11^th December 2011

Ross Juniors played in Tewkesbury on Sunday morning, fielding teams in Under 9’s, under 8’s and under 7’s. The Under 7’s and Under 8’s played a series of games against Malvern and Tewkesbury, while the under 9’s also faced a team from Bromsgrove.

The Under 7’s have only been playing since September, but show a remarkable team spirit, and the organization by coaches John Napp (senior and junior) is really showing through . Every player looks out for each other, giving encouragement and support along the way.

Highlights of the day for the Under 8’s included a first ever try for Harrison Creed, playing against Malvern (Under 8’s), while the thirteen players all got a run out with rolling substitutes made throughout the games.

It was great to see such a good turn out from so many Ross youngsters, and their mums and dads enjoying every minute of it. Every corner of each playing field was in use all morning long, with a really sporting atmosphere.

Ross Juniors have one more training morning and a Christmas party to look forward to before the Christmas break. Boys and girls of all ages would be made really welcome, at the Ross sports ground on Sunday mornings in the new year. www.rossrugby.co.uk

Ross Junior under 8’s host Upton

27^th November 2011

Ross Junior Under 8s 3 Upton Junior Under 8s 7

Ross hosted Upton Upon Severn’s Juniors on Sunday, whose team showed how a travelling outfit should play – as a close-knit unit doing the basic tagging and passing right. Compared with Ross, who had  13 players to rotate through the game, Upton, who came with eight or nine players,  rarely used a substitute, and once they’d worked out a rhythm, Ross’s youngsters were always playing catch up.

Ross were the first to attack, with Tim Goodhead using his pace down the right, but he was forced into touch. With just a couple of missed tackles, Ross found themselves two tries down. But all wasn’t lost, and the most enthusiastic player on the pitch, newcomer Harrison Creed supplied Ivor Harrington with the pass that allowed him to bisect Upton’s back line and score.

Felix Newey and Catrin Harding did some superb running, with Josh Gowling and Evie Clarke in support, and despite a try from Upton, Jamie Harris scored a great try just on half time, the score 2-4.

The second half followed a similar pattern, but with a different set of players for Ross. Before they had time to settle, the visitors had scored three tries without reply. Poppy Godwin had made two important tags, William Chinn one, and efforts paid off as Josh Gowling scored a try. In the ensuing few minutes,  Toby Benjamin, Tegan Harding and Heidi Davies chased hard, keeping the opposition at bay for a long time. But they squeaked a try in at the last, making an emphatic 7-3 scoreline that they really deserved.

A rousing cheer for the opposition by the Ross team showed they bore no grudges after such a splendid display. It was great for Ross Juniors to be able to field such a big number of players, and it just might be that Ross could play two teams of Under 8’s for upcoming fixtures if just a few more players come along and join this growing Ross set-up. See www.rossrugby.co.uk for details and fixtures, or contact Serena Gowling on on 07595991233.

The Under 8’s, with coaches Clare Godwin and Alastair Rees ready to face Upton

27^th November 2011

Ross Juniors Under 9/10s

Ross Under 9/10s played Upton on Sunday in two friendly matches, this being only the second time the U9/10s have played matches. 

We lost the first but won the second. Congratulations to the team for two brilliant performances of:

Joshua Simms, James and Alistair Cook, Luke Osborne-Ford, Harry Sturgess,  Connor Franklin, Tommy Randall and Jayesh Punn who all played their socks off!

There were so many families, with children of all ages having fun at the Ross sports ground on Sunday - there is a real buzz developing that should pay dividends for Ross rugby in future.

New players are very welcome – for under 9s and 10s, please contact Guy Gregory on 07795 218001

The Under Seven’s team on match day with Drybrook

19^th November 2011

Cinderford Under 8’s 1 Ross Junior Under 8’s 1

Ross Junior Under 8’s were excited to be asked to play an exhibition match at Cinderford rugby club. The youngsters played under floodlights in front of a large crowd,  during the half time slot in a match between the home side and Cambridge on Saturday afternoon.

Ross very nearly won. The first major move of the game was a slick passing move involving Tim Goodhead, Heidi Davies and William Chinn,  though Ivor Harrington was forced into touch just before he put the ball down. An immense tagging performance from Evie Clarke, Catrin and Tegan Harding, and Josh Gowling kept Cinderford at bay for a long time. The home side just managed to get to the tryline to take the lead. Immediately,  Poppy Godwin restarted, and Ethan Rees took the ball, then laid it off to Jamie Harris. He ran directly through a busy crowd of players to score.

The second half was fitting of an exhibition match, with exemplary tagging by almost every Ross player on the pitch. Ross came close to winning it on more than one occasion, but it wasn’t to be, and four or five hundred Cinderford fans generously clapped off both teams for having given such rousing entertainment.

