Aluredian
67
Rugby
Senior
Colts
A
fter a slow start to the
season, the Senior Colts
gradually found some form
and ended the term with
some terrific wins. A stirring
performance against Canford
saw us take an early 15-3 lead, but defensive
weaknesses let Canford get on top - even at
the end though we could have clinched victory
in a nail-biting finish.
The pack played particularly well against
Blundell's, but the opposition backs overran us
really. We started magnificently at home to
Sherborne, and led 14-10 at half-time.
However Sherborne gradually gained the upper
hand, though conceding a try in the dying
seconds resulted in a scoreline that hardly
reflected a close, exciting game.
Against Bristol Grammar we put on a feast of
champagne rugby, as a near faultless display
resulted in eight tries, all converted by George
Wayman - the tries by Sam Merriweather and
Dominic Bracher were particularly well worked.
In very trying, muddy conditions at Queen's,
we defended resolutely against a series of
battering attacks, and tried from the outset to
play attractive, intelligent rugby. Slick handling
and smart running angles resulted in two longrange
gems for Dominic Bracher and Tom
Sharp.
Despite being under-strength against Taunton
School, we rose well to the challenge, with
Henry Close leading the charge. We simply
didn't allow the opposition to play, and ran in
five tries without reply. Bruton too was a
rather one-sided affair, with the first of our
eleven tries coming after just 30 seconds -
a long-range effort from man of the match
Henry Close. It was a good chance for the
whole squad to get a game, and Will Griffiths
and Taku Kawamoto in particular were
delighted to get a game and both score a try.
T
he Bs had a difficult season in
terms of results, but many
performances represented huge
improvements on the previous
year. The first fixture against
Canford was a perfect example
of the progress we were going to make -
although the game was lost 12-10, it was a 53point
improvement on the previous year's game,
which augured well for the rest of the term.
Three individual errors in the first half against
Clifton and a poor first five minutes after the
interval really decided the outcome of that
game, but we turned round last year's result
against Blundell's with a thrilling 17-12 victory.
The pack drove the opposition off the ball in
ruck and maul, and determined tackling
ensured we held on to our lead.
In a brave performance against a strong
Sherborne side, there was little to choose
between the sides for most of the first half, and
we crossed the line in the second half only for
the score to be disallowed by our own referee!
A titanic encounter against Bristol Grammar
resulted in a 5-5 draw. The well-organised
Bristol pack turned over a lot of our ball, but
our defence stayed firm, and eventually Jonas
Gonultas was put away into space to score
with five minutes remaining.
An under-strength team never really got to grips
with a very strong Monmouth side, though our
defence was strong throughout, but we had to
play for long periods of the game without the
ball. After a strong opening to the Taunton
School fixture, we lost focus and struggled to
retain the ball. Although three tries were
scored, it wasn't enough to win the game.
But there was plenty to feel really pleased
about in a much improved season.
Acrobatic action during the
Bs' thrilling 17-12 win over
Blundell's