Ratcliffian 2016 (LOWRES)

SPORT
SPORT
1st 2nd/U16 U15 U15/U14B U14 U13 U13/U12B U12
PLAYED 14 9 13 5 12 14 7 10
RUGBY
WON 5 4 8 3 7 8 4 5
DRAWN 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1
LOST 9 4 5 2 4 4 3 4
CANCELLED 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 0
This season’s highlights were the tremendous achievements of all senior teams
in the County Cup competitions. The 1st XV and U13 team both had superb cup
runs to reach their finals, in which both teams narrowly missed out on victory.
The U15 and U14 teams both reached the semi-finals, losing out in closely
contested games.
1 st XV
In a difficult season, owing largely
to injuries, the 1st XV had an
excellent finish, with a dramatic
second half come back to beat
Robert Smyth in the County Cup
Semi Finals and then an excellent
performance in the Final to give
a quality Leicester Grammar team
a close run. In Saturday fixtures,
the score line in most matches did
not really reflect the competitive
nature of the games. There were good wins against
Wolverhampton Grammar, Wisbech, Carres and Highfields,
and many of the other games were closely contested affairs
that could have gone either way. Charlie Pickering led the
team superbly. Seb Dewhirst had an excellent season and he
was the outstanding player on the
pitch in the County Cup final.
On his return from injury, Luke
Gyesi Appiah was back to his
best, with powerful running and
strong tackling. Tom Brambell
was the stand-out player in a
pack often shorn
of experience.
2 nd XV
This was an enjoyable season
for the 2 nd XV. A 50:50 playing
record is most respectable
considering that (as is probably
the norm for a 2nd XV) the
same team never took to the
field two games running. A
simple game plan (it had to be, given the regular changes!)
focused on ball retention and playing beyond the gainline,
and it worked well. Several players became stalwarts
of the side. Adam Stamp, Nick Heywood, Ben Dexter,
Jamie Lanyon, Tom Lowe, Tom Wetton and Jack Vinall are
certainly worthy of mention. Special mention must go to
Sam Nightingale, the old man of the side. He captained the
team with a real insight into what 2nd XV rugby is all about,
setting high standards and expecting the best of his players,
but understanding that mistakes would be made!
U15
The U15 team had a strong work
ethic and were led with quiet
authority by Captain Callum
Allsopp. The forwards play
developed well, particularly in
their set plays from line-outs
and scrums. Bishnu Thapa
in the second row and Luke
Chilton on the flank made great
strides. In the backs, George
Morgan-Jones marshalled the
team well. He was helped through the exceptional running
of Rory Stoker and Henry Wells in the centres, and the
developing play of James Berns inside him at scrum-half.
Although the season did not bring out the great success
of the previous year, it was largely successful, and it was
the continued toughening of the fixture list that probably
caused their results
to be not quite
as impressive.
The team sadly
bowed out of
the County Cup
at the semi-final
stage in quagmire
conditions at Ashby,
where the heavy
pitch took its toll.
U15/U14B
The U15B/U14B team played
well as a unit in all their games
this season. The work ethic,
good discipline and support
within the team resulted
in some fine wins. Reece
Goodman led from the front, and there was a notable
debut in the backs for Matthew Garcia who went on to
represent the U15A team.
U14
After losing a number of key players at the end of Year 8,
the U14 rugby team adjusted well, winning 7 of their 11
games. Jude Kinch was a welcome addition, adding some
dynamism to the front row, while Finley Back, playing up a
year group, added creativity and tenacity to the backline.
Matt Egglenton and Harry Culpin have both developed
into strong ball carriers, whilst Jacob Dawe, Dominic
Baggott and Harry Thompson all contributed very well to
the forward effort. Alex Bown continued to be influential
in all areas, and Joseph Collier, who missed much of the
season through injury, demonstrated
his worth on his return against Leicester
Grammar, scoring two tries. Captain,
Will Westwood was, as ever, a constant
threat, scoring some quality tries and
contributing consistently with the boot.
The boys narrowly lost 34 – 17 to
Loughborough Grammar in an exciting
and competitive County Cup Semi-Final.
U13
The U13 squad continued to develop
well after their exceptional season as
U12s last year. They played most of their matches without
the talents of Finley Back, who played up an age group.
The team were small in stature but large in spirit, and they
showed fantastic commitment with their ‘never-say-die’
attitude. Highlights of the season must be the fantastic cup
run the team enjoyed, led superbly by Finley Back. The
team narrowly lost out to Loughborough Grammar in a very
exciting final. Sam Bullock was fantastic at the breakdown,
leading the team turn-over count with his superb jackling
technique. The back row of Alex Tyszka, Joe Stamp and
Archie Heaney tackled courageously, and Aled King was
absolutely ferocious in all areas of play. Stanley Chell
developed his vision and play-making ability as a sniping
scrum-half, and Tom Page, with his agile running and
exceptional goal kicking, captained the team very well from
fly-half. Owen Lloyd and Connor Foster formed a cohesive,
attacking partnership in the midfield, and Connor’s electric
and evasive running skills saw him top the try-scoring charts.
James Turner showed excellent catching and counterattacking
skills from full-back.
I hope that some of these talented young men will have
growth spurts over the coming year so we do not always
seem to be the smallest team on the circuit, fronting up
against giants!
U13/U12B
The U13B/U12B squad enjoyed a successful season,
winning 4 out of their 7 matches. There were many
stand-out performers, including top try-scorer Will Wright,
Captain Guy Mills and the reliable Guy Heywood.
U12
The U12 team delivered many promising results this
season. The team was captained by Louie Fletcher, who
seemed equally adept at providing both punishing runs and
crunching tackles, particularly from the base of the scrum.
Henry Bower, with his passion and defensive efforts, was
a great asset to the team. Jacob Storey punished many
teams with his quick-tap penalties, and he linked well with
Sam Linnett who marshalled the backs and showed some
dazzling footwork. Rajen Gupta scored some good tries and
Daniel McGunnigle was excellent in his off-loading during
the tackle. Xabier Zanotti made a number of exuberant
runs from the full-back position and Xavier Henderson
was excellent at hooker. Wilson Lee and Henry Winterson
provided a powerful second-row scrum partnership and Will
Marsden was a good addition to the front row.
Mr M Kaye
Head of Rugby
74
75