The Under 11s show their battling qualities

Date: 21-02-2010
Venue: home
Opponents: Barkers Butts
Result: W45-5, L15-10

Barkers Butts visited Pearcecroft today for two hotly contested fixtures that were played by both sides in an excellent spirit. In particular it was a pleasure to have Barkers there, they created a really good atmosphere on the touchline and were more than happy to play two fixtures despite being a few short of their normal numbers due to half term.

First up were the Lions. The opening was quite scrappy with a succession of knock ons from both sides. Barkers enjoyed dominance in the scrum, giving the usually dominant Stratford scrum a tough morning but were unable to convert the possesion into field position or points. As Stratford grew more confident and Barkers kicked more ball away, Stratfords back three, particularly Nick Rigby, made inroads into the Barkers defence. Supplemented by excellent work at the breakdown and some good finishing, Stratford finished a well contested first half 15 points to the good.

Playing down the slight slope in the second half, Stratford scored six further tries exploting their dominance at the ruck and their superiority in the backs. Barkers were never downhearted though, finishing for their own score well from a scrappy Stratford line out near their own line.

The second game featuring the Tigers was more hotly contested. Strong performances from the Tigers were too numerous to mention but the overall team effort, commitment to tackling and to rucks showed all the work in training over the last few monthes is really starting to yield a dividend. Stratford took an early lead, showing good work through a back division ably led by Charlie Dalton at 10, who is looking sharper and sharper as he makes his way back from injury. The strong Barkers forwards kept them in the game and at half time the score was ten all. The second half was what can only be described as an arm wrestle, with both sides throwing the kitchen sink at one another. Finally, with the last play of the game, Barkers went over from close range for a deserved win, long after all the other age groups had finished playing rugby and migrated to the bar.

We look forward to the return fixture next season, and the Tigers must maintain this level of performance for what we expect to be a stern test on the road next week at Stow.