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Page 1 of 2 The Under 9’s got a well-deserved second place at Barkers Butts.
It was an early 7.00am start for the boys as four coaches packed with players and supporters made the annual trip to Coventry for what promised to be a glorious day of rugby. However things didn't go plan for the opposition Under 9’s teams refused to play due to a hard pitch and dry pitch that also had a number of loose stones on the surface. It looked as though all was lost and the 2½-hour trip was a wasted jorney. Then a compromise was found with the remaining teams and it was agreed to play tag rugby instead. Full praise to the players and parents, who accepted this change without complaint, so thank you everyone for putting up with this "slight" unexpected change! Barkers Butts 20 – 35 Pontypridd Despite the setbacks, the team really pulled it out of the bag for the first game against the hosts Barkers Butts. Although it was unfamiliar tag rules, the boys coped extremely well, despite Callum Pearce and Greggor McKain trying in vain to start a few rucks and mauls. Some blistering rugby saw the boys take Barkers to the full six tags many, many times. Great passing and support play ensured that the ball was recycled through many phases. Half way through the second half things calmed down as most of the mothers lost their voices, but on the pitch there was no stopping them. When you consider that many of our players have never played tag rugby and they were playing English sides too whom it very familiar, the team performed brilliantly. TRY scorers for Pontypridd: Harley Jones (2), Mason Pritchard (2), Lucas Hickman (2), Callum Pearce and Rhys Grainger (c). After the match there were more changes to the day when a medical helicopter landed on the pitch as one of the Barkers Under 12s had a nasty knock to his neck. Everyone involved with Pontypridd RFC hope he's OK and wishes him a speedy recovery. Birmingham & Solihull 10 – 0 Pontypridd The next fixture against Birmingham and Solihull turned out to be full contact as there was a spare half hour on one of the better pitches. Finally the boys had their chance to do what they had come up here for. With the scrum and lineout being new for the team, you would have thought it would have changed our approach, but the boys tried their best to play the rugby that they are good at - fast and furious. It was a close first half with only one try separating the sides, when the oppositions giant scrum half crashed over from a scrum three metre’s out. The coaches rightly and fairly rotated the squad at half-time to make sure that all the boys played at least half a match. But despite the disruptive changes, Birmingham could only manage one more try against us, which shows the determination of each of the Ponty players. Captain for the match was Mason Pritchard. So, after a day of changes and on/off decisions about the event, the boys really pulled through and showed that they are a very strong and close team, deservingly coming away with runners up trophy in their age grade. The coaches would like to thank the players and supporters for their patience and good humor on the day. Tournament Squad: Rhys Grainger, Mason Pritchard, Lucas Hickman, Lloyd Harries, Callum Pearce, Adam Ashford, Lewis Allen, Harley Jones, Jasper Powell, Adam Morris and Ben Titcombe. Pontypridd RFC Under 9’s are proud to be sponsored by Richard Voyle Mortgages. Tournament Photos...
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