Saturday 29th March 2008
U15s Tournament at Northampton Saints
SUDBURY LIFTS THE CUP!
The U15s travelled up to Northampton in high spirits having recently reached the final of the Suffolk Cup.
The first match saw a Northampton Boys Brigade pack which were heavier and more powerful than the Sudbury boys. Sudbury wisely made use of their speed and, following a ruck, the ball was passed out to Shaun Smith who ran some 30 yards to score a superb individual try. Kicking into the wind and rain Tom Summers was unlucky not to convert. The next 5 minutes saw the game bogged down in the middle of the pitch with Dan Street, Matthew Huggett, and Pete Dedross battling hard to stand their ground. This paid off when the ball was released and a series of passes saw Charles Jackson charge through to make it 10-0. Just before half time Northampton powered through the middle showing their strength and scored a try. The second half saw the wind and rain worsen but Sudbury quickly killed the game off with a wonderful piece of individual skill by Tom Summers who chipped the ball and ran on to score the try of the game which he also converted.
The second match saw Sudbury up against a very fast and well drilled Banbury squad. The warning signs were evident from the off – 3 times in the first 5 minutes Banbury quickly moved the ball down the right wing only to be foiled yards from the try line by committed tackles. A few minutes later Banbury burst through the middle to score a deserved try. Half time saw Sudbury trailing 5-0 and up against it. The second half is likely to go down as the performance of the season. Sudbury commenced a series of drives against powerful opposition but showed more desire and commitment. Aaron Beard, Adam Yardley and Sam Wakefield gave no ground and Lewi Faulkner and Mikey Bacon made a number of runs through the middle which were rewarded when Jack ran the final 5 yards to bring the score to 5-5. Everyone held their breath as Tom was unlucky to hit the post with the drop conversion. The game then alternated between fast runs down the wings by Banbury foiled by the clinical tackling of Sam Moore, and determined drives through the centre by Sudbury. 3 times Sudbury drove over the line only for the ball to be held up until the deadlock was broken when James Pickering found the smallest of gaps to charge through to score. With Rhys on holiday, Jake Thurlow and Bradley Rowe showed their presence at fullback, and Jordan Brown and Rob Grimsby shared the responsibility of scrum half. With a full time score of 10-5 Sudbury had clearly defeated quality opposition and claimed the tournament trophy.
Led out by Lee Faulkner, the players were presented their medals in front of over 12,000 spectators at the Northampton Vs Nottingham half time interval.
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