A New Chapter: The Beginning of the Girls U11s Team, October 11 2020

A brief rundown of what happened in the session: Hendo started the session with a simple game of (a rugby version) cat and mouse to warm the girls up and get them introduced to each other. Then, they had to race each other in pairs whilst Hendo shouted an instruction that they had to follow like “HOP RED” where they would have to hop as fast as they could to the red cones. The girls’ reaction time and speed were challenged next; they would run towards the coach who would feed the ball to one girl and the other had to quickly attempt to stop them scoring a try. Then they began a passing drill to get the girls comfortable with throwing and receiving a rugby ball, followed by a second pairs game called “Sharks and Dolphins”; roles were given of either the attacker or defender and the aims were either to score a try or prevent one. This encouraged them to learn the rugby rules of staying in the square and passing backwards. The session was ended with a fun mini rugby match where they were taught how to form a line of defence whilst the opposition tried to break through to score a try.

The girls got an added cultural lesson from Hendo as he performed the Haka which the girls had to repeat as he did. The Haka, as many will know, is a Māori ceremonial dance that is usually done to display a tribe’s pride, strength and unity but was brought into rugby by the New Zealand Native rugby team in 1888 as a way of challenging their opposition. Both the womens and the mens New Zealand teams perform the Haka and it is well worth a watch - below is the link to the New Zealand womens team doing the Haka. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzg4rJJNX30

Rugby is a perfect opportunity for these young girls to learn the importance of teamwork, communication and self-belief and the smiles on their faces made it transparently clear that they were thoroughly enjoying themselves!

What a scorcher! The Kent Festival, 23rd April 2018

What a scorcher of a day we had today! It was hot off the field at 30 degrees, but the two Sevenoaks teams on the field where far hotter and the other teams just couldn’t stand the heat or the pace. Both teams won all their games and between them scored 43 tries and only conceded 1. What a result!

 Sevenoaks BluesThe Sevenoaks Blues slapped on the sun-cream, filled themselves with fluids and launched themselves against their first adversaries Old Alleynians as Dartford Valley didn’t turn up….. Good on Old A’s as they fielded teams all day for DV!

The first score of the day was notched up by Olly ‘the Demon’ D, who was a demon tackler the whole day, not missing a single one. The second was scored by Mr McQ, we’ll come back to him later. The half time whistle went and the Blues were up 2-0. Shortly after the break, Joel ‘the Bullet’  sold a dummy to the entire opposition, switched on the Bullet after burners and touched down to make it 3-0. Then, somehow (no one can really remember how) Old A’s scored. Old A’s got their confidence back and pinned the Blues in their own half for much of the rest of the half. Ed N led by example with awesome tackling, sometimes hanging on to his oppo’s ankles to bring them down. No one got past Ed ‘you shall not pass’ N the whole day. Then, a perfectly judged kick from Mr McQ (we’ll come back to him later) was chased up the entire length of the pitch by Brennan O’K (BOK?) and touched down for what seemed like a fantastic try by all on the side-line, including the Old A supporters. The ref felt differently and thought the ball went dead – adjudging from the half way line. Oh well, BOK’s time was to come. The first game ended 3-1, a well-earned first win.

Next up was………… Old A’s again. The blues were all warmed up (wasn’t difficult in the sun) and rocketed to a 4-0 lead in the first half. Two from Mr McQ, we’ll come back to him. One from Benji, who racked up approximately 632 yards of cannonball carrying during the day. The last of the half was from Lars ‘but not least’ H, who stepped, stepped and stepped again, sending all the opposition flying in the wrong direction to score. Gerran P had been winning virtually all the rucks and at half time had a bloody nose from the extreme levels of contact. Asked whether he was OK, the response was, ‘doesn’t hurt I’m fine!’ A hardened forward in the making…… Having played flyhalf in the first half, Luke D showed his all-round versatility and played scrum half in the second half. Luke played every position in the backs during the tournament, didn’t miss a tackle and made some scorching breaks to set up scores – a fantastic all round performance. BOK was now feeling a little aggrieved having been disallowed a score in the first game, so he took control of the second half with 2 tries. The first was the result  of a perfectly timed pass from the Bullet and the second was a bullocking run from his own half through and round all the oppo. Final score 6-0.

Next up were Aylesford, who hadn’t played as many games as Old As, so the Oaks braced themselves for a fresh-legged onslaught. They needn’t have worried. The first half saw Zak L (after his sightseeing tour around Kent) use his super quick feet to score twice. Lars scored another couple for good measure. The Bullet sold another dummy to cruise over and Mr McQ (we’ll come back to him) scored another to make the half time score 6-0! Rory ‘the Rucker’ S had been awesome in the rucks all day, securing the ball for the pretty boys outside him. On one of his rollicking rucking escapades he unfortunately got caught underneath a 23 stone Aylesford Bull. He was carried off and luckily was OK after a rest. Now, Lightning McQ was not happy about the Rucker being carried off so, along with his mate BOK, turned on the champagne moment button. Lightning scored an amazing individual try kicking a perfect ball out of hand to chase up and touch down. He then kicked ahead for BOK to chase down and score. BOK was still feeling aggrieved from the denial in the first game and scored another 2 to make his hat trick, bringing the final score to 10-0!!!

The final opponents of the day were Medway, who had also won all their games, so were also full of confidence. This was definitely the toughest game of the day. The Blues put additional pressure on themselves by giving away lots of penalties and spilling the ball for the first time in the day. Medway spent virtually all the first half in the Blues half of the pitch, throwing wave after wave of attack at the Blues. Luckily Jack K came to the rescue making sure Medway didn’t make any ground with tough tackling and rucking time and again. Someone called Lightning McQ then scored to make the half time score 1-0. The game was really tight with nothing to really split the teams. Medway retained possession after the half time whistle and again camped in the Blues half. This time Taylor ‘the tackler’ N came to the rescue throwing his body on the line stopping Medway get over the Blues line time and again. Benji managed to pick up the ball stick his head down and run straight through the whole of the Medway team to go over the line to make the final score 2-0. A great result made by the fantastic defence. What a day!

Dorking Festival 25th March 2018 Sevenoaks Strike Gold!!!

Sevenoaks travelled to Dorking enjoying no snow, rain or beast from the east !!

Team news

Freddie Lowndes
Jack McLeish
Mitchell Short
Ben Beazleigh
Charlie Gillespie
Ed Stangroome
Adam  Williams
Jamie Wishart
Liam Bartholet

The team  were incredible throughout the four games . They rucked , tackled, supported and defended as one team. An incredible effort by all and in to be extremely proud of.

