U14's Match Report

Match Reports - 2011/12 Season 

Sunday 16^th October – Friendly - Away

Bromley 38 - Crowborough 0

Crowborough faced their first real test of the season on Sunday against one of Kent’s top U14 sides.

The game started with the Crowborough pack pressurising their opposition to gain ground, only for the ball to be lost at the last moment. Bromley’s backs clearing with huge kicks, which Crowborough found difficult to deal with, which led to Bromley’s first try.Bromley’s second try came twenty minutes later whilst Crowborough were caught napping.

After forty minutes, the physical nature of the game and the hard ground were beginning to take their toll. With key players now on the touchline, Crowborough began to capitulate letting in four tries in 15 minutes to give a score line that didn’t really reflect the close nature of the first forty minutes.

Whilst this game gave the coaches much to work on, Crowborough could take several positives from it.

Saturday 22^nd October – Friendly – Away

Crowborough 22 – Crawley 5

In a hastily arranged fixture, Crowborough were asked to play Crawley in a curtain raiser to their 1^st XV match.

Early runs from Tom Boddy suggested that Crowborough backs would dominate the game. However Crowborough forwards were struggling in the contact area, in complete contrast to the previous week.

After ten frustrating minutes, winger Luke Lafferty did well to go over in the corner. This did seem to inspire the rest of the team to work a little harder, which was rewarded when Archie Mayo crossed for his first try of the afternoon.

With Crawley’s powerful forwards disrupting Crowborough’s rucks and mauls, Crowborough’s backs were starved of clean ball in the second half. So again it was left to Mayo who went over twice to complete his hatrick.

The downbeat atmosphere in the changing room afterwards was an indication that the team hadn’t done as well as they could, although credit must be given to Crawley’s tenacity in the loose.

Sunday 2^nd October – Friendly - Away

Crowborough 60 – Hastings & Bexhill 0 

Crowborough U14’s visited league rivals Hastings & Bexhill, in a friendly on Sunday and came away with a convincing win. 

From the off, the large Crowborough pack dominated scrums, line-outs and the loose, supplying a generous amount of ball to the backs. The first try looked inevitable, when after 5 minutes the ball was spun out to Jon Good who found himself in enough space to scamper down the wing to score. 

After scrum half and “Man of the Match” Zeb Kisbee, had gone over for Crowborough’s second try, the forwards got rewards for their efforts, with two push over tries directed by the ever vocal George Jackson. The first of these was touched down by Jackson himself and the second was by Archie Mayo. 

Brave defence from Hastings & Bexhill in the face of a relentless battering by Crowborough’s larger players, prevented Crowborough scoring for a period, until Hugh Atkinson sneaked over to give Crowborough a 27 – 0 lead at half time. 

Tom Boddy, who had been flinging the ball out wide, decided to take on the Hastings & Bexhill backs himself, in the second half, resulting in a hat-trick for him.

However, the biggest cheer of the morning was reserved for new recruit Ben Dixon, for scoring his debut try, a typical “prop’s try” from 5 metres out. 

As the heat of the day started to take it’s toll on the Crowborough pack, the opposition started to look dangerous and Crowborough had to dig deep several times to keep them out. However it was Jon Good who had the last say in the match with his second try of the day. 

Sunday 18^th September – Friendly - Home 

Crowborough 60 – Tonbridge Juddians ‘B’ 0 

Crowborough U14’s kicked off their season with a convincing win over a tenacious Tonbridge Juddians ‘B’ team. 

 After a nervous start, a Rhys Camis try in the first five minutes, helped give the team the confidence they needed. Despite brave tackling from Tonbridge, Crowborough’s large pack made in roads towards the oppositions try line. This resulted in Will Creasey and Archie Mayo (2) both scoring and debutant for Crowborough Rhys Camis, getting a hatrick. 

The backs too, with a plentiful supply of ball enjoyed themselves, with Zeb Kisbee, Jack Mitchell and Luke Lafferty (2) all scoring. Guy Greenwood and Sam Kisbee shared kicking duties, getting 5 conversions between them to bring the score to 60. 

