Phil Dickson-Earle Chair of M&Y | miniandyouth@hitchinrugby.com | M: 0754526755

2013-14 Season M&Y Newsletter No.23 Wed 5th March

A great turnout! - Kids First CPD for Hitchin coaches last Saturday

A great deal of frustrations were averted last Sunday as more fixtures and all training was again cancelled due to poor pitch conditions at KGV. Thankfully, some last minute re-arrangements which included use of the Kingshott School astro-turf and North Herts College G4 pitch, helped rescue the day.

A tremendous effort by the U7’s saw them play 10 games, winning 6 and drawing 1. There were some outstanding performances from the U10’s; the Leopards won 3 out

of 3 of their games against Shelford, while the Cougars took 1 win.

The U13A’s put in a very good first half performance in their Division 1 league game away at Saracens on Sunday, but the home side came back strongly in the second half and Hitchin went down 21-34 in a tough, hard fought contest.

Saturday was a perfect day for the U15’s who were invited by Enfield Ignatians to be part of an all-day Rugbython that took place at Allianz Park, home of Saracens Rugby Club. A 15-12 win sealed what was already a momentous event for everyone involved

The U16A’s went down 26-7 in a tough match against Cheshunt.

I have seen lots of exciting rugby happening at the club both in training and on the pitch. Additionally, I have also received excellent feedback from other clubs of our exemplary conduct off the pitch and in seeing smart Hitchin players in shirts and tie after their games. See full match reports later in the newsletter.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for a general return to business at King Georges this Sunday. But as usual, please keep a close eye on the club website for news updates. Don’t forget your brolly and make sure that players take a dry set of clothing to change into even if it is only training.

Sponsors’ Dinner There was an impressive turnout for our annual Sponsors Dinner, catered by Sue Stanbury and her team in the marquee next to the clubhouse on Wednesday night. Following on from a marvellous meal the evening was hosted by our own Doug Brooker with spearers Mark Regan MBE (Bath, England & British Lions) and entrepreneur & raconteur Sid Dennis.

60th Anniversary of Hitchin Rugby Club

25th Year of Mini & Youth Section

M&Y End of Season

Ball 9TH May

Tickets on sale from your Social Reps. or Managers.

Live band guaranteed to be fantastic

entertainment.

Numbers are always limited for this evening and tickets will sell fast.

Kids First The RFU CPD session with Tony Robinson, RFU Coach and Player Development Officer, attended by 23 Minis Coaches, seen in the photograph on the front cover, went ahead using the netball pitch last Saturday. The feedback from everyone I have spoken to is “it was a most productive and enjoyable session”. Kids First is a whole club programme and the session was also attended by Jim Panter our own Academy Coach and Melanie Liley our RFU Rugby Development Officer, who both gave great support and encouragement to the coaches. MP

This is the link to all the Kids First resources plus additional Rugby Skills information.

Dates for the Diary 28th March Mini & Youth quiz Night (7:30pm)

3rd April Girls Youth Awards Dinner

9th May Mini & Youth End of Season Ball

Justine –Vice-Chair of Minis

Tickets for the M&Y Quiz night are now available, priced at £10 each which includes supper. Teams should be in tables of 6 people and represent your year group as you know you’ll be playing for the highly esteemed, ridiculously big Annual Quiz Winners Trophy that last year’s U11s won last year!! See your Social Reps. for tickets. The End of Season Ball tickets are on sale from your Social Reps. or Managers. This year’s band is the New Town Centres, and guaranteed to be fantastic entertainment. Numbers are always limited for this evening and tickets will sell fast. Therefore to make it as fair as possible I will release ONE table of ten people per age group first, to allow every age group to attend. After that I can release more on a first come basis. Match Day Hotdogs On match days could Managers please send ONE representative from each age group to collect hotdogs from the kitchen? You will be given a box for the whole age group including the opposition teams. Please also inform the Coach/Manager from the visiting team. Thank you.

Easy Fundraising

Register with easyfundraising.org.uk

Help raise money for the club whenever you shop online. It doesn't cost you anything - just shop online from a large range of retailers including: Amazon, John Lewis, M&S and over 2000 others and w hen you make a purchase, they donate money to your chosen cause.

