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27/04/08 Worthing A Festival - Rhinos (away)
Upminster Rhinos won the Worthing A Plate, beating Medway 5-0 in the final. Rhino’s forwards Byrne, Pinkney, Morgan and Spencer Smith put Medway under constant pressure. Medway defended resiliently, until Sadek collected from an Upminster ruck and released Heazel, who spun a tackle and dive over to score. Killoran, Argent, Trinder and Redmond continuously broke the Medway line with Lovell orchestrating the Rhinos attack, but last ditch tackling by Medway kept the final score to 5-0 Rhinos.
Rhinos finish equal top of their Pool but just missed out on the Cup on try difference. Pool results:
Upminster Rhinos 15-15 Pulborough, try scorers, Morgan two and Spencer Smith one.
Upminster Rhinos 0-0 Worthing A.
Upminster Rhinos 5-0 Bishop Stortford, try scorer Spencer Smith.
Upminster Rhinos 30-0 Romford and Gidea Park, try scorers Spencer Smith two, Lovell, Killoran, Sadek and Byrne a try a piece.
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27/04/08 Chelmsford Festival - Bulls, Cougars & Sharks (away)
The Chelmsford Festival saw the Upminster Bulls miss out on a trophy but put in a spirited performance and end the season with a great win. The first game saw the Bulls beaten 10-5 in a closely fought game with Maldon. The Bulls controlled the game but could not break down strong Maldon defence. Ethan Comer again showed his power and dominated the Maldon pack with try scorer William Baird. Jo Burkett and Harry Anderson both showed signs of breaking the Maldon defence before leaving the tournament with an injury. The game see-sawed and Maldon pipped it with a last minute try.
The second game saw the Bulls push Brentwood to a 10-10 draw. The Bulls found themselves down by two tries by half time as they paid for some poor tackling. The team regrouped and put in a proud second half performance Oliver Lewis and Jordan Lilley both put in defence breaking runs, with Baird again running in a powerful try and Josh Whalley pulling the teams level with the final play of the match.
The final group game against Burnham was the final game of the season and the boys put in a magnificent performance. Burnham had caused problems for all the team and were known to be strong in defence. The Bulls ignored the form book and were rampant. Zack Levin opened the scoring after clever interplay with Jack Mayall, and soon Kieron Fredericks powered over the Burnham line. The Bulls were dominating every ruck and maul and the passing was crisp. Levin spotted a chance to add a third try from a 5 metre scrum before half time. The second half saw the Bulls continue their rampage with Aiden Jackson running in a 30 metre try before King William of Baird fittingly finished off the season with a try that started off at one end of the pitch and involved almost every Bulls player.
Upminster Cougars 0 - 10 Chelmsford - all the boys played very well, they redeemed themselves in one game after last week. Chelmsford scored in both halves but they had to play very hard against some very good tackles and determined defence. A draw would have been a fair result for the way they all played. (fab!)
Upminster Cougars 0 - 30 Westcliffe A - Westcliffe won this game at what looks like a canter, but it was far from that. The boys never gave up once. Westcliffe had to fight every inch for this victory. It showed that in the amount of frustrated tackles and in-discipline by the opposition. It showed them that the Cougars were no push-overs in this 'David and Goliath' game. Well played the boys!
Upminster Cougars 20 - 10 Thames - A fine win by the boys. They went down to an early try but soon drew level good all round drive by forwards and backs forced Thames back that lead to a try by Greg Bighton, soon a second try by Daniel Sanders. Thames drew level again then Daniel Sanders scored again and to finish off, Glen got a good solo try.
The Upminster Sharks put in one of their best performances of the season to reach the plate semi-final of the Chelmsford RFC Mini Festival
The first match in pool D against Chelmsford B was a flying start for the Sharks, with the entire team playing well and very few mistakes. The Sharks scored virtually straight from the kick-off, with James Allen setting up James McLeish to score. Two tries from the ever excellent Dan Cole was followed by a try for Chelmsford to leave the score 15-5 at half time. Cole scored again for his hat-trick, and the game finished 20-5 to the Sharks.
The second game was the toughest of the day, against Barking. James Allen scored a great solo try from the kick-off, but Barking then scored a try to level. Then Dan Cole scored again with a powerful run to put the sharks back in front. Again, Barking fought back hard to leave it 10-10 at half time. The second half was a very tough seven minutes of rugby, with both teams giving their all. There was excellent tackling from Outen, Cole, Allen, Hayden and Barsi. The Sharks pack of Cleminson, Bradshaw and Flack also gave it everything they had. However, it was Barking that broke the deadlock, going over to clinch the narrowest of victories by 15-10.
The Sharks finished second in group D and went forward to play Chelmsford A in the plate semi-final. Again, it was a tough game with all the sharks giving their all in what was the final game of the season. However, Chelmsford A were too strong and ran out winners 10-0 with one try in each half. The Sharks did magnificently overall, with a squad of only 9 players on the day and many of the boys receiving knocks in three hard fought matches. The team: Cleminson, Bradshaw, Flack, Cole, Outen, Barsi, Hayden, Allen and McLeish
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20/04/08 Braintree Festival - Bulls (away)
The Braintree Festival saw the Upminster Bulls undefeated in the group stage but losing out on a place in the final by a point. The first game saw the Bulls defeat Westcliff B 5-0. A tight game saw the packs controlling most of the game with Ethan Comer and Kieron Fredericks jousting with the Westcliff to gain control of the game. The Upminster boys soon took control and were rewarded with William Baird powering over the try line following a long range defence breaking run from Josh Whalley.
The second game saw the Bulls demolish Braintree B 15-0 as the boys turned on the style. A great team performance saw the Bulls backs overrun Braintree with a polished attacking performance. Jack Mayall ran in the first try following some great mauling by the Bulls forwards and Zak Levin finished the job off with two marauding runs.
The Bulls next came up against Harlow. This was the critical game for the Bulls, win and the final would be almost guaranteed, but the Bulls couldn’t get the rhythm that they had in the first two games. Harlow snatched an early try and had the Bulls on the defensive. Good attacking play from Jack Waskett and Aiden Jackson saw the Bulls start to get back into the game and soon Zak Levin ran in his third try of the day. The Bulls continued to pressurise Harlow but couldn’t break their defences down. The game ended 1-1 in what was a winnable game for the Bulls.
The final group game against Maldon A was a must win. The winner of the game would go through to the cup final, the loser the plate. Maldon started strongly and magnificent defence from the Bulls prevented two tries being scored, Harry Anderson in particular putting in an outstanding effort. The second half saw the Bulls take the game to Maldon, the continual pressure on Maldon came to nothing and in the event, a 0-0 draw meant the plate for the Bulls.
The plate final saw the Bulls up against a strong Westcliff A side. The Bulls played magnificently, Ryan Potter tackling all over the pitch and Oliver Lewis setting up the ball nicely for the Bulls backs. The game was played in the middle of the pitch as the two teams failed to gain any ground. A tiring Bulls team couldn’t prevent a late tries at the end of each half by Westcliff and ended up losing 10-0.
The Bulls put in an overall performance that they should be proud of. They demolished other B-teams and came up against some strong A teams where they never looked out of their depth.
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20/04/08 Westcombe Park Festival - Rhinos (away)
The Upminster Rhinos lost narrowly in the Westcombe Park Festival Cup semi final to Tonbridge Juddians 10-05, despite a valiant team effort and a George Sadek try. Juddians winning the match with a controversial last play try.
On the way to the semis Rhinos played some superb rugby beating Worthing 25-0, try scorers Byrne, Heazel, Killoran, Pinkney and Redmond. Bromley 20-05, try scorers Heazel, Morgan, Pinkney and Sadek. Folkestone 30-0, try scorers Morgan, Killoran, Trinder, Spencer Smith and Sadek a brace.
The match of the Pool Fixtures was Rhinos 5-0 win over Blackheath. In a very Physical encounter, Rhinos forwards Byrne, Morgan, Pinkney and Spencer Smith out played the Blackheath pack. It was from a maul, Byrne peeled off and dived over for a one handed touch down, 5-0 Rhinos. Rhinos Centres Killoran, Argent and Redmond became a human wall. Halves Sadek and Lovell orchestrated the Rhinos offence of Heazel, Trinder and the Centres which kept Blackheath under pressure. Awesome tackling from both sides prevented any further scores. Rhino’s winning 5-0 and progressing into the semis.
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20/04/08 Epping Upper Clapton Festival - Cougars & Sharks (away)
The Upminster Sharks finished second in their pool at the Epping Upper Clapton Festival, beating first Ilford (2-1, with tries from Dan Cole and Harry Cleminson) and Saffron Walden (1-0, try by Cole again) before losing to Upper Clapton (4-0) in the final group match. The Ilford and Saffron Walden matches were both hard fought victories with relatively little to separate the teams in both cases. The Sharks tackled well to defend narrow leads, and Charlie Barsi made several try-saving tackles, in particular one against against Saffron Walden that prevented a win turning into a draw. Upper Clapton provided far tougher opposition, and the Sharks were beaten by what was clearly the stronger side.
A second place finish in Pool B meant that the Sharks moved into the semi-final of the cup competition, where they faced Wantead. The Sharks started slowly, conceding two early tries due to poor tackling. The match was then far more evenly balanced, but it was too late to make up the early deficit and Wanstead ran out winners by 3-0. Upper Clapton went on to defeat Wanstead in the U9 cup final, a well deserved victory overall for the home team.
The Epping Upper Clapton Festival Pool A proved too strong for the Upminster Cougars, even though their backs played their hearts out in every single game they could not stop the opposition from taking the points.
