UNDER 9
 15th April 2007

1st Match - Alcester 20  -  Evesham 25

A glorious, warm, sunny day was greeted with delight by the long suffering parents of these two closely matched teams in a friendly match hosted by Alcester.

The players might have had different thoughts, however, as a hard ground and high temperatures made for unpleasant playing conditions.

The contest was keenly fought with both sides showing how far they have come in the season.

From the first whistle Evesham showed they had the bit between their teeth with Robert Smith and James Thomas taking the ball into the Alcester half before passing to Ben Jones who put his shoulders down and charged for the Alcester line to take the first points in 25 seconds.

Alcester replied immediately from the restart, with a sprint for the corner flag to take revenge.

Alcester took the honours for the next try, following an interception on the halfway line which caught the Evesham defence off guard allowing Alcester to make a sprint for the line to put them 5 points ahead.

Despite the heat, neither side let up on their efforts and it was not long before George Anderson was passed the ball from a scrum, ran half the length of the pitch before passing on to Josh Perry who laid it on to Ben Jones for his second try of the day.

Perry’s turn came next as he picked the ball out of a ruck and drove over the Alcester line to take the visitors ahead at half time.

The second half began as the first had ended, with Robert Smith, Josh Perry and Matthew Jacobs taking the ball deep into the Alcester half. Jacobs emerged from the ensuing ruck on Alcester’s 25 yd line and raced past the Alcester defence for try number four.

Alcester came straight back at Evesham who were grateful for the tackling skills of player of the match Ben Herborn, James Thomas and George Anderson, in particular.

Finally their persistence paid off, with a driving maul taking them over the Evesham line, followed soon after with another excellent try to level the scores at 20 points a piece.

With time running out, props Kieran Jones and Ben Jones made the last contribution to a superbly fought contest with an inspired run from their own half of the pitch, passing through Alcester’s defence for Kieran Jones to claim victory for Evesham.

Try Scorers: Ben Jones (2), Josh Perry, Matthew Jacobs, Kieran Jones

UNDER 9
 15th April 2007

1st Match - Evesham 9  -  Weston Super Mare 1

UNDER 15
 13th - 16th April 2007

Scottish glory for under 15s

EVESHAM RFC under 15s are celebrating after winning the under 16s Challenge Cup at the Scottish International Festival of Rugby at Ayr RFC at the weekend - Scotland's premier rugby tournament which attracts teams from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England.

Evesham were sponsored for the tour playing shirts and tour equipment by Talented UK.com, Boardroom Dynamics and Success Factor Consulting.

26 players accompanied by ten coaches and parents and stayed at the Craig Tara holiday park on the outskirts of Ayr, leaving by coach early on Friday morning and returning on Monday evening.

Evesham were in the opening game of the tournament on Saturday against hosts Ayr and they got off to a flying start.
This continued with Evesham being the dominant side, but despite some determined attacking play from Evesham they were unable to convert this effort into points.
The second half began as the first half ended with Evesham dominating the play but unable to cross the Ayr line and it looked as if the game was going to end in a draw when Ayr, against the run of play, broke through the Evesham defence to score an unconverted try. With only two minutes remaining and despite some determined attacking from Evesham, the hosts won 5-0.

The second match was against Darlington Mowden Park. They were a well disciplined side and although Evesham fought hard they again failed to turn an excellent performance into a match win.

The third match was against Newark and again Evesham played valiantly against bigger opposition. This was a gruelling match for Evesham against a much bigger pack and the Evesham forwards had to work hard to contain the larger forwards. Newark played a forwards game and Evesham struggled to gain control of the ball and never really got a chance to exploit the speed of their backs and once again a brilliant performance from Evesham failed to turn into a match win.

This meant that for Evesham to stand any chance of bringing the silverware back home they had to win all the matches on Sunday and hope the other match results also went their way.

Sunday afternoon saw the Evesham squad return to Ayr with a passion to win. The first match was against Scottish team Mackie.
From the start Evesham pushed hard and Mackie struggled to contain the fast play from the Evesham lads.
Ryan Clarke opened the scoring with a well worked try. Further tries followed with Matt Phillips and Mike Diston both scoring two tries and superb individual tries from Callum Baker, Dan Wilson and George Murray.  Six of these were converted by Diston and despite Mackie responding late in the game with a try, Evesham won 52-5.
This put them back into the running and they needed to win the final game of the day against Newark.

