More players, hand-offs, five in a scrum, longer games - the game is nearly fully evolved now. It's never too late to join a rugby team though...

Get in touch with the manager and coach: email U12@wmrfc.co.uk

Alistair Wood, Head coach, 07900 061329
U12 Manager, Scott Roberts, 07768 175716

The key rules are...

• Team numbers: A maximum of 12 a-side
• Maximum pitch size: 60 metres x 43 metres
• Ball Size: 4
• Maximum minutes each half: 20
• Continuation of the contested strike
• Nearest 5 players in a scrum (all players trained, late specialisation)
• No limit on numbers contesting for the ball including in the maul and ruck
• Introduction of the hand off below the armpits

Click here for the age group rules of play (effective from 1 August 2019)

We came back undefeated with the U9s cup proudly in our grasp. Here's how...

Game 1. Old Reigations
They were good last year and gave us a tough start. We ended the half up 2-0 through Conrad and Harry. The need to pass wider, clear. Our next was Connor's after the magical 2 passes in attack. Conrad added his second, our 4th, to win 4-2.

Game 2. Harlequins
This was an easy win. The oppo's weakness in defence allowed us to run amok. We won 8-0. Tries from: Max (2), Monty after a darting run, Luke, Harry after a sprint down the line, Ben running through three defenders and Conrad with 2 - one a pitch-length sprint, the other down the blind side.

Game 3. King's
A huge difference in the teams. We won 12-1. Tries from: Oscar - hat trick (he still owes us the beers), Connor x3 (one an interception), Monty x2, Luke x2, Conrad and Harry.

Winning our first three games we topped the group and progressed to the cup final.

Cup final match 1. Much-fancied Brighton were up next. It was an attritional game. Brighton channeled route 1, some fancy set pieces and slowing the play down. We won 3-1. Max x2, Seb x1. Strong determination from the boys.

Match 2. Local derby v Warriors. In which we won 5-1. Connor bagged 2. Monty, Max, Luke one each.

Tremendous tackling was the difference and why we prevailed. Everyone contributed. Luca, Seb and Max notable contributors.

Rugby the ultimate winner. It was a pleasure to witness today's performance.

32 tries for, 5 conceded.

Team: Wimbledon 1
1st match v Reeds.
It was a tentative start for Wimbledon's first contact tournament. No such nerves from Reeds who drove through the Wimbledon defence to score the first try of the day. Wimbledon looked determined though and put together a series
of passes between JJ, Max and Harry before Luke took the ball and ran straight for the try line to make it 1-1. Wimbledon repeatedly tackled the oncoming Reeds team, before a poor ref decision that allowed the Reeds scrum
half to pick up the ball from a re-start and score a try without making the necessary pass. Some clever play by Wimbledon at the start of the second half forced Reeds into a knock-on. With the ball in their hands again, Luca, Freddie and Xavi pushed forward, with Luca passing to Luke for his second try 2-2. Some unrelenting tackling by Wimbledon forced Reeds right back to their own try line, but eventually Reeds managed another couple of tries. Max picked up
the ball, ran the length of the pitch for another try, making it 4-3. Shortly afterwards there was no stopping Luca who drove through a Reeds wall to even the match at 4-4.

2nd match. Cobham 1.
Wimbledon wasted no time with a quick pass from Luca to Harry who ran straight and true to score. A few minutes later, Wimbledon kept up the speedy pace with Max dodging and weaving to make it 2-0 to Wimbledon. Cobham regrouped and pushed hard but were kept on the ground by a determined Wimbledon side. Then Harry and Max made a great run with Max taking it over the line for a 3-0 end to the first half. JJ was hungry for more and made an impressive long run but was just pushed to touch on the edge of the try line. Wimbledon made a strong start to the second half, with Nellie, Luca, JJ, Freddie and Xavi working hard for the next elusive try. Keeping well away from the sidelines JJ scored a lovely try at full stretch to make it 4-0. They weren't to have it all their own way though with Cobham eventually rallying to score their first try. Next Xavi skipped free of a Cobham tackle to make good ground before passing to Luca who pushed though Cobham and flicked the ball to JJ who finished the job to make it 5-1. Wimbledon legs were tiring though and with a couple of minutes to go Cobham managed to claw it back for a 5-3 Wimbledon win.

3rd match. Chobham 1.
The toughest physical match yet. These guys were big and aggressive. Chobham ran through a dazed looking Wimbledon side to score the first try. Soon after we had our first casualty with JJ being subbed off with a kick to the head. Wimbledon regrouped though. Luke was unstoppable, picking up the ball for Wimbledon to even the score 1-1. Despite digging in for a series of tough tackles, he boys were unable to stop Chobham who put a second try on the board. A quick turnaround by Luke caught Chobham on the hop. Luca made a strong drive and passed to Luke who was quick to make for the try line, 2-2. Chobham seemed unstoppable, pushing past the Wimbledon defence, but Max was having none of it. Just as Chobham were about to celebrate another try Max flew in from the right at pace to drive the Chobham player out of play and deny them the try. The second half was a tough slog. Max took a hard tackle and was subbed, the team was looking tired and despite digging in, Chobham went on to take the match 5-2. Battered and bruised, the kids lay down in
the sun for a well deserved rest!

