U15s dominate Rugby St Andrews

This morning saw Shipston U15s emerge victorious over Rugby St Andrews by an impressive 64 point margin. A strong turnout of 21 players paved the way for an equally strong Shipston performance. Despite some frustrating errors, Hendy’s rams wasted no time in putting huge pressure on the opposition. On the right wing Matt Squance was a constant threat, with George Verinder translating this dominance into points after just three minutes of play. The skipper, George Hendy, reliably converted to allow his team an early lead. The team’s momentum was maintained by a strong set piece performance, with Shipston’s maul looking particularly promising. Compounded by powerful carries by Charlie Dews and solid defence by Harry Fothergill, George Hendy’s distribution and offloading ability quickly allowed Verinder to complete his brace in the 19th minute with an explosive 50m burst. The opposition then seemed to find some shape, demonstrating the guile of their outside backs. However, this promise was countered by Shipston’s strength at scrum time, despite questionable refereeing, and rigidity in defence, exemplified by a physical effort by Harrison Costar and Ilyas Aarfi. It wasn’t long before Shipston regathered and found themselves deep within Rugby’s 22, with Charlie Dews demonstrating his physicality and diving over for Shipston’s third try. Rugby then responded with an extended period of pressure, only to be thwarted by a try saving tackle by Adam Lane. Shipston rode out this spell of threatening Rugby possession until the end of the half, when it seemed that only Shipston’s discipline and physicality at the breakdown were standing between them and a convincing win. The boys in black and yellow then came out of the blocks at a scintillating pace, with an unfortunate handling error depriving the team of a candidate for try of the season. The boys soon regrouped through, and immensely physical carries from debutant Ethan Houghton preceded clever scrum-half play from Timmy Briggs, who crossed the whitewash after a close range scrum. Joe Painter then assumed a prominent carrying role, reminding spectators of his pace and power before Arlie Williams quickly took his opportunity to add to the growing tally. Painter then rewarded himself with a score following a barnstorming run, terrifying not only the defence but also making some parents gasp. Charlie Bothwell then showed off his ability on the ball, before Dews and Hendy manufactured an opportunity for Adam Lane, who finished well. George McGinn’s handling in the wide channels then allowed Shipston to work up the field, allowing Henry McCarthy to sell the defence with a dummy. Following this, Alistair McCallum was quickly released, using his gas and footballing ability to score Shipston’s penultimate try. Joe Painter then finished the game with some fast footwork to bring the try-tally to ten, converted by an Adam Lane drop kick. Overall, a dominant performance by the U15s, particularly promising in the build up to what will be a very stern test against Old Silhillians in the Warwickshire Cup in a fortnight. Special mention must go to debutant Ethan Houghton, who looks as if he has a bright future in this team, and to all the boys who played for the opposition. George McGinn, Henry McCarthy, Ollie Bowers, Max Morris and Jack Deans all caused their teammates problems whilst making up Rugby’s numbers, and were a credit to the club in the way that they conducted themselves.

Sam Bowers