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| Rugby 3rd XV Team 'Blog' |
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Overall Record for the Season Played 9 Won 4 Lost 5 Versus Moulsford Saturday 10th November Lost 0-34 Team: Conor Dickinson ;Alex Heyre;Edward Beedham;Theo Singh;Tom Johnson;Max Kirk (Captain) ;Dominic Hill;Hugo Rivas De Anta;Billy Dovey; James Kang; Sean McCarten; Edward Dyer;Max Medlock;Robert Trapnell Substitutes;Tom Surrall; Sapan Maini-Thompson;Oliver Trapnell As the score indicates, this was not quite the end of season result that we were looking for. As there was such a long gap between the Caldicott match and this one, some of the momentum that we had built up before half-term was lost. Nevertheless the score does not tell the true story of the game. For much of the first half there was no score and Moulsford only scored their second try on the stroke of half time. Once again we were out weighed in the forwards and Moulsford won the majority of the ball. They had a competent backline who were keen to run at every opportunity. It was the great committed defence of Eagle House that kept the score down in the first half. There was a lot of good defence in the second half, but the bigger and quicker Moulsford team gradually wore down the spirited Eagle House resistance. It is difficult to single out individuals, as the whole team put body and soul on the line to keep out wave after wave of opposition attack and our scrum held firm winning all our own ball. Looking back on the season as a whole, this team can take a lot of pride in their performances. It is many years since Eagle House Thirds won as many as 4 games and as most fixtures were against bigger schools, the team can take a lot of pride in their performances. The boys were an excellent group to coach and they were all prepared to do anything to help out the team, even if it meant playing in an unfamiliar position. The fact that almost every boy in the senior group played at some stage of the season is a tribute to the enthusiasm and committment of this great bunch of Eagle House boys.
Versus Caldicott 4ths Wednesday 17th October Won 12-5 Team: Conor Dickinson ;Alex Heyre;Edward Beedham;Theo Singh;Sapan Maini-Thompson;Max Kirk;Dominic Hill;Hugo Rivas De Anta;Billy Dovey; James Kang; Sean McCarten; Robert Trapnell;Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitutes;Tom Surrall; Edward Dyer;Jamie O'Kelly The highlight of 2006 had been a thrilling narrow win against Caldicott 5ths and this year's match against their 4ths proved to be another excellent and close game between 2 evenly matched teams. Once again last minute changes had to be made to the original team as illness robbed the 1sts and 2nds of 2 players and so Huw Braithwaite and Tom Johnson found themselves in the Second team. The game was played at a fast pace and Caldicott dominated the opening quarter but good defence kept them from scoring. The last 10 minutes of the half saw Eagle House camped in the opposition half, but unable to score. Caldicott had the better of the forward exchanges but the smaller Eagle House pack worked hard to keep us in the game especially the loose trio of Max Medlock, Sean McCarten and James Vonchek. The opposition had pace in the backline but were kept in check by our backs who also looked to have more penetration. Caldicott came out strongly at the start of the second half and their bigger pack started to make their presence felt and they were rewarded with an unconverted try. Often in a close contest the first score does the trick, but we refused to let this get us down and we began to move the ball around a lot more. As he has done so often this season,Theo Singh scored a fine try after a good line break which was converted by Max Kirk. We then lost our captain James Vonchek who had greatness thrust upon him by joining the First XV who were a man down in their game on the next field. This meant another reorganisation of the pack and Jamie O'Kelly came on for his first game of rugby in 2 years. In spite of this, we continued to play with positive intent and were rewarded with another good try, this time scored by Max Kirk which secured another deserved victory for a team which never gives up and in so doing provides our supporting parents with enjoyable rugby to watch.