4th match v Teddington 1.
These guys were big and our lot were tired and bruised. Nuff said. Although Wimbledon didn't lose heart, regular 'sweeping' (if it's a legal move maybe we should try it!) by Teddington played a part in a 4-0 defeat. As I spent most of the match on the sidelines nursing Luca's latest injury, there's not much else I can say about that game, so moving on.

5th match v Cobham 2.
John and the guys decided some additional pre-match coaching was required and the teams' spirits rallied for their last game. Cobham stole a quick try to get things moving, but Wimbledon returned fire with a speedy run by Max to even the score at 1-1. Another try by Cobham was returned with another run in by Max to take it to 2-2. One more try by
Cobham left Wimbledon trailing with half time looming. Some good passing ensued finished off by Nellie steaming half the pitch length to put her name on the scoreboard. 3-3 at half time. Freddie put Wimbledon ahead 4-3 with a great dodging run but Cobham then levelled at 4-4. With one minute to go Nellie made another long run but was pushed sideways and denied the try. So it was a long hard slog but the team dug deep and really pulled together.
Looking forward to a hot bath and an ice-pack!

Team: Wimbledon 2
Any spectators listening to the Wimbledon 2 supporters shouting out “chase Monty”, “ fetch him Milo”, “good catch Oscar” or “ faster Rover, faster” might have mistakenly thought they were at the Bichon Frise finals at Crufts rather than watching rugby of the finest pedigree at the Chobham mini festival.

But over the course of the 5 matches, the passion, quality and determination from the team would have had JK purring. It was a masterclass in tackling, and by the end of every game, one thing was clear – the opposition would rather not be holding the ball. It is hard to single out any of the team, but for sheer ferocity Seb (“like a good Henry Honiball”) and Connor (AKA“ the Argentinian”) were especially unwelcome sights for anyone brave enough not to throw the ball away in panic. They showed that tackling isn’t about defence – it can be about attack. And when the ball was back in our hands, the opposition saw more of the back of Conrad and Monty’s shirts than the front.

It is important not to gloat when you have just destroyed opponent after opponent without mercy. But just for the record the five, consecutive, unspoilt, beautiful, superb, masterful victories were 9-4 (Cob2), 8-2 (Reed2), 3-2 (T-t-t-t-t-t-Teddington 2), 6-2 (chob2) and finally in a break from the routine of only playing teams in your own pool - and having won 8-2 against Reed 2 – they faced the might of Reed1. And beat them 8-2.
Great stuff all round and if coach Richard can make his Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war speech before every match then the only other problem we are going to have is where to put the silverware this season.

Team: Wimbledon 3
Coach Ian “Hit Him!” Thomas

Match 1 v Reeds (6-6 tie)
The first match with Reeds provided a strong opener with solid tackling from Wimbledon. First half tries by Hans Hinde, Alex Danna, and two by Daniel Guinness puts Wimbledon into a 4-3 lead going into the half. In the second half Reeds responded with two quick tries before Steven Gumble answered for Wimbledon. Alex provided a sixth try to which Reeds countered leaving the match even at six all.

Match 2 v Cobham (3-8 loss)
The second match saw Wimbledon come up against a very strong Cobham side. A first half try by Daniel Guinness and a couple of second half tries by Freddie Davis and Sonny Thomas were not enough to contain the very strong Cobham attack. Cobham 8 – Wimbledon 3

Match 3 v Teddington (3-5 loss)
In the third match, Wimbledon continued to struggle. A strong first half try by Hans Hinde and second half tries by Daniel Guinness and Steve Gumble were not enough to stop Teddington who won 5-3.

Match 4 v Chobham (6-3 victory)
Match 4 provided something of a turnaround for team 4. In the first half the flood gates opened and tries began to pour in with Daniel Guinness, Freddie Davis (x2) and Steven Gumble. In the second half, Freddie and Daniel both added to their impressive try-scoring tally to bring home the team’s first victory 6-3.

Match 5 v Reeds (9-4 victory)
The hard hours of bear walks and burpees paid off in Wimbledon’s final match. Wimbledon’s strong defence and attacking rugby led to a plethora of tries. In the first half, Steve Gumble, Daniel Guinness (2x) and Freddie Davis combined for four tries. In the second half Steven Gumble scored again and Freddie Davis scored four – yes FOUR – additional tries to ensure a Wimbledon victory.

