Weston v Hornets U15s

Weston U15s travelled to near neighbours Hornets with a degree of trepidation. Weston have lost their last three games and have never beaten their closest rivals at this age group. That, along with the playground banter that comes with a local derby, always provides an extra incentive to these games, and in the past this has impacted negatively on the Weston side.

So, when the first kick off was fumbled and possession was handed to the hosts they subsequently capitalised, scoring in the corner and it felt that history might just repeat itself.

However, this Weston side have grown in confidence and determination and they did not take the early setback to heart. The tone was set straight form the next kick off when Max Gregory chased hard and forced the mistake from the hosts to put them under pressure. Strong defence from the Weston side in the opposition 22 kept Hornets within their own half and finally a strong Weston scrum took a ball against the head. JJ Weall made a sublime line which opened the defence allowing Harry Wills to burst through and score under the posts. With Harry adding the extra points, Weston took the lead 5-7.

Hornets now found themselves in an almost unique position, being behind to Weston. They were though confident of their own abilities and went through phase after phase, with Weston having to defend wave after wave. They did so determinedly with Jack Hobbs and Alex Sandford putting in notable hits to thwart a determined offence. However, finally a penalty under the posts was given and, whilst a number of the players were otherwise engaged in discussion, Hornets took it quickly and scored under the posts. The extra points were taken and the home side took a 12-7 lead.

The final session of the half was characterised by mistakes from both sides, with Weston generally in the ascendance but unable to force home any advantage despite really strong runs from relative new boys Matt Bradley and Kieran Van Rassel. However, as the half ended it was the home side who held the advantage and the bragging rights.

The second half started brightly for the boys in blue. They managed to build some pressure and some field position moving the ball through the backs. Seeing an opportunity on the blind side Kieran Horn was held up just short of the line. However, a quick clear out from the pack let Fin Simpson find Will Bamsey only 5metres out and from there no one is going to stop this “boy mountain”. And so, with the conversion missed, the scores were level at 12-12.

Hornets came back strongly and Weston had to withstand a period of pressure, but strong tackling from amongst others Keanu Ballard and JJ Weal kept the opposition out. Weston were finally able to clear their lines when recent returnee to the side, Henry Belsham was able to make good yards from a kick through and Weston started to build some territory and their own pressure.

This pressure ultimately resulted in a line out to Weston on their opponents 22. Clean ball from the top provided the basis for the backs to get ball in hand and Weston went through the phases. Wave after wave of attack was blunted by a defiant Hornet's defence, but eventually, from 5m out Will Bamsey again was given some space and was unstoppable. Harry Wills added the two points and Weston were in the lead and just starting (but only starting) to dream of victory.

This dream spurred the boys on and from the kick off bursts from Eesa Hussain and Oliver Marshall, along with quality kicking from Ollie Dadds put the team again into the opponents half, where Fin Simpson again opened up the defence for Harry Wills to make yards and it seemed he must score, but he was held up short by a desperate tackle from the quality Hornet's full back. Unfortunately in doing so, the full back was injured and the game was briefly stopped. (we all wish the fullback well and hope the injury isn’t too serious).

From the resulting scrum Will Bamsey, at No 8, picked from the base but was held up short of the line. A strong clear out from Ellis Rogers and the ever present Alex Sandford gave quick ball that saw Kieran Horn drive over the line and extend the lead. Ollie Dadds, from out wide, added the two extra points and suddenly a lead had been opened up and time was all but done.

Hornets pressed for points to close the gap but Weston’s rugged defence held and the final whistle was greeted by cheers by the blue half of the town.

Final score – Hornets 12 Weston 26.

The post match celebrations were exuberant, not just because of the victory tonight, but because of what it means for a Weston side that have never won this fixture before and never gave up. It was not the team performance that so heartened the supporters and the coaches, but the fact that it was a squad of 26 who all contributed to this win. Having such a large match day squad can be a headache for the coaches, but it is a good problem to have and every one of those players played their fair share of the game and contributed to the win. This included players that have played one or two games, as well as those who’ve been playing for years. The strength is in the collective, not the individual, and the players, families and coaches of this side were rightly proud of the boys tonight.

There will be trials and tribulations along the way, and this was far from a polished performance, but maybe, just maybe it's another important step for these boys and this collective towards an even brighter future.