Dawn Mission

With tournament rules dictating that team selection should be an A and a B side, it was always going to be tough for the players when they travelled to Barnet for this year's County festival.

For team Y it was always going to be a huge test adapting to playing together, without the back-up of the more experienced players (and tacklers in particular) it was a real test of taking responsibility to get in and do the work.

It got off to a bad start in the opening game when Fullerians B scored with the very first play, before Camelot had even got a touch. It was soon 0-2 when once again a player broke clean through to score with ease. The second-half was much improved with Ben and Charlie looking to gain ground on runs, but a visit into the opponents half was a rare sight and with no further tries the match finished 0-2.

FT: Fullerians B 2-0 Camelot Y

Game 2 against Welwyn B got off to an equally bad start with the opponents scoring early, but this time Camelot did force an equaliser when Charlie broke down the wing to score. 1-1. Unfortunately they were not level for long with Welwyn again breaking free with nobody able to get close enough to tackle, they trailed 1-2 at the break.

Any hopes of getting back into the game were dashed with the opening play of the second-half, Welwyn breaking clean through to score and although the whole team battled hard to prevent conceding any further tries they were unable to get back into the match, the closest attempt was when Ben broke down the wing, but got tackled out of play just before the try line - much to his frustration!

FT: Welwyn B 3-1 Camelot Y Charlie

With qualification now looking a tall order, it was all about playing for pride, and the boys really stepped up their game to give OA's E a really tough match in game 3, Sam in particular taking on the lead role through the middle with some demanding runs and tough tackling.

Unfortunately it was the OA's that took the lead, but heads did not drop and Camelot started to dominate the game, without being able to cross the try line. The second-half was a very equal affair, though it seemed to be against the run of play when the opponents broke up a Camelot attack to break down the field and score a second try to effectively kill off the game.

FT: OA's E 2-0 Camelot Y

Morale was low going into the final game and that showed in the first half as the team got over run and fell behind by three tries to Tring C by the interval; however either something in their drinks, or the team talk from Simon and guest coach, Carl, re-invigorated the kids for the second-half as they deservedly scored their second try of the match - Sam going on a powerful run before being blocked, but with the help of Ben pushing behind him he managed to get the ball over the line to score. 1-3.

Hopes of a comeback were too optimistic though, Tring breaking clear to score another two tries before Charlie enabled the team to finish the game on a high scoring another trademark running try.

FT: Tring C 5-2 Camelot Y Sam, Charlie

It was a tough morning for the players in team Y side this week, they faced some tough opposition and inexperience deprived them of being able to turn their good play into a winning result, but it was also an opportunity for players to step-up and take on more responsibility in dictating the play, something they all did magnificently, though none more so than team player of the week, Sam, who, particularly in the last two games, was dominant in the tackling and running, setting a great example of how to raise your game in tough situations.

There were some long faces on the back of 4 defeats, but the experience will be invaluable in their development going forward, each and everyone of the players upped their game and will have learned huge amounts - It may not feel like it now, but you often learn a lot more in defeats than you do in winning all the time...roll on Bournemouth!

On a beautiful morning in Barnet for the county festival, it was good to see some familiar faces, even if they were playing for the wrong team !! The teams were streamed with the Camelot X team entered into the Cup competition in pool 2 consisting of the following opposition:-
Old Albanians B
Letchworth A
Barnet A
Bishops Stortford A
Tring A
Our first match was against OAs and this turned out to be a very tight, hard fought affair with our lads/lass more than matching the B team from undoubtedly the biggest squad in the county. The first half finished 0-0 with the highlight (or rather lowlight) being a disallowed try from Edward. The significance of that decision (the parents in close attendance thought it was a legitimate score!) would come back to haunt us later. Anyway, neither team was giving anything away and so the match finished scoreless. Camelot shaded it but just couldn't get themselves on the score sheet.
FT : Camelot 0 Old Albanians 0

Game 2 was against Tring. Another very tight match with our boys/girl throwing everything they had into all tackles. It was beginning to look like another scoreless match until Thomas went on a superb run down the right wing to score and win the game for Camelot. Two games down and we were starting to find our rhythm - our defence was brilliant and with two games gone we hadn't really looked like conceding a try despite the quality of the opposition.
FT: Camelot 1 Tring 0 (Thomas)

Game 3 v Letchworth
A very positive start against Letchworth saw Ollie the Wrecking Ball (his Mother's own words!) dive over for a great opening score. This was soon followed by an interception try from James N to make it 2-0 and by now it was clear to see we had really switched on. Freddie made it 3-0 after a powerful run from James I and soon after James N increased the lead to 4-0 when he provided good support to one of Thomas' decisive runs. There then followed a rather unsavory incident when Edward made a terrific run down the right wing only to be cynically brought down by a clear trip from a Letchworth player. The referee awarded a penalty try but unfortunately it caused an injury to Edward who missed the rest of the game. Despite this, our boys/girl continued to press and Caolan finished off a great team move to improve the score to 6-0 (yes 6-0!!) at half time. Absolutely no doubt that the first half performance against Letchworth was the best rugby this team has ever played and a clear message to the lads that if they pass the ball and support well, they are capable of beating any team. The second half was cut short as the referee ensured festival timings were back on track. No further score but what a great performance from the team - probably the best from any under 10s in the tournament.
FT: Camelot 6 Letchworth 0 Ollie 1, James N 2, Freddie 1, Edward 1, Caolan 1

Game 4 Bishops Storford
This was a big game for us and to be sure of qualification to the semi-finals we needed a result. To be honest Bishops Stortford didn't really give us any trouble but we just couldn't force a score and the game ended nil nil
FT: Camelot 0 Bishops Stortford 0

So having won two and drawn two without conceding a single try all morning, we ended up level on points with OAs and Bishops Stortford and despite having the best "try difference" we failed to qualify on try's scored. We scored 7 compared to 8 & 9 from the others. A little disappointing but overall a great day for the boys and proof that when we play our best, open, flowing rugby we are as good as any other team. Well done to Caolan, Conor, Daisy, Edward, Freddie, James I, James N, Ollie, Seb & Thomas. A special well done to James I who in his first proper festival made a big difference to the team with his power and determination. He was awarded Player of the Week. A difficult decision for the coaches as the whole squad played fantastically well and should be very proud of their performance. Bring on Bournemouth!