Results as follows

Dorking 0 Sevenoaks Gold 8
Farnham 2 Sevenoaks Gold 6
Old Emanuel 2 Sevenoaks Gold 5
Sutton and Epsom 2 Sevenoaks Gold 5

Apologies for short match report but rushing out the door for Easter holidays - enjoy your break.

Foxbury Festival, 8th April 2018

10 players made the short trip to this years Foxbury festival. Only six returned !! 

Team:

Gerran
Jack M
Jack K
Mitchell
Imogen  
Jonny
Liam
Edward
Bruno
Oscar

Played 4 lost 4 playing competitive games against mixed ability opposition. 

Old Elthamians    2-0
Blackheath.          3-2
Dartfordians.        2-1
Old Whitgiftians 5-0

The player numbers reduced after the first game losing Imogen and Jonny to head injury assessments and unable to take any further part in the festival. Gerran with twisted ankle and Jack K with another concussion assessment and unable to play the last game. 

The team dug deep in all games playing with resilience  and dogged determination .  On this occasion the task proved too difficult but all players can be proud of there contribution and effort. A lesson in not being able to win on every outing will hold the players in good shape when managing outcomes moving forward.  

Well done to all and be proud of contribution. Pleased to say all players in road to recovery. 
 

Westcombe Park Festival, 15 April 2018

Sevenoaks 1, comprising Colby, Mitch, Benjy, Rory, Hamish, Sammy, Clovis, Liam, Tom, Charlie, Harry, Luke, Kyle and Adam, won all their games and played some fantastic team rugby. 

First game against Westcombe was relatively close at 2.1 and hard fought. The second against Beckenham saw us give away a couple of easy tries at the start and we went in 3-1 down. Second half we turned it on and ran out 6-3 winners. Third we were against a weak Park House. The Westcombe ref cottoned on quickly and told us he would ping us for everything to try to even it up. We won something like 8-0. Finally we were against Warlingham. First half was very even, with us going in at half time just 1-0 up. Again, the second half saw us step up a gear and it ended up 5-0.

It’s difficult to call out individual players as frankly the support play and communication were so effective the whole team effort eclipsed the individual performances. That being said, I do feel compelled to point out one play in the final game where we were l defending on our tryline. We managed to turn the ball over (with typically effective rucking) and then hoofed it down field. Adam pinned his ears back and completely skinned the defender who had a good 15m on him. Unfortunately he was scragged just before the try line and lost it forward. However, from the resulting scrum, we turned it over and next play we scored. In that 5 minutes, all 9 players were involved.

Great performances all round!

Sevenoaks 2 was comprised of Will B, Olly D, Luca E, Monty F, Zach L, Freddie L, Ben M, Taylor N, Brennen O, Edward T, Max W and Jamie W.

First, Bromley 1 were a neat and well-drilled outfit, and provided an initial challenge. Oaks defence was impenetrable.  Slick hands with unselfish teamwork meant we ran away with a 5-0 start to the day.

The Medway 1 match really brought out the Oaks' team character, with the hefty opposition nullified by skillful and fast play, utilising the full breadth of the pitch. 5-0 again. 

Vigo 1 played with heart but couldn't respond to Sevenoaks` pace and commitment. 8-0.

An ambulance interlude for a Bromley player meant that the last two games were slightly shortened, notching up the tension in the fixtures. Old Alleynians 1 had also beaten Vigo soundly and provided stiff competition with a similar fast and open style of play to our own. However Sevenoaks opened up a 2-0 halftime lead and defended it well for a 4-1 win. 

Beckenham 2, were strong with several pacey runners, although the Sevenoaks tackling and neat finishing meant a 3-1 win, completing 9 wins from 9 for the club.

One of many highlights of the day was a fantastic chip ahead by Will against Beckenham, finished off by Max with a diving touchdown on a moving ball - worthy of the Premiership!

Beccahamians Festival 11th March 2018

The squad arrived early on Sunday with a strong contingent of Mums on the touchline (thank you!).   In an Oaks squad with a good balance of speed, strength and guile our first opponents were likely to be the toughest test and so it proved. A bright start was needed and having received the kickoff Oaks were struggling to make much ground.  Importantly they didn’t panic and kept possession well.  Sidcup attacked the breakdown with a ferocity and numbers the like of which Sevenoaks have come up against on very few occasions.  Tackles were not being missed by either team and it was an intense and enthralling first half which saw the game scoreless and almost entirely played 10m either side of halfway.  Such intense rugby looked impossible to maintain but was actually outdone by a second half-display that had the coaches purring.  Having traded scores early in the second half, time was running out with Oaks inside their own 22.  Brilliant decision making, outstanding rucking, some eye-catching offloads and full-on commitment saw the boys progress the length of the field to score with the last action of the game in a multi-phase attack that lasted 2 or 3 minutes of measured, controlled progress.  Everyone was involved and it epitomised a true team try to leave Sevenoaks as 2-1 victors!

Next up was Old Elthamians, another quality team where the Oaks had to be very organised in defence and committed to their rucking.  A tight first half saw the Oaks 1 try ahead before easing away in the second half as the boys adapted to the opposition and began to offload effectively.  Oaks ran out eventual 3-0 winners.  

The third game was against an Edenbridge team who had ridden their luck (and Nicks refereeing) to win both their opening matches.   Edenbridge therefore started in high spirits only to meet a wall of white shirts (Oaks played with their tops inside out) the like of which hadn’t been seen in either Edinburgh or Paris.  A special mention goes to Sammy who was the best player on his team (having gamely agreed to be loaned to Edenbridge).  Oaks ran out eventual 3-1 winners in a game where the team played like they were in control throughout.  The day ended on a high against Dartford with the boys starting to motor, running out eventual 8-1 winners with the scoring spread among the team.  

All-in-all the boys really played the game in the right spirit throughout with 4 wins from 4 and only 3 tries conceded a testament to their great attitude and the teams willingness to work hard, together.  

Guildford Festival 11th March 2018

The U11 Mighty Oaks travelled across to Surrey on Mother’s Day expecting a tide of rain, but were greeted by sunshine. They were buoyed by the good weather and keen to start. First up were Sutton and Epsom. The Oaks elected to play downhill (at a near 30 degree angle) and came out of the blocks quickly scoring through Will, Tom and Luca. 3-0 at half time, but they had to face the uphill slope in the second half. In his Jamie George head band, Jack made some very strong runs, with players bouncing off him. Freddie took a leaf out of Jack’s book and just kept going when he had the ball, breaking numerous tackles. Will and Hamish used their heads at half backs, kicking whenever they were in trouble. Some great chasing of kicks and wonderful support play led to another 2 tries from Liam and Ollie. Final score 5-0, with 5 different people on the score sheet – an amazing team effort!

