KIRKHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL RUGBY RESULTS V GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL

SATURDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2010

1ST XV

KGS 21 Giggleswick 7

KGS 1st XV found Giggleswick a difficult proposition, with a number of players making their debuts and others playing out of position this was always going to be difficult. Centre Michael Simmonds leading the side for the first time led from the front with some strong runs which put KGS over the gameline. The forwards struggled to gain the upper hand and although KGS scored an early penalty from Charlie Swarbrick they found themselves 7-3 behind after 25 mins. This sparked the KGS team into a more determined mood, and from the re-start Giggleswick were put under pressure resulting in a well stuck Sam Hall penalty. Pack leader Jon Evans started to make a strong impact as did flanker Elliot Crowe and soon KGS had taken a 11-7 half-time lead after a smartly taken try by scrum-half Charlie Swarbrick. After the break the KGS pack eventually got on top and worked a neat line-out move for no.8 Sam Peet to crash over. Although Giggleswick worked hard to get back into the game they never really threatened the KGS line. Late on replacement prop John Windle scored a good try with a neat outside break to dive over in  the corner. Final score KGS 1st XV 21 Giggleswick School 7. KGS now look forward to playing Bromsgrove School and Plymouth College this week.

2^nd XV

KGS 23 Giggleswick 0

On a heavy pitch, KGS made hard work of a brave opposition. Once again the team started slowly and tried to over complicate phases of play. However after twenty minutes Craig Whalley-Hunter crashed over from a rolling maul and with Fraser Burnie adding a penalty before the break, KGS turned round and produced ten minutes of excellent rugby. Led by Adam Galley, the pack started to dominate and with Nathan White intelligently kicking for territory, it was not long until Jack Loxham picked up on a Giggleswick mistake and sprinted forty yards for a try. With Fraser crashing over after debutant George Brookes had made a break, the floodgates could really have opened. However with the match won all of the substitutes were given a run out before the visit of the undefeated Plymouth College next weekend.

U15A XV

KGS 34 Giggleswick 10

After the long half term break, the U15's were raring to play. The forwards dominated the contact area, strong runs from James Penrose and Harry Mason allowed centre Lewis Leech and Thomas Hunter to cross the line twice in the first half. However Giggleswick were a team who continued to compete and disrupt and managed to score just before half time.

The second half was a much better performance from KGS. Some fantastic defending from Jonathan Chan and Theo Waltham, stopping Giggleswick scoring twice. Some fancy foot-work from Daniel Jones set up Thomas Hunter to score.

U14 XV

KGS 57 Giggleswick 5

The game was a little one sided towards the end, nevertheless KGS played some excellent rugby, throwing the ball out to the backs at every opportunity, both wingers, Henry Cameron, and Ellis Clarke saw a lot of the ball which demonstrated the forwards were very unselfish and worked extremely hard to secure the ball in loose play. Alex Whalley, Wilf Rhodes and Daniel Broughton made excellent contributions to the game, and were the pick of the forwards.

The backs under the guidance of the captain, Connor Wilkinson worked tirelessly throughout, both in attack and defence. David King the stand off made a positive contribution to the game allowing Wilkinson, Twitchett and Cameron to run at the opposition and break clear. The Fullback Harvey O’Connell also played particularly well. For once the wind and rain stayed clear high up in the North Yorkshire moors.

3 tries Henry Cameron, 2 tries Connor Wilkinson, 1 try Alex Whalley, 1 try Daniel Broughton, 1 try Ellis Clarke

U13A XV

KGS 40 Giggleswick 14

KGS ran out convincing winners thanks to a forthright second half display full of excellent handling, direct running and sound tactical kicking from fly half James Seward. However the first half was a different story with KGS falling behind to a try mid way through the half. Creditably KGS fought back immediately and a series of thrusts by the forwards led to Jack Edwards crashing over near the posts. KGS scored again when Josh Keelan was put away after quick ball from a ruck. The first half concluded with KGS attacking deep in the Gigg 22 only to lose the ball in contact which was compounded by the home sides` dangerous centre running 70 metres to score. KGS rallied defiantly in the second half a managed to pin Giggleswick deep into their half for long periods. This pressure, allied with some tenacious tackling eventually told, Matthew Thomas burst down the left wing leaving several tacklers in his wake to score in the corner and Geroge Carter and Oliver Kitchen both drove over in similar style. James Seward crowned a memorable afternoon by scoring the sixth try, he also kicked five conversions.

U12A XV

KGS 27 Giggleswick 14

The U12's first victory of the season came against Giggleswick School in a twelve aside match. Twenty two players were involved with most players getting one half. KGS scored five tries to their opponents two in a 27–14 victory.

U16A v Audenshaw

KGS 28 Audenshaw 32

KGS played well in fits and start in the first half. The pack started to look dominant and KGS had plenty of possession and territory. Tries by Wilkinson (2), Hargreaves and Rudd gave the team a 28-13 lead at half time, but then lost concentration and allowed Audenshaw to fight back. Poor tackling resulted in Audenshaw getting within three points of the KGS score.

In a tense last ten minutes Audenshaw grabbed the lead and with KGS in panic mode the game slipped away. Tough lessons must be learnt from this defeat namely concentration and maintaining physicality against teams that are capable of applying pressure for 60 minutes.