Newark came to the field convinced they could repeat the previous day's win against Evesham. Evesham's game plan was to not let the Newark heavy forwards dominate the play and the Evesham forwards did not disappoint. They dug deep and with determination the Evesham forwards hit Newark with everything they could and recycled the ball well allowing the fast Evesham backs to force Newark into many errors. A long down field kick from Evesham saw the Newark full back panic and ground the ball over his own dead ball line, giving Evesham a five-yard scrum from the Newark line. The Evesham forwards took advantage and released the ball to the backs and were rewarded by a superb try from centre Jack Anderson.
Late in the second half and with Newark becoming desperate and undisciplined, the Evesham forwards again secured the ball which released the Evesham backs allowing Ryan Clarke to score the cup-winning try which was converted by Diston, taking Evesham to a 12-0 victory which secured them the Scottish Festival of Rugby Challenge Cup trophy.

This was a gruelling two days of rugby for the Avonside team who rose to the challenge of playing much bigger teams and coming away from the tournament the Challenge Cup winners.
They were greeted by a rousing reception from parents and club officials on their return to Evesham on Monday evening.

UNDER 15
 1st April 2007

“Tour tester leaves questions”

  EVESHAM  5 - EARLSDON 36

With Evesham’s Scottish tour now only 2 weeks away this fixture was scheduled to be a tough test against accomplished opposition and so it proved to be as the morning unfolded. Blustery conditions resulted in the early exchanges being very hit and miss with numerous handling errors from both sides leaving neither dominant. Both sides had their share of the ball but it was Earlsdon who began to settle into a better pattern and slowly gained the upper hand in the crucial forward battle. The home side were now under the cosh on their own 5 metre line and only enduring defence from the back row of Tom Davies, Scott Roberts and Iain Sime kept the visitors at bay. Finally it was left to Mike Diston to bravely run the ball from his own dead ball line up to half way but the pressure eventually told and the visitors were ultimately rewarded with a try on 13 minutes. Evesham seemed shell shocked or punch drunk as their defence became non existent over the next five minutes as Earlsdon now ran in two further tries in quick succession. It seemed as though the visitors could score with each possession as they worked harder as a team with support on their shoulders to take on each attack with the home side struggling to cope as they missed tackles and made too many basic errors. Finally with the game drifting away from them Evesham awoke from their slumber to a rallying call from Captain Josh Greatrix and clean lineout ball was spun along the back line for Diston coming  in from full back to score in the corner to go in 17 points to 5 down at the interval.

The home side came out fired up for the second half with the front five of Adam Meadows, Ross Hayward, Mike Ibbotson, Matt Power and Greatrix especially showing more determination than in the first half. However as the game progressed it was the visitors who began to ask questions of the Evesham defence once again. There were some heroic performances with great individual tackles from Henry Appleby, Sam Hopkins, Tom Singleton-Wells and several try saving efforts from Diston, but the Avonsiders could not really find the answer to the onslaught and succumbed to another try. The visitors continued to batter the Evesham try line with a succession of 5 metre scrums and the home back row were again being called upon to put their bodies on the line with player of the match Scott Roberts in particular never giving an inch. The ambush continued from the visitors though and they were rewarded with 2 further converted tries to make the game secure. The Avonsiders never gave up though and the final ten minutes was quite an even affair with some competitive rugby from both sides.

UNDER 8
 25th March 2007

UNDER 10
 25th March 2007

Evesham welcomed a touring side from Newport-Salop RFC, Shropshire to the Avonside ground this Sunday.

The visitors proved to be a formidable opposition, in two thoroughly entertaining and well played matches.

1st Match - EVESHAM U.10’S: 0   NEWPORT U.10’S: 10

From the first whistle Newport pushed deep into the Evesham half and it took some spirited defending to keep them at bay.

Newport’s disciplined backs worked the ball from one side of the pitch to the other, constantly probing the Evesham line and were finally able to make the break from a scrum 10yds from the Evesham line.

From the restart, Ben Jones charged into the attack, reaching the Newport 25yd line. Alex Hillier and Josh Perry took up the baton and pushed closer to the line, only to be forced into touch just as the halftime whistle blew.

