Great Advances Made at Henley

After the torrential downpour all day Saturday, it was a huge relief to wake early this morning to bright sunshine (even if it was very cold) for the long trek to Henley. With pitches set close to the Thames and between the giant oaks of the old avenue to the grand backdrop of Fawley Court, this is definitely the most picturesque festival venue of the year.

The rugby began with a bang as our boys faced, and lost to, the accomplished tacklers of Marlow - perhaps a wake-up call as they began the transition from training ground to match situation. Next up were Saracens, with nearly as many coaches as players - and after withstanding an early barrage we came roaring back and only came up one score short. A huge achievement given the quality of the opposition.

After such an improvement a third defeat, this time to Bancroft, was very hard to take but it also marked a huge turning point. The next game, against a very strong Newbury side, saw the boys put their bodies on the line - launching into tackles, running great attacking lines and upping the pace of the game enormously. This paid dividends with the narrowest of wins despite some late controversy.

The final game, against Bracknell, was a completely different affair as an accomplished and confident Alton side overran their opponents to finish the day on a massive high.

I cannot emphasises enough the level of effort put in by the whole team and the huge improvement seen over the five games. It just shows the importance of game time at this early stage of the season and next weeks Alton festival will give us a great opportunity to give everyone a vitally needed run-out in a match situation.

Thanks to all for making the journey this morning, to the parents for helping out when needed, and to Andy for his coaching and calming influence when I got a bit over-excited!!

See you next week!

Shaun