Shipston U16s through to Warwickshire Cup semi-final

Shipston welcomed Nuneaton to Mayo Road on a cold and wet Sunday morning. It was to be a tense start with Nuneaton attacking hard from the outset. As was to be the theme for the game Shipston’s defence was solid and their tackling relentless.

Ten minutes in and Shipston started to settle into a rhythm. The three quarters looked really good and Charlie D soon joined them to break through and make good ground. George H took up play and chipped through to himself to score a super try on the far right. 5-0

Nuneaton were soon attacking again and going through the phases. Shipston stood firm and kept them out, withstanding phase after phase of attack. Henry and George H start to turn things with some very neat kicking and chasing, and once again Shipston find themselves in Nuneaton’s territory. George H passed the ball out to Sam who wove his way through the opposition then showed them a clean pair of heels to score on the left. 10-0

Play was flowing well and the boys were working up and down the pitch. A penalty in the middle of the field allowed George H slot a super goal to take the score to 13-0. Half Time.

The second half against the breeze and the slope was always going to be harder and all about the team and not individuals. Nuneaton came out firing on all cylinders and I’m sure many of the Shipston parents were wondering if 13 points were going to be enough.

Nuneaton broke through and scored well with a good conversion. 13-7

Nuneaton demonstrated some super play in their forwards, and one particular driving maul was tremendous. However their backs couldn’t break through Shipston’s solid defence. At the breakdown Nuneaton were dominant but the Shipston scramble defence together with some super kicking from Henry and George H stopped them capitalising on this time and time again.

Nuneaton found this very frustrating and struggled to keep their cool, the referee viewed this dimly which didn’t help their cause. Shipston continued to play their own game and must have held up or forced a knock on on their own try line at least five times. It really was a second half of defence and Shipston showed that defence works best when you have confidence in your team mates. This was exemplified by Charlie Yates calling the mark, cool as a cucumber. Incredibly classy play from him throughout the game today.

These boys do seem to understand the meaning of the word synergy and demonstrate time and again that as a team they achieve so much more than as fifteen individual players. Tremendous to watch. The final whistle went leaving the score 13-7. On to the semi final!

Pete’s treats

Adam, really impactful today, made good ground and worked well in attack and defence
Jack, has prepared hard all week for the game, defended hard and strong
Sam, for a super try, agile and fast
Zack, for playing so well out of position as Hooker and managing the line out