Under 10's win County Cup
The U10s squad travelled to Morpeth Rugby Club on Sunday for the County Cup Finals knowing that only two games stood between victory or defeat in the Nothumberland County Cup. Tynedale faced their hosts Morpeth in the semi-final. Both side started well and the game appeared evenly matched, but Tynedale's consistent pressure from the powerful forwards allowed the captain Ridley Browell to score the first well deserved try.
This inspirational play seemed to lift Tynedale's game to a new, previously unseen level. The Tynedale backs passed the ball amongst themselves with surety and conviction for possibly the first time this season. Morpeth equally were showing good quality passing and as they distributed the ball out towards their wing in a slick move, Joseph Harms made an exceptional interception, plucking the ball cleanly out of the air, and ran from the half way line to scored Tynedale's second try a real touch of class.
Morpeth fought back and kept up the pressure but strong defensive play, especially by Guy Pike, Josh Jackson and Alex Bruce denied them any real advance. After some power play by the forwards, the Tynedale outside centre, Josh Jackson, neatly sidestepped two of the Morpeth players to score the third try of the first half.
The second half started well with excellent cover tackling from the Tynedale side. Scrum half, Tom Keegan flicked the ball out to inside centre, Chris Heslop and the Tyne supporters were cheering well before he went over the line, so inevitable was the result. Good strong tackling from Angus White and Harry Lees brought down most of the Morpeth sorties into the Tynedale half.
Hooker Cameron Collins worked hard in the scrums to win ball against a well drilled Morpeth pack and, together with David Woodward and Ridley Browell, secured possession for Tynedale time after time. The constant pressure by the Tynedale scrum allowed Tom Keegan to make an excellent blind side run around the scrum and after dodging several players he slipped over the line to score the fifth.
At this point, with only a few minutes to go, Tynedale started to relax visibly, which resulted in Morpeth scoring a runaway try from the half way line through the now slacking defence. Minutes later Morpeth managed to score again just before the final whistle, which left the final score 5-2.
The second game was for the championship or second place but almost as importantly Tynedale were up against their old rivals Northern. Fired up from the start, good strong handling through the backs got the ball up to the Northern try line and strong pressure by the whole team allowed Chris Heslop to find a gap in their defences to score the opening try.
Northern, their team bolstered by the inclusion of some previously unavailable RGS players, impressed the crowd and fought back well and kept possession for some time. However Tynedale's defensive play was quite superb and they showed the benefit of all the hard training sessions they have endured throughout the season.
Ridley Browell was outstanding, winning ball after ball in the mauls and passing it out to the backs. From a scrum 10 yards out Tom Keegan mosquito-like dodged past Northern's defence to score Tynedale's second try. Tynedale had really got the bit between their teeth and to a man played a real class act, actually remembering all the things they have learnt through the season and really bringing it together at the right time.
Chris Heslop, despite having received an injury and requesting to come off, got possession of the ball in Northern's half and flew down the pitch, shrugging off tackles like Jonah Lomu to score a superb try but unfortunately this was too much for his twisted knee and he had to be substituted. Before Tynedale could bring on a substitute, Northern capitalised on Tyne being a man down and managed to break through the weakened defence to score just before the whistle for the end of the first half.
Refreshed by the break, and some extensive off-pitch physio work, Chris Heslop decided that he was giving no quarter, and despite a very high tackle, opened the second half with another great try. Tom Keegan had to be replaced after receiving a very hard tackle, completely winding him and with Alex Bruce taking over at scrum half, Michael Barnett came onto the pitch. His presence was immediately felt by the Northern team as he put in some crunching tackles, one even lifting the player clean off the ground.
Northern fought back very hard and after excellent runs by their backs managed to score twice more.The last few minutes were incredibly tense with consistent pressure by Northern within the Tynedale half but extremely good defence in midfield by the Tynedale squad kept the score line 4-3, and they earned a very well deserved victory to lift the Cup and bring it back to Tynedale.
The Tynedale Squad were: Ridley Browell, Cameron Collins, David Woodward, Tom Keegan, Joseph Harms, Chris Heslop, Josh Jackson, Alex Bruce, Guy Pike, Harry Lees, Angus White and Michael Barnett.
Under 11's win County Cup
Tynedale mini-rugby under 11s triumphed at the County Cup Finals held at Morpeth with a couple of heroic performances. In the semi finals, Tynedale were pitched against old rivals Gosforth. They struggled for possession early on, but the first piece of good ball saw the play transferred to Tynedale speedster Huw Oliver, who positively scorched in from deep in his own half. Magowan converted.
Gosforth continued to dominate possession and it came as no surprise when they equalised with a converted touchdown. Tynedale fought back and nosed in front before half time with Finlay Magowan running in from halfway after good work from the forwards provided clean ball. He converted his own try.
