Anglo-Welsh Tournament 26th
April '09
The Colwyn Bay U8s took a strong
team to the Anglo-Welsh Tournament
hosted by Wrexham Rugby Club. The
team have developed well over the
last few weeks and all were looking
forward to the Tournament very much.
Some beautiful rugby was played
through the day against consistently
strong opposition.
Colwyn Bay 4 – 2 Rhyl
The first match of the pool stage
was against old rivals Rhyl. Colwyn
Bay hit the ground running with some
lovely passing and 2 early tries.
This was a super team effort and
credit must go to all who played in
a fine show of running rugby.
Defence was strong and Colwyn Bay
were deserved winners. The try
honours were shared between Harry
Roberts, Joshua Thomas, Arthur
McCann and Thomas Bale.
Colwyn Bay 5 -5 Oswestry
This was a tough match against fine
opposition. The pace was relentless
and the score could have tipped
either way. Colwyn Bay were
determined not to be defeated at
this stage of the competition and
this attitude led to a hard won
draw. Joshua Thomas worked hard for
his 2 tries and Arthur McCann scored
a lovely try from deep. Thomas Bale
led the gritty attack and scored 2
memorable tries through sheer
determination and pace. His
pirouetting will be an abiding
memory of this season!
Colwyn Bay 3 – 3 Wrexham
Wrexham came into this match as pool
leaders having won convincingly in
their previous 2 matches. Colwyn
Bay needed a win or a draw to get
into the knock out stages and
weren’t going to give in easily to
their confident opposition. The
squad of 10 were starting to tire
but managed to defend well with some
excellent tagging. The tries were
scored by Ewan Luke (1) and Arthur
McCann (2) and the team won a well
earned place in the semi-finals.
Colwyn Bay 3 – 7 Nant Conwy
The U8s met Nant in the
semi-finals. The rivalry between
these 2 teams grows with every
meeting and all were looking forward
to a tense contest. Colwyn Bay
never dropped their heads but were
obviously worn out by their previous
tough matches. Nant had a very
large squad to pull from and had
only played 2 matches in the group
stages so were by far the fresher
team. Colwyn Bay found themselves
isolated when running forward and
unforced errors led to a Nant
victory. Nant were disciplined and
played mature rugby and deserved
their win. Try scorers were (again)
Arthur McCann (2) and Ewan Luke (1)
Colwyn Bay U8s reached their first
semi final and were beaten only once
all day. That was by the winners
Nant Conwy, who beat Mold in the
final.
It is hard to single out individuals
in a day where every member of the
squad contributed to the success of
the day. All went home tired but
happy. The team should be extremely
proud of themselves for a
magnificent display of tag rugby in
a competition of such high quality.
Ewan Luke captained the team and
certainly led by example. The try
scorers should all be proud of their
contribution.
Mention should be made of those who
contributed just as much by their
passing, tagging, field placement
and determination: Eve Doherty,
Byron Wilson-Noon, Callum Jones,
Fraser Williams & Eben Van Der
Schyff.
Man of the Tournament goes to Arthur
McCann for his 6 tries, beautiful
running and for always believing
that a victory could be pulled out
of the bag right up to the final
whistle.
Well done everyone and thank to the
parents for a successful and fun day
out!!
Try
Scorers:
Arthur McCann 6
Thomas Bale 3
Joshua Thomas 3
Ewan Luke 2
Harry Roberts 1
Sunday
19th April '09
There was initial disappointment on
arriving at Llangefni with our pack of
16 U7s and U8s players, keen to play
after the Easter break, to find that
Llangefni could only produce 4 players
of their own. With a little imagination
however, a fabulous morning’s rugby
ensued with everyone basking in the
spring sunshine. The spectators were
treated to some super rugby from an
impromptu 5-aside ‘mini-tournament’.
The Colwyn Bay players were split into
U7s, U8s blue, U8s red and Llangefni
teams. Special mention should be made
of Sam Saunders from the U7s team who
volunteered to make up the numbers for
Llangefni. He should have been their
Man of the Match for his 3 tries over 2
games and fantastic tagging.
Colwyn Bay U7s 6 – Llangefni 5
Our talented U7s team had their first
win of the season and it was thoroughly
deserved. They are now a well-drilled
unit and they took the game to Llangefni
with confidence. Thomas Opie captained
the team well. Both he and Rhys Watkins
defended beautifully, taking some
difficult but important tags. Sam
Saunders scored 2 tries for Llangefni
but Colwyn Bay took victory in the end
with great tries from Matthew Millband
and Will Stewart, both of whom again had
solid games. Amy Bale played a blinder,
relishing the space on the pitch. She
has become fearless in attack and scored
4 lovely tries. The game was real
end-to-end stuff and the clinching
moment was a Colwyn bay turnover ball
after taking 6 consecutive tags. It was
a true team performance. Well done to
you all for your first victory!
Colwyn Bay U8s (Blue) 4 vs Colwyn Bay
U8s (Red) 5
Colwyn Bay U8s took on each other in a
gripping and exciting game for the
‘neutral’?! supporter. The teams were
well matched and proved the strength in
depth of the U8s squad. This game was
played as passionately as any local
derby match. Friendships were put aside
for 10 intense minutes during which a
relentless stream of superb rugby issued
forth. You could not put a piece of
paper between the two teams. Byron
Wilson-Noon and Thomas Bale both had
confident, intelligent games. They each
scored a try and worked well around the
whole pitch. Thomas Bale’s try was a
master class in running at the
opposition and entertained all those
watching. Josh Thomas and Callum Jones
defended extremely well. Ewan Luke had
a fabulous game scoring two tries.
