Official East Retford

Apple: Any points deduction would have been for the 'Fair Play' standings. Still means a 38 pt winning margin is required though, and no bonus point for 4+ tries for Sleaford. Good luck.

i was under the impresion that we could still finish out at the top of the group and we did put that daft fencinng up cos i brought it in

read the post above dated 11-2-07 again:-|

o rite so we can still end up on top its just got to take a lot of blood sweat and tears to get there and im confident that all the under 17s players are more than willing do wot it takes to get there and who are you

He's a Pirate! :-)

Ha-ha-arrrrrggghhhhh:-D

www.retfordrugby.bebo.com - U17s site, pictures, results, fixtures etc.

if you want to update our last 4 games- we beat Ashfield 34-0. Long Eaton didnt turn up so we got given the game 30-0- although had we played them we'd have beaten them by a lot more as we did last time. Sleaford we drew with 20-20 and Worksop we lost to 13-12.

SLEAFORD
After all the build up the Sleaford game ended in a draw 20-20. To summarise we started and finished sloppily but dominated in the middle. Our usual habbit of not knowing how to start a game and then not being able to kill one off kicked in.
I think Sleaford scored 4 tries non converted. We scored 3 tries 1 converted and 1 penalty. Their tries coming through slick passing out in the backs, ours coming mainly through our powerful driving in the forwards. We gifted them 2 tries within the first 10-15 minutes then suddenly woke up scoring a penalty on the stroke of half time, 10-3. Then we came out and chucked everything at them 2nd half, with our forwards making lots of ground and bundling over 2 tries in the right hand corner. I think it was hooker Darcy and prop Jeff with the tries. Then another brilliant individual try through full back Colin who tared through at least 4 tackles to score (converted) had us thinking the game was wrapped up at 20-10 with 10 minutes to go.
Then naiive penalties allowed Sleaford to get back in the game and their backs capitalised on the mistakes. It appeared that the Sleaford fly half, who enjoyed calling me fruitcake all game, did knock on their last tap penalty but a draw was a fair result. All in all, a quality game with no yellow cards. And at the end of the game Woll Man shook my hand, wearing a Sleaford jumper! Think he's their coach!

WORKSOP
Worksop on sunday. Probably the worst game I've ever played in. You couldnt move for the mud. Their lads aren't as friendly as say Sleafords either! They're U19s squad contains (according to my mate) just 3 17 year olds and 3 19 year olds with the rest 18. In contrast our side has still a few 15 year olds and then an even split between 16 and 17 year olds.
We were missing key pack players in Darcy, Jeff and Wozza, who would have given us a lot more leverage in the pack and with them 3 we'd have been able to secure a lot more possession. Worksop set out to bully us from the start, probably wanting revenge for the spanking (31-5) we gave them earlier in the season, it's not nice losing to a bunch of kids after all ;). Every ruck there were punches being thrown by them and the game was always threatening to boil over, but our lads werent intimidated and took the challenge to them going 5-0 up (mike phillips, who else?) scoring early on. Then a couple of sin bins later, a player apiece (me for us unfortunately) and Worksop were leading, going into half time 10-5 up.
The game was just as scrappy, probably worse, 2nd half. The game played mainly in the middle of the park, the conditions making it impossible for the backs to do anything and the game was dominated by messy rucks. It might sound a bit stupid to say but they dragged us down to their level. Worksop took the clever decision to kick a penalty mid-way through the 2nd half and were 13-5 up. As usual conceding points was the signal for a Retford onslaught and had the game been 5 minutes longer we'd have probably won. But our converted try with a few minutes to go was too little too late and it finished up 13-12. A brilliant line taken off a tap penalty by centre Jordan Mee saw him carve open the defence like a knife through butter, going over the line almost un-noticed by the Worksop defence awaiting a crash ball through the forwards.

On sunday we beat Mosborough 29-21. Tommorows the big one, semi-final vs Kesteven at Sleaford. i'd write proper reports but i really can't remember that much and have probably got some stuff wrong in my summary.

