ARRON LEADS THE WAY FOR UNDER-7S

YOUNGSTERS ENJOY MIXED FORTUNES ON A TOUGH WEEKEND FOR SUNDERLAND RFC

Sunderland RFC’s youngest members, the Under-7s, took on Darlington’s Mowden Park and claimed a win and a defeat in their two weekend matches.

The top try scorer was Arron Mackie, while Charlie Redmond also put in a strong performance.

Tom Lewis bagged a couple of tries, with Sam Oxberry and Jack Carroll also starring with tries.

Meanwhile, the Under-8s came out with two wins and a draw with the whole team putting a shift in.

Tom Ward and Alfie Rhodes earned stood out for their fantastic defensive contribution and try scoring prowess.

The Under-9s faced a challenging day of rugby, but narrowly lost out in their two games against Mowden Park.

Despite being the second set of games with tackling, they played well with determined tackling throughout, especially David TuckermanGrey and Ethan Frogg.

Tries came from Jack Brown and Toby Smith, with Lucas Hall making crucial try preventing tackles.

Mowden Park got the better of the Under-10s, winning 25-5 and 35-5 as Owen Jackson and Brett Hutchinson touched down for Sunderland.

Sunderland’s Under-11s were edged out in a narrow defeat, losing by 15 points.

The first try from Sunderland was a kick ahead from Riley Maitland, and from the kick, Joss Duke touched down.

Taylor Jackson launched a solo effort for the second, with success, from the halfway line.

Archie Burn crashed over the line for a third and with seconds left, Nathan Riley capitalised on a series of offloads to score the fourth and final try of the match.

Hartlepool Rovers held Sunderland Under-14s to a draw in an epic match.

Sunderland’s tries came from James Leith, Joe Cowie, Jacob Feeney, Rowan May and Oliver Beattie.

In the final set of matches, Sunderland Colts had a day of mixed fortunes after a win and a defeat.

The Colts claimed victory against Hartlepool, thanks to tries from Mark Tallentire and a penalty from Joe Hodgson.

Yarm gave them a battle, leaving the Ashbrooke side with a 17-5 defeat with one try coming from Mark Tallentire.

This Sunday sees Sunderland’s U13, U14 and U15s in action.

The Under-13s take on West Hartlepool at home, the U14s are away at West Hartlepool, while the U15s welcome Bishop Auckland to Ashbrooke.

More than 30 youngsters flocked to Ashbrooke to take part in Sunderland RFC’s pitch up and play this week.

The after-school event, aimed at school years 7-9, was a free session for non-players to give rugby a go.

Supported by the RFU and club coaches, it’s part of a number of initiatives aimed at broadening rugby’s reach in Sunderland.

One of the organisers and Under-13 coach, John Howe, said, “We need to provide as many opportunities for children to play as we can and we aim to build on this.

“We have a thriving mini/ junior section and it’s just a case of making parents and children know what we offer and what we are about.

“Schools were really supportive and we need that to continue if rugby is to continue growing in Sunderland.”