Solid start to 2013 from the Under 10s

Casuals fielded one team but with almost all the squad keen to get back into action Kettering had an excellent turnout and split into 2 evenly balanced teams of ‘Blues’ and ‘Whites'. It's not clear whether it was due to New Year resolutions or the unseasonably mild conditions but we were also treated to a larger than normal turnout of parents to cheer the teams on.

The Blues were first to play and produced some excellent rugby right from the first whistle with the ball repeatedly being passed down the line and offloaded from the tackle. The Blues were also the more aggressive team around the breakdown and it was no surprise when this pressure told as good support play and a lovely final offload from Luke Harley allowed James Day to touch down for his first competitive try – shame his father had gone to the club house for a bacon roll and therefore didn’t see it – he is unlikely to live that down for some time!!

The Blues dominance continued into the second half where a storming breakaway run, and timely offload, by Ben York led to Matthew Tilley sliding in for the second try to make the game safe.

The Whites then took to the stage against Casuals in a game that followed a similar pattern to the first with almost all of the match being played in the Casuals half. Kettering played good open rugby and ran out as winners with a 4-0 victory through tries by Kean McCabe, Hubert Jones, Ollie Coles & Samuel Rutherford

Casuals were able to catch their breath whilst the Blues and Whites played a training game, and the morning events were subsequently completed by a combined Blues & Whites development team taking on Casuals.

The development team performed really well and it was good to see some of the newer and less experienced players stepping up in the absence of their more confident counterparts. Kettering went down to a 1-0 defecit in a very close game which, if the referee had remembered to play the second half they may well have turned around as their confidence continued to grow.

All in all an excellent start to 2013 – lets hope for more of the same for the rest of the year.