Date: Sun 2nd Apr 2017

Match Report

The young Rams travelled to the sun-kissed seaside this week to take on the Clacton U14s. A match which ultimately proved to be a one-sided affair also managed to provide the Harlow U14s with a valuable lesson in sportsmanship.

After a score like this it would be criminal to simply list the points and call it a report. In brief, however, the overall performance from the entire sixteen players was nothing short of impressive; with an exceptional fifty minutes from both Tommy Johnston and Jakub Frankowski. Throughout the majority of the match Harlow showed a stark contrast to their play style from the beginning of the season. Long, mistimed passes gave way for well executed and smartly placed offloads; dis-jointed runs were replaced with strong forward charges into space; and, a manic, fervent dash for ground was lost to a composed and methodical attack. In comparison to the beginning of the season, Harlow were a completely different outfit this week.

A review of this game would not be true, however, without mentioning the sheer respect for the game showed by Clacton. At the Junior rugby level, it is understood that once a team reaches fifty points the whistle is blown and the game is ended unless the opposition agrees to carry on. Usually, when this happens players will step off the pedal and lose the impetus to continue playing. The Clacton U14s were not a side to do this. For the entire duration of the game the opposition kept their heads up and made Harlow fight for every point they got and once the game was over, they shook the hands of the young Rams and thanked them for coming to their grounds. In the words of the captain; Jude Clark, “Remember last year when we were losing games by sixty points and how bad that felt. They carried on until the final whistle. You have to respect that.”

This last match marks five successive victories for the U14s, with three of those wins providing over forty points for Harlow. In any coach’s eyes, that is a cause for celebration. With the final game of season against Upper Clapton looming nearer, there is an air of quiet confidence amongst the U14s.

Team List

1. Luke Cheetham, 2. Connor Molloy, 3. Daniel Porter, 4. Nathan Hunt, 5. Nathan Dennis, 6. Tyrone Kangwende, 7. Ollie Faber, 8. Jakub Frankowski, 9. Jude Clark, 10. Angelo Blasi, 11. Mitchell Miller, 12. Bradley Edwards, 13. Tom Joseph, 14. Ervins Bukejs, 15. Tommy Johnston, 16. Zak Moroney

Tries: Hunt, Frankowski (3), Johnston (4), Kangwende (2), Porter

Conversions: Blasi (5), Joseph, Molloy

Man Of The Match: Johnston