West Leeds RFC U12 v Yarnbury RFC U12

Today brought a rare away game for the boys and our travels took us all the way over to Wortley and the warm welcome from West Leeds. Warm was not necessarily the adjective I would apply to the weather but at least it didn't rain. Much.

The pitch was in fine fettle, half of the first team pitch nonetheless, and the game kicked off to tremendous applause and cheer from the throngs of spectators from their lofty position next to the warmth of the clubhouse, drinking warm coffee and munching on thick set bacon and/or sausage sandwiches. Clearly I was not jealous in any way as I was running about the pitch refereeing to the usual high standard expected of the one that arrives with the whistle and doesn't look down when asked "any chance one of you can ref?"

The game itself was, shall we say, a little one-sided. It was simply a case of kick, catch, pass, run, score and repeat. For 60 minutes this went on.

This is in no way a scathing comment on the standard of the opposition but moreover a demonstration of what a few extra years of experience can bring to a side and the effect it can have on a game. West Leeds, as I understand it, are a fledgling team and have only been together for a relatively short time whereas the Yarnbury team, for the most part, have been together as a team for more than half their lives. This is what made the difference on the pitch, nothing else.

Perhaps, as the referee, I could have taken pity on the West Leeds team, and maybe people out there may say I should have, and stopped the game. But to these nay-sayers, I say, er, Nay! West Leeds played the game in a tremendous spirit and never once lowered their heads. They encouraged each other, even laughed it off at times and continued to give it their all. For what they lack in actual game time and experience they more than make up for in attitude and a love to play the game. So, in my humble opinion it would have been more of an insult to stop the game. Who am I to prevent two teams from playing a game they are clearly enjoying and relishing every minute irrespective of a score line and some numbers on a sheet of paper? We play the game first, the score line notwithstanding; winning or losing is irrelevant.

Here endeth the lesson.

It is with mixed feelings that I report a scoreline of West Leeds 0 Yarnbury 115. I will allow a massive personal whoop-whoop for such a tremendous, consistent and skillful display of rugby from our boys. Who, it has to be said, played the game without resorting to gloating in any way, so hats off to the boys for that. I will allow a humility inducing, respectful clap of hands for a resolute west Leeds side and their unerring spirit.

Continuing with the brevity of the day, the usual levels of wit and devastating repartee were on display again in the bar afterwards. You can imagine the cackles of laughter when a spare sock was brought into the bar, held aloft for the parental walk of shame with everyone immediately looking at Seth's mum, Petra, who, after "sockgate" in the previous week's games, confidently laughed off the suggestion. Oh how we laughed. The rest of us, meanwhile, silently applying the guilty-until-proven-innocent mindset towards our own reprobate children for said sock being left abandoned and unloved in the changing room.

The sock was Seth's.