After the interval, it was real backs to the wall stuff. Alastair Crawford, with a couple of surging runs, provided the only attacking relief. The lineout functioned reasonably well through Dan Lansley and Will Shepherd, but all the real action was in defence, with wingers Simon March and Ben Dancer keeping a check on opponents with stout tackling.
Tynedale held on to win 14-7.
In the final Tyne were up against strong favourites Northern, but it was the blue and whites who got off to a dream start.From the kick off, Northern moved the ball but fumbled it on more than one occasion, finally losing it over their own line. Finlay Magowan showed the value of follow-up and dived on the loose ball to score. He also converted to maintain his 100 per cent goal kicking record for the season.
What followed for the rest of the match can only be described as a heroic rearguard action as Northern threw everything including the kitchen sink at Tynedale. Jonjo Williams gave a faultless fielding display at full back, dealing with the aerial bombardment. Big props Davey Usher and "Kipper" Dalgleish fought hard for scraps of possession. Captain Charlie Maddison as usual tackled his heart out and half-time came as a huge relief with the line still intact.
The second half was again dominated by Northern, punctuated by timely relieving kicks from Magowan, and one great run from Charlie Harvey, who surged half the length of the field before being scythed down. The last five minutes were nervously spent on Tyne's own line.
Three times Northern were held up inches short, but brave and exemplary tackling, especially from the three 'M's Maddison, Magowan and March kept them out. The final whistle went to scenes of great jubilation from players, coaches and parents alike with a 7-0 victory and the cup secured.
The full squad was: Jonjo Williams, Ben Dancer, Huw Oliver, Charlie Harvey, Simon March; Finlay Magowan, Charlie Maddison; Davey Usher, Alastair Crawford, "Kipper" Dalgleish, Dan Lansley, Will Shepherd; Chris Kerr and Edward Wright
Northumberland Under 16 Cup - Ponteland 3 Tynedale 20
(Played at Alnwick)
Following the recent lack of rPatterson Ford Tynedale Under 16 in their quest for another trophy to round off a fine season.
Having lost the toss in front of a good and unsurprisingly partisan crowd Tynedale were asked to play with wind.. Very quickly it became obvious that Tynedale would need a cushion to take into the second period At full strength and in relaxed ,but positive, mood the first half proved to be some of the best Rugby ever played by the Team .Having done their home work Tynedale knew that they had to nullify the pacy Ponteland Back Row and once this was achieved release the impressive Back line to show their growing range of flair and pace.
The early exchanges were tough and uncompromising with the tight forwards props Bradley Hall and Shaun Young very much in the thick of the action . Together with hooker Tony Gradwell and second row Phil Ludford they repulsed everything thrown at them and began to create a useful platform.
Second Row Chris Hall fresh from his exploits the previous day in the Colts final showed once again what an excellent jumper he is in the line out, taking his own ball and causing many problems for the opposition .
Aidan Armstrong at no.6 also showed what a strong player he has become by the sheer volume of tackles completed and this together with his pace and versatility later moving to prop showed what a future he could have. Jamie Holland at no 7 harried the opposition backs and supported well. Captain Matthew Fieldhouse waded in to provide a number of quality turnovers strong runs and thundering tackles deservedly scored the first unconverted try from close range.
The second try came from an excellent turnover in mid field by the forwards which was then passed from lively Scrum half Mike Woodhouse via the backline to Richard Brimacombe who sealed then what has been an impressive transformation this season from Full Back to Outside Centre.
Fly Half Sam Stephenson added a penalty which was cancelled out by Ponteland almost immediately when the Tyne defence became a little too enthusiastic and strayed offside.
The final try in the half was the pick of the bunch with the ball once again from close quarter play following good work from the pack ,flowing along the line via centre Tom Scott often the provider on the day to winger Adam Jones who has also grown in confidence this season. He backed himself from about 30 metres out on the touchline, rounded and jinked his way to score under the post for a try converted by Fly Half Sam Stephenson
The half time score was 20-3 and so it stayed until the final whistle.
The last 35 minutes were not only nail biting for the Tyne spectators but produced some excellent but 'hard ' rugby with Tynedale now playing against the elements. In terms of chances to score Tynedale just about shaded it with right winger Ian Usher being close to getting away on a couple of occasions and Jack Harrison being held up close to the line. Two of the unluckiest players of the season in terms of injury prop Andrew Ions and hooker Steve Ridley came on as replacements and left the coaches thinking what might have been .Jed Bell came on in the back row and as usual was everywhere and Alan Perkins came on as Full Back and performed in his normal dependable way.
The other replacements not used were John Wilkinson, Dan Lowden, Mark Li and Jonny Fieldhouse.
This was Tynedale's day but full credit should be given to Ponteland who were still attacking at the final whistle.
