Three Amersham & Chiltern Mini Rugby teams secure success at Twickenham – 31st May 2008
Three Amersham & Chiltern Mini Rugby teams secure success at Twickenham – 31st May 2008
Three mini rugby teams from Amersham & Chiltern played at Twickenham in the national Club finals which were a curtain raiser to the Guinness Premiership final between London Wasps and Leicester. The teams had won their right to be at Twickenham by performing successfully over Easter at a Tournament in Nottingham against teams from throughout the country.
The Under 9s won the Cup Competition beating Sandal in the final by two tries to one. The team was undefeated at Nottingham and a victory over Spalding in the semi final secured a place in the final. Spurred on by the presence of Rob Andrew, England’s Elite Director of Rugby, who encouraged the team before the final, the team ran out worthy winners against Sandal. Commenting on their success Lead Coach of the Under 9s, David Choules, said “The team showed fierce determination, gritty resolve, strong team spirit and played with a skill beyond their years. They can be rightly proud of this significant achievement.”
The Under 10s were playing in the Plate final against their old adversary, Old Northamptonians, who have beaten them twice in previous encounters. Spurred on by the charismatic coaching duo of Simon ffitch and Jonathan Hughes, the team dominated, with Old Northamptonians being pinned in their own half for most of the game. Excellent forward play ensured control of the ball, and good running and passing from the backs created a number of opportunities in both halves. In the end, a try by the wing, Woody Bowcock, secured victory. Simon ffitch commented that “This was the best performance from this team this year. Everyone fought for the ball, passed and tackled well. We dominated the game and deserved to win.”
The Under 11s were in the Cup competition and were visiting Twickenham for the third successive year, having qualified for the Cup competition for three consecutive years and playing in the Final for the last two years. The first match of the day on the hallowed turf was the semi final, where Chiltern played Teddington. In a tense match the Chiltern boys scored a try early in the second half. In a game that Chiltern had to win to secure a place in the final, only some ferocious defending by the team kept Teddington out and the game finished 1 try to nil. The Chiltern boys then faced Bishops Stortford in the final, which was a rematch of last years’ final. Chiltern played valiantly going down 2 tries to nil to a well drilled and strong side. All the Under 11 squad had the opportunity to play in both games and their performance was a credit to their club, their parents and their coaches.
Following their exertions, all three teams and their supporters watched local team Wasps win the Guinness premiership with former Amersham & Chiltern player, Josh Lewsey, scoring one of Wasps’ two tries.
Commenting on the achievements of the three teams Chairman of Mini rugby, Stephen Lawrence said “At Amersham & Chiltern we have an inclusive philosophy where everyone is welcome to participate and play which results in over 400 children playing rugby on a Sunday morning during the season. Today we have seen the results of this philosophy with every squad member playing at least a half in a final on the Twickenham pitch. All three teams should be extremely proud of their achievement of participating in the finals of one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country. Seeing one of our former minis, Josh Lewsey, help secure victory for Wasps really rounded off a fantastic day”.