Sunday 11th December 2011
Eastbourne vs Shoreham (Friendly)
Final score: 70 - 0
Eastbourne U12s v Shoreham U12s at Park Avenue, 11th December 2011
Eastbourne 70 - 0 Shoreham
Week 15, and the last action before the Christmas break would see the Eastbourne U12's play host to West Coast Counterparts - Shoreham. With storm force winds and rain forecast for the latter part of the day, would Shoreham rain on the Blue and Gold parade, or would Eastbourne's mighty crusaders storm to yet another victory - Bah, humbug or humdinger?
After an hour of warm-up exercises and training for the respective teams it was time to get the party started, and with spirits high and expectations even higher, the two captains shook hands and Eastbourne readied themselves for the Shoreham drop kick. Almost immediately, Shoreham were awarded a scrum, and with the usual front row missing through illness and injury, it would prove to be a real test for the remaining Eastbourne forwards as they had some very big boots to fill. Any doubt was immediately quelled, as the re-shuffled Eastbourne scrum powered through to steal the ball and take the play back to Shoreham.
After some initial scrappy pockets of play, spaces started to open-up and the ball was being passed around confidently as weaknesses in Shoreham's defense started to become apparent. From a ruck deep inside Shoreham's half, the ball was handed to Loose Head Prop Euan McGreevy who intended to fully exploit huge gaps in Shoreham's defense by embarking on a forward charge to the try line, with his grand plan thwarted just shy of the line, Scrum Half Oliver Ashdown was close at hand to pick the ball from his clutches and deposit Eastbourne's first try of the game.
A slightly shaken looking Shoreham restarted and Eastbourne gathered well to take the fight once again to the green and white seasider's. With Eastbourne making territorial gains at every step it was clear that there was potential for a high score. Acting Hooker Mason 'Moses' Dowle found himself with the ball on the right wing, and as he stormed forward, the green and white sea parted allowing him to cruise through to the try line for Eastbourne's second score of the game.
With what seemed like only seconds later, Right Wing Zane Verna, champing at the bit with a new-found confidence, threw a lovely pass on the run to Outside Centre Angus Bingham who flew majestically down the left wing, effortlessly evading tackle after tackle to slot home Eastbourne's third try.
With the ability to run virtually unchallenged at every opportunity, many Eastbourne players began to display signs of the much maligned 'white line fever', and it would be a real test to see if the squad could avoid it's debilitating effects, and use the opportunity to build progressive passages of play? With a scrum on the half way line, the pack continued to dominate and the ball dutifully arrived at the back door to continue it's one-sided journey. With a series of quick passes, it fell to acting Full Back Billy Cockell to spearhead another assault. With his surprising pace, Billy was far from Idol, and cut a swathe through the thick green forest of Shoreham players to slam home Eastbourne's forth try of the game and Billy's first ever for the team.
Confidence was now sky high, and every passage of play had the potential to lead to another try, and so it was, off the back of another one-sided scrum, the ever-dependable Scrum Half Oliver Ashdown flung a precision pass to Eastbourne's very own try scoring machine Inside Centre Angus 'Terminator' Bingham. With a cry of 'hasta la vista', the long-haired destroyer blitzed all in his path to leave a bewildered Shoreham five tries adrift with no paddle to hand.
The remorseless tackling and relentless forward momentum continued with Eastbourne controlling most of the open play and set pieces. From a relatively uncontested ruck, the ball was soon in the arms of Inside Centre Aaron 'Bullet Train' Brown. But there was no room for any passengers on this train as Aaron booked himself a one-way ticket to the Shoreham try line. With only one more defender to beat, the barriers came down on Aaron's journey and realizing this, offered the ball to the defender like a tray of Ferrero Rocher. As the grateful defender reached out for the golden prize, Aaron suddenly looped the ball under his arm and reversed passed to the charging Right Wing Harry Yates. Whilst the defender was still smarting from such ruthless teasing, Harry thundered to the try line and scored his first ever try for the team and Eastbourne's sixth of the game.
The first half's well orchestrated demolition was brought to a crescendo with a seventh try for Eastbourne's band of brothers following a trademark full length assault along the left wing by Zane 'Veloce' Verna. Shoreham were left in his wake and left wondering how on earth they were going to stop this relentless tidal wave?
