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| U10's - 2 Teams |
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| Green Squad - They Shall Not Pass! |
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| Pool games: |
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| On a grey Sunday morning the brave Warriors adopted this First World War battle cry and won the Under 10s competition without conceding a single try over five matches! |
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| Like the All Blacks, whose motto is "Subdue and Penetrate", the Warriors faced some fierce opposition from some very good teams restricting the chances for the opposition and scoring some great tries when the chances arose. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 6 v Winchester - 0 |
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| The boys got off to a tremendous start with a comprehensive 6-0 win over Winchester. Following Roger's instructions to concentrate on what they had worked on all year - teamwork, rucking and courage. With tries from James Stott, Ed Foxley, Oliver Gestrin, Miles Peck and Harry Davidson as a result of great passing and teamwork this was a great platform to build upon. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 2 v King's - 0 |
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| Next up were King's and despite some "lobby passing" from the Warriors they came out 2-0 victors with tries from Dylan Maas and Harry Davidson. Some ferocious 'Captain's Tackling' from Benjamin French and the usual feisty 'scrum halfing' from Jacob Whelan who delivered a beautifully drawn pass contributed to the victory. The second half substitutes Mark Cronin, Matthew Mason and George Brosch introduced some new energy and contributed to the staunch defending that secured the victory and maintained the momentum. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 2 v Battersea Ironsides - 0 |
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| After a short break for some well earned food and drink Battersea Ironsides provided tough opponents. The Ironsides lived up to their name with some large players presenting a physical challenge to the brave Warriors. Early tries from Oliver and Jacob once again gave the Warriors the base upon which to secure another 2-0 victory. However the victory was earned with the whole squad making hard yards and putting in some tremendous tackling. Despite being out rucked in the second half the Warriors emerged victorious with Ed Gardner sorting out the line The opposition did not pass! |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 2 v Guildfordians - 0 |
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| The Warriors went into the final group game against the Guildfordians not knowing if victory would be enough to secure a place in the finals. This was an energy sapping grind of a match with hard yards won and some last ditch tackling delivering two second half tries from James Stott and Ed Gardner delivered the now familiar two-nil victory. All of our boys in the squad dug deep and showed the courage that had been asked of them. |
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| The Final - Do it for Ed! |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 2 v Guildfordians - 0 |
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| After some tense waiting on other teams' results the news finally broke. The Warriors had reached the final and were to play another of the Guildfordians sides. |
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| The news of this success was tempered by the fact that Ed Gardner was injured. The boys decided that they wanted to win this one for Ed. |
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| This was the final and the challenge was fittingly difficult. After a lively start a physical competition ensued. Fierce tackle was met by fierce tackle. Some great rucking from both sides made for a tense match. Finally the teamwork from the Warriors delivered a try from Jacob. The remaining minutes were being eaten up by a intense contest when finally Oliver broke free and gained the precious second try. The Warriors finished where they started, on the Guidfordians try line with a 2-0 victory. |
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| Great celebrations followed Benjamin lifting the trophy and Roger thanked the whole squad for their team effort in delivering the silverware and a grey day was made all the brighter. |
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| Author: Mike Cronin. Go to top of page! |
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| Gold Squad |
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| The Under 10's Gold Squad put in a valiant effort and were unlucky to come away with only a draw from their three matches at the Guildford festival. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 0 v Battersea Ironsides - 2 |
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| Thomas Walsh captained the Warriors in their opening clash against a hard-tackling Battersea Ironsides line up who proved too strong when playing downhill in the second half. |
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| Ironsides gained early territory with a series of powerful drives, but Warriors tackled with great heart and Rory Mortimer made a fine break to relieve the early pressure. There were no tries in the first half but Battersea sensed they had a great chance once the slope was to their advantage. |
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| Despite going 1-0 down, Freddie Goodyear turned on the power to give hope of an equaliser that failed to materialise. Battersea played with great aggression and Rory was soon in the wars after Warriors fell 2-0 down after some fine running by the Ironsides. Leo Rogers joined the fray to try to stem the tide which was turning against the Warriors. |
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| Felix Bound’s brave tackling couldn’t prevent a third Battersea try. Warriors feared Max Thomas Mayes had been injured, but he dusted himself down and completed an inspired run to show he would be fit to face Richmond in the next match. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 0 v Richmond - 0 |
