hopes with an 18-0 win at Doncaster.
National Under 17 Competitions finals day, Stourbridge RFC Sunday, May 1
11.00 National Under 17 Shield final: Blaydon v Clifton
12.45 National Under 17 Bowl final: Reeds Weybridge v Ampthill
14.30 National Under 17 Plate final: Westcombe Park v Trentham
16.15 National Under 17 Cup final: Market Bosworth v Hucclecote
Stourbridge RFC, Stourton Park, Bridgnorth Road, Stourton, Stourbridge DY7 6QZ, more here
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| Apr 22 |
 England A Lose But Charlie Esam
Voted England Player of the Festival
England Reds Under 16s were outgunned by a powerful Scotland Under 17s side and beaten 35-0 in their final match at the Wellington Festival in Berkshire today.
Centre Charlie Esam (Bedford School, Ampthill RFC, Northampton Saints Academy and East Midlands) was voted the England Reds Player of the Festival.
The match brought together the festival’s two unbeaten sides but Scotland, who had beaten England Blues earlier in the week, maintained their unbeaten record by building on two early penalties to open up an 18-0 half-time lead.
An interception try early in the second half scuppered any hopes England Reds had of a fightback and a fourth try from a charged down kick sealed the win.
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| Apr 19 |
England A 27 France A 23
Ampthill U16's Centre Charlie Esam scoring the winning try for England A against France A at Wellington School.
He came off the bench with just 15 minutes left of the game and scored within 5 minutes.
Charlie played the whole of the England 29-12 win against Canada the previous Sunday.
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| Mar 11 |
Sun 20, Old Scouts 0 U13s 46, East Midlands Cup Final
The U13s won the 2011 East Midlands Cup on Sunday March 20th.
Ampthill defeated Rushden, Peterborough and St. Neots on the way to the final scoring 204 points without conceding any, an outstanding achievement, well done to all concerned
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| Apr 10 |
Wed 28, U12s Retain Mobbs Trophy At Franklyns Gardens
The U12s won the Mobbs tournament final for the third year in succession after a tight game against Towcester was decided by a single try from speedster Tunde Adewale.
This after returning from their tour to the Isle of Wight at the weekend where their two mixed ability squads saw success with one contraversially going out in the quarter-final while the other won the final.
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Sun 11, U17s Win All Three Games On Barcelona Tour
The U17s squad returned home this week after a hugely successful tour of the Catalan region of Spain. Based near Barcelona, they became the first ever visiting touring team to win all three tour fixtures against their Catalan opponents winning their first two matches 28-12 and their final match by 35-0.
Head Coach Clive Stallwood said: "I am very proud of the boys. They prepared well and were excellent ambassadors for the RFU and for Ampthill, on and off the field. The standard of rugby is much higher than some might expect and to win all three matches was a significant achievement."
Back Row: Callum Beasley, Ed Stallwood, Josh Peacock, Elliott Clements-Hill, Oliver Jones, Phil Wright, Eamon Kissane, Rhys Seabourne, Ben Macmillan, Matt Tilley;
Front Row: Alex Rawlings, Will Davies, Dean Adamson, Steven White, Joe Tidd, George Diffey, Will Wade, Tom Chellew and Stuart Crawford.
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| Mar 10 |
Sun 04, U9s & U12s At The Gullivers Festival, Nottingham
 Ampthill U12's qualified for another Twickenham appearance and an opportunity to defend the title they won last year by topping their group at the weekend at a very competitive Gullivers Nottingham Festival. Amps qualified to play Macclesfield RFC on 29th May in a curtain raiser for the Guinness Premiership Final before a full house at Twickenham.
Amps U12s were the only team to go through the competition unbeaten with group wins over Cobham RFC, Otley RFC, Chelmsford Rhinos, Sailsbury RFC and a draw with Derby RFC. It will be the third Twickenham appearance for some of the squad having previously qualified to play there at U9 and U11
Amps U9s weren't so successful but will have gained a great deal from the experience, they are now aware just how good you have to be to compete with the best in the country.
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| Jan 10 |
Weather Advice For Mini & Youth Coaches
Can I remind all coaches of the need for absolute check on safety before taking a training session or allowing matches in poor weather conditions.
You will all be aware of the need for playing/training surface to be assessed by coaches before commencing any sort of activity. If it does not appear safe then please take a cautious approach.
I'd much rather have complaints from players saying we could have trained than a solicitors letter seeking compensation!
