Old Cats Under 13/12 vs Warlingham Under 13

The Old Cats Under 13 and 12 teams combined their squads to take on our local friendly rivals Warlingham Under 13 team for their first match of the season. The sessions were designed to test the boys fitness playing on a full size pitch for the first time and was split into thirds so the coaches of both teams could try different combinations of players in different positions.

The first session, Old Cats conceded two quick tries to Warlinghams speed merchant on the wing. After this the Old Cats boys got to grips with the game and put in a solid performance in both defence and attack. Old Cats came agonising close to scoring a couple of tries of their own and then defending as if their lives depending on it, holding the ball up on three occasions to ensure Warlingham could not open the lead any further.

The second third saw Old Cats change things around. With a new team on the pitch the Old Cats boys did not learn the lesson from the previous session to close down the opposition and prevent the ball getting wide to their cost.

On the last third and again with a change of personnel and positions, the Old Cats boys were determined not to come away with the fixture empty handed. The team put every effort into wearing Warlingham down to score three tries. The first two were great team efforts which were finished off by Harrison & Alex Duckett and then a great solo effort from Harrison to win the session three tries to one and a conversion was added by Ross.

Old Cats had three new lads joining us for the first time and all gave a fantastic account for themselves in a competitive match. Max, Harry and Charlie all put in sterling performances. With so many of the boys playing an exceptional game, the man of the match was always going to be a difficult choice, but after careful consideration Charlie on his debut performance wins the prize for his awesome tackles which gained plaudits from both Warlingham and Old Cats coaches.

A special thank you needs to out to the referee Martin Corbett who took time out with the boys explaining what he was looking for and to give them the insight required in league matches for the future. We also need to extend our thanks to the boys of Warlingham who showed great sportsmanship during and after the match.