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| This game proved the highlight of the Gold Squad’s festival. It was a tight, high quality nil-nil draw that should have provided some scores given the level of endeavor shown by both teams. |
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| Warriors played uphill in the first half and Richmond enjoyed the bulk of the early territory. Ollie Carter made a good tackle on his opposing scrum half to secure possession that allowed Felix to make a burst that relieved the pressure. |
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| Thomas Walsh set off on a dancing run that again took Warriors uphill, while Thomas Bordessa’s brave tackling repeatedly held up the opposition. Ollie followed Thomas’s example taking down Richmond’s biggest runner when Warriors looked in danger of conceding a try. |
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| Seb Loosley showed great tenacity in ripping possession from a fierce maul early in the second half and the key tackle came late in the game as Richmond burst down the right wing. Seb and Max made a heroic double tackle to prevent the try to ensure that Warriors gained a hard earned draw. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 1 v Old Reigatians - 3 |
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| The fact that the Gold Squad had to wait more than an hour for their final match against Old Reigatians probably didn't help their cause. Warriors fell to a 3-1 defeat although nearly grabbed a second score close to the end of the match. |
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| Warriors were always up against it from the moment Reigate scored with their ?rst attack, easily breaking the defensive line. Rory then needed to leave the ?eld with a cut mouth after a nasty clash of heads and was replaced by Thomas Bordessa. |
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| Seb saved Warriors with a superb try saving tackle, but Warriors could not prevent a second score just before half time and they trailed 2-0 at the interval. The second half began well for the Gold team as they applied pressure from the restart, but Reigate held out and then gained territory that was rewarded with a third try from an inspired pass out of a tackle. |
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| Warriors played with great spirit all day and their heads did not drop. There were ?ne breaks from Thomas M and Max, who broke from the centre and charged down the wing. The ball was recycled and came back to Max who stormed over for a richly deserved try. |
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| This spurred Warriors to look for a second score. Charlie Masters came close only to be denied by a last ditch tackle. It was the last action of the match and Reigate claimed a 3-1 victory.. |
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| Authors: Andy Bordessa and Iain Carter Go to top of page! |
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| U9's |
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| Pool games: |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 6 v Richmond - 0 |
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| The Warriors dominated their opening game against Richmond, running in a final score of 6-0. The scoring was opened by Ben Sproston with a darting run. Louis Ackland then powered through to make it 2-0. Gabe Finnegan also made two powerful solo runs to add two more tries before half time. The Warriors could have added to their lead had they not been penalised on several occasions for handing off. In the second half, as the Warriors battled uphill and Richmond tightened up their defence, the match became closer but two further tries from Ben Sproston and Paul Wilkinson put the Warriors out of sight. |
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 Warriors v Richmond |
| Wimbledon Warriors - 4 v Farnborough - 0 |
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| Building on their excellent performances in the opening match Gabe Finnegan and Louis Ackland both scored first half tries, finishing off powerful individual runs. Critically Louis' try was scored just before half time, giving the Warriors a healthy cushion at the interval. Maintaining the momentum after the break Louis added to his tally, scoring directly from the restart, finishing off a surging run right across the pitch. The Warriors then applied a period of sustained pressure, which saw ferocious tackling from Sam Dawe, Thomas Davies and Paul Wilkinson amongst others. Ben Sproston added a fourth try, picking up the loose ball resulting from yet another big drive from the forwards. |
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 Warriors with Coaches |
| Wimbledon Warriors - 5 v Cranleigh - 0 |
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| In their next game the Warriors faced Cranleigh who had won their earlier games and posed a tougher challenge. In a tight first half the Warriors managed to score two tries. The first came from Ben Sproston, finishing off a strong run from Louis Ackland. The second was scored by Louis himself who benefited from spilled ball that was a result of a series of strong tackles from Gabe Finnegan. In the second half the Warriors applied some intense pressure, which paid dividends. Jack Toon ripped the ball from an opponents hands and burst down the line before being firmly bundled out of play. Both Gabe Finnegan and Joseph Waymouth came close but in the end it was Seb Biggs who burst through to add the third. Joseph Waymouth added a fourth and Jake Brice scored the fifth and final try just before the final whistle. |
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 Squad Huddle |
| Wimbledon Warriors - 6 v Horsham - 0 |
