Under 16A – MR CHESTERTON
Eltham Under 16A XV battled bravely on Saturday against a well organised New Hall team but came up just short in a 24-19 loss. Both sides started well, showing good organisation in attack and aggression in defence. The game was evenly poised after about 15 minutes when an injury to a New Hall played resulted in the game moving pitches. This seemed to break Eltham’s concentration, and they conceded two tries in quick succession to be 12-0 down with half-time approaching. However, Eltham regained control of the ball and territory, and a try from Marcus A put them back in the game. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Namir K crashed over from close range for another try. Charlie converted both scores and Eltham had fought back to 12-12. Starting the second half with more confidence, Eltham took a 19-12 lead when Joe A powered across the line for a third try. At this point, Eltham were in charge of the game. However, New Hall stole the victory with two breakaway tries, one from a quick tap penalty and one from a high kick and chase which failed to bounce Eltham’s way. Eltham fought until the very end and was pressing deep into New Hall’s half when the final whistle blew. A disappointing result, but a highly commendable performance from a team with new faces and new combinations due to numerous injuries.
Under 15A – MR DAVIES
The Under 15A team had a successful week playing two fixtures. On Tuesday we played in the Kent Cup Quarterfinal against Sir Jonathan Williamson school, Rochester. An excellent performance resulted in a well-earned win by 29 points to 12 over the powerful opposition. Ilya Z was outstanding scoring a hat-trick of tries.
Our Saturday fixture was against New Hall School. The teams were well matched in the first half, but we produced our best performance of the season in the second half to record a 31 -12 victory. Our centre pairing of Sam R and Lawrence C, playing together for the first time this season, were a constant attacking threat, both scoring excellent tries.
Under 15B – MR HOUGHTON
The Under 15B team won the mental game against New Hall within about 5 minutes with some highly physical rugby from Lewis A and Aleja W. As the opposition heads went down, we ran in try after try from all parts of the pitch to win 47-10.
Under 14A – MR JERVIS
After the disappointment of a convincing midweek defeat to Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School in the semi-final of the Kent Cup, the Under 14A team were faced with the prospect of playing against a side that they lost to by 70 points last year. The team were asked to play with more heart and up their work rate, and that is exactly what they did. Antay L played hooker for the first time and carried out his duties with accuracy and a high work rate. The ever dependable David B continued to carry the ball well and along with Christy L and the impressive Aditya K got Eltham over the gain line for the likes of Jack E and Lewis S to get the ball to the Eltham backs who posed problems for the opposition.
New Hall, however, made some impressive breaks of their own and had some dangerous runners who helped them to score three tries of their own in the first half. Eltham did score a try of their own when the hard work of Nathan G was rewarded with a very impressive individual try.
The second half was a war of attrition and Eltham spent long periods in the New Hall half and 22. They were unable to convert the chances due to some resolute defence. To compound matters, New Hall scored a breakaway try from a fortunate bounce from a clearing kick. The final score was 26-5 to New Hall, but Eltham should take great heart from the improved performance.
Under 14B – MR HAMMOND
On Saturday, the Under 14B team met an aggressive and committed New Hall squad. New Hall packed a (metaphorical) punch across the essential facets of the game (tackling, rucking and running ability) which acted significantly in their favour. Over past weeks, Eltham has shown they can rise to this physical challenge, but they were unable to reach their best in what should have been a more hotly contested encounter.
The boys will reflect on their performance and approach next week with more energy. Special mention must go to Uriel J who never gave up and tried his best to rally his teammates, as well as Reuben C who’s evasive running ability consistently poses a threat and gives our team “go forward” ball.
Under 13A – MR THOROGOOD
The Under 13A will find it hard to understand why they did not win. A 25-10 loss but Eltham played all the rugby. Some excellent forward and back divisional play was counteracted by one individual from the opposition who scored a hat-trick of tries all from inside his own 22. Some more alert drift defence and more disciplined positioning may have helped but on the whole, Eltham played the much better rugby. As has been the case in every game so far, strong opposition individuals have over shadowed the Eltham determination to play good rugby.
Under 13B – MR MARLOW
The Under 13B started in thrilling fashion, spinning the ball out wide to score three tries in the opening spell. A new look team that has shown great promise in Friday’s games session delivered on the field. Alex P, who scored four tries, was a brilliant finisher and had great ball supplied by Zeka E and Ollie H playing inside him. The forwards were a mean threat too, and showed greater intent in the ruck than their opposition, giving the backs plenty of space. After New Hall got back in the game through some strong running, Eltham sealed the deal with a clutch of late tries as the game opened up. Notably, when Eltham passed the ball wide, the gaps opened up leading to huge gains in territory. This was a terrific team performance where everyone played a crucial part.
Under 12B – MR BALDWIN
The Under 12Bs travelled to New Hall on Saturday morning and put in another impressive performance to win 35-20. This was despite a slow start by Eltham which meant we conceded two tries in the first five minutes. This shocked the team into action, and the impressive Noah G made a fantastic break from his own half to pull a try back before finishing a good team move to level the score. Just before halftime, Ben R made a strong run of his own to give Eltham a deserved lead. Eltham played some superb rugby at the start of the second half as a 2nd try for Ben, one for Tobias O after a great pass by Dunmin X and two strong runs by Sam G put us 35-10 in front. Although the team tired and conceded two late tries, it was a comfortable victory and a superb team performance.
Under 12C – MR THOMAS
The Under 12C won 55-0. Excellent team performance with some strong running and good passing skills on display. The tries were shared amongst the team with a few boys getting on the scoreboard.