Team: Wimbledon 5
Wim5 v Cob5 - Cob started very strongly with a try in the very 1st minute. Wim countered brilliantly and Max came v close to scoring a try. Cob then went on to score 3 more tries in quick succession. Ollie L then scored Wim5’s 1st try of the match bringing the score to 4-1. Cob continued to dominate the game despite some great efforts by Wim5 with further tries from George and Ollie L. There was some great tackling by George and Massimo and a couple of missed chances keeping the final score to 7-3 to Cob.

Wim5 v Cob6 - Wim stated the match v strongly with a great push for the line and Ollie P scored a try. Cob countered with a very fast try. Wim then pulled together and great efforts by Mhairi, Ollie P and Felix enabled George to score a try which was sadly disallowed as he was lying on his back. Wim came so close another couple of times and George did a fantastic tackle to stop Cob scoring just before half time when Wim were leading 2-1. Sadly Cob went on to score 4 more tries in the second half despite some excellent tackling by Massimo and Robbie, the final result being 5-2 to Cob6

Wim5 v Chob5 - Wim started v strongly and there was great running by William P, Ollie L and excellent tackling by George, but Chob scored first. Massimo then went straight for the line and evened the score at 1 - 1. Robbie did a great pickup and passed the ball to Felix who had a strong run but lost the ball to Chob who then scored their 2nd try. Felix then scored a try for Wim to even the score at 2 - 2 at half time. Despite some great efforts early in the second half Chob scored 2 fast tries. Massimo turned it around with the help of Wilf and William S to score another try. Cob came in with another, and Wim ended a very close game with a final try from Ollie L to make the final score 4-5 to Chob5. Despite the final score, this was a much more evenly matched game, and it could have gone either way.

Head Coach Introduction from JK - August 2014

This promises to be a very special season for the whole of Wimbledon RFC and the Under 9’s in particular. It is the 150th anniversary of the club and a whole season of special events are being planned. For the under 9’s it is time to cast of the belts and tags and to get their first taste of real rugby, because this year we will be introducing the tackle into our training and game play.

At the end of last season we introduced all of the players to some contact sessions and the coaching team was very impressed with how they took to it. It is nothing to be afraid of, but rather is something to embrace as it allows all the players to express their physical side and get properly stuck in. We will be doing a fair amount of tackling practice in the first few weeks. Make sure you have your gum-shields at the ready!

The games will be 7 aside on a pitch 60m x 30m. The players are allowed to tackle, either in the conventional sense of taking the player to the ground or by grabbing them and holding them for three seconds. After the tackle or three second hold is complete there is no contest for the ball, but rather the tackled player is allowed to pass the ball from the ground or out of hand, or a scrum-half can come in and pass the ball from the ground. The ball is turned over after 7 tackles. A full version of the rules can be found at here.

Coaching is one of the most enjoyable of pursuits. We have seen great improvements over the last year in all the players both in terms of their physical and mental maturity. Rugby is a team game which requires discipline and thought, it is not all smashing and bashing. If you would like to assist with coaching let me know and we will get you involved. Our success is due to the number of coaches that are involved.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of last season was giving the players a chance to spread their wings with trips to Harlequins and then to Leicester on tour. We hope that an even more ambitious tour can be arranged this year. Make sure you sign up to this unique opportunity!

I look forward to seeing you all on the touchline this season.

JK

PS Some write ups from last season, when the kids were Under 8s, are below

Quick message from your managers
If you're the new to the club please just turn up on Sundays and see either of us - Sophie Castle and Katie Hubber - or email us at u9@wmrfc.co.uk

Two cracking days of rugby for the boys and girl of the B squad.

First the Surrey B Festival:

Great to see the tagging improving through the games as the day progressed and some very strong runs made by all. Won 2, lost 2. Nick.

1st Game: Wimbledon 5 / Rosslyn Park (T2) 8
Conrad x 1
William W x 3
William S x 1

2nd Game: Wimbledon 6 / Old Reigatians (T1) 7
Conrad x 1
Ned x 2
Freddie x 2
Finn x 1

3rd Game: Wimbledon 6 / Barnes 5
Conrad x 1
William S x 1
Enrico x 2
Finn x 1
Freddie x 1

4th Game: Wimbledon 7 / Old Emanuel (T1) 4
Enrico x 3
William S x 1
Finn x 1
William W x 1
Conrad x 1

Second: Esher Floodlit
Three out of three! A cup too. Great work from the team beating Weybridge Vandals, Wimbledon Warriors and Esher with free-flowing rugby and some lovely linking play. Well deserved.

The season finale saw Wimbledon RFC U8's development squad secure three cracking wins out of four. The picture below tells it all - committed rugby, kids that are trying hard.