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| As late entrants to the competition Horsham were an unknown quantity but they too were no match for a Warriors team that was growing in confidence. Louis Ackland opened the scoring almost immediately. Gabe Finnegan then added to the score, finishing off a strong phase of play and benefiting from a superb pass from Jack Burke. The third try stemmed from a great run by Louis Ackland, with Seb Biggs picking up the ball and finishing off the move. The fourth was perhaps the best try of the match; a big tackle from Paul Wilkinson set Gabe Finnegan off on another powerful run. He passed out to Toby Skinner who sprinted down the wing to finish off the move. In the second half the Warriors finished off the game, Sam Dawe passing to Ben for him to add to an already impressive try tally. Seb Biggs scored the final try, running through to score after Gabe Finnegan put in a big tackle and dispossessed the opposition. |
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 Boys in the Final |
| The Final |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 1 Guildfordians - 1 |
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| As a result of their sterling efforts in the pool games the Warriors qualified for the final against Guildfordians. It was an extremely tight game with both teams tackling well and fiercely. Guildford looked the more likely to score and a breakaway run would have been converted had it not been for a try saving tackle from Gabe Finnegan. In spite of the Warriors best efforts the intense pressure from Guildford resulted in a try for them just before half time. The Warriors came out fighting in the second half and a great solo effort from Gabe Finnegan put them back in contention. From this point in only desperate defending from the Warriors kept Guildford at bay who came within centimetres of the try line several times. |
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 Boys with medals |
| At the final whistle a determined and dogged performance from the Warriors had secured a deserved draw and a share of the spoils. |
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| Author: Nick Toon Go to top of page! |
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| U8's - 2 Teams |
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| Yellow Team |
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| Pool games: |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 6 v Guildfordians - 3 |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 5 v Farnham - 4 |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 4 v Winchester R - 1 |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 8 v Battersea Ironsides - 2 |
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| The Final |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 6 v London Irish - 5 |
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| The yellow team under Ben's guidance, also took a little while to get going and after a couple of close encounters – in particular against Farnham in their penultimate group game, which they won by 5-4, they then faced up to their final group fixture against a previously unbeaten Battersea Ironsides team. The 8-2 win against Battersea that followed was without doubt the best performance that I have seen in my 2 years at Warriors. The running, passing and support play was excellent but for me what stood out even more, was the pressure that - as a team - we put the opposition under each and every time they had the ball. Time after time we forced Battersea to run backwards in their efforts to look for space and when they finally try and break our line the tagging was fantastic. It was then emphatic win against Battersea that earned our passage into the main competition final. The final itself – against London Irish – was a more tense affair and while the performance may not have been up to the same exceptionally high standard as the game before, the Warriors managed to keep their noses in front after a particularly strong start. |
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| Red Team |
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| Pool games: |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 0 v London Irish - 6 |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 2 v Reeds - 5 |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 2 v Winchester Y - 5 |
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| Wimbledon Warriors - 3 v Richmond - 5 |
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| A fantastic day was had by all Warrior age groups at Guildford yesterday and both of the U8 teams certainly played their part. Despite losing each of their 4 games the Red team marshalled by Paul Cutter showed great signs of improvement as the competition went on and, having been caught cold in the opening game by a very good London Irish side – who went all the way to the final, the running, tagging and support play was much stronger by the time the group games drew to a close. It was fantastic to see all the Warriors hold their heads and spirits up high despite the defeats and very positive comments were made by some of the neutrals/referees who said that we looked like a different team as the group stages wore on. Well done to Paul and entire team for their commitment and perseverance. |
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| Note |
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| The warriors behaviour and discipline throughout the day was faultless both on and off the pitch. All coaches agree that the aspect that stood out, with both teams, over and above skill levels, was the teamwork – it was uplifting to see how they all played for each other. Congratulations all for what was a huge “TEAM” performance. |
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| Author: Kate Buttaci Go to top of page! |
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| U7's - 2 Teams |
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| A very good day out for the Warriors yesterday, the boys played really well...it's a pity the weather wasn't like it was in the morning!!!! |
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| Positives - attack play in general, strong running, offloading, support runners, individual tagging. Need to work on - defensive patterns in general, a lot of the boys just don't know where they should be and what they should be doing. Trying to tag with their right hand when someone is passing them on the left, looking to offload to the left when the space and momentum is to the right, running sideways. |
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| Author: Andre Watkins Go to top of page! |