Basildon 20 - 05 Upminster Cougars, try scorer Greg Brighton
Barking 25 - 0 Upminster Cougars
Wanstead 20 - 0 Upminster Cougars
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06/04/08 URFC Tour to Boston RFC
Upminster U9’s travelled to Lincolnshire and returned with the Boston Festival U9’s Winners Trophy.
Upminster beat Lincoln 20-0 in the final. Andrew Byrne peeled off a maul to drive over and open Upminster’s account. Forwards Harry Morgan, Ryan Pinkney, with assistance from William Argent won another maul which released Ben Trinder who broke several tackles before off-loading to Byrne who touched down for his second.
Upminster’s quick recycling and rush defence from Zack Killoran, Henry Beckett, Jake Outen, Edward Flack and Luke Lovell continuously put Lincoln under pressure and falsed them into mistakes. From a resulting penalty, Pinkney switched play with Oliver Heazel who skipped several tackles to touch down for Upminster’s third.
Fast hands from Lovell and Argent released George Sadek who out paced the Lincoln defence and secured a 20-0 victory and the honours for Upminster.
In the semis Upminster beat Loughborough 5-0, try scorer Pinkney.
Pool Matches:
Upminster 30-0 Grimsby, try scorers Lovell 2, Killoran, Sadek, Trinder and Pinkney one try a piece.
Upminster 20-0 Lincoln, try scorers Heazel 3 and Lovell one try.
Upminster 20-0 Market Rasen & Louth, try scorers Argent 2, Morgan and Lovell a try a piece.
Upminster 20-0 Boston, try scorers Byrne 2, Killoran and Lovell a try a piece.
Upminster tour squad: Morgan, Byrne, Killoran, Pinkney, Lovell, Argent, Beckett, Flack, Outen, Trinder, Heazel, Sadek, Baird, Cleminson, Coombs, Brooker, Lewis O, Lewis E, Blaxland, Mayall, Potter, Whalley, Sanders, Slatter and Butter.
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30/03/08 Bishops Stortford - Bulls (away)
Bishop Stortford 0 v 5 Upminster Bulls - This was a very physical game played in appalling ground conditions. The Bulls played most of the game deep in Bishop Stortford's half through strong defensive and driving skills by all of the team but were held back from scoring by a determined Bishop Stortford side. At the break 0 -0.
The second half saw the Bulls come out the stronger team, a great run from Ruairi Redmond turning into a Bulls rolling maul 4 metres out involving Oliver Lewis, Harry Anderson, Ethan Comer and Kieron Fredericks for William Baird to go over breaking the deadlock 1 try to nil.
Great strength in defence by Aiden Jackson, Jack Mayall, Ethan Comer, Kieran Fredericks and a try saving tackle by William Argent kept Bishop Stortford at bay. Final score Bishop Stortford 0 - 5 Upminster Bulls.
Remaining games were cancelled due to unsafe playing conditions for the boys.
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29/03/08 Quins Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup Finals - Rhinos (away)
Upminster Rhinos Win the Harlequins ETIHAD Cup
The Essex Champions Upminster Rhinos U9’s put Upminster on the rugby map by reaching the Harlequins ETIHAD Cup final at the Twickenham Stoop without conceding a single try.
After an exciting close fought final the honours were shared with Cobham. Even extra time (golden try) could not separate the two sides and the final ended 0-0. Over 80 teams entered this competition and to be joint winners is a fantastic achievement for the boys and the club. The Rhinos had already won 7 previous matches to get to the Grand Final Day.
To get to the Grand Final itself they beat Ealing 10-0 (Beckett 2 tries), Westcombe Park 5-0 (Spencer-Smith) and drew 0-0 with New Milton, Guildfordians and Cobham. The mighty Rhinos played with conviction, skill, heart and as a team. Forwards Harry Morgan, Andrew Byrne and Luke Spencer-Smith and Ryan Pinkney won the majority of ball by driving the opposition Packs back and ripping the ball on numerous occasions. Spencer-Smiths powerful driving try was awesome. Hooker Pinkney’s line out drills caused havoc for the opposition. Scum half George Sadek controlled the scrums, while fly half Luke Lovell was the architect for the Rhinos backs. Center’s Zack Killoran, Zac Levin, Jordan Lilley and Henry Beckett tackled fearlessly and their quick hands were always a threat. Wingers Ben Trinder, Jack Mayall and Oliver Heazel ran the opposition ragged. The try of the day was as Heazel was tackled his one handed pass released Beckett who out paced the opposition to score. Jack Mayall ran 50 yards to catch and produce a perfect try saving tackle are just some of the highlights.
All the Rhinos players were outstanding. They played for one another and as a team and are worthy joint Harlequins ETIHAD Cup winners
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16/03/08 Guildfordians Festival - Sharks (away)
Showing great determination and team spirit the Sharks turned in a superb performance in appalling conditions at the Guildfordians Festival on Sunday. The boys played four games as follows:
Ealing Ramblers lost 0-10 - The elements seemed to be a bit of a shock to the boys at the start of the festival with the Sharks losing by a try in each half
Dorking won 25-15 - The boys rolled up their sleeves for the second game and scored five fantastic tries four by Dan Cole and one from James Allen
Pullbourgh won 15-0 - In this game against strong opposition the Sharks played great rugby with the forwards and backs combining superbly. The scorers were James Allen 1 and Dan Cole 2
Guildfordians won 15-0 - The fourth game against the hosts in conditions that had seen many of the other teams pack up and go home saw the Sharks put in the performance of the day and run out worthy winners .Try scorers were Dan Cole 1 and James Allen 2
At the end of the game the Festival was abandoned and the look of disappointment on the boys faces indicated their desire to finish the tournament. Medals were awarded to the team as despite a number of injuries they literally were the last ones standing. They showed a great commitment and hunger to play and win.
Team James McLeish, Dylan Hayden, Fergus O'Mahoney, Jake Outen, Daniel Cole, Harry Cleminson, James Allen, Adam Williams, Lewis Nunn, Sam Taylor.
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09/03/08 Essex County Cup - Rhinos (away)
Upminster Rhinos retained the Essex County Cup for the third successive year, scoring 15 tries and only conceding one.
In the Cup Final Rhinos beat Braintree 10–0. Rhinos disrupted a well organised Braintree side by continuously keeping them under pressure, courageous tackling and playing flowing rugby. Great rucking and driving over from Luke Spencer Smith, Harry Morgan and Andrew Byrne, secured the ball for George Sadek to release Ruairi Redmond and Zack Killoran who both recycled allowing Oliver Heazel to find space and out pace Braintree to touch down 05–0 Rhinos. Great tackling and continuous attacking recycling runs from Ryan Pinkney, Luke Lovell, William Argent and Ben Trinder kept Braintree on the back foot. Until a crunching tackle by Henry Beckett caused Braintree to split the ball, Heazel was the first to react, collect and sprint in from the half way line and secure the win 10-0 Rhinos.
In the Semi Final Rhinos beat Epping Upper Clapton 20-0, Argent got the first try and Heazel got a hat trick of tries.
In the pool matches Westcliff were the toughest opponents. In a very physical match where the Upminster forwards dominated procession. It took a well rehearsed lineout move to break a resilient Westcliff defence. Ryan Pinkney threw the perfect ball for Luke Spencer Smith to power his way over the line and secure the win 05-0 Rhinos.
In the other pool matches Rhinos beat Rochford 30-0, try scorers – Heazel 4, Trinder and Killoran a try a piece. Rhinos also beat Chingford 10–05, try scorers – Trinder and Morgan.
The Upminster Rhinos U9 Essex County Champions – Argent, Beckett, Byrne, Heazel, Killoran, Lovell, Morgan, Pinkney, Redmond, Sadek, Spencer Smith and Trinder.
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09/03/08 Brentwood B - Sharks & Cougars (home)
Upminster Cougars 10 – 05 Brentwood B - Cougars won this encounter against Brentwood B with some good passing and skill from a team put together on the day. Some good forward pressure and play forced Brentwood back over their own try line after their own line out throw. The ball came loose and Adam Williams pounced on the loose ball to score our first try. Our second try was a brilliant individual effort by Sam Lee in the ruck ripping the ball from a Brentwood player and running almost the entire length of the pitch to score. We could have scored more tries as we opened up Brentwood on many more occasions but the final pass just did not go to hand. Notable players, Edward Lewis, Sam Taylor, Greg Brighton to name but a few. Brentwood got a consolation try during the game. Both teams played in very good sporting spirit.
Upminster Sharks 25 - 10 Brentwood B - In the first game both Jake Outen and Daniel Cole made some crunching tackles in the early stages of the game before James Allen scored a great try with a fine solo run. Charles Barsi also scored a fine try before Brentwood pulled one back .
The Sharks put in an improved team performance in the second half with Daniel Cole impressing with a hat-trick. Brentwood scored another try to make the final score 25-10
Upminster Sharks 10 - 0 Brentwood B - The Second game was a lot tighter with Brentwood defending well, eventually their defensive line was broken with Daniel Cole scoring twice to give Sharks a 10-0 victory
Sharks Squad: Jonathan Belan, James Mcleish, Dylan Hayden, Fergus O'Mahoney, Jake Outen, Daniel Cole, Harry Cleminson, George Ruse, Charles Barsi, James Allen, Edward Flack, Sam Taylor, James Bradshaw, Adam Williams, Jay Brooker
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02/03/08 Upminster C Festival - Sharks & Cougars (home)
The Upminster Sharks U9s reached their first ever final, the Plate Final in the URFC 'C' festival.
Upminster Sharks 05 v 0 Basildon - The first pool match was against Basildon. A tight match, the Sharks managed to score a try in the first half through Daniel Cole and went in 5-0 up at half time. Basildon fought back in the second half, and only a try-saving tackle from the combined efforts of Fergus O'Mahoney and Cole prevented the equalizer. Sharks held on to win 5-0.
