U13's tour was to Somerset this year. We'd toured Somerset before with Rugby Rocks, but this tour with Revel Rugby was a huge upgrade over that effort. Friday night we assembled at the Cheddar Cider Barn, which had adjoining playing fields, with pizza for everyone, and bar jenga and cider for the over 18s. Not forgetting the dulcet tones of our local entertainment:

All safely back afterwards, the next day, we assembled for the traditional shirt presentation, this year's design competition won by your scribe, but the shirts provided via the generosity of our sponsor Ezy Clean (just Google them).

After this, we made our way to the local rugby club at Cheddar Valley RFC, where there was to be the 2 day tournament. The format was a basic all-play-all with finals for cup, plate and shield.

vs Bancroft RFC U13

We opened the tournament on Pitch A, which wasn't marked for U13. Between the oppo and us, we posted coaches on the 5's either side and at the ends on the 5M lines to mark the dimensions. This bit if faff seemed to cause us a hiccough our prep, and our play wasn't at its most fluid in the first period. Even so, TJs opened the scoring via Bates, but Bancroft hit back almost immediately via their hard charging 12 and we were in a game. Lucas sored next for TJs, but again, some pretty average defence let Bancroft back in, this time their 12 providing the assist. 2 all then, and your scribe something close to apoplectic on the sideline with none of the pre-match prep or team talk seeming to land. We were being out-rucked, jackaled and couldn't seem to make much happen. Fortunately we were able to turn to Esprit-Tabiowo's pace to see us into the lead, and then Vincent similarly to give TJs a cushion at the break at 4-2.

The hairdryer deployed, we took to the pitch in the second half renewed. Lucas crossed for his brace, followed by new boy Baker, playing in his first TJs match before Davies scored his debut try for TJs coming off a great support line and restoring some honour for the forwards which was reinforced by Bains who also touched down. TJs second half performance was much more like it, and we were building into the tournament.

Final Score: TJs 9-2 Bancroft RFC U13

vs Trojans

Before the game, the lads looked over at the Trojans team, and the size difference was certainly in Trojans favour. However, you can't do much about that - better spend the time concentrating on your own game, and this was one of the games of the tournament for us. We played our patterns and quite frankly Trojans never seemed to have the ball or threaten us in any way. All our tries were scored by our wide men, but forwards win you matches, and the industry shown by them to be in position to carry, win the resulting rucks and thereby draw in the oppo defence made it easy for the outside backs to be in space. Four tries up at the break, with Baker and Vincent with a brace each we were purring.

Second half the rain started to come, but whoever we had on the pitch just kept up the same patterns and there were outstanding contributions from Kirsop, Streeten-Smith in the backs, the latter putting in some beautiful cross fields in this game, as well as Bates, Relle, Foulkes and Snow playing in the forwards. Two more tries in this half from two other members of the back 3 in Esprit-Tabiowo and Osher completed the whitewash in what was an outstanding performance from all the players.

Final Score: TJs 6-0 Trojans RFC U13

vs Sevenoaks

On tour again, and again we seem to find our friends at the mighty Oaks.... The heavens had truly opened by this point and this was going to make our fast flowing handling game challenging. However, both Cobb and J.Beamish taking turns at 9 coped brilliantly, as did Streeten-Smith at 10 and we had far fewer handling errors than the conditions would have predicted and in the first half, again, a try either side of the pitch for the wingers in Baker and Esprit-Tabiowo as the reward for a gutsy performance against a game Sevenoaks side who were struggling to get out of their half.

The second half was similar, the Oaks defence and the conditions making it tough for the TJs lads, but Hendricks, S.Beamish and Wallis were outstanding in the forwards and again we won ball for our wide men - the increasingly menacing Baker crossing once more. Relle was next to cross, uncharacteristically in a wider position, a dummy to the outside and a step inside, he finished with a powerful drive to get his name on the scoresheet. The game wasn't done and Sevenoaks weren't either - they put our line under serious pressure, but TJs weren't going to give up the nil and time and again, they drove the attackers back, until the ball was finally won and put into touch.

Final Score: TJs 4 - 0 Sevenoaks RFC U13

At the end of the first day then, the table looked like this:

And we were sitting pretty, but we knew from talking to our local rivals that greater tests were to come.

However, that could wait until after the tradional tour social. Fancy dress as ever, with the theme of 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' providing ample latitude in costumes.

and the inevitable court session with the most heinous of crimes being dealt with by the crushing force of Justice Bains and his custard pie punishments:

The night was a cracker.

