Match Reports 2005/2006 Season
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U14's
“Chipping” away the rust
Chipping
Norton U 14’s 7 Evesham
U 14’s 38
18th September 2005
Pre season training has been going well for the Evesham lads and with new recruits through the summer they have added more strength in depth, but in this, their first competitive match of the season the rustiness together with a lack of communication and understanding was only too apparent in the first half at Chipping Norton.
A spirited start from the visiting team led to an early unconverted try by Captain Mike Diston after only 2 minutes but Evesham then made hard work of it for the rest of the first half. Eventually as the Evesham pack began to dominate they received another setback. Following two collapsed scrummages mid-way through the first half the referee decided to make the scrums “uncontested”, thus negating Evesham’s advantage. The home side then began to fight back and it was only solid defence by Tom Singleton-Wells, Scott Walker, James Ingleby and Ross Hayward that kept the home side at bay. With 20 minutes gone the pressure finally took its toll and Chippy scored a fine try to go in at half time 7-5 ahead.
A stern half time talk had an inspirational effect on the visitors which saw them come out for the second half looking like a different team. Callum Lance, Henry Appleby, Andrew Chandler and Ben Farrar all came on as second half substitutions, but it was the team as a whole that lifted their performance. A fine try by new recruit Matt Philips just two minutes in restored the lead and he followed up only 5 minutes later with a fine individual effort to bag a brace.
As the referee restored contested scrums the Evesham pack under the leadership of Josh Greatrix increased their dominance in both the scrums and the lineout and we soon witnessed the try of the match. From a solid scrum the ball was spun out quickly by Appleby, Diston and Sam Hopkins for Ben Farrar to take the ball on the burst and cut straight through the heart of the Chippy defence to score under the posts. Adam Meadows found his man every time as Mike Ibbotson, Anthony Watts and Mike Gander dominated the lineouts, setting up Man of the Match Philips who capped his first game for Evesham with a bulldozing try for his hat-trick. By now it was all one-way traffic and the last play of the game saw Diston round off another excellent move involving Ryan Clarke and Luca Grillo to score under the sticks again to add to his first half try and four conversions.|
Evesham Under 10's v Alcester First game for the under 10's was at home against Alcester. It was an evenly balanced match, both teams both playing execellent rugby. Evesham had some good scrums with Alex Tarplee and Jo Beirns who were props, and hooker Aaron Parks, winning a number of balls from Alcester's put in for scrum half, Alex Stoddart. After some good running through the middle of the field by Man of the Match, Matthew Camp, Jack Witts scored in the corner.Alcester came back with some good mauling pushing the ball up field and were rewarded with a try of their own. The score was one all at half time. The
second half Evesham seemed to loose a little confidence after Alcester
pushed the ball forward again, Evesham couldn't clear their lines and gave
away two easy tries, so narrowly loosing the match Although they lost, Evesham showed great potential even though it was their first game out. Michael Harris, Thomas Heneghan, putting together some good runs and passing to debutante, James Williamson and Albert Wall. |
U14's A late re arranged fixture saw a visit from Worcester Warriors on Sunday and it proved too big a test so early in the season for the Evesham boys. The pace was fast and frenetic from the start with good open play from both sides making for an entertaining first half. The home side scrum took time to settle and the pressure eventually told on 7 minutes with a well worked try for the visitors which they converted. It was nip and tuck for the next quarter as both sides continued with an expansive game, but once again Worcester applied the pressure and scored to go 12 ahead. Such was the openness of the game that it was a full 20 minutes before the first lineout and the pace suddenly began to tell on the home side. Matt Power and Jon Farrar came on for Matt Phillips and James Ingleby as Evesham took an incessant pounding from the Worcester forwards. Valiant defence by Callum Lance, Josh Greatrix, Mike Gander, Ross Hayward and man of the match Mike Ibbotson resulted in Worcester being held up twice over the line but the visitors’ superiority again led to another unconverted try just before the interval. Half time changes saw Adam Meadows, Tom Singleton-Wells and Ian Sime replaced by Russell Boyles, Andrew Cook and Jamie Fisher and Evesham then dominated the first quarter with Captain Mike Diston driving his men forward at every opportunity. The home side were camped in the Worcester half for long spells and were unlucky not to score as they tried to open their opponents up with a fighting team display. The forwards began to set the solid platform for Henry Appleby, Cook, Sam Hopkins and the Farrar twins to strike, but an interception led to another Worcester try under the posts. Evesham never gave up and continued to drive forward in search of that elusive score only to be punished again by another Worcester breakaway. This was certainly an occasion when the score not did give a true reflection of the play and the home side were extremely unlucky not to get some points on the board. They should take heart from the fact that they showed great spirit and camaraderie and never gave up, continuing to give their all until the final whistle.It turned out that Matt Phillips had in fact fractured his arm, so get well soon Matt. |
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U11's
'Sands of Time Run Out
Evesham played host to Alcester for the opening match
of the season only to be completely overwhelmed by a far more organised
and tactically adept side. This was a sharp wake -up call for the whole
team that the season has started without us!
Despite big efforts from Jack Hughes (capt), Josh
Sands, Harry Charmley and new boy Marcus (surname to be supplied!) who
all ran ,tackled and competed for the ball throughout the game, the
power of 4 was no match for the power of 12.
