CRUFC

Free “Introduction to Rugby” for Under 13s

Chesham Stags are holding a free rugby training session for any Year 8 boys on Sunday 14^th March at 10.00am.

The session is intended for any new or existing rugby players.  All levels of potential players are welcome. They could be:

· boys who have never played rugby before;

· existing players who only play for their school side but enjoy the game and want to play more;

· players at other clubs who are frustrated at being left on the sidelines;

· players who have just moved into the area.

All Chesham coaches are RFU trained and accredited and new players can be assured of the warmest welcome.

The session will be held at the clubs training ground at Chesham Park Community College, Chartridge Lane, Chesham. Any potential players should come in football boots and clothes that can get muddy.

Potential players can turn up on the day or contact the coaches on:

Email: under13@cheshamrugbyclub.com or Tel: 01494 765444 or 07831 133642

Chesham Minis and Juniors at Slough Rugby Festival - 7th March 2010

Under 7s

Match 1:   Chesham 3    Old Albanians 6

Tries:   Finnian Cummins, John McNaughton, Nico Mainwaring.

Match 2:   Chesham 5    Bracknell 4

Tries:    John McNaughton(4), Freddie Ventham.

Match 3:   Chesham 5    Drifters 4

Tries:    John McNaughton, Emeka Atuanya(2), Nico Mainwaring, Freddie Ventham.

Match 4:   Chesham 6    Aldermarston 1

Tries:    Finnian Cummins (3), John McNaughton(2), Nico Mainwaring.

Final:    Chesham 5    Old Albanians 8

Tries:    John McNaughton (4), Finnian Cummins.

Chesham Under 7s had an exceptional day at the Slough Festival coming second in the Under 7 age group and beating all teams but one.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, Chesham worked really hard as a team, playing 5 matches in all. The Under 7s tagging and passing were crisp and they were quick to score tries when the opportunities presented themselves. Every player had a chance to shine, particularly some of our younger and newer players, such as Henry Keith, Thomas Winfield, George Chard and Finlay Halley.  All the team showed high energy, commitment and discipline and listened well to the coaches and referee.  Joseph Lewin and Charli Keith e, both in their first season with the club, showed how they have grasped the game. 

In the last match, the Chesham players put up fierce resistance to a strong Old Albanians side containing many older players, and made themselves tough to beat with some superb tagging on the line. The score would have been closer had it not been for some last ditch defence by Albanians to push the Chesham flyers into touch. 

Player of the day: Joseph Lewin.

U7 Team:  Charlie Keith, Emeka Atuanya, Finlay Halley, Finnian Cummins, Freddie Ventham, George Chard, Henry Keith, John McNaughton, Joseph Lewin, Nico Mainwaring and Thomas Winfield.

Coaches:   Mike Chard and Simon Halley

Under 8s

Match 1     Chesham 4   Slough 2

Tries:   Rhys James, Archie James, Andrew McNaughton (2)

Match 2     Chesham 4    Egham 3

Tries:   Max Pearce, Andrew McNaughton (2), Thomas Bourke

Semi final     Chesham 1    Drifters 5

Tries:    Cicely Fulford

Chesham were fired up from the start of the first match with Rhys James scoring in the corner followed by Archie James before half time.  Good pressure and tagging by Lincoln Muir and Cicely Fulford closed down the opposition well. Andrew McNaughton made the most of the large pitch to run in two superb tries.

In the second match, Egham scored within the first minute, but Chesham quickly replied when Max Pearce went over the line following a dazzling run by Will Gilling. Andrew McNaughton continued his impressive performance with two further tries followed by Thomas Bourke. In a tense finale, Egham rallied and scored twice but Chesham held out to reach a well deserved semi-final.

In the semi-final, Drifters were into their stride early with 3 quick tries. Cicely Fulford replied for Chesham and Andrew McNaughton was unlucky to have a try disallowed.  Chesham’s defence improved in the second half, with Ewan Gronbach, Rhys James and Will Gilling taking some excellent tags but Drifters added to their score and Chesham ran out of time to stage a fightback.

Players of the day:   Andrew McNaughton & Will Gilling

U8 Team:  Alfie Bouchier, Andrew McNaughton, Archie James, Cicely Fulford, Ewan Gronbach, Lincoln Muir, Matthew Armistead, Rhys James, Thomas Bourke, William Gilling, Max Pearce, Joshua Pressler.

