You know it's getting near the end of a long season when the sun is shining and the barbecues are burning whilst you get to watch exciting mini rugby on a Sunday morning. Up on the Sussex Weald last weekend we got to witness all of this in a highly competitive County Mini Rugby Finals festival at Crowborough Rugby Club. The Brighton Blues Under 7s had done remarkably well to qualify for this annual 'champions of champions' festival by winning at the Eastbourne Festival a few weeks previously.
The tournament involved three challenging games against equally victorious opposition, with the winner being calculated through a points system. Game one pitted Brighton Blues against a dangerous Heathfield Hurricanes side who included a particularly speedy winger. Brighton retained their defensive line under pressure but attacked with venom whenever possession came their way, and at half time the scores were even at 4 - 4. More entertaining and competitive play ensued in the second half where James' effective twisting and turning running combined with Bailey's all round skill ensured that the game would be a tight one. In the end a 9 - 9 draw seemed a fair result for such an exciting match.
The second game was against a confident and vocal Haywards Heath team who built up a lead of 5 - 3 by half time. But Brighton's fantastic support play, where swift pop passes out of the tackle kept the forward momentum, kept them in the game. Keeping the ball alive allowed Oliver to show his pace and busy feet whilst Alex continued to run his straight and aggressive lines. However, Haywards Heath maintained their pressure throughout and eventually Brighton's defensive line became broken, allowing the mid-Sussex boys to score a couple of late tries. Sadly Brighton lost this epic game 9 - 7.
An injury to ever-present Alex allowed Stanley and Felix opportunities to show their pace and commitment in the last couple of games. Felix impressed with his rapid push defence, seizing tags before the opposition could even move!
In the third and final game Brighton faced a buoyant Bognor side with pace to burn. Again, mature support play and well timed passes defined Brighton's play, and at half time the Blues were leading against a very good side by 7 - 6. However, the boys seemed to loose their shape in the second half and didn't push up together, creating clear gaps for Bognor's speedsters to run through. The final score was 10 - 7 to Bognor.
The six boys played with great spirit throughout the tournament, whilst displaying amazing vision and skills for 6 and 7 year old lads. They should be proud of their performance.
Two things to remember for next time;
The touchlines are your fifth and sixth opponents - we ran out of play too many times.
Always push up together in defence - give them no gaps to run through.
After the points tally, the results were announced in the wonderful clubhouse. Brighton came third overall, behind Bognor and U7 champions Haywards Heath, and received a beautiful plate for their efforts. Thanks to the members of Crowborough RFC for their hospitality and organisation. Parents, coaches and boys all had a lovely morning in the sunshine and it was fantastic to see how far the lads have developed as rugby players in the last couple of seasons. Thanks as ever to Jonny and Dave for their time and commitment to the team.