Stroud Rugby Club Under 8’s versus Minety - 9th December 2007

Stroud U8’s travelled to Minety this week, and despite a muddy, rain-sodden pitch, they came out on top two games to one.

Slippery conditions apart, accurate tagging and good passing were the hallmarks of Stroud in the first game, with the teams running from end to end.

Sam Hanahoe opened the scoring for Stroud with a well-worked try, only for Minety to hit back with two quick scores. In response, Paddy Shipton evened things up with an individual run, only for the home side to inch ahead minutes later. Harry McNeil then executed a typically strong solo attack to tie the scores. Half-time 3-3.

Minety added to the score sheet immediately after the break, but Stroud pegged them back with a try from Angus McDowall. Ethan Seville then had a storming run, only to be tagged close to the opponents try-line – but a quick pass from Spencer Hill set Angus McDowall up for his second try.

The home side then drew level again briefly, before Matthew Cullimore cut through the defence with a straight run, passing to Angus McDowall to score his hat-trick. The frenetic pace of the match continued to the final whistle, with Minety coming back again with a good try – only for Angus McDowall to score in the dying seconds of the game. Final score 7-6 to Stroud.

The second game continued where the first had left off with tries from Paddy Shipton (2), Angus McDowall, Matthew Cullimore, Harry McNeil and Sam Hanahoe – supported by good running and passing from rest of the team - in particular, William Frusher and Liberty Travis. However, this time, the ping-pong nature of the game ended with Minety coming out winners 6-7.

As the pitch turned into a mud-bath and legs began to tire, the final match saw errors starting to creep into from both sides. Nevertheless, the tries kept coming, with Harry McNeil, Sam Hanahoe and Paddy Shipton scoring in the first half for Stroud to keep the tallies even 3-3. In the second half Stroud edged ahead with tries from Jared Usher and Matthew Cullimore, but their lead kept disappearing as Minety responded each time. In the end, however, it was a blazing run down the touchline from Harry McNeil that put Stroud in the lead, 6-5, just before the final whistle.

Star Player: Paddy Shipton