Alcester played as a team, were strong and aggressive
in both the loose and the set plays.
The game was split into 3 periods with Alcester
scoring 3 tries in the first, none in the second and 2 in the third
converting all but the last which bounced off the crossbar.
Both Sands and Hughes lay their bodies on the line to
prevent tries being scored in the expectant hope of support from their
team mates only to receive a few Adidas tattoo's from the opposition
while the home side forwards stood and watched.
There were encouraging signs when the Evesham backs
got some ball to run with as Harry Charmley, Jack Hughes and Marcus ?
had several good runs, but it was slow ball and they soon ran out
of room to find there was no support at the tackle and the ball was
again lost. Hughes did cross the line once in the last period only for
the try to be disallowed due to an illegal hand-off.
In brief this performance was simply not good enough
and unless the work rate is lifted 500% this side faces a long difficult
season. Training sessions between now and Christmas will be concentrated
on scrummage, support play, tackling and TEAMWORK.
Evesham must learn how to win the hard yards if
they are to see success this year.
Man of the Match : Jack Hughes
Tackler of the Match : Harry Charmley
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U7's Evesham v Alcester Evesham started the season well with a win
over two matches. Good performance overall.
U8's Evesham v Alcester The under 8's got off to a slower start in the first game. Whilst evenly matched Alcester pushed hard and the first game ended in a well contested draw. In the second game Evesham found their form with much improved tackling and passing. Whilst Alcester kept up the pace Evesham held on to win the second game. Strong team performance. |
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U7's Bromyard V Evesham
Try scorers were Jacob
Coley, Marcus Harris, William Farrell and Lewis Cochrane Man
of the Match was William Farrell.
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U8's Bromyard V Evesham In the second Bromyard worked well and held Evesham back . Bromyard continued to improve through the game and produced some good running play. Although a tight game, Evesham tired and Bromyard won 4 - 2. The Evesham team showed great promise for the season ahead and, on the day both sides deserved the draw. Try scorers were Tom Farrell, Tom Speed, James Brinson and Jack Evans who was also Man of the Match. |
U11's
Evesham 21 - Bournville 7
2nd October.
Teamwork
Wins The Day.
Evesham
ended their recent poor form with a convincing win over visitors Bournville.
A
fine display of teamwork and strong individual performances from Douglas Lance,
Harry Charmley, Kieran Court and Jack Hughes that would put some of the more
senior sides to shame. Evesham took the game to Bournville from the whistle
keeping them on the back foot for most of the first half with strong driving
runs from Simon Evans, Jake Barnett and Kieran Court.
Josh
Sands opened the scoring, linking up with Jack Hughes in the centre outpacing
the cover defence and driving through the last tackler to touchdown. Ben Capaldi
adding the conversion.
The
second half started as strong as the first with the forwards repeatedly driving
Bournville back, Harry Charmley stole a loose ball and sprinted for the line
only to held short but with all the forwards in support the Bournville defence
were unable to hold out as they drove him over to score, Ben Capaldi converted -
14: 0.
Bournville
refused to give up and after a period of attacking play forced a loose pass
gathered up the ball and scored in the corner – 14 : 7.
The
final try was a repeat of the second with the forwards again driving Harry
Charmley over to score and Jack Hughes added the conversion to end the game 21
– 7.
This was a fine team effort from all 12 players who all deserve recognition for their combined efforts.
Man
of the Match – shared – Harry Charmley, Douglas Lance.
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U14's
Seventeen players made the trip to
Bournville on a wet and windswept Sunday morning and despite the
conditions enjoyed a very competitive and hard fought match.
The visitors began well with the
forwards on the rampage from the off. Anthony Watts took charge early on
with some storming runs, ably supported by an inspired back row of man
of the match Ross Hayward, Ian Sime and Mike Ibbotson. Captain Mike
Diston was at his usual brilliant best, leading his backs from fly half
in the first period and switching to back row for the second half.
The pressure mounted on both sides in
an evenly matched well balanced contest which ebbed and flowed. First
class refereeing and excellent application of the advantage rule meant
good open rugby which was a pleasant surprise given the foul weather
conditions.
Watts was eventually rewarded with a
brilliant try on twenty minutes after battering the home side into
submission in the corner. Diston then converted from the touchline which
would actually prove decisive in the end. As the Evesham boys were
still busy congratulating themselves, Bournville struck back straight
from the re-start and they went into the half time break with the score
at 7 - 5 to Evesham.
The weather did not improve in the
second half but the standard of rugby still maintained a high level.
Ross Hayward moved out to the wing to make way for Diston but continued
to tackle anything that moved. Henry Appleby dominated all the set plays
from scrum half and solid defence from Sam Hopkins, Andrew Cook, Andrew
Chandler, Tom Singleton-Wells and Sam Walsh repelled anything the home
side threw at them. The energy sapping boggy conditions ultimately began
to tell on both sets of players, but once again it was inspiration from
Diston that eventually breached the home defence and led to an excellent
individual try which he duly converted with five minutes to go.
The visitors at this stage must have
thought they were safe, but the home side never gave up and were again
rewarded with a converted try which meant a tense final few minutes when
Evesham had to dig deep into their reserves to secure victory.
