County Tag Festival At Syston 18 April 2010
Harborough A
Pool Games
Game 1 against Lutterworth
Harborough A squad consisting of Alex Nicholson, Archie Hanlon, Archie Hubbard, Bradley
Crane, Douglas Ralston, Finn McCabe, Josh Ford, Thomas Wainwright and Will House turned out
against their first opposition Lutterworth. Lutterworth opened and with a direct run through the
Harborough defence and took an early lead, but it was to be a short lived advantage as Harborough
immediately countered. Strong running by McCabe broke the Lutterworth defensive line and
support from Wainwright landed him and Harborough their first try. Harborough were a joy to
watch in defence as they thwarted every twist and turn that Lutterworth threw at them. Harborough
ran in two more tries and Lutterworth one more and the score stood at 3-2 at half time. The second
half saw Harborough completely overrun Lutterworth who had little to offer in response. Excellent
passing in particular by Archie Hanlon saw Harborough's score mount and with a defence as strong
as a castle wall Lutterworth simply could not break through. Lutterworth did manage a touchdown
but it was disallowed when the player was found to running with just one tag. Alex Nicholson made
a tremendous break he made a neat pass to Wainwright who slipped it on to Ralston who grabbed a
fabulous try. Hubbard landed another after running the full length of the pitch and the other tries
from Ford, McCabe and House gave Harborough a richly deserved 6-2 victory.
Game 2 against Oadby Wyggs
Turning out to face Oadby a confident Harborough were presented with a much tougher side. Very
much their equals both in tagging and attack Harborough had to dig deep to stay level with Oadby.
Hanlon's first effort saw him run in to touch and Oadby countered and gained the opening try. Good
passing and hard running gained two tries apiece for Hubbard and Ralston and one for McCabe.
The score was level at 5-5, but Oadby had scored first giving them the advantage. So with just
barely a minute on the clock McCabe made one of his snaky runs through the Oadby players and
landed a 6th try as the whistle went for full time giving Harborough a second victory.
Game 3 against Loughborough
The final pool game was to be another tough game. Loughborough have always proved to be
worthy opponents, so it was great to see Harborough score first. Great defensive tagging won a
turnover, followed by a fine run by Wainwright and a great linking pass to Crane who put it down
over the line. A second try saw Crane return the favour with a neat pass to Wainwright who grabbed
Harborough's second. Loughborough responded well and grabbed three tries of their own. One try
down at half time Harborough had to up their game, and up it they did. The tagging was more
dependable than ever in the second half and Loughborough simply could not break through. Josh
Ford snatched a try with a penetrating run along the wing, and a second when a falling Bradley
Crane managed to pas the ball to him.. It was a very close game, but a defiant defence had won the
day and Harborough topped the poll with a 4-3 victory and therefore three wins.
Cup Semi-Final against Syston
A buoyant Harborough A were very much up for this match and they faced hosts Syston.
Harborough opened the scoring with a fine run by Hubbard. Syston came straight back but were
forced in to touch by what had been perhaps the finest defensive side of the tournament. Will House
made a gallant run and grabbed Harborough's second. Syston did manage a break through to pull
one back but Harborough had found their pace and the floodgates opened. Ralston grabbed a third,
and searing run by McCabe and a swift offload to Wainwright gained a fourth. Going into the
second half Syston had little to offer, Harborough simply ran around them. Two tries for hard
working Bradley Crane put the game out of reach for Syston and it was to be a fine try run in by
Ralston that put the game to bed, at 7-1 and six points ahead the game had to be called to an end.
Cup Final against Ashby
So this was it, the final game. After all the hard work put in by Harborough A they were in the Cup
final facing Ashby. First blood went to McCabe who put Harborough ahead with an early try. The
secure defence held fast but this was a final and Ashby were giving it their all. Wainwright grabbed
another cracking try but Ashby responded in kind and it was left to Will House to run half the
length of the pitch to put Harborough 3-2 up at half time. Ashby came out fighting in the second
half and Harborough had to hold on for dear life as their defensive skills were put to the test. Tired
legs were starting to show and Ashby pulled first one, and then two tries back. McCabe grabbed an
equaliser but the clock was ticking and Ashby weren't done, all Harborough had to do was hold
them to a draw and that first try would win the day, but it was not to be, a little confusion and a
loose ball allowed Ashby to run a final try home and with no time left on the clock Harborough
were left runners up with a final score of 5-4.
In Conclusion
It had been a tremendous effort from Harborough A . Every player gave of their best, no single
player won the day, it had been a fine team effort, a great demonstration of defensive solidarity and
superb display of attacking runs and accurate passing. They didn't win the cup but they won our
admiration. Well done Harborough.