Bar Managers Required The club bar is a major source of raising money for the club and M&Y urgently need volunteer Bar Managers for our Social events (Thursday evenings or kids parties etc.) No previous experience is required as all necessary training is provided. We would like to hear from you if you are

able to spare about an hour a week to help out. For more information please contact Simon Goodlad - Bar Chairman or Justine Welbury

Club Shop – for all your kit & equipment See Emma in the shop from 9:15 each Sunday morning for gum shields, team

shirts, club ties, badges, woollen hats, mugs, kit bags, training tops, umbrellas and HRFC dress shirt

Clothing & Textile Collection @ Hitchin Rugby Club

This is to raise funds for our U15’s tour We are looking for adults and children’s clothes, shoes (tied together please) hats, belts, bags, soft toys, curtains and bedding. No duvets or pillows please. Please bring all donations , on the 23rd March placed either in the bags that we will hand out, clean carrier or bin bags, and leave them in the club house. Thank you for helping us with our fund raising.

All suited and booted at the annual Sponsors Dinner

100 Club As they say,

"You have to be in it to win it!"

HOW IT WORKS JUST £1 PER MONTH:

...gets you entry into the 100 Club. Once you're in it, you are entered into the Club

Draw.

There are three draws each season: First prize is £150, second is £75, third is £50

and fourth prize is £25.

The 100 Club contributes close to £750 every year to the development fund, so is

a great way to contribute to the future development of the club and to win some

cash!

The number of draws can increase and/or the prize values increase, when we get

more members!

Join us now! email Chris Jones

duvaljones@outlook.com

Mini Rugby

UNDER 7 Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014 (hosted again at Kingshott school)

Team: BIRANT SIMON ROB Game 1: Hitchin 10-9 Shelford Hitchin 6–5 Shelford Hitchin 8–4 Shelford Game 2: Hitchin 7-5 Shelford Hitchin 5–3 Shelford Hitchin 7–8 Shelford Game 3: Hitchin 7–11 Shelford Hitchin 5-6 Shelford Hitchin 10–6 Shelford

Hitchin 7–7 Shelford

The U7s fixture with Shelford again had to be arranged at nearby Kingshott School's astro-pitch for the second week running and turned out to be a very busy morning of activity. Thre was an impressive turnout on both sides with approximately 55 players in total and of course the addition of parents, assistants and coaches. The decision was made early on to use three of the marked pitches for matches and to use the fourth pitch for training while rotating the players to ensure everybody was able to participate in the matches. There was a good mixture of training and game exercises with competitive match play. Shelford were a really good outfit and probably the best rugby side the U7s have faced to date. Our U7s Hedgehogs really had to demonstrate many of their skills and competitiveness playing against Shelford. To be honest, both Hitchin and Shelford had some great individual and team play. Again the effort and passion in the games was admirable to watch. There were some great passing, offloading and support play from both sides and the games were quite closely contested. Shelford coaches fedback how well they thought the morning went and how their players and staff enjoyed participating in the fixture. Shelford also passed on their appreciation for our perseverance to host the fixture and wanted to pass on their thanks to everyone involved. Well done Hitchin! We managed to play 10 games of which Hitchin Won 6, drew 1, only three losses – Our players did very well indeed given the strength of the opposition and demonstrates how well they’ve developed as Rugby players -Congratulations and Well done!

Game 1: Hitchin 7–7 Shelford There was a lot going on today and a large turnout – Thanks very much to Ade and Simon who did a great job managing their groups in both training and matches. We had a lot of support from parents today and as you know our squad has significantly grown and the assistance and help received today was very much appreciated – Thanks to Rob, Owian, Charles, Stuart, Simon, Neil, Mark (U8s) and all the parents who helped us in running today’s fixture. I also handed out all the remaining Kids First Rugby Reward Books so everyone should have one now. Please spend some time with your child to go through the book with them - Thanks Apologies, due to the postponed matches we’ve been a bit slow with highlighting birthdays so please join me wishing all our FEBRURAY birthday Hedgehogs a Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday!!! Eden Scott, Alfie Curtis, Tristram Harwood, Nicola Del Basso, Lucas Summers-Pritchard, Jamie Timms and Fenton Williams. Just a reminder, as you know Hitchin Rugby Club is a proud club and has its foundations based on hard work and respect for one another and is committed to the conduct of best behaviour at all times. Next week, Sun 9th March, we’re scheduled to train at Home at Hichin Rugby Club – as usual we’ll keep you informed of any changes. Birant