The next day it was 1 vs 2 in the League

vs Gowerton

Gowerton are a big, well-organised outfit and they started the game with a bang. They took advantage of a sleepy start by us and quickly went 2 tries up. However, we were able to turn again the pace of Esprit -Tabiowo, who scored a brace to bring us level. The game was a tough encounter, and the both sets of coaches agreed this was the best rugby played. S. Beamish making his presence felt especially. However, Gowerton had real size in the centres and particularly on one wing, and made this tell - a combination of size and pace is a tough assignment for any opposition side, and they scored another before the break.

No hairdryer required at the interval - the boys were in a tough assignment and they knew it and were rising to it.

Gowerton were next to score, but then TJs pegged two back through Baker and Lucas to draw level, but a runaway try with a chip over from Gowerton's colossal winger put the fixture to bed and delivered our first L.

Final Score: TJs 4 - 5 Gowerton RFC U13

vs Chester

Chester were another side of giants, but they couldn't live with our brand of rugby. We pulled them this way and that, and there was fire in the boys bellies. Aggressive rucking and fast ball away put us on the front foot, and soon Vincent had registered a brace before Chester pegged one back with a breakaway effort. Baker was next before Lucas added one outside the back three and then Vincent completed his hat trick in the game. Again, of coursed it's the try scorers who get the plaudits, but Bains and Cooper showed great steel in this fixture, the former getting on the end of a wide ball on the left to score in the corner, just touching down before sliding out of bounds.

The second half was a bit more to and fro, with TJs applying massive pressure, but then letting the oppo off with bad fortune or a lack of compsure. 5 tries up, it's understandable, but even so, we added another through the pacy Esprit -Tabiowo to put the game to bed.

Final Score: TJs 7 - 1 Chester RFC U13

The final table now looked like this:

The final was set with us vs Gowerton once more.

vs Gowerton RFC U13 (Final)

Like the first game on this pitch, there were no U13 markings, and this was to cause some controversy as we will see. Prior to kick-off, Vincent was unlucky to tweak his groin in the warm-up and this meant he was replaced at full back by Osher who'd been running himself ragged and been unfortunate not to score more tries all tournament.

Gowerton had brought 26 players and thus had enough for two teams, and had rested many of the players who'd caused us problems in the last game in their penultimate fixture, which they'd lost vs Sevenoaks. The game was a cagey affair, but in truth it was their attack vs our defence. We couldn't get more than one forward carry going, and we were turned over too many times, which meant we played much of the game under pressure and close to our line. In the end, it was somewhat inevitable that Goverton worked the ball wide and one of their quick outside backs streaked away to score over the tryline. This is where things got controversial. Where was the tryline? U13 rules say that the pitch can be maximally 90 x 60 metres, and in the first game, we'd played the 5M lines as trylines, and then the tryline would be the dead ball. Goverton had grounded the ball over the dead ball line, surely? No, said the referee to the players closest to him, we were playing the whole length, but 5M in. The match kicked off again, and the pattern resumed, we'd battle hard, get turned over, dig in with our defence, force an error, regain the ball and repeat. Then we worked the ball up toward the tryline, Hartley putting in a trademark dummy and go to ghost through and set up. Gowerton were under serious pressure and a snipe from 9 had us level! Or so we thought. Cobb, who'd been outstanding all tournament had grounded the ball over the 5M line - not being close enough to the referee to hear him say that he was playing full length - and the game was restarted with Goverton in possession. Understandably Cobb was gutted, and so was the sideline. We'd started to put together some decent fluidity in attack and Gowerton were judged to have deliberately knocked on. We couldn't capitalise, but the same thing happened again, and they were a man in the bin. In the end though, it was too little too late and the big, well-drilled Welsh side took the W.

In the end, we could have no complaints - we'd spent large parts of the game close to our own line, and our moments of pressure were too few.

Final Score: TJs 0 - 1 Gowerton RFC U13

The rugby side of the tour over, we applauded winners, picked up our medals and went off to the traditional end-of-tour meal.

The boys had played incredibly well throughout the tournament. Even with the final loss, we'd scored so many brilliant tries, made some great tackles, smashed our way through countless rucks. Forwards and backs had combined well, and we'd seen the team grow as characters, players and friends throughout.

Tours like this don't happen without hard work, and Greg Beamish particularly, allied with the irrepressible James Vincent really made this one happen. Ed Streeten managed the team on-and-offs amazingly, George got the lads warmed and raring and provided photos and Gav Wallis delivered the power words that got the boys on it. Parents played their part too in making this tour an excellent and memorable weekend. Thanks to all of you. Legends.