NEWBURY TEAM vs Wharfedale
October 30, 2009
NEWBURY v WHARFEDALE
1. TOM FIDLER
2. PAUL FINCKEN
3. CRAIG McGRATH
4. DAN HODGE
5. STEVE PAPE
6. SCOTT WITCOMB
7. JED HOOPER
8. ED JACKSON
9. WAYLON GASSON
10. MITCH BURTON
11. HUW BEVAN
12. NICK SCOTT
13. MARTIN FREEMAN
14. SAM KATZ
15. MATT WILLIAMS
REPLACEMENTS:
16. CHRIS ROWLAND
17. CALUM McGREGOR
18. IEN ASCROFT-LEIGH
19. RHYS HOWELLS
20. JACK AVERY
21. LIAM PERKINS
Halloween match between the Ghosts and the Vampires
October 27, 2009
At 2:30 this Saturday just before Newbury Blues take on Wharfedale Newbury youngsters will run out on to the main pitch in costumes supplied by Jokers’ Masquerade. Depending on what costumes Jokers’ have left this week as this is their busiest week of the year we could Vampires verses Ghosts. Get there early to cheer on your favourite!
Henley U14’s 5 - 12 Newbury U14 Stags
October 26, 2009
“Oxfordshire U14 Champions Henley succumb to dominant Newbury U14’s”
Newbury U14 Stags opened their 15 a side season with a trip to Oxfordshire Champions Henley on Sunday.
Newbury fielding a strong squad seemed to forget to put their clocks back and found themselves behind after 5 minutes with an opening score from Henley which put the Blues on the back foot.
From the restart Newbury began to wake up and after a lacklustre start managed to come back into the game with some strong attacking play.
Henley competed very well and Newbury’s big pack struggled to control the game, as they should have allowing Henley to take ball from them at the breakdown. However Newbury began to win ball and counter Henley and with excellent distribution along the back line Newbury threatened the Henley line on numerous occasions only to be foiled by a tackle or a dropped pass.
Newbury stuck to their task and began to dominate some of the close in exchanges Herrod-Taylor, Price-Richard and Bates breaking the gain line but unable to finish.
Henley were always ready to counter and with their strong centre always looked dangerous but the combination of Bates and Price-Richards at centre snuffed out the danger and allowed Newbury to keep coming back. No quarter given in this game and with more pressure Newbury broke from a ruck and the outstanding Greenshields drove in to score under the posts with Bates converting.
5 – 7 Newbury in front and half time beckoning.
At the break 5 – 7 Newbury.
Coaches View
‘Typical Newbury start….but once we got going things started we looked good. Back line worked well but the forwards just need to win more ball at the breakdown, we got there well and looked strong only to let Henley step over and steal….more work needed on the training ground. We were up at half time and were defending and counter attacking well considering the amount of ball we turned over”.
Injuries at half time meant some changes, Collington and Rees who’d worked tirelessly sustained knocks so could play no further part so a reshuffled pack to the second half. A debut for Andy Hardy who replaced the confident first half performance of Matt Nicholls.
This time Newbury, against a stiff breeze, could have easily crumbled but again what little ball they won allowed the backline to attack and take the game to Henley who thought they may be in with a chance.
End to end rugby with each back line gaining advantage only to be foiled. Herrod-Taylor, Price-Richards, Bates, Fane all attacking at pace. A break out by Henley a try in the corner, no, two tackles in one movement by Herod Taylor, saved the try produced a lineout in the corner for Newbury and the counter was on.
A scrum close to the Henley line saw Ollie Hart go close and in the following counter Henley conceded a penalty and with only two minutes remaining the bizarre happened. A penalty to Newbury in front of the posts, 3 points on the board was the call and Price Richards set himself to kick. A gust of wind the ball off the ‘T’ a call of ‘play it’ from the Head Coach and Price-Richards quick thinking allowed him to pick up, run at the bewildered defence beating 4 tackles in a maizey run to score under the posts.
5 -12 Newbury take the spoils in a well contested, good natured game.
Coaches View
“Overall we did well and winning is always good. The whole squad contributed today and although there were some good individual performances it’s the whole squad who made the victory possible so big credit to all the guys for sticking at the game and not giving any quarter. Henley were well drilled and competitive.
