Match report
U12s Wiltshire Cup - Bradford-on-Avon - 20th March 2011

Squad - Tobi Arnold, Pip Alison, George Leggett, Josh Trowern, Archie McEwan, Jared Cardew, Sam Bradby, Callam McTaggart, Will Gatehouse, Hugo Horlock, Tom Khule, Caden Murley, Patrick Bates, Loxley Blumer, Chris Nichols Archie Bourne, Jamie Ellis, Zandy Dembinski

The Under 12s took part in the Wiltshire Cup on Sunday with much expectation resting on their shoulders to retain their County honours. The weather was perfect, the pitches were flat and in beautiful condition and the car park had enough spaces for everyone to park; what more could you ask for at the start of play!

Before any ball was kicked Salisbury had already won the competition for the highest number of coaches per team, thanks to Paul, Angus, Jon, Martin, and Tom, and they got to work honing the players into a formidable fighting force. The focus was ‘don't play like the English did in Dublin', and it appeared to have the desired effect.

The first match against Melksham started well, where strong srcumaging from the forwards lead to a turn over. The ball was then passed out to Callum who jinked his was over the line for the first try. Salisbury were dominating the possession, and good handling in the backs lead to try two with Hugo putting his name on the score sheet early on. The resultant kick-off went deep and was caught by full-back Patrick, who ran the whole length of the pitch to score try three. After the break Salisbury continued to put pressure on the opposition and following an interception from Zandy we had a scrum close to their line. A switch by scrum-half Sam opened up the field for Will who ran through for try four. The forwards continue in their uncompromising fashion, and following a ruck the ball was passed out wide to Loxley who side stepped three players for another try. A perfect start to get the boys into their stride.

Final score - Salisbury 25 Melksham 0

Following their only scheduled break in play for the whole of the day, they next took to the field to battle against Swindon, an unknown force. The pattern of the match was quickly dictated by the forwards who won the first scrum against the head, and our backs were only prevented from scoring by a knock-on. However it was not long before the scoreboard started ticking over again in Salisbury's favour when Loxley took a good pick-up and ran down the line for a try. This was added to from the kick-off where, following a very determined shout, Chris caught the ball and marched straight down the middle of the pitch for try two, leaving several flailing Swindon players in his wake. The game then got bogged down with numerous re-set scrums as the Salisbury pack appeared too strong for their opposite numbers. Despite some helpful advice from Richard Bourne on the touch line, the referee seemed determined to get the ball out of the scrum cleanly, and the clock ran down to end the half. After the break, further re-set scrums frustrated the boys in green, but they then broke following a good run by Zandy. He passed to Archie Bourne, who crossed the line but his effort was adjudged to be ‘held up'. The resultant 5 metre scrum does bear fruit however when Tom went over for a try. This is followed up by a further try when good inter-play between the backs released Zandy for score 4. To keep the averages up, a final score is registered when Jamie stole the ball and charged down the pitch. He was halted but the ball was recycled from the ruck to Zandy who slipped it to Tobi to roll over the line for a try.
Final Score- Salisbury 25 Swindon 0

The next game was against the Wiltshire giants, or Trowbridge as they are more commonly known, most of who seemed to be over 6 foot; some with waistlines to rival our coaches. The Trowbridge coach put their size down to the numerous fast-food outlets in the town, but our boys were not fazed by their opposition. This was quickly demonstrated when Loxley collected from the kick-off from deep in his half and ran it back towards their touch-line. It was passed out through the backs and Zandy went over for the first try. This proved to be a much tougher game, but the pack managed to win a line out ball against their outsized opponents which was then fed through the backs. Caden broke their defensive line and offloaded to Callum to touch down the second try. After the break the forwards were awesome against their opposite numbers, using superior technique to win ball after ball. Any further score eluded the boys however until just before the whistle when a switch by Sam from the scrum allowed Patrick to sprint into the corner for a try.

Final Score- Salisbury 15 Trowbridge 0

Game 4 saw our players matched up against the boys from Wootton Basset. A confident start saw Sam catch the ball and run it straight back towards their goal line. The ball was driven over but the referee said ‘held-up'. The scrum was won cleanly and Zandy dummied and touched down try number one. Salisbury dominated the possession and it seemed only a matter of time before they would score again. Tom made a strong run down the left with the ball being recycled and moved out to the other side of the pitch. The ball was passed to Zandy who touched down for his second try of the match before half time. Salisbury continued their fluent fast-flowing rugby after the break, and a superb run by Callum lead to a further try as he dummied and side stepped several players to score. The final score came from the line out when the ball was caught by Pip, the shortest forward on the field, who broke through the line and over for a try. After 4 convincing wins the players were really gelling well and playing excellent rugby.

