TEWKESBURY TIGERS UNDER 9’S TRAVELLED TO STOW RUGBY CLUB TO PLAY THERE FIRST CONTACT MATCH OF THE SEASON FULL OF EXCITEMENT , CONFIDENCE AND A LITTLE NERVOUSNESS’ . THE FIRST GAME STARTED OFF A LITTLE SLOW FOR TEWKESBURY TIGERS AS THE TEAM WAS A LITTLE SHELL SHOCKED AND OVER WHELMED THIS GAVE STOW THE ADVANTAGE WHICH THEY CEASED TO OPEN THE SCORING WITH A WELL WORKED TRY , TEWKESBURY THEN WOKE UP AND STARTED TO MAKE YARDS WITH THE BALL , WHICH IN TURN OPENED UP GAPS THAT TEWKESBURY EXPLOITED TO SCORE THERE OWN TRY . FROM THE RESTART TEWKESBURY STOLE THE BALL FROM STOW IN A RUCK SITUATION TO ROUND THERE PLAYERS AND SCORE AGAIN , EACH TEAM THEN TRADED TRIES BEFORE THE BREAK . THE SECOND HALF WAS AGAIN AN EVEN CONTEST WITH BOTH SIDES DEFENDING AND ATTACKING WITH THE SAME COMMITMENT AS THE FIRST HALF , TEWKESBURY AGAIN EDGED THIS HALF 3 TRIES TO 2 , WITH THE FINAL SCORE BEING 30-20 TO TEWKESBURY .
THE SECOND GAME SAW TEWKESBURY AND STOW FIELD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SET OF PLAYERS EACH . STOW STARTED THE SECOND GAME VERY WELL WITH EXCELLENT RUCKING AND BALL RETENTION THIS PAID OFF AFTER A WHILE WITH TEWKESBURY UNABLE TO KEEP UP THERE EXCELLENT DEFENDING AND THEY SCORED THE OPENING TRY . THIS CARRIED ON THROUGH OUT THE HALF WITH TEWKESBURY DEFENDING AND TACKLING LIKE DEMONS AND STOW ATTACKING WITH GREAT DISCIPLINE AND COMMITMENT , STOW SCORED AGAIN BEFORE THE BREAK TO MAKE IT 2 TRIES TO 0 , THE SECOND HALF WAS THE SAME AS THE FIRST HALF WITH TEWKESBURY AND STOW TACKLING AND RUCKING VERY WELL BUT UNFORTUNATELY TEWKESBURY COULD NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THERE POSSESSION AND STOW DID , STOW RAN IN 2 MORE TRIES BEFORE THE END OF THE GAME TO MAKE IT 20-0 TO STOW . IT MUST BE SAID THAT IF IT WAS’NT FOR GREAT TACKLING FROM TEWKESBURY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALOT MORE . GREAT EFFORT FROM STOW AS WELL TO STOP TEWKESBURY SCORING THERE OWN TRIES .
THE THIRD GAME WAS A MIXTURE OF BOTH TEAMS , AND WITH BOTH SIDES GAINING IN CONFIDENCE THE RUGBY WAS EXCELLENT , TEWKESBURY STARTED THE STRONGEST WITH A MIXTURE OF DRIVING RUNS AND EXCELLENT PASSING MOVES . THIS DREW STOW IN CLOSE AS TEWKESBURY MOVED IT WIDE TO SCORE THE OPENING TRY . BOTH SIDES BATTLED IT OUT WITH PLAYERS BEING ROTATED AS THE GAME PROGRESSED , TEWKESBURY MANAGED 2 MORE TRIES BEFORE THE BREAK TO MAKE IT 3-0 . THE SECOND HALF SAW BOTH SIDES REPLACE MOST OF THERE PLAYERS IN THIS HARD FOUGHT CONTEST , STOW STARTED OFF THE HALFS SCORING WITH A NICE WELL WORKED MOVE , THEN THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE AGAIN TO SCORE AGAIN AS TEWKESBURY TIRED , BUT IN A LAST DITCHED EFFORT TEWKESBURY MANAGED TO WIN THE BALL AND SCORE A TRY OF THERE OWN . THIS SPIRED ON STOW WHO WENT AT TEWKESBURY WITH EVERY THING THEY HAD JUST FOR TEWKESBURY TO DIG DEEP AND DEFEND WITH ALL THERE HEARTS . THE GAME ENDED 20-10 TO TEWKESBURY .
IT MUST BE SAID THAT BOTH TEAMS PLAYED VERY WELL AND THERE TACKLING WAS GREAT AND A BIG THANX TO STOW FOR A MOST ENJOYABLE DAY .