Mar 5, 2010, 3:50 pmIn patches last weekend Caldy showed their full array of talent as they notched up five tries against a Hull side that I feel will cause any of the remaining opponents this season some trouble. They do not appear to have any weaknesses in their side and with players such as Chris Murphy and Tevita Vaikona in their ranks I am sure they will have some say on the eventual winners of this Division.
This weekend sees the 1st XV visit Hull’s local rivals Hull Ionians with whom we have had some titanic battles over the last few seasons. Hull Ionians play good quality rugby and always give their opposition a real contest. The final game of last season was a tremendous game played in really good spirit with Caldy edging it 29 to 27. Hull Ionians did not have a great start to the season despite their obvious quality but recently have put together a good string of performances including last weekend’s defeat of Fylde having led the game in the first half by 27-7, which is no mean feat. Ionians top try scorer this season is Daniel Hague who plays at open side and has already scored eight tries this season and fly half Joseph Wright is the top point’s scorer with 85 points so far this season. In a revised organisation this year, Stephen Townend is now Director of Rugby, Mick Watson continues as Head Coach and Grahame Simm continues as Rugby Manager. Ionians have benefitted considerably this year from the loss of Halifax with the signings of quality players such as Oliver Marns (Wing), Tim Mennell (lock) and James Endersby.
From Caldy’s point of view, John Broxson and captain Shaun Woof miss this weekend with back injuries sustained last weekend. Lewi Orme takes over the scrum half role and Olly Cooper comes into the centre. Jon Nugent comes into the back row and Craig Smithson is on the bench. Alex Martland who has been putting in some starring performances for the 2nd XV gets a place on the bench after scoring 14 tries in 10 games so far this season. The team is as follows:
MACPHERSON, SOUTAR, ROBERTS, COOPER, KERFOOT, VASEY, ORME, WOODS, DOWRIDGE, SALISBURY, ARNOLD, COLLISTER, LYON, SEWELL, NUGENT SUBS: DICKINSON, INCE, TURNER SMITHSON and MARTLAND.
The 2nd XV this weekend face one of their closest league rivals when Fylde travel to Paton Field for a crunch match. Last time the teams met Caldy edged the game 12-7 with a last minute try from then debutant Alex Martland. Steve Dakin is delighted to have Liam Devaney back in the side following his travels and Adam Aigbokhae who returned home last weekend. The side is as follows:
BROADHURST, POTTS, ROSS, DEVANEY, CALVELEY, VORA, BYRNE, PARKER, STRUDWICK, CRAY, BROWN, LYON, MCNALLY, AIGBOKHAE, BAILEY SUBS: DOOLAN, BUCKEY, STONALL
The 3rd XV got back to winning ways last weekend when they played their cup match against league leaders Northwich 2nd XV. In a tight affair Caldy managed to claim a victory by 19-10. This week the 3rd XV get back to league action when they travel to Winnington Park to face the seventh placed side. Matt Pennington should return to action having been away last weekend.
Last weekend the 4th XV came unstuck away against Hoylake 2nd XV and this weekend the 4th XV face another tough game against Oldershaw 2/3 XV away.
The Junior Colts played in the first round of the National Under 17s Trophy and came away from a potentially difficult tie with a strong Keswick side by 27-0. There are no fixtures for the Colts this weekend.
Paton Field this weekend hosts the Junior Festival in which our four Junior Teams (Under 13s to Under 16s) face a number of our closest rivals. It is always a fantastic spectacle and I would recommend that anyone with a spare morning/afternoon please come down and support our boys and see the real quality throughout the club.
At one point the Under 16s were struggling to put out a full side for today’s visit from Macclesfield. On the day mind, we were able to muster a squad of 17 including the return of Frankie Stoddart who last donned a Caldy shirt some years ago.
This was a generally good performance from the lads, perhaps the score line was somewhat generous or suggests excellence; this wasn’t excellent but was solid gritty determined team effort – Every player on the pitch had a full role, with each of them contributing fully to gain the victory. Greg Morris opened the scoring in typical style, another weaving run that just frustrates the opposition, Greg Newall despite still suffering added to the score with a fine run more akin to a battering ram before placing the ball over the line. Jamie Ralston was not to be outdone as he too hit the score-sheet, the conversion however did beat him. An excellent try from Jamie M meant that we were able to convert on the fourth effort as Alex Mouarkach stepped up to the mark. Just prior to half time Greg Morris doubled his tally leaving Caldy in a comfortable lead; 27-0
In the second half, Caldy were clearly the dominant side, Greg Morris was particularly quick to make the tackle, Jamie Manson was frankly ferocious in the rucks. Matty Dowler was strong and led the pack well, credit to both James Ralston and Alex Bannon who made clear loud instruction to maintain the squads shape and composure. We then started to pile on the points, with both Jeroen Saccheri and Frankie Stoddart earning their first tries of the season – That said Macclesfield fought bravely but we were just the stronger side. We were not without fault, some of the passing was sloppy, and we briefly lost our discipline with Jamie Manson feeling the Officials wrath as he was sin binned!!