Upminster Sharks 25 v 0 Dartfordians - The second brought the Sharks up against Dartfordians. The home team ran riot with the entire team contributing to a resounding 25-0 victory. Try scorers were James Allen, Adam Williams, Sam Taylor and Daniel Cole (twice).
Upminster Sharks 20 v 05 Colchester - The third match brough a third straight victory, this time against Colchester. The Sharks scored three quick tries via Sam Taylor, James Allen and Dan Cole. However, Colchester fought back and scored a try before half time. In the second half, Dan Cole ran in a second try to give the Sharks a well earned 20-5 margin of victory.
Upminster Sharks 10 v 10 Sittingbourne - The fourth and final pool match was the toughest of all, against Sittingbourne, who had also won their first three pool games. Sittingbourne twice went ahead, but the Sharks showed their true character and qualities, with first Fergus O'Mahoney and then Dan Cole levelling, leaving the match at 10-10.
Upminster Sharks 05 v 25 Thames - The Sharks missed out in a place in the Cup Final on the basis of tries scored, and therefore played Thames in the Plate Final. The Sharks were a little slow getting started, with Thamse racing to a 15-0 lead. Dan Cole reduced the deficit to 15-5 at half time. Thames remained on top in the second half, and ran out clear winners. The 25-5 final score line did not do justice to the overall achievement of the Sharks during the Festival, but was a fair reflection of the Plate Final itself.
Well done to all of the Sharks squad on the day: Cleminson, O'Mahoney, Williams, Brooker, Cole, Outen, Taylor, McLeish, Allen, Flack and Barsi.
Upminster Cougars 15 - 0 Hertford - The Cougars got off to a flyer and won their opening game 15 - 0 against Hertford. Daniel Sanders was all over the field and popped up with a try as well as Edward Lewis and Ben Roe. Greg Brighton was excellent in the tight and driving.The boys came under some pressure but not enough to let in a try. Very good defensive work by the rest of the team.
Upminster Cougars 0 - 5 Thames B - Cougars came out full of confidence for this game only to have 70 - 80% of the game and lose to a single try. What a game the boys put on. They played their hearts out to get try or even a draw. Same Lee with big tackles and Joseph Slater, Edward Lewis, George Ruse and the ones not mentioned were fantastic. They all played their part.
Upminster Cougars 0 - 25 Wanstead - Cougars came up against a well drilled and organised team and were out played, but not out played in heart and spirit. Some of the driving mauls looked as though the could grace a premiership match but and missed tackles was ruthlessly exploited. Although they lost, they put heart and soul into this game.
All deserved to be called Man of the Matches. Well done to one and all: Ben Roe, Daniel Sanders, Edward Lewis, Greg Brighton, Harry Farrow, James Smith, Joseph Slatter, Lewis Nunn, Marc Blaxland, Sam Lee, and George Ruse.
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02/03/08 Upminster B Festival - Bulls (home)
Bishop Stortford 05 v 20 Upminster Bulls - This was a very physical game with good passing by the Bulls team from scrum half to wing driving Bishop Stortford back. The Bulls defence proved strong with Harry Anderson doing the business in the Bulls half to stop Bishop Stortford from increasing their score. A game of excellent running tries with William Argent opening the score followed by William Baird, Josh Whalley and Luke Lovell with splendid team tries.
Upminster Bulls 15 v 10 Hertford - Hertford were strong opponents with both teams working hard in a very exciting game of Rugby. At the break Hertford were leading by 10 - 0. The second half saw a determined Bulls team take the game to Hertford with beautiful free flowing passing rugby splitting the Hertford defence to get within range of Hertfords try line with Argent tackled short of the line, excellent rucking by the Bulls pack of William Baird, Oliver Lewis, Ethan Comer, reinforced by Harry Anderson and Aiden Jackson resulted in Baird rejoining from the back to drive over and open the Bulls score. Hard Bulls tackling forced loose ball for Ruairi Redmond to break supported by Jack Wasket, Harry Anderson and Josh Whalley in a maul and ruck 3 metres out with a quick thinking Oliver Lewis picking and running to level scores. Smelling blood the Bulls took the game back at Hertford with strong controlled mauling by the whole team driving Hertford back the full length of their half with William Baird peeling off to drive through two defenders and score in the last play of the game. Bulls win 15-10.
Colchester 5 v 0 Upminster Bulls - By far the toughest and most physical game of the tournament and once again closely fought by both teams. In the first half The Bulls dominated pinning back Colchester the entire half and were unlucky to have 2 tries disallowed through collapsed mauls. 0 - 0 at the break. The second half saw good passing and tackling by the Bulls for Luke Lovell, Josh Whalley, Ryan Potter and Ruairi Redmond attempt to break through Colchester's defence to score but this was not to be. In the final seconds of the game Colchester were quick off the mark to pick up a loose ball from a hard fought ruck in the centre of the field to break through and score taking the game on the final whistle.
Sevenoaks 10 v 0 Upminster Bulls - The last game of the tournament saw a strong Sevenoaks taking a quick lead breaking through the Bulls defence. The Bulls kept coming back but couldn't break the Sevenoaks defence to score getting close twice. With 4 Bulls players taking on injuries throughout the game, Sevenoaks scored again in the dying minutes of the game to take the win.
The Bulls Team - Props - William Baird, Ethan Comer, Hookers- Kieran Fredericks, Oliver Lewis, Halves - William Argent, Aiden Jackson, Luke Lovell, Centres - Josh Whalley, Harry Anderson, Ryan Potter, Ruairi Redmond, Wings- Joseph Burkert, Jack Waskett
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01/03/08 Quins Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup - semi final - Rhinos (away)
Upminster Rhinos impressed as they progressed to the Harlequins Etihad Airways Cup Grand Final without conceding a single try and still remain unbeaten in the competition.
Upminster Rhinos 0 - 0 Sevenoaks A - A match which Rhinos dominated with forwards Andrew Byrne, Luke Spencer Smith, Harry Morgan and Ryan Pinkney controlling the ball and winning virtually every ruck and maul. However, a resilient Sevenoaks back line just managed to keep Ben Trinder, Zack Killoran, Luke Lovell and George Sadek at bay and stop Rhinos taking the win.
Upminster Rhinos 0 - 0 New Milton - A match where Rhinos lost some discipline unusually giving away 8 penalties. Even so Rhinos came closest to scoring when Oliver Heazel was tackled just short of the New Milton try line. The two strong defences came out on top and ensured no tries were scored.
Upminster Rhinos 10 - 0 Weybridge Vandals - Rhinos needed to win to progress into the finals and Henry Beckett got Rhinos off to a flying start with a powerful run and try, 5 - 0 Rhinos. Jack Mayall and Zac Levin came close for Rhinos several times before Oliver Heazel secured Rhino's place in the finals when his weaving run ended with him been driven over the Weybridge line by Byrne, Morgan, Spencer Smith and Pinkney, 10 - 0 Rhinos.
The Quins U9 Grand finals will take place on the 29th March 2008 at The Twickenham Stoop Stadium, Twickenham.
Rhinos: Beckett, Byrne, Heazel, Killoran, Levin, Lovell, Mayall, Morgan, Pinkney, Sadek, Spencer Smith and Trinder.
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24/02/08 Westcombe Park and Dartfordians - Rhinos & Sharks (home) Cougars (away)
Upminster entertained two of the strongest clubs in Kent, Westcombe Park and Dartfordians, in what turned out be a great advert for rugby.
Upminster Rhinos 05 v 0 Westcombe Park A. An excellent game of rugby which seemed to be deadlocked until Oliver Heazel broke the Westcombe defence to run in the only try of the match. Great defensive work, but Luke lovell, Zack Killoran and Henry Beckett and Ben Trinder kept Westcombe Park at bay and secured the win for the Rhinos.
Upminster Rhinos 05 v 05 Dartfordians A. Another really highly contested match which saw Dartfordians take an early lead. Ryan Pinkney kept Rhinos in the game with a try saving tackle. Rhinos forwards, Luke Spencer Smith, Andrew Byrne and Harry Morgan then started to take control of the ball. Inventive play and pressure from George Sadek, Jack Mayall, Zac Levin and Jordan Lilley, eventually broke the Dartford defence for Morgan to drive through and level the scores 05 - 05. Dartfordians managed to hold on for the draw as Rhinos finish the game on top.
Upminster BaaBaas 45 v 0 Dartfordians B. A combination of Upminster Rhinos and Sharks players came out on top against Dartfordians B.
Upminster try scorers; James Allen (debut try), Oliver Heazel 4, Zac Levin 2 and Luke Lovell.
The Upminster Cougars played very well and beat Westcombe Park B 25 - 15. Some good forward play and passing out of the tackles could be seen all over the field. Ben Roe opened the scoring and very quickly followed by another try to make the score 10 - nill. Westcombe park scored to make it 10 - 5. Half time came with the game very close, Westcombe Park scored two quick trys to make it 10 - 15 to them. Then up popped Ben Roe to bring us level with his trick, a long miss pass out of the scrum from Marc Blaxland to Sam Butter. To put us in the lead, late pressure by our opponents came to nothing and again up popped Ben Roe to put the game beyond Westcombe Park. All Cougars played well.
Upminster Sharks vs Dartford 'B' - the Sharks ran out clear winners against Dartford, passing the ball well to create a slew of try scoring chances. The team raced to a 15-0 lead in the first half, with tries from Daniel Cole (twice) and Joe Bierkat. Dartford fought back and were rewarded with a try at the end of the first half.
Sharks remained on top in the second half, with newcomer George Ruse scoring a real barnstormer of a try, bursting through the Dartford defensive line. Dartford continued to work hard, and there was some good defensive work from the Sharks with Charles Barsi in particular preventing a near-certain try with a great bone-shaking tackle. Sharks ran out well deserved winners by 20-5.