Next up were Windsor. The Oaks remembered playing them in finals of tournaments back when there used to be finals, so they knew they were in for a challenge. Windsor elected to play uphill and started with a long kick, which looked like it was going to go dead, but a really unlucky bounce of the ball led to Windsor’s first score. The wind was taken out of Oaks sails not being used to being behind. Then Luca took a knock to the knee and was carried off by St John’s (he was OK, but couldn’t take part in the rest of the day). Oaks fought back and a great dummy by Joel and a strong run led to a wonderful try to make it 1-1. However, Joel twisted his ankle whilst diving for the line with several players hanging on and St John’s were on again. After their next kick off, Windsor seized their chance with a very quick run down the wing to make it 2-1 to Windsor at half time. In the second half the Oaks made some amazing tackles, with Harry Bouverie making the best of the bunch taking out Windsor’s 15 stone forward. However, the Oaks were simply out-rucked by a very well drilled Windsor team, not managing to obtain or retain possession. With the advantage of the slope, Windsor ran in 3 more tries to make the final score 5-1. Although the Oaks were down hearted, they should be proud of their fantastic tackling and learn from the speed to the ruck from Windsor (something for us to work on).

A switch of pitches meant the slope was even more exaggerated on one half. The Oaks took advantage of winning the toss and elected to play down hill against Kingston. In a very close match the two teams swapped scores. Harry and Liam always on the shoulders of team mates, ran in for a try each. Tom thought he’d squeezed into the corner just before the half time whistle, but one foot in touch meant his try was disallowed. Half time score 2-2. Oaks now had to play up-hill.  Again, some very well placed kicks kept the play in the flatter part of the pitch. Benjy took advantage of a well worked ball down the line and barrelled over for a great score. Kingston weren’t out though and some vigorous support on the side lines encouraged them to fight back and draw level again. Oaks elected to receive, which gave the slope advantage to Kingston. However, they must have had a cunning plan as they ran back up the pitch with multiple phases of play. Joshua was involved in almost every phase, rucking over and making some great passes. Tom Hyde then crossed the try line, to only be disallowed again because he had been tackled high – no advantage was played! Luckily the Oaks kept the ball in Kingston’s half and another great straight run from Liam meant the final score was 4-3 to the Oaks.

After a leisurely lunch, the Oaks faced Old Reigatians in their final game of the day. With sausages and burgers in their bellies, the Oaks started the game uphill and dug in their defence to keep the opposition out. Some great kicking and fantastic chasing and tackling by Luke kept Reigate from scoring until the final play of the half. With Oaks caught slightly off guard, and with a clear hand off, Old Rs went over for a try. 1-0 at half time. The Oaks had the benefit of the downhill slope in the second half and quickly capitalised with wonderful hands passing down the line putting Ollie in for a score in the corner. The Oaks then camped down in Old R’s half, time and again getting within a whisker of a score only to just lose out to some unlucky mistakes. The final score was 1-1, but the Oaks knew they could have done better.

All-in-all a great day with some hugely committed play and some good learning to take back to our Kentish home turf. We must make a special mention for Liam Bartholet who played out of skin, was the top try scorer and won our player of the tournament trophy. Well done Liam!

Esher Festival - 4th March 2018

After solid pitches at Sidcup last week, the team arrived at Esher with a trek through a quagmire to get to our pitches which turned out to be very well prepared and ready for a good days rugby.  With the usual hour plus to wait for our first game the team warmed up and we raring to go for their first match against the hosts Esher – or so it seemed!  Unfortunately we had our usual Sevenoaks first match dip and went down a try within the first minute.  The great thing to see was that heads did not dip and the team came back out with some great team play.  Some finger tackling allowed a further 3 tries to Esher and although Sevenoaks played with some good spreading of the ball eventually, the final whistle went and 4-0 to Esher.

Next up were London Irish – some further finger tackles once again allowed and early try by the Irish but again, heads did not drop and the team came out fighting.  With end to end play we came back 1-1.  Some good defensive play from London Irish stopped our next try only to turn over and go up 2-1 to London Irish.  Further end to end play and some superb support play from the Kay twins got Sam over the try line to go 2-2.  With a final flourish of play, Taylor, with some very solid forward running made it over the try line – putting us ahead by 1.  London Irish were straight back at us and drew back 3-3.  With the final play of the game some great team work evolved from Sevenoaks to help drive Charlie over the try line – The try was not counted and the game ended 3-3.  Although we all know the real score!

Our third match was against Old Cranleighans.  We did not allow a score against us in the first minute of this match – this time it was within the first two minutes – lets call that an improvement!  3 further tries went OC’s way when Taylor made another great straight run from half way with Imogen supporting all the way, 5m from the try line, OC’s finally managed to halt Taylor but with Imogen’s great support, Taylor popped the ball out and Sevenoaks got a try back by Imogen.  Game ended 4-1 to OC’s

Having played 3 games, the score line didn’t really resemble to actual play of the team with some great rucking and clearing out so this was the focus of the final game against Wimbledon Warriors.

The team went out with the mind-set that this was their game and it started that way too, with some superb rucking and good scrum half clearing out quickly, we were on the score sheet first this game with some great work on the wing from Adam, this drew players to allow Clovis to get through and get himself on the score sheet.  With further end to end rugby the Warriors got one back, only for Sevenoaks to go back up to 2-1 with a second try of the day from Sam.  The Warriors came straight back to get 2-2 with only a few minutes left.  With Oaks receiving, the ball was taken well and ground made up straight away, all playing as a team which was excellent to watch.  Taylor had been hooking like a Demon all game and every scrum, irrespective of put in, was one by Sevenoaks.  Following another great clear out from an Esher scrum, Imogen got the ball out wide via Ben to Oscar – who had been drawing many of the opposition all day – and Oscar got his chance and he took it!  Final try of the day to Oscar and final score 3-2 to Sevenoaks!

As said, a great day of rugby and the team certainly playing better than the score line suggested.  Notes of play:  Clovis for his drive in the ruck, Charlie also for great rucking and spreading of the ball, Ben for some absolutely awesome try saving tackles, Sam for great full back play as well as forward driving.  Peter for good rucking over and support play, Bruno for some good running and drive in a couple of the mauls.  Imogen for good clearing from scrum and ruck as well as support play, Taylor for his drive and certainly for his hooking mastery!  Oscar for maintaining the width to eventually make it count, Edward for good vision of the opponents coming and closing down.  Adam with some great play both as scrum half as well as on the wing and finally Jamie for great tacking under pressure and good driving forward with the ball.

We should all be proud of how these players are maturing as a team – I for one can’t wait to see them in action again!

Come on you Mighty Oaks!   

Phil & Cyril!

Sidcup - another fantastic performance from the Mighty Oaks - 25 Feb 2018

Sevenoaks 1 won all their games very comfortably. The rucking was top class which meant we had a big possession advantage. That enabled our backs to run with the ball despite the fact that pitches were small.