Under 16's win 'Newcastle Cup'
Tynedale played against old Foes Percy Park in the Semi Final of the Newcastle Cup at Kingston Park. The format was 12 minutes each way in each Semi Final and Final
After losing early territorial advantage and conceding an early penalty Tynedale began to take control and dominate much of the possession. The critical score came early in the second half when Matthew Fieldhouse crashed over from close range for an unconverted try. With 75% of possession largely secured Tynedale began to apply pressure with a combination of excellent driving play by the forwards,intelligent kicking with the wind and some incisive pressure in wide positions. The final score was a penalty from Jack Harrison to secure a place in the final Tynedale 8 Percy Park 3
Rather surprisingly in the final Tynedale lined up against West Hartlepool having beaten Egremont in the other Semi.
This was eventually a rather one sided affair but mainly due to the quality of both play and comittment from the Tynedale 15.
The first try scored after some good wide ball received gratefully by winger Adam Jones set the tone with tries from Centre Rich Brimacombe and a wonder try from Full Back Jack Harrison leaving at least 5 defenders in his wake. The other tries were kept in the forwards with Matthew Fieldhouse applying his strength from a Number 8 pickup close to the line and Flanker Jamie Holland sealing the win. Jack Harrison kicked 4 conversions .
The final score Tynedale 31 West Hartlepool 0
Tynedale Under 8's - County Cup Preliminary Round
Tynedale took a 10-man squad to Alnwick in the 7 a-side tournament. Northern B, Alnwick B, Morpeth and Gosforth A were the other teams in Tynedale's group.
At the end of an exciting day Tynedale had recorded two wins, a draw and a defeat gaining five points - finishing in joint second place. Unfortunately this was not enough to see them through to the finals despite a great effort.
The opening match against Northern B was played at a fast and furious pace, with the first try coming from Northern in the opening seconds.. Tynedale rsponded with a try from Ben Stapleford following a Northern handling error. A second try was not long in coming, Freddie Harms putting Alex Deif through close to the touchline to make it 2-1.
A frenetic first half ensued with five more tries scored - three to Tynedale. The first of these three materialised from an excellent quick passing move instigated by captain Mark Woodward and Deif, with Tim Lewis scoring.
Deif then touched down the fourth which again heavilly featured Harms in the build up, and it was Harms himself who scored the fifth. Northen's two added first half tries made it 5-3 to Tynedale at the interval.
Into the second half Woodward set up Tynedale's sixth try for Harms following an effective passing move by Adam Binks and Jamie Gibbin. Tyne's seventh and final score came after an excellent team effort which was finished by Woodward. Northern also scored two further tries to make the final score 7-5 to Tynedale.
Tynedale's next match was against Alnwick B which saw Tynedale record a tremendous 6-2 victory. Harms set up the first try for Deif whilst Deif himself combined with Charles Sale to set Lewis up for the first of his two tries.
Inevitably Deif finished off the third , running the length of the pitch to score following a Gibbin pass. The second half saw Harms again in creative mode, setting up the fourth try for Lewis. Deif scored the fifth to complete his hat-trick and Tom Beddis supported Stapleford to score the sixth.
Tynedale's next match against Morpeth could not have been closer and was a complete contrast to the previous game. Morpeth scored first Tynedale quickly levelled things with Harms again setting up Deif to score but by half time Morpeth had regained the lead.
Stapleford set up a break for Michael McHugh to level the scores but Morpeth were playing a strong game and yet again they quickly regained their lead. In the final dramatic moments Harms scored the game's final try to tie the score at 3-3.
Tynedale had to beat Gosforth A in their final match if they were to qualify for the finals but it was not to be. They did take the lead through Deif although the general play at this stage was scrappy. Gosforth began to take control and by half-time had built up a 3-1 lead. Tynedale fought hard in the second half but despite two further Deif tries the lads could not match the running power of the opposition who came out 5-3 victors.
Tynedale Under 9's - County Cup Preliminary Round
Cold, grey mist hung in the air as Tynedale under 9's arrived at Blyth for the start of the County Cup campaign.
The Raiders squad of Stevens, Henderson, Williams, Thompson, Lambert, Watchorn, Shields, Reay, Keady, Dancers and Debil opened the day against Percy Park. Tynedale's defence was ferocious and they kept the opposition on the back-foot for the entire match. Their subsequent domination of the ball gave them a comfortable win by 20-0.
Their second match against Northern followed a similar pattern an dthe Raiders ran out 15-0 winners.
After a brief rest the Raiders then took on Blyth and they displayed some fine running rugby to win by 45-0. Tynedale's confidence on the ball and their incisive attacking was a joy to behold. One particular try saw the ball pass through the entire Tynedale backline before the right winger crossed to score a fantastic team effort.
The Raider's last game was against Gosforth. which is always a tightly fought encounter. Tynedale started strongly and they scored just before the interval to take a narrow 5-0 lead. In the second period Gosforth pressed hard and despite some fine try-saving tackles on both wings the opposition scored twice to end the game narrow 10-5 victors. Despite this defeat the Raiders had qualified for the finals.
