Bracknell Under 14s Clinch League Title

As the blinds were thrown open this morning the day announced itself, dark, wet, windy and slightly unpleasant. It was not the day we d have wished for - but we were off to Fortress Calfridus - that patch of luscious green oasis in the Bracknell massive. That patch of grass that always seems to boost the boys. The setting where we had not been defeated since we could remember. The place where Bracknell Bulls could secure the 2014/2015 Berkshire League title.

The rain came down a bit harder during warm up. It started vertical and then verged on the horizontal as the wind gusted. But the boys were focussed on controlling and adopting to the task in hand. Wind, rain, mud, slippery balls - they were mere incidentals to Bracknell today. They were up for it from the start.

Reading are a fantastic outfit. And they provide the best of all our Berkshire rivalries. We are massive combattants on the field - but friends as soon as the game ends. Long may that continue. It is the anticipation of these matches and the rugby ethic that accompanies it that make Sunday mornings worthwhile.

But those minutes between kick off and the final whistle would today provide the bragging rights until September.

Bracknell came out of the traps very quickly. Several passages of clinically executed hammer and nail calls took us forward and tested the Reading defence early on. They were clearly rattled so Bracknell kept up the pressure - with wave after wave of line breaking carries from Fergus Hill, Tom Day and Alex Robinson eventually resulting in Reading transgression. Captain Ben Clark capitalised on the forward momentum to call a scrum from the resulting penalty. It was a shrewd leadership call which gave quick ball through the backs hands to flyer Alex Macdonald on the wing. He took one step inside and then hit the turbo to back himself on the outside and complete a 30 metre run to score in the corner.

Reading were wounded and came back strong with Josh Smart and Sam Jordan running hard and straight at Bracknell centres Sam Faulkner and Sam Clough. They would get no change from that today. The door was firmly closed and they were imperious. Reading went through a sustained spell of recycling ball and being patient - trying to break around the fringes. But the combinations of guards and bodyguards shut down the space and frustrated. The discipline and structure of James Walford, Kane O’Leary and Ben Torr was way beyond their years.

Having had that avenue closed Reading moved ball out wide. Billy Dainton valiantly continued to call plays in an attempt to break the line. On the rare occasion that there was a breach the well rehearsed defensive system kicked in and full back JJ Paling became our very own Courtney Lawes dumping allcomers unceremoniously to the turf as only he can do.

There was just one score in it at half time. And 2 teams still very much in the game.

The beauty of the Bracknell team is our strength in depth - but also our versatility. The pre match talk was about Courage, Confidence and Teamwork. We never have individuals - we just have boys who want to play with and for each other.

So it is maybe fitting that a previously untested halfback combination threw themselves instinctively into a top level game and performed out of their skins for the team. It’s never easy stepping in - but fly half Josh Zeller and scrum half Ewan Castle dominated their much more experienced opponents. And with a quick and accurate service they gave a plethora of quality ball to the Bracknell backs.

If Reading thought this was a weakness then they soon changed their tack. Bracknell started to dominate the breakdown more and more. The line breaks became more and more frequent and the recycling was clean and precise. Tom Day was like a majestic stag galloping through Windsor Great Park - felled only by brave Reading defence and then frequently dragging a few players through the mud with him.

The dam was soon going to break and excellent interplay from our own twin towers resulted in Reading getting sucked in. After some slick hands in the backs Toby Holland was left in space with a one on one. There was only money on a single outcome and again excellent use of the outside channel gave him a lovely try in the corner. From somewhere that looked like the outskirts of Wokingham JJ Paling knocked over the most miraculous of conversions !

Now Alex Macdonald had somewhat of a reputation for burgling the ball from open play. Reading had experienced this in the first leg and he was not one to disappoint his home fans either. The ball went loose in our 22 and actually seemed to have been regained by Reading when a flash of green stole it from nowhere and romped a full 75 yards to flop down under the posts. A couple of killer blows in as many minutes. With three tries to the good Bracknell went in search of the fourth to seal a fine day and the bonus point. And it was Alexander Robinson who took advantage of a big drive to stretch his long arms for the score. This was the first time in a number of years that Reading had failed to put any points on the board. We were equally strong in defence and attack…..

All in all fantastic day….an awesome group of lads….. and opponents in Reading who we will always love and respect in equal measure.

oh……….and League Winners.