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Under
10's Bromyard 1
- Evesham 3 Evesham U10s were able
to field a full strength squad for this away game at Bromyard which
included two new players, Jack Gillett and James Williamson. Right from
the start both Evesham and Bromyard displayed expansive rugby; however
fine forward work by Adam Johnson, Joe Beirns and Michael Harris gave
Evesham the platform to secure the first points with Mathew Camp driving
over the line. Thomas Heneghan, Alex
Tarplee in combination with man of the match, Jack Witts was able to
disrupt Bromyard’s possession in open play with Jack Witts securing the
second try. This spurred Bromyard into action with a return try quickly
scored from the re-start. Evesham
started the second half with commendable team spirit in the face of
skilled and organised Bromyard attacking play. Alex
Stoddart and Sam Waller displayed tackling skills which repeatedly gave
Evesham the chance to turnover Bromyard attacking positions; this allowed
a fine solo effort by Aaron Parks to drive over the try line for the final
score.
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Under
10's Evesham 0
- Stow 7 Right from the opening
move, Stowe showed their strength by carrying the ball to the Evesham try
line. This initial manoeuvre by Stowe set a platform which Evesham found
difficult to contain. Evesham scrum team
lead by Aaron Parkes with support from Adam Johnson and Alex Tarplee were
initially overwhelmed by Stow, however this situation changed as the game
progressed with more ball being won when against the head. Throughout the game
Jack Witts, Matt Camp and Alex Stoddard overturned Stow’s possession but
superior tackling and try line defence denied Evesham a deserved try. The second half score
rate was reduced as defensive team work from Evesham backs Sam Waller,
Thomas Heneghen and Joe Beirns stemmed Stow progression. Aaron Parks was
awarded man of the match for his tenacity and determined ball carrying
throughout the game.
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Under
10's Evesham 0
- Stratford 5
This years remembrance Sunday, Evesham
hosted Stratford Under 10s at their Avon street club.
Evesham had one of the best turnouts of the
year with fifteen players, although only nine can play at a time, it
enabled the use of rolling subs so that everyone had a game.
Stratford won the toss and decided to kick
off, which went their way until a knock on from a forward
pass, scrum down Evesham's ball.
Stratford had a much bigger pack but
Evesham's front row Adam Johnson, Aaron Parks and Alex Tarplee held
the push well only narrowly loosing out and after some good passing,
Stratford scored in the corner.
This was the pattern for rest of the match,
Evesham running well and passing the ball between Alex Stoddart,
Joe Beirns, Jack Witts and Thomas Heneghan gaining
lots of territory, playing as a team but to loose the ball at
the try line so that Stratford could counter attack, and although there
were big tackles from Mat Camp and James Williamson, score at the
opposite end.
Michael Harris had an absolutely brilliant
game , spurred on by parents and grand parents, to win man of the match
through shear determination and grit, coming back from the blood
bin.
It was good to see Iain Stoddart and Ben
Sherwood return to help Sam Waller, Jack Gillet and Albert Wall put
up a good shout.
This was truly one of those matches
where the score line didn't do the game justice.
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Under
12's Evesham
7 - Malvern
28 Sunday
saw a frosty, foggy morning but a good squad turnout despite the
conditions. Malvern scored early. However,
through good tackling from all and solid running with the ball from Jordan
Nobes and Thomas Mansfield Malvern were unable to score again.
A breakout from the Evesham try line by Jack Coburn saw him run the
full length of the pitch for Evesham and level the scores just before half
time at 7 all.
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U14's Malvern
0 Evesham 69 As both sets of players took to the field on a foggy and very chilly morning Evesham could well have felt intimidated by the physical presence of the home side but right from the kick off they took the game to the opposition. Good pressure from the Evesham pack led to an early opportunity and Matt Phillips went on a storming run to score in the corner after just 2 minutes. Evesham have had a habit of switching off after scoring but they were certainly not in the mood to do that on the day and good play from Sam Hopkins and Tom Singleton-Wells and James Ingleby set up Captain Mike Diston to slice through the home defence and score in the corner once again. Evesham’s tight five of Callum Lance, Adam Meadows, Josh Greatrix, Anthony Watts and Matt Power were dominating their larger counterparts in the scum and they were 17 points up after only 10 minutes with another try from Phillips converted by Diston. Diston then scored straight from the kick off after being put through on the wing with a neat pass from Sam Walsh which he converted himself. The rout continued at pace with the visiting back row of Ross Hayward, Ian Sime and Mike Ibbotson leading their opposite numbers a merry dance in the loose and with scrum half and man of the match Henry Appleby in total command behind his forwards the pressure on the home side was relentless resulting in two further tries from Diston, another by Phillips and a fine effort from Anthony Watts which led to a score line at the interval of 38 nil. Jamie Fisher, Lewis Willets and Ryan Clarke came on for the second half and Evesham began as they had finished the first half showing no mercy. The onslaught continued with a try almost from the restart cleverly worked by Hopkins. Mike Ibbotson was unlucky to have a try disallowed when he was adjudged to have been held up when clearly grounding the ball over the line, however from the resulting 5 metre scrum Phillips added to his tally once again. There were undoubtedly some exceptional individual performances on the day but this was outstanding 15 man rugby at its best especially as Malvern never lost their discipline or gave up, fighting to the bitter end. Philips went on to score six tries in all and Clarke who was in his comeback game following a broken wrist rounded off the try feast with Diston adding his 7th conversion and taking his personal points tally to 24 on the day with the last kick of the game.
