Under 16s bloom after a tricky start
GOING from strength to strength, Littleborough U16s can reflect on a rugby season well done.
At the start of the 2017/2018 season the Under 16s struggled with only 13 players being available.
However as the season progressed, due to a purposeful recruitment exercise and the good reputation of Littleborough RUFC, the numbers of players grew to an impressive 27 registered players (10 of which had never played any form of rugby beforehand), with the coaches regularly now having a minimum of 20 players at their disposal.
In keeping with the growth the U16s received polo top and tracksuit combinations sponsored by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and Pennine Township Committee early on in the season.
As well as also being a fantastic advertisement of Littleborough RUFC, Metropolitan Borough Council and Pennine Township Committee as the team travelled far and wide across the North of England, from Leeds to Lancaster and Cheshire to Cumbria.
These were also worn proudly on the recent tour to Wales.
One of the most impressive games of the season saw Littleborough dismantle Tarleton 62-0.
Impressive results against the likes of Liverpool Collegiate and Aldwinians both by 45-12 scorelines saw Boro’s U16s into the quarter finals.
There they did what may teams fail to do and take a large 45-14 victory away from Fylde. Tries from Ben Stott, Charlie Holmes, Kai Sumner, Brad Watts, Harry Gee and Nicholas Mannion saw Littleborough progress.
The semi-final was held against Heaton Moor under floodlights at Sedgley Park on 13th April, but unfortunately they couldn’t quite find their way over the line as the team succumb to a 24-0 defeat.
In the Welsh Rugby Rocks Festival, two victories to only one defeat alongside a couple of victories on the Sunday placed the U16s in the Finals against Porth Harlequins RFC U16s, who 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 the line, 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 Littleborough U16s come away with a trophy, but it was not to be.
In their last game of the season Littleborough U16s travelled a short distance to Bury.
Taking victory by 28 points to 26 in a hard fought and close match up, against opposition in a higher division with some of our more experienced players missing and injured, the boys certainly gave a good account of themselves.
The result of the last game as under 16s bodes well for the future of these young men as they now make the big step up to the Colts level next season.