Low cloud clung to the Surrey Hills as hundreds of Minis players from around the county converged on Dorking RFCs "Big Field" for the first of the annual end-of-season celebrations. After much debate over what rules/regulations/format would be played it all turned out to be rather normal. Other than referees not keeping score that is...

Another great performance from the squad on a day that saw a great number of our kids playing competitive games. The coldness for the spectators counts for the brevity of the report!

When we were good, we were really, really good... Points to work on are quicker offloading of the ball from a tackle; faster running support play; not letting the odd tag through. At this level the result in hard games is all about the margins (apologies for sporting cliche there). Overall, the boys performed well and should be proud.

The children acquitted themselves well at the Esher Festival and did the club proud! They worked hard for each other, played some excellent flowing rugby, and on the whole were very effective with their tagging (especially in the earlier games). The coaches were very proud of their four performances. Comments from fellow spectators from opposing sides had them in the final after 2 games, but alas it was not to be. In the final round robin game the team came up against a Warlingham side who played extremely well and deserved to grab the only place into the final.

Results as follows:

Esher - won 7-3
Cobham - won 7-5
Old Ruts - won but no idea of score
Warlingham - lost 4-7

Fantastic report from Clint (Flynn's dad) - photo from Nick (Hans's dad) - thanks both

Game 1: Wimbledon vs Old Emmanuel (hosts)

Great start to what was to be a great day of rugby.

Ned stormed through from kickoff to get the try fest started…from the outset it was clear the boys were here to play expansive rugby with some great passing and support all the way through the first half….Sonny Try!….Ned Try! and then a great run (again) from Sonny meant it was 4-2 at half time…..the boys were here not to be messed with!

At the start of the 2nd half it was clear there was still a hunger and the teamwork and support did not falter one bit with a flurry of tries from Wilf, Ned “Snake Hips” Delo (again), and a dashing long run across the pitch from our try line from Wilf. Next thing Sonny was over again and then lastly Flynn to open his account…phew..9-6..all in all great start, good tagging and defence, great support play…the team was hungry for more…

Wimbledon win 9-6

Game 2: Wimbledon vs Rosslyn Park

Not sure who was more tense…the players or the parents supporting, but it was clear this was a game we had to win….It started badly with Rosslyn over for a quick try followed by another quick try …No…..it couldn’t happen again….next thing the lads had 7 tags in a row (i counted 9 but the ref seemed to miss 2)…what we need was a little magic, bang - Super Hans weaving his way through 1-2!

One quick try to Rosslyn, followed by a quick Sonny try meant it was 2-3 going into half time. It must be said the pace of this game was well off the previous game, and many of the parents had to take a deep breath or two at the refereeing. It was not really the quality of his decisions, but more how he felt it necessary to lecture, talk, lecture, talk, stop the flow, talk , lecture etc to a bunch of kids who just wanted to get on with it…Ian had had enough and nearly got yellow carded for some vary constructive backchat…but it seems he got the message across on Rosslyn dropping tags on the ground and the game seemed to swing in our favour…after a quick turnover in the 2nd Half - from some good defensive pressure by all players - bang! another Wilf try meaning 3-3….

After some more defensive play (and referee lectures) in the dying minutes of the game Joseph got the ball and put his foot down and at some graceful pace scored the match winner 4-3 Wimbledon and with that the Rosslyn Park hoodoo lifted! A great comeback from 2-0 down!

Wimbledon win 4-3

Game 3: Wimbledon v Barnes 2

Tipped as the team to beat we went in with good spirit and despite some great tagging were 1-0 down within minutes….in keeping with the spirit of the day it didn’t take long for the boys to respond with Flynn bursting through some good defence to take the scores level. Following a quick dazzling display of Ned “snake hips” crossing line with another quality try, after some good defensive play Ben ran the length of the field past about 4 defenders to score a truly great try (with a very proud dad on the touch line!)! At this point it was becoming clear that Ned “Snake Hips” Delo was there for business and following some good play passed to Super Hans who majestically weaved his way through twice for two great finishing tries in a row.….5-4 final score. phew. done. All 3 games won!

Wimbledon win 5-4

Game 4: Semi final Wimbledon v Barnes 1

Despite the excitement of making the Semi’s it was a slow start and the boys were a little cold and took a while to get some momentum and we were 2-0 down in the first few minutes….Not to be outplayed Ned scored to take the score line to 1 - 2 in favour of Barnes…the game then opened up a little and despite 4 quick tries from Flynn, in a corner he marked as his own, we were still two points behind at 5-7 down. The last 3 minutes were great, we got turnover ball about 3/4 times, Flynn scoring again (the genes from his good looking, talented father clearly coursing in his veins ;-)), yet another 7 tag mammoth effort from the boys…it just wasn’t to be….they just couldn’t get the last point and lost a bravely fought game 6-7 down.

