U11 7s Tournament at West Hartlepool

Last Sunday we were away at West Hartlepool in the County 7’s.
An unforgettable day we were drawn in pool A with 5 games to play.
First up came Houghton and the news that we would be a team mate short Tom McCue taking ill in the car on the way to game. Our players got their motors fired up from the start running in 5 tries to Houghtons 2. Next up came local rivals Darlington, remembering that Mal Lear never lost a game to them, the u11s took to the field Mowden 4 Darlington 2. There was a palpable buzz on our touch line when we lined up against a big Sunderland 7 and whoops of joy at the final whistle Mowden 4 Sunderland 3. With an appetite for victory next on the menu the home team West Hartlepool, who were tough and fast when they played us last time. This day was ours 2 tries to nil. With the smell of team spirt splashed all over our squad like “Brut” the last pool game was against Guisborough. For the first time in the tournament we fell behind. Quality rugby, encouragement from the touch line and a heightened sense of self belief drove us on into uncharted waters as we scored 3 tries to Guisboroughs 1 topped Pool A and set sail for the semi finals. As gravy dried and Sunday roasts smouldered at home we played our hearts out against a strong Barnard Castle side who had beaten some by more then 45 points. We competed for every inch of the field even when they got over the try line we held fast holding the ball up for a 5m scrum. Our 110% effort mustered to get us into the semis didn't get us to the finals as we went down by 4 tries. Barny went on to win the cup but our individual and team performances are the stuff of legend. Each and everyone should be rightly proud of how well they played and behaved on the day.

Cheers Simon

Results
DMP 5 Houghton 2
DMP 4 Darlington 2
DMP 4 Sunderland 3
DMP 3 Guisborough 1
DMP 2 West Hartlepool 0
Semi DMP 0 Barnard Castle 4