MINI MATTERS February 29 th 2016

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1 MINI MATTERS February 29 th 2016 Hello Datchworth Mini Section Coaches, Managers, Players, Parents and Supporters, This weekend Datchworth played host to Welwyn for the annual Charles Morris Cup. Welwyn arrived as holders and Datchworth needed to win outright to secure the trophy back. Across the age groups the rugby was competitive, good natured and good quality. The mild early spring morning brought out the best from both Clubs players. As the morning drew to a close the results were all quite close. Datchworth had won the U7s, U8s and U10s, there had been a draw in the U9s and Welwyn had won the U11s and U12s. With the overlay of points to reflect the number of players involved and the closer reflection of 'full' rugby at U11 and U12 the morning finished 12 points all too both Clubs. So with a draw declared, Welwyn had done enough to retain the Charles Morris Cup and Datchworth need to wait another year to bring the Trophy home! Well done to everyone involved from both Clubs for contributing to such a positive rugby morning. Please enjoy the age group reports and pictures as set out below. On other matters, this week we have the Mini and Youth Dinner and Dance at Brocket Hall on Friday evening followed by a VP lunch in the Club House on Saturday afternoon before we round things off with an all age group training session on Sunday morning. U6 Training Good numbers again turned out for the U6 s this weekend. The U6s started the session with animal warm up followed by rob the nest. The U6's then moved onto teamed tagged games, focusing on position, support play and passing. We are continuing to see some great progress across the age group. Player of the week was Fred Gregory - well done! U7 Charles Morris Match Report Datchworth Vs Welwyn We fielded 3 strong teams against Welwyn this weekend and that showed with us winning 3 of the 4 Charles Morris scored games ; 5-8; 8-6; 8-7. These results reflect a fantastic effort from all the kids. It was agreed with Welwyn that we would play three games, 7 minutes a side which we deservedly won 2-1, and then play a final - so it all hinged on the last game with Sam G, Finley, Kit, Alex, Sam S and Nathan, Sam G easily making 50 tags in the two halves. The boys used cross over passing, great comms and solid support on the shoulder of their team mates, 2 turnover balls finished with quick tries, also a mention to Kit Jolly for shear commitment to score a fantastic 2nd half try, all of this great teamwork helped us win 8-7 in a thrilling final game.

2 The tagging, passing, turn over ball and running straight was fantastic to see and all the kids contributed to a fun, competitive fixture. Well done all. U8 Charles Morris Match Report Datchworth Vs Welwyn Charles Morris Result Datchworth Win It was good to see numbers returning to normal after the half term break allowing us to field 3 teams and a sub or 2 against the 3 sides from Welwyn. Finally some firm ground resulted in some lovely running rugby despite some of it not being quite as straight as the coaches would have hoped! The games were well matched but it was great to see the boys and girls sneak a n overall victory for the age group, (3-1). Buster Wood was man of the match with some spectacular breaks. U9 Charles Morris Match Report Datchworth Vs Welwyn Despite losing a couple of players to illness we managed to field two sides against a large and well drilled Welwyn squad. We split into two mixed teams and kicked off. In Warren's Green team (Charlie, Mateo, Matthew, Myles, Oliver, Ross, Tom P, Troy) for some reason we started very green and just didn't wake up in the first half against what turned out to be Welwyn's stronger side, getting pushed back in attack and run through repeatedly. At half time it was 0-5 and Warren dished out words of motivation 'Eddie Jones' style. This had positive impact and the team actually won the second half 3-2, but it finished up 3-7 to Welwyn. Meanwhile Woody's blue team (Lucian, Matthew, Sammy, Theo, Tom R, William) ran riot over the other Welwyn side ending up 10-0 winners. Charles Morris Result Datchworth Win In the second round of matches it was much closer. The Greens carried on their form from the end of the first game into the second, picking off some tries with great runs from Myles, Charlie and Tom P to lead at half time 5-2. Welwyn came back in the second half as our attention waned, and they ran in a couple of easy tries through defensive gaps with the final result being a win to us 9-7. The second game for the blues was even closer and a tenser affair with it tied at 1-1 at half time. Unfortunately despite a second try from Tom R in the second half they edged is and we lost 1-2. Overall all it was honours even for the Under 9's which was a respectable result against our local rivals who clearly enjoy good numbers at our age group but we were left with a feeling of one that got away. Well done to both players of the week, Sammy Jolly and Mateo Celzada for both showing real grit and determination throughout both games, using their size to good effect. Charles Morris Result Draw