Can we also make sure players are appropriately dressed for the weather conditions and not playing in trainers when studs are required etc. We also recommend that players should have gumshields whilst participating in rugby.
John Cresswell
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| Dec 09 |
East Midlands U16's Undefeated
The East Midlands Under 16's season has come to a close with an unbeaten 'four out of four' record in the Midlands Under 16's 'grading' matches. This has been another outstanding season for the Under 16's and no fewer than eleven squad members have been invited to the Midlands RFU Under 16's Development weekend, congratualtions to:
| Carlton Strowbridge |
George Humphreys |
| Henri Da Costa |
Lewis Bodily |
| Ben Latimer |
Felix Streeton (Ampthill) |
| Will Skingsley |
Jordan Husband |
| Ben Wiegman |
Lee Melotti |
| Sam Pointon |
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The player identification process for next season's U16's squad (current U15's) is well under way. The squad will be announced in May 2010. Details will appear on the U16's link at www.emru.co.uk
Gareth Davies, EM U16 Squad Manager
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| Nov 09 |
Sun 15 Minis & Matt's Match At Old Northamptonians
Home & Away Mini Squads pictured at ONs gathered in support of Matt's Match
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| Oct 09 |
Tue 27-Thu 29, Northampton Saints Coaching Courses At Ampthill
Northampton Saints will run three day courses designed for rugby players of all abilities aged between 7 and 16 at half term (27th-29th October). The courses offer an exciting opportunity for all young rugby players to enjoy some fun, skills, drills and competitions, including the Kick, Pass, Run Challenge on which all participants will be tested.
The three-day course will cost £85, more here
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Sun 11, Mini Success At Peterborough Festival
| Age Group |
Result |
| U7A |
Runners Up |
| U7B |
Semi Final |
| U8 |
Semi Final |
| U9 |
Semi Final |
| U10 |
Plate Winners (joint) |
| U11 |
Plate Winners |
| U12 |
Winners |
Well done to all players, coaches and connections.
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Sun 04, Mini Success At Bedford & Rugby Lions Festivals
| Age Group |
Bedford |
Rugby Lions |
| U7 |
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Runners Up |
| U8 |
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Third |
| U9 |
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Runners Up |
| U10 |
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Runners Up |
| U11 |
Runners Up |
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| U12 |
Winners |
Winners |
2 gold, 4 silver & 1 bronze can't be too bad, well done to all players, coaches and connections.
Good luck at Peterborough this weekend
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Sun 04, U17s 53 Rushden 3
Three tries from wing Oliver Jones helped Ampthill 17's to a convincing win in this East Midlands league match.
However, the under 17's were far from their best, either in defence or attack. Nevertheless a steady forward platform, which struggled in the set pieces, was more than enough against a spirited Rushden side.
Both Richard Holmes and Josh Hughes were outstanding for Ampthill and there was a very welcome debut for Elliott Clements-Hill who controlled the game well for the home side.
Next week the Under 17's will hope to continue this momentum at their next league game, away at Long Buckby. Plenty of room for improvement though
Ampthill scorers: Tries - Oliver Jones (3); Dean Adamson (2); George Diffey; Richard Holmes (2). Conversions - Elliot Clements-Hill x 6.
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| Sep 09 |
Sat 19, Bromsgrove v U15s
Ampthill's U15s will make the journey with the 1stXV to Bromsgrove this Saturday to fulfill a fixture arranged at last seasons Gulliver's tournament, k.o. 12:45
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Sat 12, Bedford U10s Pull Out of Pre-Cursor game
Bedford have pulled out of the U10s age group pre-cursor game prior to the 1stXV fixture on saturday, the U10s will play an exhibition match instead, kick off at 14:00
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Fri 11, 2009/10 U16s Web Site Under Construction
The 2009/10 U16s section of the web site is under construction, any age groups wishing to maintain their own section should co-ordinate through their coach to contact the web master
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Sun 06, Youth Training, 12:30 - 14:30, This Week Only |
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Sun 06, Mini Registration & Training, 10:00-12:00
2009/10 registration/membership forms are available here
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| Aug 09 |
Sun 30, Youth Registration & Training, 10:00 -12:00
2009/10 registration/membership forms are available here
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Sat 15, Joe Burton, James Ingle, Henry Staff & George Warner At The Middlesex 7s
Four graduates of Ampthill's mini & youth system will play for their respective Guinness Premiership clubs in the Middlesex 7s at Twickenham. Joe (Wasps), James (Saints), Henry (Saracens & England U18) & George (Leeds) have been included in the squads for the renowned tournament where they'll perform under the watchful eye of England 7s coach Ben Ryan
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| Jun 09 |
Sat 20, U13s/U14s Fund Raiser At Milbrook Village Hall
With Phil Donbavand (1stXV Tighthead) as lead vocalist, Dave Thomas band will rock at Milbrook Village Hall, doors open at 19:30, cheap beer.