Tynedale's Grasshoppers squad of Day, Evans, Archer, Oliver, Candy, Wright, Dickinson, Wooley, Nicholson and Shepherd opened their campaign against Alnwick. Tynedale conceded three first half tries and could only manage the single consolation try in the second period, losing the match 5-15.
After this early set back however the Hoppers went from strength to strength. Their next match was against Gosforth and it was probably the match of the day. In a closely contested encounter the play swung back and forth before Tynedale ran out eventual 15-10 winners. With strong direct running and renacious mauling the Hoppers opened up a two try lead in the first half before Gosforth scored the first of their two tries on the stroke of half time
Playing up the slope in the second half Tynedale scored an excellent try to extend their lead before Gosforth came back and scored with three minutes still to go. Tyndale's defence held firm to secure a well deserved victory.
In their third match the Hoppers came up against eventual group winners Morpeth. Falling behind early on, Tynedale went on to show they are made of strong stuff. They were controversially disallowed an equalising try just before half time but they immediately responded and forced a good try in the corner to level the scores.
In the second half Morpeth managed to add a second try which they held on to to record a narrow 10-5 victory.
Knowing that victory in their final match against Northern would secure a place in the finals Tynedale started brightly against a determined opposition side.
The game proved to be very tight with Northern twice going in front before Tynedale finally equalised late inthe second half. Unfortunately the draw was not enough as an inferior score difference denied them a place in the finals.
Tynedale Under 10's - County Cup Preliminary Round
The Tynedale'A' and 'B' squads performed admirably in the County Cup qualifiers at Percy Park.
Tynedale 'A' found themselves in a tough group which included both the favourites Northern 'A' and Gosforth. In their opening match against the old enemy Northern some good slick passing created the opening try for a determined Chris Heslop.
Northern fought back hard and soon equalised but Tynedale rose to the challenge and after Heslop had scored another great try Northern bagan to look rattled. Tynedale showed that their pace in attack and ferocious tackling is a devastating combination , with Chris Heslop breaking clean through the opposition defebce on several occasions.
After some more great passing Collins sprinted over for the final try of the match to secure a tremendous victory.
The next match was against Ponteland and Keegan sprinted half the length of the pitch to score Tynedale's opener within the first minute. Heslop scored another shortly after and Pikey added a third just before half time.
Ponteland began the second half strongly but Tynedale forwards Ridley and Woodward worked hard to win line out after line out resulting in another score for Keegan. Three further tries were scored by Josh Jackson and Hessie (2) to complete a fine 6-0 victory.
Throughout the competition Ridley Browell, Cameron Collins and David Woodward found themselves scrummaging against formidably sized opponents but they still combined to win clean scrum ball for their backs. Tom Keegan showed how quick he is with numerous individual breaks, Joseph Harms at stand-off mixed passing and running well with Alex Bruce, Josh Jackson and Guy Pike frequently cutting through the defence.
Against Novos Joseph Harms's instinctive play allowed him to spot a hole in the defence for the opening try whilst new boy Angus White showed excellent skills and versatllity.
The try difference notched up by the 'A' squad remains testament to the quality of their play - 26 tries for and only 4 against.
The 'B' squad after a slow start played some spirited rugby with excellent running from the backs and powerful play from their forwards.
Captain Michael Barnett led by example, never tiring from setting up mauls and was always in the thick of things. Some of the cover tackling from Joanne Chomse drew loud applause from all spectators while the props Joe Woods, Liam Everitt and Alex Fitton worked hard to win a number of scrums against the head enabling Tomas Lowton at scrum half and Harry Lees at stand-off to set up some fine back moves.
Despite th e determination of the centres and wings, Alex Howie, Mark Carrington, Rory West and Rachel Robson Tynedale'B' 's were unable to crack the opposition's defence enough and unfotunately could not do enough to join the 'A' in the finals.
IN VERY heavy conditions the Patterson Ford Tynedale Under 16s and their Carlisle counterparts served up a really superb spectacle at Tynedale Park.
The two evenly matched teams showed total commitment and some considerable skill in the trying conditions. Carlisle, themselves having had a successful season, looked a very useful unit in the early exchanges playing with the wind.
The Tynedale side had to soak up early pressure in the rucks and mauls, having to deal with an initial aerial bombardment and some good handling from the opposition three quarters. From one promising attack the ball was dropped by the opposition only to end up in the hands of the Prudhoe Express, Ian Usher who for once was not running late and scored a marvellous try from 50 metres out, displaying a great turn of speed.
The Tynedale forwards grew in confidence competing for the ball in every phase of the game. The back row worked very hard with open side flanker Jed Bell covering miles of ground. The lineout worked well for Tynedale with Chris Hall and Jamie Holland winning the majority of the ball in the two and four positions.