For Eastbourne it was like Christmas had come early, and to help spread the goodwill, Eastbourne's coaches made one or two positional changes. Captain and Fly Half Harvey Warren got the second half underway with a looping drop kick directed at a shell-shocked Shoreham side. The ball was hunted down immediately by Eastbourne's pack of hungry wolves, and the resulting ruck saw the ball back in the hands of Harvey Warren who proceeded to taunt and tease, with jink after twist after jink. With a further defender committed to a tackle, Harvey offloaded to the predatory Left-Wing Zane Verna who ran on to score Eastbourne's eighth try.
Whilst Shoreham heads were dropping, Eastbourne's by contrast, were so high many were suffering from the giddying effects of vertigo. As the ball fell to earth from the re-start, Shoreham had hardly drawn breath when another series of darting runs and swift passes yet again released the Left Wing Wizzard Zane 'Veloce' Verna for a familiar unstoppable run along the line to bag his third try in quick succession and Eastbourne's ninth of the game.
Shoreham lined-up once more to drop-kick the re-start, and as the ball arrived at the hands of acting Full Back Oliver Ashdown, a sense of impending doom was palpable. With a lack of action at this temporary pitch position, Oliver was keen to stretch his legs, and without invitation set sail on a voyage of discovery. Oliver had quickly cleared a safe passage through his own half, and as he ventured towards opposition waters he soon discovered that their defense were all at sea as he calmly navigated his way around Shoreham's Cape of No Hope. As the try line came into sight, Oliver steered around the last of Shoreham's defense to drop anchor on a stunning solo effort, bringing Eastbourne's unsinkable tally to ten.
A period of well executed attacking rugby was a precursor to some further dazzling individual skill from Eastbourne's Blue and Gold all stars. Newly installed Scrum Half Zoe Balsdon was a shining example of this, by plucking the ball from a well coordinated ruck, and crashing forward at pace. As each new attempt by the Shoreham defense attempted to halt her progress, Zoe defied them all by continuing unrelenting towards the try line. When the way forward was finally blocked, Zoe turned and popped the ball to equally determined Loose Head Prop Euan McGreevy to carry the fight forward the last few metres for a hard-earned eleventh try of the game.
A bedraggled Shoreham team re-started once again with desperate hopes of holding back the overwhelming Eastbourne tide. The ball was launched deep into Eastbourne's half, where the next wave of attack began in earnest. The build-up began with a momentous surge forward followed by some quick passing between the backs. As the ball landed at the chest of Left Wing Zane 'Veloce' Verna, the Shoreham players seemed resigned to the inevitable. Zane powered up the left wing in ominous fashion, eating up the yards like a smoking dragster at Santa Pod. Nothing was going to stop the supercharged Italian ace as he dived across the line for his fourth try of the game, bringing up Eastbourne's dozen.
With the backs taking all the glory, one particular forward wanted a slice of the burgeoning try-scoring pie, so when Eastbourne found themselves with a line-out only seven metres from the over familiar Shoreham try line, up stepped Eastbourne's only skyscraper, Tight Head Prop Haydn Allport. With the line set, the ball was launched directly to Haydn who swiftly turned and stormed toward the line. His towering physical presence spread panic amongst the whimpering green and white defense, and before Shoreham could say 'where's my white flag', Haydn had placed the ball squarely over the line for Eastbourne's thirteenth and most decisive try.
By now, Shoreham were totally deflated and the final whistle couldn't come soon enough, but before it did, Eastbourne had one more try left in them. Most of the action in the second half seemed to be focused on the left wing, and well within Shoreham's half. A familiar pattern of play would lead to a try initiated from the very same spot on the pitch. The ever eager Eastbourne forwards continued to lead the build up play, and from the back of a messy ruck Second Row Louis Greenfield seized his opportunity for glory and wrangled the ball over the line for his first ever try for the team and Eastbourne's grand final tally of fourteen tries.
On a day that promised wind and rain, Eastbourne's Blue and Gold's delivered nothing but storming rugby - a humdinger indeed! Result: Eastbourne 70 - 0 Shoreham
Man of the match is voted for by fellow team players via www.teamer.net. The result of the vote will be published 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): Euan McGreevy/29% of vote (Loose Head Prop), Harvey Warren/14% of vote (Fly Half), Aaron Brown/14% of the vote (Inside Centre), Harry Yates/14% of vote (Left Wing), Zane Verna/14% of the vote (Right Wing), Zoe Balsdon/14% of the vote (Scrum Half).