Upminster Sharks vs Westcombe Park 'A' - the Sharks came face to face again with the strong Westcombe Park team that inflicted defeat on them at the recent Quins Curtain Raiser Cup. The Sharks again fought hard, but Westcombe Park were comfortably the stronger side and ran out winners by a clear margin of 25-0.
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17/02/08 Colchester - Cougars & Bulls (away)
Upminster Cougars - a very tight game played in tough conditions. The Cougars got off to a bad start going down to and early try but a good run by Ben Roe, squared things up.Only for Colchester to go ahead again, the score stayed that way until the second half when a line out move and good run by Glen Coombs drew the score level. Some good forward play lead to good some runs by Sam Butter but he was forced into touch several times. Sam Taylor had a good game running with the ball and tackling well. But Man Of The Match was Edward Lewis only played half a game but run 3/4 of the pitch only to be tackled and he did lots of try saving tackles.
Colchester scored the winning try (15-10) coming right through the middle, try as they might the boys could not get the try to level the game.
A very edgy game. The Cougars tried to win the second game but try as they might they could not break the Colchester defence. Joseph Slatter done some great try saving tackles, Sam Taylor chipped in and Edward Lewis was everywhere. All the boys played their part in this 0-0 draw the forwards, centres and backs all did a good job.
Team - Ben Roe, Daniel Sanders, Edward Lewis, Glen Coombs, Greg Brighton, Harry Farrow, James Smith, Joseph Slatter, Lewis Nunn, Marc Blaxland and Sam Butter.
The Upminster Bulls match was void - therefore no match report
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16/02/08 Quins Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup - Sharks (away)
Upminster Sharks produced a notable set of performances on Saturday that amounted to an excellent account of themselves at the Harlequins' Curtain Raiser Cup Competition, played in the wonderful surroundings of Quins' Twickenham Stoop Stadium. Still playing as a development team together for only a few months, the Sharks came up against a number of strong 'A' team opponents during the competition. Despite this, the Sharks were not outclassed in any of the five matches and managed to notch a number of noteworthy results.
The team started with a well-matched game against Mitcham Bulls, with solid defending in the first part of the match denying Mitcham any clear-cut chances. As the game progressed, the Sharks started to pressure the opposition and this led to a couple of excellent tries, one from Sam Lee and one from Jake Outen. The Sharks continued to defend well and ran out worthy winners two tries to nil (10-0).
The Sharks temporarily lost their defensive poise in the second match against Twickenham RFC, conceding an early try and lucky not to go further behind. However, the team showed early evidence of a strong fighting spirit, and Daniel Cole scored a superb solo try to snatch a well-earned draw, one try a piece (5-5).
The third match proved the sternest test the Sharks had encountered to date, against a strong and well-drilled Sevonoaks team. The Sharks defended well, but the superior shape of the Sevenoaks team made them clearly the better team, running out winners by a margin of four tries without reply (0-20). Despite the clear margin of defeat, the Sharks continued to battle hard until the end of the match and managed to limit the scoreline to a respectable deficit.
The Sharks went straight into the next game without a break, taking on Farnborough RFC. The team twice went behind, but showed enormous character to twice level the score, with a brace of excellent tries from Daniel Cole, again showing great pace to leave the opposition standing. The game ended in a hard-fought draw, two tries each (10-10).
The final game turned out to be the toughest challenge of the day, pitting the Sharks against a very strong Westcombe Park team. The Sharks defended well against determined opposition, sustaining injuries to both Charles Barsi and Daniel Cole (both subsequently fully recovered). Westcombe Park appeared somewhat fortunate with their first try, with a suspicion that the ball was not properly grounded. Despite this controversy, Westcombe were clearly the stronger of the two teams, and scored a further two tries to run out clear winners overall (0-15). However, the three-try margin of defeat highlighted both the fighting spirit and strong defensive qualities that permeated throughout each of the Sharks' five matches.
A final record of one win, two draws and two defeats was a fine achievement by the Sharks given the high level of opposition they faced and the fact that the team is still in the development phase. Each of the eleven players acquitted themselves admirably, with particularly strong defensive performances from Jake Outen and Sam Lee, combined with the pace and attacking qualities of Daniel Cole. The boys enjoyed a wonderful day overall, following the tournament by watching Quins show how the game should be played as they defeated Worcester Warriors later in the afternoon.
Sharks squad: Charles Barsi, Jonathan Belam, Jay Brooker, Harry Cleminson, Daniel Cole, Edward Flack, Dylan Hayden, Sam Lee, James McLeish, Fergus O'Mahoney and Jake Outen.
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10/02/08 Romford & Gidea Park - Sharks & Cougars (home)
Upminster Sharks 25 - 05 Romford & Gidea Park. The newly formed Sharks are really starting to jell and were outstanding against Romford & Gidea Park. Daniel Cole ran in his first hat trick and Jake Outen scored a brace to complete the Sharks score.
The Sharks are really showing promise and we wish them well in the Harlequins Cup First round next Saturday.
The victorious Shark Team; Jake Outen, Dylan Hayden, Harry Cleminson, Furgus O'Mahoney, Elliot Ross, Jay Brooker, Daniel Cole, George Ruse, Edward Flack and James Allen.
Upminster Cougars 10 - 15 Romford & Gidea Park. This was a fun game for the Cougars and Romford & Gidea Park. Cougars lost 10 - 15 all the tries were scored by Cougar boys Sam Butter for Cougars and Sam Lee for Romford & Gidea Park. This was the first win for Romford & Gidea Park. Fair play to them. The Cougars had 7 try scoring opportunities but were stopped each time by the same player SAM LEE! Marc Blaxland came the closest to beating Sam, but not a chance. A very good run out for all the boys.
Players Glen Coombs, James Smith, Sam Butter, (2 tries) Joseph Slatter, Harry Farrow, Ben Roe, Greg Brighton, Lewis Nunn and Marc Blaxland, just to mention our 10th player for Romford & Gidea Park, SAM LEE!
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10/02/08 Thames Sport - Rhinos/Bulls Barbarians(home)
Upminster Rhinos/Bulls Barbarians 20 - 05 Thames Sport. Upminster mixed their team players to create a Barbar's side to take on a strong Thames Sport side. In a highly contested match the Upminster Barbarians came out on top with Oliver Heazel getting a hat trick and William Argent completing the Barbars scorers.
The Upminster Barbarians - Zack Kilorian, Josh Whalley, George Sadek, Ryan Pinkney, Oliver Heazel,
Andrew Byrne, Ethan Comer, Jack Mayall, Ryan Potter, Keiron Fredricks, Aiden Jackson,Ruairi Redman, William Argent, Jack Waskett, Jordan Lilley and Harry Anderson.
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27/01/08 Westcliff - Rhinos & Cougars (away)
Upminster Rhinos 25 - 05 Westcliff 'A' - Rhinos forwards Luke Spencer-Smith, Ryan Pinkney, Harry Morgan and Andrew Byrne outplayed against a Westcliff heavier pack and came out on top, keeping Westcliff in their own half and winning the majority of the ball. From an Upminster ruck William Argent spun a long ball to Oliver Heazel who outpaced the Westcliff defence to touch down - 5-0 to Rhinos. Another forward's attack enabled Andrew Byrne to rip the ball from Westcliff and drive over to make it 10-0 to Rhinos. Rhinos architect and fly half Luke Lovell switched play with Ben Trinder and released Heazel in for his second try, 15-0 to Rhinos. Tough tackling from Rhinos centres Zack Killoran, George Sadek, Jordan Lilley and Zack Levin prevented Westcliff from getting back in the game. Whilst Henry Beckett released Sadek to touch down for Upminster's fourth, 20-0 to Rhinos, Westcliff did get a break away consolation try. However, quick hands from Jack Mayall and Ben Trinder enabled Lovell to sprint and touch down in the corner, sealing the win for Rhinos 25-05.
Team: Spencer-Smith, Pinkney, Morgan, Bryne, Heazel, Argent, Lovell, Trinder, Killoran, Sadek, Lilley, Levin, Beckett and Mayall.
Upminster Cougars 15 - 15 Westcliffe - A very good performance by the Cougars, even though we had 8 players and borrowed 1 from the Rhinos that was changed every few minutes in the second half of the game. The Cougars went a try down after a couple of plays and a few missed tackles. There were some good forward play and some good passing. Thanks to some of the players we were soon level, Zac Levin was the scorer. Same again for the second try. Jake Outen, Sam Lee, Jordan Lilly, Lewis Nunn, some crunching tackles to stop Westcliffe in their tracks. Joseph Slatter, 2 weaving runs (so small he slipped under Westcliffe's defensive radar). James Smith some very good offload in the tackles and some other impressives by some of the other boys. Greg Brighton to mention, Marc Blaxland to good weaving runs and some very good passes out of the scrum and twice got stuck under a ruck (and squealed!). The second half was very much in the same lane as the first. Westcliffe drew level, only for Jake Mayall to go on weaving runs to put us in the front again. Ben Roe had a good couple of runs, but came to nothing. Some good tries to level the score, Cougar responded with pressure but run out the scores level.
The Cougars done the work up front. Their passing was brilliant. Well done to all the boys.
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20/01/08 Quins Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup - Rhinos (away)
Upminster Rhinos through to Harlequins Semis
Upminster Rhinos U9's qualified for the Harlequins Etihad Airways Cup semi-finals in a tough, closely contested, qualifying group.