The front row of Tony Gradwell, Aidan Armstrong and John Wilkinson fought well to create a steady platform against useful counterparts. Second row Bradley Hall worked really hard both in attack and defence and from nowhere latched on to a pass in midfield and, looking passably like a centre for a fleeting moment, made a searching run into midfield. Whilst his initial inclination was to put his head down and go for the line, he resisted the initial temptation and offloaded a well timed pass for Ian Usher to run in another excellent winger's try.
With the strong wind against them a 10-0 lead at half time was very creditable.
In the second half the momentum was maintained with the Tynedale backs showing more and more penetration. The next try was very well executed. From a scrum close to the opposition line the ball was fed out by scrum half Mike Woodhouse to fly half Sam Stephenson who passed inside for number eight Matthew Fieldhouse to head for the line. Having evaded the opposition tacklers he crashed over in the corner.
Jack Harrison in his first game since October had some surging runs and made the spectators realise how much his pace and flair had been missed all season. Fittingly he scored the fourth try after his own charge down after some excellent pressure by centre Rich Brimacombe and winger Adam Jones. In the closing minutes Carlisle scored a late consolation try.
The Patterson Ford Tynedale U8's played host to Morpeth and played three games as their other opponents, Blyth, were not able to make the fixture. The first eight-a-side game was captained by Freddie Harms and saw Alex Deif score a hat-trick, the first of two during the day. The final tally was 5-3 to Tynedale.
Freddie set up Ben Staplefield to score the first try of the day. Then came Alex's first try, well supported by good passing from Tim Lewis. After half time, three more tries materialised although the first came from Jamie Gibbin supported by Ben Ritchie after rather scrappy play near the touch line. The solid play of Adam Binks allowed Alex a second try, with Mark Woodward setting up Alex's third.
Morpeth played a hard game but the regular training tactics employed by Tynedale provided the stronger side in this match.
The second match saw an alternative combination in the Tynedale players but this time Morpeth were the stronger and more co-ordinated team. Mark Woodward captained the boys who rose to the challenge but were defeated by 4 tries to 2. The team comprised Jamie, Sebastian Neal, Tom Beddes, Ben, Michael McHugh, Christopher Taylor and Freddie who set up the first try for Mark.
The second score came from a long run the length of the pitch by Mark. In the second half only Morpeth scored and the home team was shuffled around with Jamie and Mark being substituted for Adam and Jack Gallagher.
The final game was extremely close, with the teams fielding only seven a-side. Freddie again captained the strong Tynedale team who gained two tries in the first half and three in the second to take the match 5-2. Freddie, Mark and Ben achieved the first try. Michael and Jamie supported Ben who again opened the Morpeth defence up for Alex to score,
In the second half Tim and Thomas Bunn were the substitutes for Michael and Jamie and this gave Tim his first try, with good support play from the whole team. The second of Alex's tries was set up by good teamwork from Tim. The last score of the day saw a fine run by Alex the length of the pitch giving him his second hat trick of the day, making the final score Morpeth 3 Tynedale 5.
Another fine Sunday morning gave excellent playing conditions as Tynedale played host to a team from Morpeth althoughTynedale's Raiders and Hoppers started the morning playing each other.
With evenly matched teams the final score of 15-15 well reflects the quality in the squad. Both teams are succeeding in playing a more open running game, with wingers increasingly coming into play.
Tyne's Raiders then took on the Morpeth team. The visitors started well and with the slope and shaky home defence took a 10-20 lead into the half time. Tynedale rang the changes in the second half, and set about overhauling the visitors with some crashing driving play to run out 30-20 winners.
Tynedale's Hoppers side were the next opposition for the visiting team. Tynedale won the toss and chose to play up the slope first half. In an even contest, with some good driving running from Morpeth in the early stages the sides where tied 5-5 until late in the half when Tyne's back division ran in two late tries to lead 15-5 at half-time.
Tynedale started the half with a rolling set piece move leading to a try for the scrum half. Tynedale now had the bit between their teeth and ran in three more tries to end the game 35-5 winners.
Under 11's v Blyth & Ashington and Morpeth
Tynedale Under 11 travelled to Blyth, playing on their reserve pitch near the beach.
Their first match was against hosts Blyth and Ashington who struggled against the sure footwork of Charlie Maddison who opened the scoring. Maddison at the base of the scrum was able to feed Findlay Macgowan. Macgowan showed the large crowd the art of percentage rugby by creating breaks and ensuring the ball was recycled. This allowed Jonjo Williams to run straight at the opposition, striking fear into the Blyth and Ashington backs. He was unfortunately held short of the line, but Edward Wright, with good support play, laid the ball off to Macgowan to score his first try.
The strong wind did not affect the Patterson Ford sponsored side. Henry Collingham, playing some of his best rugby ever, picked up a difficult bobbling ball and took on three of the opposition, all trying to stop him. Eventually, he could go no further, he turned and made the ball available to William Shepherd playing but of position on the wing Shepherd who normally plays second row used his strength and set up Macgowan to score again.