The second half saw no let up in the pressure from Newport, although once again the Evesham youngsters showed great strength of character with some excellent tackles from Matthew Jacobs, Levi Turner and Kieran Sherwood.

The Home side’s best chance came with a Josh Perry pass to Matthew Jacobs who pushed through the defenders, only to be stopped on the try line by the Newport pack.

Buoyed by their escape, Newport responded with an attack back into the Evesham half culminating in their final touch down for the match.

2nd Match - EVESHAM U.10’S: 0   NEWPORT U.10’S: 20  

If Evesham had hoped that their opponents might show signs of tiring in the second match of the morning, they were soon disappointed.

Once again the Evesham defence was called on to show their mettle, with some brave and impressive tackles, notably from Kyle Cross, Levi Turner and Ben Herborn.

Cross made a promising run supported by Turner and Matthew Jacobs. Jae Wright took over and stole some precious extra yards before laying the ball on to Nat Bailey whose pass was taken by Levi Turner, only to be forced into touch.

Newport crossed the line four times and try as they might, Evesham were not able to reply. No-one was down heartened, however, as everyone put in a superb effort against a stronger side, making an excellent game for all who took part and watched.

Player of the Match: Levi Turner

UNDER 10
 18th March 2007

UNDER 13/14
 18th March 2007

EVESHAM 0 -  REDDITCH 45

A fresh breeze greeted the Avonsiders on Sunday as they looked to build on their much improved performance of the previous week.  Evesham started well with good solid defending from all but it soon became apparent the much larger Redditch side would prevail as they broke from the rear of the scrum down the blind side for their first of several tries. 

Evesham however were not going to beaten without a credible performance with the forwards regularly winning good ball in the line outs and scrums enabling fly half and player of the match Tim Stoddart to release the backs which meant much of the first period was played in the Redditch half.  Unfortunately, Evesham were unable to convert the good field positions in to points.

The second half saw Evesham again struggling to contain the much larger Redditch side but continued solid defending from Tom Hemming, Dan Francis and a try saving tackle from Kain Edwards-Adams in conjunction with the determination of the entire team who continued to played right up until the final whistle helped to ensure Redditch were not able to run away with the score line.

UNDER 15
 11th March 2007

“Ryan on Rampage as Points Pile Up!” 

MALVERN 15    -    EVESHAM  40

Following a long delay due to the shortage of suitable pitches the much anticipated fixture between these two sides got under way in fine bright conditions. With the visitors playing downhill and with the wind at their backs for the first half they had to make the advantage pay and were soon into their stride. From a pressure scrum on the home 22 quick ball from Henry Appleby and good interplay with Sam Hopkins and Ryan Clarke released Mike Diston from full back to score in the corner after only 3 minutes.

This was a wake up call for the home side and they came back with a vengeance probing away at the Evesham defence but resolute work from the visiting pack of Jamie Fisher, Ross Hayward, Mike Ibbotson, Adam Meadows, Josh Greatrix, Iain Sime, Tom Davies and Matt Power against their physically intimidating opponents kept them at bay. A succession of 5 metre scrums resulted in numerous pressure situations but a succession of big hits from the pack drove their counterparts back and relieved the situation. After weathering the storm Evesham once again began to dominate the set plays and clever use of the ball from another scum inside their opponents 22 saw Clarke finish off a move with a try with Hopkins adding the conversion.

The Avonsiders were now moving the ball with confidence and spreading the ball out to their wingers and following a fine break from Owen Griffiths the ball was recycled at pace finding Clarke in space once again to round off a fine attacking move with Hopkins again adding the extras to go into the break at 19 nil ahead.

Evesham were warned at half time not to rest on their laurels with the prevailing conditions now against them and both sides began the second period with a positive and aggressive start with no quarter given. The visitors were pinned in their own half for the first 10 minutes of the restart and persistent power from Malvern eventually brought reward with a couple of hard earned tries from close range.

This was the wake up call the Avonsiders needed and they now took the game back to Malvern once again using their forwards to scrap for possession and giving their more mobile and elusive backs the space to work in. Another well worked move involving Diston, James Ingleby and Sam Walsh put Clarke in for the first “uphill” try of the match to complete his hat trick. The home side never relented though and immediately struck back with a try of their own to keep the pressure on the visitors.

