Year 7 Plate Winners!
The year 7 Rugby team have had their character tested by a very strong St Marys outfit.
From the off the game was an arm-wrestle between two strong teams. The kick off saw a clean take from Dylan Norrie who offloaded the ball to Harry Norton to make the first drive to get the game underway. A quick play the ball saw another steaming drive forwards form Alfie Marsden who carried three of the St Marys players until he was eventually halted with a head high tackle. This infringement proved detrimental to the St Marys team, as a penalty kick to touch took the Sirius attack to within 10M of the try line.
From the tap restart Alfie wanted payback; as the ball touched Declan Longleys foot he passed to Alfie who was at top speed with fire in his stomach; there was no St Marys player that could stop him ploughing through to score the first try and take the score 6-0 up in just two minutes of play. Sirius had seemed to get off to an excellent start. This was quickly halted as the restart saw a fumble form Mason which gave St Marys a scrum down just 10M off the Sirius line. The first test of the Sirius defence was a strong St Marys individual effort, which saw the prop forward scatter the lads and score straight under the posts to level the score 6-6.
Both teams were fired up from this point and no tries were conceded for the next ten minutes of play. With nerves still settling, both teams looked shaky in all areas of play, with numerous penalties making it hard for either team to properly find their stride. This spoil in play eventually saw Sirius under pressure on their own line; St Marys were spreading the ball from left to right which managed to split the Sirius defence and see the opponents go in again under the posts to take the lead 12-6.
With half time looming, the Sirius boys were beginning to become uneasy as they didn’t want to be chasing the scoreline after half time. It was when this was realised that the lads began to show team spirit and began to use the ball more effectively, using the forwards to set the platform whilst creating the link between Declan, Mason and Dylan who fed the outside backs in the form of kieron welburn and Jordan Ayers, who were causing havoc at the St Marys defensive line. This link between the backs paid off, as Harry Norton ran an impressive line to break the St Marys defence. But to even his amazement, he managed to run past the tryline and put the ball down completely off the field of play behind the deadball line. This meant that no try was scored and St Marys were let off the hook and rewarded with a 20M restart. A frustrated Sirius defence meant business as they forced an error in the next set. This frustration was clearly pestering Harry, he screamed for the ball off Declan Longley and carried it forward like it was the last play of the game. He valiantly broke through the St Marys line with just 5M to run, but this time ensured to successfully level the score 12-12 at half time.
Harry continued this streak on early into the second half as he carried two of the St Marys players over their own line to score and take the lead to 16-12. From the restart St Marys put an effective chase on and retrieved the ball from the kick off. A frustrated Sirius went on to be penalised 5 times in just 2 minutes, which meant the St Marys were carried over 40M down the pitch. With this pressure building, not even the Sirius defensive line could hold an influential St Marys attack, seeing them go in again under the posts through a strong carry to take the lead by just two points 18-16. At this point the arm-wrestle was in full force; both teams were desperate to win the Hull plate in their first year of Secondary School.
This was another tough test of the boys character, and the call was the same as the last game that gave the lads the boost ‘lets do this’. A deep downfield restart with just 5 minutes to go, saw a massive chase from the lads who successfully defended 5 tackles and forced a kick which was quickly returned by Dylan Norrie. The time was ticking down and the lads were aware. This sparked some great individual efforts that saw the likes of Jordan Ayers and James Abdul make some great yards forward, with Billy Fenby and Spencer Bennett managing to skip through the defensive line causing all sorts of problems. These plays enabled Mason palmer to receive the ball 15M off the St Marys try line and throw a dummy one way to create an opening the other way, in which he used his footwork to skilfully manoeuvre through a gap and score an excellent try right under the posts to take the lead to 22-18.
The call from the referee was just 2 minutes to go. With this in mind, a safe set was called, and the boys did 5 simple drives to run the clock down to finish with a final kick that finished the game in favour of Sirius 22-18. On the final whistle, a massive cheer of excitement from the crowd and the boys was prominent as it meant so much to everyone. A great effort from 1 to 17 saw the lads to victory!
At the presentation all of the lads received a winners medal, and the nominated Man of the Match was Mason Palmer who stood out to both the parents and teachers of St Marys College.
Thankyou to all in support of the boys. They have worked hard for this win, and much deserved it is. Please congratulate them on their achievement:
Ace Pattison, Billy Fenby, Spencer Bennett, Tom Mclellan, James Matchett, Mason Palmer, Dylan Norrie, Alfie Marsden, Declan Longley, Harry Norton, James Abdul, Robbie Jones, Kieron Welburn, Liam Fox, Isaac Drury, Alfie Morgan and Jordon Ayers