Hamish was magical, a rugby genius, going through gaps which were just not there.

Ben has transformed into a top class forward with his power runs and solid defence.

Gerran was a star as always, solid in every aspect.

Jonny had a number of good runs and competed well for the ball.

Monty’s fullback play rescued the team on many occasions when the team was under pressure; he also ran well with the ball.

Kyle’s pace was dazzling as usual, but today his defensive skills proved to be as strong.

Freddie gained many meters with his running, a great day for him.

Oliver was excellent at scrumhalf, keeping the ball alive. He was also strong in rucking.

Taylor had a number of storming runs, despite a knock early on. He was tremendous.

Ed’s defence was exceptional; often try-saving.

JC’s ‘hooking’ gave us an advantage at the scrum; he also had a great outing scoring a few.

Unfortunately Max suffered from a bad cold and had to leave after the first match. In the short time he spent on the pitch his class was evident as always.

A true all round performance with very few handling errors despite the sub-zero conditions. We had compliments from many of the opposition coaches... Well done team!!

Sevenoaks 2 were also undefeated. It was particularly pleasing to note a second half performance against a dogged Westcombe park where the team began at 1-1 and ran out 4-1 winners through three exceptional team tries. The offloading, support, rucking and direct running meant that all 9 players on the pitch touched the ball or were involved across those three scores. Phenomenal to watch.

A few highlights -

Colby’s direct running

Rory and Mitch’s kicking

Alec’s positional play as full back

Conor and Harry’s tackling

Brennan’s pace

Imogen and Sammy’s distribution

Josh’s all round work rate and unselfish play

Tonbridge Tri-Wizard Tournament, 26 Nov 2017

What a great day we had.  All of the 3 teams were really up for the ‘tri-wizard’ competition, as some of the players were calling it. It was some of the most competitive rugby that we have seen against our arch rivals TJs and T Wells. All the players should be really proud of themselves. We have a huge amount of strength in depth across the squad. 

The Lions started proceeds by trumping TJs 13-1 (We think that was the final score). They then played TW b squad and lost 5-1 (again, think that is right). The third game was a full on barbarian style mash up of all 3 teams on a 12 a side game. This was great to see, particularly as many of these kids will be school mates next year.

The Cheetahs deserved better but eventually lost 0-1 in a scrappy game against TJs, with the side with the wind at their backs dominating each half. Oaks did well to limit the damage to one try in the first half with good defensive play on our line. Second half we were unfortunate to lose the ball forward too many times and also lost a number of 50:50 calls which resulted in our failing to come away with any reward for dominant territory. 

Against TW As, the Cheetahs were generally out-rucked in the first half and went down by 3 scores, but we played a better second half with a try apiece, with players taking a few knocks in the fight. 

The Tigers started with a narrow, but well deserved 2-1 win over TJs. We were supposed to be playing 10 mins each way, but the second half seemed to last for 20mins on its own as we stopped TJs just short of our try line time and again.  Our defence and tackling was awesome. We have a bit of work to do on our rucking. An improvement in this department would have made the game much more comfortable. 

The Tigers turned on the afterburners against T Wells, who had just been softened up by our very own Cheetahs. With some fantastic flowing rugby, we came out 4-1 winners. A great result against such a strong team.

Visit from GB wheelchair rugby team, 5th Nov 2017

Some of the boys were lucky enough to meet the GB wheelchair rugby team at home training today.

Esher Festival 15th October 2017

The team travelling to the Esher festival was:

Harry B
Will B
Benjy C
Charlie D
Luca E
Lara H
Tom H
Hamish M
Gerran P
Edward T
JC V
Max W

Battersea Ironside were our first oppo. Quite tight in the first half. Battersea rucked well and were winning most of breakdowns but we fought well and went in 2-0 up at half time. We were a different team in the second half with some beautiful passing and use of the wide runners making it 8-0 by the end. 

Guildfordians 2 were next up. A very tight game which remained scoreless through the first half.  We kept plugging away in the second and muscled over for two tries to win 2-0. 

Guildfordians 1 followed and it was soon clear that Guildford had decided to play some mind games with the team numbering as we ran out relatively easy winners at 6-0. 

So for the first three games we had kept a clean sheet - what more could you ask for. 

Last oppo was Roslyn Park. An extremely well drilled and focused team who turned out to be quite physical as well. We didn’t have the energy reserves to keep them out and whilst we went down 0-3 the boys never gave up and worked hard all the way to the final whistle.  

Rosslyn Park Festival, 8 October 2017

What a day for rugby at Rosslyn Park!  Once everyone had found their way to the right location, we managed to field a full team of 12.  First up was against Esher.  The team was fired up and ready to go, not wanting to let the Mighty Oaks first game loss come in to play…… Esher also came out of the blocks quickly with good end to end rugby, Oaks managed to get a score on the board following a great diving run from Mitch and things were looking promising.  Lots of disappointing finger tackles later Esher managed to gain two back.  Not wanting to go in a half time down, Oaks managed to pull one out of the bag with a nippy run up the wing from Imogen with great support from Liam and Zach.  in the final play Esher managed their third with the half time whistle going at 3-2 to Esher.  Subs on and off, Sevenoaks took the kick which turn through to a try for Esher.  Heads did not go down though and Liam managed to zip through the defence to pull back to 4-3.  Alas, the final whistle came but a great first game for Sevenoaks none the less.

Next up Ealing - The team were dead set on winning this one and received the ball from the kick off with Jonny making an expert catch and run, all the way to the other end.  Try to Sevenoaks.  Next at the re-start, Ealing received and drove up the pitch, some good defensive work from all forwards Colby, Charlie and Jack made it hard for Ealing to make ground.  Great rucking turned the ball over to allow Taylor a fantastic run to the try line to score number 2.  Now Sevenoaks were riding the wave with a follow up try from Max followed by a great try by “swan dive” Coogan.  4 - 0.  Pressure did not stop, allowing both Max and Conor to take another try each, finishing off the match 6-0.

Third game up was Teddington who took the kick to start.  Max must have had his weetabix as before Teddington knew it, we were 2 up and Max was on fire.  Teddington managed to regain 2 back, even with some stunning defensive play from Colby and an injured Zach to level but the team pulled together and with Max and Liam playing off each other on the wing, great support from Max and selfless play from Liam meant Max managed to get 4 on the score sheet.  Not to be out done, both Conor and Taylor stepped up with good supporting play from Jonny, making the final score 6-2

Fourth game was the host side Rosslyn Park.  Sevenoaks lost the toss so took the start with a great drop kick from Charlie. Some end to end Rugby saw Rosslyn take up 2 tries early on.  Once again, some outstanding play from Bruno who got the ball out wide to Max allowing him another lighting run to the try line, 2-1 at half time.  Not sure what Rosslyn Park ate at half time but they came out all guns blazing and with slightly lacklustre tackling from Oaks, managed to notch up 2 early tries, with a return try from Conor making it 4-2.  Last play saw RP take the advantage to score a try making final score 5-2.