A great start to the season for all and we look forward to continued success as the year progresses.

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Match Reports - 2010/11 Season 

Sunday 20^th March 2011 – Friendly - Away 

Crowborough 0 – Chelmsford Rhinos 46

Our tour started well – a lovely hotel with big spacious rooms. Exclusive access to the pool for the boys and a big screen to watch the rugby, along with some great company. 

However the disappointing England game didn’t bode well – with Chelmsford living up to their reputation and proving to be very tough opposition.

Focusing on the positive, Crowborough refused to let the home team have it all their own way, with grit and determination Crowborough were out-rucking Chelmsford on quite a few occasions, however at the end of the second half, we were 27 – nil down.

The second half continued in much the same vein, but the Crowborugh pack remained determined and fought aggressively at every ruck and maul. On occasions we turned the ball over only to be tackled, stripped of the ball and were on the receiving end of yet another Rhino attack Credit should be given to the home side who played really well, but we should take heart from the following quote on the oppositions match report. …..All went Chelmsfords way but we must compliment the courage and pure fighting spirit of Crowborough who showed great character and battled to the end…. 

Crowborough 7 – Pulborough 5

Although Crowborough hadn’t played Pulborough before, league positions would suggest this was going to be a tough fixture, with the opposition having won every league game, bar one this season. However from the off, it was Crowborough who looked the stronger of the two sides, spending long periods in Pulborough’s 22. 

After ten minutes, Crowborough won a scrum on the half way line, the ball was spun out to Tom Boddy, whose pace beat the Pulborough backs to score under the posts. Guy Greenwood added what were to be 2 crucial points with the conversion. 

Pulborough pressured Crowborough hard, but strong defence especially from centres Boddy and Clinch, along with their struggle to cope with the sticky conditions, meant they went to half time without scoring.

The pressure on Crowborough’s line continued in the second half and much of the game was spent with Crowborough defending. Eventually a Pulborough player managed to break through a couple of tackles to score an unconverted try. For the rest of the game, Pulborough tried everything, but whether it was in the forwards or backs, Crowborough hardly missed a tackle.  

Rarely has the sound of the referee’s final whistle been so welcome for the players, coaches and parents alike. This will go down as one of the best victories this season and all 15 players should be proud of themselves.

Sunday 9^th January 2011 – League – Home 

Crowborough 26 – Worthing 0

With a welcome break in the weather, this was an important game for Crowborough. If they were to stay in the Sussex ‘A’ league, a win against Worthing was vital.

However, from the kickoff it was Worthing who were applying the early pressure. With Crowborough unable to run the ball back from their own 22, they eventually resorted to the boot. From the resulting line-out the ball was passed to Tom Boddy, who ran on out around Worthing’s back line to score under the posts. Guy Greenwood converted to give Crowborough maximum points. 

Crowborough now started to dominate and the second try was their best. The ball was spun out wide, to winger Zeb Kisbee who was stopped in Worthings 22. No. 8 Will Creasy took the ball, driving past several players and was stopped just short. He popped the ball up to Jack Mitchell who dived over to score.

Crowborough continued to dominate in the second half, with Jon Good and Jack Mitchell both scoring.  

However, with 15 minutes to go, Crowborough relaxed and lost concentration and spent the last quarter of the game in their own 22. But they managed to soak up the pressure and kept a clean score sheet.

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Sunday 28^th November 2010 – League – Away

Crowborough 10 – Horsham 26

With many changes to the team and uncertainty over the weather, Crowborough went into this game rather unprepared and in the first half seemed unwilling to tackle.

Four times Horsham players ran through several tackles to score and Crowborough went into half time 26 nil down.

Ten minutes into the second half, Horsham seemed to be going in for their 5^th try but an excellent tackle from Sam Kisbee, just stopped them. Sadly Sam had to leave the field and with no replacement they were now down to 14.