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| Bulls Team |
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| Won three and a bye on the other game. |
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| We had three outstanding players in the selection, Callum, Daniel and James, and their running and offloading put us well above the competition in the first three matches. The Bulls were by far the best team of our pool. |
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| As for the Final! We lost the final for a couple of episodes, one being the disallowed try. Also, a more organised defensive strategy by the Guildford team left us at least two-three points short of where we could have been. The Guilford coach did organise the players in the defensive phase in a very effective way: they made de facto a physical barrier that our guys found difficult to pierce. |
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| We clearly have top notch material for a great Surrey Festival and may be we should include some Guilford defensive tactics in our drills. |
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| Author: Luigi Grandi Go to top of page! |
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| Sharks Team |
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| Won two and lost two. |
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| The sharks tagged very well on Sunday and we saw good tries from boys that normally don't score. A couple of times we had tagged carriers with no one to pass to in the first game but they soon sorted that out. Lots straight running and we need to work on passing and not chucking the ball away once tagged. |
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| All in all a great performance from the boys - they should be very proud! |
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| Author: Gillian Graham Go to top of page! |
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| U10'S |
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| Squad |
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| Maxim Berge, Thomas Bordessa, Felix Bound, Ollie Carter, Samuel Hilton, Sebastian Loosley, Matthew Mason, Charlie Masters, Rory Mortimor, Leo Phoenix, James Stott, Thomas Walsh. |
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| Pool games: |
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| Despite a brave and committed performance Warriors could not build on an excellent start to the Surrey B festival. Having comprehensively beaten Warlingham in their opening fixture the Under 10s fell to defeats against Richmond and Dorking in their remaining matches. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 3 v Warlingham 0 |
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| Warriors made an inspired start with a brilliant 3-0 win. Throughout the victors passed with flair and precision, dominated rucks and tackled tenaciously. |
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| James Stott set them on their way with the first of two tries before the interval. It came from an excellent run that preceded a ruthless finish. |
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| The second score epitomised Warriors’ team effort. Thomas Bordessa won possession and Rory Mortimor's pass almost put in Felix Bound in the left corner. Warriors didn’t waste the advanced field position they had earned. |
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| Matthew Mason broke with pace and fed James who completed his second score. The first half ended with a magical passing move from Warriors that came close to yielding a third try. |
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| Ultimately victory was sealed in the second half with Matthew's spectacular try. Before it was scored Felix and James had combined to make a crucial try saving double tackle. From the resulting line out James burst out of defence and passed to Maxim Berge who made more territory before being tackled into touch. |
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| Leo Phoenix then made a telling break in midfield, the ball came to Matthew who burst for the line and swallow dived for a glorious score that capped a fine win. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 0 v Richmond 3 |
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| Unfortunately Warriors couldn't sustain the momentum against a fine Richmond team who triumphed 3-0 in the second match. |
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| Forwards Charlie Masters, Seb Loosley and Thomas Walsh provided a strong platform at the scrum and there was plenty of brave play from Warriors throughout. |
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| Ollie Carter made two important tackles before Richmond powered over for their first try. An electrifying solo effort made it two-nil by half-time when Warriors were reminded that they needed to compete harder in the rucks. |
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| The Under 10's heeded their coach's call and Thomas W was at the heart of much of the good work that Warriors produced in pushing Richmond all the way. |
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| Unfortunately it didn't yield a score and Richmond's forwards powered over for a third score that perhaps flattered them given the overall balance of play. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 1 v Dorking 2 |
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| Warriors' final match was a close 2-1 defeat to Dorking. It was a disjointed contest as the referee struggled to get the forwards to engage successfully in the scrums. |
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| Rory Mortimer suffered a couple of bashes and Thomas Bordessa was excellent in defence and powerful in driving to win territory, but Warriors trailed one-nil at half time. |
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| A brilliantly executed move on the restart, capped by a blistering turn of pace from James led to the equalising score. Sadly Warriors couldn't capitalise in a stop-start second half and Dorking's effective rucking set up the winning try. |