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| May 09 |
Sun 10, Mini & Youth Presentation Day
| Time |
Age Group(s) |
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| 10:00 – 10:15 |
U6 |
Mini Presentations by
Henry Staff, Ampthill U7s to U17s, Saracens Academy and Captain of the England U18s AER Squad 2008/09
Youth Presentations by
Jonny Cresswell, Ampthill U7s to 1st XV, Gloucester ‘A’ and Hartpury College 1st XV (British Universities Champions 2008/09) |
| 10:20 – 10:50 |
U7 & U8 |
| 10:55 – 11:25 |
U9 & U10 |
| 11:30 – 12:00 |
U11 & U12 |
| 12:05 – 12:20 |
U13 |
| 12:25 – 12:40 |
U14 |
| 12:45 – 13:00 |
U15 |
| 13:05 – 13:20 |
Girls U15 & U18 |
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Sun 03, U17 25 Bletchley 12, Win RFU National U17 Bowl at Worcester's Sixways
Ampthill's third U17 side in four years to reach Finals Day of the National U17 competition outplayed their bigger opposition in a game of contrasting styles with Bletchley relying on their pack to win ball for their excellent flyhalf to turn into territory and points while Amps ran the ball from everywhere carving holes in the Bletchley defence if occasionally giving their own coaches heart failure! Ampthill struggled in the tight not helped by the loss of front row Harry Warner to a broken ankle suffered in Thursday night's final, non contact training session but the forwards were competitive everywhere else and the backs were the more incisive.
Amps scored two trys (one converted) before the interval while Bletchley made do with four penalty goals leaving the score 12-12 at the half, they added two more plus a penalty goal in the second while keeping a clean sheet.
Congratulations to all concerned
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| Apr 09 |
Wed 29, U16s v Bedford, Beds County Cup Final at Biggleswade, 18:30
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Sun 26, U8s Win Plate At Wellingborough Festival
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Sun 26, U11s Win Seapoint Irish Rugby Festival
Defeating previously unbeaten Munster champions Waterford 20-0 in the final of a 30 team tournament
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Sat 25, Three U15s To Represent East Midlands In National Festival
Three Ampthill U15s, Chris Bateman, Brandon Lewsey and Felix Stretton are to represent East Midlands in the national 12 a side Festival to be held on May 2nd
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Tue 21, Nine U17s Represent East Midlands
Nine Ampthill U17 played for East Midlands in their successful 2008/9 campaign defeating Leicestershire (29 – 26) and Staffordshire (47 – 29)
Back Row - left to right; Huw Morgan, Robert Garratt, Roger Parrish, Josh McShane and Josh McClean.
Front Row - left to right; Miles Keeley, Stanley Furniss, Jake McCloud and Josh Bassett
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Sun 19, Caldy 21 U17s 31
 U17s win RFU National U17 Bowl semi final at Doncaster to progress to the final to be held at Worcester Warriors ground Sixways in May.
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Sun 19, U16s Win Defeat Buckingham To Win League
More soon.
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Wed 08, U11s Win Mobbs & East Midlands At Goldington Road
In front of a large crowd the U11s won the EM Mobbs competition with a try from wing John Hunt sealing victory over Old Northamptonians in the final played at Goldington Road, home of Bedford Blues as a pre-cursor to Bedford facing the Barbarians in the annual East Midlands Mobbs Memorial game.
The mini competition and the senior fixture are played annually in honour of Lt Col Edgar Mobbs, the former England, Northampton, East Midlands, Olney and Bedford Modern School wing, who was killed leading an assault on an enemy machine gun post at Passchendale in July 1915.
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Sun 05, U15s Debut For East Midlands
 Four U15s made their debuts for East Midlands on Sunday playing against Notts, Lincs, and Derby and Leicestershire.
Pictured left to right, Brandon Lewsey, Bradley Newland, Jamie Crawford and Chris Bateman.