Thanks to Cinderford Rugby Club for inviting us for the experience, and to Clare Godwin for coaching the players through to such an excellent standard on the day. See www.rossrugby.co.uk for details and fixtures, or contact Serena on 07595991233.

Ross line up to cheer Cinderford’s first team on to the pitch

13^th November 2011

Ross Juniors show quality at all levels

Ross Junior Under 8s 5 Drybrook Junior Under 8s 4

Last year, Ross Juniors played this team for their first ever game as Under 7’s. This year, a much improved Ross team gave Drybrook more than a run for their money, and ran out as worthy winners despite having a few key players missing.

After two minutes silence on Memorial Sunday, Poppy Godwin tapped to start Ross off into a spell of immediate pressure. A tight couple of minutes entrenched in Drybrook’s half led to the away team slipping away to take the lead.

Heads didn’t go down, though, and a rare slip by Drybrook – a player touched the ball down over the touchline instead of the tryline – led to a try at the other end by Ivor Harrington.

The lead went back to Drybrook, with one star player scoring again after a diagonal run. But good support work from Felix Newey paid off, and, after he scored, Jamie bagged another to give Ross a 3-2 half time lead.

The first half had been good, but the second got even better, with Ross beginning to widen out their play after a half time team talk form coach Clare. Evie Clarke and William Chinn competed for the title of best tag of the game with some last-gasp try-saving efforts, with Heidi Davies joining in, but they couldn’t stop Drybrook eventually drawing level. Jamie scored a good try, answered by Drybrook once more. The deciding try went to Ivor,  rewarded for finding the right space in support of a good move by Tim Goodhead.

Ross Juniors now have a really good grassroots set up, with under 7’s and under 9’s also playing Drybrook on Sunday. New players, both boys and girls, are always welcome to come along and join in. See www.rossrugby.co.uk for details and fixtures, or contact Serena on 07595991233 for more details.

13th November 2011

Ross U7s v Drybrook U7s

On a glorious sunny Sunday morning Ross Junior U7s faced Drybrook U7s in their first ever competitive match. The visitors looked smart and ready for their game, although their lack of numbers saw Jack Snow of Ross step forward and volunteer to play for the opposition.

Despite their lack of game experience, both sets of players displayed admirable skill levels and the game was played with plenty of gusto. Some neat play early on saw Ross surge in front, before Drybrook fought back to take the lead. However, excellent tagging from Jed, Oliver Packar, Jessie, Oli Pearson and Oliver Cook spurred on by some strong vocal support from the parents, helped to limit the scores of the Drybrook team. Eventually the pressure told, and some strong running and good support play enabled Ross to re-take the lead through tries scored by Bryn, Curtis and Oliver. When the final whistle blew the score was 7 tries to 6 in favour of Ross, the close score-line a testament to the competitive nature of the game and the commitment displayed by both teams.

2^nd October 2011

Ross Juniors entertain premiership Worcester

Ross Junior Under 8s 4 Worcester Junior Under 8s 6

Worcester’s Juniors played in Ross on Sunday, and brought along a team of experienced and well-drilled youngsters who simply had too much strength in depth for Ross to pose them a threat. The game was played in blazing sunshine, and at a blistering pace.

Ross had a lot of possession to start with. Toby Benjamin had a try ruled out, after putting a foot in touch, and soon the home side found themselves two tries down. But Tegan Harding, in her first game for Ross, broke through on the right and side, and, with sister Catrin in support, scored her first try.

Despite good tagging from Josh Gowling and Evie Clarke, Worcester scored again, but Felix Newey bagged his first try of the season with a strong run through the middle to go in 3-2 down at half time time.

The visitors came out strongly again in the second half, scoring after a clever switch in play and a jinking run from one of their star players.  Keiran Clements thought he’d scored in reply, but again, a foot had been spotted in touch, and Worcester broke through once more. Keiran wasn’t to be stopped, though, and he burst through for his first ever try.

At 5-3, there was some hope in the air for Ross, but despite great tagging work from Ethan Rees and  Ivor Harrington, the visitors worked their way over the tryline once more. Worcester had taken an unassailable lead, but Ross had the last word – William Chinn brought the score to a respectable 6-4 in the last move of the game.

As a hub for rugby in the region, it was no surprise that Worcester would be strong , and the visitors beat Ross in two other short games in the same morning. As well as giving a lesson in tagging and running rugby, the visitors showed an attitude to the game, and displayed tactics that will set Ross in great stead for the rest of the season if the lessons are learned.

 The photo – William Chinn and Evie Clarke (Under 8’s) chase after a Malvern runner.