UNDER 8 Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014

Team:

Match 1 Match 2 Match 3

Result: Hitchin Hitchin Hitchin

Tries:

- No Match Report Received -

UNDER 9 Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014

Team:

Match 1 Match 2 Match 3

Result: Hitchin Hitchin Hitchin

Tries:

- No Match Report Received -

UNDER 10 - LEOPARDS Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014

Team: Oakley (Capt.), Luke, Tom H, Callum, Joe A, Thomas B, Edward, Scott R, Kieran, Albert

Match 1 Match 2 Match 3

Result: Hitchin 8-2 Shelford Hitchin 6-0 Shelford Hitchin 1-0 Shelford

Tries: Kieran (3), Edward, Scott R, Joe A, Tom H. Albert

Joe (2), Oakley (2), Kieran, Albert Oakley

Match 1 The poor ground conditions put a stop to games at home, but the kind head from Kingshott allowed us to use their facilities, which was greatly appreciated. Shelford travelled all the way from Cambridge, and if you took a look at their website you'd see that their past performances have been massive wins over their opposition. If they expected more of the same today then they were in for a shock. The boys showed they know how to play - they kept their channels well and defended very well for 95% of the time, with two slips leading to the oppositions scoring once in each half. Passing was solid through the team although we need to make sure we get the ball out wide to the wingers more often - they're waiting there to sprint the ball over the line for the team. Half time we were 4-1 up and it was expected that the second half would be much the same, without being unduly complacent and that proved to be the case. Shelford did apply pressure and our lads should be congratulated for some sterling tackling - I doubt Shelford have come up against anything like that before. Special mention should be made for Oakley who tackled like he really meant it today and for Joe A who, if given a pound for every tackle he made today would be a rich boy indeed. On the negative side, we did have a few handling errors: passes dropped and a few forward tackles, but even with these, it was a tremendous performance all round. Match 2 This game saw strong tackling from the start particularly from Albert, Oakley and Joe. This then went on to do a good offload from Tom B then onto Joe with good passing out from Kiernan and Callum . Shelford responded with a good run but were stopped in the tracks by Tom H pushing them in to touch. Great pressure from Hitchin and passing across the whole team led to Joe’s first try. Hitchin continued to play well with Tom H making a good run and offload to Callum. A good dummy from Tom B then pass to Joe and his great run led to his second try.

The second half started with tackling from Albert and Joe then a good run from Albert to Edward then onto Oakley who drove the ball forward to score. Oakley was again unstoppable driving forward to score again with good supportive play from Joe, Albert, Kieran and Tom H. Kieran made a good run to score the 5th and finally Albert’s hard work paid off with the last try. Luke and Scott R also supported the other boys well as it’s not just about who scores the tries. Match 3 The last match of the day was going to be a ten minute affair with Shelford fielding their strongest team . But with Joe in the mood to tackle anything that moved, meant Hitchin were able to dominate most of the game . Great supporting play from Albert and with decisive running from Tom H and Edward and good passing along the line gave Hitchin good shape to their game . With Hitchin's constant pressure leading to Oakley's trademark bulldozing run for the line, resulted in the only score of the game. A good all round performance from the boys to finish the day.

UNDER 10 - COUGARS Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014

Team: Team: Joe H, Jackson, Jack H, Jacob, Jack C, Fred Logan, Ptolemy, Olli Stringer, Olli Stanyer

Match 1 Match 2 Match 3

Result: Hitchin 0-3 Shelford Hitchin 0-9 Shelford Hitchin 1-0 Shelford

Tries: Fred

Match 1 The game started with Hitchin holding up well in the Shelford 1/2 of the pitch. Logan got close to the touchline buy didn't quite make it having been pushed out, Shelford then stormed away with the ball to be stopped by a good solid tackle by Olli Stringer.

