TOMASZ CHADWICK’S JUNIOR REPORT: Narrow defeat hard to take

It was heartbreak this week for our under-17s as their hopes of winning the league were slightly dented after being narrowly defeated by rivals Driffield.

The visitors adopted a physical and at times aggressive game plan.

This made for a fantastic spectacle for all the supporters and it ended up paying dividends with the away outfit coming away 15-19 victors.

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The game itself was a match of few chances. Winger Ollie Brown scored a fantastic try in the opening 10 minutes of the game but most of Scarborough’s positive play in the game came through the pack, with Martin and Ireland both carrying very well.

Considering our under-17s are still maturing in their understanding of the game, I couldn’t fault their temperament on the pitch.

I was very impressed with a few individuals that had every right to lose their temper in the match (due to some foul play from the opposition), but they kept their focus and discipline at key moments in the game.

In the latter stages of the match, our junior colts were only 1 meter short of pulling off what would have been an incredible fight back.

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But at times in sport these great moments aren’t to be and watching this match I really felt a lot of sympathy for our team.

There’s nothing worse in sport than being beaten when context dictates a win is an absolute necessity, but credit where it’s due, despite the genuine sadness of some of the players, they still managed to pull together as a team on the final whistle and drowned out the chanting of the opposition with a song themselves.

Everything you need to know about these boys was proven in that moment.

They’re a fantastic group of lads and great ambassadors for our club.

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With a bit of luck and a few results going our way, all is not lost. There are still three games left for this side and as we know with sport, anything can happen.

And this was proven by our under-15s side on Sunday.

Despite trailing 33-5 to Yarm at half time, Ian Evans and Colin Davis’ side (Odin’s Warriors) came roaring into the second half, scoring at will to correct the deficit and come out 40-33 winners.

This for me is the largest turnaround I have ever seen at a junior level and the boys in that team deserve all the plaudits for that feat.

It speaks a lot about their character to be able to muster a second half performance worthy of beating any team, despite knowing they have such a shortfall to make up.

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This team has a semi-final in the Yorkshire Bowl in the near future and a result like this will only add confidence to this very talented side. Hopefully they can go all the way.

While this was happening last Sunday, the RFU (England Rugby’s Governing Body) introduced its new initiative known as ‘Silent Sundays’.

This is a fortnightly event, where spectators are only allowed to applaud when watching fixtures.

The idea behind this is to protect the core values of rugby, the things that make it a polite and well respected sport.

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Having a rich tradition in being a warm and hospitable club, Scarborough RUFC were delighted to take part in the scheme.

While our minis were playing in fixtures against Beverley all spectators and parents were meticulous in their role of keeping as quiet as possible, only offering positive encouragement by way of applause following good play.

Although I accept this is something that can never be enforced permanently, it’s a great idea to have the scheme to offer that reminder to parents, coaches and supporters that it’s not about them on the touchline but the children’s enjoyment.

Without little reminders like these it would be easy to slip into bad habits that may decay the beauty of the sport. This Sunday will be week two of the event and here’s hoping it will be as positively received as last week.

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On Monday February 2 there will be a Primary Schools Tag Festival occurring at Silver Royd, from 4pm-5:30pm.

This is part of my promise to our primary schools in the region that we will always try and set up events for all their pupils that have an interest in the sport.

It’s a shame that there can’t be regular fixtures for these younger age groups, but I’m delighted to be able to host these events here at our wonderful facilities.

The tournaments have been well received before Christmas and I’m hoping they will be just as enjoyable for all the participants throughout the year.

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Lastly, as a brief reminder, Jacaranda’s Active Youth Camps will be returning to Scarborough RUFC over the February half-term.

On the February 16-20, children from the ages of 5-11 will be able to try their hand at a multitude of different sports and activities.

Enjoyment is the main driving force behind everything we do at the camps, and there is no other aim on than to keep our youth active, healthy and happy.

To book a place, please email [email protected] , charges are only £10 per day, or £40 for the week and the camp runs from 9am-3:30pm.

There’s a busy week ahead and I look forward to writing about its events next week.

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