However, this seemed to inspire the boys and at last they found their confidence.

Then after the ball went through several phases, the excellent Tom Boddy crossed for his first. Finally with five minutes to go, it was Boddy again who did well to touch down in the corner.

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Sunday 21st November 2010 - Friendly - Home

 Crowborough 8 - Aylesford Bulls 7  

With both teams knowing very little about each other, the first five minutes of the game were going to be crucial.

Sadly for Crowborough, Aylesford's centre caught the kick off and ran through some weak tackling to gain 50m. Crowborough spent much of the first half in their own 22. 

However Aylesford's backs were finding the slippery conditions difficult which allowed Crowborough to clear only for Aylesfords large centre and No.  8 to run the ball back towards the Crowborough line. 

Eventually after much pressure, Aylesford went over to break the deadlock, converting to give maximum points. In one of Crowborough's rare forays into the Aylesford half, they picked up a penalty, which Guy Greenwood put over to leave them four points behind at half time. 

Crowborough seemed to find confidence in this and started the second half pressurising Aylesford's line, resulting in Archie Mayo crashing over to give Crowborough a slender lead. Despite many nail biting moments, Crowborough held onto the lead until full time.

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Sunday 14th November 2010.

U 13’s - Crowborough 0 – Chichester 12 

Although Crowborough U13’s have never played Chichester before, previous results suggested a close match and this certainly proved to be the case. 

Crowborough started strongly with their forwards dominating scrums and rucks. However resolute defence from Chichester kept the score sheet clean. Towards half time, with the bad weather intensifying, Chichester began to find their footing. Crowborough were finding it difficult to stop piercing runs from some of Chichester’s larger players. Effective tackling was required and Boddy and Greenwood excelled.

 The second half saw Chichester continue the pressure and eventually the ball was spun out wide in the Crowborough 22 and Chichester crossed the line to break the deadlock. 

The heavy conditions seemed to tire Crowborough first and although they made several close forays into Chichester’s 22, they were unable to score. With five minutes to go, back chat to the referee resulted in a penalty which an alert Chichester player took quickly and touched down unchallenged, denying Crowborough the bonus point.

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Sunday 24th October 2010 - Friendly - Home.

Crowborough 65  V's Tunbridge Wells 0 

Crowborough U13’s made their 1^st team pitch debut, when they hosted Tunbridge Wells in the local derby at Steel Cross on Sunday. 

 After a nervous start by both teams, a huge tackle by Crowborough’s centre Ollie Clinch enabled a turnover. The ball was fed out to fellow centre Tom Boddy, who ran 50 yards to score, with Guy Greenwood making the conversion. 

This gave Crowborough the confidence they needed and it wasn’t long before the next try came. This time it was Clinch who went over after taking the ball at pace from fly half Sam Kisbee. With the engine room of Crowborough’s large pack providing the backs with good ball, four more tries were to follow before half time, from Greenwood, Zeb Kisbee (2) and George Jackson. 

Just before half-time Tunbridge Wells began to pile on the pressure and came close to scoring. Only good defence by Jack Mitchell and the back row of Eddie Wolsey-Cooper, Charlie Martin and George Jackson kept them away.

Half time brought six changes with several players coming on in their first season, so Tunbridge Wells could have expected some respite. However this wasn’t the case with debutant Will Creasey scoring following a pick up and drive. More tries soon followed from Jackson, Boddy, Zeb Kisbee and Archie Mayo to bring the final total to 11 tries.  

Credit must be given to the Tunbridge Wells team who remained positive throughout the game. However this strong performance from Crowborough will give the team great confidence going forward.

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Sunday 26th September 2010 - Home - Friendly

Crowborough 26  v's East Grinstead  0 

On Sunday 26 September East Grinstead came to us for a friendly match.

We have always had a great relationship with EGs and it was a pleasure to host them so early in the season. CRFC won by 26 to nil with great performances in particular from the forwards who dominated and scored one of the tries. The other three tries came from the backs and three conversions from Guy Greenwood whose kicking generally in the match was impeccable.

