U11 Match reports 2008/9

9th May '09

CB 3: Bethesda 2

Great first game in the Welly Tournament with the Bay coming out strong and confident against a team that they lost to two weeks previously at the Anglo Welsh. The games in the tournament were short which tends to be a problem for the Bay team that take 10 minutes or so just to wake up. However they started playing well right from the off.

Bethesda started the scoring and the Bay followed this soon after with a standard Archie Featherstonehaugh driving try. This was repeated and at 2:2 it looked like it would end as a draw. However the Bay team dug deep and worked the ball well using the full width of the pitch. This allowed Bradley Reid to squeeze over close to the flag for the final try.

CB 0: Nant Conwy 2

The Bay had lost to Nant early in the season but managed a draw later in appalling conditions. They had every chance of getting a decent result but were back there old ways and didn't really wake up allowing Nant's superior tackling and passing to determine the final result.

CB 1: Denbigh 1

The Bay needed a win against Denbigh go through to the semi-finals and came out with every intention of doing just that against a team that had only lost 1 previous game all season. The Bay played their best rugby of the season driving well in the forwards but crucially moving the ball out wide to the wings. This resulted in the Bay getting the first try of the match through the ever powerful Archie Featherstonehaugh. The lads were then on a roll and managed to keep Denbigh back for most of the match. However Denbigh's larger pack meant that the Bay were gradually pushed back and finally Denbigh managed to squeeze a try over the line. The final result meant that the Bays tournament was over but they were rightly proud of a superb performance in an extremely tough group.

2nd May '09

Bay 54 Rhyl 0

Colwyn Bay took the short trip to Rhyl dodging the Bank Holiday traffic for their last main fixture of the season. The game started well for the boys as they drove up through the midfield before distributing the ball out wide. It wasn’t long before the first try came for the Bay with Gwilym McCann diving over for the first try of the match. The second try was as a result of good inter passing before the ball found its way to Will Bradfield on the wing, who ran in from half way line for his first ever try. (Well done Will). The game then started to get one sided with the Bay transferring their skills from the training field into the match. Further tries came from Gwil, and Ollie Roberts. The second half went the same as the first with Rhyl continually trying to stop the Bay’s rampant forwards driving up the pitch. It was also VERY pleasing to see the ball being passed along the backline into the wide open spaces. Second half try scorers were Ollie, Osian Williams, Archie Featherstonehaugh and Tom Bradfield. Bradley Reid showed a faultless kicking display converting all his kicks scoring 14points. An excellent display of rugby lads, WELL DONE. Lets take this form through to the Welly tournament next Saturday. Man of the Match: WILL BRADFIELD

5th April '09

Bay 33 Pwllheli 31

Pwllheli opened the scoring in the first seconds by catching the Bay kick off and running straight through the surprised players who seemed to dodge out of the way! Bay didn't seem at all phased by this as it has happened on a number of occasions in previous matches. They soon got down to business and were working well, particularly the forwards.

The Bay pressure was soon rewarded with a try by Archie Featherstonehaugh. This settled the Bay and seemed to shake Pwllheli, who are a very strong, powerful team. Pwllheli then ran through two tries in quick succession as Bay failed to make contact and take the tackles when needed. Just before half time Archie scored his second try that was converted by Bradley Reid. So, at half time the Bay were a credible

19:12 down. The second half saw a more determined Bay side. Pwllheli did manage to get in an early try but this was against the run of play where the Bay were linking up very well. The forwards were particularly impressive with Archie Featherstonehaugh and Harry Osbourne pairing up to run the ball straight at the Pwllheli team. Archie also worked very well with Osian Williams handing the ball to each other in rolling mauls. Clayton White was also on form after a period out of the game.

The backs, not wanting to be left out, then came into their own. Callum Turner playing a new position for him as inside centre driving forward well drawing in the Pwllheli defence and releasing the ball to Cameron Montgomery who no matter how hard he tried couldn't get through the final Pwllheli defence. After doing this a couple of times Montgomery weaving and dodging creating enough space to score. Again converted by Bradley Reid. Pwllheli ran through another quick try but the Bay were quickly back into the play with renewed vigour. The Bay kept Pwllheli back in their half by the constant pressure from the forwards as Pwllheli seemed to loose heart. A 5m scrum was a great position for scrum half Gwilym McCann to use his considerable turn of pace to tuck in close to the pack and dive over the line. Converted by Reid. For the last five minutes the play was all the Bay's and right on the full time whistle Ollie Roberts powered through from a well paced ball out of the ruck for great try. The scores were even so the pressure was on Reid to convert – which he did with some style. The was the best game of rugby the Bay u11s have produced and puts them in a good position, working well as a team, ready for their south Wales tour in a couple of weeks.