MOSBOROUGH
Needs scored in the corner after good hands along the backline after about 10 minutes. Jeff just bundled one over off an overthrown Mosborough line out not long after. I think Silcock then made a nice little break off the back of a scrum (converted) and Mikey scored, again in the corner. We went in at half time 22-0 up, playing pretty well too. However suddenly we decided it was job done and instead of killing the game off and sticking 40points on them as we should have done we let them back in the game and they scored 3 tries (all converted under the posts), all self-inflicted from bad defending, giving away penalties and general greediness. With Mosborough gaining in confidence it was game on with 10 minutes to go and the score at 22-21. As Mosborough passed it out down the back line Wozza charged forward, nailing their winger who then knocked on, Bitter picked up the loose ball running it in under the posts (converted) to wrap up the game 29-21. Simarlily to the Worksop match we allowed the oppositon to drag us down to their level and very nearly lost. Hopefully we can up our game again tommorow morning.

Very good Apple - much appreciated.

Retford turned up to Sleaford for the semi-final against Kesteven, in high spirits with the strong turnout of a 25 man squad. Nobody really knew what to expect against Kesteven, hearing one minute they were the dogs, the next that they were there for the taking. After 5 minutes it was clear however that there was only going to be one winner and that Kesteven were closer to the 'big city club' bracket, than they were the 'small town club' bracket. They proved after todays emphatic victory over us that they probably should have been playing in the cup competition and not the plate.
Gary told us that it was essential that we start well to set the tone for the rest of the game. After having our first 3 rucks turned over and losing on our own scrum and Kesteven scoring two tries early doors the tone was unfortunately already set. Playing into gale force winds didnt help our cause in the first half with passes, line outs and kicks all going astray. We battled hard, defending like mad men into the wind against opposition players twice the size of a lot of us. However the huge effort to keep the score down knocked the stuffing out of us and going into the 2nd half over 20 points to the worse wasnt good for confidence. However, we came out firing on all cylinders at the beginning of the 2nd half with the wind behind us determined to make a comeback. Doing what we do best, picking and driving in the forwards making giant steps into Kesteven territory. One turnover ball later though and Kestevens backs had hit us on the break for another try. It was a pinnacle moment, had it been us who had scored at that point the game may have panned out very differently and we might have gone on to make a real game of it. But after that try, after such great work it seemed no matter what we did, Kesteven could match us and despite the great efforts of all of our team, the experienced unit of Kesteven were simply a better side and continued to turn defence into offence and we were constantly being pinned back. For the first time this season our pack had been rucked, mauled and scrummed off the field and the knock on effect this had on our backs was obvious. The score ended up around 40/50-0ish, i actually dont know. It was an unfair scoreline in that they scored 3 or 4 breakaway tries in the last 10 minutes and was therefore probably not a great reflection of the game. It was a great effort but we didnt have the experience or quality that Kesteven posessed and expect them to beat West.Bridgford (who beat Sleaford in the other semi-final 3 tries to 1 apparently) just as comprehensively in the final. We can hold our heads very high in the way we stood up to the challenge, never gave up and played with great discipline. Apparently might be playing Sleaford again in a kind of 3rd place play-off.

Apple: bad luck again for today's disappointments...we know how you feel too :-/ I understand your final score was 0-51 and stopped with 15 mins to play :?-(

Our lot spent the best part of the first half with the elements in their favour, realising they were in a semi final, and subsequently went in at HT 0-10 down.

Came out in the second half with some real attitude and took the game back to WB, pinning them back in their 22 despite the strong wind and showers in their faces. Came close twice and then lost possession and watched WB go the whole length of the field and go 15-0 up.

WB then proceeeded to try and throw everything away when ill discipline crept in and they had a player red carded for throwing several punches right in front of the referee!!!

Still determined, Slea picked up from where they left off and went over the line 3 times only to be held up each time before finally scoring; 5-15 and 10 mins to go. Threw everything forward but got caught with a late sucker punch to kill the game off as a contest.

Good luck to Bridgford, they deserved their win today, but I think they're on a hiding to nothing.

As for the 3rd place thing, not heard anything about it this end. Not sure there's a free weekend either. See you lot in seniors next season

:-D

Unlucky Apple, i saw some of your game while we were warming up and it was quite obvious from what I saw that you were in for a long morning. Maybe we can play a third place play off:oD

game didnt get stopped early we played on after their last try. we drew 12-12 with west.bridgford at home with them only equalising the game in the very last minute with a converted try, apparently they played a pretty different side against your lot, just as Kesteven played a different side to the one that got them into the semi-finals. i hope you lot do have a free weekend, be nice to settle the score ;-)

again for those interested, retfordrugby.bebo.com- theres loadsa pictures from the scarborough tour & all our results on from this season & that.