Ashford Under 16s (52) v Dover Under 16s (13)
Played 16th November 2008
Dover’s eagerly awaited match against Ashford this weekend proved to be a real test of character for the Dover boys. Following Dover’s defeat of Whitstable in the East Kent 3 weeks ago, the next stage was for the boys to play Ashford in the cup semi final.
Ashford started strongly in the first half scoring and converting two tries in quick succession. Dover struggled with their line-outs and lost most of their scrums. Things were not looking good and it seemed as though Dover were going to be subjected to a torrent of tries against them.
Then things started to turn for Dover and they were awarded a penalty which Jack Ayling elected to kick and so achieved 3 points for his team. Dover were off!
This gave the boys renewed vigor and 5 minutes later Jack Ayling got his boot on to the end of a loose ball just inside the Ashford half. He then sprinted after the ball, kicked a couple of more times and then launched himself on to the ball to score a much needed try. Jack then converted the try and the teams went into half time with a very respectable score-line of 14 – 10.
Team talk at half time switched the Ashford boys on to full throttle and the second half saw the flood gates open against Dover who fought valiantly, scored a further 3 points but finished the match 52 points to 13.
The boys naturally felt disappointed and frustrated. Lots of lessons to learn, the main one being that a well drilled team tends to score more tries. A pact was made amongst the boys to all get down to training regularly making sure that the next time they play Ashford, the score-line will tell a different story.
Dover Under 16s meet Wednesday evenings for training at Crabble. All boys who were 15 as at 1st September 2008 are welcome. Full details www.doverrfc.co.uk.
Report by: Jill Tipping