Versus Papplewick Saturday 13th October Lost 12-27 Team: Conor Dickinson ;Alex Heyre;Huw Braithwaite;Theo Singh;Tom Johnson;Max Kirk;Dominic Hill;Hugo Rivas De Anta;Billy Dovey; James Kang; Sean McCarten; Robert Trapnell;Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitutes; Sapan Maini-Thompson; Edward Dyer Injuries in the Firsts and Seconds meant that we lost Sean Neat and Edward Beedham which meant that we had to reorganise the team. It was obvioius from the beginning that we would struggle against a bigger and well organised pack. In particular Papplewick were excellent at rucking and mauling and they were dominant in these areas of the game. We were soon a try down but fought back manfully and a long winding run from Huw Braithwaite who scored brought us back on even terms but 2 further tries from Papplewick saw them in the lead at half-time. Although they had the edge in the forwards our backline had a lot more pace and looked more likely to penetrate the defence. For most of the first 15 minutes of the second half we were defending our line and we did well to limit the opposition to only 2 more scores before Max Kirk weaved his way through to score a try which he converted himself. The last 5 minutes of the game saw Eagle House winning good ball and threatening further scores and it was Papplewick's turn to defend desperately,which was a great tribute to the tenacity and never say die spirit of our team. Even though we were defeated by a better side we played our part in an exciting game which was enjoyed by all the spectators who came to support. Versus The Beacon Wednesday 10th October Lost 7-12 Team: Edward Beedham ;Billy Dovey;Huw Braithwaite;Theo Singh;Tom Johnson;Max Kirk;Dominic Hill;Hugo Rivas De Anta;Sean Neat; James Kang; Sean McCarten; Robert Trapnell;Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitute; Conor Dickinson
We started the game well and took the attack to The Beacon and were rewarded with a fine try scored by Huw Braithwaite which was converted by Theo Singh. Minutes later Huw almost scored sgain but was forced out in the corner. James Vonchek was unfortunate not to be given a try when we drove over the line and he appeared to ground the ball. After these let offs The Beacon came back strongly and scored an unconverted try just before the half-time break. The second half was a most frustrating one for us as their bigger forwards poured through rather quickly at set pieces and we could not get our superior backline running. A series of penalties for The Beacon in our 22 had us hanging on desperately but eventually with so much possession one of their big forwards crashed over for the winning try. They held onto this lead and so a game which had started so well ended in disappointment. Versus Windlesham House Wednesday 26th September Won 29 -14 Team: Conor Dickinson;Alex Heyre;Billy Dovey; Theo Singh;Felix Medlock; Edward Beedham; Max Kirk;Ryan Chan;Sean Neat; James Kang; Sean McCarten; Robert Trapnell;Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitutes;Sapan Maini-Thompson;Edward Dyer; Thomas Surrall Illness meant that we had to change a winning team at the last minute, but fortunately Max Kirk was now available and he filled in at Scrum Half and James Kang came in for his first full game. Windlesham started well and their big pack put us under great pressure. They eventually forced their way over the line but Eagle House came back with determination and Edward Beedham just put a foot in touch, before dotting the ball down after a great solo run.Then Max Kirk found enough space to beat the defence on 2 occasions to give us a 10-7 lead at half time.
The second half was a real ding dong affair with the mauls being fiercely contested. In this area Max Medlock was outstanding and he often managed to wrestle the ball away from much bigger opponents. Theo Singh found enough space to set off on one of his weaving runs and scored slightly against the run of play. This gave us the confidence to surge forward and once again we found space on the right and Billy Dovey touched down in the corner. Our final score came from a well rehearsed penalty move which saw Sean Neat score in the other corner.
We nearly scored again but Ryan Chan was forced into touch on the line just before the full time whistle blew. Another great performance but I hope that in the 2 weeks before we have before our next match we work at tightening up on certain areas. In particular we need to support the ball carrier more and stop throwing the ball around in hope when we are put under pressure. It would be good to use our backline more often as we do have pace which we need to make more use of. Nevertheless this should not take the gloss off some fine performances thus far at it is several years since the Third team won 3 of their 5 opening fixtures. We have a good platform to build on.
Versus Oratory Saturday 22nd September Won 12-5 Team: Conor Dickinson;Alex Heyre;Billy Dovey; Theo Singh;Felix Medlock; Edward Beedham; Dominic Hill;Ryan Chan;Sean Neat; Hugo Rivas De Anta; Sean McCarten; Robert Trapnell;Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitute;Sapan Maini-Thompson This game was approached with some trepidation on the part of the coach as some of the Third team stars of the early games had made their way to the Seconds and we were playing a school whose Third team was one of their stronger teams as they also had fourth and fifth teams. it was thus a pleasant surprise to find that the two teams were evenly matched. We played the first half down the slope which helped us put on early pressure and nearly scored but James Vonchek lost the ball on the line. Soon after this, Theo Singh ran powerfully through a few attempted tackles and scored, converting his own try. Oratory came back strongly and scored just before half time and a 2 point lead did not look good enough for us as they had the advantage of the slope in the second half. After absorbing some early pressure, we spent a long time in the Oratory half and once again Theo Singh proved to be too elusive for their defence and scored but was not able to convert this time. Oratory came back strongly but determined defence held them out, while some of our driving play was outstanding. On one occasion we were able to drive them back 20 metres. It was this type of committment that ensured that we held on for a well deserved victory. It is difficult to single out individuals as this was a terrific team effort and every single one of the 16 players who played, can look back on this victory with pride, but I hope that they will also realise that it will require more of the same determined effort and committment if we are to repeat this performance.