These four will be followed by Felix Streeton and Haydn Edwins who will be capped on 19th April.
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Sun 05, U17s 19 Birmingham & Solihull 9
 The U17s became Midlands Divisional Champions and moved on to the Semi-Finals of the 2009 RFU National U17 Bowl competition after a convincing victory in a game of contrasting styles. Amps scored three excellent backs trys in the first half (two converted) to lead 19-3, the second half was a different story with Ampthill prevented from establishing any continuity due to a stream of infringements which left both sets of coaches mystified! Birmingham fought hard but never looked likely to cross the A's goal line making do with two further penalty goals.
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Sun 05, RFU U17 Midlands final v Birmingham & Solihull, at Broadstreet, k.o. 11:45
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| Mar 09 |
Sun 22, U14s through to East Midlands Cup final
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Sun 22, Paviors 0 U17s 22, U17s through to Midlands final of RFU U17 tournament |
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Sun 15, Bedfordshire County Cup, Winners: U7s, U8s, U11s, Runners Up: U9s, U10s, U12s
A great way to cap a great weekend for Ampthill rugby, well done everyone concerned
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Tue 10, Wed 11, 10:00 - 15:30, Schools Year 3 & 4 Festival With Redborne SSP
Each day 20 teams of 10 players on 4 tag pitches in a round robin, semi-final & final format
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Sun 08, U14s 8 Bedford 5, Bedfordshire Cup Final |
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| Feb 09 |
Sun 28, U11s scoop Land Rover Premiership Cup at Franklin's Gardens
18 teams from all over the surrounding region competed in the Under-11 age group at Franklin's Gardens in the Land Rover Premiership Cup on Saturday 28th February.
The Land Rover Premiership Cup is a tournament that gives under-11 and under-12 sides the chance to win a day out at Twickenham when forming part of the parade of champions at the Guinness Premiership Grand Final in May.
Amps scored 14 tries whilst conceding none on their way to winning the silverware and were presented with their medals and the Cup on the pitch at Franklins Gardens at half time of the Saints v Newcastle Falcons premiership game.
The tournament was hotly contested – in the group stages Amps beat Oundle 5 – 0 ; Towcester 15 – 0 and Shelford 35 – 0 progressing to the semi final to meet Banbury.
Amps scored the only try of the game in the first half of the semi to record a 5 – 0 victory, Michael Lavery scoring off a set piece penalty move straight off the training paddock.
In the final Amps overcame Old Northamptonians 10 – 0 in a hard fought but comfortable victory with a try in the first half by David Hickey followed by another in the second from Charlie Stearn.
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Sun 22, Peterborough 5 U17s 24, U17s through to RFU Midlands Bowl stages |
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Sun 08, U17s face Peterborough in East Mids 3rd/4th place playoff |
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Sun 01, U14s 5 Dunstable 0, through to Bedfordshire Cup final |
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Sun 01, U8s take 2 squads to Stevenage |
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| Jan 09 |
Sun 25, Leighton Buzzard 8 U17s 5 (game moved to Leighton due to waterlogged pitches) |
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Sun 18, U8s take 3 squads to Peterborough |
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| Oct 08 |
Sun 12, Peterboro Festival, U11s Runners Up, U8s Win, Cobham Festival, U8s Runners Up (Plate) |
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Sun 05, Rugby Lions Festival, U11s Win, U8s Runners Up |
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| Sep 08 |
Sun 21, U17 55 Oundle 8 |
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Mon 15, Three More Ampthill Youngsters Make Guinness 'A' debuts Congratulations to Sam Staff (brother of Henry) and Jordi Pasqualin who are on opposite sides when Saracens play Gloucester in the Guinness 'A' league fixture at Old Albanians tonight while George Warner is included in the Leeds squad who face Bristol.
Nine Ampthill Mini & Youth graduates have now played Guinness 'A' rugby in the past three seasons, well done to all concerned. |
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Mon 08, Six Ampthill Colts Make Bedford Blues Academy Congratulations to Luke Antoine (U19), Ben Barry, Will Briggs, Alex Goodge, Chris Muncaster and Tom Rogers (all U18) who have made the cut for the Bedford Blues 2008/9 academy |
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Sun 07, 09:30-12:00, Mini (U6-U12) registration |
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| Aug 08 |
Sun 31, 09:30-12:00, Youth (U13-U17) registration |
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| Apr 08 |
Sun 27, U13s 19 Old Northamptonians 7, East Midlands Cup Final |
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| Mar 08 |
Sun 30, U7s Win Bedfordshire Festival |
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Sun 09, U13s Through To East Midlands Final |
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....Big group wins against Towcester, Leighton Buzzard and Luton meant that the As were though to play
....Bedford in the decider on the day. Despite going in at half time 7-0 down Ampthill kept their heads
....and were justifiably rewarded with two second half tries both converted by Hugh.