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| So one win and two defeats for the Under 10s, but Head Coach Roger Brosch was upbeat afterwards. "Our tackling and rucking in the first game was outstanding," he said. |
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| "We have talked about teamwork and courage all season and we saw plenty of that. Rory showed great courage in the last game and so did Matthew." |
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| Authors: Iain Carter Go to top of page! |
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| U9s |
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| Pool games: |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 4 v Barnes 1 |
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| Having tasted success at the recent Guildford Festival the Warriors set out in their first game full of confidence. Immediate pressure saw them close in on Barnes’ try line. A big tackle from Gabe Finnegan saw the loose ball picked up by Paul Wilkinson who finished with great determination to open the scoring. Barnes sought to reply immediately and an almost certain try was stopped only by some fierce Warriors’ tackling. Further pressure from Warriors then resulted in Ben Sproston breaking through to make the score 2-0 just before half time. Barnes came out fired up for the second half and promptly scored from the restart making it 2-1. Evidently stung by this the Warriors sought to re-assert their control over the game. A powerful run from Louis Ackland was supported by Alex Dixon who used his strength and speed to get over the line and make it 3-1. Strong tackling from Jake Brice and Toby Skinner helped break up Barnes’ attempts to reply. Gabe Finnegan added a fourth and final Warriors try, finishing off some great set up play by Ben and Jake. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 0 v Warlingham 3 |
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| Having got off to a good start the Warriors came up short against a very good Warlingham side. Warlingham went 1-0 up thanks to a penalty try, which resulted from a high tackle by the Warriors. From that point on the team was on the back foot and in spite of some strong and determined tackling from Paul Wilkinson, Thomas Davies and Jake Brice, amongst others, they were never really able to impose themselves, going in 2-0 down by half-time. Warlingham made it 3-0 almost immediately after the re-start, making a Warriors come back unlikely. The team nonetheless kept trying and sustained pressure very nearly saw Jake Brice go over to make it 3-1. Solid defence from Warlingham, however, kept the Warriors at bay and the game ended 3-0. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 2 v Richmond 1 |
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| Having suffered defeat at the hands of Warlingham the team came out fighting against Richmond. Intense pressure from the Warriors from the off, in particular from Thomas Davies and Matthew Richardson, saw Paul Wilkinson score his second try of the tournament to put Warriors 1-0 up. This was followed by a second try from Ben Sproston, finishing off a jinking and powerful run down the line by Louis. Coming out 2-0 up for the second half the Warriors might have expected to kill off the game but a determined Richmond, with support from ex England Captain Lawrence Dallaglio on the sideline, fought back. Surprisingly the Warriors were slow to support their runners and allowed Richmond to get first to the ball at the break down. Consequently they were under pressure throughout and Richmond managed to make it 2-1 just before the final whistle. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 4 v Dorking 0 |
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| Having already suffered a defeat Warriors went into the final game knowing that a place in the Cup Final was not possible but that victory against Dorking would secure them a place in the Plate Final. This was enough to spur the boys on to their best victory of the day. From the start a good move saw Toby Skinner burst down the line and threaten a try before he was bundled over the touchline. More Warriors pressure followed, Paul Wilkinson scoring his third try of the day to open the scoring following a drive in which Thomas Davies was instrumental. Gabe Finnegan made it 2-0 with a great solo run, featuring a fantastic side step. Jake Brice was determined to add to the tally and having been denied previously just before the line, he finally managed to get over and make it 3-0. Some good rucking from Dorking meant that Warriors once again were never fully in control and at the start of the second half they would have got on the score sheet but for some fantastic last minute tackling by Jake. Iacopo Di Rico, on for the second half, picked up a loose ball and tried to drive forward but met fierce resistance from Dorking. The final Warriors try to make it 4-0 was scored jointly by Louis and Ben just before the final whistle. |
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| The Plate Final |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 0 v Rosslyn Park 6 |
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| Having done just enough to make it to the Plate Final the Warriors were beaten comprehensively by a strong and fast Rosslyn Park team in the final. The lack of support given to runners and reticence in the ruck that had been evident in earlier games was ruthlessly exploited by Rosslyn Park and Warriors struggled even to threaten a score. |
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| The boys were clearly disappointed but to have made their second consecutive final in only their second tournament was a major achievement. And for them and coach Big Rich there were plenty of positive lessons to take away so that the team can carry on building and developing its skills. |
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| Another good day for the Warriors. |
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| Authors: Nick Toon Go to top of page! |
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| U7's |
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| Squad |