Logan then produced another great run to again be cut short this time by an accidental Hand off. Jackson played well managing to be everywhere the ball was.....Olli stringer producing another good weaving run to get the ball finally back in shelfords end....Fred produced tackle after tackle after tackle looking by far the most persistent tackler on the pitch. the game came to a close with a great team effort of Joe, Fred and Jack pushing their way deep into the shelford end of the pitch. half time. 2nd half Olli stanyer on for Joe, all tackling well, fighting for the ball well - Jackson makes a great break for the line. Again excellent tackling and fighting for the ball at all times. Ptol made a few good runs, with good pushing from the team, Jackson again makes a break - Fred chasing everything he could.... good tackling from both the Ollis, with Fred STILL everywhere - Logan makes a great break for the line to be stopped by a thumping painful tackle....this left him down and an end to the game Match 2 This match I am afraid to say was very disheartening for the boys and it shows within scores. Which is a shame as the boys played a very good game. For all their best efforts with strong tackling good defensive play and some strong runs, they were just unable to break through Shelfords defence. The other team just seemed to be the stronger team on the day. Match 3 After 2 tough matches against very strong opposition, the boys would have been forgiven for wanting this match over, but the spirit of the team shone through with some excellent defensive work and support play. Ollie Stringer, Ollie Stanyer, Ptolemy and Joe all got stuck in to the opposition from the start and any early maul where Jackson’s support moved the maul a third of the way towards Shelford’s line showed that the Cougars wanted the day to end with a victory. They were to get it with a breakaway try from Fred, running half the pitch with Shelford’s defence split after some great pressure to win back the ball. Shelford almost drew level, but a disallowed dropped “try” allowed Joe to pick up the ball and nearly score another breakaway had he not been taken into touch with a very brave tackle from the Shelford player who wrapped himself round the post in the process! A couple of bloody noses for Jacob and Jack C and some nice stud marks for Jack showed the fighting spirit in defence and earned well deserved victory.

UNDER 11 Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014

Result:

- No Match Report Received -

UNDER 12 Fixture: Hitchin v Shelford - Sunday 2nd March2014

Result:

- No Match Report Received -

UNDER 13A Fixture: Saracens v Hitchin - Sunday 2nd March2014 League Match

Team: ack, Stevie, Henry, Hadley, Sid, Oskar, Alex B, Dylan, Morgan, Alex E, Harry K, Sam H, Connor, Rory, Brent, Sam B, Ethan B, Harry H, Tom & Sam K

Result: Saracens A 34-21 Hitchin A

Tries: Connor, Sid & Brent Con: Sam K & Sam B (2)

Penultimate league game of the season for the U13s, and great today to play at a club with the heritage of Saracens. The welcome was warm, the pitch was not too boggy, and crucially the kitchen was producing Michelin star winning breakfasts and the bar was open for pre-match lemonade. Parents with tums satiated, rolled out to the pitch ready to be entertained by oval ball wizardry. This was to be another try fest, with the competitive physical battle we’ve come to expect in a testing league. Saracens opted to play downhill in the first half, and considering that, Hitchin can be really pleased that much of the possession and attacking prowess of the home side was repelled by our vigorous defence in particular by the back row Sam H, Alex B & Morgan, though the match took its toll in injuries. We also had a good chuckle when the refs whistle lost its peep in the Saracens mud, rumours of Hitchin player involvement unproven, and we had to wait for quick repairs. After weathering the early storm Hitchin with huge defensive effort, Rory often having to kick us out of our 22. Hitchin then enjoyed putting pressure on Saracens, and spending some time in their 22. Forwards smashing rucks, ball moved to left wing and to right, good runs by Brent & Sid. Excellent passage of play by forwards using the “Power” call effectively, good charges by Jack, Sid & Hadley, backs moved ball and Brent went close, just tackled on their line, ruck and Connor picks and dives through gap for opening score by sticks, SamK kick for 0-7. Sucker punch from Saracens as they put big effort in after our score, we turnover ball and they stretch our defence and their flying winger in for score 7-7. Hitchin attack again, but Saracens strong and hit us at end of half, from another poor turnover we are under pressure, we defend heroically with some great last ditch tackles by Oskar & Sam H, but Saracens keep ball and put speedy winger away for a score wide, half time 12-7 looking forward to playing downhill. A frustrating start to second half. Hitchin got off to sluggish start and were soon under pressure in 22, a few rucks later and despite good tackling, Saracens power over for 19-7. Hitchin hit back with a good break from SamB getting up to 22, forwards working hard at rucks and from a penalty close in Sid bursts through under sticks, SamB conversion for 19-14. Saracens again turned the screw, they had brought on strong physical bench and began to use this effectively to make big carries & punch holes through our dogged lines, despite a massive tackling effort all over the park. The result was three tries that took the game away from us, but the boys never lost heart. Hitchin came back to win the end of the match, forwards working hard to win good ball, Connor break and Rory set Brent on a big straight run through midfield, bouncing a few players to score a great try, SamB makes the tough kick for final 34-21 score. Another cracking game, no effort spared from Hitchin against a talented physical side

