Sunday 20th April 2008					Fresh from his recent single party, single candidate election victory, Chairman Gavin "Mao" Davies made a more than welcome appearance at Wetherby followed by Nelson Mandela with a get out of jail free card spearheading a campaign to free the wrongly-convicted Hare Hay from his sin bin.
Moortown	24	Gosforth	26
Wetherby	35	Moortown	0	Tries: Harry Questa (3) Matty Taylor James Shaw Conversions: George Davies (2) Harry Kaye James Shaw (2)
Wetherby	19	Gosforth	12	Tries: Matty Taylor Harry Questa James Contreras Conversions: George Davies Ollie Myers

Squad this week: Tom Fox, Joe Hay, Tom Hay, Matty Taylor, Ollie Myers, James Shaw, Alex Bridger, Harry Kaye, Harry Questa, George Davies, Joe Doughty, Chelper Hewison, Josh Jones, Ed Rouse, James Contreras, David Clarkson

Match report to follow

Match 1 Moortown 24 vs Gosforth 26

A game of two halves to borrow a Motty-style phrase (the real, sheep-skinned one, not the new U12 Motty the Micklefield Marauder).

The tourists started very strongly and certainly had Moortown on the back foot, scoring in the first minute of the first half to take an early 7-0 lead.  It soon became apparent that the strength of the Gosforth side lay in their forwards who were just too strong for the Moortown forwards to contend with on any part of the field.  Gosforth played their cards well, ensuring that they held possession and that the forwards kept the ball to themselves, allowing them to grind down the 'Town players and make steady and frequent progress towards the try line.  The ruse worked wonders and by half time, Gosforth were 19-0 up.

Then came a fight back to rival any that Wetherby have had to do in the second half.  Moortown came out inspired after a talking to from their coaches at half time.  They played Gosforth at their own game and once they had possession, did everything they could to keep it away from the big lads in the centre of the field and passed out wide to their backs contingent.  The tactic paid dividends, with 'Town looking much stronger, rattling the visitors and scything through the Gosforth backs to score four excellent tries in the second half to only one returned by Gosforth for a final score of Moortown 24: Gosforth 26.  The Moortown backs played out of their skins and the forwards did all they could to retain possession for them.

'Town can count themselves unlucky on this occasion not to have taken the game at the last as they threw everything they could muster at Gosforth, who saw themselves clinging on to a slender victory.  With the try scores equal at four each, it was only the better conversion kicking of the tourists which saw them take the honours in the first match of the day, scoring 3 out of 4 to Moortown's 2 out of 4.

Match 2 Wetherby  35 vs Moortown 0

Wetherby's penultimate match of the season saw a repeat of their first match of 2007-8, where they were victorious 7-35 away at Moortown.  Could the Wetherby boys repeat their strong start to the season?

The match started tentatively enough with a slight change to the backs seeing George Davies in at full back.  George can play just about any position, so this was of no concern to him, but it was left to the other backs players to adjust.  A nervy start saw the backs nipping forwards at Moortown who seemed to be up to the job of holding them off.  However, it soon became apparent that the gap left by George Davies was filled in a most admirable fashion by the on-form Harry Questa.  Actually, on-form does not adequately describe how well Harry was to play today after an excellent run out on tour.  Within 5 minutes, Harry Q took the ball and cut through the Moortown defence with scintillating speed and momentum, sprinting with long, confident strides and upright body posture to score under the posts, with George Davies kicking an extra two to take Wetherby into a 7-0 lead.

Wetherby went from strength to strength with the forwards winning ball in the scrums with little trouble to feed the backs who were passing out wide to the left and back to the right.  Jinking and dummying their opponents with Harry Kaye, Chelper, and James Shaw showing quicksilver handling and presence of mind, outfoxing Moortown and frustrating their tackling attempts time and time again, until once more the ball slipped out to Harry Questa to see him repeat his first attempt and take off like a bat out of hell for the Moortown line, crossing to take another five points followed by a James Shaw conversion to see Wetherby 14-0 up at half time.

Moortown were talked to again at half time, but seemed just too tired to take on Wetherby after their super-human efforts against Gosforth in their first match.  The next move was reserved for the forwards with the body snatchers teaming up with Foxy, Joe Doughty, Ed Rouse and James Contreras to follow the increasingly quick Motty Taylor as he forced his way through and over the Moortown line to score a lovely try, converted by George Davies to see Wetherby quickly take a 21-0 lead after the restart.

The forwards increasingly showed their dominance in the scrums, rucks and mauls to secure unrivalled possession for Wetherby, but played the game differently to Gosforth by using the backs in attack to good effect.  Up stepped the unstoppable Harry Questa again in one of his best performances of the season, his confidence in full flow, like his running to take the ball and nip over for his hat trick, with the conversion slotted over by Harry Kaye seeing Wetherby take an unassailable lead at 28-0.

The restart saw much of the same with the Wetherby forwards dominating the game entirely now and the backs dancing like butterflies with the ball.  The sting came eventually once more for Moortown as James Shaw dummied his way through their defence to score again for Wetherby, converting his own try to see the final score settle at 35-0 to Wetherby.

Match 3 Wetherby 19 vs Gosforth 12

So the final match of the day was to be between Gosforth and Wetherby.  Both teams had started out well against Moortown in the previous matches, but where Moortown came back at Gosforth, Wetherby saw a convincing win.  Gosforth with half an hour's rest came to the field against the Wetherby team straight out of their match with Moortown. This could be a close match.  The form on the day would suggest a forwards battle would be a fierce and bloody affair, but that if the Wetherby backs could be drawn into the game, the edge would be with the home team.  Gosforth had a point to prove, being pretty much unbeaten in their area, but so did Wetherby who have gone from strength to strength over the season.

So, after a short wait whilst referee Mr. Myers checked the pea in his whistle (he would definitely need it in this match) the two sides squared up to each other.  Alex Bridger stepped up to shake hands with his opposing captain from Gosforth - the pleasantries over, the battle commenced.

