ARFC U14s - vs. Felinfoel & Caerphilly 9/10 September 06

Ashford boys return battle hardened from Wales tour

Felinfoel 10 – Ashford Under 14s 53

Felinfoel is the home club of Wales and Lions legend Phil Bennett. On the outskirts of Llanelli, it is deep in the heart of Welsh-speaking rugby country. This was a fixture picked with great deliberation for boys who grow up in a part of Kent where rugby remains a secondary sport.

Despite the overnight coach journey, the Ashford boys started quickly in the Saturday match of their tour and their first match of the new Rugby season. The scoring opened in the second minute when Ashford tighthead prop Billy Stevens powered through the Llanelli defence and touched down under the posts. From that point Ashford dominated the match and raced into a 36 – 0 half time lead with tries from Chris Albrow, Lukas Warrilow, Rory Beech, Gareth Jenner and Tom Healy. In the second half Ashford again started strongly with 2 tries inside 3 minutes from wing forward Glenn Caton and loosehead prop Danny Herriott. Despite being 47 – 0 behind Felinfoel forced their way back into the match and their ability to spread the ball wide created two tries from the home side. Ashford No. 8 Chris Albrow concluded the try scoring in the 58^th minute to round off a handsome first win on “foreign” territory.

Caerphilly 34 – Ashford Under14s 22

On the Sunday, Ashford faced Glamorgan side Caerphilly who’s adult team play in the Welsh first division alongside club giants Pontypool and Newbridge. The match was played at the home side’s 6,000 capacity stadium with stands on 3 sides. The home side were aware of Ashford's previous day’s score against Felinfoel and fielded a team which included 4 Welsh rugby league internationals.

Despite a thorough warm-up the Ashford boys were slow to come to terms with the illustrious surroundings and Welsh interpretations of sportsmanship. The Welsh boys were operating at a faster tempo and their ability to win the ball whilst committing no more than 5 forwards to the breakdown meant Ashford’s three-quarter line were outnumbered and outflanked every occasion Caerphilly moved the ball wide. The first try was conceded after two minutes and two more tries quickly followed. The score line read 19-0 after just 10 minutes. This was more points than Ashford had conceded in any match since October 2004 and Caerphilly had every reason to expect a walkover. On the ropes Ashford finally woke up and started to contest the match.

A kick into Caerphilly territory followed by a charge from prop Billy Stevens saw Ashford enter the Caerphilly 22 for the first time. From the resultant scrum a ruck formed and number 8 Chris Albrow crashed over to open Ashford’s scoring on 15 minutes. The try changed the complexion of the match. And soon a midfield break saw winger Harry Atkins score a second Ashford try. The match now developed into a more even contest. Unfortunately in the 31^st minute of the first half Ashford failed to clear their lines and a Caerphilly try took the half time score to 24 -10.

The second half was a different story. With Caerphilly committing fewer players to the ruck/maul Ashford’s pack used their numerical advantage and repeatedly drove the ball upfield. After 6 minutes of the half, the pressure told when hooker George Sladden peeled off a maul to dive over and open the second half try scoring. A conversion by player of the tour Atkins narrowed the score to 24-17 until the home side responded with a try of their own. Ashford now had the measure of their opponents and a try by lock Lucas Warrilow in the 60^th minute took Ashford to within 7 points of their opponents. Ashford fought gamely until in the 62^nd minute of the match when the Caerphilly side concluded the scoring with a late try.

The tour performances should provide a tremendous boost to the Ashford boys’ confidence. The competitive intensity of the Caerphilly match was unlike anything the boys had faced against English opposition. An aggregate score of 75-44 against Welsh opposition is no mean feat for an English touring side.