23rd January 2011

Felix runs with the ball, with Josh, Jayesh, Laura, Poppy and Ivor in support

Ross Junior Under 7's 6 Hereford Junior (Team 1) 3
Ross Juniors travelled to play a well organised Hereford side on Sunday, with only a couple of training sessions over the frozen Christmas period to get them ready. But ready they were, and Ross played really well to win in style!
Within a minute of the start, Ivor saw a gap and ran across the field to score a try. Ross quickly clawed back possession again after the restart, and Laura ran in a second try with just three minutes on the clock.
Some textbook tagging by Josh and Jamie kept Hereford out, then Felix gained ground to give a clever pass to Jamie who made it 3-0. Jayesh saved a certain try with a last-ditch tag, and Poppy narrowed the gap for a Hereford runner who just squeezed through for a 3-1 half time score.
Hereford kicked off the second half, but a promising move was forced out of play, and Laura took the ball to score again. Hereford kept a straight defensive line, and began pushing on with two quick tries. Ethan and William made crucial tags to allow Sam the chance for a fantastic bursting run and try. Toby dashed any hopes of a recovery for the home side with a late try, jinking past the tiring opposition.
The 6-3 full time score showed just how much the team has come on since its start up just a few months ago. Well done to the players who were all right on form. And credit must go to the coach Clare Godwin and assistants Alistair Rees and Serena Gowling for getting the team so enthusiastic and organised.

Ross Junior Under 7's 8 Hereford Junior (Team 2) 3
Having already played Hereford Team 1 Ross Juniors were pitched against Hereford Team 2 junior side. Parents of the Ross team were sure the opposition looked a bit taller and wiser this time, and a cracking game was in store!
From the off, Ross were an attacking threat. Poppy took the ball through the middle and scored straight away. Then defence was turned to attack as Ivor ran the full length of the pitch to score Ross's second.
The Ross defence was then stretched across the pitch, as Josh, Laura, then Felix tagged bravely with the home side attacking both corners. Ethan made a pass to Josh, who was just tagged before the line, but he passed to Laura and - try number three! Ivor then found space, and, with good running helped by some missed tagging, scored a fourth. A try for the homeside finished the half.
Things were much tighter after the restart, and the Ross team was put under pressure for a long time. But good tagging regained possession, and Felix scored a great try down the left - not needing Josh, Jayesh and Sam who showed great team spirit to keep up with him in support.
William was involved in the whole move that led to Laura bursting through and scoring. Hereford replied with a try. Jayesh was just pipped before scoring but passed to William, who scored. Hereford slipped through to score, only for Laura to score a reply at the other end. Toby blocked a certain try, sending the ball out of play to finish off a rousing game and an excellent result for Ross Juniors.

6th March 2011

Sam puts on a burst of speed, with Evie, Ivor, Tim and Poppy behind him. Coaches Clare and Alistair provide vocal support.

Ross Junior Under 7s 6 Malvern Junior Under 7s 12
Malvern Juniors came to Ross on Sunday, and gave a real lesson in running rugby in the first game between the two teams.
Jamie was appointed Ross captain for the day, who tapped and passed to Ethan to start the game off. The ball came to Ivor, whose diagonal run bagged him a try. Malvern replied immediately, making it 1-1 within a minute. Jamie scored a try, but determined tagging by Ross couldn’t quite hold Malvern out, and when Jayesh was narrowly thwarted from scoring Malvern took the lead. Malvern ran in three more tries before half time, with another from Jamie in reply making it 3-6.
All change for Ross in the second half, with six fresh players brought on. Two early tries from Malvern, despite three brave tags taken by Sam alone, lengthened the score. Ollie passed to Ivor, whose mazy run got a try, and then William set up newest Ross recruit Evie who gracefully ran the full length of the pitch to score!
The visitors scored again. Toby gave the ball to Poppy, who zigzagged left to right, but was tagged, and Malvern zoomed through once more. Tim passed to brother Sam, who bundled the ball over for 6-10. But Ross, for all their efforts, couldn’t make up the difference, and two more tries against made the final score 6-12. Real end to end stuff.
The team didn’t let their heads go down at any point, and cheered Malvern off as worthy winners.

Ross Junior Under 7s 7 Malvern Junior Under 7s 5
Ross came back from their earlier defeat to face the same Malvern team, but this time with a new resolve. Malvern started the game off, but tags from Sam, Jayesh, Josh, and Toby signalled an improved tagging performance from the home team that would last the whole game.
Malvern still managed to score first, but Jayesh broke through immediately to post a reply. Malvern again took the lead, only for Ivor to bring Ross level this time. Jamie and Evie tagged twice each before Malvern scored again, only for Ivor to score. The away team took the lead again, but never looked like running away with it. Ivor brought the score to 4-4, sidestepping to finish off a good move. Then Jayesh finished a rousing first half with a diagonal run to score.
From the restart, Ross were prepared to work hard, and possession changed hands more than once. William almost got through, while Ethan, Poppy, Ollie and Felix tagged to regain possession. Malvern did break through to score the first try of the half. Not to be outdone, Tim ran, hugging the touchline, to regain Ross the lead.
The visitors seemed to have broken through to score, but great work from Jayesh forced the attacking player into touch. Ross took full advantage, Poppy passing to Evie and then to Felix who burst through to touch the ball down over the tryline.
Malvern were always an attacking threat, but Ross weathered the storm and held on.