Much improved Dan Lamsely proved is worth in any team by scoring from 25 metres out. Charlie Harvey who linked with Maddison crashed over from five metres out. Chris Kerr scored a well deserved late on to seal the game. Tynedale won six tries to nil.
The second match was a little harder where Morpeth proved a stronger side than previous encounters. Kerr kept them guessing with his sniping runs gaining much distance with support from Harvey dominating the centres.
Morpeth forwards were strong and it was the shear power of Tynedale front row that kept them back. With Patterson Ford sponsors watching this match loose head prop Simon March despite his size had his opposite number struggling in the set play and was no match for March's loose play around the park. Quick thinking Maddison from a penalty set up Tynedale's best find tight head prop Kipper Daglish who barged and thundered his way through much of the opposition and was unlucky not to score.
Macgowan opened the scoring, and March rampaged over for Tynedale's second,which Morpeth were unable to answer
Tynedale Under 8's v Alnwick & Percy Park
The Under 8's played hosts to Alnwick and Percy Park, beating Alnwick whilst losing out to an experienced Park side.
Their first match against Alnwick was played at a fast pace, with skillful running by both teams. Captain Freddie Harms led a disciplined defence and the resilience of the team paid off. Good ball handling skills created several opportunities and created the gaps which led to four tries scored by Harms, Mark Woodward and Ben Stapleford(2). Charles Sale and Jamie Gibson, Alex Deif and Thomas Bunn played key roles in setting up the tries.
Alnwick proved stiff opposition but 'Tyne' came out 4-2 winners.
The second match against the very experienced Percy Park side proved a valuable learning experience. The team battled bravely but were eventually overcome with a final 6-1deficit. Tynedale's try was scored by captain Alex Deif following good work by Tim Lewis and mark Woodward.
Tynedale Under 9's v Alnwick & Percy Park
The Under 9's hosted a high quality series of matches . The Tynedale Hoppers team took on Alnwick in the first match and found themselves 25-0 down at half time with the Tyne players struggling to get going. In the second period Tynedale demonstrated better defence and Tynedale scored a good try of their own before going down 35-5.
The Hoppers played much better in their second match against Percy Park before going down 25-5.
Tynedale Raiders played a tough opening match against Percy Park and in a close fought encounter ran out 10-0 victors. Much of the Raiders success this season has been based on a fierce defence, but they have now added ferocious ripping of the ball from mauls and driving play in the rucks, preventing the opposition from seeing much of the ball.
The Raiders second match against Alnwick ended in a conclusive 40-0 victory and they then played Percy park for the second time in the day. The match was again very even and the scores were level at half time with one try apiece. In the second half Tynedale pinned the visitors back and they crossed twice to end the day worthy 15-5 victors.
Tynedale U9's - Take on Gosforth and Ponteland
Rain lashing against the window panes awoke the Patterson Ford U9 Mini rugby squad this week before they travelled to Kingston Park for a series of local derby matches. Tynedale put up two sides against two from Gosforth and a mixed age group team from Ponteland. By kick off, the rain had been blown out into the North Sea by a strong westerly gale, which combined with the heavy ground under foot to make very difficult playing conditions.
Tynedale's Raiders team opened the day against Gosforth's Tigers. With the wind on Tyne's backs the visitors started slowly, but rapidly built phases of play and crossed first for a fine try. As the teams turned, the wind increased and Tynedale battled hard up the hill to run out 10-5 winners. Raiders second game was against Gosforth's Dragon team on a sodden pitch. Once again playing downhill with the wind, Tynedale pressed hard and crossed for two tries before half time. As they played uphill, Gosforth attacked hard, penning Tynedale close to their try line for much of the half. Tynedale's defence held firm and then turned into attack for a final try, giving a 15-0 final score.
Tynedale's Hoppers side came up first against the Dragons and despite brave defence lost 30-15 to the home team. Hoppers second game was against the Gosforth Tigers team. The heavy pitch sucked at the Tyne players legs, and particularly up hill into the wind the visitors where hard pressed to make any progress at all. With brave tackling and a final brave surge they finished with Gosforth pegged back against their try line but had to concede to the home outfit 30-10. Ponteland's team had a mixture of ages and a sprinkling of large players, which made the Hoppers score of 30-15 to Ponteland a very creditable effort.
Guisborough Under 16's 15 v Tynedale Under 16's 15
Tynedale Under 16's travelled to Guisborough shorn of nine players through injury and unavailability - four of whom have represented the county this season. So, with only 13 players and the promise of borrowing two from the opposition, they set off with a degree of trepidation and understandably a distinct lack of enthusiasm,
The journey seemed to instil further lethargy into the proceedings until it was suggested to those who had made the journey that it was not worth travelling 70 miles to come away losers. the team responded magnificently and after soaking up early pressure from a sizeable Gusiborough they began to compete in all areas of the game.
The back row of North trialist Phil Ludford, Mathew Fieldhouse and Jed Bell harried the opposition with some tremendous tackling and largely controlled possession.