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| Lucas carbajal, Nathaniel apraku, Daniel Paris, Jack Walsh, Felipe Tobias, Finn McGarry and Leonel Suter. |
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| Pool games: |
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| With short notice we managed to get a group of seven boys together for the Surrey B festival. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 5 v Richmond 6 |
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| Our first match was against Richmond and we had a high scoring game 6-5. Such a slim defeat and the boys were fantastic with Lucas scoring 4 of our tries and Nathaniel 1. The boys tagged and passed well with Jack throwing some amazing balls to players at the end of the line which created some great running/scoring opportunities. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 1 v Kings 7 |
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| Our second match was against a well drilled King's side who had lots of subs so in the end had fresher legs. We didn't have any subs so well down boys for not flagging! They never gave up and again tagged really well. Felipe put in a huge effort chasing back and despite his diving lunges for tags they still managed to score. Nathaniel scored our only try with great support from all the boys. Final score was 7-1. |
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| All in all I was really pleased with the boys performance given that they had never played as a side before. They showed a good understanding of the game; communicated well; supported each other and most importantly great maturity in the face of defeat! No tears or tantrums - just tired happy faces rewarded with ice creams and medals. |
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| NOTE: |
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| I personally would like to say a big thank you to all parents for the making the effort to come, Frank McGarry who stepped in as coach, Tom Walsh for refereeing and Chirs Paris for taking all my phone calls. |
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| The boys should be very proud and watch out the A squad! |
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| Author: Gillian Graham Go to top of page! |
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| U10's |
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| Take the Next Step |
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| On Mother's Day 2011 the Warriors under 10s A side took the next step in the Warriors progress. After only three short years the Warriors have made sufficient progress to enter a premier A side festival. |
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| Following the recent Warriors triumph at the Guildfordians B festival the boys took naturally to the A festival. The whole squad displayed the Warriors spirit, skills and determination to ensure that our first entry to this festival was an occasion to be proud of and will surely be bettered in years to come. |
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| Only the toss of coin not favoring the Warriors prevented a first year appearance in the final of the Plate competition. This was a marvelous achievement and one we all should be proud of. |
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| Pool games: |
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| Dorking 0 v Warriors 2 |
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| The spring weather and a first A festival made for hard games on hard pitches! However, this does not faze the Warriors. |
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| The game started in typical Warriors fashion with Captain Benjamin French putting in an early strong tackle that set the pattern the rest of the game. For the first half the Warriors were camped in the Dorking half of the pitch. Strong running and tackling notably from Ollie and Miles kept Dorking on the back foot. |
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| Eventfully the pressure delivered and the terrier-like Jacob scored a superb try. |
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| The second half saw some ferocious tackling from the Warriors defending their slender lead. The Warriors withstood the pressure and slowly began to assert themselves. After a bout of sustained Warriors pressure got it’s just reward in the shape of a classic try from Finlay McCarville. |
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| A great start from an in form Warriors team. |
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| Warriors 0 v Chobham 3 |
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| Chobham represented another step up in class. This was the side that had finished in the semis or finals of the Cup competition for the last three years. |
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| A pacy start from Chobham led to a sustained period of pressure on a resilient Warriors side. In the face of the Warriors hearty defence with Dylan, George, Harry and Max epitomizing the spirit of our boys the strong Chobham side eventually scored a try through relentless pressure. |
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| The Warriors responded with great positive attitude and hard graft from everyone. This almost paid dividends when Ed Foxley was agonisingly to scoring an equalizer. Unfortunately the Warriors lost the ball and Chobham scored a break away try. |
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| The half time break allowed the Warriors to regroup and bring on fresh legs in the shape of Mark. The Warriors rucking improved and the hunt for a Warriors try was on. The tackles were made, the passes landed and the pressure from the Warriors was great. Unfortunately a well drilled Chobham side withstood the pressure and managed to bag a third try. |
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| Roger pointed out to the boys that they should be proud of their display and on another day the result would have been much closer. |
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| Plate Quarter Final |
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| Still the victory in the first match meant the Warriors had qualified for the plate competition. |
