MINI MATTERS February 22 nd 2015

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1 MINI MATTERS February 22 nd 2015 Charles Morris Cup Weekend Hello Datchworth Mini Section Coaches, Managers, Players, Parents and Supporters, This weekend we enjoyed our annual fixture with our neighbours Welwyn for the Charles Morris Cup. This year we had matches played in each age group between U7 to U11 and the games were as close as ever. The results were in summary as below: Fixture Age Group Result Datchworth RFC U7s Welwyn RFC U7s Result Datchworth Winners (2 Games to O) Datchworth RFC U8s Welwyn RFC U8s Result Draw (1 Game Each) Datchworth RFC U9s Welwyn RFC U9s Result Draw (1 Game Each) Datchworth RFC U10s Welwyn RFC U10s Result Welwyn Winners Datchworth RFC U11s Welwyn RFC U11s Result - Welwyn Winners The 2015 Charles Morris Cup Winners were:- Welwyn RFC Win - 2 age groups to 1 (2 draws) There was very little to choose between the two old rival Clubs across the age groups with the results and scores as close as ever, both Clubs winning 4 games each. On the day though Welwyn were deserved winners with wins in both the U10s and U11s offsetting narrow wins for Datchworth in the U7 games, Welwyn winning by two age groups to Datchworth s one. The fixture was played in a very good natured but competitive manner as you would hope and expect from local rivals. We look forward to 2016 where I hope we might be able to win back the Charles Morris Cup and restore it to the Datchworth Trophy Cabinet. Match Reports from Sunday 22 nd Feb 2015 Datchworth V Welwyn the Charles Morris Cup U7 Match Report by Danny Shurety 2 Wins and more. The U7 boys and girls performed wonderfully well yesterday and in all we put up five teams against Welwyn including some of our smaller ones. Although we won the two matches that counted, I would like to credit the Welwyn coaches who could see we were playing some of our smaller one's later on and played in the appropriate manner. We had a great turnout of children, parents and coaches which happens most Sunday's home and away and through good communication

2 from Elaine and Steve, there is this we are all in it together and understand how important it is the represent the club both on and off the pitch. U8 Match Report by Paul Ward honours even Despite half term we managed to field two sides today against Welwyn, with honours even overall. In the green side, Charlie, Oliver, Sam P, Tom and Troy all played really well together as a coherent team, passing and supporting well. There was some excellent tagging forcing turnovers and we won that match convincingly 8-4, after taking a commanding lead at half time and also winning the second half. In the blue side, Fergus, Josh W, Matthew, Sam J, and Theo all managed to hold their own against a bigger Welwyn side. We managed to trade scoring and it was even half way through the second half, but a couple of consecutive unlucky turnovers from us resulted in a late scores from Welwyn on our restarts and they won Well done to all the boys today as there was a lot of great teamwork. In particular to Josh who got player of the week for some excellent side stepping, forward runs and commitment throughout. U9 Match Report by Andrew Howard - honours even First up the U9 Greens took on Welwyn A for a fast paced and competitive game. The Datchworth boys were very committed in defence and played with determination and exerted a great deal of line pressure to run home 5 0 Winners. The Coaches were delighted with the performance today with the children playing with maturity and commitment. We The U9 Greens were: Nelson DeWolfe, Morgan Macgillivray, Theo Tilley, Max Coltman, Mackenzie Ellis, Elliot Clifford (Captain), Ronan Hawes, William Paine and Thomas Howard. Well done boys you all played very well today! The U9 Blues then took on Welwyn B for a hard fought game. Having started slowly the Datchworth team were on the back-foot at half time and needed a big response. In the second half the Blues were a different side and played with determination and effort to run Welwyn very close ultimately falling just short coming home 7-8, losing by the narrowest of margins. The U9 Blues were: Fabian Whitfield (Captain), Harry King, Matthew McGinty, Damian Murphy, Thomas Moore, Alex Donovan, Alex Van-Wyk, Alice Field and Daniel Rates. Well done to the Blues, you also played