Biggest lesson from today was we need to have more self belief…oh and that we don’t have 10 minutes to wake up when we start the match!!!
Really pleased for the boys well done”
Download the Wharfedale Poster now
October 26, 2009
Please download this poster and put it up at work, school, the pub etc…
Download the poster click here
25/10 U13A Newbury v Henley
October 26, 2009
Newbury A 58 - Henley A 0
On paper this looked likely to be a close match as Henley had won all the previous meetings between the clubs. In practice it proved a convincing win for Newbury and hopefully provides a good indicator of how much the Newbury team have progressed this season.
The Henley coaches were looking apprehensively at the size of the Newbury pack before the game had even started and their fears were soon confirmed.
Henley kicked off with a grubber kick and although the opening exchanges were scrappy, Henley were retaining possession and testing the Newbury defences. Louis Lyne made a couple of big hits and the line held firm.
In the fifth minute Jack Davis drove our first bit of decent possession down the middle and the ball was then spun down the line to Josh Lawrence on the overlap. He shot off like a startled hare and outstripped the defence to score. Theo nailed a superb conversion from near the touchline to make it 7-0.
From the restart, Louis cut back and made 30 metres before being hauled down. From the ruck, Jordan Ruddock picked up and ran 30 metres down the wing to score in the corner and make it 12-0.
Soon afterwards Josh caught a kick and ran it back, only to see his mazy run ended by a high tackle.
After 13 minutes Andy Payne and George Bicknell came off to be replaced by our new recruits Alex and his twin, the Hagrid lookalike Will Britton.
Two minutes later Andy was back on to replace flanker Will Rupp who had been at the heart of the early defensive effort but was now feeling unwell.
In the 18th minute Big Will drove from a lineout and perhaps the biggest cheer of the day came as he was brought down by a fantastically brave tackle from the Henley winger. Once the ground had stopped shaking Henley were penalised for handling in the ruck. Will took the tap penalty and charged through the defence like an angry rhino to make it 17-0.
From the restart we rolled a maul and then Jordan Ruddock surged down the line from halfway to score a superb try which was converted by Theo for 24-0.
As half time loomed, Charlie Tillett showed his blistering pace and a neat sidestep before eventually being hauled down by the panic stricken Henley defence. The half ended with Henley fighting back with a series of drives but the Newbury defence held firm.
The second half began with Newbury immediately ending any thoughts of a Henley comeback. James O’Connor made a great run down the wing and when he was stopped short, new cult hero Will Britton was on hand to charge over and make it 29-0.
In the 4th minute of the half Andy Payne made a big tackle on the Henley lock and forced a turn over. The pack recycled and Jack D drove upfield, Theo made a half break and Alex Britton released a superbly timed pass to the overlapping Josh for a touchdown beneath the posts. In terms of all round team play this was undoubtedly the try of the match and Theo converted to make it 36-0.
After 11 minutes another of Josh’s elusive runs was ended by another high tackle. Andy charged upfield and popped it up to Jordan to score his hat-trick. Theo converted from in front of the posts to make it 43-0.
Midway through the half, the Newbury pack won a lineout against the throw and Jordan passed to Will B who drove over for 48-0.
As had happened in the first half a spell ensued where Newbury started to take on a bit too much themselves in midfield instead of releasing the flyers out wide. However it was always just a matter of time before the floodgates reopened.
With 20 minutes gone Henley made a series of breaks but never really looked like scoring. Ollie Nunn drove the ball down the middle, the back row supported well and Andy slipped it to Jordan who had a simple run in for his 4th try, 53-0.
Two minutes later Andy fly kicked a loose ball on and looked likely to score but play was called back for an earlier knock on.
As the game drew to a close, George Bicknell hared down the wing before being scrambled into touch by a Henley defence which to their credit kept going right to the end. From the lineout the game turned into a soccer match and a series of hack ons by Theo and Andy led to a maul from which Oliie completed the scoring with Newbury’s 10th try and the game ended 58-0.
The Man of the Match was Jordan Ruddock who scored four tries to continue what has been a great start for both him and the team.
