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Prima Cup Winners

Prima Cup Winners

Stevie Hanna30 Mar 2015 - 08:16
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Joint winners of the Prima Cup after the Final finished 1-1 with Olney

Match Report by Simon Dowling:

It was a fantastic day yesterday at Welford Road and an awesome result. For those of us lucky enough to have been there it certainly was a good test of the strength of our hearts!

We felt well prepared with a couple of good training sessions behind us. The guys were nervous and excited yet remained calm and focussed.

Game One: Quarter Final: MH v Southwold
We knew nothing about Southwold except that they came to the competition with high expectations after winning the Diss festival the previous week. Therefore we went with the tried and tested: Seb FS, George T, Toby G, Jake D, Adam T, Jamie T, James B, Fergus G.
It was not the explosive start we were looking for with nerves having a part to play for both teams. There were a fair share of knock on's and a couple of missed tackles. It took 4 minutes before James B managed to break through and score the very important first try. Southwold rucked well and from a turnover ball scored an equaliser just before half time. At half time we made some changes with Jake S, Will H and George H coming on for Adam T, James B and George T. The second half was a better performance and the guys were communicating well. Will H made some trade mark straight runs into the heart of the Southwold defence and George H launching himself fearlessly into tackles.
Our second try came from Jamie T taking a great line to receive a quick ball from Jake D off the back of a well worked ruck. Adam T rucked well Jake S made his presence felt as he wrestled the ball from the the boys from Norfolk. We dominated play and were unlucky to concede a try on the final whistle to finish 2-2. Our first try was enough to progress us to the semi final. Phew..!

Game two: Semi Final : MH v Old Leamontonians
Starting with Seb FS, George T, Toby G, Jacob S, Jake D, Jamie T, James B and Fergus G this was a faster and more open game with the guys passing well and going through numerous phases of play. Toby G was very busy and scored a well-deserved try at Welford Road, (his Dad Jon was very happy indeed...!). Jacob S collected a quick ruck ball and linked well to get the ball wide to George T, but the attack was well covered by a busy defense. We made a couple of changes at half time giving Jack B and Joel H their time to shine. Both contributed well and enjoyed their tackling, putting their fair share of Old Leamontonians on their backs, Jack allowed himself a wry smile, as he and Joel double tackled the biggest player on the pitch and stopped him in his tracks, 'Boom'. Old Leamontonians fought back with a strong defense and ran in a quick try to equalise. Seb led from the front and Fergus G battled hard to break through to score to retake the lead. George T came off and was replaced by George H who set up a quick ruck ball for Jake D to flick out to Jamie T who ran well to score his second of the day and give us a 3-1 lead. There were genuine whoops of delight when the final whistle sounded.

Game three: The Final: MH v Olney
Starting Team: Seb, George T, Toby G, Jake S, Jake D, Jamie T, Adam T, Fergus G.
We were lined up next to the Olney team in the tunnel before taking the pitch and the atmosphere was intense. A big moment for everyone. We were asked to exit through the tunnel onto the pitch side by side with Olney. As we moved forward Seb called a halt to the MH and said we will do this in our time and we waited. The cheering from our support was fantastic as the guys ran out onto the hallowed turf.
Two very well matched teams went at it from the start and the tackling from both sides was excellent. Our positional play improved from the semi final and it made a big difference in being able to win our own rucks. George T, Jake S and Seb displaying a natural hunger for the ruck ball as we worked the ball up the centre and spun it wide to Fergus G, Adam T and Jake D but the Olney defence was up to the challenge. A scrum on our line gave Olney the position they wanted and they ran a quick ball to a player at pace who went over for a party killing try! Ouch we didn't like that at all. We went into half time 1-0 down. Adam T and Jake S gave way for James B and George H at half time. James B had an impact and scored a great try to make it 1-1. From here on in it was nip and tuck. George T had found his form and was a real spark on the pitch, rucking hard and running straight. Fergus G and Jake D continued to work well together finding space outside, but the Olney defence once again snubbed out the attacks. The support and encouragement from our players on the sideline, led by Joel H and Will H, was loud and clear which was a great to hear. Seb, the biggest ball thief on the team, did a great job snubbing out any Olney attacks coming through the middle of mauls and collected a couple of intercepts. If it was not for an injury call back he could have gone the length of the pitch for what would have been a game winning try. Jamie T also tip toed through the defence only to be stopped short. At the final whistle it was all a bit of a blur...was there extra time, golden try or had we lost on the first try rule? No....not in this competition the draw meant the trophy is shared with Olney as joint winners. A great result and a great reflection of the game.
We can all be extremely proud of a group of young men who are excellent representatives of the club and the game of rugby. They are worthy Prima Cup Champions.

A mention also must go to Leo F and Will L who played a part in getting the squad to the final but were unfortunately unable to make the final through injury and a poorly timed holiday!

Well done.

Further reading