Again his work-rate was great,
especially in the heat of the day. For
the Reds Fraser Williams captained the
team very well and had a good all round
game, Eben Van Der Schyff and Eve
Doherty tagged well. Harry Roberts
scored a lovely try but special credit
must go to Arthur McCann for his 4 tries
and, yet again, some beautiful running.
The game went to a ‘sudden-death’ try.
Due to the desire of both teams not to
lose this try took some time coming but
was finally awarded to the Reds!
Colwyn Bay U8s (Blue) 6 - Llangefni 5
Colwyn Bay were the better team in this
match and probably leaked a few tries.
They were lacking in defence during the
first half but improved during the
second. This was another great all
round performance. Again credit must go
to Sam Saunders for scoring yet another
try for Llangefni (keep this up for
Colwyn Bay Sam!). Callum Jones had
probably his best game yet and scored
two lovely tries. Honours also go to
Thomas Bale, Ewan Luke, Joshua Thomas
and Byron Wilson-Noon who all scored a
try apiece to gain another deserved
victory.
Colwyn Bay U7s 2 – Colwyn Bay U8s (Red)
3
The U7s were not daunted by taking on
the U8s in this close and gripping
game. The U7s played a tight game and
it was only the U8s superior tagging
that won them the game. The speed of
the U7s players caused the U8s more than
a moment of discomfort but the final
score was a fair one for the game. In
fact the score for the U8s should have
read 4 tries as Arthur McCann scored a
lovely solo effort. The referee
disallowed the try as he was trying to
encourage passing between the U8s. The
try will be added the Arthurs tally for
the day of 5 tries. Well done Arthur!
Try scorers for the U7s were Matthew
Millband and Will Saunders. Special
mention should also be made of Matthew’s
tagging, including a superb try-saving
tag plucked out of thin air. Ewan Luke
again had a good match scoring 2 tries
and Harry Roberts with 1 try.
This was a fun day in the end. A lot of
rugby was played and all of Colwyn Bay’s
young players should be proud of
themselves for the quality of rugby and
spirit in which they play the game.
The U7s man of the match for the day is
Amy Bale. Matthew Millband is highly
commended.
The U8s man of the match for the day is
Arthur McCann. Thomas Bale and Harry
Roberts are to be highly commended.
All of you deserve a pat on the back!
Sunday
5th April '09
On a beautiful spring morning Colwyn Bay
welcomed Pwllheli to the Club for two
matches.
Colwyn Bay U7s 2 - Pwllheli U8s 5
The U7s took to the field first against
a Pwllheli side consisting almost
entirely of U8s players. They rose to
the occasion and played some of their
best rugby of the season.
When Colwyn Bay had the ball in hand
they caused endless problems to the
Pwllheli side and were unlucky not to
get themselves onto the score sheet in
the first half. Pwllheli were obviously
the more experienced side scoring 5 good
tries during the game. During the
second half Colwyn Bay scored two tries
from strong running from Joshua Jakeman
and Adam Knowles. Amy Bale and Will
Stewart were unlucky not to score,
beating the Pwllheli defence time and
again. Matthew Millband and Emily
Rogers had strong games. Rhys Watkins
played well in only his second match.
Sam Saunders ran well down the wing with
good support from Thomas Opie. To their
credit the Under 7s won the second half
2 tries to 1. It is pleasing to note
another large step forward in the U7s
game today with improved running and
passing throughout the team as well as a
significant improvement in defence.
They are gaining valuable match
experience for next year and if today’s
game id anything to go by they should be
a team to be reckoned with! Man of the
Match is Adam Knowles for his stupendous
running.
Colwyn Bay U8s 8 – Pwllheli U8s 6
Colwyn Bay U8s played the running rugby
they have promised all season and
thoroughly deserved their win. They
started the game with a quick try and
kept the quality of play going in all
sectors of the game for the whole of the
first half. There was some beautiful
passing and an obvious understanding is
starting to develop between the
players. The defence which has let them
down all season was mightily improved.
One of the highlights of the match being
when Colwyn Bay drove the Pwllheli
attack backwards resulting in a 6-tag
turn-over. Strong straight running
resulted in tries from Eben Van Der
Schyff, Byron Wilson-Noon and Thomas
Bale. Arthur McCann also got himself
onto the score sheet with light-footed
elusive running. Harry Roberts had
another good game with great running and
good support play. Eve Doherty
continues to improve match on match and
just needs to remember not to panic when
she has the ball. Callum Jones had two
strong runs and led well as captain.
This was a team win resulting from hard
work in training throughout the early
season and it is great to see the
benefits of this coming through. There
were several contenders for Man of the
Match but this has to go to Eben Van Der
Schyff for scoring 4 tries and working
extremely hard in defence. He seemed to
be everywhere on the pitch at once!
Well done to you all!
