Given the terrible weather of late, the much looked forward to end of season ‘Run to Sun’ could well have turned into a ‘Huddle in a Puddle’, however the rain held off for most of time and even gave way to the occasional burst of sunshine.

Despite the weather forecast, a significant number of families packed their tents and set off for Woolacombe. With temperatures dropping to just above freezing at night Jerry’s air conditioning unit was surplus to requirements – heaters and hot water bottles were more the order of the day. The strong turnout enabled the Mighty Under 8s to enter two very good teams into the festival – the Chippenham Under 8 ‘Greens’ and the Chippenham Under 8 ‘Yellows’.

DAY ONE
In the pool matches the ‘Yellows’ opening fixture was against a very fast and physical Haywards Heath ‘A’ side. Despite a slow start the boys played well and put in a courageous effort but were defeated by a stronger side. Next up were Woodford, by now the boys had found their form and won the match by a convincing margin. In their third match Coventry club Broadstreet proved tough opposition. At half time the scores were all level and the tightly fought second half resulted in a narrow victory for the Chippenham ‘Yellows’. The final pool match against host club Barnstaple was also a close encounter. Chippenham managed the only try of the first half and eventually went on to win the match – the low final score was a fair reflection of the game and the defensive determination of both sides.

In their first pool game the Chippenham ‘Greens’ played Warlingham and ,despite some great play, were narrowly defeated. In their second match against Barnstaple, Chippenham ‘Greens’ were leading all the way though the first half but were eventually held to a draw by the end of the game. Next up were Haywards Heath ‘B', and despite trailing at half time, the boys dug deep to turn the game around to win by a two point margin. The final pool game of the day was against Woodford which the ‘Greens’ won by a comfortable margin.

DAY TWO
On the second day of the festival, all the efforts from the Chippenham Under 8s in the pool matches were rewarded by places in the Quarter Finals for both teams but unfortunately this meant that both teams would also play each other. This was a fiercely fought contest which could have boiled over at any moment - however some excellent refereeing kept all on track and resulted in a superb and very close game. The strength and ability of both teams was reflected in the final score which saw the ‘Greens’ edge forward into the Championship Cup Semi-final and the ‘Yellows’ into the Challenge Cup Semi-final
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In the Championship Semi-final a solid performance from the Chippenham ‘Greens’ secured a narrow victory against Broadstreet earning them a place in the Championship Final against Haywards Heath ‘A’. In this final match all the boys put in a gutsy performance but were unable to overcome Haywards Heath ‘A’ who proved to be worthy Championship winners.

In their semi-final the Chippenham ‘Yellows’ met Haywards Heath ‘B’ and after a tight tussle emerged victorious to progress to the Challenge cup final. In this match the ‘Yellows’ proved too strong for their opposition Woodford and went on to win the Challenge cup.

In summary the Mighty Under 8s, and their parents, enjoyed two tag-tastic days of rugby to mark their graduation from the ‘Tag’ game. A great time, both on and off the pitch, was had by all – a huge thank you goes to everyone whose efforts made this weekend special!

Scores and Scorers

Yellows
Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 4 – 13 Haywards Heath ‘A’
Stanley, Ben (2), James V

Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 11 – 4 Woodford
Flynn, Louis (5), Ben (2), Thomas M (3)

Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 7 – 6 Broadstreet
Stanley (3), James V (3), Ben

Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 3 – 2 Barnstaple
Ben (2), Louis

Quarter Final
Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 6 – 7 Chippenham ‘Greens’
Thomas M, James (2), Ben, Louis, Stanley

Challenge Cup Semi-final
Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 6 – 5 Haywards Heath ‘B’
Will (2), Ben (2), Louis, Stanley

Challenge Cup Final
Chippenham ‘Yellows’ 9 – 5 Woodford
Ben (4), Stanley, James V, Will, Thomas M (1)

Greens
Chippenham ‘Greens’ 6 – 8 Warlingham
Max P (2), Edward, Jake (2), Brandon

Chippenham ‘Greens’ 8 – 8 Barnstaple
Edward, Jake (5), Owen (2)

Chippenham ‘Greens’ 7 – 5 Haywards Heath ‘B’
Max P (2), Jake (2), Frankie, Brandon (2)

Chippenham ‘Greens’ 7 – 5 Woodford
Edward (2), Max P (2), Jake (2), Brandon

Quarter Final
Chippenham ‘Greens’ 7 – 6 Chippenham ‘Yellows’
Jake (2), Owen (2), Frankie (2), Brandon

Championship Semi-final
Chippenham ‘Greens’ 5 – 4 Broadstreet
Owen, Edward, Brandon, Frankie (2)

Championship Final
Chippenham ‘Greens’ 4 – 10 Haywards Heath ‘A’
Frankie (2), Owen (2)