It was soon obvious that the skirmishes between the backs would be replaced by hard grinding forward play as Gosforth once again tried to keep the ball in close with the big lads and drive up the middle.  Honours were even in this respect until Gosforth broke through with the second row taking the ball niftily away from the forwards' battleground and punching a hole through the Wetherby backs' line, choosing his position of attack well to crash over to take them to a 0-5 lead after 10 minutes, the conversion missed saw the score stay at 0-5.  All eyes were on the U14s pitch though as the Thorne and Moortown game degenerated as Thorne games do, into a mass brawl where the parents saw fit to charge onto the pitch, handbags drawn, ready to do battle.

The restart saw Wetherby chase up quickly, pressuring Gosforth to use the ball.  The speed and aggression of the Wetherby forwards was a little too much though as the unfazed Burke, Hare, and Matty drove in over loose ball, helped by the equally feisty Alex Bridger, Ed Rouse and James Contreras.  The winner this time was the poker-faced Matty Motty Mitty Moo who meandered in and snatched the ball from under the nose of Harry Kaye to drive hard through the Gosforth defence and dive over the line for a lovely try, his second of the day.  Once again, the conversion was fluffed and deadlock ensued at five points each as the forwards got stuck into one another.  No quarter was offered and none was taken as the match became bogged down in pounding forward play with Gosforth driving towards the Wetherby line, only to be driven back by equally-determined defence.  Even the powerful Harry Questa was ensnared and in spite of several determined efforts, was pulled down short of the line.  Hare Hay tried the same and on each occasion would drive hard to gain positional advantage for Wetherby by taking several Gosforth players for a piggy back ride down the pitch on each occasion, but just couldn't get over the try line.  Half time crept up and it was time for a drink and reassessment of the game plan for both sides as they remained locked at 5-5.

The second half started with the Wetherby backs looking a little unsettled with sporadic poor handling and lack of speed to secure the ball, allowing Gosforth to put their mark on the game.  It wasn't long before they had a converted try under their belt to take them to a 5-12 lead.

The Wetherby forwards were having none of it though and strode in to settle things down, regain control of the match and secure more ball after the restart.  Out of this, the irrepressible Harry Questa took his opportunity again and blasted forwards to puncture a hole in the Gosforth line and speed through to score and bring the scores level again 12-12 after George Davies converted.

Wetherby had the bit between their teeth now and showed little sign of losing the lead again. Backs and forwards now working well together again in a great show of skilled teamwork allowed James Contreras, the hybrid of forward and back use his strength, skill and speed to hare off down the wing to take the lead for Wetherby 19-12 thanks to the accompanying accurate boot of Ollie Myers.

Things started to heat up now and a fierce drive down the centre from Burke Hay saw him penalised for running at full pelt into the Gosforth defence with the ball clutched to his chest with both arms after it was deemed this stance constituted a hand off.  This was to signal a grim determination of both sets of forwards to play a typical forwards game and to dominate each other through a combination of power and intimidation.  There was a time when Wetherby would have capitulated, but not today.  As the season has worn on, so they have become battle-hardened and the match began to edge towards the brink.  It wasn't long before tempers frayed as Joe Doughty windmilled his way into a tackle in a dramatic re-enactment of Swan Lake, arms flailing, in a scene not witnessed since last year's bad-tempered game against the Midlands equivalent of Thorne, Kidderminster.  This precipitated another handbagging session on the other side of the pitch where the pea of Mr. Myers was sorely tested.  Fisticuffs over, the match got back into flow and it wasn't long before a Gosforth player dropped onto David Clarkson with his knees.  Unfortunately, he did it in front of Burke Hay...  As the screams from the touchline echoed around the ground "Number One, it was Number One", Burke's partner in crime, Hare(y) Hay decided to have a conversation with the ref on the finer points of RFU rules and regulations.  Well, it was more of a monologue as he found himself in the sin bin for his troubles.  Public speaking is all well and good but this isn't Hyde Park Corner or Sunday League Football, it is rugby union at  Grange Park, so in spite of Nelson Mandela etc, Hare quite rightly found himself on the touchline after his attempt to beat Chelper at his own game.  When you read this, Hare, keep your trap shut in future.  To be fair, Gosforth were lucky not to lose a player too in a match that was becoming increasingly bad-tempered.

The troubles suppressed, Gosforth tried to take advantage of the weakened Wetherby pack and gap in players, but it wasn't to be.  The reassembled pack was more than up to the challenge and Wetherby showed little sign of letting in another score as they drove the ball back at Gosforth.  The pea was troubled only once more and that was to signal the end of the match and a hard-won victory for Wetherby in their final match of the season.  What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch and hopefully no ill-will was taken away from the match.  It's a tough game and they don't come much tougher than this.  A fine win for Wetherby though - have a good summer and come back ready to pick up where you left off.

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Sunday 13th April 2008		"What do you mean playing a full pitch?" were the words heard from the ref as emergency air support was drafted in just in case...
Wetherby 24 v Malton and Norton 0
Tries:	George Davies (2) Thomas Hay (2)
Conversions:	George Davies (1) James Shaw (1)

Squad this week:  Tom Fox, Joe Hay, Tom Hay, Matty Taylor, Ollie Myers, James Shaw, Alex Bridger, Harry Kaye, Harry Questa, George Davies, Joe Doughty, Oliver Mason, Chelper Hewison, Josh Jones, Ed Rouse, James Contreras, Alexi Chomyszyn.

Fresh back from tour (the lads anyway - some of the parents still seemed to be suffering delayed tour shock) saw the Wetherby lads with one of their few home games this season.  Grange Park didn't disappoint with its usual wet and windy microclimate making for unpleasant playing conditions, though the appearance of Michelle Kaye later on signalled that the weather had warmed up.  With all of the other Wetherby teams playing away and with the U17s training, the U12s had the run of the park, so decided to play a 15 a side match on a full pitch in readiness for next year at U13 level and to test the fitness level of coach and referee, Mr. Myers.  So as kick off approached, an oxygen tent was on standby with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance also ready to whisk the ref away to a hyperbaric chamber at Hull just in case he suffered from the bends half way through the match.

