U9 Match Reports
Spring Term 2017
Monday 13th March U9 v Quainton Hall [h]
B Team Won 70-50
This was an exciting game for the Year 4 boys as they faced off against Quainton Hall. The sun was shining for the first time, in what feels like forever, and the touchline was packed with parents. Quainton Hall started the game off and the Orley boys threw themselves straight into the game.
Quainton Hall had a few 'big boys' on their team, but captain Ayden Khan and Jaimin Bathija were quick to put them to the ground. After a succession of strong tackles from our boys, Neharen Inpan managed to scoop up the ball. He went on to score our opening try. We then got another try after Adi Shah ran the length of the pitch to double our lead. Quainton Hall retaliated to make it 10-5 before Neharen and Adi got one more try each putting us ahead 20-5. Superb tackles were made by Akshay Sabharwal and Kushal Dattani, but Quainton Hall managed to score again. Adi charged through the opposition again to give us a 25-10 lead. Just before the half time whistle, Quainton Hall scored a well-earned try to make it 25-15 at the break.
At this point, the Orley boys had put in a strong performance but it was clear that they would have to step up to ensure a win. The atmosphere in the second half was electric; the parents really got behind the boys and when Akshay found himself through the defensive line and clear for the try, an eruption of cheering followed him to the try line. This really lifted the boys and motivated them to throw themselves into everything. Jaidan Patel and Euan D'Costa put in some superb tackles. Eventually Quainton Hall squeezed through and made it 30-20. Adi, again, charged through the opposition and gave the supporters something to applaud when he earned his fourth try of the game. All of the boys mucked in at this point and although we conceded more tries, we made sure we always got one back to keep our lead. Jaimin scored three more tries, Kushal scored one, thanks to a superb assist from Neel Kantaria, Akshay got two more and Adi topped it all off with his fifth (every single one of these tries were met with a tremendous roar from the touchline). More tackles from Ayden and Jaidan broke down some promising Quainton Hall attacks. The crowd didn't stop cheering the boys on and pushed the boys forward and helped them secure a comfortable 70-50 win.
Man-of-the-Match was a tough decision to make today and everybody threw themselves into this game. In the end, I decided to split it between the following boys:
Adi Shah for being a constant threat on the ball; he scored five tries and laid more on for his team.
Jaimin Bathija for being outstanding going forward, scoring three tries, but also not being afraid to get stuck into tackles when in defence.
Neharen Inpan for, again, always going forward with the ball and creating chances for his team; he scored two tries himself but also created many chances for his team. He also got stuck in with tackles.
Well done to these three boys, but also to the whole team for what I can only explain as 'the performance of the rugby season'!
Tries: A. Shah (5), J. Bathija (3), A. Sabharwal (3), N. Inpan (2), K. Dattani
Jamie Lewis
C Team Won 55-20
On a glorious afternoon, Mr King's U9 C team entertained Quainton Hall and put on a display that matched the gorgeous weather.
Tackling was strong, handling was sound and running with the ball was positive. Seven of the nine boys scored with Theeo Nanthathayalan getting three tries and Kiaran O’Connell and Brandon Hatfield securing two tries each.
The final score was 55-20 with Man-of-the-Match shared between Theeo and Kiaran.
Tries: T. Nanthathayalan (3), K. O'Connell (2), B. Harfield (2), H. Khan, K. Nagda, A. Dwivedi, D. Patel
Matt King
Friday 3rd March U9 v St. Martin’s [h]
A Team Won 45-20
Fresh from a superb 75-40 victory over St. John’s 72 hours earlier, the U9 A team were at it again with another comprehensive win over another Saint, this time in the form of Martin’s.
The first half was pretty evenly matched with both teams trading tries throughout the 15-minute period. When the half time whistle sounded, we led by the odd try in seven by a margin of 20-15. With ball in hand, we put together a number of good passing movements displaying excellent handling with a slippery ball and scored four good tries with Kamran Virani, Toby Okenabirhie and Alex Greaves scoring their first of two tries and Amaar Parkar getting in on the act as well.
Where we were at times culpable offensively was running carelessly into touch and allowing St. Martin’s an easy turnover. In defence, there were some crunching tackles on show, however often a little too high to slow the momentum of the ball carrier. Additionally, we retreated in defence rather than meeting the opposition with our own power and were tackling on the back foot thus allowing St. Martin’s to breach our line on several occasions.
In the second half we pulled away from St. Martin’s, outscoring them by five tries to one and ran out convincing 45-20 winners. Perhaps because of the slope, perhaps because of a pep talk at half time or more likely a combination of both, we defended with a much higher line and St. Martin’s found themselves on the back foot and forced back towards their try line even when in possession. Such an improvement was evidenced by the fact that St. Martin’s only managed one try.
