n an unusually bright and pleasant Saturday in December five Gamlingay boys formed part of the squad of 13 players for the Biggleswade U8’s team that travelled to Northampton to take part in the Northampton Saints mini (tag) rugby competition. These boys were Will Kitson (Captain), Harry Jones, Jack Boissieux, Jake Freeman and Gareth Richards. The competition was to take the form of two pools of 5 teams. Each team had to play everyone in their pool. Five points were awarded for a win, 3 for a draw and 1 for a loss. The winners of each pool went into the final so a strong performance was needed in the preliminary games.
First up, the boys played Kettering. They were a strong side but the ‘Biggy’ boys dominated the match mainly because of strong defensive play by all. All the Gamlingay boys were extremely focussed and each deserved a place in the team on the day purely on their tagging. Despite this, nerves got the better of the squad and minor infringements meant that even though ‘Biggy’ crossed the line three times all three tries were disallowed and the final score was a heart breaking 0-0.
In the second match, against St Loys, all nerves were forgotten as grim determination took over. Will as Captain led his team by example with more excellent defensive play and scoring 5 tries. Harry Jones also got on the score sheet and the final score was 9-0. Once again it was ‘Biggys’ strong tag work that kept the opposition from scoring and Harry, Jake, Jack and Gareth formed a big part of this.
By the third match the boys’ legs must have been getting tired. The pitches they were playing on were much bigger than normal but this didn’t stop them from performing at their best. This time they were against St Ives. Gareth opened the scoring with a little sidestep that fooled the opposite player and once again excellent defensive work from all made the final score 5-1.
Within the pool the first team we played, Kettering, were having an almost equal amount of success. In their final game they scored 9. For ‘Biggy’ to get through to the final we would have to win our final match by scoring at least that many. The nerves of all the parents was hard to contain but fortunately the boys were much more composed, thanks once again to the great leadership of Will. This time we were against Bletchley. Will scored three tries but with time running out, the score at 8-1, it was the cheeky interception by Harry Jones that saw him run the length of the pitch to get the 9th try for a place in the final.
With a short break it was the final against a strong Huntingdon side. Once again the Gamlingay boys formed the core squad and tired legs were forgotten as the desire to win took over. It was fitting that Harry Jones opened the score but Huntingdon came back and equalised. ‘Biggy’ went ahead again but once again Huntingdon equalised. Excellent team work meant that ‘Biggy’ scored again and then managed to get a 4th. Once again Huntingdon came back into the game scoring a third but the boys managed to score again to make it 5-3. As time was running out and legs were getting tired Huntingdon managed to get a 4th try but the boys focussed on their defensive work and kept Huntingdon from scoring again to hang on for a 5-4 victory.
The boys were ecstatic but weary. They played excellent rugby and were rewarded with winning. Will picked up the trophy as captain and all the boys got medals. Parents were equally as happy and proud.
The success on the day was possible because all the boys have a belief that they can rely on each other. This is the case for the whole team and not just the five school friends from Gamlingay. This has been built up over the 18 months –2 years that most have been playing.
After that it was into Franklin Gardens to watch Northampton. They were against Narbonne in the European cup and at half time the Biggleswade squad went onto the pitch and were presented to the crowd as the competition winners. It was a great moment for the boys and parents alike and it was a great reward for the boys who had all worked hard. Then it was straight home to bed as the boys had an early start the following morning……a 10am home fixture with two visiting teams!!!!!
Biggleswade U8’s squad: Will Kitson, Harry Jones, Jack Boissieux, Jake Freeman, Gareth Richards, Danny Boness, Harry Sawford-Smith, Jacob Martin, Tom Roberts, Callum Fairhead, Jack Cleverley, Tom Bennett and Sam Myers
About Mini Rugby.
The youngest age group is U7’s. Legally the child has to be at least 6 yrs old. The children wear tag belts – a velcro belt with a tag either side and if the opposition pull off the tag it is a tackle and you have to pass the ball. At this age the focus is on developing the basics like hand-eye coordination and no forward passing, and the rules reflect this. At U8’s there is the introduction of a few more rules. Offside and 7 tags and a turnover to the opposition are two of the main ones. These make the children aware of the need for defensive play in order to win the game. This all forms solid foundations for when they go into the U9’s. This is when they first play contact rugby. Again it is a slow introduction of certain rules over several years that allows the children to develop the basic skills.
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