3 U10 Charles Morris Match Report Datchworth Vs Welwyn The U10 Squad arrived ready for the Charles Morris Cup high in confidence after strong recent showings against both Cheshunt and Enfield Ignations. The format was agreed to play two mixed games followed by a Greens and Blues game. With the pitches in the best condition for some time added to the milder temperatures we looked forward to some fast flowing rugby. In the first games it was pleasing to see that the boys were holding a line and better structure and all of them were committing to both the tackle and breakdown. With the whole team contributing to defence the impact is considerable. In all of the games we were winning breakdown and frequently turning over the ball. Our early steps into positional play is also starting to pay off with wingers giving width to the game and a nominated scrum half organising our breakdown. There were lots of good performances this weekend, Mackenzie, Kyle, Kobie, Theo and Joseph continued to give our team s real line breaking go-forward. George, Elliot, Oliver G and James Bedford all showed pace, determination and good hands from wide positions. Alex Donovan, Thomas Moore, Thomas Howard and Alick Broster all made a lot of tackles and were genuinely excellent in defence and were all very committed and brave at the breakdown. William Paine and Morgan both had excellent games at scrum half and both show real potential at that position. It was also fantastic to see Samuel and Fabian in the thick of the ruck and making a number of excellent breaks and also Harry King scoring an excellent try. Lots of the U10s boys scored this week and in truth we were fairly comfortable winners of all four of our U10 games. It should also be said that Welwyn had some very good players and beat us last season. The coaching teams were very proud of the efforts of all of our boys this week and are pleased how our squad has developed this season. Next week we look forward to a much needed training session before the up-coming County Festival and Holt Tour festival. Well done to you all this week you were all collectively our players of the week... Player 4 / Won 4 reflected a good morning s work. Thanks also to the parents for good support last weekend. Charles Morris Result Datchworth Win

4 U11 Charles Morris Match Report Datchworth Vs Welwyn A dry, sunny if somewhat windy Sunday, greeted the players coaches and parents of the U-11 age groups of Welwyn and Datchworth RFCs to the firm and dry ground of Datchworth 1st XV pitch for their part of the annual Charles Morris Cup fixture between Datchworth and Welwyn RFCs. After a brief discussion between the coaches, it was agreed that the two matches that would count for the trophy scores would be between the respective A and B sides of both clubs. Both games were refereed by our own Jason Philips, and both were played in a very competitive, hard but fair spirit. All teams gave their all and tried really hard, at one point even splitting a boot with the effort put in! The weekend also saw the welcome return of Joseph Burke after a long, enforced injury layoff. Parents, if you want a reason not to buy your child a SegWay, just ask to see Joe s finger!! Match 1 Datchworth Greens 1 v. 5 Welwyn A (Datchworth Squad Ieuan, Conner, James, Stanley, Barney, Carter, Flynn, Sidney, Harry and sub Joseph.) A hard fought game, in which the first score did not come until the 7th minute. A bit like the weekends 6 Nations games, defence was the dominant force on the day, and Datchworth failed to make the best of their attacking opportunities. Great effort was put in by all the players, but our passing let us down a bit if we are honest. All the team played their hearts out, and they kept going to the bitter end, but Welwyn s superior rucking eventually took its toll. The Datchworth try came from Sidney, but all the players from both teams contributed to an excellent match. Match 2 Datchworth Blues 2 v. 5 Welwyn B (Datchworth Squad Shaun, Nathan, Kitt, Alex, William L, Tyler, Ruby, Harry, Joseph and subs Carter, Barney, Sidney) A slow start from a team that had waited 30 minutes for their game saw them concede two quick tries before they switched on. After that the team played well, rucking hard, but being out fought by Welwyn s better body positioning in the ruck, which resulted in a few too many turnovers. Datchworth tries came from Kitt, after a mazy run, and Joseph after a typical bulldozer sprint through the Welwyn team. Again, all the team put in a lot of effort and continued to try their best to the end of the game. Again the game was played in a great spirit, and was enjoyed by players and spectators alike.

5 Match 3 Datchworth Mixed 2 v. 4 Welwyn Mixed A final short game saw those boys and girls who had a little energy left play a final game. Again effort on both sides could not be faulted, and players who had given their all in the previous two games again tried their hardest. Datchworth tries came from Kitt and Sidney, but a lot of the rested Welwyn A players made life difficult for the spirited Datchworth team. Overall, despite a disappointing result on the day, the overall performance from the team continues to improve. We are looking for the pass and offload, and our rucking is improving, but still needs some technical tweaks to prevent us being pushed off the ball. Communication between the players is coming along, and they are learning to look up and play what is in front of them. A good effort from all involved today. Well done and thanks for trying so hard. Charles Morris Result Welwyn Win U12 Charles Morris Match Report Datchworth Vs Welwyn It was a bright but cold morning at the Club for the annual Charles Morris Cup meeting, and while wins were needed to help us retake the cup, unfortunately for the U12 s it wasn t to be. We were hopeful of a good result as they were down to just 12 players and so had no subs, but we also were also affected by some of our key players being away for the morning. Two scoring games were played and in the first on the whole we seemed to lack the energy and the will to take the game to Welwyn. We saw some trademark strong runs from Matthew, Sam, Josh B & Callum, and some jinking runs from Connor, but we just couldn t break their line, and they were as usual fast and strong in the breakdown. We went two tries down by half time, and another went against us in the second half without reply, losing the game 0-15.