Wetherby kicked off the first quarter in a 4 x 15 minute match and followed up quickly in what was to be an indicator of things to come.  Malton received well and took the ball back in to contact where Wetherby stood firm.  The ball back out to Malton saw them trying to pass out wide to move up, but the Wetherby defence was so quick to move up that they constantly frustrated the Malton attack.  Malton fought back hard and some 20 metres out from the Wetherby try line saw them pass the ball out to their big red bus from the front row who moved with devastating momentum towards the Wetherby line.  Up stepped the Micklefield Marauder, Matty Taylor to take down the Routemaster, but sacrificing himself in the process.  The tackle completed saw Matty having to come off with a dead arm, followed quickly by Chelper with an early case of cramp.  Eventually, the speed of the Wetherby forwards in the rucks saw possession coming Wetherby's way and the backs were on fire with quick hands from James Shaw at scrum half out to Harry Kaye at fly half running well with sharp side-stepping passing out to the speedy George Davies who stepped up from full back to sprint out wide with huge strides to outpace the strong Malton defence to run in under the posts.  George converted his own try to take Wetherby to an early 7-0 lead.

The restart saw Wetherby take the ball well from a well-placed kick and take it quickly up to Malton.  Tough defending from Malton saw Wetherby held in their own half as they battled to recycle the ball from the breakdown and move forwards inch by inch.  Suddenly and out of nowhere, Tom Hay at loose head prop took the ball from the maul just inside the Malton half and sprinted 40 metres to take a winger's try with the Malton defence being pipped in the pursuit by the hairy one who must have detected the faint odour of lone zebra for breakfast behind the Malton posts.  James Shaw took two from the boot to take Wetherby to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was a tighter affair with Malton showing more urgency at the breakdown to win more possession to drive at the Wetherby defence.

Bryan Habana, pipped to the post in a race against Tom "The Cheetah" Hay

Were the Wetherby tackles up to the job on a wide pitch?  Categorically yes, as time and time again, Malton were thwarted.  Taking the ball into the middle saw them hit the brick wall of the Wetherby forwards with tough tackles from Tom and Joe Hay, James Contreras, Alex Bridger and Ed Rouse.  Going out wide saw equally effective tackling from Harry Questa, Josh Jones and Ollie Myers taking care of most of the danger, with absolutely outstanding tackling at full back from George Davies, backed by Harry Kaye.

It wasn't all one way traffic though, with Tom Hay pairing superbly with Ed Rouse to take the ball rapidly towards the Malton try line.  In the end it could have been either player who broke through, but it was Tom Hay who eventually drove the ball over to touch down to take Wetherby to 19-0 up at half time.

The third quarter saw the return of Motty Taylor, desperate to get back into the thick of things and wasting no time by making some decisive tackles in the centre of play as well as making a huge difference in Wetherby's rucks and mauls with his power and strength.  James Contreras and Joe Hay were also tackling hard as Wetherby tried more of a kicking game to move the ball forwards - a tactic that didn't pay off and which required the defence to tighten up as Malton tried hard to punish poor clearance ball.  George Davies was tireless at full back with tackle after tackle thwarting Malton's determined progress.

Again, Wetherby looked threatening in attack and when they did get possession, the backs were fleet-footed as ever with some great running forwards from Harry Questa and Alexi Chomyszyn, looking strong on the wing, backed up with a couple of cheeky runs in from Oliver Mason.  Eventually, the quick legs of George Davies saw him take off once again, just too quick for Malton to push through for a try to Wetherby taking them to 24-0 leaders.  At the end of the quarter, Tom Fox who had spent most of the match hooking well and picking up loose ball wherever it appeared took the ball and sprinted away only to be felled by a fantastic Malton tackle on the wing as the ref blew for the end of the third quarter.

The final quarter seemed to catch up with all of the players.  After 45 minutes of end to end rugby the lads started to look tired and ball movement slowed down both in the loose and at the breakdown.  The scrums were hard work and neither side looked like scoring as they dug in and faced each other in a match that ran the risk of becoming tetchy.  Mr. Myers kept a lid on the lads and the match settled down to a calm end, with no further score and Wetherby coming out on top 24-0 in what was one of their best all round team performances this season.

Sunday 16th March 2008		Gavin Davies, also known as Wallace Arnold "Coach of the Year" sponsors the Wetherby U12s tour transport...
Roundhegians 5 v Wetherby 35
Tries:	George Davies (2) James Contreras (1) James Shaw (2) Matty Taylor (1) Harry Questa (1)

Sunday the 16th saw the ‘Wetherby 16’ take on the ‘Roundhegian 11’ in a game that highlighted the vast progress Wetherby have made this season.  These two sides came together at the start of October, and Roundhegians ran out winners.  That result was put into context as Wetherby hammered their opponents, 7 tries to 1.

It could have been a lot more. 

Firstly, Wetherby had more players than step-fathers from Dewsbury, and special mention should be made of Josh Jones, Oliver Mason, Harry Kaye and Chelper Hewison, who volunteered to play halves for the opponents to make the sides a little bit more even – true to the spirit of the game.  Indeed, Harry Kaye almost scored an interception for Roundhegians, who mounted very little in the way of a threat all morning.

Secondly, Super referee Chris Myers showed commendable patience towards the Roundhegians team, who could have been swamped.  Their scrum-half was offside more times than a player who is offside a lot, and some players saw a ruck as an opportunity for a lie – down.

Thirdly, Burke and Hare were busy robbing graves. ‘Nuff said.

For the record, Wetherby try scorers were James Contreras, James Shaw, Matty ‘let’s get ready to rumble’ Taylor, George Davies who bagged a brace, and Harry Questa.  The pick of the bunch was scored by Harry Questa, who rounded off a fantastic flowing move involving forwards and backs in splendid harmony.  That try was liberally applauded by both sets of supporters who appreciated the high standard of rugby on show.  Super coach Dave Questa would be as proud as Warren Gatland – coach of the magnificent Welsh team who dominated the 6 Nations and …………

Roundhegians ended the scoring with a try from their best player, the number 8 – who never gave up running for his team.  He earned the respect of the knowledgeable and vociferous Wetherby supporters.