Wimbledon lost 6 - 7

All in all a great effort and it was pleasing to see the support play and training skills coming through in both defense and attack. The team played their hearts out and had a great morning. Highlights for me:

Ned’s all round great play and captaincy, combined with some great running support play (both tagging and passing) from Mhairi & Oliver, and some really handsome tries from Sonny, Joseph, Ben, Wilf, Hans and Flynn.

Oh …and the tent survived.

It was a gloriously sunny Sunday morning. The team was well prepared by coaches Ian and Carsten.

Match report 1 v. Teddington
Teddington came out fighting with two quick tries. Wimbledon responded with a Wilf try to the corner. Unfortunately, our defence was unable to stop the Teddington attack, who scored another two tries. Wimbledon answered with a final try before half time again scored by Wilf.

In the second half, in spite of some good tagging, Teddington overpowered the Wimbledon defence with another three tries before a final Wimbledon try in which Wilf completed his hat trick.

Final score: Teddington 7 - Wimbledon 3

Match 2 v. Guildfordians
The first half saw a series of explosive tit for tat tries. Wimbledon started with a fantastic burst as Sonny scored the first. Guildford replied quickly. Daniel scored next, with Guildford answering back. Horatio's try came next, with Guilford equalling. Wimbledon scored the last try of the first half courtesy of another Sonny effort, giving Wimbledon the half time lead, 4-3.

In the second half, the Guildfordians overwhelmed Wimbledon with four unanswered tries, giving Guildford the win 7-4.

Match 3 v Reeds
Match 3 commenced with another strong start with Sonny scoring early. Reeds replied with a couple of tries. Daniel scored another try in the corner, but Reeds maintained their pressure scoring 2 more, making the half time score 2-4.

Reeds scored 3 in the second half, with Oliver providing Wimbledon's only answer in a 3-7 defeat.

Post pool highlight: an enormous gust of wind sent the team's tent skyward! An executive decision was made after to use the tent pegs provided to prevent further mayhem.

Plate Competition v. Cobham
The first half of our bid to gain some silverware started well with Wimbledon scoring 4 thrilling tries courtesy of Sonny, Oliver, Charlie, and Daniel. Cobham RFC could only managed two tries and our prospects looked good.

Unfortunately, the second half saw a series of strong substitutions by the host which helped propel them to victory via 4 unanswered tries.

Final score: Cobham 6 - Wimbledon 4

In conclusion
The team learned a lot during this outing, with a number of the players gaining their first 'Wimbledon cap.' A big thank you to coaches Ian and Carsten for their leadership. In summary, a great day out was had by all.

Match report John Higginson. Photo Laurence Guinness.

In case you're looking for something to do over half term or perhaps just get some mid-week practice in, the latest couple of JK's training plans are attached here.

A great festival…shame about the catering.

If you invite scores of parents to a rugby club in the rain early on a Sunday morning you are going to sell a few sausage sandwiches. Some will have hangovers, some will have woken late and skipped breakfast and some will just see it as a chance to double up out of sight of their other halves. So when they run out before 9am, it makes you wonder what else may go wrong.

Like our boys in the first game, they were wrong. Wrong passing, wrong defending, even scoring tries on the wrong line. It was a bad start. And it didn’t get much better after the half time break. Thanks to messy defence and a lack of cohesion we lost 4-5 against Reeds (we thought it was 3-5 or even 3-6 but the ref was certain it was 4-5. Either way it didn’t matter, we played badly and lost despite tries from Ned, Ben and Michael). You simply don’t expect to see boys confusing the sideline for the try line at the U8 level. It seemed the day had just got off to the wrong start and we needed to wake everyone up.

And then the sun came out. Jackets came off, spirits were lifted and so was the performance. The second match against Old Emanuel got off to a much better start. Their organised defence twice had us turning over possession after using up our 7 tags but we were also defending well and held them to a halftime score line of 1-2 in their favour. The second half started with Old Emmanuel running in a lucky try from the whistle, however William and Ben added to Chris’ earlier try and we were even at 3-3. But our efforts were to no avail as despite what we all believed was a try on the whistle from Noah T, the ref thought otherwise and we lost the match 4-3.

Our third and final match of the day was against the hosts Esher. This was good as it meant their ref who had ruled over our first two matches would be replaced by one with whom we may have more luck.

By now the boys had worked out that we would not be making it to the cup final – and there was no plate final. So this was their last chance for a win. With this thought in their minds they turned in a faultless performance through the entire match. They played with gusto and an intensity that that had been sorely missing all day. Esher struggled to get near our line before using up their 7 tags and our attacking was a series of long runs linked by accurate off-loads. Tries from Chris, Michael and two from William gave us a 4-3 win and ensured that although the boys would go home without medals or silverware (or a sausage sandwich) they would at least go home with a win.

Quote of the day: It seems Wimbledon have again woken up late and saved their best rugby for the last match – Dan T.