The tries continued to flow with Shae Gandhi and Oliver Isherwood also getting on the scoresheet. Finn Keen made some excellent yardage throughout the match with some determined running and Rahul Rajkumar showed awareness of the limited space on the pitch to spread the play to the wings. The fact that six different boys scored tries showed just how much of a team performance this was. That said, I will nominate a Man-of-the-Match and today that goes to Kamran Virani who scored two tries and made a number of impressive tackles in defence.
Well done to all of the boys in this talented group for achieving two fine wins this week and many thanks to the many parents for their staunch support at those matches.
Tries: K. Virani (2), T. Okenabirhie (2), A. Greaves (2), A. Parkar, S. Gandhi, O. Isherwood
Stephen Bloom
B Team Won 95-75
The Orley Farm boys were rearing to go in what was an eagerly anticipated clash with St. Martin’s. It had the hallmarks of a classic and did not disappoint.
Orley Farm hit the ground running with early tries from Aditya Shah and Jaimin Bathija. The away side responded well however, and hit back with three unanswered tries midway through the first half. As the half ended, the Orley Farm lads had just edged in front and were leading by 10.
As the second half progressed, more leaders started to shine through for Orley Farm. Akshay Sabharwal, Euan D’Costa and Ayden Khan all carried the ball well in hand and scored a try each. The latter of these boys putting in tackle after tackle while displaying a wonderful technique. Neel Kantaria, Kushal Dattani, Jaidan Patel and Neharen Inpan all put in a sturdy performance for Orley Farm and helped carry the boys to a 20-point victory.
Stand out performances however, came from Aditya Shah and Jaimin Bathija, both lads proving to be lighting quick and way too much for the opposition to handle. They scored a massive 16 tries between them.
Tries: A. Shah (9), J. Bathija (7), A. Sabharwal, E. D’Costa, A. Khan
Cathal Donohoe
Tuesday 28th January U9 v St. John's [h]
A Team Won 75-40
It was a delight to referee this team as they showed great understanding in defence and excellent support skills. Oliver Isherwood and Finn Keen led the charge and quality offloading meant that we crossed the gain line persistently with Alex Greaves, Shae Gandhi and Kamran Virani particularly quick in running onto the passes.
Rahul Rajkumar and Kayden Patel were excellent in defence as were Amaar Parkar and Toby Okenabirhie which meant our visitors turned over the ball quite frequently. We scored a hatful of tries through our superior possession. Very good support from the touchline, my thanks to the parents in the freezing sleet.
Tries: A. Greaves (4), A. Parkar (2), S. Gandhi (2), T. Okenabirhie (2), O. Isherwood (2), K. Virani, F. Keen, R. Rajkumar
Peter Ryan
B Team Lost 40-90
It was a cold and wet day for the boys as they headed out to face St. John's. The St. John's boys had already warmed up and were a foot in front from the start. The first half saw us go behind by four tries. It was at this point captain Ayden Khan rallied his team and tried to force themselves back into the game. Aditya Shah broke the threshold and got us one back. He then followed it up with another before Akshay Sabharwal earned us a third. Jaimin Bathija got to score our fourth try. Unfortunately, our hands were still warming up and although we got ourselves back into the game, St. John's took advantage of some poor handling from Orley Farm and got themselves a comfortable 40-20 lead at half time.
The boys simply transformed in the second half. Jaidan Patel became a brick wall that stopped St. John's in their tracks with some crunching tackles. Neel Kantaria created some great chances for his team. We were quick to score, this time Humza Khan found his way through and into the try area. A swift offload from Kiaran O'Connell managed to get to Euan D'Costa in time for him to speed through a gap in the defence and close the margin between the two teams to just ten points (two tries). St John's scored next and although we battled well, with another try from Aditya, they managed to maintain the lead until the final whistle with a 90-40 win.
Men-of-the-Match is shared between two boys: in attack, Aditya Shah for scoring three tries and being a constant threat to the opposition; and in defence, Jaidan Patel for his outstanding tackling.
Tries: A. Shah (3), A. Sabharwal, E. D’Costa, A. Khan, J. Bathija, H. Khan
Jamie Lewis
Monday 30th January U9 v Durston House [h]
A Team Won 55-50
With the weather giving us a rather disjointed start to the term, the boys had not really had enough opportunity to get to grips with contact rugby and it was decided that we would play a series of ‘tag rugby’ matches with Durston House instead. This was with the exception of Oliver Isherwood, Alex Greaves, Kamran Virani and Finn Keen, all club rugby players, who joined forces with the Durston House club players to have a training session before having a small-sided contact match under the tuition and guidance of Hannah Gallagher, of Saracens and England, who we are fortunate enough to have working with us this term. Of the four Orley Farm players, Hannah spoke highly of them all and nominated Oliver as her Man-of-the-Match.
The score in the ‘A’ team tag match was of less significance than achieving several of the main principles. In attack, we were focusing on good support play and moving on to a pass at pace, whilst defensively it was about maintaining a flat line and pushing the opposition back with ball in hand.
Our defence was very good for the most part as we made the required six tags on several occasions to force the turnover. Whilst not revisited since last March, our tagging technique was good and more consistent than that of Durston House. However, where our visitors had the edge on us was in handling as we were culpable of several knock-ons and forward passes and were guilty of running the ball out of play with plenty of tags still in the bank.
