7th Sept 2003

We arranged this game with M’bro as a pre season friendly. After beating Middlesbrough easily three times last season, it would show how far both teams had progressed through Summer training. Middlesbrough coaches had arranged a Rugby Summer Camp in August, for Y8 schools, with training sessions from Leeds coaches. Twentyfour M’bro players attended and five from B’ham. This was a game we must not lose because the “Billingham five” had been telling the Boro lads they would not beat us, ever.

From the start B’ham looked sharp and after a couple of minutes Anth Hyndman scored a breakaway try from the Boro 22. It looked as though it would be another easy victory. Boro were determined it would not be, and from the restart put B’ham under pressure. In the next twenty minutes Boro scored three times, converting one of them, putting a very tired looking B’ham side, in a very difficult position. In the last minute of the first half Ben Laing scored a try for us, from a quickly taken penalty on the Boro 22. This gave the lads some hope. The second half started well for us with a try from Simon Bence, running from the halfway line and converted by Anth H. This was followed by two good tries from Aston John-Wooley, one of which was converted by Peter Evans, this turned the game around for us, and brought confidence back. Peter Evans then scored in the corner and it seemed as though it was all over. However, Boro did not stop attacking and pulled back two tries before the Ref brought the game to a conclusion. A difficult test for the lads, who all had to work very hard to get back into it. Thanks go to M’bro for giving us a good game, and we will see them at B’ham again in December.

Another win over Boro, but a lot harder than last season. Next game at Durham on the 21st, and the lads know there is a lot to work on before then.

Man of the match - Daniel Sayers’ solid tackling saved us again.

21st September 2003

A lovely sunny day in Durham, and a very good win for the lads. Six months ago we beat Durham by 10 points in a difficult game, so we were expecting a tough test today. After a hard first five minutes, a good try from D. Sayers opened the scoring. This was followed by four more first half tries. These came from A. Hyndman, 2 from J. Watson and one from S. Bence two of these were converted by P. Evans.

The second half started as the first had ended, with Billingham too strong for Durham and running in two tries in the first 5 minutes D. Sayers scoring first, then J. Watson getting his hat trick which P. Evans converted. Then A. Hyndman scored again converted by P. Evans. The ref had already decided that the game was being to one sided and had tried to play more advantage to Durham, but after a try by A. John-Wooley he had to call it a day. Some good individual performances today, but mostly being a good solid team unit, earned them the victory.

Man of the Match – M. Stringer, did everything right, won everything as hooker and tackled their big lads with enthusiasm.

28th September  2003

12th October 2003

It was a long and exhausting drive to consett taking over an hour , but we finally arrived at their club with only fourteen men. We got changed quickly looking forward to the game ahead, we were then told that we had a fifteen-minute walk to the pitch. The  whistle went for the start of the game. The same as last year they looked to be big lads but have little speed. It took Billingham a while for  to get into the game with a lots of scrappy play. But out of the blue James Watson picked up the ball out of the back of the scrum  and scored the first try.  P Evans failed to convert from a difficult angle. Off the kick off A  Hyndman caught the ball well and managed to dodge some of their biggest players to give us our second try. P Evans failed to convert. Just before the Ref. had time to blow for half time J.Watson managed to score once again which  was not converted. We received the ball in the second half which put Consett back under pressure. The first scrum of the second half J Watson picked up and made a break for the line and scored his hatrick  and  earned his aerial,  this time converted by AH.  Two more tries came  from J. Watson and A. Hyndman both converted.  P Evans managed to score a drop kick from the 22 to give us our final score of 41.  The Ref commented that this was the first drop kick he had seen in junior Rugby.

Yet another victory for the lads!

