A bleak day made brighter

It was a cold and windswept day in Peterborough with fourteen very excited young men eagerly anticipating the rearranged MOBBS Tournament.

Last minute drop outs from BBOBs and Casuals resulted in hastily rearranged pools of four teams per group. We found ourselves in Pool B against representative sides from Huntingdon, Old Scouts and Rushden & Higham so we were expecting some great challenges ahead.

First up were Huntingdon - never having played them before we did not know what to expect and they proved a capable side. Unusually for our boys, we started strongly with good intensity but basic errors crept into our game with some players finding themselves isolated. The cold start could have contributed but both teams were evenly matched and with handling errors on both sides it made for a scruffy first half. Following a quick reshuffle at half time, we felt a different team in the second half with much more aggression at the breakdown and excellent support from all players. We were unlucky not to take anything from this match as we definitely finished the brighter of the two teams with many of Huntingdon players picking up injuries. Our ball handling improved and having camped in their twenty-two for much of the second half we just couldn't get the ball down. The game finished all even at nil-nil. Unfortunately, carrying a recent injury Stanley Kirk was forced to retire for the rest of the tournament following an excellent contribution.

Rushden & Higham up next! The boys were up for it, motivated and ready to make a point. And boy oh boy did they do that!!! Without exception, we were solid in defence with tackle after tackle rocking the opposition back. More impressively, was the fluidity and creativity we showed in offence. Good link play and multiple passes suddenly created a lot of space missing in the first game. A long period of constant pressure was rewarded with a fantastic opportunistic try from Mackenzie Colson. Just a few minutes later saw a breakaway try from Ben York down the wing after some accurate passing and pressure up the middle of the park.

Try of the day went to Alister Coleman, following a truly courageous break from Hubert Jones whose tenacity and work rate won him unanimously player of the tournament today. A perfectly weighted offload after tying in two Rushden defenders released Alister to storm over on the right wing.

Then onto Old Scouts, only a win would count and the pressure was on. Quicker to the ball and some good handling and offloading at contact, Old Scouts kept us firmly at bay. Despite losing to three tries, the game was a lot closer than the final scoreline reflected. Tired legs showed and we couldn't quite recreate the energy or form shown in the second game. Old Scouts finished deserved winners but Kettering could head home with their heads held high.

Thanks goes to Peterborough RFC for being generous hosts.