U11s Show Mighty Spirit At Middlesex Festival

The U11s sent possibly its most accomplished playing squad to the Middlesex Festival, hosted at the impressive Trailfinders Complex in Ealing. A strong entry from all over the County saw Mini Quins placed in a group with London Welsh, Wasps, Hackney and Hampstead. The weather was dry but cold and windy, the pitch wide and firm, perfect for some adventurous rugby.

Quins started the day against a huge Welsh side. The Mighty Quins proved the equal of everything the boys from Kew could offer. Some excellent defence from Will, Gabriel, Ollie and Finlay was ably supported by strong running from Drummond, Caiden and Hamish and the speed of Wilf and Josh. It was just the Welsh 5'10" tall, 126lb runner that made the difference and he crossed for two tries to secure a 3-1 victory for the Anglos. Some of the Quins boys are still not sure that tackling round the legs is indeed less painful and more effective than tackiling around the elbows and shoulders.

The second match was against old foes Wasps. Quins were a little slow out of the blocks for this one, and the rucking and mauling of Barney, Caiden, Ollie and Drummond was too incohesive against another big side who hunted in twos and threes. There was also the odd spectacle of the ranks of Quins coaches and supporters maintaining a complete silence on the touchline, much to the delight of our boys. The silence was only broken when Wilf ran in a spectacular try and the crowd broke out into a glorious chorus of "The Mighty Quins" of which Manfred Mann would have been very proud. The Mini Quins were insufficiently roused, however, and suffered a disappointing 4-1 reverse.

Quins now faced two junior clubs, still with a chance of making an impression on the trophy ceremony as Hampstead had achieved a creditable draw with Wasps. Unfortunately, Quins could only manage the same, achieving a 2-2 draw in the face of some interesting refereeing that might even have made Mr. Barnes blanch. A win against Hackney Bulls, a squad of 14 boys and girls who only started playing this season, rounded off the group stages and entertained the crowd with several more renditions of the Club anthem. The result left Quins to play the final game of the tournament against one of three teams from Hammersmith & Fulham, our recent guests at Lockside, for the coveted 5th place.

With hard tackling heavyweight Will leaving the contest, Quins were left with just 10 players to face the Hammers, who themselves used more rolling subs than a French team with backache. It looked a game too far for the depleted squad as they quickly conceded two scores without ever really having any possession or territory. It was also clear that Quins were going to complete five matches without winning a single scrum, either on or against the head. But these boys are made of strong stuff even if they clearly aren't being fed properly - ed and the final half saw a valiant fight back. Josh and Wilf again showed some sparkling footwork; Ollie, Barney, Caiden and Drummond made powerful drives through the Hammersmith defence; Gabe is starting to show the makings of a tough little half-back, whilst the two Fins and Hamish are developing good handling and linking skills. It was enough to gain parity in the second half and a the disappointment at the 2-4 final scoreline was minimal.

Many thanks to the coaching and organisation of Calum, Andy G and Angus and to the boys who did the Club proud, showing great sportsmanship and attitude throughout. All it needs is for the boys to grow, and to learn how to hook.