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| Warriors 2 v Wimbledon 1 |
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| A keenly awaited encounter with local rivals Wimbledon started with a great early ruck and swift passing out to Finlay, who scored with a fine try in the corner. A period of mid-half stalemate followed, with several well-contested scrums and rucks restricting the opportunities for the Warriors. But from nowhere, a missed tackle and fine run, resulted in a 1-1 scoreline approaching half-time. |
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| However, in true Warriors style, pressure resulted in a steal and turnover just as Wimbledon were breaking out of defence, and Jacob scored a great try in the corner. 2-1 at half time. Some hard work and good scrummaging from Freddie Goodyear supported this great half. |
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| The second half started similar to the first, with Warriors on top and threatening to add to their score. But once they lost possession, the rest of the match was spent in the Warriors half. Thanks to some great defensive work throughout the team, there was no further score. |
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| Plate Semi-Final |
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| Warriors 0 v Sutton & Epsom 0 |
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| From the first whistle, it was obvious this was going to be a battle. S + E were very physical, but the Warriors were not afraid to tough it out. Whilst most of the play was in the Warrior half, it was the Warriors who tried to play passing rugby, but they just could not break free and the half was a series of well contested rucks and mauls. Just before half time, great defensive work held up a S + E try attempt, and it was all square at half time. |
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| Warriors started the second half hoping to find a way to pass around or through the S + E defence, but time after time the play became strangled. Another series of exhausting rucks and mauls developed. As the game entered the final 5 minutes, at last Warriors managed to string some passing together and put real pressure on the S + E defence. Two great breaks could have led to tries. The whistle blew with S + E tiring and Warriors on top.....oh, for another couple of minutes! |
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| A great, hard fought match finished with no team able to break the deadlock, and the pre-match observations that both teams had an identical record in the tournament now added to the tension. |
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| The toss of a coin! |
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| The Warriors fate depended on the toss of a coin.....but it was not to be their day, the most cruel way to miss out on a place in the final. |
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| The players should be very proud of themselves for the way they performed and tried to play the game. Well done Warriors!! |
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| Authors: Graeme Peck & Mike Cronin Go to top of page! |
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| U7's |
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| Surrey A Match Report |
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| Squad |
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| William Chappell, Fionn Clifford, Anthony Duncan, James Golding, Paddy Hodgins, Xavier-Benoit Mullen, Daniel Watkins, Callum Wimble, Anthony French and Joseph Moss. |
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| Group Games |
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| Farnham v Warriors 5-6 (Callum 2, James 2, Paddy 1, Xavier 1) |
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| Warriors v Camberley 4-1 (Daniel 2, Callum 1, James 1) |
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| The U7's had a good day at the Surrey A Festival with the weather on side! They won their Group with some great tries in two high scoring games. |
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| Cup Quarter Final |
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| Warriors v Kings 4-5 (Callum 3, Anthony D 1) |
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| We came up against Kings in the cup quarter final. It was a close game.....a few errors cost us but the boys put in a sterling effort and we went down 5-4 with kings scoring the winner in the final play of the game.. They all played really well and were bitterly disappointed to lose but should be extremely proud of their performance. |
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| Author: Gillian Graham Go to top of page! |
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| U9's |
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| Pool games: |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 1 v Old Alleynians 1 |
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| The squad for the Surrey C Festival included some festival debutants so it took a while for the team to find its rhythm but once it did it put in some impressive performances. This first game against Old Alleynians saw a cagey first half dominated by tackling. Imogen Moore, Sam Dawe, Joseph Waymouth and Aidan Brickely were all in the thick of the action. Nick Stoner managed to pick up the loose ball and set off on a short run before running into a solid Old Alleynians defence. At half time the two teams remained deadlocked at 0-0. Vikram Sangha came on for the Warriors in a second half that saw more chances created but the opposition in the ascendancy. Warriors continued to tackle well but increased pressure from Old Alleynians saw them get over the try line to go 1-0 up. A follow up breakaway from OA shortly after nearly saw them double their lead but a great saving tackle from Joseph Waymouth kept the Warriors in the game. Yet more pressure from OA saw them hovering dangerously just before Warriors try line but the team was determined not to let them pass, with Jack Toon and Harry Chappell putting in firm tackles. In the final phase of play in the game the team's determination was rewarded. Having secured possession in the midfield the ball was passed out to Nick Stoner who, just as he was about to be tackled, passed skilfully out to Joseph Waymouth. Joseph picked the ball up very low on the ground and darted down the line. With skill and strength he managed to force a try just before the final whistle. The Warriors had secured a confidence boosting draw and three points that would prove vital at the end of the pool games. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 5 v Rosslyn Park White 2 |