Upminster Rhinos 05 - 05 Sidcup - Rhinos started well putting Sidcup under pressure. Against the run of play Sidcup broke away to take the lead. However, Rhinos continued to control the match and when Ryan Pinkney peeled off a maul, ran and got tackled at the Sidcup 10 yard line. Luke Spencer-Smith and Andrew Byrne rucked over perfectly and Pinkney presented the ball for George Sadek to pick up and dive over the line for a deserved equalizer.
Upminster Rhinos 05 - 0 Battersea Ironsides - Rhinos again put their opposition under pressure and consequently tackles from Zack Kiloran, Jordan Lilley, Zac Levin and Henry Beckett forced Battersea to split the ball over their own try line and Harry Morgan was first to react and dive on the ball to give Rhinos the lead. A great switch play by Jack Mayall, Pinkney and Oliver Heazel ended in Heazel getting tackled into touch as he touched down. Battersea continued producing try saving tackles to keep Rhinos at bay.
Upminster Rhinos 0 - 0 Cobham - Rhinos started off well putting the previous champions under pressure but in a game of two halves could not make their pressure tell. In the second half Cobham started to get on top but a resilient Rhino's defence and some last minute tackling from Morgan and Ben Trinder kept the honours even.
Team: Spencer-Smith, Pinkney, Morgan, Byrne, Sadek, Mayall, Killoran, Lilley, Beckett, Levin, Trinder, Heazel
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20/01/08 Chelmsford - Bulls, Cougars & Sharks (home)
Upminster Bulls 10 - 05 Chelmsford A - First up the Bulls took on Chelmsford A. The first half was dominated by forwards from both sides with Ethan Comer and William Baird excellent in the ruck driving Chelmsford backwards. The Bulls continually pushed Chelmsford back and pressure finally paid off with good ball from the forwards being moved quickly by Aiden Jackson and Harry Anderson through the Centres for William Argent to score a fine try in the corner. Half time 5-0 Upminster Bulls. The second half once again started with the Bulls pushing Chelmsford back only for loose ball to be gathered by Chelmsford and their wing to sprint from deep in his own half to level the scores. Continued pressure from Bulls forwards finally paid off with Ethan Comer crashing over for the winning try after good work from Keiron Fredericks and Oliver Lewis. Final score Upminster Bulls won 10-5.
Upminster Bulls 30 - 0 Chelmsford B - In their second game the Bulls took on Chelmsford B and produced a fantastic display with forwards and backs linking superbly to run in six unanswered tries. Josh Walley scored a brace with some fine running and then loose ball was picked up by Ruairi Redman to run in the Bulls third from the half way line. Kieron Fredericks added a fourth before half time after some great link up play between Aiden Jackson, William Argent and Ryan Potter. The second half saw Bulls continue to dominate with Luke Lovell and Jack Waskett combining to release Jo Burkett for the first of two tries. His second was after some great tackling by Luke Lovell and Harry Anderson releasing the ball for Burkett to once again sprint clear. Final score Upminster Bulls won 30-0.
Overall a great all round display with good quick passing, great defensive tackling and fantastic forward pressure.
Upminster Cougars 15 - 10 Chelmsford B - This was a good win again Chelmsford B. Some great calling, looking down the line and getting in position was very good. The 3 try were by Glen Coombes (something special) a good run by Edward Lewis and a long run and a try by Greg Brighton. We came close on several more occasions but denied by some good defence.
Upminster Cougars 0 - 20 Chelmsford A - Fresh from the first win the Cougars went for it again. But they all hunted down the ball to score and stood off the ball. This let Chelmsford attack us and it cost the Cougars the game, as they ran in four tries to nil. Ben Roe came closest to scoring for the Cougars but was judged out (by his dad) but a good and fair call.
Upminster Sharks 0-15 Chelmsford A - The Sharks gave Chelmsford A, a good run for their money, with a strong defensive game limiting the visitors to a 5-0 advantage at half time. Jake Outen led the way with a strong performance in the tackle, and Daniel Cole made some very promising breaks from the wing in only his second appearance.
In the second half Chelmsford extended their lead with two additional tries and proved the stronger team overall, although the Sharks pushed them hard until the end with Cole unlucky not to score a breakaway try down the right touchline.
Upminster Sharks 05 - 10 Chelmsford B - The Sharks dominated a well balanced match in terms of territory and possession, and were very unlucky to lose to a breakaway try in the last play of the match. The Sharks started strongly, with Sam Taylor breaking through to score almost direct from the start in the first half. However, Chelmsford replied to level the match and set up a nail biting second half tussle.
The entire Sharks team played with great spirit, with tackling again being a standout with Jake Outen leading by example. The Sharks were camped in the Chelmsford half but couldn't convert good possession into points. Dan Cole, Harry Cleminson, Sam Taylor and James McLeish all came close to winning the match, but Sharks' failure to convert possession into points was punished by Chelmsford when they scored a breakaway try in literally the last play of the match.
Sharks: Outen, Bradshaw, Flack, Belam, McLeish, Hayden, Cleminson, O'Mahoney, Brooker, Barsi, Taylor, Williams, Cole.
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13/01/08 Woodford and Romford & Gidea Park - Rhinos, Cougars & Sharks (home)
The Upminster Rhinos got off to a flying start beating Woodford Barbarians Red 20-05, Rhinos try scorers Harry Morgan 2, Oliver Heazel and Ryan Pinkney one a piece.
Rhinos then continued to improve and beat Woodford Barbarians Blue 30-10, Rhinos try scorers Henry Beckett 2, Oliver Heazel, Ryan Pinkney, George Sadek and Harry Morgan one a piece.
Woodford formed Woodford 'A', however Rhinos were on top form passing the ball at will with fly half Jack Mayall the architect. Rhinos won 10-5 with Oliver Heazel and George Sadek getting the tries for Rhinos.
Team: Killoran, Spencer-Smith, Byrne, Morgan, Pinkney, Sadek, Lilley, Heazel, Beckett, Mayall and Trinder.
Upminster Sharks also got off to a flyer against Romford & Gidea Park with Harry Cleminson and Jake Outen touching down for the Sharks and cancelling out Romford's earlier try to make it 10-5 to the Sharks. Sharks led until the last play when Romford broke away to touch down and tie the game.
Against Woodford Barbarians Red Sharks lost 55-5 with Jake Outen touching down for the Sharks.
Team: Outen, Bradshaw, Belam, McLeish, Hayden, Cleminson, O'Mahoney, Ross, Brooker, Barsi, Taylor, William and Cole.
Upminster Cougars .V. Romford & Gidea Park 40-05. A well deserved win against Romford and Gidea Park. There was some great thumping tackles going in and great runs and some very good tries scored. The best was Sam Lee running more than half the pitch and finally getting tackled, and then Ben Roe in close support for a pick up and try. Other try scorers were Edward Lewis 2 big tries, with 2 big runs and tackles. Sam Butler great tries all 3 of them, James Smith 1 try and great tackles and Glen Coombes 1 great run and try. Others in the team that deserve a mention are Lewis Nunn, Sam Lee, Joseph Slatter, Greg Brighton, Marc Blaxland and Daniel Sanders. They all played a part in this win.
Upminster Cougars .V. Woodford A 0 - 55. We played Woodford A and the newly jigged Cougar team played really well on their first outing, the rucks and mauls were equal to Woodford but their Centres and Backs linked up better than us. But aside that Sam Lee some great tackles, Sam Butler some good runs and tackles. Glen played well, Edward Lewis and Daniel Sanders to name but a few, but as a team they all were very good.
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13/01/08 Standford Le hope - Bulls (away)
Upminster Bulls vs Stanford Le Hope. Upminster Bulls completed 3 convincing victories over Stanford, only conceding 1 try during on the day. The first game with a result of 25 - 0 was started with a quick try from Josh Whalley the newest team member of the Bulls who showed great attacking skills to push through the Stanford defence.
The second from William Baird was a controlled maul and drive over the line by all the forwards; the next by Harry Anderson was a cleverly worked try, started by scrum half Aiden Jackson who quickly passed the ball to Anderson on the wing who ran through to touch down. The next was again a great team effort passing the ball wide resulting in a score by Luke Lovell also playing wing. The last try of the game by Ethan Comer was another fine forwards push to complete the match.
The next game was a much closer match with a victory for the Bulls 10 - 0. The first half ended 0 - 0 with great defending from Ryan Potter, Ruairi Redman, Joe Burkett, Oliver Lewis and Jack Waskett. The first break through came early in the second half, with William Argent ripping out from a maul and charging through Stanfords defence to score. The second try by William Baird was the result of a forceful run through a tiring Stanford defence.
The last game was another run away win ending in a 20 - 5 score, The game was hard fought, but the Bulls stepped up a gear as a team providing a brace of tries for Keiran Fredricks and Josh Whalley. Of particular note was Fredricks showing great attacking lines and forward running.
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09/12/07 Hertford - Rhinos, Bulls & Sharks (home)
The highlight was the newly formed Upminster Sharks winning their first competitive match against Herford C 40-0. A fantastic game - all boys putting in a great performance, with James McLeish scoring 4 tries, Sam Butter 2, James Smith and Jake Outen 1 each. The sharks pressured Herford throughout the game with nothing stopping tackler of the day Jake Outen, supported by Fergus O'Mahoney, Elliot Ross, Jay Brooker, Charlie Barsio, Harry Cleminson and Jonathon Belam.
In the second game against Hertford C, the Sharks and Hertford swapped over their forward players, with the Sharks winning 40-5. 3 tries each for James McLeish and Sam Butter, and 1 each for James Smith and Fergus O'Mahoney.
Sharks Team - Sam Butter, James Smith, Elliot Ross, Jay Brooker, Harry Cleminson, Charlie Barsio, James McLeish, Jonathon Belam, Jake Outen and Fergus O'Mahoney.