....A watching Dave Marshall, Coach for the East Midlands School of Rugby, must have been impressed
....as he has asked Will H, Jake and Michael to attend the school of rugby joining Aaron who is already
....training there.
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Sun 02, Sleaford 10 U17s 29 |
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| Feb 08 |
Sun 24, Woodford 10 U16s 17 |
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U16s Representative Success |
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....Congratulations to the following:-
....Selected for Bedfordshire County U16 - Stanley Furniss, Josh McClean, Josh McShane, Huw Morgan,
....Giles Napier, Roger Parrish, James Woodman, and Matthew Woodward
....Selected for East Midlands U16 - Robert Garratt, Miles Keeley and Huw Morgan
....Selected for East Midlands RFU Elite Squad - Stanley Furniss, Miles Keeley, Giles Napier
....and James Woodman
....Debuts for Ampthill U17 - Nick Carey, Robert Garratt, Miles Keeley, Josh McClean and
....Matthew Woodward
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Sun 24, U10s & U12s Qualify For Mobbs Final, U11s Lose In Semi Final |
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The U10s qualified for the Mobbs final by winning all four games scoring 18 trys and conceding none.
The U11s lost out in the semi final to Bedford beaten by a last minute try
The U12s also made the Mobbs final
Click here to download a better quality version of this photo
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Mon 11, 19:30, Henry Staff To Make Debut For Saracens At Guinness 'A' Level |
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Henry Staff Makes Final England U18 AER Squad |
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| Jan 08 |
Sun 13, East Midlands U17 Cup Final, Ampthill v Towcester, Biggleswade, 14:00 |
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Sun 13, Beds U15 County Cup Semi Final, Biggleswade v Ampthill, 10:30 |
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| Nov 07 |
Mon 26, U17 James Ingle Makes Debut For Saints In Guinness 'A' |
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James Ingle came off the bench in the 56th minute to make his Wanderers debut in their 25-22 win against Worcester in the Guinness 'A' league on Monday night at Franklyns Gardens.
James, who played for England U16 last season and was involved in the Midlands U18 trial over the weekend, became the fifth product of the Ampthill youth system to play in the Guinness 'A' league in the last 2 years. He followed in the footsteps of Dan Lavery, Matt Burke, Phil Hoy (who made his debut for Saints 1stXV against Coventry on the Saturday) and Jon Cresswell who made his debut for Gloucester a few weeks ago.
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Sun 25, Leighton Buzzard U17 17 Ampthill U17 25, East Midlands U17 Semi-final |
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| Oct 07 |
Sun 07, U7s Win Peterborough Festival |
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Sun 07, U7s Win Rugby Lions Festival |
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Sun 07, U10s Win Rugby Lions Festival |
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The U10s won all their five games scoring 26 trys and conceding 1 to bring home the champions trophy
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Sun 07, 17s 53 Harlow 5 |
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| Sep 07 |
Sun 30, Ampthill U17 61 Wellingborough Old Grammarians 7 |
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A comprehensive win in this U17s friendly where the highlight was, apparently, the referees legs!, shame he can't spell 'nonchalantly'!
Thanks to the U16s who showed that they deserve to be a part of our squad this season.
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Sun 23, Luton U17 10 Ampthill U17 56 |
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Ampthill Youngsters Make East Midlands U18 Squad |
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Congratulations to Luke Antoine, James Ingle, Colin Liddell, Chris Muncaster and Ed Payne who have all been included in the 32 player 2007 East Midlands U18 squad.
| Match Date |
Opponent |
Venue |
| 10th October 2007 |
Leicestershire (a)
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Belgrave RFC - KO 7.30 pm |
| 24th October 2007 |
Notts, Lincs & Derbys (h) |
Peterborough RFC - KO 7.30 pm |
| 4th November 2007 |
Super Sunday |
Broadstreet RFC - tbc |
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Henry Staff Included In England U18 Academy Squad |
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Mini & Youth Registration, Sun, Sep 02, from 09:00 |
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Mini registration will run from 09:00 through to 10:45 when they will have access to the pitches.