Versus Cranleigh Wednesday 19th September Lost 0-29 Team: Thomas Surrall;Max Medlock; Theo Singh;Felix Medlock; Conor Dickinson; Dominic Hill; Sean Neat; Robert Hwang; Hugo Rivas De Anta; Sean McCarten; Edward Dyer; Robert Trapnell;Billy Dovey; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitutes;Sapan Maini-Thompson; James Kang This was always going to be a tough assignment as Cranleigh have more numbers in this age group and so have more players to choose from. We were always under pressure and found it difficult to clear our lines. When we did manage to find touch it was often on the full from outside our 22, hence we lost ground. When we kicked upfield Cranleigh were always ready to counter attack. They put us under constant pressure with the result that when we passed the ball, it was often to someone in a worse position. Cranleigh were up by 17 points at half-time and were threatening to run away with the game, but to our credit, we never gave up and we contested all the phases of the game and often won Cranleigh ball from scrums, line-outs, rucks and mauls where Robert Hwang was outstanding. Unfortunately we never did threaten their line but our commitment under pressure against a better organised team was commendable.
Versus The Dragon Saturday 15th September Won 20-7
Team: Tom Johnson; Alex Heyre; Billy Dovey; Felix Medlock; Conor Dickinson; Dominic Hill; Sean Neat; Robert Hwang; Hugo Rivas De Anta; Sean McCarten; Edward Dyer; Robert Trapnell; Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitutes;Thomas Surrall; James Kang; Oliver Trapnell This turned out to be a high tempo game played on a very warm afternoon and all credit to both teams for their sustained effort and committment. We had the advantage in that we had already played a game, whereas the opposition were playing their first match. Some good driving play saw James Vonchek dive over near the corner for our first try and when Billy Dovey touched down a few minutes later, it seemed that we had the match well under control. The Dragon fought hard and we started to miss tackles which led to a converted try right on the stroke of half-time, so we started the second half with a narrow 10-7 lead. Right from the start The Dragon penetrated well into our 22 but desperate defence held them out. The game swung from one end to the other but 2 excellent tries from Tom Johnson where he used his pace and skill put the game beyond the reach of the Dragon. Although this was a good win, we must not get carried away as there are areas that need work, particularly our defence as too many first time tackles were missed. Nevertheless it was a good overall performance which was appreciated and enjoyed by the large number of parents from both teams who turned to watch. Versus Aldro Wednesday 12th September Lost 17-19 Team: Sapan Maini-Thompson; Tom Johnson; Alex Heyre; Billy Dovey; Felix Medlock; Conor Dickinson; Dominic Hill; Sean Neat; Robert Hwang; Hugo Rivas De Anta; Theo Singh; Edward Dyer; Robert Trapnell; Max Medlock; James Vonchek (Captain) Substitutes; Sean McCarten; Thomas Surrall This match was approached with some trepidation on the part of the coach, bearing in mind the experience of last season of playing 3rd XVs of schools where the numbers are much bigger. In fact the game proved to be a great spectacle for so early in the season. Early on, Aldro threatened to overrun us and took a 14 -3 lead but Eagle House kept up the pressure both in defence and attack and Robert Hwang scored a good try just before half-time after a series of determined attacks. Aldro started the second half strongly and scored in the left hand corner but from then on, it was all Eagle House and Theo Singh jinked his way superbly through the defence and was cut down on the line by a high tackle, but the penalty try was awarded and converted by Theo to add to his other conversion and penalty. Sensing victory, Eagle House worked hard to get the winning score but determined defence on the part of Aldro kept us out and the final whistle blew with us camped agonisingly close to the tryline. Although Robert Hwang and Theo Singh, our points scorers, were often in the thick of things, the whole team played really well as a unit, which considering the lack of team practice was very encouraging. Hence, a great start to the season and hopefully we can build on this good beginning. |