13th March 2011

Bredon Under 7s 11 Ross Junior Under 7s 12
Ross Juniors travelled for a tough away fixture at Bredon, with a great turnout of twelve players ready to give their all. It turned out to be the game of the season!
Ivor Harrington was made captain for the day. Jamie Harris got the team off to a good start, exchanging passes with Evie Clarke who actually crossed the tryline, but she gallantly passed to Jamie who scored. Despite good tagging work from Ross, Bredon responded with a try. This set the pattern for the rest of the game, with neither side ever getting more than one score ahead of the other.
Tim Goodhead restarted, passing to Evie who, having been tagged, supplied the ball on to Sam Goodhead. He put on a burst of speed and touched down for a try in the corner. The scoring dried up briefly, as defensive work saw great tagging from both teams. After Bredon did score, Felix Newey threw a splendid pass to Sam, who caught well and scored again.
Jamie tagged three Bredon players, Felix one, but to no avail as Bredon squeaked through to level at 3-3. After Jamie found a narrow gap to score for Ross, Toby Benjamin set Josh Gowling off on a run to almost score in one corner, but he was ruled to have stepped in touch. Bredon hit back with a rather soft try, then Sam stretched his legs to cross the field and score. Ross allowed two more tries past them, 6-5 down at half time.
Sam scored to bring the scores level, Bredon responded. A cat and mouse game ensued, with good tagging all round, especially from Josh, Poppy Godwin, Ethan Rees and Ollie Pearson . Eventually, Sam broke the deadlock, thanks to a splendid tag by William Chinn who was on top form. Bredon replied, but Evie and Ivor exchanged passes, and Ivor scored.
Ross then seized momentum after Bredon took their turn to have a try disallowed. Sam scored his best try of the game with a long run, stepping inside at the last moment to regain the lead, 9-8. Jamie, Ethan, William, and Poppy tagged well, but the home side drew level. As the sun came out, a sideways run by Josh set up Ivor to score. Bredon levelled again!
10-10 with two minutes to go, the result could easily have gone either way. Unbelievably, there was still time for three more tries, and Bredon got the first of these. Ross dug in, almost every player tagging magnificently, putting pressure on Bredon’s runners. Relief after Bredon mishandled turned to worry as an unlucky bounce gave possession away. Last ditch efforts paid off, scrabbling for loose ball, and Jamie did a great run and scored.
Bredon had a try disallowed after Jamie made a tag that almost went unnoticed. As the referee announced that the next stretch of play would be the last, it really looked like Bredon would force the issue, but Ethan picked up the ball, and offloaded to Ivor who somehow managed a diagonal sprint from one corner to the other end and scored as the final whistle blew.
It had been an exciting match, which neither side deserved to lose. Ross Juniors are building a really useful side, with a friendly and enthusiastic set-up that any under-7’s and their parents are welcome to come along and join.

13th April 2011

Ross Junior Under 7s 4 Ledbury Juniors 3
Ross Juniors welcomed Ledbury for two matches of entertaining action. In the first, Ross came off worthy winners as their training in tagging and support play really showed.
Josh Gowling, Jamie Harris and Ethan Rees tagged to get Ross the possession which led to Ivor Harrington scoring the first try. Lots of defensive work by Evie Clarke, Toby Benjamin and William Chinn, Ross’s captain, kept Ledbury’s attack at bay for a long period. The opposition did burst through eventually to level just before half time, but only after Josh had a try disallowed for stepping into touch.
Early in the second half, Felix Newey sprinted through to take the lead. Ross defended magnificently from then on. Although Ledbury broke through twice to score, Ross showed a determined streak. They competed well and set up two tries in reply. Ivor bagged one, the other finished by Jamie after great support play and quick ball between Tim Goodhead and Josh set him up. The game finished 4-3.
Ross Junior Under 7s 4 Ledbury Juniors 5
The second match, with Poppy Godwin as captain, was a more open affair. The story of this game was of knock-ons and forward passes. Not seen in the first game, these gave away possession cheaply. The ball was often recovered by Ross with great tagging work, though, and Ross could have won with a strong finish. It ended 5-4 to the visitors though – two great tries each for Ivor and Felix were all in catch-up behind Ledbury scores.
Exciting matches, with honours even as an aggregate score. Ross Juniors have really come on in their first season since coaches Clare Godwin, Serena Gowling and Alastair Rees got the ball rolling.