Colwyn Bay U7s 2 - Pwllheli U8s 5
Try
Scorers:
Adam Knowles 1
Joshua Jakeman 1
Colwyn Bay U8s 8 – Pwllheli U8s 6
Try
Scorers:
Eben Van Der Schyff 4
Byron Wilson-Noon 2
Arthur McCann 1
Thomas Bale 1
Sunday 22nd March
On a mild and dry Mothering Sunday Colwyn
Bay welcomed a small but well-drilled
Caernarfon team. These were lovely
conditions for rugby and the spectators were
not disappointed with two entertaining and
action-packed matches:
Colwyn Bay U7s 5 – Caernarfon U8s 8
Colwyn Bay were proud to field 10
enthusiastic U7s in this exciting 6-aside
match with the players rotated round
regularly, giving all a good chance to
stretch their legs and show what they had
learnt over the cold winter months. The
attacking play was disciplined with some
excellent passing and running. Emily Rogers
made a top-draw high pass to Amy Bale who
caught the ball in a safe pair of hands to
run in for a try. Will Stewart and Adam
Knowles also defied the defense to run in
two good tries. Sam Saunders again showed a
turn of speed that will stand him in good
stead for the future, leaving the defense in
his wake to score two beautiful tries. The
defense let Colwyn Bay down with fewer tags
taken than they would have liked.
Caernarfon ran well and pushed the Bays
defense hard. There was excellent tagging
from Thomas Opie, Joshua Jakeman and Matthew
Millband. Jamie Rogerson showed a hint of
the good player he will become when he has
more matches under his belt and Rhys
Watkins, in his first match for Colwyn Bay,
played as if he had been part of the team
for months.
The Man of the Match is Sam Saunders for his
running in two good tries, putting in a
captain’s performance and showing the speed
that we know he is capable of. Well done
Sam!
Colwyn Bay U8s 9 – Caernarfon U8s 6
Colwyn Bay were full of energy and raring to
go in this tight and passionate match.
Caernarfon got off to a quick start scoring
a try in the opening seconds. Colwyn Bay
woke up after this and put in a strong
performance of teamwork in what was a well
matched game. The scores were neck and neck
until the final five minutes when Colwyn
Bay’s combination of tight defensive work
and fast, straight running at the opposition
gave them an unassailable three point lead.
Eben Van Der Schyff captained the team well
and scored a lovely try. He put in some
excellent tagging and led by example.
Callum Jones and Fraser Williams worked hard
with accurate passing and showed a good feel
for positioning within the team. Joshua
Thomas (I try) and Ewan Luke (2 tries) put
in two strong performances as usual. Their
consistency in matches and obvious ability
is delightful to watch. Thomas Bale and
Byron Wilson- Noon came on after half time
and took the game by the scruff of the
neck. Thomas Bale scored two highly
entertaining tries, one involving three
pirouettes which left the Caernarfon defense
perplexed and the Colwyn Bay supporters
cheering from the side-lines. Byron
Wilson-Noon has discovered that he has a
fast pair of legs and is not afraid now to
use them. He scored three second-half tries
and is this weeks Man of the Match. Well
done Byron.
A well-earned and deserved win for the U8s
and a tight match from our talented group of
U7s was a fitting conclusion to Mothers Day,
leaving all the mums smiling from ear to
ear. Well done to all of you!!
Sunday 15th March
Denbigh U7s 8 – Colwyn Bay U7s 7
On a beautiful Sunday
morning the Under 7s team came to Denbigh
with a spring in the step. Building on a
great team performance against Nant Conwy
they seemed to be brimming with confidence.
Making an impact on his return to the team
was Josh Jakeman, scoring 4 tries and
leading the line well in defence. Well done
Josh, much deserved Man of the Match. Amy
Bale continued her consistently performances
by scoring a try. Will Stewart rediscovered
his scoring ways with one try and showed us
his new side-step. Matthew Millband scored
his first try of the season with a great
solo run showing great power and
determination. Special mention should go to
Adam Knowles for his try-saving tagging and
defence-splitting running, unselfishly
setting up his team mates tries.
Colwyn
Bay showed great teamwork with some lovely
support play. The game was neck and neck all
the way and could have easily finished in
our favour. If we can concentrate a bit more
when the game restarts the results will go
in our favour. Terrific team performance,
well done everyone.
Mold U7s 6 – Colwyn Bay U7s 5
Following on from the
game against Denbigh faced a Mold team with
great running ability. Josh Jakeman and Adam
Knowles worked particularly hard in defence
to give us a platform to score from. Amy
Bale led from the front to score 2 beautiful
tries and she continually drove the team
forward. Will Stewart, playing again with
confidence, showed some blistering speed to
score an unstoppable try. Josh showed us
again what we’d been missing by finishing
off some great team play with a try. Sam
Saunders came on as sub determined to get a
try and was rewarded after a terrific run
down the line from Amy. Great support play.
Man of the Match goes to Amy Bale for her
continuous driving runs; she has become the
lynchpin in this team.
Like the previous game,
more concentration is required after the
restart but they are now starting to show
the potential we know they have. They played
some fantastic rugby, impressing the
opposition coaches and providing
entertaining rugby to watch. Great teamwork,
well done Colwyn Bay.
Saturday 7th March
Lyndon School U8s 3 Colwyn Bay U8s 5
Lyndon School U8s 6 Colwyn Bay U8s 2
On a mild and spring-like morning Lyndon School
welcomed Colwyn Bay U8s for a 2 match fixture.
