Successful debut for Under 12 Teams
29th Jan 2008
The Year 7 A and B Rugby teams took park in a mini-festival fixture against Ipswich School and The Perse School on Saturday 26th September. The event turned out to be a great success for the Griffins as all four matches were won.
The matches were played at Ipswich School in glorious crisp conditions.
The B team opened with a match against Ipswich School. They had a slow start and went 14-0 behind. It is to their credit that they did not let their heads go down and they fought back with two tries by Edward Fenton, a Michael Choi try and one conversion by Fenton to earn a 17-14 victory. This meant that if they defeated their opposition from The Perse School Cambridge, they would be the top team in their competition. The result was never in doubt and they secured a 59-0 win. William Simons ran well to score four tries, Michael Choi scored two tries and other tries came from Edward Fenton, Tim Hodson and Louis Poynter. Edward Fenton, the captain of the team, kicked well and converted seven of the tries. This is an excellent way for the team to start, and with a few players who were missing to come back, the future is bright.
The A team contained many players who had played in the Under 13 team prior to Christmas and this experience showed in their first match against Ipswich School. Playing a very expansive game they displayed good cohesion and tactical awareness. Luke Pordham scored three tries, Miles Fletcher scored two and Captain Conor Mc Caffrey crossed the line. Ciaran Moore scored a good try and kicked four of the conversions. This 43-5 victory was an excellent team display and one which augurs well for the years ahead. They were set up for a deciding match against The Perse School(Perse defeated Ipswich 28-0). New Hall continued to adopt an expansive approach in this match, while Perse played a tighter game. First half tries from Luke Pordham and Alex Wood, with one Ciaran Moore conversion gave the Griffins a 12-5 half-time lead. Despite their exertions, and under some pressure from their Cambridge opposition the New Hall defence held firm. Darius Roohi and Conor McCaffrey were particularly influential in turning over Perse ball. From inside his own try-zone Josh Jones launched an audacious attack which saw Miles Fletcher put Luke Pordham away for a 70 yard sprint under the posts to score a crucial try. Ciaran Moore kicked the conversion and although Perse score with the last play, New Hall had emerged as the top team from the tournament 19-12.
A team: Tom Loomes, Oliver Osgood, Casey Morgan, Darius Roohi, Conor McCaffrey(C), Josh Jones, Ciaran Moore, Alex Wood, Miles Fletcher, Luke Pordham, Harry Robins, Sam Odell
B team: Max Curwen-Bingley, Louis Poynter, Elliot Gunn, John Seddon, William Simons, Tim Hodson, Edward Fenton(C), Ken Ho, Hugo Franklin, Oliver Nettleingham, Michael Choi