The whole Wetherby team played very well, with Ollie Myers distribution spot on.  Edward Rouse showed even more signs of his ongoing rehab, and Joe Doughty (in front of his Granddad) improving with each game.  Dave Clarkson, George Davies and Harry Kaye excelled as ever. The omnipresence of Tom Fox, James Contreras and Alex Bridger was very impressive too.  Those guys were never more than 2 yards from the breakdown.  There was concern for Chelper (ankle) though, but the Wetherby team now have a break of some 3 weeks before tour to the North – East; time for all aches and pains to be repaired. 

Match report provided by the tongue-in-cheek vice chairman and occasional coach, Wallace Arnold.
 

match scores

Wetherby	15	Ilkley	10	Tries: George Davies (2) Tom Hay (1)	Conditions on the West Park pitch were soft as the Wetherby players tentatively made their way across the park...one of the drawbacks of urban development in the form of overly-large rugby clubhouses adversely affecting drainage
Wetherby	0	West Park	5
Wetherby	20	Leos	5	Tries: Tom Hay (1) Matty Taylor (1) James Shaw (1) Joe Hay (1)
Wetherby	15	Wharfedale	5	Tries: George Davies (2) Tom Hay (1)

Sunday 24th February 2008		The chilly weather causes Tom Fox to adopt his winter coat...
Match 1	Wetherby 0 v West Park Leeds 28
Match 2	Wetherby 28 v West Park Leeds 14
Tries:	George Davies (2) Harry Kaye (1) Tom 'Hare' Hay (1)
Conversions:	George Davies (3) Ollie Myers (1)

Quiz Question - what do Wetherby and our visitors West Park Leeds have in common?  Answer at the end of the match report.

Match 1 What started out as a pleasantly warm and dry Sunday morning soon changed into freezing conditions of rain, cloud and strong winds and so it was to be for the Wetherby boys as they faced up to today's opponents, West Park Leeds.  From the off, West Park were running strongly with a desire to win ball and consequently took turnover ball at several rucks whilst Wetherby stood back and allowed it to happen.  Quick hands from a well-drilled Park side saw them score after 5 minutes by virtue of exploiting an overlap opportunity on Wetherby's left wing.

The restart saw Park following up in the same fashion to pressure Wetherby onto the back foot all too often, eventually losing possession and in the confusion allowing Park to go over for another score to take the lead to 0-14. West Park pushed forwards ever more quickly, leading some to believe they were offside on quite a few occasions, but Wetherby were ruffled all the same and the same slick passing in awkward conditions from West Park saw them extend their lead swiftly to 0-21 at the end of 15 minutes and the first half of the first match. The second half saw things even up a little, but Wetherby were still guilty of poor handling on many occasions and it was only the hard work in making strong tackles from George Davies, Harry Kaye, David Clarkson and Tom Hay which kept Park out for most of the half until their high level of possession paid dividends with a final score of the first match to see West Park as undoubted winners at 0-28. All in all, not the best show from a chilly Wetherby side who must not have been looking forward to their half-time talk from the coaches.  The only positive event so far for Wetherby was the sight of Martin Shaw showing remarkable fortitude and sartorial elegance in his battle against the elements and a sore head.  With one eye on the catwalks of Paris and Milan, Martin made an appearance in what could only be described as something resembling a Portuguese Man O' War (P. physalis) on a stick over his head.

The unusually wet weather causes a giant mushroom to spring up at Grange Park...click for larger image

Match 2

Maybe it was the sight of the Portuguese Man O' War or perhaps a new plan from the coaches, but the second match of the morning saw a distinct change in the Wetherby side.  The weather had warmed a little and the rain had stopped, helping to lift Wetherby's spirits and the boys threw themselves into the game with much more spirit.  The physical side of things took its toll, with Ollie Myers being sidelined along with tough tackler David Clarkson with a 'crushed head'.

Tom 'Hare' Hay (pictured right with his twin brother) showed the new style with a powerful drive from the kick off, taking several Park players with him for a jaunt down the field as the defenders clung on to his shoulders.  The Wetherby pack followed up and the resulting maul saw Wetherby move half way down the pitch with Tom in his characteristic position at the centre of it.  Play was deadlocked at 0-0 until near the end of the first half.  Chelper Hewison  became the next victim of the much more physical game played by Wetherby with a nasty knock to his right ankle which saw him carried off with an ice pack strapped to his leg.  Sadly, the main Chelping nerve which connects his mouth to his brain foot runs down the left leg and was unharmed on this occasion.  This meant that despite his obvious pain, he still managed to Chelp all the way back to the clubhouse and probably all the way home too.  In the melee that ensued, West Park went over for their first try of this match to take the score to 0-7 at half time.

The final half saw a turnaround as Wetherby's more positive approach linked with power from the pack along with some quicksilver handling and jinking runs from the backs put West Park on the retreat.  Ollie Myers reappeared on the pitch to add sensible tactical thought to the proceedings and with Harry Kaye making some great runs at scrum half offloading to George Davies who streaked through to level the score at 7-7, converting his own try.

The momentum gathered pace and there were some striking runs from Jack Crowther who showed great ball handling skills and passing awareness to get the ball out to Josh Jones and Ed McNicholas, looking powerful and fast in attack to make good runs into the Park defence.  Eventually though it was to be the irrepressible and hard-working Harry Kaye who slipped over the line for a lovely stretching try, converted by the boot of George Davies to bring the score to 14-7 in favour of Wetherby.

The bit between their teeth, Wetherby came back strongly from the restart with their once again dominant pack winning ball against the head causing problems for the West Park forwards in all departments eventually seeing Tom 'Hare' Hay in his customary position at the centre of a steaming maul with the powerful Matty Taylor at the back driving over the Park line only to be deemed to have been held up.  Burke and Hare, fired up by this, drove hard together again in the following play along with the ever-present Ed Rouse and James Contreras to get the ball out to Harry Questa who ran hard into the Park defence, slipping a lovely pass out to George Davies who showed his characteristic strength and speed to dart over to take Wetherby to a 21-7 lead with Ollie Myers adding the extras.

