Veni, Vidi, Vici Vectis

Having enjoyed victory at the Newbury Festival the previous week, the ‘Green Peas’ were highly fancied to perform well at the Vectis Mini Festival, the culmination of their Isle of Wight tour. The unanswered question was, after two days of fun and frolics, would they have lost some of their cutting edge, especially in the predicted bright sunshine and soaring temperatures, which were sure to sap energy levels.

However, clearly the coaching staff know a thing or two about attaining optimal performances from their charges and getting them to peak at just the right time. Preparing the children with a programme of late nights, gambling and huge quantities of chocolate might be at odds with the latest thinking on how to achieve sporting success, but there can be no denying its effectiveness on this occasion. Head Nutritionist for the team, Richie Smith, certainly felt vindicated by his unconventional use of isotonic Easter eggs the previous evening!

Traditionally slow starters, Bracknell for once got off to a flying start in the first match of the day against Dorking, building up a 4-0 lead before half time. Michael O’Donoghue quickly opened the scoring and Michael Dykes got the second try with a run from half way after great work from the forwards had secured the ball from a ruck. A virtual carbon copy of that try saw Paul Studd cross the line and Douglas McMurray made it 4-0 at half time following up after Michael O’D had come up just short with a typical jinking run. Further scores from Michael Dykes, Mackenzie Forth and Harry Worm in the second half gave Bracknell a confidence building victory marked by a really dominant display from the forwards and good distribution from scrum halves Scott Harman and Douglas.

The next game, against Sevenoaks Barbarians, was to prove the toughest of the day. The teams were evenly matched and there was ferocious defensive work from both sides as each struggled to get on top. Bracknell’s forward line got the try they all deserved for their hard graft when they finished off a driving maul by pushing Paul Studd over the line to leave the match tied at 1-1. Aaron Smith, Will Heath-Turrall, Will Harding, Oliver Warner and Harry Worm deserve huge credit for the massive effort they put in up front throughout the day.

The last game of the group stage suggested that it might be just as tough for Bracknell, as it was against Beccahamians who had reached the Grand Final of the recent Harlequins Curtain Raiser tournament. But having drawn against The Becs in the group stages at Quins, Bracknell were determined to show how much they had improved recently and they ran out convincing 3-0 winners courtesy of a spectacular hat trick of tries from Michael O’Donoghue.

The win against Beccahamians ensured that Bracknell finished top of their group, and were rewarded with a bye through to the semi-finals. This meant some extra time for the team to recover, get rehydrated and to take on more energy supplements in the form of fruit gums, chocolate rolls and cup cakes. Oliver Warner was soon buzzing to get back on the pitch!

By now the fast tempo of the games combined with the heat, hard ground and sheer physicality of the encounters so far were beginning to take their toll. A number of the players were carrying knocks and Paul Studd unfortunately had to retire with a nasty ankle injury. However, having now reached the knock out stages everyone was aware that defeat would mark the last game of the year and Bracknell Under 9’s were not ready to finish the season prematurely.

Their opponents in the semis were East Sussex team Heathfield Hurricanes and another cracking game of rugby saw Bracknell continue their winning ways with a try count of 3 – 0. The backs all put in some great running displays with Michael Dykes, Michael O’D and Douglas McMurray all scoring, ably supported by Will Field, Scott Harman, Nathan James and Mackenzie Forth.

So once again this team reached the final of the Vectis Festival. Could Bracknell improve on their runner’s up spot from last year? The final would be played against Sevenoaks Barbarians who had given the boys such a tough time earlier in the day. Chris Warner, in full Henry V style, asked the team for one last effort reminding the boys that none of them would want to go home feeling that they hadn’t done their best in the final. The words must have struck a chord, because despite their obvious tiredness the team called on all their reserves to put in an unbelievable effort, almost certainly saving their best performance of the season for this very moment.

Some of the rugby played was breathtaking and there were fine individual performances, both in the forwards and backs. Nathan James, as he had done all day, put in some crunching tackles, while Aaron Smith consistently made ground by stealing the ball and making sneaky runs down the blind side. 1-0 up after a first half try from Michael O’Donoghue, Bracknell ended the first half encamped on their own line after giving away a series of penalties but simply refused to let Sevenoaks past.

In the second half more great forward work earned a penalty just short of the line and with the coaches calling an F1 Dykes move, in the absence of Paul, there was great relief when Michael touched down in the corner to build a more comfortable lead. However, any thoughts that this might have left the opposition dispirited were quickly put to bed as Sevenoaks spent the next few minutes throwing everything they had at the Bracknell line. Yet still the “Green Peas” refused to be squashed, time and again making try saving tackles and driving Sevenoaks back whenever they seemed certain to score. Eventually something had to give and the Barbarians finally got the try they deserved, but with only 20 seconds of the match remaining there was no time for them to score again. Even so, Bracknell immediately went on the attack again and Michael Dykes very nearly broke through the Sevenoaks line before being pushed out of play, as much by his team mates as the opposition, allowing the referee to blow the final whistle.

What a finish to the season! Congratulations to all the boys on their success and to the coaches and parents who have supported them over the whole season. I’m off for a lie down in a darkened room until next September!