The matches were played in a great spirit,
leading to a highly entertaining and fun morning
of rugby. Many of the Lyndon parents hadn’t
watched a Tag match before but were undoubtedly
fans of the game by the close of play.
4 of Colwyn Bay’s team ( Thomas Bale, Ewan Luke,
Fraser Williams and Joshua Thomas) were playing
for the School so three U7s players (Amy Bale,
Thomas Opie and Adam Knowles) stepped up to the
mark and put in strong individual performances
to help out their U8 team mates.
The first match was a fabulous display of
running rugby with Colwyn Bay keeping their
shape and maintaining a strong defensive line,
their most disciplined performance of the season
and a well deserved win. Lyndon made Colwyn Bay
work hard for their tries but some beautiful
running from captain Arthur McCann (2 tries) and
Eben Van Der Schyff (1 try) found the holes in
the defense to break through. Eve Doherty was
the most prolific tagger but Man of the Match
goes to Byron Wilson-Noon for his two strong
tries, earned through persistence and hard
work.
The second match saw a complete change of
players for the Lyndon team and possibly tiring
legs from Colwyn Bay. This was a scrappier and
more frantic game but Lyndon found their form
with some individual fine running & passing.
Tries from Arthur McCann and Harry Roberts were
highlights of the match for Colwyn Bay but were
not enough to secure victory. Man of the Match
is Arthur McCann for a great morning’s rugby and
for never slowing down or giving up in the
second match. Well done Arthur!
Sunday 8th
March
Nant Conwy U7s 8 Colwyn Bay U7s 4
The drive up the Conwy Valley to Nant Conwy on
Sunday morning was punctuated by hail, sleet,
rain and more hail. This was not a trip for the
faint hearted or the ‘fair weather rugby fan’.
In spite of the weather Colwyn Bay U7s played in
a fast paced and lively match against Nant Conwy
U7s. This was a good game of rugby and the
score should have been closer. The U7s are
becoming a cohesive unit and once their
strengthen their defensive line will be a team
to be reckoned with. Emily Rogers kept her
position well and played a great supporting
role. Adam Knowles demonstrated his startling
turn of speed on many occasions with a great
tally of try-saving tags. Sam Saunders scored
one lovely try with a display of light-footed
running and nearly got a second. Thomas Opie
crossed the try line on two occasions and had a
great all-round game. The Man of the Match was
Amy Bale. She captained the team well, ensuring
their heads never dropped and led from the front
with strong passing, keen tagging and a super
individual try. Keep it up Amy! Well done
indeed to the whole team.
Nant Conwy U8s 9 Colwyn Bay U8s 2
The U8s played their match in the toughest
conditions of the season so far. The match had
to be halted during the first half as Colwyn Bay
were playing into horizontal hail during an
Arctic squall! The team showed a maturity and
strength beyond their years in playing through a
match which tested their resolve to the limit.
Thomas Bale led from the front as captain. He
made sure the team never dropped their heads and
rallied them to the cause. The team responded
well but the conditions got the better of them
in the end and Nant Conwy ran away with the game
in the second half. Arthur McCann and Harry
Roberts scored two well deserved tries but this
really was a team performance from all. The
whole team deserve the Man of the Match accolade
and we are proud of you all.
Thanks you to the parents for manning the
touchline so admirably on a thoroughly rotten
day!!
Spring is on its way!
28th February '09
Colwyn Bay 3 – 10 Sandbach
Colwyn Bay 3 – 5 Sandbach
Colwyn Bay 4 – 8 Sandbach
Colwyn Bay U8s welcomed a touring Sandbach squad to
the Club on Saturday. Sandbach brought 19 players
with them and an army of parents. The U8s were a
depleted team due to it clashing with a local Urdd.
7 U8s and 2 U7s from Colwyn Bay rose to the
challenge of taking on the 19 Sandbach players in 3
back-to-back matches. The team consisted of Byron
Wilson-Noon, Thomas Bale, Fraser Williams, Callum
Jones, Joshua Thomas, Ewan Luke, Harry Roberts, Amy
Bale and Thomas Oppie. These players put in a
wonderful performance and showed great stamina as
well as playing the best rugby they have played all
season. The scores were 3-10 to Sandbach, 3-5 to
Sandbach and 4-8 to Sandbach. The difference in
English and Welsh styles of rugby were very evident
with Sandbach playing a tight game while Colwyn Bay
moved the ball around the pitch scorning tries by
drawing the opposition first one way and then the
other. The games were played in a marvellous spirit
with all players thoroughly enjoying themselves. It
was a shame The Bay didn’t get a deserved win.
Sandbach enjoyed their visit and have invited Colwyn
Bay for a return fixture next year. The Sandbach
parents were last seen attempting to drink the Club
dry! Thanks to the Club for their support in
hosting this successful fixture.
15th
February '09
Colwyn Bay U8s 3 – Ruthin U8s 8
Colwyn Bay U8s 3 – Stockport U8s 7
Colwyn Bay
U8s travelled across the border into England to face
fellow North Wales side Ruthin and the hosts Stockport
in a triangular contest. The day produced some great
rugby and was thoroughly enjoyed by all the youngsters
taking part.
