Great day out at the Semi's

Yarm A 5 - Darlington MP 1

We started off pretty slowly against Yarm A and we weren't really ready for them. Our shape in defensive and offensive line was poor and our concentration was lacking. Too many of the boys were running sideways and backwards instead of running straight and we were not stringing enough passes together. Nevertheless we did improve with stronger tackling and a good jinky run for a try for Will. Things could only get better.

Darlington MP 5 - Blaydon 2

Things did indeed get better for this next match but only after some strong words from the coaches. The boys started passing more - there was good running from Steven, Jack W, Lyle and Will. Regan put in a lot of work doing most of the tackling, ably assisted by Ben and William Hickerson. The try machine called Will Todd scored 5 great tries and we deservedly won 5-2.

Sunderland Barbarians 0 - Darlington MP 5

This was undoubtedly our best game of the competition. All the boys' hard work started to click together. The passing was much better, with the ball going right the way down the line and after ten passes Will Todd finished off an excellent team try. Again, Regan tackled like a demon knocking over everything in his way and his brother Lyle followed suit making a try-saving tackle when he was the last line of defence. Brook had another good game making plenty of strong, determined runs, as did Steven and Ben. Matt Auger gave a great pass to set up Will for one of his 5 tries in the game. All the boys can be proud of themselves, a great team effort - well done!

Plate Semi-Final
Durham City Panthers 6 - Darlington MP 5

So we make the plate semi-final against Durham City Panthers and this provided us with a very exciting game, with two evenly matched teams. Again Will Todd was outstanding scoring all our 5 tries. Regan and Will made some great defensive tackles on our line to keep us in the game. Brook, Matt, William Hickerson and Jack Williams all ran well with the ball in hand, and Ben Fidell passed well under pressure. The match went right to the final whistle with both sides trading scores, but the Panthers just piped us in the last minute. Tiredness had crept in but the boys put up a very good spirited performance which bodes well for the future.

Sorry if I have missed anyone out but all you boys deserve a pat on the back. As always thanks to John, Chris, Kevin and Andrew for their coaching and guidance and of course the parents for their fantastic support. Next match, bring it on!