Team to face Blaydon
October 23, 2009
1. CHRIS ROWLAND
2. PAUL FINKEN
3. CRAIG McGRATH
4. DAN HODGE
5. STEVE PAPE
6. IEN ASCROFT-LEIGH
7. JED HOOPER
8. SCOTT WITCOMB
9. WAYLON GASSON
10. MITCH BURTON
11. MARTIN FREEMAN
12. NICK SCOTT
13. MATT HUMPHRIES
14. FINLAY COXON-SMITH
15. MATT WILLIAMS
REPS:
16. TOM FIDDLER
17. CALUM McGREGOR
18. ANDREW CANNOCK
19. JACK AVERY
20. SAM KATZ
Colts Results
October 19, 2009
U19’s Colts got through to the next round of the National Colts Cup beating Longlevens 23-8
U17’s Colts went down 5-26 to a strong Bedford U17’s team
19/10 U9s Harts (B) Maidenhead Festival
October 19, 2009
U9s Harts - Maidenhead Festival
11th October, 2009
Maidenhead Festival
HARTS (B)
Oliver Barker
Charlie Cardno
Kieron Cartledge
Oliver Davey
Isaac Fernandes
Freddie Fleck
Tommy Harley
Ben McCarthy
Harry Murphy
Victoria Osborn
Harry Seymour
Jacob Smith
Henry Stratton
Harts v Henley 1 - 2 Lost
Try Scorers: Freddie Fleck
Harts v Wallingford 2 - 3 Lost
Try Scorers: Freddie Fleck, Ben McCarthy
Harts v Maidenhead 4 - 0 Won
Try Scorers: Kieron Cartledge 3, Ben McCarthy
Players of the Day: Kieron Cartledge, Freddie Fleck, Ben McCarthy
Match 1 summary:
RESULT: Newbury 1 - Henley 2
Newbury started with possession and early drives towards the opposition try line, with Oliver Barker (Hooker) driving forward strongly with little support from the props. Freddie broke away towards the end of the first half down the left wing and pushed through a weak opposition defence to score in the left corner. Henley managed a period of possession, with strong defensive tackles from Freddie and Ben and Jacob to hold them up. A maul formed 10m from the Newbury try line, and Henley were able to break free and penetrate Newbury’s defences for an equalising try before the half-time whistle.
Harry Seymour started the charge from the start of the second half and both teams exchanged possession in a very tight period of play. More big tackles from both team and Oliver Barker pushed forward strongly on many occasions, refusing to go to ground easily. There were improvements in passing between the backs also as we moved the ball better. In a cruel end to the match, the referee allowed play to continue despite infringements and awarded a winning try to Henley.
A draw would have been a more fitting result, a well fought game between two well-matched teams.
Match 2 summary:
RESULT: Newbury 2 - Wallingford 3
The second game marked great improvement in forward play, with excellent application from Oliver Barker and a more organised support from Victoria, Harry S and Keiron Cartledge. The teams looked well balanced, when Newbury were caught napping as Wallingford scrum half found a gap on the blind side of Newbury’s line-out defence and ran almost 40m unchallenged to score the first try of the game. Freddie retaliated in spectacular fashion from as he carved some space in Wallingford’s defences to equalise almost immediately. Newbury’s habit of not protecting the ball while running meant it was ‘stolen’ several times by the opposition and on two occasions this unfortunate turnover of the ball led to unnecessary tries against us. We’ve not seen ball-napping before, but it was good to learn a new trick.
In the second half, Newbury again looked evenly matched with Wallingford, with plenty of running and driving. Newbury put on a sustained push into Wallingford’s half and Ben at scrum-half looked up from a breakdown, spotted space and carved through a scattered defence to score a consolation try in the left corner.
Overall a good game which so easily could have been a victory, save a few careless errors.
Match 3 summary:
RESULT: Newbury 4 - Maidenhead 0
Match three saw Newbury organise based on previous performances and the team’s strengths, keen to win at least one pool match! Unfortunately, we had a slow start and immediately conceded ground deep into our own half, only saving a try by barging Maidenhead into touch. At the lineout Freddie was quick to move forward, taking the game back to the halfway line. Victoria drove into the opposition’s half and Kieron pushed forward from the breakdown to score the first try in an otherwise well balanced first half.