3 well today and did exceptionally well during the second half of your game another 5 minutes on the clock and I am sure you would have come through! The U9s had a good today with excellent numbers really showing the strength of our squad despite losing a few players to half term. The next two training weekends will be of great help as we prepare for the final weeks of the season and the County Festivals. This week Player of the Week was Alex Donovan from the Blues for some brilliant tackling and strong forward running. Kyle Haskett secured the best effort for his spirited and powerful attacking running and Ronan Hawes was selected as Parents Player of the week for posing a threat to Welwyn every time he had the ball and for making two try saving tackles. U10 Match Report by Graham Smith U10s Charles Morris Cup result - Datchworth 2 Welwyn 4 Datchworth - Barney, Carter, George, Ieuan, Stanley, Sidney, Conner, Harry, Finley, Alex Tries from Conner and Stanley - this scoreline flattered Datchworth who were outclassed throughout the match particularly in the contact areas where we were out-rucked time and again, even on our own ball. We were nowhere near committed enough and didn't look for support or use it when it was there. Our defence was generally very patchy although Ieuan and Stanley led by example with some crunching hits on the stout Welwyn runners. Rucking has been an area for development all season and although improving slowly we still have a lot to do. 2 nd Game (friendly game) Datchworth 1 Welwyn 5 Datchworth - Ruby, HeinOg, Cameron, Tyler, William R, Jack, Barney, Conner, Ieuan, Carter Try from Jack (new boy). Another one-sided game despite Welwyn fielding their development players. Very little passing from Datchworth and losing almost every ruck contributed to this heavy loss. Some good darting runs by Kit and Ruby and some fearsome mauling by Barney kept Datchworth in the game but we lost the ball in contact time and again and Welwyn were quick to pounce and run through a weak defence. Despite the constant reminders from the coaches the initial defensive line did not move forward and we gave Welwyn far too much space to run at us. Highlight of the match was a fantastic cover tackle by Connor who ran diagonally the full length of the pitch to stop a certain score. U11 Match Report by Phil Goff A cold and frosty morning welcomed Welwyn to Datchworth for the Annual Charles Morris Cup derby, with Datchworth the current holders. Our squad was a little light on the day, with several players missing or injured, but we were able to field a strong team for the first match, which was the one that counted towards the Cup

4 competition. The team for the match was William Field, Spencer Bayford, William Goff, Matthew Rates, Spike Howard, Thomas Paine, Thomas Beechey and Joshua Higgins, with Isaac Byrne coming on in the second half due to him recovering from a leg injury. It was a very close fought match, with both sides showing great intent and up for a good game of flowing rugby. Welwyn were maybe slightly ahead in terms of their tackling ability and were also very quick in the breakdown area, and rucked over several times to steal Datch ball. This enabled them to go 1-0 up before the half time break. Early in the second half they took advantage again and scored their second, so our backs were up against it. However our lads didn t let it get the better of them, and some good mauling work holding up the tackled player led to a number of turnovers of our own, and eventually Spencer Bayford crossed the line for our only try of the match, making it a 2-1 Win to Welwyn this time around. Once the cup match was out of the way we played 2 more games in which we got some tries from William Field and William Goff to name two, but unfortunately we lost both games, but the boys can be proud of the effort they put in. In particular there were some great performances from Cameron Smith, Joshua Higgins, Benjamin Wright, Oliver Dean and Joshua Moffatt, who all stepped up their game for this fixture and made big impacts in the games they were involved in. U12 No match The U12s were short of numbers last weekend but they made the most of their morning off Rugby and were able to provide a highly successful car washing service which proved both very popular and a great source of funds for the planned U12s 1 night tour! Well done to Phil and the boys! Other News & Information Next Weekend.Sunday 1 st March Training at Datchworth - Please meet in good time to start training at 10:30 at Datch. U8s on Car Park duty. Events Sunday 1 st March Next Sunday the 1 st March we have a home training weekend as we prepare the Mini squads for the fast approaching end of Season County Festivals. The Club house will also be hosting a First Aid Course being delivered by one of our Club Sponsors, Sarah McGuiness from Critical Response Training. The Course is going to be held in the First Team Changing Room, (we will put radiators and chairs in there on the morning). If you are going to attend