With time running out Malvern began to throw caution to the wind and whilst trying to run the ball from their own 22, intelligent work by Hopkins saw him pressure their line, intercepting a pass to put Clarke in to score once again.

Despite the scoreline this was a fine entertaining game between two well matched sides and this was epitomized with the closing play of the game. Malvern restarted play and rampaged towards the visitor’s line only to be denied by some heroic defending. As the home pack bulldozed over the line Diston stripped the ball inches from the ground and player of the match Clarke pinned his ears back to out sprint the home defence and run the length of the field to score his fifth try of the match with Hopkins again adding the extras with the final kick of the match. 

UNDER 13/14
 11th March 2007

MALVERN 22 - EVESHAM 20

Sunday saw the Avonsiders travel to Malvern for the return match of the season looking to turn around the narrowest of defeats earlier in the season.  The end result was an end to end game which saw the lead change hands many times throughout.  Evesham were the better team to start which ultimately resulted in an early try, straight running and good handling saw the backs pulled up just short of the Malvern line but continue pressure from the forwards through disciplined rucking and mauling saw them force their way over for a try.  This set the tone for the game, good service to the backs from scrum half, Luke Fisher and Fly Half Tim Stoddart meant player of the match Ian Halstead, Kain Edwards-Adams and Scott Grainger were able to break in mid field on numerous occasions to nearly score.  This ultimately resulted in a second Evesham try with good field position being achieved by the backs allowing the forwards to pressure their way over the line for a second score.

The second half was very much a repeat of the first, the forwards including Andrew Hemming, Zac Shotton and Thomas Mansfield continued to win good ball for the backs which enabled Evesham to continue to gain good possession and pressure the Malvern line resulting in two more scores, once from a push over try and their final score coming from Jordan Nobes breaking clear on the blind side and making good use of the overlap to release Zac Shotton in the corner.

Unfortunately, playing up the slope and into the wind in the second half started to tell on Evesham and ultimately allowed Malvern to score a final two tries just before the close, resulting in Evesham losing by the narrowest of margins.

UNDER 8
 11th March 2007

UNDER 7
 11th March 2007

1st Match - EVESHAM 2 - MALVERN 4

In their second match of the season the Evesham U7’s faced a mixed Malvern side of U7’s and U8’s. In the first game Malvern took and early lead scoring two tries. However, Evesham fought back with tries from Kyle Wilkes and James Cross to end the half all square. In the second half, despite some good defending by Evesham, Malvern scored two unanswered tries to end the game 4-2 victors.

2nd Match - EVESHAM 4 - MALVERN 7

In the second game Malvern scored first but Evesham then took the lead with tries from Sean Leahy and Tom Symonds. Malvern replied with a try of their own but Evesham went into the break with a 3-2 lead thanks to a try from Kyle Wilkes. In the second half Malvern again scored first but Evesham quickly pulled one back through James Cross. However, tiredness started to tell on Evesham and Malvern were able to score 3 further tries to win the game 7-4.

Player of the Match – Kyle Wilkes.

UNDER 15
 25th February 2007

“Clarke gets them back on track” 

Tewkesbury 5  -  Evesham 36 

Following a run of 3 narrow defeats in their last 4 matches the question was could Evesham stop the rot and get their season back on track? Well they certainly made their intentions clear from the first whistle with a commendable start full of aggression, passion and flair that had been lacking in recent games. The tight five of Adam Meadows, Russell Boyles, Mike Ibbotson, Matt Power and Captain Josh Greatrix made mincemeat of their counterparts which set the platform for some exciting back play. The first 10 minutes saw a relentless pounding of the home defence with their full back finally relieving the pressure with a long kick up field. However such was the visitors’ confidence that Mike Diston bravely launched a counter attack from his own line. As the move broke down Tewkesbury regrouped but a fine tackle from Sam Walsh resulted in turnover ball which Evesham exploited to the full with Ryan Clarke running in the first points with a try converted by Diston. More good play from the visitors ensued with good passing out of the tackle to excellent support play from the back row of Scott Roberts, Iain Sime and Matt Phillips. A kick ahead from Phillips almost set up Walsh for another score but despite having the lions share of possession and territory Evesham were unable to turn their superiority into points until almost half time when another try from Clarke gave them just reward for all their hard work. A lack of discipline from the restart cost the Avonsiders dear as they conceded a soft try on the stroke of half time which offered Tewkesbury a glimmer if hope.

