Sunday 6th November 2011
Crowborough vs Eastbourne (Cup)
Final score: 0 - 5
Eastbourne U12s at the Crowborough Festival, 6th November 2011
Match 1: Haywards Heath 5 - 0 Eastbourne
Match 2: Crowborough 0 - 5 Eastbourne
Match 3: Cranbrook 5 - 0 Eastbourne
Overall Result: Not Confirmed
This, the third festival of an already action-packed season, was due to be held at Hove but last minute circumstances dictated a switch to Crowborough instead. Crowborough RFC is perched high on the Sussex Weald which left the players and parents exposed to the harshness of a typically grey and cold November day. The pitches overlook Ashdown Forest, an area of outstanding natural beauty, but could Eastbourne Under 12's continue their streak of outstanding natural rugby?
As a result of parking restrictions imposed by the local council, (due to a date clash with the local marathon) the number of teams taking part was reduced to ensure parking could be contained within the club grounds and not on the surrounding streets. The first opponents in this 'one pool' festival were West Sussex rivals Haywards Heath, and having lost by just a single try in an earlier festival encounter Eastbourne were keen to restore the pecking order. The game started in the usual brutal fashion with the majority of possession being contested in a relentless wave of messy rucks and scrappy ball wrestling in-between the two teams 10-metre lines. The occasional break-through runs were often thwarted by some dogged defense from both teams in equal measure. An opportunist break from one of the many scraps resulted in a charging run to the Eastbourne try line from a determined Haywards Heath player. The last line of a beleaguered Eastbourne defense offered little resistance and the ball was duly dumped over the line for a try. It seems for just a few moments Eastbourne fell back into their self-imposed first-match lethargy haze, and paid the price with a relatively soft score. The second half continued in the same vein and despite the haze dispersing and a general lift in confidence and effort, Eastbourne just couldn't find the flow of recent weeks and the score remained unchanged. Result: Haywards Heath 5 - 0 Eastbourne
With the 'first game fuzz' out of the way, Eastbourne were fully ready for their next challenge in the shape of the red and white hooped hosts Crowborough. It seems that all the local teams at this age group are very closely matched in terms of physicality and skill levels, and so it proved to be another tough and close-fought encounter. With consistent pounding of the Eastbourne forwards, it wasn't long before weaknesses in fitness levels began to show which in turn effected the speed at which loose ball could be effectively contested, so too often the three-quarters were drawn-in to help plug the gaps. Whenever the ball did manage to appear from the frequent melee's, this offered a depleted back line little chance to create any meaningful counter-attack. It was obvious that the 'beautiful flowing rugby' witnessed in previous campaigns would not be witnessed here today. After some great sustained pressure Eastbourne found themselves with a penalty just 5 metres from the elusive Crowborough try line, and so stepped-up Eastbourne's not-so-secret weapon - the mighty Number 8 Haydn Allport. With a quick tap penalty and the ball thrust into Haydn's midriff, the spectator's watched in awe as one by one the Crowborough defense pounced, and then clung-on helplessly to, the Gold and Blue juggernaut. One final lunge towards the line saw the multicoloured man-mountain crash to the floor, for a 'never-in-doubt' try. The second half saw much the same in terms of pressure but no further score was added for either side. Result: Crowborough 0 - 5 Eastbourne
A rejuvenated Eastbourne side were fully pumped for their last match of the day against Cranbrook. Not much was known about their Kentish counterparts, but from the size of some of their players, another ruck and maul soup with a side helping of bruises seemed likely to be on the menu. Like a scene from Braveheart the two teams from neighbouring counties went into battle trading crunching tackle for crunching tackle, fighting for every inch of ground. By this stage of a festival, it's very easy to let concentration lapse and tiredness can be a real problem, but to Eastbourne's credit not a single-head dropped when Cranbrook eventually muscled their way over the Eastbourne try line. With roars of delight from the Cranbrook players it was clear how much it meant to them and demonstrated the high esteem in which they held the battle-weary Eastbourne side. The second half saw even more determined tackling from Eastbourne and several Cranbrook players took big hits resulting in Eastbourne having to take a player off to even-up the two sides. At this point of the match and with only a minute remaining Eastbourne had put-in at the scrum just 10-meters from glory, and with the backs beautifully poised to perform a well-rehearsed training ground move, the scene was set - cue Mel Gibson and some haunting Celtic music. But unfortunately, and for much of the day, the Eastbourne warriors couldn't quite find the cohesive magic from previous festivals, and possession was lost cheaply to the Cranbrook clan's superior scrum, and any thought of Oscar-winning speeches evaporated into the gloomy greyness of this harsh November day. Despite this, Eastbourne deserve huge praise for their unstinting effort. Result: Cranbrook 5 - 0 Eastbourne
Man of the match/festival is voted for by fellow team players via www.teamer.net. The result of the vote will be published in 5 days time on the U12s webpage at www.eastbournerugby.com. A big THANK YOU to all the coaches, team manager, parents and team sponsors, and a huge WELL DONE to all the players.
MOM (via teamer.net): Angus Bingham/75% of vote (Outside Centre), Marshall Peters/25% of vote (Tight Head Prop)