Centre Tom Scott, feeling decidedly under the weather, made a number of surging runs to set up good midfield positions from which the forwards were able to recycle. From a flowing passage of play Mathew Fieldhouse crossed in the corner.
The second try before half time was as a result of some skillful approach work after a turnover precipitated by Steve Ridley and Tony Gredwell had left a long 50 metre run in for the enigmatic Ian Usher who used his pace and side-stepping ability to make a difficult chance look easy. The try was converted by Sam Stephenson.
Guisborough hit back with two tries of their own before half-time and then converted a penalty early in the second half to take the lead. During this period full back Richard Brinnacombe was pressurised under the high ball but he stuck to his task and made a number of surging runs into the opposition.
Centre Adam Jones made a number of important tackles on his large opposite numbers to help prevent Guisborough, who were now growing in confidence, from adding to their lead.
Tynedale, however, changed the pattern of the game by keeping the ball tight to counter the increasing threat from the Guisborough threequarters, The hard work put in by second rows John Wilkinson and Bradley Hall paid dividend in this period with the breakthrough coming with a fine 40 metre penalty from Sam Stephenson. The penalty was awarded when Gusiborough fell offside at a ruck after good interchange between scrum half Mike Woodhouse and his back row.
This turned out to be the final score of the match although both sides had spells of pressure on the opposition try line.
U9's travel to Northern RFC
Gale force winds and scudding clouds welcomed the Patterson Ford U9 Mini rugby squad as they arrived at Gosforth to take on Northern and Alnwick sides. Tynedale's 24 man squad was split evenly into two squads and both teams provided some high quality rugby against good opposition.
Tynedale Raiders opened their day against Northern A side and fought a close game eventually piped to the post 10-5. As Tynedale had played much of the first half pegged back close to their own try line the quality of the defense by all players was emphatic. Alnwick provided the Raiders their next opposition, and with strong defence and excellent continuity with the ball in hand Tynedale ran out 35-0 winners.
Tynedale's Grasshoppers took on Northern's B team and with crushing defence and good handling Tyne easily came out on top 25-0. Grasshoppers second game was against a rested Northern A team. Playing up hill at first, Tyne again had to defend for much of the half with Northern eventually crossing to score. In the second half the wind and slope favoured the visitors and with good handling, Tyne crossed to score only to have the try disallowed for a knock on over the line. Northern pressed very hard and once again after a series good passing play crossed to end up 10-0 winners.
Raiders Squad: Stevens, Shields, Keady, Debil, Williams, Dancer, Bryson, Shepherd, Hurren, Nicholson, Wright, Woolley.
Grasshoppers Squad: Lambert, Watchorn, Dickinson, Thompson, Reay, Henderson, Evans, Candy, Brinton, Mitchell, Oliver.
Northern Festival - Tynedale Under 9's
The weather was blustery and significantly colder than of late, but the fiery rugby soon warmed the hearts of the large, vocal support.
Tynedale open their campaign against Morpeth and ran out 25-0 victors with a mixture of solid defence and decisive attack. Next opponents Durham City caused Tynedale considerably more problems with the final score of 5-5 a fair result after a closely fought match.
With points at the end of the first stage even it was Durham who prgressed to the semis as group winners leaving Tynedale to face Gosforth - a team considered as one of Tynedale's major rivals. The ensuing match was one of the team's best efforts to date .
With powerful tackling from the entire team, Shields took an opportunity to cross for the opening score of the match. The second half saw Gosforth playing down hill with a strong breeze at their backs and they capitalised on this advantage when their centre ran through for an excellent try to level the scores.
A string of bruising encounters ensued as the two teams largely cancelled each other out. The final whistle went with the teams still tied but it was tynedale who progressed to the final on the basis that they were first to score.
The final saw Tynedale play Durham City for the second time of the day. Once again it was Tynedale's ferocious defence which was their foundation as they toiled uphill against the wind and rain. The half time whistle came with the match stilll scoreless.
Tyendale capitalised on the elements in the second half with Stevens crossing following an excellent phase of driving play and then Lambert scored a classic centre's try to make tynedale worthy victors.
Tynedale's overall statistics of nine tries for and two against speaks volumes for the superb performances of all the players and was a fitting tribute to the squad of 29 players who make up the Tynedale Under 9's squad.
Sandal Festival - Tynedale Under 8's
The Under 8 Mini Rugby Team, waking before the birds had gone to bed, endured a long journey to Wakefield to play in the prestigious Sandal Tournament. Arriving only minutes before their first match, the promising young players were immediately thrust into the spotlight facing talented and determined opposition from Darlington.
Tynedale quickly got to grips with the opposition with some firce tackling and determined straight running.
Tynedale remained on the pitch, with just a couple of minutes rest, to play Nottingham Paviours in their next match. The experience of Freddie Harms quickly showed through as he made repeated sorties towards the opposition line, laying the ball off nicely to strong support running from Ben Ritchie.