UNDER 15 Fixture: Hitchin v Enfield Ignatians, ALLIANZ PARK, Saturday 1st March 2014 Friendly

Team: Roshan, Will B, Will C, Luke, Daniel , Luis, Henry G, Ryan, Joe, Ben H, Jay, James, Simon, Euan, Antoine, Josh, Henry R, Tom, Rory, Ally, Ben W, Charles

Result: Hitchin 15-12 Enfield

Tries: Jay, Antoine, Luis F. Cons: -

A famous day for the u15s, we were invited to play at Allianz Park, home of Saracens. Enfield Ignatians club were hosting a all-day Rugbython with games going up through the age ranges.

The lads were very excited to step out at such an illustrious stadium and interested to try the famous artificial pitch.

The day went perfectly; decent weather and a good game, no injuries, fun was had all round.

We were dominant in the forwards and therefore dominated the game. Only some understandable nerves prevented us from getting more points on the board, too many passes going awry.

Our defence was brilliant throughout the team and it was only in the last 5 mins that Enfield ran in 2 tries.

Our nerves might have been settled earlier in the game but for a mystifying decision by the ref.

Jay took the ball on, rushed through the opposite pack and when the ball broke Joe deftly fly hacked through to the try line. Perhaps it was the easy way Joe brushed aside the diminutive defender to touch it down that caused the problem but it was a shoulder to shoulder job and from our excellent vantage point in the stands the parents could see nothing wrong with it (and we hadn't started drinking by then!).

The boys reported that the surface gave a lot of grip underfoot, especially in the scrum. We used this well and won an early scrum with Jay overpowering the opposite prop, this was to give Antoine a platform to make a great break forward. After an excellent driving maul by the pack it was only right that Jay was to finish the move, powering over from 5 yards.

Next it was Antoine's turn with a brilliant individual try. He kicked from just in his own half, it was beautifully weighted and he was able to chase and gather it himself after one bounce, then it was the simple matter of breaking two tackles and romping home!

In the first half the scrum was fairly competitive and Enfield backs had some ball in hand.

However they also looked nervous and fumbled a lot of ball, when they did keep it in hand our backs were up quickly and tackling fiercely which meant they were going through some phases but never gaining any yards. Euan and Joe especially stood out and seemed to be tackling everything (Joe's burnt and bleeding news at halftime were a testament to this.)

We gradually began to wear down the opposition scrum and one great heave lead to turnover ball and a great carry from Rory in the centres.

When the Enfield forwards had it there were big tackles from our forwards going in, with Will, Luis and Ally leading the way. When our pack had it we were going over the gain line with big carries from Luis, Jay, Will B. and Josh.

We should have had another try when Joe made a break in the centres and started an attack. The ball went down the line and Henry at winger was almost in at the corner, however he was just unable to hold on to a difficult pass.

The forwards out muscled the opposition all day long, in the rucks, in the loose, in the tackle and even in the line out; our 3rd try was a great example of this. A line out on the Enfield 5 yard line but it was the defender's throw in. However, they made the mistake of aiming it to where Luis was standing, he grabbed the ball from his opposite number and broke through towards the try line. He was slowed down by a couple of defenders but wrestled free to score.