The restart saw Wetherby take the ball well, with the backs making most of the progress towards the Park line again as Hare lurked in the background waiting for possession.  The ovoid soon came his way and he was determined to make up for his being held up with a powerful steaming drive at the West Park defence who struggled to hold on to him.  The Wetherby forwards massed like gathering storm clouds behind Tom and drove him hard over the line where this time he grounded the ball cleanly to take the score to 28-7 to Wetherby after George Davies' conversion.

With Wetherby throwing all of their energies into formulating a powerful and unstoppable offensive force, they forgot to keep an eye on their defence, allowing West Park to take the ball over to the right wing in the dying moments of the match to poach a try and conversion to take the score back to 28-14 as Mr. Myers blew for full time.

Great rugby all round, as ever with matches against West Park.  Park showing how well-drilled and aware they are on the pitch, particularly in their backs contingent along with Wetherby characteristically coming alive later in the morning with a great team effort with backs and forwards linking together well to dominate the final 30 minutes with some scintillating and powerful displays.

Quiz Answer - Did you get it right?  The answer is that both clubs are redeveloping their grounds with new stands...

The newly redeveloped ground at West Park Leeds as seen from space...		The new stand at Wetherby as seen from quite close up...

Beautiful blue skies and a frosty start greeted the Wetherby team at Claro Road as they prepared to take on the mighty Harrogate U12s for the first time for many years.  The Harrogate team's reputation goes before them as being a well-drilled, organised and skilful team with a large squad.   They trounced all of their opposition in their first round Yorkshire Cup matches at Acklam and the Wetherby boys were unsure of what to expect.

The Harrogate squad arrived en masse, numbering some 29 players against the Wetherby team of 14 - an impressive turnout for Harrogate, especially at half-term.  On the adjacent pitch, the Harrogate U11s were being put through their paces by a particularly vocal coach who could have come straight from the parade ground at Catterick Garrison.  Fear was struck into the Wetherby dads at this point, so who knows how the lads were feeling?  The format of the day was to be 3 x 20 minute plays and so...

After an hour's preparation by Adam Bridger and stand-in backs coach, Gavin Davies, the teams squared up to one another on the pitch.   Tension was high and the expectation was that Wetherby would have a tough time of it today.  However, the backs were on fire from the off, with some great passing moves seeing a very early try for George Davies as he streaked with electrifying pace through the Harrogate defence, his boot securing the extras to see the visitors into an early 0-7 lead.

Short-lived as these things are, Harrogate showed their character by bouncing back shortly afterwards with a converted try to level the scores at 7-7.  However, not to be outdone by the fantastic efforts of the backs, the forwards entered the fray and found themselves in a maul on the Harrogate line after a period of sustained attack.  Joe 'Burke' Hay popped the ball from the middle of the maul to his partner in crime, Tom 'Hare' Hay who drove low and hard with superb diving body position to take a sneaky try close to the end of the first third, bringing the score to 7-12.  Wetherby U12s haven't seen this kind of lead at the end of a period of play for some time and the coaches went to work to bolster the confidence of the players.

The second period of play opened up with Harrogate having the luxury of fielding a fresh set of 13 players against the same Wetherby team.  A much bigger, rested and seasoned Harrogate side soon had Wetherby on the back foot with Harrogate taking a swift converted try to bring the score to 14-12.  This was followed shortly after by another try, run by nimble-footed and quick-thinking forwards running off the side of the mauls on the blind side to expose Wetherby's wingers to an unstoppable force, taking Harrogate to a 21-12 lead.

Wetherby, however, were having none of it, and we saw a period of sustained possession gained by their ever more dominant pack (with special mention to Ed Rouse at no8 being quick to pick up ball from players caught in contact).  This in turn gave the backs a chance to show how well they can handle the ball with slick passing movements from Harry Kaye, to George Davies and out to Jack Crowther and Ed McNicholas on the wing, Jack showing particular fearlessness to run hard at the Harrogate defence.  The result of this was that once again, the fleet-footed George Davies went over for a try, converted by James Shaw to bring the score back to 21-19 in favour of Harrogate.  Harrogate again showed their power out on the wing though and soon were going over the Wetherby line again to take their lead back to 28-19.

Wetherby came back fighting each time in a see-saw match which was breathtaking to watch with great skill and determination from both sides.  At the restart, Joe Hewison was quick to follow up and took the ball against Harrogate to set up another Wetherby attack, which eventually saw the Chelper himself going over for a try, converted by George Davies to take Wetherby back to a 2 point deficit, 28-26 at the end of 40 minutes.

The final 20 minutes saw Wetherby playing with fire in their hearts in a final, determined push to win.  The lads must have been exhausted as Harrogate played a mixture of the players from the 1st and 2nd periods of play.  Surely another try by Harrogate would deflate the Wetherby team?  Not so, as Harrogate took the next score to extend their lead to 35-26 only to see some brilliant play by the Wetherby backs again see the ball passed out to James Contreras who made a bee line for the try line to go over for a well-deserved try.

Wetherby were back up there at 35-33, when the restart was kicked back at Harrogate to see them mauling passively in their own 22.  The slow down in play triggered a huge onslaught from Joe Hay and Matty Taylor who both hit the back of the maul like a steam train and surprised Harrogate into being pushed back relentlessly towards their own try line, when Tom Hay appeared from the maul with the ball and went over for his second try of the match, converted by George Davies to bring the score to 35-40 to Wetherby.

Surely this was all there could be from this exhausted bunch of gladiators?  You would have been forgiven for thinking so when Harrogate came back again with a lovely move out to the wing resulting in a converted try taking them to a 42-40 lead with 8 minutes to go.  From now on, the game was to kick the ball back at Wetherby, but all this achieved was more catching practice for David Clarkson at full back, who dutifully took ball after ball, backed up by James Contreras and Harry Kaye who played out of their skins to move the ball forwards as the tired forwards chased back for the rucks.