The journey
seemed to affect Colwyn Bay and it took them a while to
get into the first match against Ruthin. The second
half showed a great display of team work and passing and
was a closely fought affair. Ruthin are a well drilled
and fast team and they pushed Colwyn Bay’s defense to
the limit. Fraser Williams put up a strong all round
display and led from the front as captain. Byron
Wilson-Noon had a great day and was unlucky not to score
a try, being tagged on more than one occasion with the
try line well in his sights. Ewan Luke scored two
fantastic tries and tagged well, preventing a greater
Ruthin score.
Amy Bale was
unlucky in having a try disallowed in the second match
after a relentless piece of attacking rugby from Colwyn
Bay which ground down the Stockport defense. This was a
fiercely fought contest resulting in 22 Colwyn Bay tags
with all members of the team contributing. The Man of
the Tournament is Joshua Thomas who scored 4 tries over
the two matches and appeared to be everywhere on the
pitch at once. Well done Josh!
15th
February '09
Colwyn Bay U8s 3 – Bro Ffestiniog U8s 8
Colwyn Bay welcomed Bro Ffestiniog on a mild February
Sunday. This turned out to be a good game of rugby but
Colwyn Bay was beaten by a good defensive team with a
couple of fast young players. Bro took the match to
Colwyn Bay in the first half but Colwyn Bay rallied to
produce a much tighter second half. There was some
lovely passing by Colwyn Bay but they failed to cross
the gain line regularly due to some great tagging by Bro
Ffestiniog. Byron Wilson-Noon put up a solid captains
performance with some strong running. Thomas Bale ran
beautifully and was unlucky not to score a try, being
tagged as he reached the try line. Ewan Luke is
commended for his prolific tagging taking 8 during the
match and scoring a lovely try. The Man of The Match is
Joshua Thomas for his intense work rate during the first
half, taking 3 important tags and scoring 2 fabulous
tries.
Colwyn Bay U7s 2 – Bro Ffestiniog U8s 7
This young side again took on older and more experienced
opposition when they played Bro Ffestiniog this Sunday.
Their lack of experience and match time showed during
the first half which they lost 5-1. They played
extremely well, however, during the second half making
Bro work very hard for their 2 tries. There was a
better awareness of the pitch in the second half and
what resulted was some lovely passing and running.
Thomas Oppie is to be commended for his 4 tags and a
great try. He worked the wing well and troubled the Bro
defense on more than one occasion. Amy Bale scored a
lovely try. She unfortunately struggled to stay on her
feet on 2 further try scoring opportunities with the
line in site, denying herself a potential hat trick.
The Man of The Match is Adam Knowles who took 5 great
tags, including one try saving tag in his first game of
competitive rugby. His running skills are an exciting
prospect for the future. Well done Adam!
1st
February '09
Colwyn Bay U8s 5 – Llandudno U8s 5
Colwyn Bay U8s 4 – Llandudno U8s 4
Colwyn Bay
made the short journey to Llandudno on a cold and
blustery day. What emerged were two great games of
rugby with some fantastic play from both sides in what
turned out to be two very close and hard fought
contests. Over the two matches Colwyn Bay took 45 tags
and scored 9 tries. The difference between this and the
match a fortnight before was team work. There was some
beautiful passing, good straight running and a ‘never
give up’ attitude to the end despite the cold weather.
It is very hard to single out individuals in such a
strong team performance and all those who played are
highly commended for their efforts. Callum Jones must
be mentioned for scoring his first try after returning
from a broken arm. Harry Roberts is Man of the Match
for the first game because of his commitment, work rate
and 2 fabulous tries. Joshua Thomas is Man of the Match
for the second game for his superb running, tagging and
an all round good performance. Thomas Bale and Ewan
Luke showed great awareness of the space around them and
this showed in their tag tallies. Arthur McCann ran
well, Byron Wilson-Noon put in another solid
performance, Eve Doherty and Fraser Williams showed a
growing awareness of the game and in particular linked
in well with the team. Well done everyone.
18th
January '09
Colwyn Bay U8s 1 – Denbigh U8s 6
On a crisp winters morning Colwyn Bay U8s welcomed a
very well drilled and sharp Denbigh team to their first
home fixture for over a month. Denbigh were by far the
better side as Colwyn Bay struggled to keep even the
basics of their game up to the standard we know they are
capable of. The team struggled to bind together as a
unit and occasional individual moments of good rugby
were not enough to take the match to the visitors. Eve
Doherty ran well at the opposition but lacked for
support. With a few more matches under her belt she
will become an extremely good player. Harry Roberts
kept his head up despite a hard knock and is to be
commended for this. Fraser Williams had a solid game,
keeping a good rugby brain on his shoulders and Eben Van
Der Schyff scored a superb try with a very strong run
from deep. The Man of the Match has to be Ewan Luke
whose work rate was tremendous despite the defeat. He
took 9 of the 15 tags and single handedly prevented a
higher Denbigh score with his excellent defensive work.
Well done Ewan!
Colwyn Bay U7/U8s 0 – Denbigh U7/U8s 11
This was a disappointing display after a great day of
rugby at Mold in early December. Colwyn Bay U7s took a
hard hit from a superior Denbigh side and found it hard
to get themselves into the game as they were beaten in
all areas of play. Again, the side will need to revisit
the basics of the game before they can rise to challenge
quality opposition. There was energy and enthusiasm
from all but a lack of team play did tell in the end.