2nd half, and Luis started the action by charging back the kick off. The scrum continued to take the game to the opposition with a great push and from then on they "had 'em on toast".

However, the ref. seemed determined to make it competitive and our boys were pinged non-stop in the second half. This gave Enfield plenty of possession but we were up to the job with superb defence from 1 to 15. Euan made more great tackles, knocking down players twice his size. Tom made an outstanding tackle on the wing and Will C. capped another great performance with a try saving tackle in the corner.

Eventually the big pitch tired our legs and Enfield's 2 speedy backs ran in 2 tries but we ended the game on the front foot when Jay went over the line after some more great work. The ref. over-ruled the try but this did not spoil our party. It was a great day, and one that will live in the memory for all involved.

Best Regards, Fil

Enfield Ignatians v Hitchin U15’s on the Allianz Park famous artificial G4 pitch

Youth Rugby

UNDER 16A Fixture: Cheshunt v Hitchin - Sunday 2nd March 2014 Friendly

Team: Cheshunt 26-7 Hitchin

Result:

Tries: Hem, Con: Max

Loads of reasons why it did not happen for us at Cheshunt but the bottom line was the better team won.

Of course the bog suited their heavier forwards, a lack of consistency at the breakdown never helps our game, a league sin binning and a sloping pitch meant that it was 2 very different ½’s. Unfortunately for us we did not score when we played with the advantage and that was the end of the game.

Why? Lack of discipline certainly, plethora of penalties allowed them to clear their lines. Not following our strengths, no pods and lack of clear heads just when we needed them.

But we must learn from this game and work out the best way to beat a heavier, physically stronger team.

Plenty of positives to look at, front row against a much heavier and continually rotated opposition certainly got the upper hand. We won some good line out ball and we ran it well at times although selecting to ignore the winger and step inside was a regular issue.

First ½ ended 0-0 but we could easily have had a pot at goal just to psychologically lead going into the 2nd ½ but we tapped and went down another blind alley. Saying that we had to defend our line a couple of times as they threatened and we showed some excellent commitment at that point.

2nd ½ we needed our best ever performance but we did not have it in us, extremely difficult going up the hill against such opposition but we did not play to our strengths or their weaknesses. They ran in 4 tries, none were soft really and we battled right to the end and exhausted and frustrated faces were clear to see from the players. But we must start attending Tuesday sessions, we must play to our strengths and not take on the opposition at what they are strong at. Of course Big Dan getting binned did not help, but the fact he said something to the ref was startling as they are the first words he has uttered on the field all season!!!!

We did finish with the best try of the game, a great back move from first phase up the hill which was no mean feat, where 3 times support was on the shoulder of each runner that was tackled and Hem went over which was very well converted by Max. It was a reminder that when we play simple, well executed rugby at pace we can match anyone.

Some excellent performances from their scrum ½ and hooker carried the ball excellently.

So they are looking up at the league and we do not want to start looking down, a couple of strong performances in our last 2 games against Ealing & Hertford will still make for a very good season. Some hard work on the training ground will certainly assist with this aspiration.

UNDER 16B Fixture: Hitchin v Haringey Rhinos - Sunday 2nd March 2014 HML 5

Result: Haringey Rhinos 5-72 Hitchin (Maximum points difference)

Tries: Tom R (3) Zach (2), Luke (2), Taylor, Sam R, Ashley W, Conor, George V Con: Matt H (4), Luke, Jack W