Match report by Mike Evans

A beautiful sunny day for the Cobham B tournament. Ian bought the big tent and the flag. We meant business!. The weather meant that we didn't need the sides of the tent which was fortunate, as Ian forgot them. The 'Gazebo' was erected with military precision over several hours, the Flag raised and the boys warmed up into a frenzy of anticipation, we were ready for action

Game 1 vs Reeds

The boys ran out against the strongest team of the group (and eventual group winners) for the first competitive match of the season. Despite an enthusiastic warm up the boys seemed to forget everything at the first whistle. A scrappy first half of over ambitious long passes to invisible players, scattered defence and sideways running saw the team 3 scores down by half time. This continued into the second half with another soft try conceded. After that, the team smartened up their act and Seb the flying wing scored a scorching try on the outside. A much improved defence worked well for the remainder of the second half conceding a single further try towards the end.

Wimbledon 1 Reeds 5

Game 2 vs Cobham

The second game saw Hans (sporting a magnificent shiner from a gentle game of golf the previous day) set off on a familiar weaving run to set the ball down. This was followed by some persistent pressure from the team and Seb popped up to score and the sides turned around at half time with Wimbledon 2-0 up. A soft try was conceded at the very start of the second half before Seb yet again crossed the line to restore the two point gap. Cobham then progressed up the field with a well worked try to set the score at 3-2. A further turnover in midfield saw the sides level at 3-3. Then the game changer. At the restart Wilf skinned the Cobham team on the outside to touch down only for the try to be awarded and then disallowed by the referee for crossing a the dead ball line by a fraction following protestations from the Cobham line judge. In the ensuing confusion Cobham ran through a retreating Wimbledon defence to score! Stung by the injustice of it all Sonny took the ball to take the Cobham team on and score a terrific try to take the moral victory.

Wimbledon 4 Cobham 4

Game 3 vs Teddington

A great third match saw some good end to end stuff with excellent tagging by both teams. The 6 tag turnover rule came into play several times. Teddington were well drilled and and scored three well worked tries before Hans did his usual weaving score. Teddington scored a further try before Flynn crossed for us. Seb scored once more for 3-5 before Teddington restored the gap. Wilf passed off to Seb and to send him over once again to make it 4-6. A much improved performance from the team ended with a whimper as Wimbledon conceded another soft try.

Wimbledon 4 Teddington 7

Game 4 vs Chobham

So, to the last game of the day and with nothing realistically to play for, the team sparked into life in the knowledge that only a big win and some favourable results elsewhere would suffice! Down 1, Flynn set off to draw the defence and offload to Wilf who went over to score his 'second' try of the tournament. Hans then did the same to put Seb over for another superb score. Chobham clawed one back before Hans ran a straight angled run (they really were 'getting it' at this point) and scored a great try - a scrum half in the making if ever there was one. Just at half time we let one in to make it 3-3 at the turnaround. At the restart Misha went route one through a desperate defence to put the ball over at make it 4-3. Two replies from Chobham put them ahead before Misha tip toed down the touchline for a try. A missed tackle saw us one down with seconds to go. Then Matty Corkham stepped up, stood tall and with a heart as big as Alaska marched through a quivering defence to bundle the ball over for a hard fought draw and the whistle

Wimbledon 6 Chobham 6

The boys didn't progress but were a credit to the Wimbledon Jersey. Sweaty, tired and disappointed, they will come back stronger for the experience. All played well but the player of the tournament for us was our flying wing - young Seb.

Well done all. Match report a Carsten/Rupert co-production

A great (tied) Cup Final win for Wimbledon

Struck by fear that parking at a festival would be as difficult as at our own, all boys and parents were pitch side by 9am. We've all learned our lessons there. Being game-ready so early probably led to our sluggish start as whilst we won the first game (vs. Old Reigatians 1) 7-6. It wasn't pretty. Even my notes from the game reflect this. They are poor. I can say that Max Cardosi scored 3, Harry Hubber another 3 and Max Hyatt 1. At a push, I can add that the coaching quartet of JK, Garrick, John and me took them aside afterwards and ran them through tagging boot camp.

Game 2: where we played KCS 2 (they had three teams). Boot camp worked. We won 4-1. Monty led out with a cracking run to inspire the lads. A classic one-two between Ben and Conrad showed our ability to pass with panache (more of this later). JJ had a brilliant run down (but keeping away from, good lad!) the touchline and the scores went to Max C (2), Ben (1) and Guy (1). In an echo of last season, boot camp, following the game, was on the theme of pushing up.

Game 3: where we played KCS again. This was the game where the passes began to flow freely. A highlight being a sweet pass between Harry and Conrad. Max C troubled the scorers once more with a brace and William Hyatt another score for the Hyatt clan. The fourth belonged to Conrad. More work needed on pushing up as two tries were conceded - but the lads were now working on a nice line in a war cry as they advanced with gusto in defence. This should be fun to watch over the season. We won 4-2.