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U7's Evesham V Malvern
A good turn out for the Under 7's with
13 players available to play.
Three matches were played rotating the teams
to ensure all got a game. The games were played with great enthusiasm by
both teams producing first class tackling and try scoring.
In the first Evesham started poorly and
allowed Malvern to run in two tries barely opposed. Evesham got going
and by the end of the first half had pulled back . In the second half
Evesham attacked well but defended badly and eventually lost 8 to 6.
In the second game a similar pattern
appeared . Evesham started slowly allowing Malvern to take the lead but
fought back well to achieve a 5 - 5 draw by the close of the game.
In the final of the set of three both teams
put on a superb display which saw the play move from end to end at great
pace. Evesham moved the ball well and although the conditions were
greasy both sides managed to keep the ball to hand. The game
ended in a 7-7 draw
Try scorers Daniel Johnson, Marcus Harris,
Giles Bunker, Finlay Keyte, Lewis Cochrane, William Farrell, and Jamie
Davis
Great team performance - Man of the
Match Giles Bunker
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U8's Evesham V Malvern
Due to illness the Under 8's were down on
numbers only just managing to raise a team.
In the first of two games Evesham attacked
well and held a strong Malvern side back . The strong team spirit of the
Evesham boys showed as they held on in the first game to get a well
deserved draw 5-5
In the second Evesham battled well but
tired and without the option to change players Malvern won through and
took the match 5-4.
Evesham Under 8's are developing into a
strong squad who support each other well . All looks well for the season
ahead.
Try scorers Jack Evans ,
Todd Grainger, Charlie Roberts, James Brinson and James Muir.
Strong performance - Man of the Match Jack
Evans
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Under
12's Old
Richians 70 Evesham 0 A general lack
of committed tackling from Evesham saw Old Richians dominate the first two
of three fifteen minute intervals through straight running and good
support play. Good efforts
tackling from Aaron Rock were not enough to prevent Old Richians scoring
three converted tries in the first interval.
The second
interval was a re-run of the first, good line out ball from the forwards
Andrew Hemming, Andrew Uncles, Jordan Nobes and Peter Johnson, followed by
several good breaks up the touchline from Tom Fitchett were not put to
good use with the ball being lost too easily.
Again a lack of good tackling allowed Old Richians to score a
further six more converted tries.
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U7's Evesham V Droitwich Played over two games
A good turn out for the Under 7's allowed for two sides
of mixed experience.
In the first of two games Evesham got off to a slow start
allowing Droitwich to run in two early scores without reply.Evesham
battled well with more experienced boys supporting the new starters . A
good day for Giovanni Capaldi who scored his first try for the club .
Although Evesham played well they could not pull back the early
deficit . Droitwich were well organised and ran out winners 8 to 3 .
Evesham try scorers Giovanni Capaldi ,Lewis Cochrane and Will
Farrell.
In the second a very young inexperienced side put on a
great performance showing spirit and promise for the future.Droitwich
were always too strong but Evesham continued to battle on . Droitwich
won 10 to 5 . Evesham try scorers Archie Bilcliffe , Lewis Cochrane and
Finlay Keyte
Man Of The Match over the two games
Finlay Keyte
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U8's Evesham 4 V
Droitwich 3
Played over two games.
A strong team performance by Evesham today .
In the first Evesham played a running game
stretching Droitwich, who are a well organised side .
Evesham attacked in numbers and supported each other well
, slick passing kept the ball moving .The game moved from end to end
with both sides showing considerable skill and passion . Evesham won 4
to 3 . Evesham try scorers James Muir, Harry Howells and Tom Farrell.
In the second the Droitwich used their superior numbers
to good effect with team changes . Evesham were caught cold by the pace
of the revised Droitwich attack and went down to well worked try at the
start of the second game . Evesham the found the form of the first game
and battled strongly producing some first class tackles and holding the
Droitwich side back. Unfortunately Evesham could not pull back from the
opening try and lost 2 to 1 .
Both sides whilst showing considerable passion
played the game fairly and produced a great game to watch .
Evesham try scorer Charlie Roberts
Man Of The Match over the two games James Muir
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U11's Evesham 22 Birmingham Exiles 17 In a much improved performance over their last
outing , the boys took the game to Exiles from the kick-off dominating the
first quarter and being rewarded with a try from Harry Charmley being
driven over the line by his forwards. Exiles soon responded and played to
the strength of their pack and marched straight through the Evesham
defence to score and convert, giving a 7 – 5 lead. Evesham continued to challenge Exiles in all areas of
the pitch with Marcus Bailey putting in a fine weaving run to score on
half time 7 - 12. In the second half Exiles quickly bounced back to score
in the same way as the first try 12- 12. Evesham then came back with 2 fine tries produced from
good teamwork from Chris Bond and Simon Evans 22-12.Exiles did manage one
last score again very similar
to the first 2 but time ran out with the final score at 22 –17 to
Evesham. This was a good team effort with the whole squad
working far harder and more alert than we have seen in recent weeks. Harry
Charmley played well in his first game at Hooker and Douglas Lance picked
up Man of the Match for all his hard work. Sion Roberts also had his first
game at scrum half and looked sharp getting some quick ball out to the
backs giving them a chance to run at the opposition on an extremely narrow
pitch. This game was won by the forwards with special mention
going to Simon Evans, Kieran Court and Douglas Lance who worked hard
throughout the game and inspiring the players around them to raise their
game.