Final game against Hampstead and the team had heads held high. From the offset you could see this was going to be a physical game and Hampstead managed to take first score.  With some good driving from Mitch and an offload to Conor we managed to pull one back before the half time whistle blew.  Second half saw the game turn even more physical.  A second try from Hampstead made the going hard.  Some excellent work from Jack saw the ball passed out to Imogen who was on her way to the try line only to be viciously taken out by a Hampstead player pulling full force on her ponytail which took her off her feet.  With Conor subbed on and the Hampstead player sent off, Sevenoaks were a man up.  Play resumed but against the play, Hampstead managed to get a third try.  Max and Liam joined forces again with a great run from Liam, only to also be taken out by Hampstead - another sub and on came Jack.  The final minute saw some good end to end rugby but no change on the score - finishing 3-1 to Hampstead

Overall, some great Rugby today with the team really good in the supporting play - especially Liam and Max out on the wing.  Rucks were good, on the whole, especially considering these are generally our nemesis - Some thought needs to go back in to carrying out proper tackles which could have meant a clean sheet today.  Having said that, each member showed great heart and good teamwork.  Well done all!

Sutton & Epsom Experience Festival, 8 October 2017

The Oaks travelled to Sutton & Epsom for the first time. Greeted by glorious sunshine the Oaks settled in to the new venue well. Unfortunately 2 clubs had pulled out, so their only opponents were the hosts and Battersea Ironsides. The coaches decided that each team would play each other twice, game on!

First up were the Ironsides who, having just played their first game, had tired legs. The Oaks launched into the lead with 2 great straight running tries from Tom ‘the Jackal’ Hyde and a couple of jinking runs leading to tries by Hamish ‘Lightening’ McQueen and Lars ‘but not least’ Hansen. At half time it was 4-0. The platform created by the forwards was awesome with some great rucking by Gerran ‘the Red Dragon’ Prescott in particular. After another try by Tom shortly after the whistle and 2 by Lars, the Oaks decided to even the game a bit taking the 2 hat-trick players off the pitch. This evened up the play a bit, but the Oaks still kept up the pressure with Benji ‘the Barrel’ Collingwood barrelling over for 2 tries and Hamish taking the final score to 10-0. 

Sutton & Epsom had rested, whilst the Oaks were straight back on the field for the next game. Sutton had watched the Oaks, so were more prepared for the onslaught. However, they just couldn’t keep pace with the strength of rucking. Sammy ‘the Tiger’ Tansley, one of our utility players, showed some immense bravery clearing the bigger players out of the ruck. The Oaks were 4-0 up at half time after Kyle ‘the Style’ Cameron had shown everyone a clean pair of heels and Gerran had spun over the line for a Taulupe Faletau-like score. S&E came back stronger in the second half, but just couldn’t keep up with the fantastic support play shown by the Oaks. Both Harry ‘the Belgium Bomber’ Bouverie and Joel ‘the Bullet’ Walter were on the shoulders of their team mates going over for another 2 tries. The final score was 7-0.

After a break, it was ground hog day as the Ironsides took to the pitch again. However, it wasn’t a repeat performance, as they came out much more aggressively and started to win the rucks against an Oaks team who had taken their eye off the ball. The Oaks had been practising their cross field kicks in the break and a call from Hamish from one side of the pitch to Will ‘Zig-zag’ Brooke, resulted in an All-Black style kick from Hamish and a great catch by Will who ran over for a glorious score. S&E came back hard and scored twice with their winger running round the Oaks back line. The score at half time was 2-2. A much better contest than earlier. After their half team talk, the Oaks committed to get to the rucks first. Edward ‘the Tank’ Thompson led from the half time whistle with a fantastic chase and tackle. The rest of the team rallied round and maintained possession for most of the second half. Hamish scored his hatrick and the Oaks pulled away to a 6-2 win.

Sutton & Epsom spotted their chance with the Oaks running low on battery. However, the Oaks dug in and kept S&E in their own half. Joel stepped into scrum half on one play, threw an enormous dummy sending all the black and white shirts the wrong way. He then dodged his way over the line to make the half time score 2-0 to the Oaks. The forwards, led by Sammy and Benjy stepped up their aggression winning countless rucks and rips in the mauls. Will commanded the backs at fly half drawing S&E in and then releasing the speedsters Tom and Lars, who both went over again for tries. Another of our utility players, Harry, was all over the pitch again rucking everything that stood in his way. This enabled a great backs move to end off the match with the ball going down the line, Joel straightening with a perfectly timed pass for Kyle to go over in the corner. Final score was 5-1 to the Oaks. A fantastic display of running rugby!

Guildford Festival...1 October 2017

The Sevenoaks Reds emerged out of rainy Kent to be greeted by a dry Surrey as they arrived at Guildford. This paved the way for a great day of running rugby…..

Sevenoaks Reds first opponents were the hosts Guildfordians Reds. With all the new rules this year, there was a lot for all to take in, players, coaches and referees alike. But the reds came out guns blazing with some fantastic rucking with Sammy Tansley and Harry Bouverie leading the way in bulldozer fashion. First over the try line was Luca Esposito with a trade mark head-down charge for the line. This was closely followed by Zach Loder finishing off a great move by diving over the line in the corner. Gerran Prescott then charged through virtually all of the opposition carrying several over the try line to make it 3-0 at half time. Guildfordians came back, aided by the downhill advantage in the second half. The Reds were ready and tackled their hearts out. Tom Hyde showed immense determination to knock the opponents backwards time and again resulting in a clean sheet in the second half. Final score, 3-0 to the Oaks.

Next up were……. Guildfordians again! This time it was the Blues who were a well drilled outfit and a greater challenge then their Red comrades. The Oaks had the downhill advantage in the first half, but the Blues dug in and held them out for most of the first half. After some bruising runs by Rory Staunton, the Oaks made some good ground. Then Will Brook spotted his opportunity going over in the corner, taking his opposite number out as he charged over the line. 1-0 at half time. The Oaks were going uphill in the second half, so they knew they had a battle on their hands. They kept their composure and took full advantage of the introduction of kicking this year. Whenever they were pinned in their own half, they hoofed their way out of trouble. Following up one of these clearances led to another try. The Blues were not down though and came back again. Looking like they were going to score, they were foiled by some clever stepping and a fantastic clearance to touch by Joel Walter to end the game 2-0 to the Oaks.