Tired or not, the forwards showed great character in the increasing number of scrums to dominate the Harrogate pack, disrupting their scrum with hooker Alex Bridger taking ball against the head at crucial moments.  Big Joe Doughty was a consistent presence in the rucks and mauls, driving with quiet strength on each occasion.  One such play saw the ball won against the head near the Wetherby try line and moved forwards from Chelper at scrum half out to the injured James Shaw at fly half into a ruck on the half way line.  The ball found its way quickly to the right wing where the safe hands of Ed McNicholas were waiting.  Ed took the ball well and with two Harrogate defenders to beat took off with blistering speed straight for the try line to score his first try for Wetherby to take Wetherby to an amazing 42-47 lead.

Harrogate showed their mettle by attacking fiercely in the remaining 4 minutes with a breakaway run towards their right wing exposing a gap in the Wetherby defence, only to be thwarted by the ever present George Davies and Harry Kaye.  As we ran into overtime, Harrogate drove over the Wetherby line for one last heart stopping play, but were crucially held up over the line as the ref blew for full time.

A fantastic match played in great spirit by both sides and an excellent result for Wetherby.  Each of the players can be justly proud of their performance today as everyone played superbly as individuals and brilliantly as a team to give 60 minutes of exciting rugby against an equally entertaining Harrogate side.

match photos - thanks to Emma, Chelper's quieter sister for taking the photos this week...

If you cannot see the photos, click here for the album in a new window.

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• choose the match you want to view using the menu to the left of the main image

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Sunday 3rd February 2008
Castleford 21 v Wetherby 14
Tries:	Harry Questa (1) Ed Rouse (1)
Conversions:	James Shaw (1) George Davies (1)
Match Reporter:		The grave robbers' new partner in crime who has proved invaluable in helping them dig for bones and who is also responsible for them missing the Cas game...
	The intrepid Gavin Davies, match reporter this week.

It was a dull morning with a bitingly cold wind, that welcomed Wetherby U12s last Sunday at “Classy Cas”. This was the team’s second visit in 2008, the first having resulted in a 4 tries to 2 loss. But Wetherby were to perform much better than that this time, despite the absence of a couple of grave robbers who were digging themselves into a hole elsewhere.

As previously, Castleford started strongly, and took an early lead with a converted try against a Wetherby side that didn’t know what had hit it. Things looked grim, but Wetherby were roared on by a crowd of Mums and Dads, the former who seemed consumed by the various jeans on show! Unfortunately, Wetherby then lost their influential talisman Foxy, who deserves great credit for putting his body on the line week after week for the team. Today proved once too many, as he left the field and was unable to return. But Matty Taylor responded magnificently, driving Cas off the ball time and time again. With Joe (Dad wears big jeans) playing effectively in the line-out again, and James Contreras (Vanderbilt, we thought) tackling for England, Wetherby began to turn the tide. Ollie Myers toiled manfully and showed some good touches on the ball.

Before too long, the Wetherby forwards and backs were combining beautifully – both sides producing open, running rugby that ebbed and flowed like Sarkozy’s relationships. Harry Kaye (whose Mum, ”Classy ‘chelle”, wore David Beckham jeans with a crown on each pocket), was outstanding as a barnstorming forward in the thick of all that was good about Wetherby. His strong running, tireless tackling and superb handling was only bettered by David Clarkson (Farah) – who had his best ever game in a Wetherby shirt, both in offence and defence. It was no surprise then when a superb passage of play saw Harry Questa (who’s Dad is rarely seen in jeans) cross over for Wetherby’s first try, converted by the irrepressible James. Half – time arrived with the scores level.

After the break, both sides threw everything at each other (except jeans) and there were some terrific passages of play. The referee deserves particular credit for playing advantage to allow the game to flow. After about 8 minutes, Cas scored another converted try, against the run of play. But Wetherby responded immediately with a forward drive which saw Ed Rouse going over for a try, converted by the perennial George Davies.

Josh Jones (whose Mum, “Classy Jonesy” wore designer jeans from TK max - £120 down to £30) was just tackled short of the line after another mazy run, and pushed into touch. Then came Wetherby’s best move of the match. From a penalty, Wetherby ran the ball in a move reminiscent of the ’73 Baa Baas. At the end of the move, the genial George Davies scorched down the touchline to score in the corner. Unfortunately George had put a foot in touch when beating the last man, and Wetherby were denied.

In the dying seconds, Cas mounted a sorti into Wetherby territory, and bombarded their line for what seemed like forever. Chelper tackled eagerly, but the pressure told at last, as the impressive Cas centre crossed for a converted try in the last move of the game.
This was a splendid game played in good spirit by both sides. The Wetherby squad is coming together week by week with new players and ‘old hands’, skilfully blended by the coaching staff committed to giving everyone a go.
 

The Wetherby club shop was open on time, so all was well with the world as Michelle Kaye made an appearance, sauntering down the touchline just before kick off, heading off to watch the under 15s, checking for any fine bone china amongst the gathered spectators on her way, whistling Spice Girls tunes as she went.  Anyone would think she had been to see them in concert a couple of weeks ago, taking Jack of the U15s and our very own Harry with her (but don't tell anyone - it's a secret).

An excellent turnout for Wetherby saw them with a squad of almost 20 and the order of the day was to let everyone have a game, old and new so each player could gain valuable match experience.  It was an odd experience seeing stalwarts such as George Davies, Tom Fox, Ollie Myers and Harry "Spice up Your Life" Kaye on and off the touchline, but it was obvious that every player enjoyed themselves today and even the new players gave an excellent account of themselves against an experienced Leos side.