The other area that needed fine tuning was our kicking, it’s clear we do rely on Liam Isaacs and when he is absent we suffer. Further tries from Alex Bannon, Elliot Spencer and a second from James Ralston took the score to 58-0 before the Official called time.
A good performance and a real confidence boosting score line as we approach the Festival next weekend.
In positively tropical conditions compared to previous weeks, Caldy U14's played Macclesfield on pitch S2 and enjoyed a really good morning of rugby. Macclesfield are going through a bit of a rebuild at the moment and following correspondence between coaches during the week, the Caldy starting team had 12 different faces.
Different faces but the same rugby. The pack gelled straight away and from the start worked well in set and open play. Macclesfield have some strong athletic players and Caldy were made to work hard for possession. A strong start from Kellaway and the usual terrier like work from Swift was good to see. The back line handled the ball well but was occasionally guilty of drifting and passing sideways without actually going forward but tackled very well across the park. As it was, it wasn't until the 10th minute that the Macclesfield line was breeched when Porter handed off the Macclesfield defence to power over in the left corner. With no conversion, this was the only score of the half. Barr came close with a great run on the left wing but was well tackled off the pitch by the Macclesfield defence and Griffiths, playing a strong game at 10, placed a cracking chip over his opposite number that was collected by J Roberts to recycle the ball. Roberts gave England a master class having chased the kick hard for his reward.
The second half started with former loose head prop, Riley, on the left wing for Barr, scoring at full stretch after a 30m sprint along the touch line. The last tackle was excellent however Riley had the reach to ground the ball. The next try was well worked and against the run of play. Macclesfield exploited silly penalties by Caldy to pin the home team back in their 22. Back from long term injury Bridson used his quick feet and pace to break through the defence and having covered nearly the length of the pitch, Bridson off loaded to Good to score just before the covering tackle took him down.
Macclesfield responded almost straight away and a lovely piece of individual skill put them over the line having weaved and stepped through most of the Caldy team. Shortly afterwards Caldy extended the lead again with a try from Lacy. This was well deserved from a player who had worked hard during the second half to disrupt the opposition with tackle after tackle. Macclesfield didn't let their heads drop and followed up with another well worked try for the last score of the game. Not a great day for the kickers so it ended up 20-10. The game finished on an injury after a miss-judged tackle.
Man of the match was Jackson for a very calm and composed game at full back, with nothing dropped and good decisions being made in contact and open play. It wasn't the easiest decision as this was a really positive team performance. Thanks should also go to Ridgway, playing for Macclesfield who were without a hooker, working as hard for the visitors as he would for Caldy. As we prepare for the Oscars, Caldy should thank Macclesfield for a great game and we send our best wishes for to the injured player.
The Under 13s had a training session last weekend but this weekend will be involved in the Junior Festival for the first time.
The U12s played two fixtures at home against Sandbach, traditionally one of our strongest oppositions. The Lions played a very competitive game over three 20mins and having gone a try behind late on in the first session spent the next 40 mins hammering at the tryline but being repelled by excellent defence.The game was a fantastic advert for minis rugby played hard but fair in a great atmosphere with lots of running rugby and a fantastic referee in the shape of the Sandbach coach.The Tigers also enjoyed a full hour long game and having supplied Sandbach with 3 players as they were short embarked on a spirited display which was extremely even until the last session when frustration and tiredness took its toll and 3 late tries saw them go down by 5 tries to nil. Having spent the last 3 months hardly playing a game due to the festivities and poor weather all the boys have returned full of enthusiasm and showed great spirit which bodes well for the rest of the year.This week we are away to both Liverpool St Helens and Northwich
The Under 11s were visited by Sandbach on Sunday. Sandbach had proved tough opposition at their home ground earlier in the season, where the Players were held to a well-fought draw.
This time, though, the Players started the game with an intent that they never relaxed. The forwards gained the upper hand in both set scrums and in the loose – the only worry being Sandbach’s ability to turn over a number of balls through better wrestling skills. Caldy dominance in the lineout was total, with Sandbach hardly even winning any of their own throw-ins. The forwards demolition was led by Gabriel and Jack, who both put in storming performances.
Forward dominance led to the backs being given the luxury of time and space on their own ball, which they used to great creative advantage. Soon tries started to come, with Will being able to look up and then provide some fine passes as part of a building repertoire of moves. Most exciting back attack of the match goes to Ben B, with a Foden-esque run from deep within his own 22 up to the opposition 22.
