Both our Colts teams enjoyed home wins on Sunday, and both can be pleased with their efforts.

First up were the U17 Junior Colts who faced Bolton. The visitors were a man short and had no front row, resulting in uncontested scrums, which was not to Sedgley’s liking. However, it proved a cracking, competitive local derby which Sedgley won by their second half performance.

The rugby in the first half had been quite ordinary, if fiercely fought, the gloomy day illuminated by just one outstanding try. Centre Karl Wilson made the initial opening, prop Jack Giladi provided the spectacular charging-rhino finish.

Park had failed to use the wind, however, a mistake that Bolton were not about to repeat. But, with full-back James Morris performing well, Sedgley survived to take charge, to such an extent that Bolton had little ball to play with.

Pressure eventually paid as Wilson, the cutting-edge in the backs, scored in the left corner. Increasingly confident SP made the game safe with a really fine try, winger J-P Critchley showing pace, awareness and strength, though the visitors got back a try near the end, deservedly so. Final score: 15-5.

A good performance by all the usual suspects, the big pack led by Todd Keers, and scrum-half Matt Bradley. I hope the players enjoyed the game (and the refereeing) as much as I did.

The Senior Colts faced Preston Grasshoppers, and again the scrums were uncontested, this time through Sedgley’s lack of a front row. With the wind at their backs SP were quickly on top. Tom Leader kicked an early penalty and first-half tries came from Owen Jackson and Danny Harrison.

Sedgley’s only try of the second half was scored by Luke Woolley, a contender for try-of-the-season. Leader should also have scored but slid over the dead-ball line, perfectly captured on video by his dad!

(To see this and other SP moments, go on YouTube and search ‘michaelleader’.)

Hoppers scored a late try, but this had been Sedgley’s day. The team had played well in patches. The back-row of Woolley, Jackson and Jonathan Dauncey was outstanding, so too lock Jonny Francis. The line-out had been excellent, the rucks require some work. Final score: 25-8.

Both Colts teams are again at home this Sunday, Jan 20th, against Eccles and Blackpool.

The disappointment of the day was that the under 16s match was called off. With opponents travelling from Coventry, an early decision had to be made following overnight rain. As it turned out, a combination of work and wind had made conditions near perfect by the time the game would have kicked off. Little consolation for the lads who 20 weeks into the season have only played nine matches.

The only Junior home match, therefore, was the under 14s who met Aldwinians in the Lancashire Junior Challenge. In excellent conditions, apart from the wind, the two teams put on a fine show of rugby once early handling errors had been eliminated.

Aldwinians were always marginally the stronger side, bigger and more aggressive in the pack, and having an outstanding full-back. After a scoreless first half, when SP had the wind behind them, the visitors scored early in the second.

Park fought back strongly. The quality of rugby was high and the game was evenly contested into the final quarter before an unwise kick ahead was punished with a 75-metre counter-attack try. Some more committed defence by the Sedgley boys ensured that was the final try. Score: 0-14.

The other two teams were in Junior Challenge action away from home.

The under 15s travelled to Broughton Park and won comfortably. Tries by Jamie Kettleborough, Tom Egan and Andrew Ede gave the team a 17-0 half-time lead.

Second-half tries by stand-off Kettleborough and Tom Bedlow took the score to 29-0, so the next one, scored in the corner by Sean Wilson after a well worked move, ended the game under competition rules.

In the friendly play that followed, man-of-the-match Phil Watt powered through for a final score.

And so to the under 13s. They have been enjoying a good run of late, but now they came up against an elite Preston Grasshoppers outfit. Seven of their players were 6-footers or thereabout, and good players as well as big, and the team has conceded just one try all season.

It took only 20 minutes for Hoppers to run up the necessary 30 points. The game continued as a training session, with some interchange of players, and with three of the big lads on their side the Sedgley boys were able to demonstrate that they too can play good rugby.

More importantly they were able to return home in a positive mood. I once had to referee a 100-0 Lancashire Cup game at under 15 level (Leigh v Colne & Nelson), a game I wasn’t allowed to cut short under the competition rules of the time. So well done the organisers.

SP Colts & Juniors  League & Cup Results & Fixtures 2007/08

Halbro Colts League
http://colts-rugby.org.uk/halbro for full fixtures, results, tables.

Under 19 (Senior Colts League A)
02/09  Altrincham Kersal (H) L  3- 9
09/09  Preston G’hoppers (A) D 17-17
23/09  Glossop           (H) L 14-26
30/09  Leigh             (H) W 36-12
07/10  Sandbach          (A) L  3-38
14/10  Kendal            (H) W 19- 3
04/11  Caldy             (H) D 14-14
11/11  Chester           (A) cancelled
09/12  Kendal            (A) postponed
16/12  Sandbach          (H) L  0-36
23/12  Leigh             (A) postponed
30/12  Eccles            (A) W 28-17
06/01  Glossop           (A) L  7-33
13/01  Preston G’hoppers (H) W 25- 8
20/01  Eccles            (H)
27/01  Altrincham Kersal (A)

Under 17 (Junior Colts League C North)
02/09  Blackpool         (A) L 24-68
09/09  Bolton            (A) L  5-10
16/09  Clitheroe         (A) W 67- 0
23/09  Fylde             (H) W 33-27
07/10  Kirkby Lonsdale   (H) postponed 
14/10  Eccles            (A) L 19-29
21/10  Fleetwood         (H) L 12-19
04/11  Bury              (A) W 24-13
11/11  Warrington        (H) L  0- 7
18/11  Fleetwood         (A) L 12-14
02/12  Eccles            (H*)L  0- 3  *played away
09/12  Kirkby Lonsdale   (A) L  0-49
16/12  Kirkby Lonsdale   (H) postponed
06/01  Fylde             (A) L  0-27
13/01  Bolton            (H) W 15- 5
20/01  Blackpool         (H)
27/01  Kirkby Lonsdale   (H)

Lancashire Colts Cups
http://clubs.rfu.com/Clubs/portals/lancashire/LancashireRugbyColtsSectionCup.aspx

Under 19
25/11  Waterloo (A) W 17-12
03/02  Widnes   (H)

Under 17
25/11  Waterloo (A) L  0-43

Lancashire Junior Challenge
http://clubs.rfu.com/Clubs/portals/lancashire/JuniorChallenge0708.aspx

Under 16
16/09  Liverpool Coll (H) W 38-19
07/10  Bolton         (H) W 33- 3
04/11  Ormskirk       (A) L  3-33*
16/12  Manchester     (H) W 31- 5
03/02  Preston G      (A)

Under 15
16/09  Broughton Park (A) postponed to January
07/10  Bury           (H) L  6-12
04/11  Blackpool      (A) W walkover
16/12  Bolton         (A) L  5-21
13/01  Broughton Park (A) W 30- 0*
03/02  Tyldesley      (H)

Under 14
16/09  Fleetwood      (H) W 33- 5
04/11  Tarleton       (A) W 19- 0
18/11  Southport      (A) W 30- 0*
16/12  Ormskirk       (A) W 12-10
13/01  Aldwinians     (H) L  0-14
03/02  Fylde          (H)

Under 13
16/09  Widnes         (H) L  0-30*
07/10  Vale of Lune   (A) L  5-24
04/11  Warrington     (H) cancelled by Warrington
18/11  Fleetwood      (A) W 37- 7*
16/12  Liverpool SH   (H) W 30- 0*
13/01  Preston G      (A) L  0-30* 

* denotes ‘reported score’ – under competition rules the score difference must not exceed 30.