Wetherby started with their usual laid-back approach, more worthy of a Mother's Union day trip out to Filey and made hard work for themselves again, with the forwards hanging around in the rucks whilst a hungrier Leos side capitalised by taking easy, uncontested ball time and time again, putting Wetherby constantly on the back foot.  To their credit, Wetherby's defence looked stronger than it has done for some time with hard tackles from all of the players thwarting the persistent Leos attack.  However, as we have seen many times in the past, it was only a matter of time before Wetherby would slip behind and play their usual game of catch-up rugby, and so it came to pass that Leos went over for the first try of the game, confidently converted to take them into a 7-0 lead.

This setback inspired Wetherby to wake from their slumber and to show more drive and determination to push forwards.  A scrum on the Leos 22 saw Chelper Hewison pick the ball up at scrum half from the back of the scrum and take it himself to scythe through the Leos defence and dive over to take five points for the home side.  A difficult kick against a strong wind just cut wide of the posts to leave the score at 5-7 as half time approached.

Leos however had more up their sleeve as they once again capitalised on poor handling from Wetherby to take possession again and pushed Wetherby back before running the ball wide to the wing where an overlap awaited to leak another try against the home side, once again converted with the wind to take Leos to a healthy 14-5 lead.

Wetherby seemed driven by playing catch-up rugby and a great kick from the restart put Leos under pressure as the Wetherby team ran up quickly to apply some useful pressure, forcing errors in the Leos backs and allowing the far superior Wetherby pack to show what they can do as they won ball again and again.  This was backed up by the forwards beginning to stamp their authority in the loose, with great play from Tom and Joe Hay, playing closely together and backing each other up to allow Tom Hay to take the ball and drive hard into the Leos defence, punching a huge hole through it which the Leos players seemed unable to repair.  The Wetherby forwards sensed blood and backed him up well to maul over the Leos line for a fine try from Tom, converted well by Ollie Myers to take Wetherby into half time, trailing by a narrow 14-12 margin.

The second half saw much toing and froing as Wetherby experimented with many substitutions to allow all of the lads to see some action.  To their credit, Wetherby held up well and defended and attacked in equal measure, but as the match wore on, tired legs began to tell on the players mixed with frustration at being unable to puncture the Leos defence allowing Leos to score another converted try to take the score to 12-21.

A good match to watch with some excellent rugby at times, but both sides can be happy with their performances and the less-experienced Wetherby players all gave excellent accounts of themselves - continue to play to enjoy the game, have some fun and improve on your skills.  Great things lay ahead for a close-knit and buoyant team.  Keep up the good work!

Almost 6 weeks after their last match, also against Castleford, and Wetherby started the new year from scratch, quite literally as they started off looking a little like a new learner driver.

So, as we kicked off, remember the Accelerator, Brake, Clutch, find the biting point and away we go, or not as the case may be.  Wetherby hit the brake quite firmly and before I could get back to the pitch with my cup of tea, I saw Castleford go over for their first try of the match, skipping through a flat-footed, unprepared and almost non-existent Wetherby defence.  Not the best start we have ever seen and the try converted by Cas saw the hosts take a 7-0 lead very early on, despite heroic efforts from David Clarkson at full back, whose sure tackling was once more to be relied upon, but even David's skilful stopping power couldn't deal with the gaps Wetherby left on the wing, which Cas more than took advantage of.

The restart saw much of the same, with Wetherby looking slack in defence, leaving gaps and overlap opportunities on a number of occasions.  The situation wasn't helped by Wetherby not having a great deal of possession, and when they did get hold of the ball, basic handling errors and poor passing gave it straight back to Castleford.  It was only a matter of time before Castleford took advantage of this to score again along with kicking the extras to take a 14-0 lead into the break.

The second half saw quite a change in the Wetherby team.  We're not sure what was said by the coaches, but the team suddenly sprang back to life, hitting the accelerator hard and coming back strongly at Castleford.  The forwards were energised and organised, recycling the ball time and time again, driving relentlessly forwards towards the Castleford line, refusing to let the ball from their grasp.  The fantastic piece of textbook forward play saw the Wetherby pack take the ball the full length of the field, with each pack member taking a turn with the ball before cheeky Tom Fox took the ball low and dived over the line to score Wetherby's first try.  Duly converted by Ollie Myers, this saw Wetherby come back to 14-7.

As the ball came back to Wetherby from the restart, the forwards once again came into their own, holding possession well and turning ball over on a number of occasions with stronger rucking and more awareness of the ball.  This allowed the backs to prove their improved handling skills with some slick passing out to the wing seeing good moves forward from the whole Wetherby team.  On the narrower than usual pitch however, the Cas forwards had no trouble covering and Wetherby were frustrated time and again by being pushed into touch.  However, the Wetherby pack were looking strong again and Tom Fox's hooking prowess won ball both with and against the head, allowing the backs to move forward again, well-supported by the pack in the breakdowns this time.  The excellent combination of Joe Hewison at scrum half and James Shaw at fly half saw better movement of the ball to Harry Questa and Ollie Myers and the whole back contingent moved forwards relentlessly to see Joe Hewison go over the Cas line for a well-deserved try which he subsequently converted to take Wetherby to level pegging, 14 all with the last quarter to play.

The Wetherby defence was called upon in the final quarter and appeared more than up to the job with determined tackles and great cover play from all players old and new.  However, some confusion near the Wetherby line saw a penalty awarded against them for an unknown transgression, allowing Cas go over for a contentious try which saw the ball appearing to be dropped before being touched down.  The extras added saw Cas go into a 21-14 lead.

More controversy emerged in the final few minutes as the Wetherby defence continually frustrated the Cas attack with its watertight resilience, driving the Cas attack to use several hand offs (allowed at U13 level...) in order to help their progress towards the Wetherby line, eventually scoring a converted try to bring the score to 28-14.  Earlier warnings from the ref to stop using the hand-off appear to have gone unheeded this time which was an unfortunate end to a good game which on another day might have ended with honours shared.

Castleford were worthy winners however as they showed no qualms in taking advantage of the laid back approach of the Wetherby team in the first half, and battled well to hold on to the lead in the second half.  Wetherby need to take a look at that period of play and decide amongst themselves to come out with a stronger, faster presence from the very first whistle, rather than waiting until the second half and playing valiant catch-up rugby all of the time.  An attitude similar to the start of today's second half taken back to the first plays of the match will see them take command of games in a way they are truly capable of.