Coaches:       Jane Morris & Andy McNaughton

Under 10s

Match 1     Chesham 3   Slough 1

Tries:   Amri Shakir, Adam Hounsfield

Match 2    Chesham 3  Old Albanians 1

Tries:   George Pattifer, Adam Hounsfield, Alex Juniper

Match 3     Chesham 2   Drifters 3

Tries:   Adam Hounsfield, Alex Juniper

Match 4     Chesham 1    Bracknell 3

Tries:       Adam Hounsfield

On a sunny day in sight of Windsor castle, Chesham got off to a great start grinding out a win against Slough after taking a 3 – 0 first half lead. The Under 10s followed the victory by beating Old Albanians in style with some excellent running rugby. Chesham lost the hard-hitting Luke Dawson to injury and he was missed as Chesham narrowly lost to Drifters in the third match with slipped tackles and handling errors. Chesham needed a victory against Bracknell in the last match to make amends and get into the final. At half time, the match was tied at one try each with Chesham giving it there all against the eventual competition winners. An interception try from Bracknell and a disallowed try from the elusive Adam Hounsfield saw Bracknell run out victors.

Player of the day: Amri Shakir

U10 Team:  Barnaby Bloom, Amri Shakir, Will Scott, George Pettifer, George Pratt, Luke Bouchier, Luke Dawson, Adam Hounsfield, Charlie Butler, James Hogg, Harry Pawlak, Alex Juniper

Under 11s

Match 1:   Chesham 0    Drifters  5

Match 2:   Chesham 10 Slough 5

Tries:   Matthew Harris, Jack Edhouse

Match 3:   Chesham 0    Bracknell 15

Match 4:   Chesham 5    Aldermaston 10

Tries:  Jordan Joseph

Chesham Under 11s showed their usual qualities of determination and grit despite missing some key players and against a set of clubs with much larger resources. Chesham started slowly in the first match and conceded a quick try. Despite possession, the final passes didn’t go to hand so Chesham didn’t put away the scores that their performance deserved.

In the second match, Chesham’s pace and commitment proved too much for a much larger Slough side, with tries from Jack Edhouse and Matthew Harris.  The third match saw a very strong and clinical Bracknell side run in three unanswered tries despite determined tackling from Chesham. In the final match, after conceding two early tries, Chesham dominated the second half and Jordan Joseph broke through an uncompromising Aldermaston defense to touch down. In an absorbing last session, Chesham were pressing for another try to level the match when the final whistle blew.

Player of the day:     Philip Coleman.

Coach:    Simon Harris

U11 Team:  Alfie Lawson; Corry Evans; Matthew Harris; William Taylor; Philip Coleman; Jack Edhouse; Andrew Youngs; Anna Harris; Ilan Sirotkin; Jordan Joseph ;Georgina Evans; Max Lee; Noah Pressler

Team:    Under 12s

Match 1:   Chesham 5    Drifters 10

Tries:   Jordan Ross

Match 2:   Chesham 5    Bracknell 10

Tries:    Harry Pollard

Match 3:   Chesham 15 Egham 5

Tries:    Harry Pollard (2),  Jordan Ross

Chesham found themselves in a tough pool for the group stages of the festival. Their first match was against Drifters who only 3-weeks ago had inflicted a heavy defeat on the Stags. A slow start found Chesham one try down after only 15-seconds. This seemed to spur the Chesham players on who then exerted tremendous pressure and played some of their best rugby this season. Jordan Ross scored an equaliser just before half-time. Only a debated try in a thrilling second half stopped Chesham claiming a much-deserved draw.

The second match saw Chesham facing Bracknell for the first time ever. Chesham played some great rugby; forwards and backs linking well to push Bracknell back into their own half. There was very little between the two teams with the score at one try each from to a score from Harry Pollard. Once again, a late try in the second half deprived Chesham a deserved draw. The final match against Egham gave Chesham a well earned win with Harry Pollard and Jordan Ross proving unstoppable.

Player of the day: Harry Pollard.

U12 Team:  Jordan Ross, Harry Pollard, Paddy Cummins, Michael Warwick, Alfie Pettifer, Olivia Harris, Oliver Newton, Jonathan Heath, Adam Cox, Daniel New, Samuel Fulford, Jamie Hounsfield, Edward Butterworth, Tom Gogarty, Barney Gucklhorn and James Bell.

Coach: Paul Harris

Minis Report - 21st February 2010

Chesham RUFC Minis v Verulam RUFC Minis - 21st February 2010

Under 8s

Match 1: Chesham 2 Verulam 5

Scorer: Andrew McNaughton (2).

Match 2: Chesham 4 Verulam 2

Scorers: Andrew McNaughton, Alfie Bouchier, Sasha Edhouse (2)

Match 3: Chesham 2, Verulam 3

Scorers: Archie James, Sasha Edhouse

Having played Verulam twice before this season, Chesham knew that the sides were pretty evenly matched, and also were aware that it would be important to try to stop their fast winger from getting too much space. Despite a slow start from during the first match, Chesham increased momentum as they warmed up, and showed some fantastic passing and off loading from the tag resulting in much more free flowing play. Chesham tagging was consistent and solid, with the result that Verulam turned over the ball without reaching the try line on many occasions. The squad is really developing into a very well rounded team, with solid team work, enthusiastic support, and excellent attitude. Captain of the day, Lincoln Muir, lead well and made some fantastic tags, and Andrew McNaughton played fantastically closing down Verulam from the first ball play with his speed in defence, as well as scoring 3 tries.

