Rugby v Canford

The 1st XV started their season in some style with a convincing 35-10 victory away from home. Dynamic rucking and pace across the park kept the opposition under pressure throughout. Will McKegney opened the scoring after a quickly taken penalty, and man of the match Tom Halliday scored twice from long distance, before Jos Buttler intercepted and ran the length of the field to score. After a slow start the 2nds gradually took control and supplied the backs with plenty of ball. Newcomer Josh Isaacs powered over for three short-range tries, with Charlie Close adding another, before Ed Nash rounded things off with a superb individual effort from 50 metres after slick handling. The 3rds started sluggishly, but eventually created chances, though they weren't able to convert these into points. Kristian King scored a well-deserved try.

The Senior Colts enjoyed an excellent victory, and dominated from the outset. Double-try scorer Alex Raleigh was outstanding in the backs, with new arrival James Toland adding two more, to round off a thoroughly satisfying afternoon for the coach. The Bs too turned round last year's defeat with plenty of pace and skill. Good communication and keeping the ball alive at the breakdown created plenty of scoring opportunities.

The Junior Colts started well, and contained the opposition to a 12-3 lead at half-time. However in the second half several players switched off at crucial times - the King's try came from a well-weighted chip and chase by Dominic Bracher. The Bs struggled to contain much bigger and more physical opponents.

Although the Under 14s ended up on the losing side, there was much to admire in their play. Spirited performances by Archie Rose, George Chapman, James Walsh, Harry Hudson and skipper Robin Danaher pushed Canford to the limit, and we should have taken the lead twice in the second half. Todd Barrett finished off an excellently-worked try. The Bs had a magnificent win over much larger opposition, with good support play from both forwards and backs. Two tries came from Guy Jones, and James Dent put in a match-saving tackle in the dying minutes.