Bowdon Bow to Manchester Pressure

A somewhat depleted squad was boosted by the presence of 4 new players so 2 teams were fielded with a target of maintaining the unbeaten record for the season so far, The Manchester Whirlwind and The Manchester Typhoon.

The Manchester Whirlwind
The Players: Henry, Hudson 'The Jet' Brown, Will Hornby, George 'Boomerang' Buckingham, Zac 'The Fox' Sharp, Ed Gray, Joe, Tom 'The Beast' Reilly

Game 1

Manchester faced a determined and organised squad from Bowdon who were armed with 3 substitutes to strengthen their lines as required. Our 7 boys were a formidable blend of experience and youth with Ed and Joe lining up for battle with only a single 40 minute training session prior to the match behind them. 'The Beast' prowled the sidelines while the game got underway.

With neither team making full use of the wide pitch, blows were traded relatively equally throughout the first half. Captained by Henry, the commitment from the boys on the pitch was breathtaking to behold as they produced an immense display of tagging. Without a doubt, all of the boys appreciated the task at hand as they were put under pressure by a talented Bowdon side with some strong runners forcing the play back to the Manchester line time after time. The Whirlwind were equal to it and responded with real determination. The ferocity of the defence was enough to limit the Bowdon opportunities and the score at half time was 4-3 to Bowdon with tries from 'The Jet' and Will keeping Manchester within range. A quick half-time team talk focused on the width of the pitch and the opportunities this presented. Although cutting up dramatically in one corner, the quagmire was not enough to hold back 'The Jet'. The boys responded by opening up the play and beginning to spread the ball. With impressive support play from 'Boomerang' and 'The Fox' the chances were made for 'The Jet' to storm through for a further 3 tries and Will to follow up with a second. A baptism of fire for Ed and Joe but one they were more than equal to. The team demonstrated some impressive organisation, the solidity of Henry, 'Boomerang' and Ed creating space for the running of the others. A run into touch from Ed highlighted his inexperience but armed him with tactical knowledge for the second game. Although the ball was turned over for Bowdon to reply this was not to be enough and The Whirlwind triumphed 7-6.

Game 2

Encouraged by the display of his teammates in the first game, 'The Beast' decided it was time to enter the fray. Joe dropped to the bench after an impressive first appearance and 'The Jet' took the captains armband following his 5 tries in the first game. This Bowdon team were wary of The Whirlwind and showed more awareness of movement to the wings. Although 'The Jet' managed a break through try the opportunities were limited and pace alone would not be enough. 'Boomerang' expanded his repertoire with some clever side-steps and a dart for the line but the boys still finished the half 3-2 down. In addition to their defensive astuteness, these Bowdon players brought a new approach to the kick-off. As the whistle sounded they bore down en-masse almost before the ball had been played, forcing The Whirlwind onto the back foot. With no space to run into Manchester were forced to change their approach with the ball being held further back and the players grouping together to retain possession before looking for their break. Trailing again as the second half began, the pressure was undoubtedly on The Whirlwind to create opportunities and break through a strong Bowdon defence.

It was time for someone to step up and take control. In a stunning turnaround, 'The Beast' switched roles from disinterested spectator to attacking powerhouse. Passing options were limited with the Bowdon defence forming a wall across the pitch. 'The Beast' found a way through. With determination and strong running there was little else in his mind but taking the ball over the line and the passing and coordination from the rest of the team made it happen. A storming run from Ed nearly brought him a debut try but his natural understanding of the game was a joy to behold. Looking for his support players he picked out the thundering run through the pack from The Beast, safely transferring the ball for Tom to crash through and score. Despite their best efforts, Bowdon were unable to restrict 'The Jet' entirely and the captain finished with 2 tries to his name. With additional scores form 'Boomerang', Will and 'The Beast' - adding a second with a barnstorming run almost the full length of the pitch - the match finished 6-6 and Manchester's proud unbeaten record remained intact.

Man of the Match: Hudson 'The Jet' Brown - Safe hands, fantastic support play, natural pace and 7 tries across 2 games.

......report for Manchester Typhoon follows, by Robin Barwell

It had been a long time since the green fields of Cheadle Hulme had paid witness to the delights of the all-conquering Manchester Under 7’s rugby team. And It was clear from the get-go that the team themselves, led into battle by their charismatic leader Frank had turned up this windswept Sunday morning with only the business of winning on their minds.

Our first game of the year was against a well drilled, enthusiastic and talented group of lads, who despite hailing from Timperley insist upon calling themselves “Bowden”. Following the usual warm ups and inspirational lessons in “Tactical Play” from Will our Head Coach (known to anyone else as a game or two of British Bull-dogs”) our eager athletes stepped forward to answer this week’s challenge.

A team sheet of Frank, Bailey, James, Evie, Jack and Sam looked strong and ready, despite the fact that there were only 6 of them! (Something no one noticed until the start of the second game). Whilst it may have been as much as 5 weeks since we last played, it was in fact only about 20 seconds before normal service had been resumed. Frank to Bailey, Bailey back to Frank and its 1- 0. The boys then repel a Bowden attack with some lightning tagging and run in a second, only this time its James acting as Franks provider and it’s starting to feel like Ground-Hog Day.

Bowden however hadn’t simply come to add to the ever increasing list of Manchester victories and before the spectator’s duty runner had returned with the Latte’s and Frappa-Macca-mocha-cino’s Bailey had been stopped on the line, James had a try disallowed and Bowden were level at 3-3!

Our first game back was thrilling to watch with both sides grabbing 7 tries each. 5 for Frank, and one a piece for Bailey and Sam.
A brief water break and our second game kicks off, this time with a full 7 players thanks to a more than competent addition to the ranks from Bowden. It also starts encouragingly with an immediate try from James quenching his thirst for points which had so far eluded him. And as we have come to understand and accept, no two tries are scored in succession without one of them being attributed to Frank…and so it was. It’s 2-0 a minute later.

The team are really impressing and starting to gel with looping runs from Sam and James, great tagging from Evie and Jack, and a few of Bailey’s signatory surging charges through the centre. It’s mesmerising stuff and as the collective of Latte’s start to go cold through a lack of interest in anything other than what’s going on pitch side, Sam twists and turns his way over to make it 3-0. A great new talent in the making there. As the whistle blows for half time, thanks to a try from Bailey and our Bowden import we find ourselves in an unassailable lead of 5-1. What’s really worthy of remark is that each try was attributable to different members of the team. Points are coming from everywhere on the pitch.

The second half sees a Manchester side in total control, sharing out another 4 tries between Frank, Bailey and James, who as well as opening the scoring also dives over to close the game off at 9-6. Well, so the Ref tells me…I had it at 9-4 but who’s counting? Need I ask 

Special mention goes to Sam who was awarded the player of the week. Well done Sam

Until next week ...