DMP Whites v Middlesbrough

Mowden Whites lined up against a strong Middlesbrough First Team. The team line up was Layton Poole, Callum Poppitt, John Gray, Ezra Laundy-Blair, Henry Norman, Jacob Vickers, Joshua Race, Regan Godfrey, Jack Williams, Brook Hall-Beasley, Lewis Brown and Toby Greenwood. To begin with Middlesbrough caught a napping Mowden team running in a couple of quick tries in succession. Toby was the first to wake up and saved a certain looking try with a crunching tackle. This seemed to wake the other boys up and they started tackling Middlesbrough to good effect. Callum and Jacob both taking on Middlesbrough with similarly tough tackles. Unfortunately individual tackles weren't a match for a well drilled Middlesbrough team. Despite our best opportunity of scoring when a strong Mowden ruck enabled a swift pick up by Lewis and a quick pass to John who looked certain to score before a strong tackle brought him down. At half time Middlesbrough were in control. After a half time talk Mowden returned to the game with heads held high, and it was they who now dominated. Again Jacob used his strength to tackle and create a ruck where Mowden used their training drills to good effect and gained ground. With strong vocal encouragement from the touch line, Henry made his mark and drive Middlesbrough off the ball. Despite this excellent run if play, Middlesbrough were still dangerous and they exploited gaps in the Mowden line and ran in a couple of tries. It was a deserved win for Middlesbrough but the blank score for Mowden was not a fair reflection for some great play.

Despite the first defeat, Mowden started their second game feeling strong. As in their first game it was Toby who made the first significant play with an incisive run through the Middlesbrough line. A strong tackle was needed to stop Toby but he was very well supported by Ezra who was chased over the line for Mowdens first try. Middlesbrough were quick to respond, but Mowden were fired up and two powerful runs by Regan and John led to another score for Mowden. The second half started strongly for Mowden, and Ezra again ran himself into a great position to receive the ball from Brooke to score his second try of the match. John again carved a hole through the Middlesbrough line with another of his battling runs and made it all the way to the try line for another outstanding try. Middlesbrough re-grouped and organised a well planned move. Layton interrupted their momentum with a terrific interception stealing the ball and running to the try line for another score. Middlesbrough pulled a try back against the run of play. In response Mowden mobilised again beginning with a powerful run by Callum, who made ground despite 4 Middlesbrough defenders hanging off him, a well timed pass to Lewis who in turn kept the flow with a great pass to John running to the try line and another score for Mowden. A well deserved win from a well coordinated Mowden team.