The B team travelled to Haringey for their League 5 match to be played on a pitch that had seen no action in 6 weeks but was remarkably firm and in good condition although with a stiff breeze running down the pitch. With Half Term over, the team with all bar 2 available was virtually at full strength as we received the kick off playing with the wind in the first half. Hitchin fielded the kick and took it straight back to Haringey. Several plays later we were into the Haringey 22 when Tom R broke clear to go over for our first try with less than 5 minutes played. Matt made the Conversion. The restart was again fielded and a series of rucks took us back into their half. Kicking in behind the flat Haringey defence increased the pressure and resulted in a lineout on their 22. A great take and drive from Maitiu saw him nearly get to the line. The forwards secured quick ruck ball which then went down the backs for Luke to run through and score. Matt again secured the conversion to make it 14:0 with less than 10 minutes played. Again we fielded the restart and quickly made ground into the Haringey half. Good drives from Christian, Huw and Tom sucked in the Haringey defence so that when Taylor received the ball just outside the 22, he was able to outstrip the cover defence to go over for our 3rd try under the posts. Matt again made good with the conversion. Following the restart, Hitchin again pushed on towards the Haringey line. Having moved the ball through several phases of play, Hitchin knocked on giving Haringey the scrum put in. The Hitchin scrum drove the Haringey pack back and as they scrambled to clear out the ball, Tom R pounced on a loose ball and picked up to run through and score the bonus point try. Conversion missed. Again the restart was followed by a series of rucks and a box kick by George to put us back into the Haringey 22. Both teams were struggling with the lineout as the blustery wind made throwing difficult. Haringey tapped back the lineout but as Hitchin

Academy Rugby

came streaming through a wild pass back into their own goal area was leapt upon by Tom to score his 3rd and Hitchin’s 5th try of the morning, again the conversion went wide. The Hitchin pack was fully on top, winning most scrums and securing good clean ruck ball. This gave the backs a good supply of possession from which Sam was able to launch both Matt and Luke on a series of penetrating runs. With the forwards again securing quick ball, the ball moved right along the back line with Zach taking the ball on towards the line where he was stopped just short by 2 Haringey players. As they struggled to drag him down his continuing leg drive meant that as he hit the ground he was able to reach out and place the ball over the line to score a try born out of sheer determination to get there! Haringey finally managed to secure some possession and get their big forwards running at Hitchin. Having moved play back into the Hitchin half however they failed to secure a ruck allowing Christian to turn the ball over. George picked up and broke blind drawing the winger before feeding Sam who then stepped the covering full back to run through to score. The final part of the half saw Hitchin continuing to exert pressure with good ground made by both Toby and Brett in a series of forward drives. The ball went wide for Luke to come back against the grain to set up a further ruck on the Haringey 22. George fed Jack who drew the last man and released Zach who went over for his second of the day. Matt made the conversion to leave Hitchin leading 48:0 at half time. A series of changes saw all the subs coming on for the second half (OJ for Toby, Conor for Tom, Will J for Zach and Charlie for Maitiu). Haringey now with the wind started strongly pushing into the Hitchin 22. Close forward drives saw them close on the Hitchin line but with Hum managing to get his hands on the ball in the ensuing maul gave Hitchin the put in to the scrum. Foot up against the Hitchin hooker gave Haringey a free kick 5m out. A good defensive rush from OJ managed to stop their man before he got going. Huw again got his hands on the ball so despite us being pushed back over the line, we managed to hold them up. A big push from the 5m scrum saw Hitchin then turn over the ball and clear our lines. Play moved back into the Haringey half where Jack again exploited the blind side releasing Will J who in turn off loaded to BMW who was tackled just short of the line. Haringey moved the ball back to their 22 but Hitchin again turned over the ball and Conor broke free to score under the posts with Luke kicking the conversion. Play restarted with Hitchin knocking on the kick off. Despite going backwards, Haringey managed to get the ball out of the scrum and set up a couple of phases of possession. The ball moved blind towards the touchline to be met by the full back running a killer line taking the ball flat out which enabled him to break through the cover defence to run through and score. The conversion missed saw the score 55:5. Haringey buoyed by their success really came back at Hitchin putting our defence under severe pressure. Good tackling and some excellent work in the tight especially from Charlie, Huw and Christian saw us weather the storm. A series of infringements enabled us to kick penalties down the line putting us into the Haringey 22. A clean catch at the lineout by Taylor secured possession, the ball moved down the line and Luke ran clear to score. Haringey tried to rally again but were unable to cope with our organised rucking game. George and Jack continually exploited the blind side which then led to holes in their defence in front of Sam for him to run at. Yet another Jack No8 pick up saw him break blind and with George on a dummy run feed Ash who ran in to score in the corner virtually unopposed. The final try of the game started with a lineout on the Haringey 22. Taylor secured the ball and Hitchin drove in field. When Jack peeled off there was no one in front of him and to shouts of ‘use your speed’ he went for the line. Some great cover tackling saw him tackled into touch 2m short. Haringey won the lineout but Taylor got a hand to the clearing kick sending it up in the air to land just in front of the posts. Hitchin secured the ruck 2m out and George went around the side and drove over the line to score. Jack converted with a drop kick to make the final score 72:5. All in all a great performance from the Hitchin team with everyone playing their part. The most impressive element was that unlike previous games, having got ahead, we did not ease off and allow the opposition back in. Credit to Haringey, they stuck at it, scored a good try and really made us work especially in the second half. Man of the match was Tom, he only played the first half but in that time he really led the charge and set the tone for the whole game. Play continued in the same vein with the forwards and centres driving into the Haringey defence pushing Hitchin ever forward. With the Haringey defence sucked in, George broke around the side of the ruck drawing