Matthew Millband is to be highly commended for being so
close to scoring at least 2 tries and doggedly chasing
down the opposition at all opportunities. He never gave
up. Jamie Rogerson, Sam Saunders and Harry Roberts each
took a tag but Ewan Luke again took the majority of the
tags in what was a one-sided match. A lot has to be
learned from days like this and the beauty of sport is
that there is always next week!
14th
December '08
Mold U7s 15- Colwyn Bay U7s 8
In the first of two U7s matches against a
well-drilled Mold team Colwyn Bay U7s played with
enthusiasm but not enough cohesion. There were moments
of very good rugby but a lack of focus at key moments
let them down a little. This was the best they had
played in the season so far and was an entertaining
match. The tries were shared between Sam Saunders (2),
Joshua Jakeman (2), Amy Bale (1) and Will Stewart (3).
Joshua Jakeman unfortunately had two tries disallowed.
Please try to stay on your feet Josh! Man of the Match
is again Will Stewart for his 3 tries, good tagging and
most importantly his ability to read the game and
position himself well.
Mold U7s 9 - Colwyn Bay U7s 7
If the previous match was entertaining
this match was a blinder! The lead changed hands
several times and only in the final 2 minutes did Mold
pull clear for victory. There was some fantastic rugby
from both teams with a maturity beyond their years.
Accurate, thoughtful passing, great pressure in attack
and defence combined with a team effort made this match
memorable. Emily Rogers scored a super individual try
moments after returning to the pitch after feeling
unwell. Well done Emily. Will Stewart led from the
front as captain and Morgan Thomas tagged and passed
well. Josh Jakeman again put in a strong performance.
Amy Bale (2 tries) continued to put continual pressure
on the opposition in attack and defence, making herself
a real thorn in their side. She is to be commended for
another very strong day on the pitch. Man of the Match
goes to Sam Saunders for a remarkable performance,
scoring 4 beautiful tries and showing a new found
confidence that suits him well. Good effort Sam!
Mold U8s 11 - Colwyn Bay U8s 1
Mold started this game as they finished
their last match against Colwyn Bay with strong running
and good rugby skills. Colwyn Bay seemed to be
overwhelmed by the Mold play and struggled to find their
rhythm. It wasn't until the second half that Colwyn Bay
realised that it was only hard work that was going to
stop Mold scoring more tries. Improvement from
thereon was vast. The team should be encouraged by their
ability to dig deep and showed great heart and team
spirit during the second half. Joshua Thomas scored one
try. Byron Wilson-Noon worked hard in defence taking 4
tags. Eben Van der Schyff took 3 tags and Harry Roberts
and Joshua Thomas 1 apiece. Man of the Match goes to
Byron Wilson-Noon for his determined defence.
Mold U8s 5 - Colwyn Bay U8s 2
Colwyn Bay seemed like a different team
altogether in their second match, playing with
determination and passion. They used the skills they
had been learning through the season so far with great
effect in what turned out to be a much tighter match.
Good pressure in defence forced Mold to make errors
which Colwyn Bay took advantage of. Defence was much
improved with Byron Wison-Noon and Joshua Thomas taking
5 tags each. Thomas Bale and Harry Roberts took 2 each.
Eben Van der Schyff scored a wonderful try made by
strong, determined running and good
side-stepping. Fraser Williams continued to improve his
game along with Thomas Opie who put in a good
performance playing up an age group Thomas Bale scored a
wonderful try running straight at the heart of the Mold
defence, pirouetting 3 times to avoid being tagged and
continuing a strong run to the try line. The Mold coach
even congratulated him on a fabulous try! For this
display his is the Man of the Match.
30th
November '08
Colwyn Bay U7s 3 – Mold U7/8s 9
On a day when the temperature struggled to get above
freezing Colwyn Bay’s youngsters struggled against
stronger opposition in a mixed Mold U7s and U8s team.
They seemed to be hampered by the cold and never quite
got going as a result. Mold were a well drilled team
and it was only in the last 2 minutes that Colwyn Bay
started to play rugby that we know they are capable of,
all too late unfortunately. Many players had a quieter
game than we are used to seeing. Josh Jakeman should be
commended for being very close to scoring 2 tries. He
was unable to stay on his feet on both occasions. The
Man of the Match again goes to Will Stewart for his
hat-trick of tries and 2 tags. He had a super game and
continue to go from strength to strength.
Colwyn Bay U8s 1 – Mold U8s 9
Again Colwyn Bay seemed to be troubled by the cold
conditions, a situation that Mold took advantage of, and
seemed to be less troubled by. They played good rugby
with strong running in attack and some solid defensive
work. Colwyn Bay passed the ball well but struggled to
penetrate the defense. Again this was a quiet game for
the U8s. Josh Thomas took Colwyn Bay’s only try and
played well. Harry Roberts is to be commended for
gallantly coming on as a substitute for an injured U7s
player and then playing a fully committed game against
Mold U8s. He never dropped his head despite taking 3
knocks himself and worked hard up to the final whistle.
For this determination and resilience he deserves the
Man of the Match award. Well done Harry!
All players deserve praise for getting out there on a
very cold morning & hopefully have gained some vital
experience in these cold conditions!