Upminster Rhinos continued their great start to the season, winning both their matches against Herford A 15-05 and 15-0. In two enjoyable closely contested matches, Rhinos always seem to have the extra gear when required.
All the players played with determination and heart. The awesome Rhinos forwards of Andrew Byrne(1), Ryan Pinkney, Harry Morgan and Zack Killoran tackled, mauled and rucked fiercely all day. Whilst Scrum and Fly Halves, George Sadek(1), Zac Levin and Jack Mayall masterminded the creative offence of Jordan Lilley, Ben Trinder, Henry Beckett(1) and Oliver Heazel(3), who also did their fair share of tackling.
The pick of the tries were Sadek's dummy pass and run from the back of the scrum. Both Beckett's and Heazel's (interception) three quarters of the pitch runs and Heazel's try starting from his own five yard line, weaving and out pacing the whole Hertford Team for the length of the pitch.
Rhinos Team - Andrew Byrne, Ryan Pinkney, Harry Morgan, Zack Killoran, George Sadek, Zac Levin, Jordan Lilley, Ben Trinder, Oliver Heazel, Henry Beckett and Jack Mayall.
The Upminster Bulls produced another great performance against Hertford B team winning both their games 40-15 and 50-0. Try scorers for the Bulls Luke Lovell (5), William Argent (4), Ruairi Redmond (4), Joe Burkert (2), Ryan Potter (2), Jack Waskett (1).
The Bulls team played good positional play with all boys contributing in their individual roles making a great team effort. The team were :- William Baird, Harry Anderson, Luke Lovell, William Argent, Ryan Potter, Oliver Lewis, Joe Burkert, Aiden Jackson, Ruairi Redman, Kieron Fredericks and Jack Waskett.
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08/12/-07 Quins Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup - Cougars(away)
The Upminster Cougars travelled to Harlequins to play in the Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup
Trojans 20v0 Cougars - This team was very beatable but we were second to the ball. In the break down and back up play they pressurised us into mistakes.
Effingham and Leatherhead 20v5 Cougars - We had some good procession in this game but could not put it into points. Our only score came from a drive over try and was scored by Josh Whalley. But the same problems crept in not positioning and not talking to each other. Not enough tackles and it cost us dearly.
Trojans .V. Cougars. Some odd decisions in this game that didn't go our way and it cost us. A superb line out made by the Trojans gave them the lead and we never recovered.
Effingham and Leatherhead .V. Cougars. This was by far out best game. We came close to scoring on a few occasions. Some good inter-play at times. Man of the match Glen Coombs raised his game and scored a good try.
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02/12/07 Sittingbourne, Vigo, Ashford - Courgars (away)
Upminster Cougars 0-15 Sittingbourne - First game against Sittingbourne was just like playing with a bar of soap in very wet and windy conditions. Despite some good play and pressure, they lost 15 - 0. We lost Edward Lewis due to injury.
Upminster Cougars 0-30 Vigo - This game was played in what was almost a tropical storm but without the heat. Cougars lost this one 30 - 0. The boys were ball watching and standing off, letting Vigo run at them. They handled the poor conditions better than us!
Upminster Cougars 25-15 Ashford - At last a Win! I must be dreaming. They played like I knew they could! They called for the ball and backed each other up. It was a very good game. The big man of the match was Josh Whalley, he was fantastic with all 5 trys. A very good result and a long time coming.
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25/11/07 Blackheath Festival - Rhinos & Bulls (away)
The Upminster Bulls produced a cup winning performance at the Blackheath "B" Festival to complete an emphatic undefeated winning run against tough competition which saw the Bulls making 20 tries and conceding only 2 during the tournament. First game against Medway, Bulls won 30-0, with tries from Ruairi Redman(2), Luke Lovell(2) , William Argent and William Baird.
The next game produced a 15-5 win against Richmond, with a hatrick of tries from Luke Lovell. Whilst the Bulls were on a roll, they thrashed Westcombe Park 35-5 with more outstanding tries from William Argent, Luke Lovell, Ryan Potter, Oliver Lewis, Sam Butter and brace from Jack Waskett. The next game against London Welsh was much closer, with a win for the Bulls of 5-0, the only try of the game coming from Jack Waskett.
The final game against Blackheath was the deciding game to win the cup and the Bulls run out 15-0 winners. More outstanding tackling and passing by the whole team produced tries for Luke Lovell, Ruairi Redman and super-sub Aiden Jackson!
The whole Bulls team played with determination and great team spirit, the Bulls team were:- William Baird (Man of the tournament), Harry Anderson, Luke Lovell, William Argent, Ryan Potter, Oliver Lewis, Sam Butter, Aiden Jackson, Ruairi Redman, Jack Waskett and James Smith.
The Upminster Rhinos U9s faced their toughest test this season when they came up against some of the best clubs in the Southeast at the Blackheath "A" festival on Sunday.
They finished their league in second place losing only to their old adversaries Blackheath 0-10 - tournament winners. Good driving from Spencer-Smith, Pinkney and Killoran got the Rhinos off to a 20-0 win over London Welsh with Byrne cleverly keeping the ball in play as he was driven into touch. Determination from Morgan and weaving runs from Heazel saw off Medway 25-10. Tackling from Mayall and Lilley ensured Westcombe Park were kept to a 0-0 stalemate. Despite great moves by Levin and Sadek, the Rhinos were held to a 5-5 draw by Richmond.
Team (tries): Luke Spencer-Smith (2), Ryan Pinkney, Zack Killoran (2), George Sadek (1), Zac Levin, Harry Morgan, Andrew Byrne (1), Jordan Lilley, Oliver Heazel (4), Jack Mayall.
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18/11/07 Colchester - Rhinos, Cougars & Sharks (home)
The Upminster Rhinos U9s came out on top against Colchester A and B sides on Sunday without conceding a try. Good driving from the forwards supported by excellent passing from the backs earned a 20-0 victory over the Colchester A team.
The next game against Colchester B saw the Rhinos romp home with 6 tries finishing 30-0.
Team (Tries): Luke Spencer-Smith (1), Ryan Pinkney, Zack Killoran, Andrew Byrne (3), George Sadek (4), Zac Levin, Harry Morgan (1), Henry Beckett, Jordan Lilley, Oliver Heazel (1), Jack Mayall, Ben Trinder
Upminster Cougars 0v20 Colchester B. The Cougars leaked 4 trys in the first half, this was a real disappointment to me and the boys, as they had most of the ball and yet again break away trys. The second half was much better, the conceded none at all but some superb tackling going by all the boys. They have some great confidence in themselves, all they need is a win and the rest is history.
Upminster Cougars 0v25 Colchester A. If this was the Colchester A team, they were made to look very ordinary indeed. The Cougars crossed the line but the trys were disallowed by the ref. In the first couple of minutes Colchester scored a few minutes from half time but the play and pressure all Cougars a brilliant first half. Display or making power and rucking with some fantastic tackling by all the boys WOW!!! The second half we leaked 4 trys but pressure was all Cougars.They never stopped pushing and pushing and tackling. They done everything possible except score and win.
The boys were quite superb. To pick a man of the match is impossible, and each parent would say it was their own son, which would be true.
The Upminster Sharks put in some big tackles and there were several strong runs, but sadly they lost both games, 35-0 and 35-05. Sam Taylor got the try and there was good performances from Charlie Barsi and Harry Cleminson.
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17/11/07 Quins Etihad Airways Curtain Raiser Cup - Bulls (away)
The Upminster Bulls started their day slowly but ended with a fantastic performance. The Bulls played good attacking rugby in their opener against a well drilled Guilfordians side. The Bulls showed great vision with expansive rugby but handling errors were soon pounced on by Guilfordians ending in a 0-20 defeat.
The second game was a thriller against Lewes and finished 0-0 with a last minute try from William Baird disallowed. The game was played with great determination from Ethan Comer, Harry Anderson and Aiden Jackson in the breakdown and Luke Lovell, Jack Waskett and William Argent making excellent turnover tackles. The Bulls were unlucky not to win.
The next game against Hazelmere again resulted in a 0-20 loss despite some great play by the Bulls. Oliver Lewis playing prop had a great game, holding back the Hazelmere team, alongside Keiron Fredericks. The opposition utilised their enormous centre every time to break through the Bulls line and score; a highlight of the game was Ryan Potter getting back making a fantastic try saving tackle against the giant. Sam Butter and Harry Anderson produced some great runs through this game.
Our final game against Cranleigh was a fantastic match to finish on, the Bulls ran out 20-5 winners with great set plays organised by William Argent bringing Joe Burkett and Ruari Redman into play. The first try by Ruari Redman was one of these plays, being produced by good hands from Argent and Lovell to result in the score. The second try starting with the Bulls forwards winning a ruck with Argent releasing Luke Lovell to make a powerful run and great dive over for a try. The third by Joe Burkett was from a penalty, he made a good side stepping run, being held short of the line but showed great strength and resilience to spin out of a tackle to make a try. The Bulls final try by scrum half William Argent was from a scrum 20 metres out, Argent picking up and running through three tackles to give the Bulls their final try of the game. All in all a very enjoyable day, with great team spirit shown by all.
Try scorers:- Ruairi Redman, Luke Lovell, Joe Burkett, William Argent
Bulls team:- William Baird, Ethan Comer, Harry Anderson, Kieron Fredericks, William Argent, Ryan Potter, Oliver Lewis, Sam Butter, Aiden Jackson, Ruairi Redman, Joe Burkett, Jack Waskett, Luke Lovell.
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11/11/07 Sevenoaks & Bishops Stortford - Rhinos, Bulls, Cougars & Sharks (home)
The Upminster Rhinos faced stiff opposition from tough Sevenoaks and Bishops Stortford sides. The opener saw a comfortable 30-0 victory against Sevenoaks A.