Harry wasted no time at the start of the second half as he drove forwards to within 10m of the opposition half, building pressure which resulted in Kieron driving over for the second try. Almost immediately the Newbury forwards were dictating the game again and it felt as if Newbury were simply more physical than Maidenhead, as progress was made by Kieron to within 10m of the opposition try line before being held up, offloading to Ben, who quickly eluded the opposition defence and made it 3 tries up. Becoming familiar by now with Maidenhead’s try line, Newbury made found going forwards reasonably simple, before Kerion simply peeled away from a maul with the ball and scored his hat-trick.
No doubt about it, Newbury simply bossed the host team in what was to be our final game of the tournament.
COACHES SUMMARY:
There was so much to be pleased about with our performances, as we clearly the range of players we need to make a competitive team and we could detect some light-bulbs going on in our player’s heads too. We learnt from Wallingford what can happen if you don’t protect the ball in-hand: it gets snatched from you. We also learnt the true power of running forwards every time, and refusing to go to ground until we are properly tackled. We’re also getting used to playing set positions, each with responsibilities attached - as coaches we were pleased to see many of our messages getting through and the players beginning to understand the roles they needed to play to be successful. Above all, we were very pleased that despite being beaten twice, our players always kept their chins up, kept going and appeared to have fun - leading to that great third-game display. Building on understanding our positions, we need to move the ball to our backs - who are now in good positions - more often, as well as use the width of the pitch. It’s not just our team who suffers from playing a narrow game with too little passing down the line, but it’s certainly an area for more focus - we could have been devastating to the opposition if we’d moved the ball quicker using improved passing skills.
Newbury 33 - Nuneaton 22
October 19, 2009
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Hat-trick of tries from scrum-half skipper sees Newbury end three-match losing streak
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| Newbury Blues 33 Nuneaton 22
SCRUM half Waylon Gasson’s hat-trick of tries gave Blues a massive confidence boost as they emerged from a run of three successive defeats to leave Nuneaton languishing in the bottom three of National League One. It was a fate that could have befallen Blues had they not shaken off their lean run and the potentially crippling plague of injuries that has hit their paper-thin squad. Blues ultimately deserved their bonus point victory, although they laboured at times to match some good approach work with a finish as they were guilty of over-elaboration. Gasson was on the mark to stop Nuneaton’s Ben Avant when he threatened before the visitors got their noses in front with three penalties from skipper Huw Thomas, but otherwise the visitors rarely posed a threat to the Newbury line and Blues gave themselves a vital half-time lead with two tries in the latter stages of the period. Thomas cut the gap with his fourth penalty shortly after the re-start, and penalties became the norm for a spell with another Thomas effort sandwiched by three from Roberts as Blues stretched their lead to 11` points, while Roberts’ fellow Bath loanee Ed Jackson was held up over the line to deny Newbury an early bonus point. But they eventually got it when the pack capped a spell of intense pressure by shoving Nuns aside before Gasson dived over for his third score, and although Elliot Brown ran home a late try for the visitors, it was too late to ruin an afternoon of sheer relief for the home side and its supporters. Newbury Blues: M. Williams; Coxon-Smith, Humphries, Burton, Scott; Roberts, Gasson; Rowland, McGrath, Fidler; Hodge, Pape; Witcomb, Bentall, Jackson. Subs: Thomas, McGregor, Ascroft-Leigh, Hooper, Katz. Nuneaton: Moore; Brown, Takarangi, Douglas, Daish; Poulton, Thomas; Davies, Bray, Pickard; Hurst, Griffiths; Smith, Avent, Eborall; Coltman, Taylor, Aston, N. Roy-Smith, L. Roy-Smith. http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=11360 Photos courtesy of Richard Bennett: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bennettsocial/sets/72157622608867606/ |
Colts on Sunday
October 17, 2009
Colts games this Sunday 18th at Newbury RFC KO’s 2pm
U19’s Colts play Longlevens (Gloucestershire) in the National Colts Cup
U17’s Colts play Bedford in a friendly
Come see the future