Over the weekend, the KEQMS Senior Rugby 7's squad took part in the Fylde Schools National Competition.
Drawn in a very tough group the opening game of the tournament came against Silcoates School on our own turf. The side took a few minutes to adjust but then went on to completely dominate the rest of the match. Tom Webb (2) Ralph Dowds (2) Tom Richardson, Charlie Cook and Kelham O'Hanlon were the try scorers in this resounding 45 - 12 victory. The second game of the group was also at KEQMS and this time the opponents were Birkdale School. Again the team executed the basics very well and ran out comfortable 19 - 0 victors. Tom Coyle (2) and Kelham O'Hanlon were the try scorers, and the squad left for Fylde RFC in a very positive mindset.
The third group game saw the team up against a very strong and well-disciplined Leicester Grammar School side. The game started very well with a superb break-away solo try from Tom Webb, however a few lapses in concentration at key times cost the side dearly as the opponents eventually ran out 27 - 7 victors. The final group match on Saturday was against Reed School, with the side looking to bounce back to finish the day in high spirits. This proved to be the case with yet another comprehensive win thanks to tries from Tom Webb (2), Ralph Dowds, Charlie Cook and Elliott Bowen. The final score was 31 - 0 and ensured the squad at least a top three finish in the group.
An early start on Sunday morning saw the squad up against undefeated group favorites Warwick School. The opponents proved to be just too physical and manoeuvred the ball well away from the contact area. The team struggled to break down the opposition defence and eventually finished on the wrong end of a 24 - 0 scoreline. All this meant that the squad qualified in third position in the group, resulting in a first round tie in the Plate competition, where Rishworth School were the opposing team. The game started very positively for the team and going in towards the final stages of the match the team found themselves 3 tries to 1 up, thanks to scores from Tom Webb, Ralph Dowds and Tom Coyle. However, the opposition pulled one try back with some sloppy mis-tackles and in the final minutes grabbed an intercept try right underneath the posts to ensure a 21 - 19 win, which meant the end of the competition for our boys.
Tom Webb lead from the front all tournament and proved to be an invaluable member of the team, with 6 tries in total to his name. Kelham O'Hanlon made some great decisions and punishing hits in defence. Tom Coyle worked tirelessly both at kick-offs and in the loose and he was ably supported in this department by Charlie Cook. Peter Erskine was instrumental in the success of the set piece and Ralph Dowds showed glimpses of the potential already identified by the England U16 selectors. All other squad members contributed well towards the success in the group stages and all were left a little disappointed to fall at the first hurdle in the Plate competition. The squad still have competitions at both Stonyhurst College and Rosslyn Park to come where we can hope to build on some solid foundations and promising performances seen to date.