The pressure was inevitably too much and a lightening run from Charles Sale saw him break through the Nottingham defence into open ground and head for the try line kike one of Robin Hood's arrows.
Tynedale took full advantage of the break before their next match in preparing for their next match against one of the toughest teams of the tournament, Doncaster. Excellent breaks through the opposition were soon made by Tim Lewis and Alex Deaif and solid back came from Tom Beddis, Ben Stableford, Jamie Gibbin and Thomas Bunn.
With passion in their hearts and buoyed by their rousing performance against Doncaster they then faced a moderate Sheffield side. Mark Woodward showed great maturity in his play and as he set up several good attacks as Tynedale came out 30-5 victors.
It was left to the final match of the day to decide the competition winners in which Tynedale faced Sandal. spurred on by their travelling army of support Tynedale displayed some brilliant tackling against a never ending series of attacks from a slick Sandal side. The all-year traing of the Sandal boys was certainly showing and Tyne could not stop Sandal clinching the victory, and the trophy.
All the Tynedale boys can be justly proud of their achievement - well done lads!
Sandal Festival - Tynedale Under 9's
The Under 9's made an unearthly start to travel to the Sandal festival , south of Wakefield.
Five games against strong opposition produced exciting rugby from every member of the squad. Shields, Watchorn and Thomas put in some fantastic tackles. The powerhouse of the scrum, Stevens, Keady, Oliver and Evans all had good games, driving loose balls and competing up front.
The half back pairing of Williams and Debill played well with Henderson, Day and Reay all having excellent runs on the outside.
The team finished third out of six teams.
Tynedale Under 9's at Newcastle Falcons
Further north on the same day another squad of players was playing in a Tag festival at Newcastle Falcons. All the players showed good enterprise and scored a couple of good tries. As the tournament progressed considerable improvement was made.
Sandal Festival - Tynedale Under 10's
Tynedale Under 10's reached the final but after their heroic display in an epic semi-final, they were just too tired to overcome Driffield and had to settle for runners-up spot.
Tynedale were up against some strong teams in their group but were fortunate to be able to stretch their legs against Sheffield , the minnows of the group, in their opening match and ran out comfortable 25-0 winners.
Their next match was against hosts Sandal and a 10-0 win surprised a few home spectators with Tynedale's outstanding defensive display being the foundation of a fine victory.
Their final group match was against a big, well-drilled Driffield side who scored within seconds of the start to take a 5-0 lead. Tynedale came back well and were able to use their faster backs to earn a 10-10 draw and qualify for a semi final tie against Doncaster.
Doncaster had dominated their group and were a big, physical side. Doncaster's forwards gave Tynedale a hard test whilst Tynedale's backs had the edge. A late try from Tynedale squared the match at 15-15 and the tie went into extra time.
Extra time was to be decided on the 'golden try' rule and it was an exhausted Tynedale team who claimed their reward, running in a try from half way in the final seconds.
Playing in the final for the first time at Sandal, Tynedale found themselves playing Driffield for the second time. Driffield had also had a tough semi, going into extra time against Nottingham Paviours.
Sadly Tynedale's big match had been the semi-final and Driffied, lifted by an early try, gained a worthy 25-5 victory.
The Under 10's can be proud of their performance - they all played to their true potential and demonstrated the strength of playing together as a team.
Tynedale Under 9's
A feast of tries and glorious autumn sunshine welcomed the start of competitive rugby for the Patterson Ford sponsored U9 Mini Rugby squad. Fielding two full teams, Tynedale welcomed 2 teams from Northern and a Blyth team to a sun kissed Tynedale Park.
First up, Tynedale Raiders against Northern resulted in a closely fought game. Slow to start Tynedale found themselves 10-0 down at half time. The second half produced some vintage Raiders defence and much better attacking play, with the full time score 10-10. A fair result after some excellent play by both sides
The second game was between Tynedale Grasshoppers and Blyth. Tynedale's team had a new look, with lots of new players taking part in their first game for the club. Blyth took an early lead and inspite of Tyne's brave efforts stayed ahead for the whole match coming out 25 - 15 winners.
The third encounter pitted Tynedale Raiders against Northern's second team, and some sparkling Tynedale play gave a final score of 35-5 in favour of the home side. Well done to the whole squad.
Consett Under 14's 22 v Tynedale U 14's 5
Despite playing against a district side Tynedale played one of their best games for many a while. The opposition, who seemed to be at least one foot higher and wider per man knew they had played in a tough game. The Tynedale tackling was excellent with many of the recent exercises undertaken in training showing through.
The tackilng of James "Kamikazee" Hope was breathtaking. This contributed to the excellent forward play which was led by pack leader Charlie Murray.
The Tynedale try was scored after a clever kick through was pounced on by Chris Brolly. Tynedale heads were held high after a tough but very enjoyable game. 'Bring on Northern' was the battle cry in the changing rooms after the match..!!