The fourth game was against a highly likeable and impressive Brighton team. The statisticians were predicting a tough fight. They were wrong. Wimbledon's play was free-flowing, agile, thoughtful and, frankly, a privilege to watch. The notes say "end to end", "solid defence". There were passes down the line, another three tries to the hugely hard-working (yes, David Cameron, it is hyphenated) Max Cardosi (and that was just the first half) and another Ben/Conrad link up that worked a treat and led to a try. Harry Hubber, another on-fire player, scored and Conrad picked up a second. 6-3 the final score which, given how good Brighton had been, is all the more impressive.

Having won all games in the league we progressed to the Cup Final. Given how stunning the weather was the tent didn't get a look in to be honest - sorry Dazzer, no major tent-based news today. But we sat around it waiting to see who we would face. Turned out it was the other Reigate team (they brought two and this one was their better one). Anyone at last week's B Festival at home will know that Reigate play a lovely style of rugby much like we do and so the game proved...

The ref said it all really when he told the boys from both sides in his post-match talk that it had been well worth his while leaving home before 7am to take part in the game, such was the high standard of rugby on offer. Fluid passing (with panache), great tagging (Monty and Conrad both with notable tags) and sensible rugby-thinking all led to an entertaining game. Reigate showed us the importance of running onto the ball and running hard; we showed the power of linking together passes. The half ended 2-1 to Reigate; ours coming from Conrad throwing an almighty dummy. Harry scored a brace in the second, Max C his 12th of the day and Conrad caught a peach of a pass from the boy Hubber for our fifth. 5-5 the result and honours rightly shared.

Everyone had a good day today and all the boys should be proud of themselves. Rugby, as the cliché goes, was definitely the winner. The team was Ben, Conrad, Max and William Hyatt, Max Cardosi, JJ, Harry, Monty and Guy. Thanks to all parents/grandparent who turned out; great support today.

It was a perfect day to host a tournament. The weather Gods were certainly smiling upon us as the temperature was warm and the air was still and dry.

The squad turned up to find our new military-grade gazebo had been erected, the pitches marked out and the scoreboard and operations centre readied well before the rest of us had even left home. The new Gazebo is a fine piece of kit. It has “Wimbledon RFC Minis and Youth” scribed along its 15 foot edge and was rumoured to have cost the club £650 (or was that for the job lot – no one was quite sure). So coaches and parents fumbling around to erect a 10 year old 3 man tent are a thing of the past, at least they will be once the club provide us a lorry to carry the new gazebo around in as its size and weigh will turn even the biggest of 7 seaters into a 2 seater when it comes to transporting it to future festivals.

The format was 2 groups of 5 teams followed by a Cup final (for group winners) and a Plate final (for the runners-up). Our squad of 9 boys, eagerly chewing on either recently purchased gum-guards or freshly baked biscuits made an excellent start and won their first game against Effingham and Leatherhead. Next up was Teddington, the hardest opponents of the day and following a poor first half the boys managed to pull back to 5-5 with less than a minute to play. Unfortunately Teddington used the possession to their advantage and despite some good defence managed to put down the winning try on the whistle after what the ref deemed to be only one step had been travelled following a last ditch tag.

Our performance in the first two matches was one of eager attacking, great twisting runs with good support play and quick accurate passes leading to dramatic tries. But this was all too often undermined by unorganised and seemingly hesitant defence. The issue was quickly diagnosed by coach Dan who instigated some between-match tagging drills and when the boys ran out for their third match there was a marked improvement. The entire squad fired and we saw some of the best rugby of the day. A try-fest ensued and Wimbledon won the match, against Esher comfortably meaning they needed only a draw in the final match against local rivals Wimbledon Warriors to make the plate final. By now the boys had silverware well and truly in the sights and a draw was never going to satisfy them. They continued the momentum and the winning result was never in doubt. Plate final here we come!

It seemed Old Reigatians had a similar strategy of fielding their strongest 6 boys for the final and the teams were evenly matched. In what was the most nail-biting match I’ve seen in 3 years of minis rugby we saw parents, coaches and even a pitch marshal or two screaming with encouragement as the boys managed to grind out a 7-6 win to take home the plate. It was a great ending to a well organised and much enjoyed day.

A special thanks must go to the Castles, Hubbers, Kinnears and Cardosi for giving up their time to organise, ref, BBQ, pitch marshal, and score despite their sons not actually being in the days squad.