Sevenoaks A regrouped for the rematch and restricted the Rhinos to a 5-0 victory. The Rhinos then enjoyed a 45-0 win over Sevenoaks B with centre Andrew Byrne scoring 5 of the tries.
The final game of the day was a 5-5 draw against Bishop Stortford A. Stortford scored early, breaking the Rhinos defensive line. Three big tackles from Harry Morgan and a strong display of teamwork ensured that Stortford were prevented from scoring another, whilst a late try from Andrew Byrne earned a draw - a fair result for both teams.
Team (tries in brackets): Luke Spencer-Smith (3), Ryan Pinkney (1), Zack Killoran (1), George Sadek (1), Zac Levin, Andrew Byrne (7), Harry Morgan (1), Oliver Heazel (2), Ben Trinder (1), Jordan Lilley.
Upminster Bulls put in a courageous performance against tough opposition, to prove that they are a great team. The Bulls first match against Bishop Stortford A finished a loss of 0-20, unfortunately the Bulls missed tackles let them down. Great defensive performances from Ruairi Redman and Ethan Comer, held the team together, but Bishop Stortford's breakaway tries became the deciding factor.
The next game against Sevenoaks A was a much closer affair with a final score of 5-5. Great hands from scrum half William Argent and fly half Ruairi Redmond created a push over try for William Baird. Oliver Lewis and Harry Andersons improved tackling, created a fantastic defence, which Sevenoaks found impossible to penetrate. Kieron Fredricks determination and skill helped the Bulls to hold onto the draw.
Against Sevenoaks B the Bulls run out 25-5 winners, great tries from Ryan Potter, Ruairi Redman, started the Bulls on a roll. Joe Burkett's individual run from the start resulting in a try was unstoppable. The player of the game Jack Waskett scored 2 tries, and was unlucky not to get a 3rd.
The final game of the day against Bishop Stortford B was a 0-5 loss, but the Bull members Sam Butter, James Smith, Aiden Jackson ensured that the final game was a thriller! End to end play with some fantastic passing and tackling, creating outstanding rucks and mauls. The Bulls were unlucky not to come away with a draw after such great teamwork.
The Upminster Cougars forwards play, was excellent to say the least. They pushed all four visiting teams back, at times many many metres. But this show of power and strength did not result in any tries at all, this is a real shame. The lack of try comes down to the boys not passing the ball to better positioned players around them. The tries scored against the Cougars were almost all scored by breakaway tries from rucks and mauls and isolated players not getting the support of their team mates enough, and a lack of tackling from the last line of defence, but many positives came from these games. The boys calling to each other to get in position, calling for the ball and receiving the ball . Notable players that stood out: They All Did!
Cougars 0 v 20 Bishop Stortford B, Cougars 0 v 20 Sevenoaks B
Cougars 0 v 20 Bishops Stortford A, Cougars 0 v 25 Sevenoaks A
A valiant start for the Upminster Sharks in their first competitive fixture. Although losing 0-20 to Sevenoaks B and 0-30 to Bishops Stortford B twice, the sharks put in a tremendous effort, with all the boys giving 100%. They came close to scoring a few times only to be denied by tough and more experienced opposition. Captain Jake Outen lead from the front with some great tackles (dispute a harsh introduction to the opposition's studs!!) and Fergus O'Mahoney drove the ball through the opposition, supported by forwards Elliot Ross, James Bradshaw and Glen Coombs and backs Dylan Hayden, James McLeish, Jay Brooker and Jonathon Belam. The Sharks should be proud of their start to the season.
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21/10/07 Thurrock Festival - Rhinos, Bulls & Cougars (away)
Upminster Bulls narrowly missed out in the under 9's cup final to come second overall. The final was against Heathfield who eventually won 15-0, but the score line did not reflect the close game, Luke Lovell and William Argent's quick hands, along with fantastic forwards defending from William Baird, Ethan Comer and Kieran Fredericks stopped Heathfield obtaining more. Great tackling from Harry Anderson, Aiden Jackson, Jack Waskett and Oliver Lewis made the Bulls worthy festival runners up. Sam Butter, Dylan Hayden, Fergus O'Mahony and Jonathan Belan made up a great Bulls team displaying great defensive and attacking lines.
On the way to the final the Bulls beat Stanford 15-0 with great tries from William Baird, powering through the opposing forwards and driving low over the try line, Luke Lovell breaking through defensive lines with superb side stepping skills and Jack Waskett cleverly supporting Lovell to drive over and touch down. They also triumphed over a resurgent Upminster Cougars, 20-0, with a hat-trick of strong tries from Harry Anderson and another from Luke Lovell. The Cougars fought hard requiring Oliver Lewis, William Argent and Jack Waskett to make try stopping tackles during the second half to keep the Cougars at bay. Their final pool game was a hard fought match against Chingford resulting in a fair 5-5 draw; the Bulls score from a fantastic forwards push over try with Aiden Jackson breaking off to touch down.
Overall the Bulls displayed great teamwork supporting each other throughout all matches. Bulls Team: Forwards - William Baird, Ethan Comer, and Kieran Fredericks, Half's - William Argent and Luke Lovell Centres - Harry Anderson, Oliver Lewis, Aiden Jackson, Dylan Hayden, Fergus O'Mahony, Jonathan Belan, wings - Jack Waskett and Sam Butter.
Upminster Rhinos won the Thurrock Plate Final beating Stanford 15-0 in the final. Forwards Morgan, Killoran and debutant Cleminson drove Stanford back, with Pinkney ripping the ball away and touching down 5-0 Rhinos. Fast hands from Sadek, Lilley and Beckett released Heazel who was stopped just short of the line. From the resulting maul Byrne stole the ball and drove through for Rhinos second 10-0. Wingers Mayall and debutant Outen were a continuous threat to Stanford but it was not until the last play when hooker Pinkney stole procession again and drove through for his second and Rhinos third.
On the way to the Plate Final Rhinos narrowly lost 0-5 to Heathfield in a very closely contested match. Rhinos won all their other matches - Upminster Rhinos 25-0 Thurrock, try scorers - Beckett 2, Killoran, Sadek and Spencer-Smith. Upminster Rhinos 15-05 Westcliff, try scorers - Heazel, Morgan and Killoran. Upminster Rhinos 10-05 Upper Clapton, try scorers Heaqzel and Byrne.
Chingford 20 v 20 Upminster Cougars A good game, the boys went for it from start to finish and only came away with a draw. Chingford only had seven players (world cup hangovers). Half the cougars played the first half, and the rest played the second half. Tries by Josh Whalley and Sam Taylor, but great team work and tackles by all.
Stanford 20 v 0 Upminster Cougars This looked like a heavy defeat, but they were all ball handling errors, that lost this game. It was a real shame. They tackled fantastically, not one boy ducked out, they are beginning to talk to each other, and telling each other to get into their positions and also calling for the ball. A few boys stood out: Edward Lewis (his bone crunching tackles); Josh Whalley (for running with the ball); Sam Lee (tackles, in try scoring positions) and finally Lewis Nunn (hard hits at break down point).
Upminster Bulls 20 v 0 Upminster Cougars The winning coach, Mr Kevin Argent will write the report, with notable names for me. For tackles and commitment are as follows: Joseph Slatter (tackling boys bigger than himself!); Harry Farrow (for good positioning); Glen Coombes (tackles and digging the ball out). For just a few.
Vase Final: Westcliffe 20 v 5 Upminster Cougars The boys were all up for this final and went for it in a big way. One or two players took the ball that bit too far and lost it in the turnovers. A couple of tries resulted and we lost a couple in the mauls. They ripped the ball away from us, but we never once gave up and tackled all the way to the end. Our only try scorer was Josh Whalley from half way, a weaving looping run and scored a great one! Notable names were: Joseph Slatter (driving the bigger boys back, also with great body positioning with the ball in hand) and Edward Lewis (tackles and running with the ball).
All the boys played fantastic. The squad was Greg Brighton, Josh Whalley, Lewis Nunn, Adam Williams, Marc Blaxland, Harry Farrows, Daniel Sanders, Joseph Slatter, Edward Lewis, Sam lee, Sam Taylor, Glen Coombes, James Maclesh and Elliot Ross.
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14/10/07 Upminster Festival - Rhinos, Bulls & Cougars (home)
Upminster Rhinos beat Westcombe Park 10-0 in a hard fought final to win their home festival for the third year in succession.
Both teams reached the final without conceding a try, the Rhinos winning their pool games against, Upminster Cougars 30-0, Stanford Le Hope 30-0, Westcliff 20-0 and Bishops Stortford 20-0. In the final the forwards were outstanding, Pinkney, Spencer-Smith, Killoran, Byrne, and Morgan drove a maul over the line with prop Killoran peeling off to score the first try, whilst the backs Sadek, Levin, Beckett, Hill, Mayall and Trinder tackled hard preventing Westcombe Park from breaking the line.
In the final play of the match, Heazel completed a weaving run to touch down for the Rhinos' second. An outstanding example of team work with every boy giving 100% effort ensured their success. Team (tries) Pinkney, Spencer-Smith (2), Killoran (2), Byrne (3), Morgan (2), Sadek (2), Levin (1), Heazel (3), Beckett (4), Hill (2), Mayall, and Trinder.
Upminster Rhinos 30 v 0 Upminster Cougars The Cougars were caught store cold in the one sided game. It ended as a contest at half-time as six tries had been scored, it was a warm up for the eventual festival winner. Well done.
Upminster Cougars 5 v 15 Bishops Stortford This was a close encounter, the boys started to pull together. Try was scored by Jamie Baur, but some fantastic tackles by Edward Lewis, Josh Whalley and Sam Lee, good tackles by others were, Greg Brighton and Sam Lee. All the other boys played their part, but the poor ball control, cost us, our loss in the game.
