Westcliff 'A' vs. Rochford U11s, 6th December 2009

Up first was Westcliff A team which is always a lively affair and today didn’t disappoint. It looked like we could be in trouble as Westcliff opened up the score within minutes from the off, following a Rochford knock on and some atrocious tackling. We then spent most of the first half camped on our own try line defending. When we did manage to get the ball, instead of passing down the line, our boys just looked to run into traffic instead of getting the ball out wide.

Westcliff looked just that more organised than us, gone was the crash and bang from last season. They looked to move the ball around and again we were beaten in the breakdown. It was thanks to the likes of Michael Shields who was excellent in defence we managed to not concede anymore tries.

Into the second half and again came the onslaught. However, something wonderful happened! Our boys started to pass! It worked, following a passage of play started by Tom Childs and finishing with Matt Dobson who scored a brilliant try that was a joy to watch. Buoyed by success things did start to improve and our lads started to think as a team. However, it is fair to say, come the whistle, Westcliff must have been left wondering how they managed only to get a draw after so much dominance on the pitch.