Dorking were the third opponents. The Oaks relished the challenge of a new club to play. Hamish McQueen, moving from scrum half to fly half, took control of the game early on and scored 2 tries using his electric pace. The Oaks had their strongest performance of the day with another dominating display of rucking and tackling. Oliver Goodwin distributed the ball around the park from scrum half sending his team mates at the opposition in a well-drilled ‘middle-middle-wide’ fashion. Charlie Drysdale took the ball down the middle splitting the opposition in two. Soon there were 2 more scores on the sheet. The final score was 4-0, but it could have been more.

The Sevenoaks Reds were on a roll and full of confidence going into the final match against Effingham & Leatherhead. However, E&L were by far the most physical team of the day and the Oaks were knocked back for the first time in rucks. Both teams went at each other like their lives depended on it. There were a number of stoppages due to bodies being strewn around the pitch. The Oaks showed great skills with ball in hand, but turned the ball over too many times in the ruck, giving away possession. E&L kept coming at them over the top of the ruck. Unfortunately, they were off their feet most of the time and not picked up for it. The half time score was 0-0. Going into the second half, the Reds knew what they needed to do and started to gain ground and keep possession with better rucking. However, the five and half foot E&L winger managed to steel the ball in his own half and ran the length of the pitch for a break away score. The next play resulted in a bang of heads and the referee decided to stop the game. The Oaks were very down hearted as there had only been 2 mins of the second half. However, it was a good lesson to learn early in the season. The physicality of the game is stepping up and playing the referee as he sees the game is important. It was a disappointing end to day for the players. However, they should be very proud of their performance. It was a great start to the season.

AND THE REPORT FOR THE BLUES...

Sevenoaks Blues had an earlier start than expected due to a team not being present. Their first opponents were Effingham and Leatherhead. Unfortunately, the players did not organised themselves and were dominated for the first half. Despite few individual good runs in the second half they lost this match.

They all get together and discussed why they lost. They quickly identified that they did not do the basics things that they practice every week end. Rucking, tackling, and supporting the ball carrier. From that moment on, they did not look back and it was a very different team that played.

There second game against Guilford was very different. They were driving the rucks. Our Forwards, Alec, Ben M, Edward, Jamie, Jack and Clovis were very quick on the rucks and had a number of turn over balls. Our fantastic scrum halves and fly half, Monty and Ethan distributed the ball very quickly and were very accurate in their passes. These allowed some great runs from our backs – Ben Peter, Oscar and Aaron. Score 9-1

The third game against Old Reigatians was similar to the second one with a team getting even better organised with some fantastic powerful runs from the forwards and quick offloads to the backs. Score 6-2

The final game of the day was against the same team we have started the tournament against. This was going to be the sort of a finale. I could hear one of the coach from the opposite team saying, this is the same team as we played earlier but I saw them playing again and something has changed. All the players were highly motivated and ready to make sure they did not make the same mistake twice.

All of then played really well. They tackled brilliantly, drove the rucks and were accurate in their passes. They went 1 down but quickly recovered and the final score was 3-1.

A great day of rugby and hopefully they all have learned that playing with the key fundamentals will take them a long way.

They should be proud of themselves. Bravo les Bleus

Foxbury Festival...1 October 2017

With a drizzly start, the team were up against Beckenham 1’s.  With Becks already having played they had blown the cobwebs away but the Mighty Oaks came out blazing but had two tries from Brennan and Lars dis-allowed.  Becks over powered the Oaks a couple of times with good passing of the ball down the line to go up 1-0.  JC had the bit between his teeth with some excellent ripping to pull one back only for Becks to pull two further tries out of the bag. Some brave scrum half work from Imogen against a very physical team made the game very interesting and some brilliant defensive work from Oli D kept Becks out of our try line but to no avail - Final score: Sevenoaks 1 - Beckenham 3.

Next up after a short break was Westcombe Park.  Having watched their first game, we knew we were up against some tough competition.  The team was obviously still aggrieved from the first match as they came out firing on all cylinders again with an early try from Brennan - the shape of the team working well with Taylor and Mitch drawing in the defence allowing a swift run to score the try.  With The Oaks being given the re-start, it was an excellent kick with a follow up from the whole team with Liam and Luke on the ball instantly.  Following some good defensive play from Freddie, Luke made a fantastic run through some players and out to the side to score try number 2.  End of first half 2-0.  A cracking re-start again, but Westcombe managed to drive us backwards but were held out of our area through great rucking and mauling from Benjy and Edward T.  During a tight maul, JC once again managed a fantastic rip and proceeded to score.  End of time 3-0 to Sevenoaks.

After an hours wait, game three was upon us against the hosts - Old Elthamians.  Some notable play from Luke at scrum half and Imogen on the wing allowing some space and giving Brennan what he needed to pace through and score, 1-0 to The Oaks.  OE’s came straight back after the re-start to score a return try making it 1 all.  Following a good team talk at half time, Max W came thundering out early to score try number 2 for The Oaks with great support on the run from Liam.  OE’s kept trying to come back but Oli D, Mitch and Taylor showed true heart with great defensive work, finishing the game 2-0 to Sevenoaks.

Final game of the day was Old Alleynians.  All of the team were fired up to make sure we got this one in the bag. Another great kick off from Oaks put OA’s under pressure instantly.  With that pressure OA’s defence decided to kick out of trouble only to be caught expertly by Max on the fly, with some side stepping and a great offload to Benjy, we got the try.  OA’s kept up good momentum with some up and down the pitch play only for them to lose the ball in a ruck (alleluhia Sevenoaks!!!) to allow a second try from Benjy.  This time OA’s managed to come back at us for a return try 2-1 at half time.  With great driving mauls and a bucket load of pressure from the forwards Edward T and Freddie allowed Lars to escape on the wing to do what he does best, fly past all players as though they are standing still to score our third try with great supporting play from Luke D and Liam.  Not to be outdone, another great start from The Oaks put OA’s under pressure instantly and a quick ball out of a scrum gave Benjy his opportunity for a hat-trick.  Final score 4-1.

A great first tournament for most of the team with some rules being learned, by players, coaches as well as referees!  Roll on the U11 season!

Saracens Tournament, 23rd Sep 2017

The boys had a great day at the first tournament of the season, winning 3 of their 4 matches and then watching Sarries beat Sale.  See the match report in the comments below.

Welcome back! Here's looking forward to another fantastic season...3 Sep 2017

It was great to see so many of you on Sunday and welcome to Sebastian and Oliver. I hope all the players enjoyed their first session of the season. It was great to see the games at the end being dominated by good passing and forward running as opposed to aimless kicking – let’s try and keep it that way!!