Upminster Cougars 5 v 5 Stanford-le-hope Cougars missed out on a win due to a last minute try, a real shame. The boys started to keep position and some shape (GREAT!). Marc Blaxland, kept his back in good shape. Joseph SLatter, Edward Lewis, Sam Lee and Josh Whalley, some great tackles. The forwards worked very hard all through the game to keep Stanford out. Our only try scorer was Sam Lee.
Upminster Cougars 0 v 15 Westcliff Another game, the boys deserved to get something out of it, for all the effort the put in. Tackles went in all over the place, great for Daniel Sanders, Joseph Slatter, Edward Lewis and Sam Lee. Good forward work, too much has gone on to put into words. (Sam Lee, well he must have the tackle of the tournament!)
Upminster Bulls found it hard against tough opposition at the Upminster festival; the whole team fought hard and gave it their all. They lost against Medway 0-15, Braintree 0-15, Westcombe Park 0-30 and Chelmsford 5-15 a well deserved try scored by Luke Lovell.
Upminster Bulls team:- William Baird, Ethan Comer, Harry Anderson, Kieron Fredericks, William Argent, Luke Lovell, Oliver Lewis, Sam Butter, Aiden Jackson, Ruairi Redman, Joe Burkett, Ryan Potter and Jack Waskett.
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07/10/07 Medway Festival - Rhinos & Cougars (away)
Upminster Rhinos shared the honours with Sevenoaks A in a hard fought but try less final.
In the semi-final, try saving tackles from Levin, Lewis, Pinkney and Spencer-Smith and a turn over and try from Byrne; put the Rhinos through to the final. Outstanding defensive play from the whole team prevented Sevenoaks A from scoring whilst Byrne was unlucky to be stopped on the line.
On the way to the final the Rhinos beat: Barking, Sevenoaks B, Medway Red, Aylesford and Medway Blue; scoring 13 tries and conceding only 3. Team (tries) Pinkney, Spencer-Smith, Killoran (2), Byrne (1), Morgan (1), Sadek (4), Levin (1), Heazel (3), Beckett (1), Anderson, Mayall, Lewis, Trinder, and Redmond.
Upminster Cougars entered their first contact rugby festival and played their hearts out. They never gave up even though they lost to Sevenoaks A 0-30, Medway Blues 0-20, Gravesend 0-30 and Sittingbourne 05-20.
They never let their heads drop and fought every game to the end. The Cougars team - Brighton, Whalley, Coombs, Outen, Lewis, Blaxland, Potter, Nunn, Williams, Baur, Taylor, Waskett, Smith and Flack.
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30/09/07 - Chobham Festival - Bulls (away)
Upminster Bulls 15 v 0 Teddington
The Bulls entered the festival with a tough first match against Teddington and from kick off took early control using the strength of forwards William Baird, Ethan Comer and Kieron Fredericks. Quick hands from scrum half William Argent releasing Zack Levin at fly half to run through for an early try. Further controlled mauling and the strength of Baird releasing the ball to Argent who showed great skill with Teddington buying a dummy pass for Argent to run through defence and touch down. 10 - 0 to the bulls at half time.
Teddington upped their game in the second half but could not break the back line Bulls defence of Ben Trinder, Jordan Lilly and Harry Farrow. The Bulls driving Teddington back in the maul to gain a line out 4 meter's from Teddington's line. With the backs poised for some passing down the line an accurate throw by Fredericks to Comer who had his own game plan using his power to push Teddingtons pack backwards and score a fine solo effort try. Bulls win the opener 15- 0.
Upminster Bulls 5 v 10 Chobham
A fiercely contested match followed with the eventual tied group winners Chobham.
The Bulls thought hard at the breakdown with the entire front pack of Fredericks, Comer and Baird making some big hits on their opposite numbers. Chobham's scrum half was quick at getting bull but was superbly tackled every time by Argent and Aiden Jackson forcing Chobham back. Chobham's tries both came in the first half from penalty re starts using their big backs to run through. The Bulls down by 2 tries at half time.
The Bulls upped their game in the second half playing most of the game in Chobham's half. Superb running from Trinder, Jackson and Lilley just being held short of the try line. A well worked re start and some fine side stepping moves by Ruairi Redmond running through and avoiding a tackle by diving to the corner gaining the Bulls a well deserved try. Final score Upminster Bulls 5 Chobham 10.
Upminster Bulls 35 v 0 London Irish
On the back of a loss the Bulls flowed in this match showing pure determination and will not to give an inch of possession to the Irish.
Aiden Jackson, Sam Butter and Zack Levin making superb tackles supported by Baird, Farrow and Comer at the breakdown. The Irish could not break through the Bulls backs with Redmond and Trinder tackling like no tomorrow. Trinder twice making try saving tackles.
Bull try scorers -Levin 3, Jackson 2, Butter 1, Redmond 1.
Upminster Bulls 10 v 0 Rosslyn Park
A closely contested match Upminster Bulls took an early 5-0 lead with a fine weaving run by Jackson. Bulls forwards Baird, Comer, Fredericks with support from Levin and Argent took control with some excellent mauling and rucking, winning a lot of procession. The whole Rosslyn Park team were drawn into a ruck, when Argent released the ball to Joe Burkett who made a fine run from his own half to score a try.
Aggressive defending from Lilley, Butter and Trinder keeping Rosslyn Park at bay for the second half. A spilled ball swept up by Jackson making a strong direct run to the try line to score making it 10-0 to the Bulls.
With an exhausted Bulls all tackling ferociously the final whistle came. The Bulls win 10-0.
Upminster Bulls 0 v 5 Sutton & Epsom
The final game saw the Bulls requiring a win to win the festival and S&E requiring a win by 7 clear tries to win outright.
The scene was set for a fierce encounter with both teams putting every effort into rucks and mauls with both teams standing strong in defence.
Just before half time with both teams caught in a maul on the centre line S&E released the ball to one of their flyers who run in a try to take the lead.
The second half saw the Bulls pushing S&E back to their try line but with tired legs and injuries from an exhausting round of games the Bulls could not break through. Their were fine runs by Trinder, Burkett and Jackson and a last ditch effort by Levin up the wing that was held up short by the width of the ball for the referee to bring matters to a close. Final score 5-0 to Sutton and Epsom.
Eventual leader board - Sutton and Epsom tied with Chobham with Upminster Bulls a well deserved third place.
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23/09/07 - Cambridge - Rhinos, Bulls & Cougars (away)
Upminster Rhinos 20 v 10 Cambridge A.
In a closely contested match Cambridge took an early 5-0 lead. Rhino's forwards Luke Spencer-Smith, Ryan Pinkney, George Sadek and Harry Morgan took control with some excellent mauling and rucking, winning a lot of procession. The whole Cambridge team were drawn into ruck, when Pinkney released the ball to Oliver Heazel who ran virtually the whole pitch to tie the game 5-5.
Rhino's forwards turned ball over again and good hands and speed from William Argent and Jack Mayall released George Sadek who still had work to do but weaved through to make it 10-5 Rhino's.
Aggressive defending from Zack Killoran and Henry Beckett drove Cambridge back, finishing with big Spencer-Smith ripping the ball and driving over the line, 15-5 Rhino's.
Rhino's were now using the line and a great passing move from Luke Lovell, Ruairi Redmond and Jack Mayall released Sadek who got tackled on the line but still managed to make the pass to Heazel, 20-5 Rhino's.
Cambridge never gave up and got a hard worked consolation try in the dying minutes, final score 20-10 Rhinos.
Upminster Bulls 50 - 05 Cambridge B
Upminster Bulls started the season in style running in 50 points to win over Cambridge B. The signs for Cambridge were ominous from the first play as the Upminster pack of William Baird, Ethan Comer and Kieron Fredericks bulldozed the Cambridge pack to free up space for Ben Trinder to run in his first of three tries. Luke Lovell and Sam Butter controlled the centre of the pitch whilst Harry Farrow, Jo Burkett and Jamie Baur tackled hard to prevent Cambridge from advancing beyond the halfway line.
The second half saw Harry Anderson causing chaos and running in a try whilst the introduction of Andrew Byrne meant more misery of Cambridge as he stepped in with two storming tries. Sam Taylor and James McLeish provided great back up as Aiden Jackson rounded off the game, capping of a fine individual performance, by running in a length of the pitch try.
Tries: Byrne 2, Lovell 1, Anderson 1, Trinder 3, Burkett 2, Jackson 1
Upminster Cougars 40 - 0 Cambridge C
The Cougars did themselves proud, by winning their first game of the season, 40 - 0 a shut out. They were all up for the challenge, there was some good runs, and passing between the boys. The rucking and the mauling was good. There was some try saving tackles by; Zack Levin, Ryan Potter, Jake Quten, and Lewis Nunn. Tries by; James Smith (1), Zack Levin (2), Ryan Potter (3), and Oliver Lewis (2).
The scrum, performed well, with Greg Brighton, Josh Whalley, and Lewis Nunn. Adam Williams, our secret weapon, drove over the ball for the scrum half to pass out. Passing out the tackles and off the ground, which was good to see like, Edward Lewis, and others. And one of the loudest voices, was Marc Blaxland, telling them to get in line and into their positions. At the end, they did the Upminster RFC proud, and themselves.
Upminster Bulls/Rhinos 50 v 30 Cambridge A
In the first half the Bulls played really well and were unlucky to go in 20-25 down at the interval. Bulls try scores, Anderson a brace, with Byrne and Burkert one a piece.
Rhino's came out for the second half and run in 6 tries to Cambridge's 1 try. Final score 50-30 Upmister.
Rhino's try scorers Sadek and Heazel a brace a piece. Beckett and Spencer-Smith one each.
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