Cornwall U18 v Dorset & Wilts U18
Report by Paul Howard Team Manager
Sunday was our first game in this year’s U18 SW tournament. Drawn against Dorset & Wilts, we made the long trip to Hartpury College expecting a tough game, after losing to the same side as U17’s earlier in the year.
Cornwall were very slow to get going and for the first 15mins they struggled to get out of their own half, losing the ball in contact or exit poorly. On the positive side, the scrum was dominant, the boys put their bodies on the line and defended heroically holding the ball up over the line 3 times. However, Dorset & Wilts managed to cross the whitewash for 2 well deserved tries.
With the vocal travelling crowd fearing the worst, Cornwall’s nerves settled. The ball handling and decision making improved, and they started to play themselves back into the game. Now on the front foot and in the opposition half, they applied pressure to the opposition defence with the forwards continuing to dominate at scrum time and backs stating to interchange with fluidity, leading to our first try just before half time.
In the 2nd half, the players confidence grew, and Cornwall had Dorset & Wilts constantly under pressure, with destructive carries from the forwards and the backs slicing through the gain line regularly. Having had the majority of possession, they also found the cutting edge with some defence splitting passes allowing Cornwall to score three more team tries, after strong build up play.
Dorset & Wilts came back with thrilling try right on the final whistle by which time it was too late, and the Cornish contingent celebrated the win with gusto all the way back to the Duchy.
Final score 20-15
Team : Archie Beetles (Capt), Max Walker, Toby Collins, Joe Horne, Oli Wells, Will Pellow, Jake Shirlow, Will Geddes-Brown, Jake Walker, Jacob Bennetts, Max Bennett, Jowan Kerry, Ethan Taylor, Jack Old, Barney Lewis, Leon Holland, Ola Phillips, Peter Fletcher, Tristan Jago, Alfie Middlewood, Cohan Wallace, Ewan Murray, Matt Wright
Try Scorers : Lewis, Murray, Bennett, Holland
Our next game is on the 15th Dec @ Hartpury v Berkshire. 14:00 KO.