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| Warriors got their first taste of victory against Rosslyn Park. Having settled in during the first game they started the second looking much more lively. Imogen made a surging run, passing to Aidan Brickley who ran down the line before being bundled into touch. Pressure from the resultant line out saw Jack Toon rip the ball and secure possession before passing to Jack Burke who powered over the line to make it 1-0. Rosslyn tried to strike straight back and got near the Warriors try line before being put into touch. From the resulting line-out the ball reached Sam, who passed speedily to Imogen. Imogen made another forceful run drawing in Rosslyn Park defenders before passing out to Joseph Waymouth who ran down the wing to make the score 2-0. Rosslyn Park then managed to get on the score sheet as the Warriors let one of their runners through almost unopposed. This clearly stung the Warriors who made it 3-1 from the restart. Imogen made yet another outstanding run with Sam Dawe in support. Sam managed to pick up the loose ball and drive over the try line. Rosslyn Park fought back strongly and only a last gasp tackle from Sam prevented them from once again closing the gap. In the second half the Warriors maintained their dominance. Jack Toon once again ripped the ball out of an opponents hands and passed smartly to Joseph Waymouth who went over to make it 4-1. Imogen then made it 5-1, deservedly scoring herself, having ripped the ball and run half the length of the pitch. From the restart Rosslyn Park managed to make it 5-2 with an impressive try but fortunately for the Warriors it was too little too late. |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 4 v Richmond 3 |
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| Warriors went into their final game knowing that a win would be enough for them to come top of the group and secure a place in the semi finals. Carrying on where they left off against Rosslyn Park Imogen made another powerful run, before passing to Jack Burke. Jack passed down the line quickly to Harry Chappell who opened his account with a fantastic try in the corner. 1-0 to the Warriors. In a tough game there was a great deal of tackling. Warriors showed real strength and teamwork with everyone making a contribution. Strong tackles from Juan Martinez and Nick Stoner amongst others created the opportunity for Jack Toon to pop a sweet pass into the hands of Joseph Waymouth who once again got his name on the score sheet, making it 2-0. A great phase of play saw Jack Burke pass to Joseph who almost scored another. Imogen also drove forward but was halted just before the try line. But the Warriors were not to be denied. Imogen and Jack Burke were intent on ripping the ball out of the hands of the opposition and managed to get it to Juan Martinez, who made a lovely darting run to the corner, scoring his first try of the day and making it 3-0. By half time Warriors seemed unstoppable. Some persistent tackling by Jack Toon secured the ball for Imogen who passed to Sam Dawe. Sam delivered a really intelligent pass to Joseph who scored yet again, making it 4-0. The loyal Warriors fans watching from the touchline (i.e the parents!) expected the Warriors to build on this impressive platform and deliver a comfortable win. In the event they didn't manage to repeat their first half performance and the team found itself on the receiving end for most of the second half. The final score was 4-3. Nonetheless the win had been secured and with it a place in the Cup semi finals. |
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| Cup Semi Final |
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| Wimbledon Warriors 0 v Old Cats 6 |
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| Warriors were well beaten by the eventual winners of the Cup, a very strong Old Cats side. But nonetheless the team, many of whom were playing in their first ever knock out game, competed well. From the off they were under pressure from Old Cats. Captain Sam Dawe put in a big tackle just before the Warriors try line, forcing a line out. From the put in the ball reached Imogen who made a good pass to Joseph Waymouth. Unfortunately Joseph was tackled and Old Cats picked up the loose ball and went over to make it 1-0. Warriors sought to get back into it but they quickly found themselves 2-0 down. Warriors came nearest to getting on the scoresheet when Sam Dawe made a powerful burst down the line but he was put into touch just before he made it over. In a subsequent melee Jack Burke picked up a hand injury and was replaced by Vikram Sangha. In spite of Vikram's best efforts and those of the rest of the team, in particular Aidan Brickley who harried the third try scorer all the way to the line, the score was soon 3-0. Harry Chappell managed to set off on a good run but again no way could be found through the Old Cats defence and in spite of some good tackling from Sam and Imogen the score was 4-0 by the time the whistle blew for half time. In the second half a recovered Jack Burke came back on as the Warriors sought to reverse the scoreline but it was not to be. Old Cats eventually ran out worthy winners at 6-0. |
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| The Warriors' tournament was over but it's fair to say that they all had great fun, learnt a tremendous amount and played some outstanding phases of rugby, which bodes well for next season. Thanks as ever to Rich Caraffi and Rich Travers who did a tremendous job of coaching this inexperienced team to such heights on their first outing. |
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| Author: Nick Toon Go to top of page! |
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