U16Bs Face tough opposition at Sutton and Epsom

Match report: David Adams

On a very sunny and bright but cold day at Sutton in the Waterfall Cup, the B team were up against a large Sutton & Epsom team.

We started very well and on the first of many penetrating runs, Toby Richards tested the Sutton defence. From this move Jake Kimberley made a good break into the corner for the first score. With the wind behind them Sutton spent the next 10 minutes in our half and Jack Gilbert was tested but not defeated by a number of high balls. However from this pressure Sutton scored a try close to our posts which they subsequently converted. Sutton’s large pack continued to play well and forced a penalty in front of our posts to take a 10-5 lead.

Unable to win much ball we continued to be pinned down in our own half and despite good defensive tackling by Hamish Watson, Mattie Hodson, Scott Atchison to name but a few, we conceded two tries down our right flank. Although neither was converted we were 22-5 down at halftime.

Sutton made wholesale changes at halftime and their new pack were much smaller than that seen in the first half and this raised our boys spirits. However we didn’t start the second half well and conceded two early tries even though we were winning more ball. With the wind now behind us we were spending more time at the business end of the pitch and were forcing more errors from an over confident Sutton team. From one of these penalties taken quickly by Nye Johnson, Toby Richards made another darting run to score (see pictures which your match reporter & photographer actually captured on film!) and which Sam Johnston duly converted. The game was continually being played in the Sutton half, partly due to tactical kicking from the black and whites.

Another probing attack from our pack lead by Tom Lee and we drove over the Sutton goal line, only for the ball to be deemed to be held up by a now more determined defence. However we were not to be denied another score and from a well executed line out Jake Kimberley caught a short throw in and scampered down the left wing to score in the corner. We had out scored Sutton 12-10 in the second half and the boys should be proud of their performance. Unfortunately on the dying seconds one of Sutton’s centres broke through our defence and ran half the length of the pitch to score under the posts to make the final score 39-17.

It was valiant effort from the boys on a very cold day and led well by our brave captain Ben Seymour. Podium points went to Toby Richards, Seb D’Entrecasteau and Max Williams