Typhoon in Japan & Rain in Alton

Alton Under 10s entered 3 sides into their own festival and enjoyed a successful morning despite the elements making it feel more like the Typhoon in Japan.

The Alton experienced team started well overcoming a physical Basingstoke side by using space to get our fast runners round the outside and win 5-3. Next up were our friends from Petersfield and after a tight half which was drawn 0-0 the team applied some great pressure without the ball to force turnovers and win 3-0. A tight, tense match against Havant with a lot of time spent scrummaging was eventually won 2-0, again with strong defence creating turnovers. With the pitch now a mud bath, the boys fought back heroically from 2-0 down vs Farnham to draw the game before going into their last game against arch rivals Winchester. Another classic ding-dong battle was tied 1-1 until Winchester escaped off a turnover and managed to ground the ball for a last gasp 2-1 win. All enjoyed a fantastic morning’s rugby in terrible conditions with the boys demonstrating a huge amount of bravery against often bigger opponents.

The Alton 1 emerging team started in fine style, dominating in all aspects of the game against Basingstoke 2 to cruise to a 7-0 win. Any thoughts of an easy ride were dashed in a hotly-contested game with Alresford in which a dramatic late score delivered a deserved 3-2 victory. Then, as conditions deteriorated, a disjointed contest with rivals Winchester 2 saw our boys dig deep to win by a 4-2 score line. A solid and organised Overton side came next, and scores were traded in a mud-spattered war of attrition ending in a 3-3 draw. And finally a derby tie with Alton 2 - pure muck and bullets stuff which was heading for a stalemate until tiredness finally caught up and we bravely went down by a single score. Amazing effort from everyone and a special mention to those making their first appearance in a festival for Alton.

On a wet and muddy day, as coaches, we have run out of superlatives to describe the way the Alton 2 emerging team played at the Alton Festival.
​The team played consistently brilliantly across all five games.​ There were thumping tackles from Max, Khalis and Henry. Scything runs by James, Joseph, Cameron and Alexander. Excellent rucking from Arthur, Hector and Harry. To be honest you can switch all the names round as our boys performed in all roles through all games.​
​The day started with a game against Arlesford. For a few of the team, it was their first experience of a real game however after conceding an early try the team came together and Alton drew level after a spell of pressure near the oppositions try line. After half-time Alton took the lead however Arlesford kept fighting and scored towards the end of the game to share the spoils.​
​The second game was against Overton and they made a quick start and took the lead. Alton rallied together and drew level a couple of minutes later. The second half was a closely run affair and saw both teams running in one more try and a draw was a fair reflection of how closely the two teams were matched.​
​Game number three was against Basingstoke. The stars were aligned and everything worked perfectly. All tackles were made, balls were ripped, rucking was text book, every pass was to hands and the off-loads in tackles kept the game flowing and allowed lots of tries to be scored. Throughout the game the boys got the basics right and even though Basingstoke worked hard Alton secure a comfortable win.​
​Everyone was looking forward to game four as it pitted two groups of friends against each other. It was Alton 1 versus Alton 2. For 12 minutes all friendships were put on hold.​ The game was played with the high-level of intensity you would expect and after end-to-end action throughout the game only one try separated the two teams however it could've gone either way. Both teams did everything right and managed to hold on to a very slippery ball which gave all spectators a great game of rugby to watch.
​The final game of the day was against Winchester and we were particular proud of the boys. For the majority of the game the two teams were evenly matched however Alton maintained a high-level of discipline and focused on playing rugby. This proved to be the difference between the two teams and allowed Alton to secure a third win of the day.​
​The team were unbeaten through the five games however more importantly they were doing the basics right. Strong tackling, powerful rucking, great support play, off-loading in the tackle and phenomenal TEAM WORK in some very muddy conditions.​
​Well done to all the boys, we've very proud of the way you played.​

Huge thanks go to our coaches Ben Thirlwall, Andy Hayward, Rob Levey, Donn D'Arcy, Shaun Stevens, Marc Elton & Andrew Kefford for the past few weeks training these boys to become the outstanding players that they proved to be this weekend.
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