Seasoned Performance at Old Salts

Under bright blue skies that felt like the first day of spring, the team took full advantage of the conditions to play some open running rugby.The format was 4 matches with a single 10 minute period in each, and the pitch was the best we’ve come across so far with fully marked lines and flags (instead of wonky lines of cones!).

Game 1 pitched the more experienced players in the two squads against each other and from the start Camps looked strong in attack and defence. The ball work in last weeks finger freezing training session was definitely shining through as passes were quicker and wider than we’ve managed so far this season. With the additional width created in attack it was only a matter of time before Camps broke clear with Dan finishing off a flowing attack through the middle. He was on hand again to score the second from short range after another well worked burst up the middle from the team (and some confusion as to where the try line was!). The Old Salts defence was excellent throughout with umpteen last ditch tags going in to thwart Camps, but it was also a measure of our improved ball play that we managed to keep going forward and get to the line. The rest of the game was evenly matched with Salts managing to run in three but with both Jack and Joe going in for tries after confident runs it was Camps that ran out 4 – 3 winners.

The second game of the session was all Camps with our strength in depth proving too much for Salts. The defence was particularly good with rapid tagging forcing the opposition into disarray such that they didn’t manage to cross our line (first time this season?). Connor and Dillon stood out with some really committed work in the middle. Niall put in some good work with the ball in hand before Alex ran in a typically fine effort from distance and Joe added another 2 to his tally making his the first hat-trick of the day.

Game three saw the return of the older heads and another excellent performance from the team. One of the objectives for the day was to run straight and try to get through the oppositions defensive line before looking for the pass. The team did this again and again through Will and Toby in particular (free home tuition?), but non better than Abbie whose 10 metre burst up the middle and laid off pass to Will, who went on to score, was the best play of the day. Jobe, back from sunning himself on foreign shores, nipped in for a nice try but it was Jack who really put Salts to the sword with three powerful sprints up the right flank. He managed to time his runs on to the ball to perfection and the opposition were left clutching at thin air as he raced away to the line. Salts ran in a couple of good scores themselves but it was Camps that pulled through with a 5 – 2 victory.

In the final match we were able to put out another strong team including Ollie who played in his first match for Camp Hill. In both attack and defence he showed great courage, particularly as he found himself up against a boy twice his size, but he never faltered as he threw himself into the tagging and ran straight with the ball. Well done Ollie!! Salts threw everything they could at us to try and get a result but it was good defence out wide from Cian and Niall that stopped them in their tracks. Alex and then Dan rounded the defensive line to score the opening two tries before Salts hit back with one of their own. That left the grand stand finish for Tyler who accelerated through a gap in the defensive line and covered half the pitch to score in the corner. Some confusion as the final whistle went, but the try was later confirmed by the referee. Final score 3 – 1 and smiles all round!

Results
Camp Hill 4 – 3 Old Salts (Try scorers: Dan 2, Joe 1, Jack 1)
Camp Hill 3 – 0 Old Salts (Try scorers: Joe 2, Alex 1)
Camp Hill 5 – 2 Old Salts (Try scorers: Jack 3, Jobe 1, Will 1)
Camp Hill 3 – 1 Old Salts (Try scorers: Alex 1, Tyler 1, Dan 1)

Squad
Joe, Toby, Dan, Abbie, Alex, Tyler, Ollie, Ben, Jobe, Will, Niall, Cian, Dillon, Jack, Connor.

A really enjoyable day for all. Great focus from the team and some really good individual performances. Will and Joe stepped up to the mark and did everything that was asked of them ie running straight and defending with intelligence and width. But what showed today was our ability throughout the whole squad. Tamworth at home next Sunday, lets hope we can take this weeks performance forward and do the same again!

See you there,
Ali

For the Record here are the stats from the Old Sils game, apologies for no report.
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Squad: Ben, Joe, Dan, Will, Abbie, Jack, Cian, Connor, Dillon, Owen, Niall, Toby, Tyler, Alex, Mackenzie.

Try Scorers: Ben 3, Jack 3, Alex 3, Tyler 2, Owen 1, Joe 1

Difficult day against very good opposition, but both Ben and Tyler stood out with their hard work and commitment.