After almost 6 weeks without a competitive game the U14s travelled to St Ives for the EMRU Cup quarter final . After several wet weeks both teams had to contend with a pitch that was swamp like in places plus the buffeting of a stiff cross field breeze. Fortunately the forecast over night freeze had not materialised so both teams lined up keen to show that they were up for the cup.

Kettering claimed the ball well at the start of the half with good take from the high kick off in the swirling wind followed by a break by Jess that ended with a slippery ball being knocked on in the backs. Both teams then exchanged scrums with play remaining just inside the St Ives half. The St Ives forwards impressed with their size and work rate early on giving Kettering a tough challenge at the set piece. However Kettering's pack punched above their weight by winning a scrum against the head after 5 minutes giving Tasker the chance to launch the backs. Ed worked a good loop move before putting Hayden through at pace to round the defence and score a good try to the right of the posts. Henri took on the kicking duties and slotted a great kick into the teeth of the gale from a tight angle. 0-7.

From the kick off Kettering again claimed a good catch from a steepling kick with Chris bashing up the middle before offloading to Cam who was unlucky to put a foot marginally in touch as he rounded the covering St Ives tacklers on their 10 metre line. However from the resulting St Ives line out Dan Harley snaffled a long throw and broke clear before being well tackled. St Ives were penalised at the resulting ruck and Tasker took a quick tap and go setting St Ives back on their heels and unleashing Ed to weave his way through the retreating defenders to score in the right corner. Henri was unable to convert. 0-12.

Once again Kettering gathered the kick off with aplomb and ran it back at St Ives. Again the two packs keenly contested two scrums with St Ives just starting to get the edge and cause the Kettering front row some serious headaches with their heavy duty scrummaging. The Kettering forwards however continued to compete fiercely at the breakdown with Dan in particular showing great speed and commitment to put his body where it hurts to secure loose ball. Unfortunately Dan was then pinged for holding onto the ball too long and the pressure was momentarily relieved with a penalty to St Ives which they kicked to touch on the Kettering 10 metre line. Kettering then stole the ball from the line out and the ball was whipped out to Henri. As the defensive line rushed up Henri put in a measured chip kick, chased though, and took a skillful one handed catch before the ball bounced. He still had plenty of work to do but he put on the gas and stepped his way around the chasing tacklers to finish off an excellent try under the posts - which he also converted! 0-19.

St Ives came back well in the remainder of the half, frustrating Kettering with their forward power and breaking up promising attacks with good tackling and stronger competition at the breakdown.

HALF-TIME ST IVES 0 - KETTERING 19

After some half-time rehydration courtesy of the Executive Director of Player Refreshment Mr Harvey Childs Kettering made some changes off the bench to freshen up a starting XV who had worked hard to gain a good advantage in leg sapping conditions.

Ed took a difficult kick off well and set Jamie off on a good break before feeding the supporting backs. The ball was sent wide to Cameron who showed his electric pace to round the defence on the right hand side,crossing over to touch down under the posts, which Henri converted. 0-26.

St Ives were not giving up though and they launched their big forwards on several runs at the Kettering defence. However the tackling was first class and they made very little headway - with Tom exemplifying the team efforts with some great first up hits. From one such tackle by Ben St Ives were penalised for holding on and Tasker took a quick tap and go. Ed kicked on into space and Henri raced through and picked up a tricky bouncing ball before putting Hayden through on a great angle to score another try - which Henri was unable to convert. 0-31.

The sticky pitch conditions were now starting to tell on the St Ives players stamina but they never let their heads drop and continued to harry and chase the Kettering team. However play was now largely in the St Ives half as Kettering continued to press and put width and pace on the ball.

There were two more tries in quick succession for Ed on the burst which Henri was unable to convert and then Chris on a stampede scattering defenders to touch down under the posts - which Ed converted. 0-43.

As the clock ticked down there was still time for both packs to have a frank exchange of views - which the referee calmed effectively and with little fuss. From the resulting penalty Kettering demonstrated excellent fitness to break half the length of the pitch with Ed being tackled well just short of the posts.However the move wasn't dead and in a characteristic display of support play Jamie was speedily right on hand to collect the ball and touch down under the posts - giving Ed a straightforward conversion to end the game. 0-50.

FINAL SCORE ST IVES 0 - KETTERING 50

Although the score line was heavily in Kettering's favour it belies the way in which St Ives worked tirelessly - particularly in the scrum where they were more and more dominant as the game wore on. Their efforts made Kettering up their game significantly and every member of their squad can be proud of their contribution.

Kettering's squad can be pleased with their display which despite the muddy conditions and slippery ball didn't stop them from moving the ball wide when the chance arose. Even more impressive was the commitment of players in the loose - tackling ferociously and standing up well to a determined and physical forward challenge.

MAN OF THE MATCH - Tom, for a great impact performance off the bench and contributing mightily to the forward momentum built up by the team with some robust tackling and support play in the loose. His performance in the post match head to head is another matter though and there is clearly some work to be done here.....

Thanks to St Ives for your hospitality - looking forward to seeing the fantastic new clubhouse when it is finished - best of luck for the rest of the season and we look forward to playing you again.

And finally....in an exciting new addition to the match report we bring you THE BUTTY BOYS VERDICT!

Each away game a crack team of bacon munchers will assess the butty offerings of our generous hosts as we go in search of the best breakfast butty....IN THE WORLD....or wherever we play in the East Midlands or further afield anyway. At the end of the season we will award the coveted Kettering RFC Golden Butty Award* to the club that has excelled in offering the finest pork based butty snackage according to our fiendish scoring system.

(* No connection to KRFC whatsoever)

So first up here's the scores on the doors for St Ives :

BAP - 2 out of 5 - A little challenging in the crust region.
BACON - 4 out of 5 - Crisp and tasty - nigh on perfect
EXTRAS - 3 out of 5 - Sorry no HP sauce. However the post game complimentary sausage was very welcome.
CLUBHOUSE AMBIENCE - 3 out of 5 - Proper old school clubhouse.

GRAND TOTAL 12 out of 20. We are pleased to make St Ives the first entrant in the Golden Butty Hall of Fame.