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U9’s Match Reports 2011-12

October 9th U9’s vs Liverpool Collegiate (Away) Lost 6-0 & 3-0
Game 1
Northwich U9’s second away fixture so far this season saw us travel to Liverpool Collegiate on the day of the ‘Long and Winding’ Liverpool Marathon. There was nothing long and winding on the pitch though. The first game saw the young blacks battling hard against an organised Collegiate defence. Any opportunity for a run from Northwich was quickly closed down with little opportunity to get into the Collegiate half, despite ball after ball being recycled back from some excellent rucking positions. In the face of persistent running from Collegiate, our own defence stood up well with some fantastic tackling from Guy Stubbs, Lewis Stanley, Lewis Holmes, Ross Morrin, Ben Platt and Harry Guy. Had it not been for the good defence from these guys, the score line could have been a lot worse as Northwich closed out the first game 6 -0 down.

Game 2
The second game was once again a test of endurance for Northwich. The experienced Lewis Stanley, (who played up a year last year and is really coming into his own this season), was again having an awesome game, but was persistently brought down by the tackling of the solid Collegiate defence. Further runs from Kate Williams, Josh Lowe, Ross Morrin, Harry Guy and Lewis Holmes took us into Collegiates half but still we remained shy of the try line. Solid running from Angus Price twice saw us within a metre of the try line only to be put into touch on both occasions. The ever determined Guy Stubbs decided enough was enough and with sheer dogged determination scrambled through a mass of blue shirts to reach the try line. A very tired and battle weary Northwich ran out the second game 3-1 down.

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October 23rd U9’s vs Whitchurch (Away) Lost 6-0 & 4-1
Game 1
Whitchurch 6 Northwich 0
Northwich came up against a very competitive and well organised Whitchurch side this Sunday who had obviously played together for some time. The Northwich U9’s are still gelling as a unit after all the summer arrivals but continue to show signs of developing into a solid team.

Despite being outclassed in the first game Lewis S made some very strong runs which nearly resulted in tries. The rest of the team, led by Angus, contributed with some strong tackles that kept the score to a respectable level.

Game 2
Whitchurch 4 Northwich 1
The first half of the second game followed a similar pattern to the first game with Whitchurch coming out on top, but strong tackling from Ross and Lewis H kept the score to a respectable 3-0 to Whitchurch. The second half saw a marked improvement with some strong running and shrewd passing from Northwich which resulted in a sustained period of pressure, which brought about Northwich’s first try in a couple of weeks as Max received the ball close to the line and made it over.

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October 27th U9’s vs Trafford MV (Away) Lost 5-0 & 7-1

Game 1 Trafford 5 Northwich 0
Today’s visit to Trafford saw a very good turnout with thirteen players featuring over the two games played. Despite the score Northwich performed well with only little errors letting them down in vital passages of the play which resulted in tries from Trafford. Overall the defence coped well with the Trafford attacks, with Ben and Ross making strong and vital tackles.

Game 2 Trafford 7 Northwich 1
The second game followed a similar pattern to the first, again some excellent tackles from Ross getting injured in the process. Possession in this game was more even, although the ball was given away lightly in the tackle at times. On the positive side, there were some good solo runs from Lloyd and Lewis Stanley and a great solo try from Max. 

Tries scored by Max (1)

It is obvious that the kids are enjoying playing together and overall the team show signs of development which further coaching will realise.

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January 29th U9’s vs Crewe & Nantwich (Away) Lost 5-0 & Drew 3-3

Game 1 Crewe & Nantwich 5 Northwich 0
In the first competitive game since the Christmas break Northwich looked a bit rusty in the first half letting Crewe & Nantwich score three quick tries without response. The second half saw some improvement with the team defending a lot better and some great tackling from Lloyd and Max. Northwich were close to scoring with a determined run from Ross just failing to put the ball down in the corner.

Game 2 Crewe & Nantwich 3 Northwich 3
In the second game the team was unrecognisable from the first game producing the performance of the season so far. At half time Northwich were 2 nil up with two great solo tries from Max. Crewe & Nantwich pulled one back in the second half but Northwich went 3-1 ahead with Max’s hatrick try. The team defended their lead admirably as a unit but unfortunately couldn’t hold out for the win due to two tries from Crewe & Nantwich’s speedy winger.

Tries scored by Max (3)

Welcome to all the new players who made valuable contributions in their debut game and look forward to seeing you join the regular line up.

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February 12th U9’s vs Sale (Home) Won 11-2 & Drew 3-3

Game 1 Northwich 11 Sale 2
Tries scored by Max (4), Niall (3), Lloyd (2), Lewis H (1), Angus (1)

Game 2 Northwich 3 Sale 3
Tries scored by Angus (3)

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February 26th U9’s vs Caldy & Hoylake (Away @ Caldy) Won 5-0 (Caldy B), Lost 4-2 (Caldy A) Lost 7-0 (Hoylake)

Game 1 Caldy  0 Northwich 5
Today’s triple header saw Northwich play three games in sunny spring-like conditions and a good turnout for such a long journey away from home. The first game saw a great overall team performance which led to a romping victory for Northwich. All five tries were scored by Max with some excellent support play including tough tackling from Lloyd and Ross and good breaks by Guy and Nathan leading to try scoring opportunities. 

Tries scored by Max (5)

Game 2 Caldy 4 Northwich 2
In match 2 we faced the better Caldy team who proved to be tougher opposition. In the first half Northwich were outplayed going down 4-1 at half time but fought back well in the second half with strong tackling and rucking by Ben helping Max to score the second of his two tries in the match. 

Tries scored by Max (2)

Game 3 Hoylake 7 Northwich 0
Match 3 proved to be a game too much for a tired Northwich team on a warm day on surely the most undulating pitch in Cheshire. In the first half Northwich managed to keep the scoring to one try down with good defensive tackling by Ben and Lloyd, but in the second half the fatigue set in and Hoylake ran in 6 more tries.

Overall, there was a marked improvement in the team performance, particularly in the early games, with a team spirit and togetherness developing between the boys, and an understanding of each others individual strengths and skills. Well done and thanks to Marc for being the only coach today and thanks to all parents for making the long journey.

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March 4th U9’s vs Knutsford Lost 9-5 & 6-2 

Game 1 Northwich  5 Knutsford  9
In match 1 Northwich suffered from a slow start, being 0-6 down at half time. Despite this there was some good passing moves involving Lewis and Lloyd and a superb try saving tackle from Ben. The second half saw a great improvement in the team’s determination with good drives through the pack from Ross and Angus early in the second half that set the tone for Northwich’s display. Two tries from Angus, one set up by a skilful pass from Josh, and three tries from Max saw Northwich winning the second half 5-3.

Tries scored by Angus (2) and Max (3)

Game 2 Northwich  2 Knutsford 6
Match 2 saw the same slow start with Northwich being 0-4 down at half time despite more good drives and running from Ross and Angus. In the second half Lloyd nearly crossed the line with a good solo run and a little later did get a try by dropping on a loose ball over the line. Ben also went close with another good run and approaching the end of the match Max scored Northwich’s second try by also dropping on the loose ball over the line. Taking the second half score in isolation the score was 2 all. 

Tries scored by Lloyd (1) and Max (1)

Overall two hard fought games with plenty of bumps and bruises to both sides from a still improving Northwich team. Well done to all and thanks to parents and coaches for turning up on such a bitterly cold day.

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