U8
A bright, crisp still day greeted the Stirling visitors to Linlithgow. A squad of 11 rotated playing two tag matches against Linlithgow “Micros”, P2/P3’s.
The first half of the first match was a little disorganized. However come the second half a switch had been made & focus was improved of positions of the pitch. Still in their infancy to understand the rules, they all managed very well. Some darting strong runs resulted in a number of try’s. Stirling were victors for both games, 4-2 & 6-2. No injuries & fun was had by all.
Well done to everybody. The future looks bright!
U9
Beautiful still November morning saw a reasonably experienced Stirling Under 9 team line up against Linlithgow and Perthshire. After a very disciplined and respectful 2 minute silence at 11am Stirling faced a strong and determined Linlithgow. The narrow pitch and 7-a-side teams worked against Stirling's running, side-stepping game resulting in a defeat of 6-5. Perthshire however could not equal either Stirling or Linlithgow and were easily out run. A second game against the hosts resulted in a similar score line and again the same against Perthshire. Undoubtably Stirling had some tackling weakness shown up by the strongest West Lothian boys, but refereeing allowed alot more ball play on the ground than we were used to thus resulting in a lot of turn over ball which favoured the opposition. Excellent morning of rugby and all boys exhausted but happy at the conclusion.
U10
The U 10s took 2 teams to Linlithgow and were spoiled with ideal conditions for running rugby. A firm pitch and clear blue skies were greatly appreciated after recent deluges. Linlithgow and Perth provided the opposition and due to manpower shortages at the home club, County provided the referees.
The Castle team were first up against Linlithgow, who were probably as good as any side Stirling have faced this season. Both teams had pace and strength and looked dynamic and confident. Unsurprisingly, County were slow out of the blocks and arrived at half time, 4-2 down. They sorted themselves out at the interval and started winning all of the contact situations and in doing so created space for their wingers to start scoring. The final score was 6 - 6 with County finishing up camped on Linlithgow's line looking for the winning score.
The Monument team were next up against Perth who were surprisingly competitive with some very strong, elusive runners. They raced to a 2 try lead which thankfully had the effect of waking the County team up. They started easing their way into the match and as in the first match, the breakdown only had one winner, with Stirling turning Perth over at will. It was all power from Stirling and no little finesse in finishing, with thumping tackles in midfield, barnstorming runs in the tight and some fabulously sinuous runs from the wingers, who also stuck in some amazing last ditch tackles. County finished 9 - 5 winners.
The two Stirling teams then played each other and honours were thankfully even 8 - 8 which confirmed a decent balance in the teams. Familiarity doesn't need to breed complacency and the two sets of kids tore into each other, causing winces from the coaches and the touchline, but none from the kids. A crackingly competitive game with both teams doing all the basics, as well as doing the exceptional. We had hoped that we may get some more games from the hosts but they had adjourned for pie and beans so we had another 10 minute bounce game which finished 6 - 6.
This was a fabulous morning of rugby for the kids. There were some great individual performances and there is a growing sense of maturity in the team which in turn makes things more enjoyable for everyone. Thanks to all of the parents who came along and made this feel like a home fixture. I'm sure you were all very proud.
U11
The under 11s took 21 players to Linlithgow on Sunday, spilt into Castle and Monument teams. They played some outstanding rugby, which was entertaining to watch and showed real heart from the boys. After a slightly disappointing trip to Marr, it was very pleasing to see the teams playing to their full potential. In particular, some of the players who have been on the fringes of the action up until now, started to make a real impact.
In their first match Stirling Castle were comfortable winners against the Linlithgow Blacks, 7-0. The Stirling Monument team played against a large Perth side and beat them 7-0, which was a credit to some excellent tackling and good use of the ball in open spaces.
In the second round of matches both Stirling teams played Linlithgow Reds. These were really competitive games, with excellent tackling reflected in the low scores. Stirling Castle drew their match 1-1, with neither side giving any ground in a really tense game to watch. Stirling Monument fought back from 2-1 down to come away 3-2 winners in their match. Both Stirling teams should be proud of the way they defended in such competitive matches. The excitement of the Monument team at the final whistle showed how much it meant to them to win when they were under pressure.
In the final round of games we rested some of the stronger players from the start. The fact that both Stirling teams continued to play expansive rugby, demonstrates the depth of the squad at this age group. Stirling Castle did really well to run 9 tries in against Perth (9-2). Stirling Monument came away 9-4 winners against Linlithgow Blacks, which included two players scoring their first tries for the club.
Overall, this was an excellent day’s rugby. Linlithgow were very good hosts. Good facilities, good pitches and well coached teams. It helped that the sun shone and as usual the support from the Stirling parents was very encouraging for the boys.
U12
County only took 1 team to Linlithgow and were pleased to see Perth there as well as the hosts. We started off with a match against Perth. Despite the really boggy and muddy conditions, the team played well and started to use the ball (eventually). Some early tries by County set the pattern of the game with some individuals working hard and covering for the rest of the team. Some lacklustre close contact techniques were there for all to see – resulting in really slow ball for the backs or turnovers. The second half proved to be better controlled by County and we turned out confident winners; 7-1.
Next up were the hosts who had relied only a small handful of useful players in their game against Perth. Their technique proved ineffective against our stronger and more mobile forwards, in addition to some fearsome tackling. We came out easy winners in this match too. A final fixture against the Perth team was arranged and we totally reorganised our team positions – resulting in backs and forwards swapping places. Despite the strange setup, we easily scored several tries.
Overall a good day for U12s with a refreshing run-out for them, but clearly some work needed on getting the best ball delivery from the close contact situations, and the need for the backs to properly align and go forward.