19^th October 2003

Percy Park were one of only two sides to beat us last year. They beat us 5 – 0 in a very good even contest. We had looked forward to our chance for revenge, but expected another tough game. Percy Park had some big lads, but I was confident we could beat them with skill and hard work. We started off under pressure but a typical breakaway try from A. Hyndman got the lads confidence up. A good try came minutes later, from a very strong run by A. John-wooley, who scored between the posts, which was converted by P. Evans. This gave the lads a good start to build on and put Park under pressure. We had to work hard and defend, with Park coming close to scoring a couple of times but some good tackling and support kept them out. We had worked on our mauls midweek and this was paying off. The lads winning every maul and playing out to the backs, this set up A. Hyndman for his second, and P. Evans who scored a good try in the corner. We didn’t expect to be 22 points in front at the break, but it was deserved.

In the second half Billingham pressure brought a try from S. Bence then two tries from J. Watson, which had us 37 to nil and well on the way to our 5^th win of the season. A breakaway from Park in a rare passing move, gave the visitors a deserved try and a bit of belief, and for a spell we had to defend again. Another try from S. Bence, this time from a lineout on Parks 22, should have seen the end of any resistance. But Park kept going and managed to score from a 5 metre scrum just before the whistle. Another good team effort with good performances from all the lads which made it difficult for the coaches to decide on a man of the match. Another  very good game from M. Stringer.  Some excellent tackling from D. Sayers and C. Dobson.  Strong running from A. Hyndman, P. Evans, A. John-Wooley, A. Sidney and W. Jones. Great support from D. Westall, D. Dixon and M. Gibbings. Lots of hard work from the front and second rows J. Charville, R. McCabe, D. Watson and S. Bence. D. Rix made a good debut.  It was decided to give it to J. Watson for another very good solid performance and his strong leadership.

2nd November 2003

I n perfect conditions, Billingham won the toss and opted to play with the sun behind them in the first half. Ponteland started off strongly, and it was a defensive kick by A. Hyndman that brought the first opening. The ball was picked up by P. McCarthy, who ran from the halfway line to score in the corner, (no con). Billingham’s second try was also from a defensive kick, this time chased down by B. Laing to score (no con). Ponteland replied with a good try (no con) after a long spell of pressure and excellent defence from Billingham.

Just before halftime Billingham won a scrum just inside Ponteland’s half, and passed the ball well along the line to A. John-Wooley on the wing, who scored, in the best move of the match (no con).

The second half started with Billingham doing all the attacking. This brought a first try for M. Gibbings, picking up a loose ball on the five metre line and driving for the corner, (no con). Billingham’s final try came from a pass intercepted by A. Hyndman who ran from his own 22 to Ponteland’s 22, before being tackled, and passing to P. Evans to score, (no con). Ponteland’s second try was also from an intercepted pass, the lad caught it well and ran from half way to score between the posts, (no con).

This was a hard game with the forwards having to work hard against a bigger Ponteland pack. Another good performance from Captain J. Watson who led by example playing No8. Excellent tackling, from D. Sayers in particular, kept their backs under control. This weeks Man of the Match goes to M. Gibbings for a good solid performance, making a couple of runs, and getting his first try.

23^rd November 2003

7th December 2003   This was meant to be a training weekend but Budgie managed to arrange a day out at Whitby for us. The lads were up for this one after last weekends cup exit at Darlington, and wanted to show us all that they were better than that. In the first minute, a good passing move out from a ruck gave D. Sayers his first try of the day. This was followed by a try from A. Hyndman a few minutes later, receiving the ball from scrum half for the day C. Dobson, converted by J. Charville. This set the tone for the first half. Whitby had no reply to our backs, who were running through them at will. Two more tries then came from D. Sayers one coming from a lineout on our own 22, the ball passed along the backs well. This again converted by J. Charville our new found kicking star. Then we saw three great tries in a row from N. Hird returning to us from a season’s exile, (he should have come back last week). One of which was converted by J. Charville. Another strong run, brought a second try from A. Hyndman just before halftime which brought the score to 46 nil. For the second half, instructions from the coaches were to try and use the forwards more, and attempt to gain ground through mauls. S. Bence was brought off after having a good, solid first half and replaced by M. Gibbings. R. McCabe had a good game as replacement hooker, with D. Westall standing in for him admirably as tight head prop. D. Sayers got his fourth try of the game at the start of the half, but from then on it didn’t go all our way. Whitby had come out revitalised, defending well and putting together some attacking moves, forcing us back. This brought them a deserved try, after keeping us inside our 22 for a long spell, which was converted. A strong dressing down from Captain J. Watson, (who was still not 100% fit from last week), got the lads back into top gear. A good try from P. Evans running into the corner and then a try from loose head prop D. Watson, brought the final score to Whitby 7 Billingham 61. W. Jones and D. Dixon played well again as flankers. M. Duck played his first full game for us on the wing, and is learning steadily. A. Sidney did well again as full back. Man of the match today for a good all round performance as scrum half, and excellent tackling moves robbing ball, is Chris Dobson.