Player of the day: Matthew Armistead.

U8 Team: Alfie Bouchier, Andrew McNaughton, Archie James, Cicely Fulford, Ewan Gronbach, Lincoln Muir, Matthew Armistead, Oliver Butterworth, Rhys James, Sasha Edhouse, Thomas Bourke, William Gilling.

Under 10s

Match 1: Chesham 5 Verulam 2

Tries: Ben Fisher, Jack Edhouse, Philip Coleman. Conversions: Matthew Harris (3)

Match 2: Chesham 6 Verulam 1

Tries: Jamie Barnes, Philip Coleman (2), Ben Fisher, Jordan Joseph. Conversions: Matthew Harris (4)

Player of the day: George Pettifer

U10 Team: Luke Dawson, James Hogg, Alex Crombie, Luke Bouchier, George Pratt, George Pettifer, Barnaby Bloom, Theo Kontos, Charlie Butler, Anthony Brackley, Adam Hounsfield

Under 11s

Match 1: Chesham 21 Verulam 21

Tries: Ben Fisher, Jack Edhouse, Philip Coleman. Conversions: Matthew Harris (3)

Match 2: Chesham 33 Verulam 14

Tries: Jamie Barnes, Philip Coleman (2), Ben Fisher, Jordan Joseph. Conversions: Matthew Harris (4)

Chesham Stags Under 11s gained revenge for a close defeat earlier in the season with a draw and a win against Veralams Under 11s. With snow on the ground, the first match was evenly matched with end-to-end action. New recruit, prop Ben Fisher made an immediate impact, scoring a valuable try in his first match for Chesham. Jack Edhouse and Philip Coleman added tries to even the score.

In the second match, Verulam made a flying start with two quick tries, both of which were converted. At 14-0 down, the Stags were galvanised into action and after mauling the ball up-field, Jamie Barnes crash over for the first try. Chesham began to dominate in the forwards and a series of strong scrums saw the ball passed down the line for Phillip Coleman to weave his way through to score twice. The game was put out of reach with a further tries by Ben Fisher and a half the length of the pitch dash by Jordan Joseph.

Player of the day: Ben Fisher.

U11 Team: Ben Fisher; Alfie Lawson; Corry Evans; Matthew Harris; Jamie Barnes; William Taylor; Philip Coleman; Jack Edhouse; Andrew Youngs; Anna Harris; Jamie Barnes; Ilan Sirotkin; Jordan Joseph

Minis update

The U11s and U12s were due to be playing in the Land Rover Premiership Cup Festival organised by Saracens this Sunday.

Unfortunately the pitches at Habadashers’ are waterlogged so the festival has been postponed (date to be confirmed).

Therefore everyone will be training at home this Sunday except for the U13s who are due to be playing Chiltern B away from home.

All square for U17s

Chesham Under 17s 15 Beaconsfield Under 17s 15

This was League game number 4 for Chesham and the teams were pleased to find themselves back in a match situation after snow had so severely disrupted the fixture schedule. Three times Chesham edged in front by a try, and three times Beaconsfield drew level. Chesham tries from Peter Duvall, Joss Wright and Alex Hanney were the highlights, though to be fair there was some ruthless defensive tackling which never allowed Beaconsfield to get their noses in front. Both teams had to be inventive as play after play was cancelled out. In such an even game it would have been unfair to have a winner, and a draw was the right result.

U17s: Ben Brown, Ollie Cato (Captain), James Cridland, Joe Cross, Tom Cullen, Richard Deane, Peter Duvall, Arthur Edwards, Ryan Gould, Alex Hanney, Nick Jones, Alex Partington, Imanol Walsh, Dominic Walshaw, Cameron Watts, Joss Wright.

Photos from Bletchley Xmas 7s

Chesham Stags U15/16 squad at the inaugural Christmas 7's rugby tournament run by Bletchley Rugby Club held on Tuesday 30th December:

Mini & Junior Highlights

On Saturday the 5th December the U9s & U10s lined the tunnel at Vicarage Road for the start of the Saracens vs Sale match. 

On Sunday 13th December we had two Saracens players visit Chesham rugby club. It was a very exciting day and a fantastic opportunity for our young players to get up close and personal with the professional players. Photos from the day can be viewed as a slideshow at the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheshamrufc/sets/72157622881064769/show/

 
On Sunday 20th December we will all be at home followed by the kids Christmas Party and hopefully a visit from Santa - tickets £5 per child.

On Wednesday 30th December the U15s & U16s will take part in a 7s tournament at Bletchley Rugby Club. It is an all day event so if you fancy a break from leftover turkey the boys could do with the support.

