Another win for Pinner RFC Under 13s

Pinner RFC U13’s versus Saracens RFC Sunday 16^th December

Saracens are the league above Pinner in the Middlesex and Herts 5, and a much bigger side in size and numbers. After some mixed training the game kicked off at 11.00 o’clock. Pinner kicked off to Saracens and after several phases of play, Pinner forwards got the ball back with stand in scrum half Louis George passing the ball down the line to Ryan Healy. He then passed to Kai Gordon, who ran through the line of play with a strong run up to the 22 yard line, before getting court by the Saracens full-back. He had time to off load to Louis George in support to run in his first competitive try right under the post. The try was converted by Sam Marchant. Pinner were off to a good start 7-0 and after ten minutes Kai Gordon ran a good solo try from within Pinners half, to close the second half out.

The second half started with Saracens kicking to Pinner, which was caught by Charlie Gascoine, who ran straight through up the middle of the pitch, with some strong support from the forwards pack Edward McCool, Taylor Goodman, Arthur Garvey and Mac Souster with the ball then being passed down the line for Kai Gordon to score his second try. Saracen fought back with a good run of play with several phases and many passes from one side of the pitch to the other, where they scored their first and only try of the day. The game finished after a third try from Kai Gordon. Pinner continued their winning streak, the final score 29 – 5.

This is the fifth fixture in a row where Pinner U13s have been victorious, recent league fixtures have seen them convincingly beating Bedford 43-7. Placing Pinner top of the Herts/Middlesex Junior League Division 6 with 136 points for and only 17 points against.

The next League fixture is Hertford RFC third in the league, away Sunday 13th January 2013

Pinner prove too good for local rivals

Pinner and Grammarians vs. Ickenham

On Saturday 15th of December, Pinner and Grammarians hosted local rivals Ickenham for what was anticipated a hotly contested battle. Conditions were tumultuous, but reasonable enough given the time of year.

Both sides were clearly up for the fight ahead of them, and straight from the kick off the forwards got to flex their muscles after a knock-on from Ickenham. The visitors won the scrum against the head and began gaining territory with a couple of well placed kicks. After taking a line-out in the Pinner 22, they made their assertions clear with a rumbling maul crawling toward the line. Unable to hold back the tide, Pinner conceded a try in the first 5 minutes. The conversion was successful. At the restart, Pinner seemed unfazed and won the ball back at the breakdown. They began to work their way toward the line themselves and were awarded a penalty 30 metres out on the right hand side. Mark Razzell attempted with a kick at goal, but sailed just wide, much to the frustration of Pinner. Ickenham then reattempted the plan which worked well previously, and after a well placed kick from the fly half, Pinner once again found themselves defending a line-out in their 22. Ickenham took their own ball, then set the maul. After a few minutes of slowly gaining ground, they crashed over the line on the far right, making it 12-0 at 20 minutes. The conversion was unsuccessful.

Pinner, now in need of an answer, tried a different approach. It was clear that Ickenham had the upper hand in the clinical practice of the forwards, so began to spread it wide, keep the ball alive and keep the defence working. After 5 minutes of bursting runs, Pinner finally found their mark. Centre Pat Fraser cut a straight line at the 12 channel and broke 3 tackles before crossing the line right under the posts. Razzell happily converted narrowing the gap.

The first half was now winding down, but both teams were still fighting tooth and nail over inches. Again, Ickenham fly-half made good use of the wind and pinned Pinner in their own half. The forwards once again played it their way, rolling round the back of mauls to slowly edge toward the line. Pinner eventually slipped on the defence, and Ickenham found a way through. The conversion was unsuccessful, making the half time score 17-7.

The half time team talk must have worked well for Pinner, because as they set out in the second half, they were a completely different team. The forwards upped their work rate and turned over a significant number of breakdowns. Utilising the space, Pinner began to use the width and found themselves gaining ground. Slowly, they went up the field with darting runs and well-timed passing, until they were camped in the visitors 22. Demonstrating his strength, Andrew Alexander took the ball himself and bashed through the defensive line, leaving defenders sprawling and himself crashing over the line. Razzell converted bringing Pinner within 3 points, and then found the mark again with a penalty shortly after, levelling the score. Pinner again went straight on the attack, after some more fine forward work winning them possession. Spinning the ball wide, they were causing real problems for the defence and Ickenham were struggling with their discipline, after they conceded a number of penalties. Pinner, utilising their forward momentum, kept running straight at the line and gaining ground. After some time, the defence finally faltered after a quick-tap penalty, and Pat Fraser again found himself at the try line. The conversion was successful and Pinner had regained the deficit.

Things continued in much the same way for the next 10 minutes, and Ickenham seemed to have little in the way of answers. After a visitor knock on just outside their own 22, Pinner delivered another blow. Scrum half Chris Jepsen took the ball quickly from the back and darted past the flankers. The covering defence, unable to get across in time, allowed Jepsen to draw the sole defender and give the ball to acting captain Razzell, attacking on the blind. After a footrace, the fullback crossed the line in the far right. The score was now 29-17 and Pinner looked to be running away with it.

Ickenham weren’t done yet, though, and after 5 minutes of solid attacking, found their chance. Pinner had been executing a rush defence, and had been doing so well, but after a missed tackle, Ickenham fullback found his way through. Despite an attempt to bring him in to touch by the covering defence, he just managed to get the ball down in the far left corner.

Pinner came back with tooth and claw, further employing their attacking form that had served them well thus far. Ickenham continued to frustrate themselves by giving away a number of penalties, and man of the match Jepsen capitalised fully. Taking a quick tap penalty, Jepsen ran through the retreating Ickenham players who had failed to get back in time. Being the quickest man on the field, they were unable to get back to stop him and he easily touched down under the posts, much to the jubilation of Pinner. Razzell easily converted and set the final score at 36-24.

It was a great game and a hard-fought win for Pinner, who now rest for Christmas before continuing the campaign in the New Year.