Warriors scouting mission

Sutton u14s took part in a six team festival organised by Worcester Warriors and held at the Roger Smolden Ground on Sunday. Each team played 3 matches of 20 minutes and also benefitted from some skills and conditioning sessions from the Warriors’ Development team. This was Sutton’s first competitive fixture of the season.
Sutton started with a match against local rivals Veseyans Rugby. The game was very tight, with Sutton dominating possession and territory but also having to withstand an exerted period of Veseyans pressure on their tryline. As the match approached the final minutes, it looked like the game was going to end up in a draw, but Joe Dean managed to break through the Veseyans defence with the final move of the game to score the try that would give Sutton a deserved victory by five points to nil. This result was received with delight by the Sutton team and support as Veseyans had enjoyed the better of recent encounters between the two teams.
After a break for a training session, Sutton’s next game was against a very strong Bournville team. Despite some excellent defensive play from the whole team, Sutton were finally beaten by four tries to one, with Matt Goodwin forcing himself over the line for a well-deserved consolation try. The whole team tackled very well but were undone by some very strong play from the Bournville team.
An immediate turnaround saw Sutton play their final game against a combined team from Birmingham Solihull and Woodrush Rugby Clubs. Sutton dominated this game across all aspects of play, with Archie Grimshaw making several forceful breaks, the first of which saw him score a solo try in the corner. The second break saw him tackled just short of the line, but Matt Fahey was in support to take the ball and score a try in the opposite corner. By now Sutton were completely dominant, with scrums becoming uncontested after the Sutton pack overwhelmed their opponents. Debutant Jamie Skilton was to the fore with several big tackles. The final try was scored by fullback Owen Notley who was able to take a cross field chip from Henry Nevitt in his stride and touch down unopposed.
It was an excellent start to the season for Sutton, with all 15 of the lads putting in full shifts. It saw the first use of lineouts and a few other rule changes and also gave the team the chance to give 3 debutants a run-out. Jamie, James and Jude all played really well, alongside Marcus who was making just his second appearance for the team. It was good to see these new arrivals bedding in alongside more established players such as Jack Thomas, Matt Smith, Dan Birch and Jai Chahal, all of whom continue to contribute to the team’s overall performance.
Next week sees the team’s debut in the Warwickshire Cup with an away fixture at Berkswell and Balsall Rugby Club, which the team will approach with confidence after Sunday’s results.