U13`s Gosport & Fareham 32-0 Ellingham & Ringwood

Tries: Feculak (3), Salisbury, Massey and Wales. Cons: Ellard

The weather was appalling. The rain was borne on a terrible west wind. Before us appeared to be a shoal of blue and gold sardines, swishing about in the gale. A thought occurred that we should all have been at home in our slippers with bacon sandwiches and morning news. But why were we there? Because Gosport & Fareham U13`s played pure Rugby.
The game kicked off at 11am which gave the team and the spectators an hour to ensure that they were thoroughly warmed up and (wet) drilled to perfection by the ever devoted, dedicated and determined coaching staff.

Within seconds of the start, slick handling of a slippery ball passed efficiently to the wing where the quirky, quintessential and quick running from Feculak saw him cross the line. The conversion under the posts from Ellard set the scene and it was a game where the conditions were relished by the forwards. Throughout the game they concentrated, committed and consumed all that was thrown at them from a gutsy and courageous Ellingham side, of which a few were borne from our own ranks that turned to the dark side. “Proud they should be” of their performances which during the latter stages of this saturated encounter saw them tear and tease at the Gosport try line.

Further tries from Feculak followed and the forwards relentlessly rucked in the rain. Results followed from this pressure and with some outstanding aggression from Moore saw Massey power over for his try. We were then treated to a try from the balletic, brutish and “knife through butter” running from Salisbury who never failed to amaze the 37 strong crowd.

The second half saw changes. Most of the parents decided to saturate the other side of their clothing and the teams took a quick slurp and swapped shirts in order to ensure that the replacements were recognized. The game progressed and both teams showed no signs of a lack of commitment and at times produced some excellent disciplined rugby. With watery eyes and weary limbs Gosport again broke through and it was Wales`s turn to add to the scoreboard. The forwards had to fish for every ball and the backs patiently picked up the scraps when the opportunity arose. The full time whistle blew and the teams congratulated each other in true rugby spirit.

The weather was appalling but all team members from Gosport & Fareham U13`s showed what they`re made of: strong pack scrummaging, accurate passing, backs running the lines, communication, close tackling, rucking and more importantly, sheer determination in adversity. Be proud gentlemen and whatever position you played in or whatever team you played for, you deserve great credit in your performance.

After the game the teams assembled in the clubhouse for some well deserved pasta and cauliflower. An assortment of knots from club ties were also on show but this didn’t detract from the presentations that followed. 2 Players of the day were nominated from each team. Congratulations to Feculak and Massey who were nominated by the Ellingham team. An orange squash drinking competition then ensued with a poor showing by our lads.

Finally, Pony made an emotional speech to his outgoing team and duly presented Feculak with a half yard of orange in congratulating him as his player of the day. Thus, a custom is born. Feculak obliged and is now probably suffering from orange poisoning.