Youth registration will run from 10:45 through to 12:30 when they will have access to the pitches.
U17s and Girls will have access to the pitches from 12:30 onwards
Please note that neither Alameda nor Redbourne are available on this day.
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| Apr 06 |
U17s Retain 2006 RFU National Plate |
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Ampthill 31 South Woodham Ferrers 21
In an unprecendented achievement, especially for a level 6 club, Ampthill's '06 U17s retained the national trophy won the year before by their predecessors.
In a match of contrasting styles the A's forwards scored four trys (two each for hooker Jon Cresswell and number eight Joe Burton) while the backs had to be content with a solitary try for centre Luke Radley and three conversions from fly half Richard Tonkin.
With the score at 14-13 at half time South Woodham Ferrers were still in with a good chance but Ampthill's forwards proved too strong in the second half. Played in a good spirit the game set a fine example for youth rugby and the RFU can be proud of the incentive the competition provides across the country.
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U17s Reach National Finals For 2nd Year Running |
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Ampthill's '05/06 crop of U17s reached the final of the RFU National U17 Plate by outscoring Leigh 41-5 at Doncaster RFC on April 11 matching the achievement of the previous years squad who went on to win the final.
The final will be played at 'Sixways', home of Guinness Premiership side Worcester on Sunday April 30, kick off at 14:00 against South Woodham Ferrers who defeated Thornbury in the other semi-final. |
| May 05 |
U17s Win 2005 RFU National Plate |
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Ampthill 33 North Walsham 20
As Ampthill's coach entered the complex, Worcester's 'Sixways' showed little sign of what must have been a monumental party the day before when the Warriors secured Zurich Premiership survival against Saints. The short journey from the Stourport Manor hotel was the last piece in the preparation jigsaw which, as against Sedgley Park, had seen the squad prepared as well as could be managed outside of a professional setup. North Walsham, impressive in the quarter and semi final stages, were to be respected but not feared, although their supporters, resplendant in Viking costume, did their best to intimidate with the roar that greeted their arrival on the first team pitch.
In marked contrast to their usual slow start the A's stormed out of the blocks with the forwards in control and the backs creating space but being unable to convert half chances. Finally, a driving maul from a line out sucked in the Norfolk side's cover and Ampthill's fly-half forced himself between two tacklers on the line to touch down and subsequently convert his own try. North Walsham fought back with their full-back prominent ball in hand before the A's conceded a penalty at the breakdown on their 22 converted off the post by the same player. Almost immediately he scored an outstanding individual try after breaking numerous tackles on his way under the posts leaving a simple conversion and then added another penalty for an infringement at the breakdown. Ampthill redoubled their efforts and appeared to spend the remainder of the half camped in the Norfolk side's 22 but outstanding defence prevented a score. The A's forwards were held up twice when over the line following mauls but as the pressure increased so did the infringement count, unfortunately 2 penalty attempts went wide until frustration got the better of Ampthill's loose-head who succeeded only in reversing a penalty and obtaining a 10 minute rest. Despite being down to 14 players the A's maintained their grip on territory and scored a try in the corner almost at the death of the half which was successfully converted from wide out.
Turning round 14-13 ahead the A's, still down to 14 players, enjoyed a further advantage when North Walsham began the half with just 13 players as two had an enforced rest as a result of the last seconds of the 1st half. As is often the case the Norfolk side's forwards lifted their game and took on Ampthill's pack, repeatedly not only holding their own but gaining ground in the tight exchanges. However, territorially, the A's were dominating and the fly-half sold a dummy, broke through in mid field and released the ball to the right wing who forced his way over the line to score another converted try. With the teams now restored to full strength Ampthill scored another try after several phases resulted in a the replacement left wing being brought to ground short of the line and the right wing collecting the lay back and diving over. North Walsham's full-back moved to fly-half but territorially the A's remained dominant, eventually his deep kick was fielded on the full by the Ampthill full-back who ran it back into the Norfolk side's half where quick phases allowed the A's tight-head to crash over the line for the fifth try, successfully converted. This was the signal for both sides to introduce their remaining replacements leading to North Walsham scoring a well worked forwards try following a 30m driving maul.
A very competitive game played in an excellent spirit provided an eye-catching spectacle for the 800+ spectators, the RFU National U17 competitions are here to stay. |
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