Sandbach never gave up, and showed good shape in attack, most of which was orchestrated by their excellent fly-half. However, the Players backs were generally up on the opposition line very quickly, often gaining ground in defence. Sandbach scored a couple of good tries, but ceased to be able to penetrate once ‘hard man’ Liam came on as substitute full-back.
The score line of 6-2 was thoroughly deserved, but is perhaps a little harsh on a very strong Sandbach team.
Whilst the Players had spent the evening before the game tucked up in front of the telly with a Horlicks, true to form the Gentlemen were out on the town. This resulted in them being short of a forward or two for their encounter. Big Sam volunteered to become an honorary Gent, who otherwise had a full team.
Despite going down to an early couple of tries, the Gents played out of their skins. There wasn't a single tackle missed in the whole match, and the forwards and the backs started to work as teams together. Every single player took their turn in the team, and everyone showed what they could do. There was some real vision and pace shown by Ben M and Jack C, together with the strong running we now expect from Anton. Ben C and Michael in particular were outstanding in defence.
The final third of the game was all played in the Sandbach half, which culminated in a superb passing move from the back of a ruck, passed down the whole line to score in the corner. This move included pass of the match by Billy - it was sequence of play that even the Sandbach coaches were cheering! When the forwards got their try a minute later it rounded off what was by far the best match the Gents have played so far this season.
Full credit to all the Gents - and it gave the coaches real pleasure to see that something had sunk in from the training!
The Under 10s Lions entertained Sandbach in a return fixture from Remembrance Sunday. In November Sandbach had rotated their players throughout the morning but now played with an “A” and “B” team. In the match against the “A” team the Caldy forwards competed well in the scrum and in the loose and consequently the Lions enjoyed plenty of possession. However, dogged defence and great commitment by Sandbach made it difficult to turn this possession into tries. Caldy eventually scored two tries in each half to run out winners by 4 – 0. Try scorers – Ross Atkinson, Tom Norman, Matthew Underwood and Jacob Findlay. In the second game the Sandbach “B” team put up a courageous performance but were no match for the Lions who won by 13 tries to nil. Matthew Underwood, scorning overlaps by two Caldy forwards now playing at outside centre and right wing, ran in 4 individual second half tries!!
The U9s managed five matches against Sandbach last Sunday. Overall we won three and lost two, both losses only being by a single try. Once again the children are continuing to put into practice the skills they have learnt in training and particularly in developing the structure of the game from open play. The tackling, as ever, was a highlight of all the games.
Last week saw the Under 18s girls play their first game for quite some time, sadly the result was not what we wanted but all credit goes to Waterloo who convincingly won due to some great support play.
This Sunday we have 4 girls playing for North West with the remainder of the squad playing as a guest side in the first ever north of England girls 7's at Birkenhead.
And finally the quote of the week “I don't measure a man's success by how high he climb but how high he bounces when he hits bottom” (General George Patton)
Feb 26, 2010, 10:52 amLast weekend, the 1st XV had a highly exciting game away at Fylde won by a last minute penalty and they will be hoping for a less nerve jangling game this weekend I am sure.This weekend, the 1st XV face 8th placed Hull at home (kick off 2.15pm.) The team is coached by Tevita Vaikona, who was appointed Director of Rugby in June 2008. This appointment was seen as a major step in Hull realising their goals and gaining promotion this season. Tevita has a proven track record of playing both rugby League and Rugby Union at national and International level. A big part of Tevita's role is to work with the clubs development officers and junior coaches to develop and expand our mini and juniors set up.