Jamie Fisher and Tom Davies joined the fray for the second half and Evesham came out with even more determination as they piled on the pressure with Phillips scoring an early try from a pick and go from No8 at a scrum in the home 22. The visitors were now dominant in all departments and showed real class with Tom Singleton-Wells linking well with Sam Hopkins to release the backs at every opportunity. The forwards continued to dictate the game and from another pressure 5 metre scrum Phillips broke away to set up Clarke with a simple score under the posts for Diston to convert. It was hardly surprising given the blustery and wet conditions that this was not going to be a spectacle of free running rugby but that did not deter Evesham from trying to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses and they did run the ball at every opportunity with Clarke, George Murray and Owen Griffiths keen to add to the scoring. Another pick up by Phillips from a scrum on half way saw him charge his way to the line on one of his unstoppable runs to score but in truth he had so much support that any number of players could have finished off the move. With the referee indicating the final play of the game at a scrum Evesham could have been forgiven had kicked to ball to touch, yet such was their determination to put recent results behind them, they took the ball through several phases and some stubborn home defence to score through player of the match Ryan Clarke who notched up his forth try of the day. This was a rousing victory with Evesham dominating all aspects of the play and comes at just the right time with their Scottish Tour now only 6 weeks away. 

Finally special thanks must go to the band of hardy parents and supporters who braved the foul elements to show their support for the boys, it was very much appreciated and we hope that you dry out soon. 

UNDER 8
 25th February 2007

UNDER 7
 25th February 2007

EVESHAM 2 - BREDON 4

In only their second match of the season the U7’s produced a fantastic effort against a more experienced Bredon side. Sean Leahy opened the scoring for Evesham with a fine run down the right wing. Bredon then fought back to end the first half with a 2-1 lead. In the second half Evesham stepped up their defensive effort with some excellent tackling from Tom Symonds, James Cross, Ryan Keyte and Kyle Wilkes. With the turnover possession gained Sean Leahy came close to scoring twice more and James Cross succeeded in crossing the line to level the score at 2-2. However, despite continued superb tackling, Bredon were able to break through twice more to end the game with a 4-2 victory.  

Man of the Match: Sean Leahy.

UNDER 15
 25th February 2007

“Too little too late”   

UNDER 10
 25th February 2007

UNDER 15
 18th February 2007

“Try feast ends in heartbreak for visitors” 

Chipping Norton 32 Evesham 27 

A try after only 15 seconds set the tone for a match which ebbed and flowed much to the delight of the onlookers. Straight from the kick off Scott Roberts put pressure on the receiver and his aggression and persistence paid off as a catalogue of errors saw him drop on the ball to open the scoring. Within 5 minutes the physical Evesham forwards of Jamie Fisher, Ross Hayward, Mike Ibbotson, Iain Sime, Matt Power and Matt Phillips, led by captain Josh Greatrix had opened up a 12 point lead. A fine catch and drive from a line out released the backs and George Murray cut through a static home defence. The morning began with the home side short of a player and Evesham sportingly lent them a player for each half in the form of James Ingleby and Tom Singleton-Wells. They played for both sides with such spirit and tenacity that it earned them both a share of the player of the match trophy. A lapse in concentration allowed the home side back into the game and they scored to reduce the deficit. Evesham now had the upper hand however and the dominant forwards tore their opponents to shreds in the set piece and the loose and a fine move restored the 12 point gap with a try from Phillips. Whether they found it too easy or Chippy finally woke up to the challenge is not clear but an aggressive run by the home side number 12 saw him power his way through some woeful tackling to give them inspiration. Once again the visitors regrouped and another good clean lineout take saw the backs released for Callum Baker to run in for an easy score to go into the break 22 points to 10.