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U14's “No mercy for Exiles” Another dominant forward display by Evesham set the tone for the day right from the start with a safe catch and drive putting full back Ryan Clarke over inside the first two minutes. The visitors even supplied their hosts with a two players to bolster their depleted squad with Adam Meadows and Callum Lance sportingly playing a half each. Such was the forward superiority that the backs had the freedom to express themselves and clever interplay between Henry Appleby and captain Mike Diston put Matt Phillips through the centre to score under the posts. Diston then got on the score sheet from the restart running the ball round a static defence and giving himself an easy conversion. A shell shocked Exiles then began to galvanise themselves into action and although posed little threat they did tackle and defend well for the first time in the match. Evesham then had to stretch their opponents and spread the ball wide through Sam Hopkins, James Ingleby and Tom Singleton-Wells who put Phillips through once again. Long spells of sustained forward pressure from Josh Greatrix, Russell Boyles and Mike Gander together with outstanding back row play from Ross Hayward and Ian Sime led to Mike Ibbotson putting Anthony Watts through in the corner. The sniping Appleby saw the smallest of gaps from a five metre scum to go over himself on the stroke of half time to score his first try for Evesham. Half time changes introduced Matt Power, Sam Walsh, Lewis Willets, Andrew Cook and Andrew Chandler with Diston moving to the back row. Evesham continued to show no mercy to their hosts and from pressure on their lineout Diston burst through to score once again. A further try by Diston, two more by Watts and the rout was finished off in style by man of the match Clarke who took a clean catch from the restart. Once again there were some outstanding individual performances by Evesham but this was fifteen man rugby at its best and a joy to watch. The Evesham squad of 23 players have now amassed 136 unanswered points in their last two games, however their biggest test will come this weekend when they are away to local rivals Stratford and will need to be at their very best if they are to avoid a repeat of last seasons defeat.
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Under
10's Evesham 1 - Droitwich 2
After the regular cold and wet seasonal
weather of December, Sunday was lovely, sunny and warm for Evesham to
host Droitwich at their Avon street ground.
Droitwich turned up with a massive 28
players to face Evesham's 10 players so they already had the advantage.
Evesham started the game and soon gained
lots of territory through a huge team effort with Mat Camp and Jack
Gillet having good runs passing to James Williamson and Ben Sherwood.
Scrum Down to Evesham, Adam Johnson, Sam waller and Man of the Match
Alex Tarplee had to fight hard against a bigger pack, but after
winning the ball Jack Witts passed to Joe Beirns who passed Thomas
Heneghan who store the first try.
Droitwich now started to pile on the
pressure, with the added advantage of plenty of replacements, and after
a good charge through the middle of the park scored the equalizer just
before the half time whistle.
Evesham and Droitwich were evenly matched so
play was end to end which was a joy to watch even at this level, but
Droitwich scored again from a good passage of play to win the game.
Evesham under 10s are getting better and
better against teams that are much bigger.
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Under
9's Evesham 2 - Droitwich 4 After conceding two soft tries in the first two minutes, Evesham were soon competing on level terms with a much more experienced and disciplined Droitwich team. A blindside move by scrum half James Thomas and some excellent support play by Alex Hillier and Ben Herborne had Droitwich on the back foot which allowed the Evesham Loose Forwards of Ben Jones and Kieran Jones to secure quick ball and release hooker Kieran Sherwood on a 25meter Dash for the first Evesham try. It was more of the same for the second Evesham try with Thomas providing quick ball for Nathan Tomkotowicz to split the Droitwich defence and link with Nathan Bailey and Robert Smith who had a great first game. Again the Evesham loose forwards were in support to secure quick ball from the breakdown and allow Kieran Jones to cross the line. Evesham came under intense pressure and were unfortunate to concede two late tries as each and every team member tackled themselves into the ground against a much bigger Droitwich Team. Evesham
man of the match was awarded to James Thomas, but it was the overall team
performance that impressed the coaches and bodes well for the future of
this Young and inexperienced Squad.
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U11's Alcester 21 - Evesham 26 Man of the Match : Kieran Court. For the first outing after the Christmas/New Year break
we did not know what to expect from the boys and thought it would be
little more than a post New Year warm up – how wrong we were ! Evesham started the afternoon where we left off
following the win against Exiles before Christmas taking the game to
Alcester from the start and competing in every area of the pitch. Evesham
were strong in the scrummage competed in the lineout and challenged for
every loose ball around the park. This quickly led to the opening score
for Ben Capaldi.Jack Hughes added two converted tries before half time
with Alcester crossing the line once before the interval making the score
19 – 7. A slow start to the second half saw Alcester claw back
to 19 – 14 and then take the lead at 19 – 21. Evesham then really took the game to the hosts with
some great driving runs from Kieran Court and Jake Barnett dominating the
back of the lineout. Sion Roberts and Josh Sands moved the ball well at
scrum half/fly half giving Jack Hughes and Marcus Bailey quick ball to
attack the Alcester defence. The final score coming from a kick and chase
by Jack Hughes who tackled the ball catcher on the line, ripped the ball
from his arms and touched down to seal the game 26 – 21. This was an all – round team performance based on the
platform provided by the forwards to enable the backs to convert pressure
into points and really all should be mentioned here.