15th March '09

Denbigh 35: Colwyn Bay 0

Colwyn Bay started strongly especially the forwards, who, once at the ruck and maul out performed the Denbigh pack. The Bay however were slow to close down Denbigh whose excellent centre ran through, and utilising space created by a compressed Bay team fed the ball the the wing to score a try. The Bay kept their heads and continued to put pressure on the forwards. A couple of nice moves by stand in scrum half Ollie Roberts who was able to run round the ruck and through gaps in the Denbigh line only to be caught without support.. Denbigh scored and almost identical try just before half time. The second half saw the Bay forwards getting the the rucks and mauls quicker and they were more aggressive and determined than Denbigh. Some superb tackling kept Denbigh back and even their fact wingers and Centres could get through until later in the half when a couple of missed tackles meant an third try was score, This was quickly followed by a four and the Bay started to loose heart. Tackling started to get sloppy and passing wayward. The Bay came close to scoring tries on a couple of occasions only to be let down by lack of support. Just before the 40 minutes Denbigh scored their fifth try.

The final 35:0 score line in no way reflected the quality of the game, which was far closer. Special mention to Archie Feathersonhaugh whose tackling and driving was spot on, Will Bradfield who showed how good he could be with crunching tackling and determined driving, Ollie Roberts worked well as scrum half and the forwards generally greatly improved.

8th March '09

Nant 12: Colwyn Bay: 7 - scorer Bradley Reid

CB travelled to Llanrwst on a very wet cold Sunday. The Bay were determined to put the result against Llandudno behind them and started very positively. Tackling was up to the standard needed and the Bay were able to hold Nant back well. They moved the ball around really nicely creating space down the wing that Hari Harris capitalised on. He was unlucky not to score the first try only stopped by a crunching Nant tackle causing him to spill the ball before touching down. This boosted the Bay and they went up a gear. Again, using the full width enabled Tom Bradfield to get close but Nant were able to hold him up inches from the line. The Bay continued to apply pressure from the backs and A nice move involving Aled Bysouth allowed Brad Reid to get the ball over the line – he then converted. The Bay lads were now in the lead and settled into their game nicely. Nant, with their superior forward play built the pressure gradually moving the ball towards the try line.

Solid pressure from them was too much for the Bay who although managing to defend the ball off the line a couple of times could not keep the Nant forwards from driving over. Halftime was 7:7. Players from both sides started to struggle wit the weather conditions and at halftime the Bays flying wing – Hari Harris – had to go off with a badly sprained ankle. Nant started stronger in the second half and Bay were on the back foot but kept their heads together keeping the Llanrwst players under control. The playing conditions were difficult and resulted in a couple of Nanty injuries meaning that we were playing 9 a side. Nant's continued pressure resulted in a second try that was unconverted. A complete change around in the positions of player in the Bay resulted in some nice play with Brad Reid and Josh Greenwood working really well together in the front row. Finally a good offload from Ollie Roberts allowed Osian Williams to go over the line – unfortunately disallowed.

This match was a real turn around for the Bay. Tackling was greatly improved, the ball was moved around well and towards the end of the match the forwards were sorting their acts out. Man of the match was Tom Bradfield for his consistent tackling, ball handling and finding space.

30th November '08

Colwyn Bay 19 Mold 24

A very tough first half saw Colwyn Bay trailing 4 tries to one. The Mold side were extremely strong and quick exhibiting superb tackling skills preventing the Bay from moving forward. The Bay did manage one try scored by Harry Osbourne converted by Brad Reid. The second half was completely different. Mold came out very confidently but the Bay began to hold their own. As the half continued Colwyn Bay dominated the play. Mold gradually lost their discipline and the superb quality play shown in the first half faded. Colwyn Bay took full advantage of this scoring two tries – one from Cameron Montgomery and one from Brad Reid which was converted. Cameron Montgomerry was made man of the match.

23rd November '08

Colwyn Bay 43 Rhyl 14

Colwyn Bay hosted Rhyl on a cold and wind Sunday morning. Rhyl started very quickly with a try run unopposed down the wing in the first 30 seconds. The Bay held their composure and shortly after Archie Feathersonhaugh ran over for the first try. Osian Williams tackled well and put in some really good drives as the Bay settled down. Ollie Roberts and Brad Reid worked closely together down the right wing resulting in Roberts scoring the Bays second before halftime. Rhyl came out strongly in the second half and were unlucky not to score an early try, being held back by the strong Bay defence. Rhyl's early efforts soon paid off as they scored their second try of the game. The Colwyn Bay side then dug deep and started putting together the best rugby they have played all season. The ball was being moved around well and the players supported each other. Roberts scored his second try with the help of Feathersonhaugh showing just how powerful they are when driving together, Osion Williams then drove over for his first try with Bay which was well deserved resulting from his persistence and strength.

The game started to get more difficult but the Bay held together well as Harry Osbourne twisted and turned to reach the try line. The Bay were then gaining momentum while quite a few Rhyl players were beginning to pick up injuries. Callum Turner gathered up a loose ball to score his first try for the club and finally Archie Feathersonhaugh drove over for the last try of the game. 5 of the Bay tries were converted by Brad Reid. This was the best performance the Bay side has put together against a determined Rhyl team. Man of the match was Osian Williams who has developed into a very promising player.