14th December 2003

11^th January 2004

Lack of changing facilities led to some confusion before we even managed to get kicked off. Footballers hogging the changing rooms meant we had to get changed in the clubhouse, sharing a room with the Under 13’s. It was a very cold day, and the lads were happy when we finally got started. We were all happier still after 2 minutes when Peter Evans chased his own kick forward, to score our first try, which James Charville converted. Five minutes later Danny Sayers received the ball out on the wing to get our second try, which was again, expertly converted by James Charville from a difficult angle. After more pressure from Billingham, James Watson broke through to score, followed shortly after by a try from Simon Bence who ran strongly from halfway to plant the ball between the posts.

Billingham’s forwards were running the game, and strong tackling from the backs stopped West in their tracks every time.

In the second half Anth Hyndman scored a try between the posts, converted by James Charville again. This was followed by a try from Nick Hird and another from James Watson. We had six replacements so Dave Sidney had his hands full sorting out the team, swapping lads on and off, and also being Tee Boy. Tactics worked well, ensuring the less experienced members of the team were not all on together, this being our downfall in the past.

Despite the freezing cold wind, the lads thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Back to their best, and working hard together to destroy any West resistance.

The ref ensured West got a consolation try, giving penalty after penalty in the dying minutes until we were defending our own try line.

Unfortunately no hot shower after the game, but burger and chips was gratefully received.

The forwards had one of their best games this season, and the backs were also exceptional, running strongly and tackling like Tigers. Once again a difficult decision, but Ben Laing was excellent at full back, so he gets this weeks Man of the Match Mars Bar.

25^th January 2004

8th February 2004

I seem to have mislaid this report. Will post it when I find it.

15^th February 2004

Another good day out by the seaside for the Under 14s. Redcar have a big pack and we struggled at times today in the scrum. Rob McCabe did well as hooker today as did Mathew Gibbings coming in as prop, with regular loose head Danny Watson. With some team members on holiday and some off sick, we just managed to get 15 lads together. Michael Weeks was thrown in at the deep end, with his first game, but he proved to be very capable on the wing and shows lots of promise.

Anth Hyndman got the first try of the day, scoring in the corner following a strong run. Skipper James Watson got the next picking up from the scrum and powering across the line to touch down. Ben Laing played well as full back, clearing calmly every time he had to and having several good runs from defence. After more Billingham pressure, a rushed kick from a Redcar defender on his own try line, was charged down by flanker Andy Sidney, who picked the ball up and scored. Aston John-Wooley made a couple of good runs but was unable to find the line. Phil McCarthy had a good game on the wing, and ran from his own 22 to score in the corner, with none of the Redcar lads coming close to catching him.

In the second half Billingham kept up the pressure, and this brought a try from flanker Will Jones going through a couple of tackles to score. A good passing move out of a lineout gave Danny Sayers his opportunity to score between the posts. This was converted by James Charville, who had been having an off day by his standards. Nathan Renwick playing 2^nd row had another good day and is picking the game up well and settling in. Redcar were tiring, and Billingham piled on the pressure. Chris Dobson worked hard as scrum half and had another good game. Playing on the Redcar 5 metre line, a scrum brought another try from James Watson, picking up a loose ball and running between the posts. This was again, converted by James Charville. The ref decided that was enough, and blew the whistle early to end the game at 39 to nil. A great team effort from the lads today, working hard together to keep a clean sheet. No man of the match award, but a team award because of the good teamwork today, attacking and defending.