For those that are keen to practice drop kicking, see below for some utube clips from Dan Carter and Jonny Wilkinson. This is how we start and re-start the game this season……

Dan Carter drop kick restarts

https://youtu.be/uMlgmH3f1Q0

Johnny Wilkinson drop goals

https://youtu.be/ctocB2SCzNA

TOUR: Please respond to Steve and Jen about whether you will be going on tour this season. This year it will be from Friday 4th May until Monday 7th May. 

PARKING: We all know how bad parking is at the club and I am sure all the U11s ‘good parkers’. However, I must forward on some messages about parking…

-          Please do not park at Lady Boswell's, otherwise we'll lose access to their playing fields. 

-          Once the car park is full, please try and notify drivers up on Plymouth Drive or the parking volunteers

-          Please don’t take up 2 spaces. 

-          Don’t park beyond the red barriers, these spaces are specifically for the tennis club.

Best of luck to everyone who is taking the 11+ on Thursday. Everyone should be in party mood this weekend!

See you on Sunday.

23rd April 2017..43rd Westcombe Park Minis' Festival..Sevenoaks scores 31 tries to 4.

Team: William Brook, Kyle Cameron, Benjy Collingwood, Charlie Drysdale, Luca Esposito, Lars Hansen, Thomas Hyde, Hamish McQueen, Brennan O’Keefe, Gerran Prescott, JC Vermeulen, Joel Walter.

The Oaks U10s all arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed for their last tournament of the season at Westcombe Park. Having won all their games at the same venue a few weeks earlier, expectations were high. The team had an hour of warming up before their first game against Gravesend. The Oaks were chomping at the bit and came out all guns blazing putting on a fantastic display of controlled rugby in the first half with the ball whizzing down the line from one side of the very wide pitch to the other. Both wings, Hansen and Cameron, showed their electric pace scoring twice notching up a 4-0 half time score after the most perfect rugby we have seen all season. Gravesend came back to score in the second half when the Oaks missed their first tackle. Sevenoaks switched back on, pulled back 2 tries to make the final score 6-1.

Next up were Blackheath, an old adversary. Again the boys in blue and gold came out of the blocks quickly notching up 4 tries in the first half. The defence was also awesome with Prescott leading at the front with some awesome rucking forcing several turnovers. McQueen put in the tackle of the day running back virtually the entire length of the pitch to stop a try in the corner and keep a clean sheet. The Oaks had to pull a player off at half time to even up the competition. However, they still dominated and Vermeulen used a combination of buffalo bull-dozing and gazelle leaping to score a hat-trick in the second half making the final score 7-0.

Not wanting to stop the theme of first halves, the Oaks scored 4 tries in the first half again against Cranbrook. The pick of the bunch was an immensely strong ‘cannonball’ run from Collingwood, who carried half the opposition with him for 20 metres before he landed over the line. Cranbrook came back in the second half with a quality score from their billy-whizz winger who outstripped the Oaks. The Oaks couldn’t quite reach the heights of their play so far, but managed to score another try to make the fulltime score 5-1. It was time for a well-earned lunch break…..

The first opponents of the afternoon were Upminster or ‘UpOaks’ as Sevenoaks provided 2 players for their team (and the next Upminster game against Cranbrook). Well done to Collingwood, Vermeulen, Walter, Esposito, Hansen and Prescott for volunteering to help out. Again the Oaks scored 4 in the first half, with O’Keefe powering through players for 2 well taken tries. In the second half the Oaks switched on the class again with some great down the line play. Walter and Brook unselfishly distributed the ball out to the wings showing great awareness of space. Hyde scored two crackers in the corners and Esposito showed his strength and power to notch up another ‘through the middle’ score. The final score was 8-0, but the highlight was the joint ‘three cheers for rugby’ sung by all players in a circle at the end.

Finally came Dartfordians, who had been watching and taking note of Sevenoaks play during the day. They had obviously done their homework as they broke the Oaks run of scoring 4 tries in the first half and held them to just one score. The Oaks had a real game on their hands in the second half as Dartfordians came back to match the Oaks scores with one well worked try and an unfortunate interception try. Luckily the Oaks woke up and found their passing game again with some wonderful teamwork and support play. Having scored tries earlier in the day, Drysdale showed great strength in his rucking and tackling to pull the Oaks back. The Oaks scored 4 in the second half, making it 5-2 at the final whistle.

It was a truly remarkable performance by the whole team. Each player should be very proud of their own performance, but most of all they should be proud of how they played as a team. The team spirit was epitomised by Colby Bedford-Eatwell who came along to support. Many thanks Colby!

Marvellous Mother's Day Matches, 26th March 2017

First of all, thank you to all the mums that turned out today to support the players. I am sure you’ll agree the kids gave you all a fantastic mother’s day present with such amazing play and it was sunny too!

The three mixed teams competing in the Kent Festival won all their games very convincingly scoring 74 vs 12 tries in 9 games, some of which we played 5-6 players against 8! It was a very proud day for all the coaches and parents. Well done to every single player – you were all awesome! It is a privilege to be part of this fantastic U10s squad. 

Sevenoaks 1

Players: Harry Bouverie, Benjy Collingwood, Thomas Hyde, Freddie Lowndes, Hamish McQueen, Taylor Nash, Edward Neale, Mitchell Short, Sammy Tansley, Joel Walter

On a bright sunny Mother’s day morning, Sevenoaks 1 set out to stamp their authority on the day in the first game against Maidstone. Within the first few minutes the Oaks were 5-0 up and started to pull players off the field to try to make it more of a competition. The Oaks just kept going with some fantastic tackling and rucking. At half time the Oaks were 7-0 up and it was decided to cut the team to 5 players for the second half to play against the Maidstone 8. This evened up the game a bit, but the players on the pitch ran and tackled their hearts out to end the score 11-2. Special mentions go to Tom for his 4 length of the pitch tries, Joel for his silky side stepping 2 tries, Hamish with his brave-heart blue war paint 2 tries and Ed for his fantastic try saving tackles. 

The team readied themselves for what they thought would be the toughest opposition of the day, Ashford. However, they didn’t turn up. They had obviously seen the first game and didn’t fancy taking on the Mighty Oaks! The kids relaxed until their game against Canterbury. A little too much relaxing though as the game was a lot closer than the first. It was 1-1 at half time, with the Oaks uncharacteristically missing tackles and losing the ball at the breakdown. A tough Eddie Jones like half time talk ensued. Benjy led from the first whistle with his route one head down technique barrelling over for the first score of the second half. Two more Oaks scores followed with some great support play by Freddie picking the ball off his shoe laces and running round two players to score the last of the match. Final score was 4-1.