16th November '08

Colwyn Bay 44 Llangefni 7

CB started very quickly with Bradley Reid catching the Llangefni kick of and running half the pitch for a try inside 30 seconds. A second Reid try followed shortly after. These early points gave the Bay a huge amount of confidence and there was little Llangefni could do to prevent the home team running through them with Ollie Roberts and Tom Bradfield scoring two further well run tries. Llangefni started to fight back and were holding the Bay a meter or so from their touch line when the ball came out to Sean Jones who only just missed out of touching down as he went over the dead ball line. Gwilym McCann and Harry Osborne completed the first half with two further tries resulting in the half time score of 31:0. The second half saw a slightly less experience Bay side as the stronger first half players were subbed out.. This meant a much more even period of play. The earlier confidence of the Bay began to slip as they failed to make the tackles count when needed. Llangefni scored their first and only try which boasted them significantly. Play continued to be close until Aled Bysouth powered through the bolstered Llangefni defence to score. The Bay showed some good skill during this match. With their confidence high they started to pass the ball around – this was especially the case in the second half. They also started to kick out from behind the "22" when they were pinned in close to touch.

All in all a very promising performance resulting in the first win of the season. Hopefully the new found belief that they can win will carry forward to next weeks match. Well done all.

9th November '08

Colwyn Bay 28 Wrexham 69

A tough game for CB after a long time with no matches and restricted training. First half started with Wrexham scoring two converted tries. The Bay remained strong and after the forwards got the pack over the line the loose ball was picked up by Clayton White who found space for the try. This process was repeated almost exactly for the Bays second. The first half ended with the Bay trailing 2 tried to 4 but in a good position to build from. The second half started as the first one did with Wrexham scoring 2 tries from balls that the bay lost in the mauls. The bay pulled one back with Harry Osbourne producing a very powerful run through the Wrexham defence. Bay then showed signs of the lack of training over the past month or so as fitness seemed to become a problem. The Wrexham centre outran every bay player and was able to score 4 further tries before Archie Feathersonhaugh ran half the pitch for the bays 4th try. All CB tries were converted by Bradley Reid. The final result was disappointing as the bay had worked hard and the team work was producing results. However errors in tackling and loosing balls in the mauls resulted in Wrexham capitalising with some very fast play. Excellent support play from Ollie Roberts who moved the ball around well, Tom Whitfield whos tackling has improved greatly this season, Bradley Reid continued to apply his controlled, aggressive style well, Clayton White who showed that being in the right place at the right time is so important. Congratulations to Osian Williams and Callum Turner who put in excellent performances for their fist games for the club.

21st September '08

Colwyn Bay 7 Newtown 21

The game started well with both teams very even. It wasn't long though before the Newtown winger slipped past for the first try. The Bay then settled down and showed what they could do. Bradley Reid and Ben Jones tackling well, Clayton White driving at his best and Will Bradfield putting in some exciting runs. However good the Bay were in the middle of the field it was the tackling down the wings that let them down again with a second Newtown try by their winger. Gareth Ashton-Biggs came on for his first match and showed good potential with his powerful driving. The Bay didn't loose their nerve and a twisting run by Aled Bysouth meant that he could off load to Ollie Roberts to drive over the line. This great try was converted comfortably by Bradley Reid. At half time an injured Tom Brafield was replaced by Liam Weatherson from the u10s who did a sterling job in difficult circumstances. Harry Osborne started to tackle very well and the forward were in their element.

Ollie Roberts and Clayton white exemplified this as the drove up field circulating the ball between them. However Newtown managed to score a third try again with a quick run down the wing, and although the Bay players caught up failed to stop the winger. Although the Bay lost this match they should take heart at the great performance that they put together especially by the forwards in the centre of the field.

Additional work over the next few weeks with tackling and spreading the ball out to the wingers will help make the team more rounded. But a good place to be at this stage in the season. Man of the Match goes to Bradley Reid for his crunching tackling and aggressive running.

14th September '08

Llandudno 31:14

First game against Llandudno was going to be tough however the Bay went out positively. The first try went to Llandudno and was converted.

Bay followed up with a superb driving run by Gwilym McCann who offloaded well to allow Ollie Roberts to power over the line. Converted by Ross Daniels. Llandudno scored another 3 tries before halftime converting 2.. The Bay continued to tackled well putting into practice what they had learnt over the past few weeks – especially Tom Bradfield who executed some great tackles at speed on the wing. The Bay came out well in the second half but Llandudno scored a great try after moving the ball around well pulling the Bays defensive line appart. The Bay managed to keep Llandudno in check with good driving, rucking and mauling preventing them from completing any of their runs for the line. This was rewarded with a great try by Aled Bysouth which was again converted by Ross Daniels. Clayton White got man-of-the-match for his determination and driving in the rucks and mauls.

Nant Conwy 49:0

This was then closely followed with a game against Nant Conwy. The Bay struggled to keep up with the strong agile Nant team throughout the match and disappointingly failed to completed their tackles. The final score of 7 converted tries to nil however did not reflect the game as a whole. Although Nant were the better team on the day the Bay put up a good fight but it was clear that fitness was an issue and playing two tough games in a row was just too much this early in the season. Tom Bradfield continued to tackle well and got man-of-the-match.

Thanks to Chris Kent from Abergele for coming in to referee these matches.