7th March 2004

I seem to have mislaid this report. Will post it when I find it.

14^th march 2003

We were expecting a training session this Sunday, but found out in midweek that Budgie had organised a game against tough opposition, Darlington. Darlo had knocked us out of the cup earlier in the season, so we knew it would be a tough game.

Travelling to the game the lads were still quite positive, and were determined that if it were to be defeat again, then it would not be because of a lack of effort on our part.

We arrived in plenty of time and did a thorough warm up. Just 16 players against a large Darlo squad, it was going to be tough.

From the start Billingham had all the possession and after just 5 minutes a strong run from James Watson seen him pushed into touch just before the try line. We won the lineout and Matty Stringer emerged with the ball and forced his way over to score. Billingham continued to dominate, despite playing against a strong wind, which Darlo tried to use against us. After 10 minutes Darlo had barely been in our half except after the restart. In a classic training ground move, we won our own lineout on half way, shipped the ball out to the backs and passed it down the line to last weeks Man of the Match Ben Laing. He was supporting from full back, and sprinted down the opposite touchline to score in the corner, diving dramatically. This score gave the team more confidence and self-belief. They knew they could win this game now, as long as they continued to play as a unit and keep the concentration high. We were better than them. Darlo continued to attempt the kick and run through tactic with them still having wind advantage, and this paid off just before half time. A long clearance kick was chased, and then hacked on again for Darlo to score, which was not converted.

The half time talk was easy this week, “more of the same please”.

The second half brought three more tries for Billingham, none of which were converted today. Darlo were unable to reply. A Billingham scrum on their 5 metre line gave scrum half Chris Dobson chance to pass it out to Anth Hyndman, taking the ball at pace and crashing through to touch the ball over. Constant Billingham pressure, this time with us having the wind advantage brought us another 5-metre scrum. This time it was No8 James Watson’s turn to score, picking up and going, unstoppable from this far out. The last try of the game came from Peter Evans, and was well deserved. Playing fly half his decision-making and kicking in the second half was crucial. It was from his own kick he chased and picked up to run on and score. He even had a cheeky drop goal attempt near the end of the game, which unfortunately went under the posts.

A great team effort again this week, back to normal. We know that on our day we can beat anyone. Today we got a chance to prove it against Darlington, who are one of the best teams in the County. Today we were better than them. In the forwards, and in the backs. We won more scrums and lineouts, and tackled hard every time. Every team member did their best, and you can’t ask for more than that. Hard to pick, but today’s Man of the Match was Martin Duck who proved himself an asset today, and did everything expected with 100% commitment. Well done. We are very proud of our team today. Its days like this that makes it all worthwhile, for coaches, managers and parents, who all put in the effort for their kids. Thanks Lads.

28^th March 2004

It was going to be a hard game for Billingham, but after just receiving their new fleece jackets from new U14s sponsor Bulmers they were well fired.

The game started very strong for Billingham keeping Middlesbrough in their own half. It took a penalty on Middlesbrough’s five-metre line after 15 minutes before the deadlock was broken. James Watson charged forward to score for Billingham, which was skilfully converted by James Charville. The first half finished with Billingham winning by 7 points to 0.

The second half started the same, Billingham looking the more dominant side.

 Billingham keeping the pressure on soon brought another try for James Watson who picked up from the ruck and ran in another 5 points for Billingham. This was not converted. Next came a try from the Middlesbrough their number 8 picking from the scrum to score.

A very tough game this week, with both sides fairly equal in size and ability. Billingham took advantage of Middlesbrough mistakes to come out justified winners.

 I would also like to mention Daniel Dixon who broke his wrist just before the end of the game. 

The win was from a very strong effort by the whole team, so it was only fair to award man of the match to, the whole team.

                          Report by James Watson

4^th April 2004