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U14's “Forwards
show the way to victory” Following the long lay off over the festive season a positive start was demanded from the home side and they didn’t disappoint. The superior forwards led by Josh Greatrix dominated from the off and a converted try from Matt Phillips only two minutes in set the tone for the morning. Evesham were regularly putting the visitors under pressure in the scrum and took ball against the head on numerous occasions, the lineout wasn’t as clear cut though with Alcester winning their fair share through their tall second row. .Evesham’s forward superiority through Callum Lance, Russell Boyles, Man of the match Anthony Watts, Mike Gander, Matt Power, Ross Hayward and Mike Ibbotson gave their backs so much possession that it was only a question of time before they added another score through Phillips once again . Henry Appleby at scum half gave another fine performance and clever interplay with Luca Grillo and Sam Hopkins set Phillips up for his hat trick mid way through the half. Ryan Clarke rounded off a fine first half performance by the home side by going over in the corner to set up a 24 point lead at the break. Five substitutions at half time did little to disrupt the hosts’ rhythm with Captain Mike Diston catching the restart kick just outside his own 22 and with some clever elusive running he evaded all attempts to catch him to score in the corner. Andy Cook and new boy James Davis combined well in the backs soon afterwards to once again set up another score for Phillips. Alcester threatened to come back into the game but solid defence and heroic tackling from Hopkins, Cook and Philips put paid to any ambitions from the visitors. Phillips had to leave the field after one crunching tackle but Evesham were soon on the offensive once more. Sustained pressure ensued on the Alcester try line for almost 15 minutes and it was the visitors turn to show how well they could defend by firstly holding up a determined Boyles when over the line and secondly Jamie Fisher when he too looked to be on to score. The incessant pressure eventually took its toll and once the forwards spread the ball out wide it allowed Lewis Willets to stroll through the gap to score his first try for the Avonsiders. This resounding victory sets up an interesting home fixture this coming Sunday with Shipston who can be guaranteed to provide tough opposition.
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Under
9's Alcester 1 - Evesham 1 After the festive break Evesham travelled to Alcester looking to reverse the result of the home fixture earlier in the season. From the start the game was a Real nail biter with either side giving no quarter. The Evesham Loose Forwards Kieran Sherwood, Ben Jones, and Kieran Jones had excellent games and soon had the measure of their opponents. The Evesham score came early in the second half when quick ball from James Thomas allowed Nathan Tomcotowitcz and Alex Hillier to break the Alcester defence and have the home team on the back foot. Some excellent recycling by the forwards allowed Thomas to set Josh Perry on a superb individual run to cross the Alcester line. The Alcester response required the Evesham defence to be at their best, with some superb tackles being made by Perry, Tomcotowitcz, Sherwood, Ben Coley, James Kirk, Robert Smith and Nathan Bailey. In the final seconds of a superb game, Alcester crossed the line to level a match that Evesham deserved to win. Evesham Man of the Match was awarded to Alex Hillier for an excellent individual performance, in what was Evesham’s best team performance of the season. |
Under
12's Alcester
50 - Evesham 0 Evesham started
the first of two 30 minute halves well with strong tackling from all.
Wingers Kain Edwards-Adams and Tom Hemming were both forced to make
try saving tackles but unfortunately good follow up play from Alcester saw
them score on both occasions. The starting backs of Luke Fisher, Andrew Tombs, Aaron Rock,
Tristan Walsh, Tom Hemming, Kain Edwards-Adams and Scott Grainger all put
in their best performance of the season so far in the first half, with
good support play and tackling both of which helped to ensure the score at
half time was limited to 20-0. Evesham’s
best opportunity to score came in this half with Andrew Tombs making a
break down the blind side of a scrum on halfway, releasing Kain
Edwards-Adams down the wing. Man of the
Match: Tom Hemming for good defensive play and tackling in the first half.
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Under
10's Alcester 5 - Evesham 3
Evesham were playing away at local
rivals Alcester.
The first game back from any holiday is
always a worry, whether the lads will turn up wanting to play good
aggressive rugby, turn up to play just half a game or turn up at
all. Luckily Evesham turned up with
11 players, to play one of there best matches this season against a much
bigger side.
Alcester scored first after just 5 minutes
catching Evesham off guard with an individual darting run down the wing.
After this Evesham came back with extra gusto, winning all the scrums
through huge pushes by Alex Tarplee, Aaron Park and Adam Johnson so that
James Williamson and Jack Witts could feed Thomas Heneghan who scored
after a lightning run down the wing.
This score was slightly tainted, however, as
Alcester start the restart with Evesham still celebrating and scored one
of the easiest tries of the match. More determined than ever and with
the parents and coaches shouting encouragement from the sideline Mat
Camp, for Evesham, charged up field with support from all his team
so that Jack Witts could score a try just before half time.
The second half started like the first with
Alcester scoring after a good passage of play, although losing
there scrum they poached the ball from the visitors feet.Again the
Evesham lads fought back from the restart with solid tackle from
Sam Waller and the forwards pushing up field to release Billy wizz,
Thomas to score again. Alcester
scored just before the final whistle to end an impressive and
encouraging game for both teams coaches.
