Yarnbury vs Heath U14s

In lovely spring weather Yarnbury hosted Heath at Trinity College. The opposition could only field 13 players and so in the first half were joined by Lex Galloway and Danny Goodall, and in the second, by Jamie McDonnell and Edward Green.
The first half saw Yarnbury score 7 unanswered tries. James Longhawn started things off in the very first minute, going through the centre of the ruck from short range following a strong run by Edward Green. The conversion was kicked by Darwin King with the aid of the upright. In the 4th minute Jamie McDonnell went over the line but, I assume with instructions ringing in his ear to ensure others scored, he decided to pass to Jack Brownridge, but the pass was forward. The resulting 5m scrum was won against the head and Alex Koppany, playing at number 8, released Maxwell Lee to score in the corner. Darwin King then went over from a pick and drive following a scrum in the opposition 22. Following the re-start, Yarnbury were awarded a scrum which they easily won. A long clearance kick was knocked on by the Heath fullback and Jamie McDonnell was on hand to steal the ball and cross under the posts, but this time his pass to supporting runner Ruairi Daly was legal for him to score. Soon after, Heath knocked on in their own 22 following good line pressure and tackles. From the resulting scrum, Harry Dunn received crash ball to penetrate the defensive line to score under the posts. After 16 minutes the scores were Yarnbury 33-0 Heath.
Yarnbury then appeared to switch off for the next 5/10 minutes, making a number of unforced errors and giving away numerous penalties. Heath went through their phases and, though they could not put any score on the board, they looked comfortable in possession and recycling the ball through their forwards. Following a break in play for an injury, Yarnbury raised their game with James Longhawn securing a couple of turnovers to shift momentum back in Yarnbury’s favour. A score was added when Edward Green broke from half way, Harry Dunn collecting his offload to score under the posts, and the half finally ended when Sam Brown stormed through a ruck from close range, the move started when debutant Jacob Butterfield made a strong run down the wing from half way. Half time; Yarnbury 45-0 Heath.
Heath didn’t let their heads drop and in fact scored the first try of the second half, with a little help from a break by Jamie McDonnell where tackles were missed. He got to the try line before passing to the Heath back to score under the posts. The conversion attempt was blocked by Darwin King before the ball hit the cross bar and bounced out. Soon after, a turnover by Carter Proctor released Jacob Butterfield, who showed his sprinting prowess to break down the wing and score half way between the posts and the corner. 2 points were added from the kicking tee. Heath responded again but were foiled when Sam Brown made a good low tackle to stop Jamie McDonnell when gaps in the defensive line started to appear. However, Heath did score the next try following a good break through centre field by Jamie McDonnell that sucked in the defence and when the ball went wide, Edward Green drew the tackle before offloading to the Heath winger to score in the corner. With 12 minutes of the 2nd half gone Yarnbury led 52-10.
Heath were tiring and the final quarter of the match was dominated by Yarnbury. From the kick off, Harry Dunn collected the loose ball that had been allowed to bounce and he looked likely to score but his foot was in touch and a Heath lineout was awarded. Yarnbury pressure forced a mistake deep in the Heath 22 and they were awarded a scrum. Joe Pilling (now playing 8) picked up from the base and scored. 4 minutes later, in an almost instant replay of his previous try, Joe Pilling scored his second when attacking the blind side from a Yarnbury scrum on the Heath 22 line. From the kick off the ball was secured by Yarnbury and moved wide to Jacob Butterfield to make a break down the wing. Luke Woodend continued to gain territory in the next phase and, from the breakdown, Carter Proctor made an outrageous long floated pass that bounced before being collected by Ruairi Daly who then completed a 20m run past 3 or 4 covering defenders to score a superb try in the corner. In the final play, Harry Dunn went over for his third try of the match, handing off the defender to crash over in the corner. In a final flourish of excellence, Darwin King kicked the hardest conversion of the day from the right touch line. It was made more difficult as the ball fell off the tee in the process of kicking and he completed the attempt with a drop kick. Full Time Yarnbury 74-10 Heath.

Yarnbury: Luke Woodend, James Longhawn, Harvey Goodall, Carter Proctor, Joe Pilling, Sam Brown, Jack Briggs, Alex Koppany, Maxwell Lee, Darwin King (capt), Jack Brownridge, Edward Green, Jamie McDonnell, Jacob Butterfield, Ruairi Daly.
Substitutes: Dan Mitchell, Lex Galloway, Danny Goodall, Harry Dunn, Ethan Dawrant

Man of the Match – Ruairi Daly. There were a number of contenders but his finishing for his 2nd try capped off a fantastic all round performance.
Song of the Week – as the man himself says, “Craig David, ‘7 Days’, Check it out”. Craig David plays First Direct Arena on 31st March. Bo Selecta!!! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABuWphlnZ1A