Windsor U9 Pumas - Beaconsfield Tournament
by Jon Bridger
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The Pumas made the trip to the Beaconsfield Tournament on Sunday the 7th of March and had some great matches. This was a team playing against stronger and more established B teams, who were in the main more organised as a result. Our guys refused to be overawed, however, played up to the standards of their opposition, and made great progress. This was the first Tournament for half the boys and they are still a relatively new side, so they took some time to get going. Against Marlow, we saw Windsor score a great try , demonstrating good support play and showing what they are capable of. Possession was pretty even, but against a strong Marlow side a loss of 4-1 was a very creditable performance. The second game against Chinnor was excellent, and we ran out 2-1 winners. It could easily have been more. The improvement between the two games was dramatic, with better tackling, better passing and players keeping their positions well (without a coach on the field). There followed a 2-2 draw against Amersham & Chiltern, a 2-0 loss to Fullerians, and a very tired side finally lost 4-0 to the best side on the day, Beaconsfield. Windsor's player of the Tournament was William, who had an outstanding day at full back (with occasional duties as a forward). The best part of their performance was the passion they all showed against bigger, more experienced sides. They didn't let their heads drop and in the games they lost, they often had superior possession. Well done to all who attended. Points for future reference, 1) - pass before you are tackled 2) - support the man making the break with the ball 3) - turn and present the ball to your team before being swamped by the opposition (or see point 1!) 4) - grab the loose ball; we lost possession too often after having put the opposition under pressure. Overall Peter and I were very pleased with the boys progress, and I think this was seen again last Sunday against Maidenhead. The Pumas ran in 3 tries with no reply in the first half of their match, before running out of steam in the second. Bring on the Marlow Tournament!!!!!! Jon