DERBY MIDI FEST TROPHY AT STAKE

FIRST GAME

Liam, Samuel, Charlie, Duncan, Matty, James, Sam, Tom and Chris

The game started well, but Derby were quick to show their pressure and within 2 minutes scored their first try. Some important tackles by Samuel and Liam followed, but could not hold a solid Derby side who quickly got their second try. Burton looked bewildered. Half time 0-2 down.
Theo came on for Charlie in the second half and Tom showed good spirit as he held onto the ball in the maul but Derby took hold again. A knock-on gave a scrum to Burton. Liam showed some robust tackles on the wing and persistently gave his best throughout the 2nd half. A classic tackle by Theo halted Derby temporarily, but they sprinted through seconds later to gain a deserved 3rd try. The 4th try for Derby came all too soon as their strength became all too apparent for some of our new boys. Theo pushed forward but there was an unlucky knock-on. Our tackling was in vain, but James made a determined effort through midfield but the Derby defence remained solid. This was a very hard first game for all the boys. Final Score 4-0 to Derby.

SECOND GAME

Matthew, Simon, Edward, Archie, Frankie, William, Kern, Dan and Lewis

A determined no-nonsense start by Burton set the tone for this second game with Lewis weaving through the midfield.. Moments later, a lengthy battle ensued on Derby’s try line and Frankie was pushed over the line, but the try not awarded. Burton had been very unlucky not to score. Scrum went down with excellent effort by our boys and allowed Matthew to pass out to Kearn who surged forward in true “Tolley style”. Burton were inches from the tryline but somehow Derby managed to scramble the ball away. However justice was granted moments later with a magical first try for Burton by Dan. Lots of pressure followed from Burton with Simon wrestling relentlessly for the ball in a maul. (I think he saw a chocolate bar in there somewhere!) Matthew pushed forward, passed to Simon who passed out to Lewis who efficiently took the ball over the line for Burton’s 2nd try. Some determined rugby by Matthew enabled William to delightfully side step his way through a shaky Derby defence. Moments later, Edward added yet more pressure on the wing and sprinted for the line to score a well deserved try. 0-3 to Burton at half-time.

Max came on in the second half. Dan collected the ball well and shot up the wing, making excellent headway before being brought down. An impressive tackle by Kearn held Derby in their place, but not for long, they snatched the ball and pushed forward to score their first try.

An outstanding solo run by Frankie followed, which caught Derby napping and nothing was going to stop Frankie as he charged through their defence to score a fantastic try.
The pace of the game increased with Frankie again grabbing for the ball and Burton surged forwardl More pressure followed with an impressive 8 out of our 9 boys joining forces together in a maul in a bid to take the ball over the Derby try line, but remarkably Derby slipped out from the back with possession, but thankfully to no avail. There was impressive strength shown by our lads in the scrum which was crucial in this game. Dan was again in the action near the tryline but the whistle blew for time. An exciting and energised, solid performance gave us as 4-1 victory.

3RD GAME

Kearn, Samuel, Max, Frankie, Theo, Archie, Lewis, James, Duncan-part, Simon-part and Jay

James captained this game and the action took off.. Lewis took the ball on before being solidly tackled by Derby. Theo responded by pounding in the tackles again and again to refuse Derby any ground on the left wing, which left Derby frustrated. Archie supported Samuel well in midfield but Derby shot off like a rocket and Samuel somehow got in front of the Derby player and pushed him back from the Burton tryline to prevent them scoring what seemed to be an inevitable first try.

Theo bulldozed his way forward and it took 3 Derby boys to eventually stop him in his tracks. A well deserved positive first half from our boys 0 – 0 at half time.

Duncan came on and Simon replaced Max who took a knock. After only 30 seconds an energised Derby side scored. Samuel put in two well timed tackles in an attempt to diffuse an electric Derby side. Simon made a defiant run over the half way line and Burton steadily built up pressure which culminated in Samuel finding himself underneath one of Derby’s more “solid” boys and he picked up a stud on the shin for his trouble and had to come off. Derby regrouped and scored their 2nd try and Burton replied with a good push forward. A skillfull and much needed tackle by Simon saw Burton gain momentum again with Duncan forcefully holding onto possession before the whistle blew for full time. Final Score 2-0 lost but a spirited performance by our boys.

4th GAME
Liam, Simon, Charlie, Lewis, Matthew, Sam, Frankie and William, Dan

A powerful push forward by Frankie started this game well. Scrum down after which Simon once again wrestled the ball but Derby persisted to score their 1st try. Some excellent tackles followed by Burton but Derby remained 1-0 up at half time.

Burton made an outstanding start to the second half with text-book passing down the line with 4 passes culminating in a beautiful try by Simon. Well done boys! Derby didn’t know what had hit them! That was a magic moment for players and coaches alike!

Liam soldiered on down the wing and made an important tackle to dent Derby’s progress, but eventually a 1st try followed by a quick 2nd for Derby happened. Sam worked well and forged forward and made good distance before being brought down. Passionate play by Burton followed with Matthrew grappling with a Derby player to regain possession and this time Matty took the lead. Powerful work in the scrum by Charlie and the boys then saw Frankie plough forward and support Lewis who took a well deserved try.

Liam quickly got stuck in again with his tackles as did Simon and Matthew and stopped Derby in their tracks. This was a fast and furious game ending in a 2-2 draw.

5th GAME
Kearn, Samuel, Jay, Duncan, Theo, Archie, William, Edward and Chris Tom-part

Archie captained this game and started proceedings. A positive flying run by Derby was too strong for us to hold back and they got their 1st try. Jay held onto the ball and tried hard to withstand the pressure as 2 boys pushed him out of touch. Derby showed skill in passing until Edward and William put in some solid tackles to stop their fun! Kearn swiftly gave support where needed and released Edward who twisted and turned like a corkscrew through the Derby defence. Sadly the whistle blew for half time. Burton 1-0 down at halftime.

The second half saw Tom show a good touch of speed and made important headway. The ref then blew his whistle and lectured the boys “Do not over protect the ball” final warning! Ed dug deep with his tacklng again as did William, but they could not hold back a revitalised Derby side who scored their second. Scrappy mid-field play followed and Derby held us back well. Vital tackling by Kearn and Samuel kept it off the line, but Derby whipped back and scored again. A sad end to this game - 4-0 defeat.

An overall energetic performance by our boys who tackled, rucked and mauled well, but with the final score showing 6 tries for Burton and 13 to Derby, the homeside had all the glory....and took possession of the trophy until the next meeting!!??