Boro juniors bring home silverware
LITTLEBOROUGH’S Junior teams enjoyed great success at the WelshRugbyRocks Festival, bringing home one trophy and making two other finals.
Starting proceedings were the ambitious under 12s. During the first day they had put themselves in a good position of second in the table to Irish side County Cavern who had won all three games.
However, come finals day, they turned it up a notch by dispatching all before them including that of County Cavern by 4 tries to 1.
In a perfectly executed performance, the u12s, led by Paul Deacon and Gary Keegan, scored first through Harrison Buckley as good build up from Harvey Johnson and Riley Keegan gave the strong runner space to dot down.
A reply from Cavern saw the scores level at half time, on the other hand this would not stop Littleborough showing their superior ability to utilise quick ball and the full width of the pitch to great effect.
Boro scored their third try of the game as Adam Gibson on the outside arc cut his way through to the line, before a quick fire double from Harrison Buckley completed his own personal hat-trick.
Not only did the Under 12s earn plaudits from all quarters for the skill of pass and physicality in the tackle, they showed exactly what rugby is all about by swapping a club shirt after the game with County Cavern.
The age group one year there senior had a very different experience of the WelshRugbyRocks tournament.
Littleborough’s under 13s had, like the other Boro sides, enjoyed a positive first day winning one match and drawing another. First London side Beccehamians were toppled by fine defence and a long-range stunner from Bradley Chrimes.
Then, in an innocuous local derby against Bury RUFC, the Under 13s drew one try a piece by scoring a dramatic equaliser in the last play of the game through Ben Crabtree.
Unfortunately, however, their finals day was marred by a nasty dislocated hip to captain Jacob Mitchell. Clearly concerned for their team mate, the 13s were not able to focus and would go on to lose against Hinckley. In their final game, they drew 3-3 against Wexford Wanderers RFC.
Taking the lead through Ruben Warburton Fox, Boro went down 3-1 at the half time break. In the second half Boro’s U13s levelled proceedings from a second try of the day for Ben Crabtree and one from Olly Mills.
Littleborough u14s carried their good form into the WelshRugbyRocks festival as Saturday saw them win two and lose just one. Sunday, however, saw them win three games to take them through to the finals.
The final against a strong Wirral team was a epic encounter as the lead switched hands on numerous occasions since Nyall Hensby had put Boro ahead early one.
A vociferous crowd of Littleborough green cheered their young stars on as they recovered from conceding two quick tries to strike back with a try from Jack Bennetta as the under 14s smartly snook down the blind side.
An injury at the end of the first half to Christian Brookes in Boro’s own 22 meant the away side were preoccupied and Wirral tool advantage by regaining the precious lead.
Undetermined and full of character Jack Bennetta scored his second try as a flowing move engineered a gap in the Cheshire based club’s defence to slide right through.
Two tries in quick succession from Boro wingers Ben Russon and Charlie Frost saw great handy work in particular from Nyall Hensby for the first and Tom Howard and Sam Bennetta for the second.
Wirral, however, had the last laugh with two late tries to seal the trophy win. For the distraught Littleborough lads, their attention turns to a huge Lancashire Cup semi final at Warrington on Sunday.
So with the sun fading into the distance, it was left to the under 16s to overcome a Porths side that they had disappointingly lost to on the first day of tour action.
A nail biting contest between two evenly matched teams saw Porths agonisingly crash over from close range in the last play of the match to take the victory.
Big performances from Oliver Bamford, captain Harry Gee and Charlie Sutcliffe nearly saw the black green and gold lined under 16s but it was not to be.
Like their Under 14 club-mates, their focus now turns to the semifinal of the Lancashire Cup under the lights at Sedgley Park.