The Scouts Soldier on!

A good turn out for the squad on a damp and breezy morning. Pitch conditions were challenging (biggest challenge being dodging the puddles!) which meant the boys had to work harder for their victory.

The coaches were pleased to see us muster 3 teams to face the 2 that Casuals brought to the fortress. The ground water meant we had to steal a pitch from the u16s who thankfully cancelled their match due to the ground conditions. That didn't stop the under 9s though. Working hard on the tackle and moving the ball, the boys earned a win in most if not all of the games against the visitors. The boys are having to focus their minds away from the conditions and keep up with each other to keep the support running.

As we move through the season the teams we are playing are also getting better. This means that the odd time one player can smash through on their own is getting less and less. We are working on moving the ball, encouraging the boys to think tactically to ship the ball letting it do the work, rather then ploughing through the mud. With one eye on maintaining the basics in tackling and line speed, we continue to build the boys game experience.

The player of the week is a constant source of energy for the team, he is so consistent in his tackling and ball handling he sometimes gets missed as attention is often drawn to others who may have caught the eye through exceptional play that game. He is a testament to the saying "size is everything". I know I wouldn't want to get tackled by him at full speed, a big well done to Thomas Reilly.

Another consistent player was awarded our player of the month. Archie Edwards is maturing as a player, he always could "truck it up the pitch", much to the delight of the coaches, but more recently we have seen Archie putting in some fantastic offloads for the easy ball so another player can score. an admirable quality, that's the difference between a player and a team player. He obviously worked hard as it looked like he was off to the Spa after the match, he is in the book!!

Well done to all who braved the elements.