5 the Course it will be run from 9:45 until 11:45. If you have a free afternoon next Sunday why not stay in the Club House, (or come back), after training for some hot food and drinks and to watch England play Ireland in Dublin which is kicking off at 3PM. We are planning a Sunday Roast for this game and I would very much appreciate a view of likely numbers so we can arrange catering accordingly, if you are planning to stay for some food and to enjoy the International please let me know via age group Managers. This should be a great game and there is sure to be an excellent atmosphere in the club house. Audio issues are also being resolved so the big screen will come with proper volume as well for this game! Holt Tour 2015 Last Chance: Next Sunday 1 st March is the last opportunity to book a place on the 2015 Mini Tour. Final payments and completed forms MUST be paid by the 1 st of March. Please send all questions to mrsnicolahoward@outlook.com, your managers will also be able to help. Further Reminder..Dinner Dance Auction The Mini & Youth Dinner dance is taking place at Brocket Hall on Friday 6 th March. Each year we hold a fund-raising Auction as part of this event which is a key contributor to the Club. If anyone is able to help us provide an Auction Item that would be very much appreciated. Please drop me an if you have anything that you are able to provide. Car Parking Next Weekend - U8s on Car Park Duty 1 st March This weekend I was very grateful to Tanya and the large and committed group of U9 volunteers supported by Mark and Icarus from the U10s for getting the cones out early and for providing excellent marshalling and control of the Club and surrounding areas. I am delighted to report that I am not aware of any complaints from local residents this week. The Club car park was well utilised as was the village hall and Turkey Farm car parks, (although this did have some space). Thank you all for your extra time and commitment it makes a massive different to the Club and our ability to host home fixtures at Datchworth. The U8s are on duty next week for our home training session. Mid-Week Mini Training at Datchworth will resume on Wednesday 4 th March for the U9s to U11s We are going to resume Mid-Week Mini Training on Wednesday 4 th March. These sessions will be Free of Charge provided by Club Coaches. The sessions will be held between 7 and 8PM on the flood lit training pitch. This week for the U8s only the U8 squad will be meeting on Wednesday evening under the lights for a training session prior to next Saturdays Allianz Park Champions Day event 7 till 8PM.

6 Fixture & Event Provisional Planner March to Easter Weekend 2015 Week Date 01-Mar 08-Mar 13-Mar 14-Mar Datchworth RFC Mini Section Fixture & Events Card 2014/15 Season Training at Datchworth (all age groups) - First Aid Course in Club House 9:45AM - Ireland V England (3PM Kick Off) Friday 6 th March Dinner & Dance at Brocket Hall Training at Datchworth U7s, U8s, U9s, U11s, U12s TBC U10s Home fixture V Hertford (TBC) Quiz Night in the Club House Mini Team entered England V Scotland in the Club House Mar 21-Mar 22-Mar Sat 28 th March 29-Mar Away fixture at Chess Valley - Croxley Guild of Sport VP Lunch England V France in the Club House Home fixture V Barnet Elizabethans County Contact Festival at Barnet RFC for U9s and U10s County Contact Festival at Harpenden RFC for U11s and U12s - U7s & U8s Training at Datchworth Confirmed - U9s & U10s Training at Datchworth TBC (tournament on Sat) XX 05-Apr Easter Sunday No Rugby Closing Notes This weekend has been another good one at the Club as we hosted this seasons Charles Morris Cup fixture with Welwyn; while we were obviously disappointed that we didn t quite manage the win the games were played mostly in a good natured, fair and competitive manner. We now look forward to a couple of training weekends before we embark on the busy end of season run-in that will see a number of fixtures, the Holt Tour and the County Festivals. Many of you may have noticed the presence of some First Aiders today; I was delighted to have then in attendance and we are planning to have them come down for our match-day weekends. I understand we had 3 or 4 players make use of the First Aid team which makes there attendance entirely worthwhile. Thank you all for your ongoing support and commitment to the Club, I was very grateful to the U9s for such a good turn out to support the Car Park marshalling, we had no complaints or reported issues which is great news on a very busy morning after recent weeks issues; I am also very grateful to Sarah McGuiness for providing next weekend s First Aid Training course in the Club House.

7 Before I sign off this week I thought I should pass on some very proud and exciting news for our whole Club, Trevor Johnson our Club Treasurers son Billy, has been appointed as England Counties Captain. Billy played at Datchworth, and must be an inspiration for all of our current players. Congratulations Trevor you must be very proud and please pass our best wishes, good luck and support to Billy. The England Rugby Web site has the full detail. In summary. Billy Johnson, who plays County rugby for Hertfordshire, has previous international experience with the England Counties XV and also captains his club in National League One. Billy is well respected by his team mates at club and county level and he leads from the front. He has also been a consistent performer for club and at County level, year in year out, said England Counties XV manager Matt Long. Billy has performed very well in his previous England Counties games, most recently on last summer s tour to Georgia. Johnson, previously played for Datchworth, Loughborough Students, Hertford and Bedford Blues. For the full story see: Have a great week and see you all next weekend. Best wishes, Andrew Andrew Howard Chairman Mini Section