U10s make final at Wellingborough Festival

U10s fall at final hurdle at Wellingborough Festival

The Wellingborough Festival saw the U10s reach their 2nd festival final in quick succession only to lose out at the final stage again.
The pool stage saw some tremendous performances and resulted in victories over 3 teams to whom they lost on their last meetings.

Match 1 vs Rushden & Higham. Won 4-0
Early pressure by Scouts was initially repelled by the opposition, however having crossed the line only to be held up the deadlock was broken by Lawrenze following a big drive from the resulting scrum. Sustained dominance by the forwards lead to Ruaridh scoring to leave a half-time score of 2-0 in favour of Scouts.
It was the same story in the second half with Ruaridh and Lucas scoring tries, which coupled with some excellent defence saw Scouts win comfortably.

Match 2 vs Casuals. Won 2-0
Following a tight, cagey start Scouts began to get the upper hand in the match and were rewarded when Sam crossed to give Scouts the lead. This proved to be the only score in a tight & tense first half.
Good, solid defence by Scouts provided the background for them to take control of the match with Lawrenze doubling the score after more good work from the forwards. The eventual score did not do justice to Scouts dominance as they were held up over the line on a further 3 occasions.

Match 3 vs Stewarts & Lloyds. Won 4-0
The match started in the best possible fashion for Scouts when directly from the kick off, Sam broke through the S&L defence and off-loaded to Lewis to score in the corner. S&L almost replied immediately, but knocked on over the line. This scare woke Scouts up and Rhys increased the lead following a series of line outs near the S&L line to see Scouts comfortably ahead at half time.
Scouts continued to dominate in the second half and deservedly increased their lead through Ruaridh who pirouetted out of a couple of tackles. The scoring was completed when Jacob T. crashed his way through some half-hearted and weary tackles to make the final score 4-0.

Match 4 vs Wellingborough. Won 2-0
This match saw the 2 unbeaten teams in the pool come head to head with the winner progressing to the final and the loser to the plate final. It also saw probably the best performance by Scouts in the competition. Knowing they had to up their game the forwards were immense, especially in the scrums frequently driving the opposition off their own ball. Rhys gave Scouts the lead after a very tight opening quarter and
Scouts held this lead going into half time.
Following another huge drive at a scrum Lawrenze finally scored a second Scouts try having been held up over the line moments before. With more superb tackling Scouts shut out Wellingborough and progressed to the final without conceding a single try throughout the pool stage.

Final vs Towcester. Lost 3-0
Once again the final proved to be a match too far for Scouts. However, they put up fierce resistance in a match which saw players from both sides sustaining injuries. However a combination of tiredness and questionable refereeing decisions eventually took their toll and Scouts finally ran out of steam.

This was a magnificent effort by all the players involved. Special mention should be given to the 5 forwards used throughout the tournament: Jacob T., Ethan K., Callum, Jack & Zac played as a cohesive unit securing the ball and providing service for the backs to work with. The team didn’t concede a single try in their 4 pool matches and the overall defence was fierce and effective.
In can surely now only be a matter of time before they take that final step and complete a tournament victory that they so richly deserve.