Rugby v Blundell's

The 1st XV pack had to work hard to put a determined Blundell's side under pressure, but a fine display at the breakdown by Charlie Clyde-Smith backed up by shrewd tactical awareness from Will McKegney proved decisive. Tom Halliday, Ed Nash and Sam Warren all collected tries after patient build-up play - Ed Dawson was man of the match for a phenomenal back-row performance. The 2nds dominated upfront, and when the backs moved it, holes appeared and tries were scored. There were tries for Ben de Figueiredo, James Pope, Henry Potter, Matthew Bray and Max Harvey - Richard Dawson and Charlie Close were outstanding in the pack.

The 3rds started well with plenty of possession, but conceded two soft tries with Blundell's breaking through the midfield. We came back strongly with two tries of our own, but in the last five minutes the opposition scored a penalty and a breakaway try to seal the match. The 4ths secured a convincing victory in their inaugural game, with a feast of imaginative attacking rugby. There were tries for Mike Ellis, Leo Feilden, Ian Hargreaves, Ronan Handcock, Seb Agertoft, Ed Kean, and Justus Bunk in his first ever game of rugby.

Despite injuries, the Senior Colts turned in a superb performance, turning round two results from last year in a week. Phil Downie was man of the match with some great tackling, and Luke Gavin scored an excellent individual try. The Bs, though similarly weakened, gave a spirited performance. Thor Lawson scored the King's try, converted by Harvey Morris.

In a closely contested fixture, the Junior Colts scrummaged well and put the opposition on the back foot. Skipper Henry Close stood out, and there was dogged tackling by Jamie Grantham and James Pardy, while Dominic Bracher scored the two tries in a well-deserved victory. The Bs put in a much improved performance, strong at the breakdown, but giving away too much possession through lack of support in the loose. Will Gerwat was outstanding in defence, while pick of the pack were Nuno Agarapongpisak, Rob Geraghty and Alan Lennox-Boyd.

The Under 14s fought well and never gave up, though they were eventually outgunned by a bigger stronger side. Archie Rose put in tackle after tackle, and there was skilful play from fly-half Todd Barrett. The Bs defended poorly in the first half which pretty well decided the match. But with Harry Heal and Jo Dalton coming to the fore in the second half, there were many positives to take into next week.