JUNIOR REPORT: Under-13s impress in defeat

Last Sunday our under-13s took on Beverley in their first fixture since the Christmas break.

Despite losing 32-17, the game was certainly more competitive than the scoreline makes out.

Strong attacking play and good work in the scrum and line-out were key to the side scoring some fantastic tries.

Jake Burton has showed a great deal of maturity in recent weeks and played immensely well, guiding his team around the pitch and kicking superbly.

He’s certainly one to watch out for in the future if his development continues in this fashion.

So good was this side’s performance that a committee member from Beverley came to chat to me about the match at an East Yorkshire RFU meeting held in Driffield on Monday evening.

He said: “The side has improved dramatically in recent months (since our last fixture), with the scrum looking particularly impressive.

“My side haven’t had such a tough game all season.”

Credit must go to Paul Mathers and Mark Hopper for this side’s continued progression.

Hopper, who also plays in the front row for Scarborough’s first team, is having a very positive effect on the team.

His wealth of playing experience and invaluable technical knowledge is helping the side a great deal.

The meeting in Driffield also reaffirmed Scarborough’s status as a well-developed and prosperous rugby club, with strong numbers across its minis age groups, fantastic facilities and a side at every age group at junior level, something which isn’t always the case around Yorkshire.

However, some good news around the area is that girls rugby is increasingly on the rise.

With clubs such as Hull, Malton, Bridlington and Ripon all starting junior girls age groups, girls rugby is thriving.

This is certainly a positive for our junior girls sides, as it means they will have regular fixtures at a shorter distance in future seasons.

Our junior girls took part in an in-house friendly fixture as a curtain-raiser before the Valkyries match on Sunday, and the club was delighted to see so many people in attendance watching our future stars in action.

There are certainly a few players in the side that will be representing Yorkshire girls in future years, of this we’re certain.

The sheer number of people that stayed to watch the senior match afterwards also proved how much more popular womens and girls rugby is now compared to this time last year.

We want to keep the momentum for this going, so next Monday, the club will be hosting a junior girls pitch up and play event, where all girls around Scarborough (whether they’ve played or not) can come for a fun entry level rugby session and can then get some food afterwards.

This will start at 6pm.

The day before this our under-13s and under-15s girl’s sides will be playing away at Bridlington.

Scarborough’s Sixth Form academy rugby side played against Runshaw College on Wednesday and were unfortunate to come away with a loss.

A few difficulties with injuries both before and during the match meant the side had to play with reduced numbers against a full-strength team.

Despite this, the team showed tremendous character and commitment and refused to back down from the occasion, up until the final whistle.

The side is a fantastic way for younger players to pursue their own development in the sport more rigorously, with more training sessions and a higher competition level in fixtures.

However, this is always done in an enjoyable environment and the players are encouraged to play with freedom and attempt unorthodox things in games without pressure.

This certainly proved to be the case as second row/number eight Jack Ireland, managed to pull off an audacious crossfield kick five meters from the opposition try line, which resulted in a try.

The Sixth Form have a number of cup competitions left before the end of the year and will be doing their best to bring some silverware home.

This weekend, our under-17s will be playing away in Hull, while our under-16s side will be back in action against Beverley, who inflicted a surprise defeat on the side last week.

The side, known as Odin’s Warriors, have trained well this week in preparation for the fixture and will hope to go back to winning ways on Sunday.

As well as this, the club will be hosting an East Yorkshire tournament for all minis sides (under-sevens to under-12s), with four clubs in attendance, so it promises to be a busy morning at Silver Royd.

Thanks for reading,

Tomasz.