Vectis Under 11s went to Hampshire’s U11s county festival on Sunday to play in a tournament hosted by Southsea Nomads.
With a relatively new squad, Vectis struggled against generally more experienced sides. Starting against a familiar Portsmouth side, Vectis conceded a few tries in quick succession, but by the end of the first half had a much better grip of the game. The second half saw a much-improved effort, with some good attacking play and far more secure defence.
The 2nd game started far more strongly, as Vectis started getting to grips with playing against new opposition in Fawley. Strong carries by Henry Stretch and George Pim helped Vectis get onto the front foot, whilst solid support play by Jack Carter and Kenzo Alayash led to some good periods of possession. Caden Marshall was putting in some crunching tackles, along with a consistently dogged defensive performance from James Davey meant the opposition were struggling to cross the whitewash.
The 3rd game against Eastleigh saw some of the players really start to get to grips with things, with Sam Speed settling into the game and delivering some great passes, one of which lead to
Caden Marshall with a break from halfway to score. Aubrey Carter started dominating the contact with some great tackles against larger opposition. Roch Wojcik also stood up as a
senior player, carrying determinedly and refusing to let the line be breached.
Capping things off, the team lined up in the final game against Havant, perhaps the strongest team in the pool, and possibly the festival. Vectis continued to show their improvement as they continued to attack well, and defend with determination. With only the inexperience really leading to errors.
A spokesperson from Vectis Rugby Club has said:
“Newcomers Jenson Browne, Noah Millard and Doug Vincent all showed great improvement as the festival went on, and made all the coaches proud. Each of whom showing improved attack and defence.
“The coaches were all extremely pleased with how well the players improved not only as the festival went on, but on their previous showings in training. With 2 more festivals in the next 2 weeks, we’re sure we’re going to have a lot more fun.”
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