An inspirational half time talk saw Chippy come out with guns blazing as they immediately put Evesham under pressure in their own half to score a converted try. It was now Evesham who were stung into action and the game went into a period when neither side would yield to the pressure with some good rugby played by both teams with little reward. Only try saving tackles from Ingleby, Owen Griffiths, Sam Walsh and Ryan Clarke saved Evesham on occasions. As the game progressed it was the home side who took the upper hand as they ran in another try. With the scores now level Evesham conceded a harsh free kick in their own 22 for engaging too early at a scrum and from the resulting tap and go Chippy scored a try to snatch the lead. Evesham bounced straight back once again and fine play from Adam Meadows earned them a five metre scrum for their efforts and scrum half Henry Appleby dummied and shimmied his way over the line to draw level with only minutes remaining. In a barnstorming end to the game the hosts were not yet finished and they came storming back with another try to restore their lead. The referee then indicated that the restart would be the final play of the game and from Mike Diston’s towering kick off Phillips was unlucky not to gather with the line beckoning which would have been just reward for the visitors’ efforts. At six tries to five this was a great spectacle and a terrific advert for the youth game with both sides playing some wonderful rugby in attack and defence and a never say die attitude from all those involved.  Evesham will feel aggrieved however as they let this one slip away when they deserved better having spent the majority of the first half in total command.

UNDER 10
 4th February 2007

EVESHAM 25   ALCESTER  0

After a couple of disappointing results, Evesham found the form their coaches and parents knew they were capable of. Led by Captain George Anderson, there were no weak links in a focused and determined under 10’s side. The backs held their line well and the forwards controlled the scrums and mauls. The first try came from Anderson following a scrum deep inside the Alcester half. No sooner had Alcester kicked off for the restart, than the Evesham forwards were on to them. Kieran Sherwood and Anderson took the ball to the Alcester 25yd line, James Thomas made the pass to Josh Perry who side-stepped the defence for try number 2. 

An inspired move by Alcester took them to touch on the Evesham 5yd line, only for forwards Ben and Kieran Jones to take the ball back to half-way, pass to Perry who then ran the rest of the way, past 3 defenders for a further 5 points. Winger Ben Herborn made a spectacular tackle on an Alcester front row player to win a line-out. Evesham won the ball, James Thomas and George Anderson took it to the 5yd line, set up the ruck and Perry stepped in to take it over the line for a well deserved hat trick. Kieran Jones emerged victorious from a maul on Evesham’s 25yd line, passed to James Thomas who reached halfway for Matthew Jacobs to take up the baton, resulting in a scrum on Alcester’s 5yd line. Having started the move, Kieran Jones then charged through the Alcester line to touch down as the whistle blew for half-time.

 The second half was no less hotly contested than the first.  Evesham’s best chance came when a scrum on halfway led to Alex Hillier and Josh Perry taking the attack deep into the Alcester half, Robert Smith took over and passed to Matt Jacob and George Anderson made it to the 5yd line but Alcester then put up a spirited defence which, despite some close calls, Evesham could not break through, leaving the final tally of 5 tries to Evesham. Try scorers: Josh Perry (3), George Anderson, Kieran Jones.
Player of the match: Josh Perry.

UNDER 15
 4th February 2007

“Hard fought victory marred by injury”

Evesham U15’s 17 Alcester U15’s 5

A crisp frosty morning greeted the teams at Avonside on Sunday. The home squad were severely depleted and injury ravaged with only 16 players available, some of whom were carrying injuries. This meant playing several players out of position which would prove to be a huge test of their skill and resolve. Despite the conditions and injury worries Evesham got off to a fiery start with lots of possession, recycling the ball with pick and goes around the fringes, pegging Alcester back in their own half for much of the first quarter. Aggressive forward play from Captain Josh Greatrix and his troops including Iain Sime, Anthony Watts, Mike Ibbotson, Jamie Fisher and a make shift back row of Sam Hopkins, Owen Griffiths and player of the match Tom Davies set the tone for the game and was a real credit to the pack as they battled for everything in the set plays and the loose. Unfortunately play was stopped mid way through the half for an injury to Watts following an innocuous tackle. It sadly later transpired that Watts had broken a bone in his leg and will be out for at least 6 weeks. He was quickly replaced by Adam Meadows who was himself returning from a long injury lay off. The home side had to eliminate this from their minds as they battled on but a succession of silly infringements by Alcester kept handing the initiative back to Evesham. As half time approached a fine individual run by Mike Diston drove deep into the visitors 22 and quick ball saw debutant Mike Swift finish off a fluent and exciting backs move to score in the corner with Diston adding the extra points for Evesham to go into the break 7 nil ahead.