The man of the match was Charlie Martin for some very huge hits.

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This Season, ( 2010/2011 ) we are very keen that someone with in your age group writes a simple Match report, after every match. With this in mind we have divised a simple match report template for you to complete. Please see below.

Junior Match Report Template 

Crowbourgh U13's -  Vs ?

 Date: Sunday ?/?/? 

Score: ?/? 

Trys scored: ?

Conversions: ?

Penalties: ?

Drop goals: ?

 Man of the match: ? 

Other players that stood out: ? 

1st Half Performance: ? 

2nd Half Performance: ?

 Any-other points/mentions/comments: Examples: This was there 5th win in a row.much improved on the same fixture last year.Weather conditionsA player who represnce the county? 

Officials: Ref and Linesmen if known ?

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Season 2009/2010

Sunday 14th March 2010 - Away - East Sussex Festival hosted by Eastbourne RFC.

 “Crowborough U 12s were at the East Sussex Festival at Eastbourne on Sunday 14th March. In their pool matches they beat Uckfield and Hastings with great ease (too many tries to remember) and beat a strong Eastbourne team by one try to nil. This meant that we were decisive winners of the group and went on to play old rivals Heathfield in the semi-final. Heathfield scored three excellent backs tries in the first half which seemed to knock the wind out of our team. However CRFC came back after half time with plenty of fighting spirit and scored an excellent forwards try. Unfortunately it was too little too late and the final score was 3 tries to 1 to Heathfield. This left us in the Bowl competition against Eastbourne again to determine the 3^rd and 4^th places. We won this by 2 tries to 1 and therefore collected the Bowl. A great day, a very well organised festival and a very pleasing result for our U 12s.” Kind regards Judith        

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Sunday 14th February 2010 - Home - Against Crawley 

The Under 12’s hosted Crawley on Sunday 14 February. Despite some snow we had an excellent game whereby Crowborough won by 5 tries to nil. The try scorers were Jack Mitchell, Sam Kisbee (3 tries) and Ollie Clinch. The pack was dominant in all aspects of play and this allowed the backs to really let rip. The passing in the backs was lethally accurate and the lines they ran were excellent.

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Sunday 7th February 2010 - Home - Against Worthing

The U12s hosted Worthing on 7 February and won by 6 tries to 1.

The CRFC forwards in particular were immense to the extent that the referee had to make a decision for it to be uncontested scrums in the second half as the CRFC dominance was verging on dangerous. There were also some lovely moves in the backs and tries were scored by both forwards and backs.

Next Weekend (14th Feb) we are at Home again, Hosting Aylesford Bulls & Crawley. 

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Sunday 13th December 2009 - Away - Against Hove, as well as Hastings & Bexhill

Despite only 13 players available due to injury and illness we had two successful match's.

We played Hove first and Won 2 tries to 1 , we then went on and played Hastings and Bexhill and scored 7 tries without conceding. This was an excellent Result, given the number of players on the day.

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Sunday 22nd November 2009 - Home - Against Tunbridge Wells.

On 22 November we hosted Tunbridge Wells. Both ourselves and TW had more than 13 players but not enough to put out two full teams. Therefore we played two matches. The first was between the two A teams. Despite very wet and muddy conditions this was a cracking game of rugby and the final outcome of one try each reflected how the game went and how well matched the teams were.

In the second game both ourselves and TW put on all our substitutes so we were effectively playing mixed-ability teams. Despite the weather conditions deteriorating rapidly again the standard of rugby was very good. The final result was four tries to Crowborough and none to TW.  

Kind regards

Judith  

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Sunday 15th November 2009 - Home - Against Westcombe Park.

Despite the predicted Bad Weather we were extremely pleased to be one of the first teams to use the `D` pitch after its extensive drainage program. 

The whole team played extremely well and we were delighted with the result .

Crowborough 9 Tries  - Westcombe Park 1 Try.