23rd
November '08
Colwyn Bay U8s 6 – Rhyl U8s 7
CB U8s turned out on a very blustery morning to play
Rhyl U8s. Matches between these two teams have
traditionally been close and this was no exception. The
lead changed regularly through the match with some good
attacking play from both teams but, unfortunately, a
rather disappointing defensive display from CB. Ewan
Luke was again top tagger with 4 and Eve Doherty is to
be commended for her 3 tags and a continued improvement
over the season so far. There were some good individual
tries but no hint of the solid team performance as seen
against the U7s the week before. Fraser Williams scored
his first try, an excellent example with good strong
running through the opposition defence. Man of the Match
is again Sam Grundy who scored 3 tries and took 3 tags,
all during the first half, before he came off injured.
Fantastic effort Sam!
Colwyn Bay U7s 1 – Rhyl U8s 7
CB U7s again had to face older opposition in what was a
one sided match. Rhyl played good running rugby, using
the width of the pitch to their advantage. CB did not
play as cohesively as they can do and this showed in the
final score. There were encouraging performances from
Emily Rogers and Josh Jakeman. Sam Saunders ran well and
was once again close to scoring a try. Man of the Match
is Will Stewart who scored his first try, took 1 tags
and played a good all round game. Well done Will!
There was once again great support from the parents. We
do appreciate it.
16th
November '08
Colwyn Bay U7s 3 – Colwyn Bay U8s 5
Making the most of a sunny November morning Colwyn Bay U7s
took on Colwyn bay U8s after Llangefni were unable to field
an U8s team.
The U7s put up a great effort and made the U8s work very
hard for their 5 tries. Emily Rogers, Morgan Thomas & Jamie
Rogerson gave encouraging performances and have shown huge
improvement since the start of the season. Sam Saunders ran
beautifully down the right wing but couldn’t quite score his
first try due to excellent tagging from the U8s. Will
Stewart supported well and Josh Jakeman again tagged
consistently. Amy Bale is to be commended for another all
round good performance and a super try. The man of the
match award goes to Matthew Millband for his first try and
another solid performance.
The U8s supported each other well, exemplified by the
fantastic try scored by Arthur McCann, a try that almost the
whole team was involved with. Ewan Luke again was top tagger
with a tally of 6; Josh Thomas is to be commended for 5 tags
and a good all round effort. Thomas Bale scored a lovely try
as did Harry Roberts, both showing a good turn of speed.
This was a great team effort but the Man of the Match award
goes to Sam Grundy who scored a fabulous try and very nearly
got a second. His improvement over the season has been
fantastic. Well done Sam!
Both teams should be very proud of their performance today.
There are some encouraging signs for the future with good
individual and team efforts on display. Well done one and
all!!
9th
November '08
CB (U7s) 1 – Wrexham (U8s) 10
On a cold and wet Sunday morning Colwyn Bay’s young but
enthusiastic U7s took on a much more experienced U8s side
from Wrexham. The first half saw total domination from a
well-drilled Wrexham side that found the spaces and picked
the gaps in Colwyn Bay’s defences. Colwyn Bay rallied during
the second half with a fine display of tagging from Josh
Jakeman (6 tags) and a superb run by Amy Bale to score the
only try for Colwyn Bay. She also picked 3 tags and her work
rate won her the Man of the Match award. Also to be
commended is Matthew Millband for a solid performance.
CB (U8s) 3 – Wrexham (U8s) 4
In what turned out to be a very tight match played out on a
rain-driven pitch it was a shame that Colwyn Bay couldn’t
quite see out the win. The match started with a lovely try
by Ewan Luke but Colwyn Bay then had to settle down to a
tough game with tight defence and regular turn-over ball the
story of the match for both sides. Eben Van Der Schyff took
4 try saving tags and Josh Thomas scored his first try for
the team. Well done Josh. Thomas Opie should also be
mentioned for making that particular try. Man of the Match
was Ewan Luke yet again for his 2 tries, 5 tags and an
excellent ability to read the game.
19th October '08
Colwyn Bay U8s took a keen team to the Minis
Tournament in Mold. During our 5 matches we took 69 tags and
scored 20 tries. This included an impromptu game against Nant
U7s at the end. The tired and emotional faces at the end of the
tournament showed that our young players had given their all &
we are extremely proud of them all.
CB vs Mold 3-6
Mold got off to the quicker start as it took CB
longer to settle in this first match. Arthur McCann scored
another hat trick of tries. Eben Van Der Schyff & Ewan Luke took
four tags each. Unfortunately this was not enough to stop a very
good team effort from Mold.
CB vs Rhyl 5 - 2
Defence wins matches and our tag tally of 13 in
this match with 5 from Ewan Luke stood us in good stead for our
first win of the season. The players came well together and as a
team should be proud of themselves. Fraser Williams-Boyle found
his stride in this game. All the tries were wonderful but I
can't name the individuals as an over-excited manager forgot to
write them down! Well done everyone!!
CB vs Whitchurch 2-4
This was a gritty defensive game (19 tags taken)
but we didn't take our chances and loose passing cost us dearly.
Thomas Opie (2 tags), Josh Jakeman (4 tags), Thomas Bale (4
tags), Amy Bale (4 tags) and Eben Van Der Schyff (5 tags) should
be commended for their hard work. The highlight of the game was
CB's defence on their own try line taking 6 consecutive tags to
turn Whitchurch over.
CB vs Ruthin 5 - 6
This was the game of the group as Ruthin were
coming into this game unbeaten. A total of 11 tries were scored
and CB went into half time leading. The score was 5 -5 with
Ruthin scoring the winning try in the final seconds of the game.