The Avonsiders began the second half once again applying pressure and found themselves in the Alcester 22 following a fine run from Ryan Clarke. A breathtaking move by the backs almost put Callum Baker in but a foot in touch saw him come up short. The home side backs now really came into their own and with quick ball from scrum half Tom Singleton-Wells and darting runs from Baker, Diston, Clarke, Matt Patrick and wingers James Ingleby and Sam Walsh it only seemed a question of time before they added to the scoreline. A fine lineout catch and quick ball again ensued and as the ball was spun along the line to Diston he superbly out sprinted the Alcester defence to score. Alcester finally began to fight back and a good passage of play from both sides followed much to the delight of the onlookers. A good three quarter move by Evesham again saw Clarke coming into the line from full back but Alcester managed to force him into touch and clear their lines from the resulting throw in. The visitors showed much spirit but still they failed to make use of their possession and the Evesham defence stood firm. As Evesham pressed forward once more a clever and elusive run from Ibbotson breached the visitors defence once more only for him to be caught from behind but an intelligent pass out of the tackle released Baker to score another converted try. Alcester never gave up however and were rewarded with a try of their own following a succession of 5 metre scrums in the dying moments of the game.

UNDER 13/14
 28th January 2007

BROMYARD 34 - EVESHAM 15

Sunday saw the Avonsiders travel to Bromyard for the return match of the season looking to build on their recent improved form.  Unfortunately, Bromyard were the first to open the scoring right from the kick off due to poor tackling and concentration from Evesham.  Evesham were quick to recover however with the backs having one of their best games of the season so far, the centres of Scott Grainger and Ian Halstead created repeated breaks and space for winger Luke Head which ultimately resulted in a maul near the Bromyard line which allowed Zac Shotton and Andrew Hemming to push over for a try.  Despite the Avonsiders dominance in both the loose and close play in the first half Bromyard were able to score a further two breakaway tries in the first half against the run of play.

UNDER 8
 28th January 2007

1st Match - EVESHAM  6  - BROMYARD 9

UNDER 10
 28th January 2007 

EVESHAM  5 BROMYARD 15  

Once again, Bromyard proved formidable opponents in a hard fought contest in which Evesham were set upon avenging defeat at their last encounter. With a Bromyard try in the third minute, the Evesham youngsters knew they faced an uphill struggle. Despite their best efforts, including some excellent tackling from George Anderson, Josh Perry and Ben Jones, this was the only score of the first half.

The second half started with promise as most of the play was in the Bromyard half of the pitch. A line out on the Bromyard 25yd line was won by Kieran Jones, passed on to Ben Jones who fed it to Josh Perry. Perry and Kieran Sherwood set up the maul and George Anderson was able to step in, win the ball and push through the Bromyard defence for an excellent try. Bromyard then showed their mettle and came back with a vengeance.

Evesham fought hard, and possession was shared equally, unfortunately Bromyard were able to find the tryline twice more, first from a penalty and then from a line out close to the Evesham line. Try Scorer: George Anderson 
Player of the Match: George Anderson

UNDER 9
 28th January 2007

Evesham U9's 7 Bromyard U9's 12

There were some nerves in the Evesham camp with the imminent arrival of Bromyard for this fixture after a heavy defeat earlier in the season at their home ground.

The early exchanges looked like it was going to go the same way with an easy Bromyard try in the second minute. However the Evesham team, ably led by Laurence Icke in his first game of 2007,showed great team work and resolve to get a score back with a bullocking run by Harry Howells. Harry continued this direct running throughout the entire game and allowed team members to feed of his driving movement forward. Bromyard continued to show the form that we had seen in October with some mazy running from their back line, weak Evesham tackling allowing some easy scores to take them ahead. Back Evesham came though with an excellent solo effort from Tom Farrell and another crashing try from Howells.

The support play was very good from Evesham by this point with Charlie Roberts, Nathan Wilson ,last games Man of the match Todd Grainger and Cameron Carr all showing their worth for the team. James Muir, who always seems to relish the unseen dirty work of clearing up bad ball and wrestling on the floor, really helped to convert ball in the contact area back into Evesham possession. James Brinson ran strongly and passed well from contact, his thoughtful running created many good opportunities for his team mates.