The last game of the day was against Bexley. The Oaks didn’t want to have a close match again so they came out of the blocks with adrenalin running high. Bexley just couldn’t match the pace of the Oaks as the boys in blue and gold rattled off 5 tries within the first few minutes. Again the Oaks resorted to pulling players off the park, dropping down to 7, then 6 and then 5 for the second half. Still the Oaks kept running them in with some fantastic straight running by Mitch for his 2 tries and Taylor for his. Sammy was fantastic rucking all the opposition off the ball and playing scrum half at the same time. Harry showed his wonderful Belgique flair cutting through the opposition like a knife through butter to run in his try. Final score 13-1.

Sevenoaks 1

Sevenoaks 2

Team: Gerran Prescott, Jack Kaye, Edward Thompson, Jamie Wishart, Charlie Gillespie, William Brook, Zach Loder, Lars Hansen, Kyle Cameron, Imogen Mockford, Monty Farmer

With an early roll call on Mothering Sunday, the team came together and showed it was going to be a tournament to remember.  Up first were the Dartfordians.  For the first time in a while, The Mighty Oaks started with a spring in their step with some good rucking and driving followed by some passes out to wing enabling Lars and Will to drive through getting two on the score sheet each. Dartfordians did push back to gain two but the team remained strong and with Kyle, seeming to want to challenge Usain Bolt today, waiting patiently as first receiver, he sped through three times to make the final score 7 - 2 to The Oaks.

After an hour wait between games, the coaches had their concerns that Bromley were going to over run us in the first minutes.  This was not the case, once again Sevenoaks came out like they meant it.  Some good rucking from Gerran, Jack and Edward with Jamie and Charlie making some great straight runs through the pack with off loads out to the wings allowing Lars and Zach to get a try each. Charlie steps up with a great running drive to add his name to the score sheet.  With some great width from Monty and Zach, the team looked to gain formation allowing Kyle to make his now trademark runs back and forth, then through to add 4 tries, with the final whistle blowing at 7 - 0 Sevenoaks.

With Thanet pulling out last minute, we were up against Old Dunstonians for our last game.  The team were certain to impress the mums watching today with a fantastic display of driving and support play.  Great rucking positions as well as good hands from Imogen, and Lars, allowed a few turn over balls which were then capitalised upon.  With some early tries from Kyle, Lars and Charlie - in a repeat of match two - it turned to a more end to end game.  The OD’s managed to get two tries back but then Will lived up to his “Zig Zag” nickname, Jamie made one of his usual straight through driving runs and Kyle simply sped past the OD’s defence to make the final score 8 - 2 to The Mighty Oaks.

Some excellent rugby and team spirit today - surely the best mothers day present all those mums could have wanted!

Sevenoaks 2

 Sevenoaks 3

The early morning chill winds gave way to a beautifully sunny Mothers’ Day at Westcombe Park as the Sevenoaks 3 team comprising Jonny Chambers, Colby Bedford-Eatwell, Charlie Drysdale, Jack McLeish, Luke Dimond, Henry Lewis, Ethan Henrey, Liam Bartholet, Oliver Dimond and Brennan O’Keefe took to the field.

As the pool only contained 4 teams the games were 10 minutes each way giving plenty of game time.  First up was Dover and Sevenoaks 3s put on some of the best champagne rugby the expectant crowd has had the pleasure to watch all season putting a scarcely believable 12 tries past the opposition.  It is easy when dominating in this manner to leak one or two tries  but not this Sevenoaks team.  Superior rucking and mauling won the ball at almost every breakdown and so determined were they to keep a clean sheet that they held the ball up close to their line on two occasions.  No tackles were missed all game and the attacking play was sublime.  It was like watching the All Blacks at their attacking best with overlaps of 2 or 3 players being used with unselfish passing by the forwards and centres to put the wingers in to score.  Of the 12 tries 9 were scored by wingers- 4 each for Brennan and Liam and 1 for Ethan.  On top of that Luke, who was distributing the ball with aplomb, scored one with a mazy sidestepping run up the middle, Colby muscled over for our first and in a piece of theatre Henry fed Liam who jinked past the last defender and when over the line passed it back to Henry to touch down.  The try scoring bonanza was only made possible by the relentless tackling, rucking and mauling from unsung hard workers in the thick of it – Jonny, Jack, Colby, Charlie with Henry playing in the centre and demonstrating good versatility getting stuck in to win the ball when required and making many quick first up tackles.

Next up was Aylesford.  Having refereed a game for them earlier, which they narrowly lost to Sittingbourne, it was clear this was going to be a much tougher ask as they had some particularly aggressive ruckers.  The first half was a close affair and we went into half time 2-0  up through Brennan making his trade mark burst through a couple of defenders to score in the corner and, not to be outdone, Ollie showing great pace and strength to break several tackles and score on the other wing.  The hard work continued in the second half with Brennan adding a couple more, one as a result of good supporting play in the vein of Jack Nowell, and Luke finished the game off with another mazy run through the entire opposition from deep in our own half.  Another clean sheet at 5-0 was a good return against a reasonably strong opposition.  Again all of the tries came from wingers with one from the half back with all players unselfishly doing their job and doing it well.

The last game of the day was against Sittingbourne who were also unbeaten and the luck of the draw in a small pool meant that our boys had to play back to back games which added up to 40 minutes of rugby in one go under an increasingly warm sun- and now against the other form team.  Despite the tired legs we started brightly taking an early lead thanks to Liam cutting inside when the opposition expected him to try and outflank them.  Henry added another but then Sittingbourne fought back and levelled the score at 2-2.  Just before half time Ollie had another flying run using his strength yet again to burst through and give us a narrow lead.  Despite running on fumes and needing to employ some rolling substitutions to give exhausted legs a rest we battled hard through the second half.  First Aylesford equalised at 3-3  making the dedicated & vocal crowd wonder if we could hang on.  Jack having been in the thick of it all day saw some daylight, ran straight and true to just shy of the try line for Brennan, running yet another great supporting line, to pick up and dive over to edge us ahead.  Yet again Aylesford equalised and it was clear neither side was willing to give up easily.  Nevertheless, it was Sittingbourne who blinked first, they fell for a Henry dummy to give him enough space to feed Liam for another score.  This seemed to break Sittingbourne and two well taken tries from Brennan rounded a tough game off 7-4 in our favour.

Before signing off I want to re-iterate that it’s easy to record the flyers and try scorers, who it has to be said did exceptionally well today, but it’s all made possible through the relentless hard work of the tough guys in the middle - Jonny Chambers, Colby Bedford-Eatwell, Jack McLeish and Charlie Drysdale.

A great day’s rugby with every player knowing their role and fulfilling it exceptionally well.  Parents and coach extremely proud.

Sevenoaks 3

Sevenoaks 3

Sevenoaks 3