UNDER 17 & U18 Fixture: Hitchin v Hertford - Sunday 2nd March 2014 Herts County Shield

Result: Hitchin 42-14 Hertford

Tries: Pen:

- No Match Report Received -

Pitches In light of recent decisions to cancel activities on a Sunday and some mid-week training, I thought I would share with you some of the considerations, additional to the safety of players, taken into account in doing so. The KGV playing field is administered by NHDC, but we have devolved responsibility for bookings and care of the pitches and are allowed to manage these pitches with a strong proviso that damage by inappropriate use is avoided. The costs per year to NHDC of pitch maintenance including grass cutting, Verti-draining, fertilizer and reseeding is £10k, plus extra that we put in for additional feed and maintenance to remediate pitches after use and damage.

Our aim is to maximise our playing opportunities throughout the season by good management of the pitches. That said, we all concur that this has been a very frustrating period but hopefully we are coming out the other end of it and we will now have pitches that are still playable when we have the usual drought at the end of the season.

CRB/DBS Checks A gentle reminder; please do not forget to check with Tim Bonnett that your CRB/DBS check is still valid. It only takes a minute to do with your passport. Tim Bonnett – Safeguarding Officer 07860 538823 trbonnett@btinternet.com

Coaching/Referee/Courses Book via: http://www.rfu.com/takingpart/olcb/coursesearch

UKCC Level 2: QBE Coaching the 15-a-side game Completed Rugby Ready Workshop - Completed Scrum Factory Workshop RFU Coach Tracking Study, All sessions must be attended Day 1: 4/5/2014, 9am-5pm; Day 2: 25/5/2014, 9am-5pm; Day 3: 15/6/2014, 9am-5pm, Oaklands College St Albans AL4 0JA

UKCC Level Two Coaching the XV aside game Sun 6 Apr, Sun 11 May 2014 (09:00-1700 all days) The University of Bedfordshire Polhill Avenue Bedford MK41 9E

Martin Prior - Coaching Co-ordinator 07785 993665

FIXTURES – SUNDAY 9th MARCH 2014 John Walsh – Fixtures Secretary

Team Loc Activity Opponant KO Pitch Changing room

U6/U7/U8/U9/U10 Home Training 09:30 See pitch plan -

U11A Home Training 11:00 See pitch plan -

U11B Away Match Olney RFC --:-- - -

U12A Home Match Fullerians RFC 10:00 Pitch 3 -

U12B Away Match Olney RFC 09:30 - -

U13A Home Training - 11:00 See pitch plan -

*U13B* Home Friendly Match Biggleswade RFC 11:00 Pitch 1 1st team/L-Shape CR

U14 - - (See U15/U13) --:-- - -

U15 Away Match Northants RFC 11:00 See pitch plan -

U15 Girls Home Training - 11:00 See pitch plan

U16A Home Training - 11:00 See pitch plan -

U16B Away Cup Match Royston RFC --:-- - -

U17/U18 Away League Match Harrow RFC --:-- - -

Hitchin Ladies - - - - -

*The Duty team* Is responsible for ensuring that all kit is put away and that changing rooms and field gate are locked

A reminder that players (at any age) should be in possession of a dry set of clothing to change into after training.

Pitch Plan