Match Report U13s (by Alex D) – Banbury v Kenilworth at Home

What a game! Sunday proved to be the original game of two halves! The U13 Banbury team ultimately secured a 35-20 win, but the scoreline does not reflect the true nature of the game.

The boys made a strong attacking start from the off which resulted in an early Banbury scrum; Banbury won the scrum and it led to a ruck but unfortunately a forward pass meant advantage was lost. Kenilworth then had a scrum and off this, Theo made a strong rip which created 5 minutes of unrestrained pressure in the opposition half that ultimately resulted in a well worked try for Banbury, courtesy of Callum.

The joy didn’t last though; on 12 minutes the opposition made a very strong run from the halfway line which concluded in an excellent solo try for their man of the match. Another determined run followed soon after, culminating in a second try making the score 10 – 5 to Kenilworth after 15 minutes.

The pressure continued with another effective Kenilworth run, disrupted by an immense tackle from Callum. However, they weren’t stopped entirely and managed to find a gap in the Banbury defence and make it 15-5. Banbury were now under immense and sustained pressure. A turnover at a ruck gave them another opportunity which they translated into a fourth try.

Banbury dug deep though and in the dying moments of the half, Callum ran a great line, tearing through the Kenilworth defence to score a second try for Banbury. This proved to be an all important score as it kept Banbury within touching distance.

Half time score 20-10

The second half saw Kenilworth make some strong attempts early on, with Callum again tackling hard. A brilliant run from Theo was squandered by an unfortunate knock-on. Soon after, an almost certain try for the opposition was shut down by Aidan’s cover tackle. A great run from George resulted in a scrum on the half way line which had promise, but was knocked on at the line so the try did not materialise. But soon after, from a penalty on the 5 metre line, Aidan scored.

A few minutes later, a smart break from Aidan reached Filip who got it over the line to level the score at 20 apiece. Not satisfied, the duo again paired up to make a try that started from a scrum in Banbury’s 22. Banbury now had all the momentum and the confidence was flowing.

Soon after, a tackle from Archie enabled Aidan to swoop up a bouncing ball, transport it swiftly up the pitch and deliver it to William, who in turn, deposited it over the line to give Banbury a comfortable lead.

Not ready to call it a day, Charlie saw a late opportunity and closed the game with a crafty try.

It was a brilliant second half performance. All the boys took on the coaches advice at half time (especially Bobby’s). It would have been easy for heads to go down after the first half, but this team is made of sterner stuff.

Final Score 35 – 20 to Banbury

Try Scorers:
Callum * 2
Filip * 2
Aidan * 1
Charlie * 1
Will *1