Tough encounter for U17s

Bracknell U17 41 Chesham U17 0

League match number 3 turned out to be the toughest yet. Luckily, all 15 players made it through to the end of the match – just about. With no subs it was a mighty effort to keep going, but the players did not let themselves down in commitment.

Chesham started really well. For the first few minutes of the game, with good possession, the ball was switched from left to right and some momentum was promised. But that was the only time that hopes were high. Chesham had the odd breakaway run which invariably ended in isolation, the Bracknell backs smothering the ball in numbers to keep their clean sheet.

So what positives can we take? Chesham did look like scoring once or twice near the end when Jonny collected the ball after one of Joe’s runs and was within a couple of metres of the Bracknell line. And Chesham never gave up. Even as the seventh try went in they rallied and kept at it. Most players showed that they can put in a good tackle when they mean to, though more often than not the first tackle was missed, which allowed Bracknell to generate forward movement at almost every attempt. So, better tackling applied consistently by all players is the latest learning objective. But the fighting spirit never left them and we look forward to the next match on 10th January 2010.

Chesham U17s: Ben Brown, Kieran Burke, Ollie Cato (Captain), Joe Cross, Tom Cullen, Richard Deane, Peter Duvall, Arthur Edwards, Alex Hanney, Nick Jones, Alex Partington, Jonny Reynolds, Jules Wallis, Dominic Walshaw, Joss Wright.

Saracens to visit Minis

This Sunday the Mini section has cancelled our away fixtures at Verulaniums as we will be visited by two Saracens players. The players will spend time with each age group and will help with training. There will then hopefully be time for photographs and autograph signing in the Clubhouse.

If it is wet then we will be either training in the Gym or doing a Q&A session with the players in the Clubhouse.

The players who are visiting are: Noah Cato and Ethienne Reynecke. Noah Cato - 21 year old wing who has honours for England U20, England 7's and last season England Saxons. Cato was Saracens' leading try scorer last season, which was his first full season. He enjoyed a fantastic season that also saw him make his England Saxons debut. Ethienne Reynecke is a 27 year old South African Hooker. He joined Saracens this season from the South African Super 14 franchise the Lions. His farewell appearance for the Lions was against the British Lions in the summer.

 If you have friends who you think would like to meet the players then please feel free to encourage them to come along to the training session (no cost involved). See you all on Sunday.

Under 7s/ Under 8s v Buckingham - Sunday 29th November

U7 Match Report

U7 Squad: Finnian Cummins, Freddie Hodgson, Nico Mainwairing, Emeka Atuanya, Finlay Halley, Charlie Keith, Henry Keith, Freddie Ventham, Thomas Winfield.

Game 1: Chesham 7 Buckingham 4

Game 2: Chesham 9 Buckingham 1

Game 3: Chesham 8 Buckingham 7

As you can see from the scores the U7s performed wonderfully on a cold and muddy Sunday morning all the way up in Buckingham; winning all of their games. We fielded one U7s team of 9 players and they all worked really hard and concentrated for most of the 3 games. The whole team worked together, tagging was excellent and in many cases the ball was passed 3 or 4 times prior to a try. Try scorers were Finnian, Freddie Hodgson, Nico and Emeka and they were really well supported by the rest of the team. The ball rarely went into touch and all players were good at keeping both hands on the ball. Well done to everyone.

Player of the day was Emeka Atuanya.

U8 Match Report

U8 Squad: Cicely Fulford, William Gilling, Matthew Armistead, Sasha Edhouse, Rhys James, Henrietta Evans, Max Pearce and Oliver Butterworth

Game 1: Chesham 5: Buckingham 9

Game 2: Chesham 3: Buckingham 3

Game 3: Chesham 1: Buckingham 5

After a run of good matches we all succumbed to the cold and muddy conditions at Buckingham. We were too slow to start in the first game allowing Buckingham to score 4 quick tries. A much better effort in the second half saw us score 5 tries - (Rhys, William, Cicely, Henrietta and Sasha), but we also let them score 5 too!

We built on this in the second game which was very evenly matched, but once again we let them lead 1-0 by half time. In the second half great effort by Will, with some nifty side stepping, lead to him scoring 2 tries. Rhys had a good run from 1 end of the pitch to the other to score a third, but then Buckingham hit back to snatch a victory.

In the third game passing was poor following the tag, resulting in too many knock-ons and the ball being handed over to Buckingham, who then taught us a lesson in how accurate passing and good support can lead to tries. Our 1 try was a fantastic individual effort from Henrietta Evans, with incredible weaving through a dense crowd of Buckingham players, leading to her being named player of the day.

We all know we could have played much better than we did, and that on past performances we could have won these matches. We need to work on our passing and not crowding around the player waiting for a pass. You need space to be able to run.