U11s Vs Deeping

Maybe it was because half-term was nearly over but a somewhat subdued U11 squad travelled to meet their counterparts at Deeping. Having strength in numbers, Deeping offered 4 players to make the game 11-a-side and keep all the players busy on the field. On a wide field with plenty of space, the players were encouraged to get the ball wide and penetrate what we knew was going to be tough opposition up-front.
The match started well with both teams not giving an inch to the other. Twice, Deeping got close to scoring only to be pulled up for a double-movement over the try-line. Expectedly, with 22 players on the field, the game was a fast-paced affair. Deeping worked well in defence and thwarted many breaks from the back by Grace Niklasson, Toby West & Ashton Smith. Ben Groves, Jack Varty & Connor Leitch made several good runs up the middle but fell foul to Deeping's ability to rip the ball. George Dangerfield kept the players in line and worked well with both the regular and newly-acquired Lions. Shortly before half-time, Deeping's perseverance paid off with a well worked try. The Lions started the 2nd half in the knowledge that they could keep in touch with Deeping and with the wind behind them, even sneak ahead. Deeping made some changes to their team and swapped the 4 borrowed players for 4 others. Although keen to make tackles and ruck the ball back, a poor defensive line left the sidelines open for Deeping to get 2 early 2nd-half tries.
After a short break, a second game was played, again with Deeping making changes to their line-up. This made it difficult for the Lions to get some continuity with their shape and again Deeping were able to make several breaks for the try-line. Not be outdone, the Lions put in a strong performance and kept their eyes on the ball. Ashton Smith made a couple of interceptions and looked sure to score but got caught 5 metres short for what would have been a well-deserved solo-effort. Grace and Toby both made try-saving tackles and as always were strong runners with the ball, both narrowly missing out on scoring tries. George led his team from the front and used his kicking boots to good effect. The hard work paid off with late tries being scored by Ashton and Connor as well as a few others by their Deeping team-mates. As always with Deeping, a close yet well contested game.