For their first full-blown end of season tour Selby U12s ventured outside Yorkshire to go “Mauling in Matlock” The team, parents and coaches first spent a marvellous day, and night, at an outdoor-activity centre near Castleton. Sunday started with a hearty breakfast and then back on the coach for the journey to Matlock where the Cygnets were to compete in their last-ever Mini’s Festival.

The first game was against Dronsfield - Selby started brightly but faded a little towards the end of the first half; however early in the second Selby turned-over Dronsfield in the ruck, Archie Bennett won the ball and passed it out to Dan Lewis with Ollie Uren in close support who took the final pass to break through the defence and score. A few minutes later Uren scored his second from an almost copy-book move. Selby 2 Dronsfield 0

Nottingham Moderns were the opposition for game 2. Selby where now firing on all cylinders; Alex Whitehead won the ball, passed to Joseph Styrin who bulldozed his way through the defence, off-loading to Uren who in turn passed to Hedley Benn-Harris who completed a great passage of play by scoring. A second score came Lewis running the full length of the pitch, quickly followed by a similar run down the opposite side of the pitch by Uren, again to score. Early in the second half Harry Birch charged his way through the Notts defence, off-loading to Sam Chambers to score a great try.
Selby 3 Nottingham Moderns 0

The 3rd game was against the home team and from the start it was clear that the lunch-break, and possibly a bit of over-confidence, hadn’t done Selby any favours. Lack of concentration and too many missed tackles allowed Matlock to score first. Dan Lewis got one back following an against-the-head scrum won by the Selby forwards but poor tackling allowed Matlock to score again just on half time. The second half was better, with Lewis making a great pass to Luke Fisher to score a for Selby but Matlock touched down the winner in the dying seconds. Selby 2 Matlock 3

The final group game was against another touring team – Market Bosworth. The team talk from the Selby coaches seemed to have had the desired effect and the game started well with Uren catching the ball from the Bosworth kick-off and flying down the right wing to score. Marcus Hebden helped make the second by taking a very quick penalty, passing out to Charlie Bramley who scored a very well-deserved try. Bosworth pegged one back at the end of the first half and, despite strong defending by Selby in the second period, particularly by Noah Dobson, Charlie Bramley, Joseph Styrin and Ollie Uren, scored again just before time. Selby 2 Market Bosworth 2
Selby progressed to the semi-finals as Group 2 runners-up against Group 1 winners Melbourne. The Cygnets started quickly with passes flowing between forwards and backs, the ball getting out to Uren who went over the line to score. The final 5 minutes were incredibly tense as Melbourne had a try disallowed and Selby defended as if their lives depended upon it. Finally the whistle blew and the U12 were through to their first-ever final! Selby 1 Melbourne 0
It was Selby vs Market Bosworth in the final. Bosworth kicked-off and from that moment hardly left the Selby half. Tackle after tackle kept the Leicestershire team from the Selby line; with parents, coaches and the injured Sam Perrin screaming from the touchline the Selby forwards – Rob Parker, Harry Birch, Miles Loveday, Hayden Smith, Luke Fisher, Joseph Styrin., Max Burdekin and Alex Whitehead won scrum after scrum but Bosworth kept coming back. The final whistle blew with neither team having scored - the coaches had agreed before the game that in the event of a 0-0 draw the teams would share the trophy so Selby U12s, in their last Minis festival, came away as winners. A thrilling way to end such a memorable weekend and a fitting way for the lads to end their time in Minis rugby.