On the playing side, Hull have a number of excellent players in their ranks including the like of lock Chris Murphy who played with our very own Shaun Woof and Matt Holt at Leeds Carnegie and Dan Cook is also a very talented lock who has played for Doncaster, Otley and Rotherham amongst others. Hull had a difficult start to the season having suffered a catalogue of injuries but have prior to last weekend were on a good run of form with the squad back to nearly full strength. Hull’s top scorer should also be back, James Cameron, who is an influential player and has scored 111 points so far this season. Hull’s top try scorers so far this season are Rob Devonshire and Rob Kitching who are both on 7 tries apiece
Matt Holt and the coaches have made a few changes this weekend to the starting line up following the departure of Mark Turner this week who has gone for 1st team rugby at Liverpool St Helens. Paul Arnold scored his 17th try of the season last weekend and is one try away from equalling the club record for a forward in a season of 18 tries held by Duncan Hendry. The team is as follows:
MACPHERSON, SOUTAR, ROBERTS, WOOF, KERFOOT, VASEY, BROXSON, WOODS, DOWRIDGE, TURNER, ARNOLD, COLLISTER, LYON, SEWELL, SMITHSON SUBS: SALISBURY, INCE, BARNISH, COOPER and NUGENT
The 2nd XV were unfortunate last weekend to come away from their early kick off against Sedgeley Park with a loss. The team played superbly well but came unstuck with about 10 minutes to go after leading for a good period of the game. Alex Martland notched a brace of tries and will be looking to add to his tally this weekend. The 2nd XV play Preston Grasshoppers 2nd XV at home in the last eight of the Raging Bull Cup the same side they lost in the semi final to last season. Jack Parker and his squad will be looking to gain some form of revenge for that loss. Steve Dakin has selected the following side:
BROADHURST, MARTLAND, DEVANEY, LYON, CALVELEY, VORA, BYRNE, PARKER, STRUDWICK, BUCKLEY, BROWN, LYON, MCNALLY, DICKINSON, BAILEY SUBS: DOOLAN, STONALL, CRONE
Last weekend, both the 3rd XV and the 4th XV were due to be playing Lymm and Mossley Hill but both opposition sides cried off and it was good to see a large proportion of them propping up the bar on our return from Fylde. This weekend the 3rd XV entertain Northwich 2nd XV in the last 16 of the raging Bull Trophy and the 4th XV are entertaining Hoylake 2nd XV at home.
The Junior Colts are playing away this weekend in the first stage of the National Under 17s Cup when go to Keswick hoping to progress as some of our previous colts teams have done recently. Good luck boys!!
This weekend, the Juniors are playing Macclesfield and the minis are playing Sandbach at home. The Under 16s were away on tour last weekend in jersey and due to the poor weather only the Under 13s managed to sneak in a fixture when they faced Anselmians at home. The U13s were the only age group to brave the cold morning. The loss of so many games around Christmas meant that the U13s were anxious to play if at all possible. The first half started well with the Caldy forwards recycling the ball well and the backs moving smoothly through the gears. Less than five minutes on the clock and strong running sent Tom Grieves over in the corner for the first try (5-0). From the kick off, play moved into the Anselms half - the snow on the ground showed the territorial dominance of the Caldy forwards. From mid-field near the Anselms 22, a crashball move broke down but quick work from Ben Unsworth to rescue the ball gave him an opening on the blindside. Ben broke the Anselms tackles to score a try out on the left (10-0). The Caldy forwards then took control of the ball and moved it back down to the Anselms 22. Tom Grieves nearly broke through, with Tom Cornall in support, only to be dragged down by the collar. The Anselms forwards were off-side at the ensuing penalty to give Caldy a perfect tap penalty close to the line. A popped ball to Richie Honeybourne 5 metres out was only going to give one result. Try to Honeybourne and to Caldy (15-0). Next, the Caldy backs attacked from the kick off with a great crash ball run from Joe Ralph. Straight running will get you over the gain line, but fast hard running through tacklers gave Caldy another try (Guy Reeve converting, 22-0). The final play of the half provided a moment of brilliant rugby, a classic try in the corner by Tom Cornall from a perfectly weighted miss pass from Ben Unsworth (27-0). Great running from deep and good vision from the fly-half.
In the second half, Anselms upped their game and Caldy had the chance to try out some combinations and to give a decent run out to all the lads who turned up to cheer on the team. The game was more balanced but Caldy retained the territorial dominance. All credit to Anselms, they didn't give up. Anselms ran the ball from deep but the Caldy defence held out. The second half Caldy tries came from Tom Grieves (32-0) and a great number 8 pick up from a 5 metre scrum by Mike Pritchard-Howarth (37-0). Notable strong points were the scrummaging and the lineouts where we took opposition ball and spoiled very effectively. Great to win and great to keep a clean sheet - with all the players putting in tackles and running hard.
The Girls section have also been hampered by the weather as of late but they did manage to get on at half time last weekend during the Sale Sharks match for a quick training session. This weekend, the Girls are back to league action for the Under 18s who are away at Waterloo and the Under 15s do not have a game as they were due to play Barrow who have now pulled out of the league.
A message from Lynn Ridgway “Thank you to everyone who has returned raffle stubs and money. I have made the return to the RFU today and we have sold £2500 worth of tickets which is not a bad effort, but some groups have been noticeable by their absence, Several people have text and phoned me today who still have some money, therefore I will make an extra return on Monday. If anyone still has ticket stubs and money I will be at the club on Saturday for the first team match and again on Sunday. Could you please forward this to your parents and this last little push may well get us to £3000! There are 4 age groups across the board who have done particularly well and are in the running for "Fundraising Team of The Year".
And finally, my quote of the week from Seve Ballesteros “To give yourself the best possible chance of playing to your potential, you must prepare for every eventuality. That means practice.”
Caldy Superdraw
Highlights
