RUGBY MIDGETS 3 P12 W9 L3 Team from: Hector Tufnell, Leo Mekic, Henry Boulton, Hector Copcutt, George Hanlon, Gareth Ng, Will Verdin, Will Hartigan, Nicholas Xu, Henry Kendall, Sebastian Codet, Rory McNair, Freddie James, Luke Botterill, Jamie Cooper, Henry Shippey, Orlando Stirling, Alexander Buchanan, Joe Dreyer, Alex Bligh This was perhaps the most resilient group of Midgets 3 boys I can remember. Led with maturity and nous by Archie Elvin, they won several games which, in the past, would have eluded a less gritty team. The endeavour with which they trained was central to their improvement. It was almost worth the three consecutive losses at the start of the season to bear witness to their concerted efforts to improve.
Coaches: AFC Nash and EO Holt Captain: A Elvin
But strength of character alone will get you only so far. These boys could play rugby. With the expertise of assistant coach William Monckton (J Social Remove) to marshal the forwards, and a strong scrum half to fly half partnership, it was left to EOH and AFCN to provide just a little structure. Highlights of the season included an unprecedented (for this don at least) win over St. Paul’s, and an enormously brave scrap with Abingdon. It is fair to say that if the Midgets 3 team of December had played their September selves, the result would have been very onesided. Every boy contributed all they had, and made telling contributions, but more importantly, progress as players. The central tenet of our philosophy was to play fast, with our
heads up. That all the boys attempted to do this from very early on, despite little immediate success, is a testament to their character as a group, and as individuals. I hope they look back with real pride on all they achieved, and keep the memory of the season alive in story and legend. They were fantastic.
AFC Nash and EO Holt
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
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