Sunday 2nd December 2007
Wetherby 29 v Castleford 21
Tries:	Harry Kaye (2) James Shaw (2) Joe Hewison (1)
Conversions:	Joe Hewison (1) Harry Kaye (1)
Referee:	Mr. Questa (Wetherby)	The unexplained growth of Wetherby's new stand causes some dampness on the U12's pitch. "It's wetter than West Park's" - unknown supporter

Monsoon-like conditions were the order of the day at Grange Park.  The boys were unsure whether or not they should be planting rice or training before the match against Castleford, but decided to knuckle down, train well and warm up in the cold conditions we are becoming accustomed to at Wetherby at the moment.

The match started with Wetherby full of confidence after a shaky start at Leos the previous weekend.  They did everything as they should.  The backs and forwards followed up well, putting pressure on Cas from the off, driving them further back and forcing handling errors in very difficult conditions, with a stiff breeze, cold weather and heavy rain making the ball feel like a bar of soap.  Strong rucking coupled with the relentless pressure saw Wetherby gain possession advantage over their opponents and use it well, with good driving from the forwards setting up ruck after ruck and allowing Joe Hewison to take the ball and dart forwards and pass out to the backs, who tried some slick passing moves in defiance of the weather.  This saw Wetherby push up with elusive runs from Harry Kaye and Harry Questa further down the line coupled with great speed and vision from James Shaw.  The pressure eventually paid off with a try for Wetherby, scored and converted by Harry Kaye to set up a 7-0 lead.

The restart saw a lovely take of the ball from David Clarkson, strong as ever at full back, followed by a powerful run to scythe through the Cas defence which he repeated time and again over the course of the match, along with excellent ball handling and strong tackling at the back.  The forwards were quick to back up and won ball again to push forwards with good rucking from Tom and Joe Hay, Ed Rouse and lots of power and drive from Joe Doughty, quick handling from hooker Alex Bridger making him look more like a back than a front row helped Wetherby push up the pitch and score again with a lovely run from James Shaw to take the hosts to 12-0.

A change in fortune from the restart saw a fired up Castleford push Wetherby back and finally use a beautiful kick over the heads of the Wetherby defence to set up a chase for the ball.  The aforementioned ball/soap entity bobbled and came to rest just inches short of the dead ball line.  Wetherby had several men around the ball who appeared to treat the ball with the kind of respect you would offer to a World War II grenade you had unearthed whilst tending your spuds in the garden and backed away to call for help.  No such reverence from the Cas scrum half who nipped over and touched the ball down (defusing it at the same time in a James Bond style) for a well-deserved try and conversion to bring the score back to 12-7 as half time neared.

Wetherby, not to be deterred pushed forward again with powerful forward and back play to send over Joe Hewison for his first try, duly converted by himself to see Wetherby leading 19-7 at half time.  Knowing how shy and retiring Joe is, I'm sure he hasn't mentioned this to anyone he knows, so here's a mention on the web for him, just in case.  For those of you who have been chelped^* to death by him already, turn off your phones, pcs, lights and hide under the table - he'll blow himself out eventually.

After some scrummaging practice at half time and a couple of substitutions where Cas decided that with age comes wisdom and wisdom was what they needed, they upped the average age of their side with a couple of strategic replacements.  At the restart, the fresh legs gave some advantage to Cas who came powerfully at the Wetherby defence and with a lovely run into space created by the Wetherby line bunching away from the wing, went over to score a try which with the extras took the score to 19-14 with Cas just one score behind. The narrow lead spurred Wetherby on who with their ever-present domination in the scrums paying dividends saw increased possession in the backs allowing Harry Kaye to go over again to bring the score to 24-14.  Possession back with Wetherby saw the boys driving and running hard again towards Cas, occasionally losing ball only to rip it back in fierce tackles followed by some sensible kicks forward from Joe Hewison and James Shaw finding touch to allow Joe Doughty to interfere well in the line outs to win more possession and send James Shaw over again for the final score for Wetherby, seeing them up by 29-14 as they entered the final quarter.

The boys planting rice at Grange Park in readiness for the end of season barbecue rice salads

From now on, Wetherby's attack was frustrated by the Cas defence and some clever play from Cas saw them targeting the occasional hole in Wetherby's defence to good effect to get through for a further converted try to bring the score to 29-21 to the home side.  The conditions refused to improve and as the weather worsened and the footing became more sticky, both sides became locked in an even battle to break through.  Wetherby dominated hugely in the scrums with towering performances from all the forwards with Ed Rouse showing great strength in particular.  This was matched by the gritty determination of Cas with some slick moves from their unfeasibly large backs to pierce the Wetherby front line defence, only to be caught out by the ever-present Wetherby pack moving across field.  The final minutes played in deadlock were none the less exciting for that with some talented and flowing rugby played by both sides much to the enjoyment of the large crowd.  The final whistle saw the score remaining at 29-21 to Wetherby to see them into the Christmas recess.  Cas were worthy opponents, playing hard in difficult conditions on what was only their second game of the season.

A quick survey at the end of the match found that Michelle Kaye prefers polystyrene to fine china due to the increased volume of tea to be had at Wetherby (and it was needed on such a miserable day as today).  Another quick interview with James Contreras, stalwart second row for Wetherby, came to the conclusion that he had no idea what the score was but had been confident of a win.  Nice guess James - can you let us have the numbers for the lottery next week please?  Fortunately, Simon Rouse (long-suffering dad of Ed) had managed to scribble down the scores and scorers on a piece of paper, which in true Mission Impossible style self-destructed, after I had read it, into a wet, pulpy blob.  Finally, a quote from Joe "The Lip" Hewison on the way home; "If I hadn't decided to score that try we wouldn't have won."  A classic example of chelp of the highest order.

Great, entertaining rugby on a foul day - congratulations to all of the players from both sides.

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