U15 Development XV battles to good win against Huntingdon

Kettering welcomed Huntingdon to Waverley Road to face a Development XV. Conditions were cold but clear and dry if somewhat gooey underfoot. It was good to see the whole squad out on the touchline to support their team mates and to make the odd guest appearance if required.Hats off to Cam and the boys collecting funds by selling scratchcards to unsuspecting parents on the touchline - we'll soon have enough money to buy a gold plated kicking tee....as well as new playing kit!

Understandably Kettering took a while to warm up as several unfamiliar combinations got used to playing together. The tendency to over run the ball and look for the impossible offload meant that there were several unforced errors that the players had to work hard to counteract. Keeping it simple was the answer and the first try emphasised the virtue of quick ball and straight running. From an attacking scrum just inside the Huntingdon 10 metre line the forwards served Joe up with quick ball which he shipped on to Robbie at stand off. He ran straight through the first tackle and powerfully around the remaining defenders to score to the right of the posts - converting his own try for a 7-0 lead.

The second try was well worked from a line out turnover by Tom which set up an effective rolling maul. Keeping the ball tight the team ran through several phases drawing in the defenders, with Conal and Josh showing good strength and tenacity over the ball. Once again Robbie was set loose on the crash ball breaking through the defenders tackles to score in the right corner. This time unconverted.12-0.

Huntingdon did well to recover though and showed their commitment to running with the ball and breaking out of their own half with some strong phases. There was still time before the half ended for Kettering's set piece to produce another try. From a scrum on the away 22 Louis hooked well to produce clean ball for the backs. The ball was moved out swiftly and Haydn battled over the line despite the attention of several brave tacklers. This time the extras were added for a 19-0 lead as the half time whistle blew.

The second half was a more ragged affair as injuries took their toll on both teams. Numbers went up and down as Jon was forced to use both hands and a foot to count the number of boys on each side was evenly matched!

Kettering's only try of the half saw a spiralling clearance kick from Robbie chased down well by Josh and George. It was George who outpaced the backtracking defence to collect the ball and score in the right hand corner. Once again Robbie was able to convert and make it 26-0.

Huntingdon were not to go unrewarded for their hard work though and scored a deserved try with 10 minutes left in the half. From a line out in Kettering's half Huntingdon took advantage of a loose tapdown to break through the line and charge through to score under the posts , which they also converted. 26-7.

There was still time in the game for a couple of classic comedy moments. Tom's mystery grubber fly hack backwards into his own 22 was a memorable double take moment which confused both teams, all the parents and a circling Red Kite. It was almost surpassed by Robbie's Oz style clearing kick from his own 22 which boomeranged behind him and went out for a loss of 15 metres. You can't coach talent like this!!

Full time Kettering 26 - Huntingdon 7

TRIES - Robbie x 2, Haydn, George
CONV - Robbie x 3

Thanks to Huntingdon for a committed and combative performance which fully tested our whole squad. We look forward to playing you again in the near future.