KIRKHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL RUGBY RESULTS V LANCASTER GRAMMAR  SCHOOL ON SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 2008

 

1^st XV

 

Won 19-18

 

 

KGS played Lancaster Royal Grammar School on Saturday 11 October.  Both teams were unbeaten going into the fixture, Lancaster having already beaten QEGS Wakefield in September started the game very confidently and quickly established an early lead.  They continued to outplay KGS throughout the first half and reached half-time in an 18-6 lead.  However, roused by an inspirational Captain and No 8 Jonathan Edwards, KGS gradually cut into Lancaster’s lead.  The turning point came when young KGS scrum half Kieran Marmion managed to turn a Lancaster player onto his back as he went over the try line.  Encouraged by this, the KGS forwards responded and started to dominate, with prop James Hesketh and hooker William Stover making ground.  KGS got to 12-18 with ten minutes to go.  Again two minutes left on the clock Kieran Marmion changed the course of the game with a smart break around the ruck which opened the Lancaster defence and allowed Jonathan Edwards to crash over for a decisive score.  A difficult conversion was coolly landed by KGS full back Callum Bennett who had also kicked four penalties.

 

2^nd XV

 

Won 15-7

 

In an exciting, tough encounter, KGS managed to fend off a late onslaught by Lancaster RGS to claim a victory.

 

Taking the lead with a well worked try by Gardiner after pressure in the first half, KGS held the upper hand until the break.  A second half penalty by Jones pushed the margin out to eight points.  Then, to everyone’s amazement, Jones – although instructed to take three points from a penalty under the posts, decided to run.  He managed to squeeze over, to everyone’s relief.  This, with the conversion pushed the margin out to 15 points.

 

Lancaster RGS came back well and got over the line after constant pressure for ten minutes.  Time was running out though and KGS held out with some great defence.

 

U16XV

 

Won 8-0

 

The U16’s produced an excellent performance to beat their local rivals for the first time at this age group.  After initial pressure through the powerful forwards, KGS were able to score a penalty through Ben Jones after three minutes due to a Lancaster infringement.  With some excellent kicking by Stanley Graham and Josh Keay, KGS spent the majority of the half in Lancaster territory.  With Matthew Ellis winning both KGS and Lancaster ball in the lineout and the pack setting up a fantastic base, it was of little surprise that Bobby Garlington skipped over on the blindside for a try with five minutes to go of the first half.  Lancaster hit back strongly but with some excellent defence, particularly by Anish Chandreskar, Ryan Morton and George Mills, the defence rarely was breeched.  In the latter stages of the match the KGS backs defended superbly against the onslaught from the Lancaster fly half and centres, but Jones and Garlington tackled constantly to quash any progress.  The final result was a superb effort considering that the last time these two teams met, KGS had lost 47-0.

Well done to all.

 

U15XV

 

Lost 0-33

 

A disappointing performance by the U15’s.  Having lost the Captain Tom Hurst due to injury in a mid week game, KGS knew it would be a tough task to beat Lancaster RGS.  Despite dominating most of the set pieces, KGS were unable to score, and with a number of missed tackles saw KGS 18-0 down at half time.  KGS continued to make a catalogue of basic errors in the second half despite having a number of chances to score.  Lancaster RGS eventually broke KGS’s defence down and scored 33 points.

 

U15BXV

 

Lost 50-0

 

The U15 team was outplayed by a big side in all departments and lost by 50 points.  The defence was disappointing and much improvement is needed in this area before any progress can be made for the next match.

 

 

U14AXV

 

Lost 23-0

 

An outstanding team performance against a very strong Lancaster side.  The score was 0-0 with only ten minutes to go, but the Lancaster pressure finally told.  Matthew Beatty, Luke Woodward and Marcus Mollinga were outstanding in the forwards.

 

Ryan Wilkinson, Ben Rhodes-Powers, Issac Yuen and Ben Swift all tackled immensely and had excellent performances in the backs.  Man of the match Isaac Yeun..

 

 

U14BXV

 

Lost 0-41

 

Another tough fixture awaited the U14B XV at Lancaster RGS.  A disappointing start resulted in the loss of three early tries from a barrage of strong play from the opposition.  Then KGS slowly woke up and began to compete, although by half time it was 26-0.  Again KGS performed far better in the second half with much more ferocity and better tackling/rucking, and were unfortunate not to achieve a couple of tries late on.  Heads never dropped and they battled to the end which was commendable.

 

 

U13AXV

 

Lost 0-46

 

KGS produced a more encouraging display but still could not contain the free running Lancaster backs who were rampant in the second half.  However KGS did, on occasions, out ruck Lancaster and produced some tidy ball.  Once again Tom Hunter produced a notable performance for KGS and there were tidy displays from James Penrose and Dan Jones before he had to retire due to a serious shoulder injury.

 

 

U13BXV

 

Lost 0-59

 

Once again the U13B squad found themselves up against a very strong opposition with very obvious advantages in size and power.  Inevitably the key element for KGS would be defensive qualities and as yet the squad continues to suffer from a lack of confidence and aggression in the contact area.

 

Nevertheless despite a heavy defeat a spirited second half performance showed that this team can make significant improvements with the right attitude.  Forays by Pounds, Naved, Atherton and Hanlon showed attacking potential.  In defence there were encouraging moments but a whole team effort is required to produce tangible results.  The team must remain positive and continue to work hard through training sessions.

 

 

U12AXV

 

Won 24-0

 

The KGS forwards quickly established dominance over the Lancaster pack and the rucking style developed over the last few weeks produced a stream of ball for the three-quarters.  The ball was moved smoothly all the back line but they could not provide the required penetration to reward the efforts of the forwards. It took a solo effort from fly half Josh Powell to finally break the deadlock.  Two more tries were scored in the first half, by Conor Wilkinson and Scott Collins but a first half lead of 19-0 still did not reflect the supremacy KGS had over the opposition.  The second half was a disappointing one for the team and it appeared that they were willing to coast through the half.  This allowed Lancaster back in the game but the KGS line was rarely threatened.   The KGS team only woke up in the last few minutes of the half and this resulted in an excellent team try scored by Wilf Rhodes.

 

U12BXV

 

Lost 0-5

 

The U12B showed tremendous character in this exciting encounter.  A rather disappointing first half performance saw the visitors take the lead and dominate possession.  The half time team talk galvanized the home side who really took the game to their opponents.  Jack Baxter Beard had many forays while Sam Beard and a number of the backs ran strongly.  The forwards suddenly dominated the breakdown and did everything but score.  While it was disappointing not to gain at least a draw, credit must go to the opposition for their defence.  Overall it was a great game to be involved in and the team must take heart from their improvement.