Final Score - Salisbury 20 Wootton Basset 0

A move to a different pitch seemed to upset the rhythm of our boys against the home side, who clearly had high hopes of getting through to the Dorset and Wilts final themselves. We were on the back foot throughout the first half with most of the ball in our territory, but the defences held firm up to the break. After the half time team talk, the players tried to pick up their game and breakdown the Bradford defences, but found themselves up against equally determined opponents. Excellent rucking and mauling from the forwards produced some good ball, but the players failed to make any headway. If anything the home team were slightly ahead on possession and hungry for a try but thanks to some strong tackling by our boys, the stalemate remained up to the whistle.

Final Score - Salisbury 0 Bradford 0

After 6 rounds the positions were now becoming clearer, with Salisbury just out in front but closely followed by Chippenham and Marlborough, who they had yet to play. Chippenham were seen as the biggest threat but they too had drawn a game, so it was all to play for when the two teams took to the field. However following the disappointment of failing to score in the previous game the whole team rose to the challenge for this crucial game, and Chippenham were forced back into their half again and again by Salisbury. Jamie picked up the ball and charged across the line but no try was given. This was followed by another strong run from deep in our own half, but the ball went out just before we reached the goal line. The pressure at last brought a result when the forwards won the ball at a lineout 5 metres in and drove toward the line. Chris got the ball down and a try was awarded, much to the relief of the Salisbury spectators who were struggling to contain their excitement. The tension remained constant going into the second half with both sides knowing what was at stake, and Chippenham rallied to mount a determined fight back. A very physical game was played by both sides with excellent rugby on show. No further breakthrough came until the end, when Patrick collected deep in his half and out ran the defences to go over in the corner for a try; finished off with an athletic dive to evade their fast approaching full back. A palpable sense of relief was evident from the Salisbury supporters, and the whistle followed shortly afterwards; a thrilling game of rugby.

Final Score- Salisbury 10 Chippenham 0

The penultimate game was against Devizes, and despite already completing six matches, the players started strongly again. A deep ball was picked up by Callum, who side-stepped his way up the field and passed to Chris who then drove towards the line. He offloaded to Will who touched the ball down for a try. Salisbury maintained the pressure and when the ball came loose Callum picked up and drove over for try number two. Callum was involved again shortly afterwards with another jinking run from his half, and this time the ball was passed to Jamie who forced his way over for another try. After the break the tempo slowed down, but it was still all one way traffic. Tom took a great catch and ran the ball back towards their line. The pack drove it on but were unable to ground it. Another good run by Zandy with support from Will looked likely to bring a reward, but a knock-on ended the move and no further score was registered.

Final Score- Salisbury 15 Devizes 0

After a short break the players were back on the field for their final game against Marlborough. Qualification seemed certain now but the team wanted to retain their unbeaten record and finish top. Marlborough however still had an outside chance of second place and were therefore keen to spoil the party, but only a win would do for them. A perfect start by Salisbury, which belied the fatigue that must have been setting in after 7 tough matches, when Pip caught the kick-off and drove the ball back into their half. They stole possession and kicked clear, but the ball was caught by Patrick who hurtled down the touch-line to put the ball down for a try before most of the Marlborough players had a chance to get going. They tried to get back into the game, but a superb move by the backs saw the ball passed out wide and Caden provided a perfect lay off for Zandy to touch down for a second try. Some parents headed to the bar at half time for a celebratory pint but it was not over yet! Marlborough came back strongly after the break, no doubt buoyed by a rousing team talk, and suddenly it was ‘game on'. Salisbury started to flag and a loose ball was picked up by their huge centre, who must buy his takeaways in Trowbridge. He charged for our line but two of our boys managed to bring him down. The ball was recycled by Marlborough, who then passed it back to the same centre who stretched an enormous arm out to place the ball over the line for a try. Although it blotted Salisbury's copy book, it was a tremendous achievement to think that after nearly 80 minutes of rugby and 24 unanswered scores, this was the first try the team conceded all day. However, with much of the half still to play this score spurred Marlborough on and the very real threat of a draw or even a defeat became real. Salisbury were not going to let go of their title that easily though and they dug deep to rebuff a determined Marlborough side until the final whistle was blown.

Final Score- Salisbury 10 Marlborough 5

Final Stats
Played - 8
Won - 7
Drawn - 1

Tries for - 24 (scored by 11 different team members)
Tries against - 1 (one)

Salisbury RFC U12's confirmed ‘Winners of the Wiltshire Cup'

Chippenham finished equal second with the home team, but were awarded second place on the basis of the result of their game with Bradford.

An excellent day's rugby played in good spirits by all teams and very well run by Bradford.

It was an awesome performance by our boys, who now go through, with Chippenham, to play in the Dorset and Wilts final in Sherborne on 3rd April, where they will meet Wimborne and Bournemouth.