Reds Win the Sutton & Epsom B Festival

You will never win anything with kids....

How long ago was it when chubby faced little boys with 'slightly too big' shorts were running around like puppies chasing each others tags and sitting on a parents knee for a half time snack?  Here we were at the toughest test of the last season as minis and even more poignantly their last tournament as the Reds players.  How things have changed.
 
Would I have to plead with a boy to stop running round and round the tree with a stick screaming at the top of his voice and get back on the pitch to finish the game?  Would I have to apologise to the referee for the delay while I scoured the local wood looking for the entire team who had decided to embark on an adventure together?  Would I be permanently bending down tying bootlaces?   The answer is of course no  because these boys are all grown up and whether they had been with the club for years or their first season they all had the look of confident, smart kids who could certainly look after themselves and would definitely look after each other.
 
Since Christmas we had targeted this as the culmination of the Reds season and although there will be other fixtures and of course tour, we wanted to do well.
 
Our first game was a bit frustrating - we probably had 90% of the possession mostly 10 metres from the try line but just couldn't unlock a spirited Cobham defence.  Our forwards were working really well from the off and we were getting good ball but couldn't convert the possession into points. The game had all the hallmarks of an attritional stalemate until a worrying spell just before full time. We conceded a number of penalties in quick succession and all of a sudden were facing the real prospect of a defeat which would have been a very bitter blow.  Brighton upped their game, defended valiantly and the final whistle came more of a relief than it should have done.
 
Cobham 0 - 0 Brighton
 
Our next game saw things click into place.  The forwards worked well and were securing clean ball at the break down, something that we have struggled with in recent weeks.  The scrum was solid and having worked on the timing of the feed straight after the Cobham game we started to win a fair amount of possession against the head and the backs had decent attacking opportunities.  The result was a steady flow of tries for and firm defensive work from all meant nothing against.
 
Sutton and Epsom 0 - 35 Brighton
 
Try Scorers :  Henry, Jack, Sam H, Daniel , Jamie  
All converted by Max
 
Although the format of this competition meant there was no final as such we knew that the game against Effingham & Leatherhead was the key match and the very least we could accept was a draw.  E&L are a strong side with a large squad of players to chose from.  Although their forwards were big we had watched them play and realised that the only way to successfully compete in the rucks was to get low and underneath them.  We had the better of the first half although didn't score and in the second we found ourselves defending more and more. An intercepted pass in the last couple of minutes was very nearly disastrous and only a huge effort in the defence saved the game. So, another draw and considering the last minute drama it was a good result.  The forwards weren't intimidated by the size of the opposition in the breakdown, the scrum punched above their weight and the backs did well against some really quick and well drilled rush defence.
 
Effingham and Leatherhead 0 - 0 Brighton
 
A two game break enabled us to patch up and prepare for the must-win game against Reeds.  Following an accidental clash of heads and subsequent broken nose we lost Jamie, who although on a Blues rest week had stepped in at the last minute to help us out.  The fact that we still had the strength in depth to fill his boots was the best illustrations of how we have developed as the reserve side this season.   At the end of last season we had genuine concerns that we wouldn't have enough players to fulfil two fixtures on the same day.  As it was this injury and other unavailability simply meant we could call on good solid replacements. Although we need to recruit and develop all the time we really have a great platform to build on next season.
 
Reeds  had scored against E&L and who we knew would give us a tough game.  Although not as imposing as Effingham their forwards and backs were quick and it would take fast accurate passing to avoid being caught in possession.  A tap penalty and strong run put us one try up and where we needed to be.   What then followed was a good strong display of tackling from both sides and as the game drew to a close Reeds started to loose discipline;  the subsequent penalties took us well into their half until the final whistle.
 
Reeds 0 - 7 Brighton
 
Try Sam P
Conversion Max
 
Two wins, two draws and critically no tries conceded was good enough in the end
 
It was a great squad performance and their level of skill, confidence and the physicality of the game shouldn't be underestimated.
 
This was a really well organised festival played in great spirit with excellent refereeing but we still had a player with a broken nose, two with facial injuries and numerous bumps and bruises.  The blood was real and not jam from the half time doughnut but now there was no reaching for the hankie, the Mr Bump Elastoplasts or relying on the strangely medicinal qualities of the sweet stall to make it all better.
 
They are big boys now
 
Reds Squad: Radmand, N Taylor, Heinrich, Boyle, Bedwell, Strasman, Pfeiffer, Wykes, Scott, T Dixon, Kidman, Rowland, Edwards, Barrett, Barkshire, Bishop, Gregory, Phillips.