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U14's The
second half began with the visiting forwards asserting themselves on the
game more and more and a well worked move saw them take the lead for the
first time in the match. There was more misery for the Avonsiders as they
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U11's Shipston 12 - Evesham 12
Man of the Match : Josh Sands. Evesham travelled to Shipston determined to continue
their winning ways only to find themselves up against a large physical
side with the same thought in mind. The first quarter was all Shipston
attack with the Evesham backs showing great determination to hold out the
opposition until the forwards decided to join in the game ! The second quarter saw Evesham compete well around the
park but continue to struggle in the lineouts losing a lot of ball. The turning point came from a spell of Barbarian Rugby,
the ball passing through several pairs of hands until Harry Charmley broke
the line, fed Ben Capaldi who floated a superb ball out to Jack Hughes to
round the defence and score the first try, adding the conversion. Shipston, unhappy trailing at home really turned up the
pressure and eventually went over after several close shaves to level the
scores at half time. Shipston having the larger squad, made several changes
in the hope of swinging the game their way only to meet some superb
committed defence from Josh Sands, Kieran Court, Sion Roberts, Jack Hughes
and Marcus Bailey.
Under
12's Evesham
33 V Bromyard
21 Despite an
early converted try in the first five minutes from Bromyard, Evesham were
determined not to be beaten on Sunday as their improving form over the
past couple of weeks continued, resulting in the Avon Street side
recording their first win since Christmas. During the
first half the forwards of Josh Critchley, Jordan Nobes, Thomas Mansfield,
Andrew Uncles and Peter Johnson won good ball both from the line outs and
loose play enabling the backs to make good ground and pressure Bromyard
for long periods. The first
real breakthrough came when Scott Critchley broke through the centre of a
loose ruck on halfway only to be stopped within yards of the Bromyard
line. This gave Evesham
renewed confidence which ultimately saw Andrew Uncles break free in the
loose play to score both of Evesham’s first half tries.
Good handling from the backs of Tim Stoddart, player of the match
Scott Grainger, Jack Coburn, Tristan Walsh and Clint Smith for the
remainder of the half saw both wingers, Tom Fitchett and Edward
Worthington being released on good breaks down the outside only to be
driven into touch short of the opposition line.
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Under
9's Evesham
1
V Bromyard 2 Sunday
saw the Evesham Under 9's Entertain Bromyard Looking to reverse their
defeat from
the first game of the season. For
the second game in succession the riot act was read at half time,
resulting in an Evesham
second half performance to be proud of. Now
on equal terms in the loose, the Forwards Ben Jones, Kieran Jones and
Kieran Sherwood
had Bromyard going backwoods allowing the Evesham backs to use the possession
they had been starved of in the first half to make valuable yards. It
was now Bromyard who were having to defend as Evesham were growing in
ascendancy and looking the more likely to score. The
Evesham score came from a blindside move with halfbacks James Thomas and Josh
Perry linking with their forwards to provide second phase ball, which
allowed Nathan Tomcotowitcz and Alex Hillier to turn Bromyard once again. The
forwards were in immediate support to drive on resulting in Ben Jones
going over for
a well-deserved try. Further Pressure from Robert Smith and Evesham Man of the Match Ben Herborn had Bromyard contained in their own half for the games final moments but unfortunately Evesham were unable to cross the line for the draw they deserved. |
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U7's 1st Match - Evesham
6 V Bromyard 4
In the first of two games Evesham started well
retaining possession and producing a strong running game. Bromyard stuck
to the task and were difficult opposition defending well and taking any
opportunity given . Evesham entered the second half with a two try lead
and managed to retain this margin winning 6 to 4
In the second game Evesham fielded a less experienced
team who are gaining in confidence game by game . Evesham kept
possession and moved the ball well but at half time were trailing by two
tries. In the second half Evesham battled hard and pulled the game back
to finish with a well deserved draw at 5 all.
Man Of The Match George Francis
Try scorers Marcus Harris,George Francis,Will Farrell
and Finlay Kyte
U8's 1st Match - Evesham
5 V Bromyard 6
In the first game Evesham were under pressure from
the first whistle as Bromyard fielded a strong team. Evesham were forced
to battle for all possession but stuck to the task producing
controlled, measured passing and support play. In a well contested game
the visitors proved too strong scoring 6 to Evesham's 5.
In the second game Evesham got off to a slow start
with power and running of Bromyard forcing Evesham to defend for most of
the contest . Although Evesham never gave up on the day Bromyard proved
to strong and won scoring 5 to Evesham's 2.
Throughout the two games, although pressurised ,
Evesham continued to show the character and team spirit which has been
the feature of this seasons performances.
Man of The Match Charlie Roberts
Try scorers Todd Grainger, Jack Evans, Tom Sped, Tom
Farrell and Harry Howells.
A good day was had by all !!
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Under
10's Evesham 6pts
Bromyard 0pts Knockout
action by Evesham U10’s saw them record their best home win this season.