6 After a talking to by the coaches, the lads went into the second match with much more gusto, and they looked like they wanted it more this time. We were able to put some nice passages of play together, culminating in Sam taking his first try of the day in the first half. With just one try against us in the half we were on even ground going into the break, but had taken some injuries to Thomas P and Spike leaving us without a Scrum Half, an unfamiliar role which Callum took on well and put in a good shift. Into the second half and we went down another try, only to regain the balance with another strong drive by Sam to touch down in the corner after some nice passing in the run up, but picking up another injury with William G leaving the field. Welwyn took the restart quickly and caught our boys napping and ran in for an easy try up the left wing. This got their confidence up and they were again able to run our kick off back to us at lightning speed to score their fourth, which once again left us with the loss All in all it was a frustrating morning for the boys, and lessons will be learned, but we will need to improve if we are to do well in the County Tournament in three weeks time. Charles Morris Result Welwyn Win Wednesday 2 nd March Mid-Week Mini Training at Datchworth Mid Week training will continue on Wednesday 2 nd March - please come along for a 7:30 start under the lights on the back pitch. We have enjoyed a good turnout over the last few weeks. Next Weekend Sunday 6 th March Next weekend is a very welcome all age group training weekend for the Mini Section. There are also two Youth Games taking place, one on the First Team Pitch and one on the Village Hall Pitch. DATCHWORTH RFC Home Training Sunday 6 th March Not Used Youth Match

7 Car Parking Duty Sunday 6 th March Next Sunday the U9s will be on car parking duty at Datchworth. It will be busy again this week with two Youth Games and a full Mini Training Session. Can I ask Datchworth parents with older children to park at the Turkey Farm Car park, (which will be signposted) to leave as much space as possible for Welwyn and younger children along the Village Green and in the Club Car park. Forthcoming Fixtures & Events: Week Date Datchworth RFC Mini Section 2015/16 Season Parking Duty Fri 4- Mar 5 th Mar Mini & Youth Dinner & Brocket Hall U7 &U8 Saracens Festival Champions Finals Day Vice Presidents Lunch Datchworth Club House 6-Mar Training at Datchworth U9 N/A N/A N/A 12-Mar England V Wales (4PM) 6 Nations in Club House N/A 13-Mar Home Fixture Vs Chess Valley U8 Hertfordshire County Contact Festivals Mar U9s / U10s at Hertford RFC U11s / U12s at Hemel Hempstead RFC No 30 Away Fixture Vs St Albans RFC U7s / U8s 27-Mar Easter Sunday - NO RUGBY N/A 2016 Dinner & Dance The Rugby Club, (Mini & Youth), Dinner and Dance takes place this Friday 4 th March at Brocket Hall. If you have any questions about this event please contact Nicola, (mrsnicolahoward@outlook.com) North Norfolk Holt RFC Tour 2016 (8th to 10 th April 2016) The balance for the Holt Tour this year is now over-due. The total price this year for a player or parent is 120 per person. The price for a younger sibling, (under the age of 6), is 52 per person. If you are yet to pay please contact Nicola, (mrsnicolahoward@outlook.com) Further Reminder - Dates for the Diary and Coach Development The Age Group Coaching and Management Teams have already seen this table but if others would like to get involved in Coaching or to have an interest in attending the Sports Club or Rugby Club AGM meetings I include dates for your diaries below:

8 Event Date / Details & Location Comments Coach Development RFU (County Development Officer) Coach the Coaches Evening Monday 14 th March Datchworth book with me session to be led by Tom Mowbray (RFU RDO) (between 7 and 9PM) This session is bespoke for Datchworth with new RFU Officer Tom Mowbray please can all Mini Coaching teams seek to come along if at all possible. Datchworth Sports Club AGM Wednesday 23 rd Datchworth (7:30 onwards TBC) This meeting relates to the whole of Datchworth Sports Club which includes discussions around new Officers and the plans for the redevelopment of our Club House to support Cricket, Tennis and Rugby for the next 50 years. Datchworth Rugby Club AGM Tuesday 3 rd Datchworth (7:30 onwards TBC) This is our AGM and defines who and how the Rugby Club is run and taken forward please make every effort to come along and have a say in shaping how your Rugby Club is taken forward. Closing Notes It was a bit disappointing not to win back the Charles Morris Trophy last weekend but an overall draw built on three age group wins and a draw was a solid result and reflected a competitive morning between local rivals and friends. Aside from the Charles Morris morning there as a good atmosphere last Saturday afternoon for the England V Ireland game in the Club House, and it was also great to see a big turnout for the RFU Coaching Course on Monday evening. This coming week is another very busy one in the life of the Club; Friday evening is the annual dinner and dance, followed on Saturday by the U7s and U8s heading down to Saracens for the Champions Weekend, good luck to all involved. Back at Datchworth we have a VP Lunch and First XV home game on Saturday before Mini Training and Youth Fixtures on Sunday morning, with another RFU course taking place on Monday evening. Thanks all for your time and support of the Club, Best wishes, Andrew Andrew Howard Chairman Mini Section

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