Tries came thick and fast for both teams with Orley Farm running out narrow winners (I think!) by the odd try in 21! Amaar Parkar and Rahul Rajkumar both scored a hat-trick, Shae Gandhi bagged a brace whilst Jaimin Bathija, Toby Okenabirhie and Akshay Sabharwal all touched down once each. Whilst Humza Khan and Rohan Varsani did not get on the scoresheet, both contributed well both in attack and defence. Shae gets my Man-of-the-Match award for an all-action display demonstrating both elusive running skills and committed defence.
In the coming weeks, we hope to avoid any more washouts of games lessons or frozen pitches so that we are able to progress with contact rugby in the hope that our matches after half term will involve this crucial element of the game. Well done to the boys for their continued enthusiasm and good performance levels today and thanks to the parents for their excellent support and understanding of why today’s matches followed the tag format.
Tries: A. Parkar (3), R. Rajkumar (3), S. Gandhi (2), J. Bathija, T. Okenabirhie, A. Sabharwal
Stephen Bloom
B Team Lost 40-50
With the weather that we have had so far this term, we have had limited time out on the fields and have been limited to indoor training sessions. It was going to be interesting to see if the boys could implement what we have practised into a game on a proper rugby pitch. Ayden Khan wore the captain's armband for today's match against Durston House. It was also a big occasion for Kushal Dattani as he made his first competitive appearance for Orley Farm School.
Durston House seemed to 'get going' before us and they quickly took the lead. Although Kiaran O'Connell and Euan D'Costa put in several superb tags and looked determined to stop the opposition's attacks, we were slow to get back and quickly found ourselves 0-20 behind. It would seem that conceding four tries gave us a wake-up call as we began to get back into the game. Kushal made some excellent runs forward with the ball, but it was Adi Shah who broke our silence with a superb try. Durston House then scored another to make it 5-25 and this was finally when we stepped it up a gear. Kayden Patel and Jaidan Patel tagged anyone that tried to pass them with the ball, whilst Ayden, Neel Kantaria and Adi Shah caused havoc for the Durston House defensive line-up at the other end. Neel, Ayden and Adi earned themselves a try each before half time, but unfortunately Durston House managed to sneak through and get one more to make it 30-20 in their favour at the break.
Kayden continued to stop anything that came at him in the second half, making it nigh-on impossible for Durston House to get through. Kiaran made some good passes into space to create chances for Kushal and Euan down the wings. Although we battled extremely well with Adi and Ayden earning two more tries each, we found ourselves on the wrong end of a close 40-50 scoreline. Although we lost, the boys did so well to get back into the game. It is hard to stay motivated when you are 0-20 down and to come back and almost win the game shows their passion and ability. We were also the only team to make seven consecutive tags to end the opposition's possession which is also great.
I have chosen two Men-of-the-Match today: one attacker and one defender. Attacker – Adi Shah – he scored four tries for his team and constantly looked dangerous on the attack. His awareness of the space and players around him was excellent today. Defender – Kayden Patel – he was superb at the back. Every attacking play Durston House had, Kayden was putting in the majority of the tags and always making sure he was onside. Well done to these two boys and also to the rest of the team for showing great spirit throughout.
Tries: A. Shah (4), A. Khan (3), N. Kantaria
Jamie Lewis
C Team (i) Won 50-15
On Monday afternoon, Mr King's U9 group entertained Durston House in the first game of the season. Due to poor weather earlier in the term, contact training had been limited so a decision to play tag was made.
Strong running from Man-of-the-Match Theeo Nanthathayalan (four tries), Keshav Nagda (four tries) and Dev Patel (two tries) saw us run out comfortable 50-15 winners.
Tries: T. Nanthathayalan (4), K. Nagda (4), D. Patel (2)
Matt King
C Team (ii) Won 40-25
Orley Farm faced their first game of the season against old rivals Durston House. In Year 4, we start to play contact rugby; however, due to the hard ground so far this season most of the training has been indoors, thus meaning we stuck to tag rugby for this game.
A strong Orley Farm side lined up with Deveshu Nehete and Reece Shah the powerhouses of the team; carrying the ball forward being their best asset. Arin Artounof and Kavi Solanki have been working on their ball handling skills and both managed to make significant contributions to this game. The speed of Prakrith Rao and Brandon Harfield was delightful to watch from the touchline, while the quick thinking of George Turner and Aryan Patel helped the game to flow.
As the game progressed however, two players stood out for sublime rugby and a fearless approach. Men-of-the-Match, Avi Dwivedi and Shivan Gupta scored the lion share of the tries with three each. These crucial scores allowed us to dominate the game and finally win the match 40-25.
It was a great display by the Orley boys and I look forward to our next outing.
Tries: A. Dwivedi (3), S. Gupta (3), B. Harfield, K. Halai
Cathal Donohoe