Keele University was the venue for our Saturday rugby fixtures. A neutral venue, which, as it turned out, was probably the most challenging part of the day for our A and B teams, due to this also being the arrival day for their freshers. After a challenging navigation of the University car park, followed by careful negotiation of the masses of students being dropped off at the university by cars laden with their worldly possessions, the small matter of a rugby fixture against Sedbergh got underway.
The pitches were unfamiliarly lush and soft, and Sedbergh proved to be a tough opposition, brimming with top level rugby players. However, our U15B and U16B teams were very much up to the challenge and put in two heroic performances to win their games. The U15A team also pushed the opposition hard, and should take confidence from their performance going into their knockout cup match on Tuesday versus The Perse.
The 1st XV seemed to have a one or two-stone deficit per person, and spent much of the game on the back foot. However, regardless of the scoreline, the boys fought right up to the very last minute. They put their all into their defensive efforts, and were unlucky not to cross the opposition try line on a number of occasions.
Around the grounds, the U15D team were let down by Wellington College at the very last moment but were fortunate that Stowe agreed to take on the fixture. The two teams played a highly competitive game on the 1st Team pitch. The U16C and U14C teams had a successful triangular at The Perse and the U14D team enjoyed taking home the spoils in their match against Stowe.
Time now to reflect and rebuild before the next set of fixtures after the Exeat weekend.