In your professional teaching career one has so many sporting moments that it is hard to remember them all, but today is one that I will never forget. The team took to the field today and left a different group of men. A real watershed moment.
It started at break time where we got all of the team in for a pre-match chat and Mr Smith, in true Churchillian style got the team into a place where they were ready to take on the world.
A short trip to Hornets RFC, Weston-super-Mare, and a solid warm up ensured that the squad was ready physically and mentally and at no point did any player treat this as anything but serious. It was great to see Seb Greenwood leading the lads brilliantly. By the time the first match kicked off vs Hans Price they were like caged animals and ready to put themselves through anything for their mates.
The first match was convincing – we rarely let they opposition get out of their half and tackling and commitment to defence was super. With the pressure we created we turned defence into attack and Fletcher Hann Running in a hat-trick of tries with Captain Seb adding another 2 securing the win 5-1.
The second games was against an old rival, St Katherine's School, who started strongly running in a quick try. But, we were soon on top of them and once again creating chaos in defence and forcing mistakes which we took advantage of. Tries this time from Eban Dalton, Seb and Fletch saw us gaining our second win. Unfortunately Henry Garrett was illegally tackled and had to end his tournament there with a concussion, which was a shame for him and the team.
Next was our toughest opponent, Worle School, who have been strong all year. And perhaps a little over confident we found ourselves up against it from the start. We made mistakes and found it difficult to return from a 4-0 deficit. Spirits dropped but it was our match break which gave us some time to regroup. A few stern words and a chance to reignite the fire from earlier meant that we took the fields for our final game vs Priory School.
This was a corker of a match with Seb running in the first try and then Priory equalising leaving the score 1-1 for most of the match, only for Jack Ward to speed past and through the defence to score and win the game for us.
Who would have thought it? At Round 2 we lost all of our games and here we are hungry, determined and successful. Quite brilliant. It was like an inspirational sports movie!
Every member of the team needs a mention and tap on the back as they took Lower Fourth and Sidcot rugby to a new level.
Player of the match for his tries and his awesome tackling was Fletcher Hann!
COME ON!
Roll on Rosslyn Park!
Matt Lloyd
Director of Sport