Early in the first half Thomas Heneghan picked up a spilt ball and
returned at great pace to open the score for Evesham. This action was
followed swiftly with Adam Johnson’s accurate lineout throw finding Alex
Tarplee who quickly released the ball to Michael Harris, once again inform
Thomas Heneghan was on hand to undertake a great solo run through the
entire Bromyard backline to double his score. This
rapid scoring forced the visitors to regroup with determined drives
however defensive work lead by man of the match James Williamson and Sam
Waller kept the visitors from the Evesham try line. At this point the
centre ground took on a new importance as centre Mathew Camp supported by
Alex Tarplee was able to recover the ball and released fellow centre Joe
Beirns to drive home the advantage to take the score to 3:0 Michael
Harris continues to develop his forward play and punished some weak
positional defence to secure Evesham’s fourth try at half time. After
the break substitutions saw the welcome return of the dynamic brothers
Alex and Ian Stoddard, their immediate tackling played a vital part in
defence as the visitors made repeated forays into Evesham’s half. |
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Under
10's Evesham 4pts
Bromyard 3pts Evesham run of wins
continued on Sunday, the combined teams of Evesham under 9 and 10's
proving too strong for combination visitors Bournville. Both teams started
well with Evesham's smaller forwards, Ben Jones, Kieran Jones and Robert
Smith competing well with the larger Bournville pack, the first break came
with Jack Witts releasing Josh Perry, the resulting pass saw Thomas
Heneghen make a solo break with devastating speed and evasion to finish in
the corner. Jack Witts continued his try scoring form which started within
the Evesham half with a classic collect and drive over the Bournville
line, this power play was made possible by the excellent clearing out and
rucking by Matt Camp, Ian Stoddard and Alex Tarplee, this placed the home
side at 2:0 at halftime.
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Under
12's Evesham 38 Bournville 7 Evesham made
their intentions very clear from the start on Sunday with Tristan Walsh
breaking through the Bournville pack on half way to score, which was then
quickly followed up by a similar try scored by Scott Coulson both of which
were converted by Tim Stoddart, leaving Bournville fourteen points down
within the first ten minutes. Evesham
continued to have total dominance with the forwards including Clint Smith,
Thomas Mansfield and Zak Bailey winning good ball from all areas and the
backs supported this by playing good running rugby.
This enabled enabled both wingers Kain Edwards-Adams and player of
the match Tom Fitchett to make good breaks into the Bournville half, only
to be pulled up short. Scott
Coulson nearly added a further try half way through this half only to be
held up on the line by a good Bournville defence.
The Avon Street side were not finished however as they continued to
grow in confidence with centre Edward Worthington side stepping his
opposite number just inside the Bournville half creating enough space for
him to break through and score just before half time. |
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U14's Evesham
36 Bournville 14 How they make their coaches and supporters suffer! Mindful of the last meeting between these two teams which resulted in a slender two point victory for Evesham the pre match brief was to give no quarter to their opponents and be aggressive and committed from the off. With those words still ringing in their ears the home side made an inexplicable lacklustre start and were soon punished by a well worked try from Bournville which they converted to give an early 7-0 lead. Heads dropped on the touchline in disbelief, however out on the pitch sinews stiffened and the fightback began. Two evenly matched packs tussled for an advantage and on ten minutes Matt Phillips shimmied through a half-gap to run in a fine solo effort. The home side began to exert further pressure and a clever quick tap penalty by Michael Ibbotson just outside the visitors 22 saw him bulldoze his way toward the line. As he almost ground to a halt screams of “drive me over” brought eager support from man on the match Josh Greatrix, Anthony Watts, Russell Boyles and Callum Lance who powered him over by the posts to give Ryan Clarke an easy conversion. As the hosts took the lead for the first time they began to settle and although still well matched in the set piece it was in the loose where fine work by Mike Gander, Ian Sime and Matt Power in particular began to pay dividends. As the pressure began to mount more good mauling resulted in a score for Matt Power on the strike of half time to give Evesham a 17-7 advantage at the break. The hosts brought on Lewis Willetts, Jamie Fisher and new boy Deri Gaine for the second half and were soon into their stride with scrum half Henry Appleby and James Davis at fly half setting up a score for Matt Phillips inside a minute which he converted himself. Both teams slugged it out with Evesham probing for the decisive break only to be rocked back on their heals once again by a breakaway try from halfway by the Bournville flanker.With the gap down to 10 points the Avonsiders had to rebuild once again and began to open out the play with Sam Hopkins giving a fine performance ably supported by James Ingleby and Ryan Clarke. The forwards mauled themselves almost to a standstill, popping balls over the top hoping for a break. It finally came with another fine back move and direct running from Matt Phillips claiming his hat trick midway through the half. The visitors never gave up however and solid defence was called for on numerous occasions but the hosts were up to the challenge. As the final whistle approached it was perhaps fitting that Phillips had the final word as he rounded off another fine move to score under the posts to give Davis an easy conversion to seal a good all round 15 man performance. |
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U13's Evesham
0 - Tewkesbury 48 Even before kick off the Avon Street side realised that it was going to be a difficult morning and that the pure size of Tewkesbury may be a deciding factor in the final outcome. As a consequence Evesham started cautiously and slowly which resulted in two very early, easy tries being scored by Tewkesbury. However, midway through the first half the Avonsiders started to settle and play some of the rugby that has seen them win their last couple of matches, the forwards including Rob Elliott, Thomas Mansfield, Andrew Uncles and Jordan Nobes started to retain possession in the loose play and take the game to Tewkesbury supported by Peter Johnson, Clint Smith and Scott Coulson. This enabled Scrum Half Stuart Rock to release the backs but unfortunately they were |