County Tag Festival At Syston 18 April 2010
Harborough B
Pool Games
Game 1 against Melton
Facing Melton in the their first of three pool games Harborough B team with a squad consisting of
Daniel Hands, Elliot Coxon, Josh Lake, Max Halls, Max Shortland, Theo Barre, Thomas Melody,
William Burke, William Dawson and William Henderson stepped up to face Melton. Losing the
toss Harborough faced a speedy opening onslaught which saw them one point down in a matter of
moments as Melton blasted through their ragged defence. Harborough's first attack was met by a
organised and unyielding Melton line, and as much as they weaved and slithered they just could not
find a way through and as Melton grabbed a 7th tag they turned the ball over. Melton proved as
determined in attack as they were in defence and yet again found a hole in the Harborough line to
go two up. On the return Max Shortland made considerable ground and despite making it over the
try line he was judged to have dropped the ball and Melton had another turnover. A little luck now
came Harborough's way and barely a yard from their own line Melton knocked on. From the
resulting counter turnover Max Halls had little to do but punch through the Melton line to grab a
much needed Harborough try. Harborough from this point on matched Melton try for try and with
two tries for Thomas Melody and another from William Burke Harborough managed to hold their
own throughout the second half. It was however to be Melton's game. Final score Harborough 4
Melton 5. Harborough would have to steady their defence for the next game.
Game 2 against Ashby
Ashby proved to be every bit as determined as Melton. Right from the off Harborough were overrun
by a well organised and well oiled Ashby team. Harborough's poor defence again let them down. As
they all busied themselves in the centre of the pitch drawn in by straight running from Ashby, they
left the wings clear and open. Ashby had plenty of space to run in, and run in it they did. Vulnerable
to the two speediest Ashby players Harborough quickly found themselves 3-0 down. A stubborn
counter attack led by Melody saw Harborough B trying to recover themselves. Sadly, tripped at the
try line Melody's score was cancelled as he was judged to have dived. Harborough dropped a
further point and as they tried to regroup and launch a counter attack found themselves facing a
very different tactical approach from Ashby, whereupon failing to grab a Harborough tag certain
Ashby players resorted to either tripping the runner or simply ran in to him ignoring the tags
altogether, in one instance knocking William Burke flying and with no reprimand. These clear
infringements of the rules were ignored by the referee despite objections from both the coach and
supporters, and Ashby were allowed to play on in this manner. The final undoing of Harborough B
was to come from a loose ball played backwards by Melody. Intercepted by a clearly offside Ashby
player, who then ran the length of the pitch to make it 5-0. The referee judged the ball to be in open
play and awarded the try to the utter shock of the Harborough team and supporters. Another
overturned ball from a tripped Daniel Hands saw Ashby run in their sixth try to win the game 6-0.
Whilst it is normally improper to criticise the referee, it's also hard to watch a demoralised team
beaten to a pulp by a combination of unsportsmanlike behaviour and poor judgement. Ashby were
easily the stronger team and didn't need to employ dirty tricks to get ahead.
Game 3 against Vipers.
A downhearted Harborough took to the pitch to face their final pool opposition Vipers. Yet again
poor defence was to be their undoing and Vipers quickly took the lead. Harborough came back at
them and William Burke undertook an exquisite run down the right wing, nearing the the Vipers try
line and with barely a couple of yards to run the whistle blew and he was judged to have run in to
touch. Even the Vipers supporters with a clear view claimed he was still in, nonetheless the ball was
turned over and Harborough had to deal with it. Vipers probed the Harborough defence with less
conviction than either Melton or Ashby, and were fended off more easily. Melody made some great
counter attacks but a dropped ball and a run in to touch saw Vipers steal the advantage which gave
them a 2-0 lead at half time. In the second half fresh legs in the form of William Henderson gave
Harborough a new lease of life, Digging deep they not only improved their tagging skills gaining
some hard earned turn overs, but found themselves very much the dominant force in attack too.
Henderson found a gap in the Vipers front line and with some nifty interplay with Elliot Coxon
brought Harborough back into contention as he landed his first try. Finding confidence after a
crushing defeat Harborough really piled on the pressure. Elliot Coxon landing a second try and
William Henderson a third to end the game with a 3-2 victory to Harborough.
Shield Semi-Final against Leicester Lions
After a considerable waiting period, Harborough knuckled down to a knockout round against the
Lions. More positive after their win against Vipers, Harborough were not going to be a pushover.
An early try by Lions took the wind out of their sails a little but they battled on. William Burke
made a fine run along his preferred right wing but was bundled in to touch, fending off the counter
attack from Lions some fine running saw Burke again charging down the right and this time he was
rewarded with a much deserved try to bring the score level. A tight game by two hard working
teams resulted in a 2-1 advantage to Lion at half time. The second half saw both teams maintain
their determination. Lions scored their third but the much improved play from Harborough saw a
try apiece for Coxon and Melody, bringing the score level. Harborough were hanging on and with a
concerted effort Theo Barre grasped a much needed try to give Harborough the edge. The counter
offensive from Lions was held at bay, but not long enough and Lions levelled it 4 all. With little
time now left on the clock it was all or nothing for Harborough, one more try would secure the
game, but a draw would result in a win for Lions who had scored first. In the final moments a loose
ball from some shaky handling by Harborough gave Lions the break they needed and landing their
fifth try they knocked Harborough B out of the competition and grabbed themselves a place in the
final.
In Conclusion
It had been a hard day for Harborough B. From a slightly disappointing start against Melton they
had plumbed the depths of despair in the game with Ashby, regained their composure against Vipers
and with their final game against Lions they showed the kind of skills any coach would be proud
off. No prizes for Harborough B, but no disgrace either.