Squad:
Enrico D’andrea
Ned Delo
Freddie Dinan
Lucas Evans
Milo FitzHugh
Matthew Hancock
Noah Taylor
Jean van der Spuy
William White

Results:
Wimbledon v Effingham - 7 v 5 won
Wimbledon v Teddington - 5 v 6 lost
Wimbledon v Esher - 8 v 3 won
Wimbledon v Warriors - 4 v 2 won

Plate Wimbledon v Old Reigations. 7 v 6 won

Quote of the day:
“I don’t think I’ve ever taken a team to a tournament and not returned with silverware” - Dan Taylor

Thanks to Mike Evans for the report

On a beautiful Indian summer's day, Cobham RFC was again the host to one of Surrey's top Mini-Rugby Festivals as the great and good of the county's clubs were represented, plus, rather randomly, Winchester in Hampshire. The format, like our B Festival involved 2 groups of 5 teams each with the first, second and third placed teams from each group going through into a Cup, Plate and Bowl final respectively.

First up for Wimbledon was Reeds on the hallowed turf of the 1st XV pitch no less. Would the boys, under Conrad's captaincy, be up to the challenge? If first impressions are anything to go by, the answer would be a resounding yes as Guy scored the first try from literally the first touch of the match. This was to be a really tough match against a well-drilled team whose star player, rumour has it, was also JK's nephew from a previous marriage - if the young lad's searing pace was anything to go by (never mind his full barnet of hair), he was not a blood relation. Further tries from Conrad and Freddie meant that the boys went into half time level at 3-3 (or 15-15 depending on how you look at these things). It was at this time that the management skills of our crack coaching team, Gazzer and Dazzer (otherwise known as Garrick and Darrell), came to the fore, with a couple of inspired substitutions as Ben and William made an immediate impact with early tries. A calmness under pressure and a couple of turnovers from good defence proved key as further tries from Conrad and Finn ensured a 7-6 victory. A great start!

Next up, and again on the 1st XV pitch, we were facing the tournament hosts, Cobham RFC. A mighty ask, coming up against a team with the financial clout of Savills bankrolling them, and on their home track! The boys started well and went into half-time 2-2, but, despite a brace of tries from our speed-merchant Freddie, and two further ones from Oscar and Luca, we went down 4-6 as we were punished for giving away possession of the ball too cheaply.

Game Three saw Teddington as our opponents. Although we were not at our best in attack, in a game dominated by defences, we were relieved to prevail as 3-2 victors in a tight game, with tries from Freddie, Luca and Oscar. Our final group game was against Farnham RFC. Despite being the whipping boys of the group, Gazzer and Dazzer again showed their class and experience and there was no way they were going to let the boys go into the game under-cooked. Sure enough, Luca scored with the first play of the match and followed up with a second shortly afterwards. A further try by Guy meant we were looking good at half time with a 3-1 lead. Encouragingly, the lads kept their foot on the pedal not giving anything away in defence, Chris in particular, and with further tries from Ben, William and Conrad we ran out convincing 6-3 winners. Our best game yet.

With all our group games now over we were reliant on other results to go our way…a nervous wait ensued and Teddington duly obliged in the final group match by securing a draw against Cobham which allowed us to top the group and sneak into the main Cup Final through the back door. London Irish were to be the opponents. Again on the 1st XV pitch, and in front of a hhuuuugggggeeee crowd, it was all set to be a classic. In a bruising encounter which resulted in injuries to both Oscar and Conrad, the boys were unfortunately unable to rise to the challenge and went down to a well-drilled side 5-1, with Luca scoring for Wimbledon RFC. Still, the boys can feel really proud of their efforts and runners-up out of 10 teams is a real achievement! Well done to the whole squad, a big thanks to Gazzer and Dazzer and things bode well for the season ahead.

Results

Group Games
WRFC v Reeds - WON 7-6 (Conrad 2, Finn, Freddie, Guy, Ben, William)
WRFC v Cobham - LOST 4-6 (Freddie 2, Luca, Oscar)
WRFC v Teddington - WON 3-2 (Luca, Oscar, Freddie)
WRFC v Farnham - WON 6-3 (Luca 2, Ben, Guy, William, Conrad)

Cup Final
WRFC v London Irish - LOST 1-5 (Luca)

Squad - Conrad (capt), William, Chris, Ben, Luca, Freddie, Guy, Finn, Oscar.

The Under 8's are one of the most popular and successful groups in the club! With over 50 boys and girls signed up for the season we're having a whale of a time helping grow the kids' skills and confidence as they play rugby each week.

Coaching sessions are from 10.00 am (sharp) to 12 noon on Sundays from September to May.

The key contact is Jonathan Kinnear (JK), head coach. Sophie Castle and Duncan Hubber are joint managers. Their contact details are here. If you'd like to come down to the club and try the game out in this last year of non-contact, tag rugby, please get in touch. We'd be happy for you and your kid(s) to come and try a session out.

We're working to some great training plans. If you fancy some extra curricular training with your kids, check out the attachments.