There were 14 tags taken and I'm proud to say that we pushed
Ruthin to the limit. I'm afraid that once again exuberant
supporting from the manager has led to a deficit of statistics
related to this match but I can safely say that is was a
fantastic team performance!
CB vs Helsby 3 - 5
Our final match, as it turned out, was a storming
defensive effort once again with 13 tags being taken. There was
no doubt that CB were beginning to tire. Again loose passing
after tags being taken cost us dearly. CB played to the final
whistle with all the determination they could muster and never
gave up. Ewan Luke was outstanding in this game with 4 tags and
2 tries.
Unfortunately we did not make it out of the group
stages and the players were devastated by this. The Coaching
Team would like to thank all the parents for the effort involved
in bringing their children to the Tournament and their
never-ending support of the players throughout the day. Thank
you all!
We are proud of all our players who put
everything into the matches and their reactions at the end of
the day showed how much their rugby means to them.
Special mention should be made to Arthur McCann
for his try tally, Eben Van Der Schyff for his try saving tags
and Ewan Luke for his all-round performance. Ewan is our man of
the Tournament. Well done Ewan!
The stats are as follows (with the odd missed
tally by the manager!!)
Amy Bale Tries 2 Tags 7
Callum Jones Tries 1 Tags 2
Sam Grundy Tries 1 Tags 5
Thomas Opie Tries 0 Tags 2
Fraser W-B Tries 0 Tags 2
Eve Doherty Tries 0 Tags 3
Joshua Jakeman Tries 1 Tags 4
Byron W-N Tries 0 Tags 1
Arthur McCann Tries 7 Tags 5
Ewan Luke Tries 4 Tags 13
Eben V D S Tries 1 Tags 10
Joshua Thomas Tries 2 Tags 1
Harry Roberts Tries 1 Tags 2
Thomas Bale Tries 0 Tags 4
Please set me straight next week if I've missed
your tries or tags!!
Well done everyone and lets look forward to our
matches against Caernarfon next weekend!
21st September '08
Colwyn Bay U8s 2 - Newtown U8s 5
Colwyn Bay U7s 0 – Newtown U8s 6
Colwyn Bay U7s and U8s welcomed Newtown on yet another
beautiful, sunny September morning.
In the first match Colwyn bay U8s took on Newtown U8s in what
turned out to be a tight match. Newtown won by 5 tries to 2. The
visitors used the whole pitch to full advantage which led to
their victory in the end. Callum Jones showed us that he
possesses a great turn of speed and good elusive running. Harry
Roberts is to be commended for his tally of four tags. Thomas
Bale’s work rate was fantastic. He seemed to be everywhere on
the pitch and he also managed a personal best of four tags. The
man of the match however was Ianto Smith who ran beautifully,
taking the ball over the line for both of Colwyn Bay’s tries and
getting two tags. It was lovely to see that even without a
training session since the last match there was a distinct
improvement from the week before and the basis of a good future
team is in evidence. Well done everyone!
The U7s lost 6 – 0 but the score flattered Newtown U8s. Colwyn
Bay’s defence was superb making life for the Newtown players
difficult. Colwyn Bay missed out on several tries by a small
margin, defied by the touch line on a few occasions. The steep
learning curve for our new players continues but improvement
again was evident in only their second game of rugby. Josh
Jakeman is to be commended on his consistent tagging taking
seven, only to be outdone by Amy Bale with her eight tags and a
Man of the Match performance. Well done Amy! Tim Edwards once
again showed a clean pair of heels to the opposition on more
than one occasion and put in another solid performance. Will
Stewart in his first game of rugby is to be congratulated on
taking his first tag.
14th September '08
On a
glorious Sunday morning Colwyn Bay U7 & U8s welcomed Nant and Llandudno to
the club for everyone’s first matches of the season. The Bay fielded a full
U7s team for the first time and an U8s team. It was great to see the old
faces from last years U8s and welcome to all the new players in both teams.
The first game was between Colwyn Bay U8s and Llandudno U8s. Llandudno won
6-3 in a tight and entertaining game. The opening team captain Arthur McCann
scored a hat trick and took 3 tags with some fine running. Well done
Arthur. Considering there had only been one training session the team
played very well together with some fine individual performances. This
bodes well for the rest of the season.
The second
match was the debut for Colwyn Bay U7s who had been champing at the bit
throughout the whole of the previous game. They played a much more
experienced Nant Conwy team with a mix of both U8s and U7s. The score of
9-0 to Nant belied a huge effort by Colwyn Bay who made life difficult for
Nant on many occasions during the match. The team were on a steep learning
curve but took it in their stride and all deserve to be extremely proud of
themselves for a sterling performance in their first ever match. Man of the
Match was Tim Edwards. He ran beautifully with a great turn of speed. He
pushed the Nant defence to the limit in attack and made two tags in defence
(equal top tagger with Amy Bale). Well done team!
The next
game was between Nant and Llandudno. Nant took control of the game and won.
The final match was a mixed U7s and U8s team between Colwyn bay and Nant.
Colwyn Bay were tiring fast and Nant once again took the game by the scruff
of the neck and won comfortably.
A big
thanks to parents from all teams for great support and enthusiasm throughout
the morning.
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