Into the second half some of the newer members of the team started to find their confidence, Joshua in his first game for Evesham scored a determined try and showed some real skill in his passing and running. Another try from Harry Howells, giving him three for the match [J2O's all around!] capped a very good performance. The most praise however for the second half should be heaped on Nick Leahy who made some scorching runs into the corner and downed two tries in this period, which was outstanding for a relative newcomer to the great game. His tackling and all round support earned him the man of the match from his coaches.

Though the team lost, they showed that teamwork and commitment can give you great satisfaction, especially against a side who soundly beat them but a few weeks before. It just go to show how far this group of boys have come, and we hope to see them continue in this vein next week for the challenge of Alcester.

UNDER 13/14
 21st January 2007

EVESHAM 7 - MATSON 19

Evesham hosted a Matson side that earlier in the season had beaten them comfortably, but in this fixture showed an improvement and commitment that was a credit to them.

In a game that flowed from end to end Evesham had to defend some fine attacking rugby by Matson.  Evesham’s backs themselves showed much improvement with scrum half Daniel Humpston looking to run and fly half Tim Stoddart releasing them at every opportunity with the ball reaching the wing a number of times, where Kain Edwards Adams looked dangerous and Scott Grainger’s handling in the centre was instrumental in Evesham’s running game.  Unfortunately, a momentary lapse in defence allowed Matson to score a converted try in the first half.

In the second half the Evesham forwards showed great discipline and continued to supply good ball in the loose and drive forward at every opportunity.   But a few lapses in concentration allowed Matson to kick through and follow up to score two further tries.

The Evesham forwards continued to show good resolve and with some driving play by Zac Shotton and Jordon Nobes they provided a platform for Luke Head to wriggle through for a consolation try which was then converted.

Man of the match was Kit Rabbette. Next week they travel to Bromyard.

UNDER 15
 21st January 2007

Old Leamingtonians 10   -   Evesham 5   

Cold and windy conditions greeted the Evesham U15’s on their away match against Old Leamingtonians. Old Lems took the kick off and Evesham took the game to them straight away. From the start it was obvious that Leamingtonians larger forwards were going to dominate the close play and made the Evesham lads work hard in the rucks and mauls.

Evesham went on the offensive in the first few minutes and Matt Phillips was unlucky not to score, being pushed out of play just short of the Old Lems 5 metre line. A well drilled line-out saw Evesham play the ball wide through the backs with Sam Walsh unlucky not to score, but the ball was quickly scooped up by Callum Baker who got over the line only for the referee to deem the ball was held up.

Old Leamingtonians then took the game to Evesham who put up some good forward defence, No. 8 Matt Phillips went down injured after a series of punishing tackles but continued on after treatment. Evesham’s pack,  put up a good performance with excellent hooking from Man of the Match Russell Boyles, supported by props Jamie Fisher and Ross Hayward and second rows of Mike Ibbotson and Matt Power.

Old Leamingtonians won a dubious line-out on Evesham 10 metre line and scored an unconverted try after 15 minutes. Strong tackling from Mike Diston, Scott Roberts and Sam Hopkins kept the Old Lems backs at bay and excellent positional kicking from Diston once more put Evesham in the driving seat. This seemed to inspire the Evesham forwards who were winning ruck balls providing opportunities for scrum half Henry Appleby to play the ball wide. The Evesham forwards pressure finally resulted in a quickly taken penalty which allowed the backs to pass a quick ball down the back line providing Callum Baker the opportunity to sprint into the corner to level the score at five points each. However Baker received an injury in scoring this try and never rejoined the field. Old Lems came back strong from the restart putting pressure on Evesham with a kick through the forwards, but Evesham defence remained resolute and they defended up the half time whistle.

UNDER 7
 10th December 2006

UNDER 11
 14th January 2007

Honours Are Shared 

CHELTENHAM  0 v EVESHAM  0  

First New Year adventure for Evesham required a short trip to Cheltenham. At their last meeting Evesham secured the honours so the boys took to the field in positive mood. The away team scrum of Jack Sealey, Aaron Parks, Adam Johnson, Joe Beirns and Alex Tarplee were soon in action as handling errors by both teams saw teams exchanging possession. As ever courageous defensive work by James Williamson and Sam Waller kept Cheltenham at bay, as the majority of play was dictated by the home team.

At half time each side maintained a clean sheet. Both teams had had the opportunity assess relative strengths and weakness. The second half promised to be an intense encounter.